Nayoon stood in front of a large mirror, wearing a white dress that subtly accentuated her figure and emphasized the line of her shoulders.
Beside her, her stepmother, Juran, held up various shoes and handbags, trying them out before handing her the ones she liked best.
Then came the earrings, and finally, the necklaceâlike she was dressing up a doll.
âToday is the most important day of your life. You know that, right?â
It was Nayoonâs matchmaking day. And not just any matchâit was with Koo Jaeha, the CEO of the Songseong Group, a match her family had long worked to arrange.
Juran, fiddling with the expensive necklace around Nayoonâs slender neck, slowly met her gaze.
Greed. Desire. Obsession.
All of it was clear in Juranâs eyes.
âMore than ever, behave properlyâbe cautious and agreeable.â
âYes, I will.â
âThey say CEO Koo has a cold personality. Men like that usually fall for gentle, soft-spoken women. No matter what he says, smile. Just like you always do.â
Just as she was told, Nayoon nodded obediently and smiled sweetly.
âYouâre beautiful. No matter who else shows up today, youâll outshine them all.â
On the outside, Juran was elegant and refined, but her crude tone always lingered at the end of her words.
She repeated herself again and againâeverything about Koo Jaeha, the eldest son of the Songseong Group and head of JH Investment.
They had spent thousands just to gather private information about him that wasnât available to the public.
âHe may be blunt, but apparently he cherishes people once they become his. So you must catch his eye. It wasnât easy arranging this meeting.â
Juran brushed Nayoonâs hair with her fingers, then looked her dead in the eye and said,
âNever forgetâyou need Koo Jaeha. You must be part of that family.â
For a long time, Nayoonâs adoptive parents had been obsessed with Songseong Group, Koreaâs most powerful conglomerate.
âItâs time we started looking for a match for Nayoon.â
âIâve been checking to see if we have any connections to Songseong. I hear CEO Kooâs business acumen is outstanding.â
To her adoptive father Dae-woonâs comment, Juran smiled and naturally brought up Koo Jaeha.
Nayoon was to be the bridge between the Jin family and the Songseong Group.
âAll you have to do is smile.â
They had once promised to love the 7-year-old child they brought into their home, offering her smiles in public, only to coldly ignore her the moment she stepped into their mansion.
No one even spared her a glance. Even if she stood alone by the shoe rack for hours.
At just seven, Nayoon learned what a promise really meant.
That promises were lies.
Being abandoned once was enough to feel the chill of the worldâbeing ignored again only confirmed it.
Thatâs when it started.
The fear that she could be thrown away again if she didnât prove her usefulness.
And she realized something else.
She had never truly been taken in.
Smile when told, obey when ordered.
She was just their puppet. Their doll.
In that brief moment, memories of how she had survived in that house flashed through her mind.
âI will. I promise.â
Exactly as her mother wanted.
Nayoonâs eyes smiledâbut with a cold glint.
As the scheduled time approached, Nayoon walked steadily down the hallway.
She didnât want this matchmaking meetingâyet she did.
Her goal was clear, and she hated how clearly defined her position was.
âDo you have a reservation?â the hotel restaurant staff asked as she approached.
âYes.â
âYour name?â
âJin Nayoon.â
The staff quickly confirmed her reservation and guided her inside.
They walked through the dining area, down a short hallway, and stopped in front of a door.
The staff knocked, then stepped back when a low voice responded from within.
Nayoon took a deep breath and opened the door.
A man, short hair slicked back, turned his head slowly at the sound of the door. He had been staring out the window.
It was CEO Koo Jaeha.
âNice to meet you. Iâm Jin Nayoon.â
As she greeted him, he stood up.
She had expected heâd be broad-shouldered, but up close, she realized just how tall he was. Far taller than her.
He looked like he could tower over her with easeâand he reached out a hand.
âIâm Koo Jaeha.â
They shook hands lightly. The touch was brief and detached.
As they sat, Jaeha spoke.
âIâm not in the mood for a meal. How about coffee?â
âSure. Whateverâs convenient for you.â
While Jaeha placed the order, Nayoon moved to the seat across from him.
âI hear youâre an executive director at Jinseong Construction.â
âYes.â
She barely had time to sit before he fired a direct question.
âJinseong Group hasnât been publicly listed for very long, has it?â
âOh, no, but weâre steadily growing. As far as I know, our IPO happened around the same time as your companyâs.â
She had heard that Jaeha was always good at calculating things from a young age.
Everyone had expected him to take over a major affiliate of the groupâbut instead, he started an investment company.
And in just eight years, he built it into a financial powerhouse with control over several companies, including those within the Songseong Group.
âI see.â
A flat, uninterested response. He clearly wasnât impressed.
Nayoon could already guess his next question.
He was going to ask how she managed to get this meeting.
And sure enoughâ
âThis meeting mustâve cost quite a bit to arrange.â
Of course he knew. It was no secret they had spent thousands to secure this matchmaking opportunity.
Pretending otherwise would only backfire.
Nayoon calmly responded.
âThatâs how desperate I was.â
âWhich part?â
âThe marriage.â
More specifically, marriage to Koo Jaeha.
âAs youâve probably guessed, I need to marry you, CEO Koo.â
Jaeha looked at her blankly, as though he was curious what sheâd say next.
Nayoon took advantage of the silence.
âOur company isnât big enough to be a burden to yours. Weâre growing steadily, and last yearâs Busan Tower project was very well received.â
He still looked like he was waiting to hear more, so she continued, trying to win him over.
âIf you have a preferred type of wife, I can be that. I can fulfill the role of daughter-in-law well. All Iâm asking is that you marry me.â
ââŠâ
âWhat do you think about marrying me?â
Jaeha let out a dry chuckle.
She was talking like she was giving a presentation. And if this were a business pitch, it would be a disaster.
What was she even trying to say?
Nayoon saw the flicker of amusement on his face and was briefly hopeful.
Maybe it worked?
But the smile vanished in the next second, and with it, her hope.
âMiss Jin Nayoon, I canât tell whether you actually want this marriage or not.â
ââŠâ
âHonestly, I have no idea.â
She didnât look like someone who wanted itâand yet she kept insisting.
Reading people wasnât difficult for Jaeha.
When someone wants something, itâs usually obvious in their expressions, movements, or tone.
But this woman gave nothing away.
Or maybe she was giving somethingâhe just wasnât sure.
âNo, I do want this.â
âI donât think so. You donât really want this marriage, do you?â
His sharp gaze pierced her, and her lips parted slightly in surprise.
âLetâs end this.â
He stood up. Nayoon lifted her head.
With her face stiffened, she asked,
âI heard this is your seventh matchmaking meeting.â
âWhereâd you hear that? âŠThen again, if you can manipulate matchmaking meetings, that kind of info must be easy to get.â
He muttered, and Nayoon stood, meeting his eyes.
âIâll make sure you donât have to sit through any more.â
âThatâs not the issue. I just canât figure out why I should marry you.â
ââŠâ
âWhat benefit would I get from marrying you?â
His added words silenced her.
He was right.
He had nothing to gain from this marriage.
But Nayoon had to make it happen.
âThat monk was right. Nayoonâs our talisman. It was the right call to adopt her.â
She would make this wretched marriage happen.
And when the time came, she would take the trophy they so desperately wantedâand bring them all down with it.