BTCG 07

Chapter 7 …

He was already ridiculously tall—how could he possibly curl up and sleep here? But then again, why was I even worrying about that? What business was it of mine?
Thinking that, I turned my body away. The man, waiting for his bath to finish, sat on the sofa watching TV before calling my mother.

[Yesol, dear. You arrived safely, right?]
“Unfortunately, the plane didn’t crash, so yeah, I arrived just fine.”
[Why would you say something so frightening? Is Yoon there with you?]

Yoon seobang? (Seobang—a term for “son-in-law.”)
How could someone who’s meeting her son-in-law for the first time say that so naturally?

“He’s in the shower.”

Just from that exchange alone, it sounded like we were on our honeymoon together. The thought made my skin crawl.

“We were going to get separate rooms, but in case it caused some weird rumors, we’re sharing one. We’re sleeping separately, so don’t get the wrong idea.”
[I’m not misunderstanding. He’s going to be your husband anyway.]
“What?”
[We found Yeji.]

I thought I misheard her, but those last words jolted me awake.

“You found her? You brat! Put her on the phone!”
[She can’t talk right now. She’s been crying too much.]

Crying too much? Hearing that, I was torn between anger and pity.
How much had I gone through because of her, yet hearing she was in tears made my heart ache.

“Mom, does she really have to go through with this marriage? Just let her marry the person she loves. This isn’t right. Now that I’ve followed her all the way here, I can see that even more clearly. Do you actually want her to live in this miserable marriage?”
[You think so too, huh? Guess it really won’t work out for her.]

What was that supposed to mean? I expected a whole lecture about the company’s reputation and public image, but surprisingly, she agreed with me right away.

“Exactly! This is insane! Just let her be!”
[Yesol?]

The voice on the phone changed—it was my father.

“Dad, please don’t be too hard on her. Imagine how much she didn’t want to marry him if she ran away on her wedding day.”
[Yoon is with you, isn’t he? Put him on.]
“He’s in the shower…”

Just then, the man walked out of the bathroom wearing a robe.
I got up, holding out the phone toward him.

“It’s my dad. He wants to talk to you.”

He took the phone, pressed it to his ear, and pushed back his damp bangs with his hand.

“Yes, Chairman Han. Yes, we arrived safely, thanks to you.”

He listened quietly, running his wet fingers through his hair.
I found myself staring at his profile. The slicked-back hairstyle from earlier was now soft and damp, strands falling forward over his eyes—it gave him a completely different look.
His nose bridge was high and sharp. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth and blessed with good looks—how unfair could one person be?

“Ah… is that so?”

He must’ve just heard the news that my sister was found.
But was that sigh relief—or disappointment? I couldn’t tell.

“Yes. I understand.”

Now that my sister was back, I couldn’t help but wonder how this marriage was going to play out.
I perked my ears toward the man’s conversation.

“It doesn’t matter to me, Chairman. After all, it’s a marriage of convenience.”

A marriage of convenience?
What did that mean? That he still planned to go through with it—or cancel it?

“It doesn’t matter to me either way. As long as you convince the bride. Yes, sir. Understood.”

He handed the phone back to me, drying his hair with a towel as he walked over to the minibar.
I followed him.

“What did he say? What’s going to happen? Are you still going through with the wedding?”
“Of course the marriage will continue.”

He opened the mini fridge, grabbed a can of beer, and cracked it open with a pop.
The way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he drank—it looked like a beer commercial.

“Continue it? You actually want to keep a loveless marriage like this?”
“It’s an unavoidable decision—for business. For me, and for Chairman Han.”

He spoke as if marriage were nothing more than signing up for an insurance plan—something you could cancel anytime if it stopped being useful.

“And what about my sister? You and my dad might profit from this, but what does she get out of it? What does she gain from this marriage?”

He downed the rest of his beer and set the can on the table.

“Not your sister. You.”
“What?”
“Didn’t Chairman Han tell you? Han Yeji already registered her marriage.”
“What?”
“With her boyfriend. She’s legally married now. I can’t marry a married woman.”

I blinked in disbelief. She actually filed the marriage papers?
A mix of admiration and shock hit me.
So this arranged marriage was automatically doomed, wasn’t it?
But didn’t he just say the marriage would continue?

I looked at him, full of suspicion.

“So Chairman Han told me to marry you instead. To be honest, neither of us cares who the bride is. The only thing that matters is forming the family alliance.”
“W-what did you just say?”

What kind of nonsense was this?

“I said I don’t care who the bride is. It’s up to you.”
“Are you insane? You were supposed to marry my sister! How could you even suggest something like that—”
“I’ve never even met your sister. Not once. We’ve never called or texted each other. Not even once.”

That much I knew. That’s what had made me feel so bad for my sister—being forced to marry a man she’d never even met.
But now I was the sacrifice?

He leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed.

“You asked earlier what your sister would get from this marriage. Now tell me—what would you want to gain from it?”

What the hell—was he trying to negotiate with me? Like, ‘If you sign this contract, what kind of bonus gift would you like?’

“Excuse me, but—”

He watched me calmly, as if ready to hear whatever I might demand.
I was too stunned to even speak. My brain went blank.

“If there’s something you want out of this marriage, name it. Right now, we need to negotiate.”

Negotiate?

I let out a hollow laugh.
Hearing that word in this absurd situation was just… laughable.

“Negotiate? Why would someone with zero interest in this ridiculous deal need a negotiation? You and my father might be desperate for this marriage, but I’m not. I don’t need it in the slightest. So it’s not a negotiation—it’s more like you’re begging.”

The fact that this so-called business deal had somehow landed on me was beyond comprehension.

The man didn’t flinch. He just stood up, opened the minibar again, and grabbed another can of beer.
Watching him do that made anger bubble up inside me.
I wanted to grab that beer and pour it over his smug head—but I restrained myself.
If I drank now, I might lose control, and that would not end well.

“You say you don’t need it? Then I’ll just have to make sure you do.”

He popped the can open and spoke casually.

“I’ve never lost a negotiation in my life.”

His overwhelming confidence was irritating, but I could understand how someone like him had earned the title of “young, capable CEO.”
Still, I wasn’t about to be swayed.

“Honestly, this is a bit surprising,” he continued, taking a sip.
“I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but do you know how many women would kill for a chance to even date me? There are plenty who’d gladly marry me and give me their kidney if I asked.”

“Oh, really? Then pick one of them. Why are you wasting your time on someone who’s telling you no?”

I shot back sarcastically.
He calmly set his beer down.

“Because none of them are Chairman Han’s daughter. I don’t need a woman—I need a bride who fits the conditions. Unfortunately, that leaves only two options: your sister and you. Your sister’s already disqualified, which means you’re the only one left.”

Was this a threat—or a serious proposal?

From his tone, I could tell he believed I was in the weaker position.
But I knew better. I could see that he was the one desperate to secure this deal.

And that meant I had the upper hand.

But I wasn’t going to give in.
No matter how tempting his offers, how intimidating his confidence, I wouldn’t waver.

“You’ll see,” I said firmly.
“I’m not as easy to handle as you think.”