Episode 3
How much do you know about me?
Yoonjae quickly lowered and raised his gaze, worried that if Jinju’s reaction differed from what he expected, he might reveal his hesitation through his eyes.
The woman’s firm refusal—how she had no desire whatsoever—lingered in his mind. Her tone felt sharp enough to scratch at his heart. A subtle irritation, mixed with disappointment, slowly built up inside him.
But soon, as if nothing had happened, he put on a cold, expressionless face again.
Jinju’s rejection was only natural. A sudden proposal to marry for business had been met with an immediate “yes” on his side, so there was no reason she would be pleased.
Keeping his tone as calm and indifferent as possible, Yoonjae asked slowly,
“Then why did you come all the way here?”
She looked tense, just as she had during the audition. Her flushed face caught his attention.
Her round eyes were straight and clear. Within them, her pure black pupils still shimmered brightly.
“She still has traces of her childhood… When I went abroad to study, Baek Jinju must have been about ten.”
When their eyes met under Yoonjae’s intense gaze, Jinju’s eyes showed hesitation and awkwardness. But soon, as if resolving her thoughts, her gaze steadied.
Unconsciously, Yoonjae raised a hand and brushed his eyebrow, as if solving a difficult puzzle.
“I… I can’t go against my teacher’s words.”
A look of disbelief briefly crossed his face. He tilted his head slightly.
“So you’re saying you’ll accept being paired with just any man…? You don’t seem that foolish.”
“I also know my teacher would never match me with just anyone.”
Jinju’s slightly sharp voice cut through his faint sarcasm.
Yoonjae’s eyebrows rose even higher.
“So Baek Jinju trusts Master Nam Ae-sun that much.”
He was not unaware of how important the teacher-disciple relationship was in traditional vocal arts, but seeing an adult Jinju obey her teacher so unconditionally was somewhat shocking.
It also clashed with the image of Baek Jinju he had formed from their brief encounters.
“My teacher raised me after I lost my parents. She made me who I am today as a vocalist.”
To Jinju, Nam Ae-sun was both teacher and mother. Once her father realized Jinju’s natural talent, he always told her to trust and follow her teacher more than anyone else.
After her father’s funeral, when Jinju had nowhere to go, it was Jihoon and Ae-sun who discussed her future.
—“Jinju, this is your home now.”
It was Nam Ae-sun who took Jinju’s trembling hand and brought her home, raising her as if nothing had changed.
Though still young, Jinju had vowed to repay her teacher’s kindness by becoming a great master singer. She also never forgot her father’s final words.
—“Jinju, you must listen to Uncle Jihoon… and above all, to your teacher. Understand?”
Nodding through tears, Jinju had promised to obey her teacher no matter what. That was why she could not easily reject even an arranged meeting or talk of marriage set up by her teacher.
But marriage could not be something she was simply carried into.
“I agreed to meet three times just to buy time after the director said he wanted to get married quickly.”
“What did you say?”
Yoonjae’s brows furrowed deeply.
Jinju blinked.
Opposite her, the man’s expression had hardened.
Why is he reacting like that?
“…Hah.”
Yoonjae leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as if he had finally understood something.
“So both families already conspired to marry us off. And your family said I have a sincere and likable face, so I’m acceptable?”
“Pardon? Me?”
Jinju’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit again. She had never said such a thing.
Exhaling in disbelief, Yoonjae sighed as Jinju continued, as if she still had more to say.
“Honestly, my teacher was so happy when she heard that news that I came here reluctantly. I also thought Director Lee Yoonjae would refuse me anyway. Now that I’ve explained myself, I’d like to end this meeting today. As you know, I still have much to learn from my teacher, and opera is only just beginning for me.”
“Hah… end it, huh.”
He rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, but his eyes never left Jinju.
He understood why she had come and why she refused. But from his perspective, this was not something that could simply be dismissed with a few words.
“Do you know that Chairman Lee Jihoon made an important promise with your teacher, Master Baek Giju?”
“A promise?”
This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.
“No.”
Hearing her father’s name so suddenly made Jinju’s chest tighten painfully.
“Chairman Lee Jihoon promised Master Baek Giju that he would raise Baek Jinju as his own daughter until the end. Because of that promise, he is determined to make you his daughter-in-law. Otherwise, he even threatened to register you as his legal daughter and hand over the company to you.”
“…W-what?”
Shock flashed across Jinju’s face.
“You didn’t know any of this?”
Jinju was overwhelmed by the sudden revelations. She looked at Yoonjae’s skeptical expression.
The implication was clear—did she come here intending to become a wealthy family’s daughter-in-law while already knowing all this?
Her pride stung.
“No!”
Her voice rose sharply.
Since childhood, when Jihoon joked, “Jinju, want to be my daughter?”, she had always thought it was just a harmless joke.
But to think such serious discussions had actually taken place regarding marriage…
Even after learning about Yoonjae, she had assumed a man like him would never be interested in her.
So this man… he must think of me as some villain trying to take his wealth using my father’s promise as an excuse.
As Yoonjae’s cold gaze lingered, his voice followed.
“Baek Jinju. Since we’ve explained our situations, I’ll be honest too.”
His tone deepened further, and Jinju tensed instinctively.
“If I don’t go through with this marriage, my father intends to prevent me from continuing my career in the entertainment industry.”
Jinju couldn’t believe it.
“S-surely not…”
The warm, smiling uncle who used to say he would buy her anything if she sang well…
She couldn’t believe Jihoon would say something so harsh to his own son—especially over marriage.
“As I’ve said, I need this marriage to protect my career. Baek Jinju.”
She lifted her head.
His voice was low and heavy. Even the way he addressed her name, now formal and distant, felt intimidating.
“If you become my legal daughter, we’ll end up in court as siblings fighting each other.”
“…!”
Jinju’s eyes trembled violently, as if something inside her had shattered. In contrast, Yoonjae remained calm and unmoving.
“If there is no other option, how about we proceed with the marriage in name only and divorce later when the timing is right?”
“…!”
She had come here to reject the marriage, but now she was hearing about marriage—and even divorce, something she had never once considered. Her head felt dizzy.
Is this working?
Yoonjae, observing her reaction, felt his suggestion might be persuasive. Taking the opportunity, he began listing conditions he had already considered.
“Of course, there will be a wedding and legal registration, so compensation and settlement will be more generous than you expect. As my wife, your success as a vocalist on the global stage will also be guaranteed. As the daughter-in-law of K Entertainment’s largest shareholder, there will be no loss for you.”
From the beginning, he intended to offer fair compensation. It would be a sum she could never earn in her lifetime through singing alone.
It was obvious his father would support his daughter-in-law’s career, and since he himself was in the industry, helping Baek Jinju become a top vocalist would not be difficult.
Jinju exhaled slowly, gripping her skirt tightly with one hand.
Her lips were dry, and a brief wave of despair crossed her eyes.
She forced herself to steady her thoughts as she listened to Yoonjae. Gradually, her wavering gaze settled.
“I understand what you’re saying, Director. I’ll tell the adults I agreed to meet three times, and I’ll think about a solution during the remaining time.”
She paused, then continued. She had tried to stay calm, but his talk of money irritated her deeply.
Baek Jinju, you have to speak up.
“I have no intention of becoming your sister or wife. And I am not a beggar, nor an untalented singer who needs corporate help or your support to succeed.”
Yoonjae, listening closely, frowned at her sharp words.
“Damn it… maybe I went too far.”
He regretted his blunt phrasing.
Meanwhile—
“Please don’t ever talk about compensation or K Entertainment’s help again. I can earn enough to live on my own, and if I set my mind to it, I can earn even more.”
Jinju spoke firmly, like a child being sternly corrected—but her voice was steady.
She was, by nature, a woman with a beautiful voice. Bold and dignified, yet carrying an inexplicable sorrow beneath its clarity. That voice echoed through Yoonjae’s ears.
Damn it.
Silence fell again. The heavy conversation made even the atmosphere feel awkward.
Yoonjae realized his mistake—he had assumed she would accept the marriage without hesitation.
He quickly changed the subject.
“Are you coming to the script reading tomorrow?”
As expected, Jinju had been unanimously accepted into the Gyeongseong Opera Company.
“Yes. I start official work tomorrow.”
Her tone shifted immediately into a professional one.
“So we’ll be seeing each other every day.”
“And…”
“And what?”
“Since today was caused by misunderstandings between our families, I hope the remaining two meetings can be canceled. I will explain everything to Jihoon uncle and my teacher myself.”
Meeting her superior and soon-to-be colleague two more times privately felt overwhelming.
“…Hm.”
“Are you more impatient than you look, Baek Jinju?”
A strange irritation rose in Yoonjae.
He understood her reluctance, but—
“You were the one who said you’d think of a solution during the remaining two meetings, weren’t you?”
Was it really right to shut it down so decisively?
Her firm tone oddly left a sense of dissatisfaction in him, which frustrated him further.
Above all, he still had reasons to meet Baek Jinju two more times.
“Baek Jinju, how much do you know about me?”
Jinju lifted her slightly bowed head, confused.
“I have a valid reason to protect my career through this marriage, and without a clear alternative, abandoning it outright doesn’t make sense. And there are still two meetings left, aren’t there?”
Half curiosity, half stubborn pride.
And a faint expectation that Jinju, like other women, would eventually look at him with admiration—or if not, that he would make her do so.
“Baek Jinju, anyway… let’s see each other every day starting tomorrow.”
