DYEH 01

Chapter 1

Wearing a neat two-piece suit, Seo-hee stood before the restroom mirror, fixing her outfit.

“Phew…”

She inhaled and exhaled deeply, as if trying to suppress her nerves.
Her heart was pounding too fast to calm down easily.

[Make sure you secure the investment, okay? Our group’s fate depends on you, unni. You know the company’s situation, right? We could be facing bankruptcy any moment.]

That was her cousin — and boss — Lee Soo’s plea.
That’s why she came to this meeting.
She still didn’t quite understand why she had to come.
If it was such an important deal, shouldn’t Lee Soo or her husband, Jae-min, have handled it instead?

But Lee Soo said she had something even more urgent and sent Seo-hee in her place.
Something more urgent than a meeting that could decide the company’s future?
It didn’t make sense, no matter how she thought about it.

Still, she had no choice but to do her best with the task in front of her.

“Don’t overthink it. Just focus on the meeting. You can do this, Han Seo-hee.”

Tugging lightly at the hem of her jacket, Seo-hee took another deep breath.
Then, walking with what confidence she could muster, she left the restroom and headed for the lounge.

“Do you have a reservation, ma’am?”
“Yes, under Han Seo-hee, for six o’clock.”

The staff member who had been checking the list smiled as soon as she heard the name.

“Right this way, please.”

Following the staff’s lead, Seo-hee walked slowly, mentally rehearsing what she might say.

Would it be enough to talk about the project Shinsung Group was developing—and how its success could significantly raise the company’s value?

Random thoughts floated around her mind, refusing to settle into any coherent plan.
Before she knew it, the staff had stopped walking.

“This way, ma’am.”

The voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Thank y—”

As she started to bow, she saw the person already seated at the table.

“Ah…”

A familiar face.
One she never expected to see again.

“Jin Woo-hyuk.”

She muttered his name under her breath.
He looked up from his tablet at the sound, his cool, impassive eyes meeting hers.

Just like before, there was something about his face that drew people in.
Seo-hee stared for a moment, unable to look away.

[Please take a look at our project proposal.]
[A platform business?]
[Yes, a single hub that connects messaging, finance, shopping, and leisure in one place.]

That had been seven years ago, when Woo-hyuk came asking for investment.
Lee Soo had dismissed him back then—calling people like him “beggars” who came knocking every day.

[I’m sorry. You’re obviously talented, so I’m sure you’ll find success even without Shinsung.]

Seo-hee had been the one to turn him down in Lee Soo’s place.
She never thought they’d meet again like this.

Later, she heard he’d secured foreign investors and built a successful venture,
but she hadn’t paid much attention at the time.

And now, the tables had completely turned.
If she had known, would she have avoided this awkward, humiliating reunion?

She found herself frozen, momentarily forgetting even the greeting she’d prepared, overwhelmed by his presence.

“President Han Lee Soo?”

Unlike Seo-hee, who had just called his name without any title, Woo-hyuk addressed her politely — though he got her name wrong.
He called her Han Lee Soo, not Han Seo-hee.

Clearly, he didn’t recognize her.

“Please, have a seat.”

The confidence she’d had walking in melted away. Seo-hee blinked and obeyed, awkwardly sitting down across from him.
An uneasy silence hung between them.

Her fingers fidgeted in her lap as she struggled to meet his eyes.

“Are you really President Han Lee Soo?” he asked, as if double-checking.

“Ah…”

Maybe he hadn’t been told.
Lee Soo would never have made that mistake — but she had been in a rush.

“No. Our president had an urgent matter, so I came in her place. I’m Han Seo-hee.”
“Ah.”

He repeated her name softly.
There was no sign of recognition in his expression.

If he remembered the woman who once coldly rejected his desperate pitch, he hid it perfectly.
His voice was as calm and distant as any professional investor’s.

“I don’t have much time.”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s get straight to the point. Tell me why we’re meeting today.”

He dove straight into business.

Seo-hee pulled out the presentation materials Lee Soo had given her and began her pitch.
She spoke clearly, hitting every key point. Her presentation was smoother than she expected — almost flawless.

She’d said everything important… hadn’t she?

But Woo-hyuk’s face remained unreadable.
A sinking feeling spread in her chest.

“I’ve heard enough,” he said.
“It’s not over ye—”
“That’s enough.”

Her face fell.
“About the investment in Shinsung Group,” he continued coolly.
“Let’s call it off.”

It was a clean, immediate rejection.

“Mr. Jin Woo-hyuk!”

Seo-hee jumped up, trying to stop him as he rose from his seat.
“Can you at least tell me why you’re withdrawing?”

He looked down at her and said evenly,

“First, even if you move forward with this project, Shinsung Group won’t survive.”
“…”
“Second, the person trying to persuade me doesn’t seem convinced herself.”
“What?”
“How can you convince others when you don’t even believe in what you’re saying? That’s all.”

And with that, he walked out of the lounge without a backward glance.

The meeting — the investment that could’ve saved the company — ended abruptly, leaving Seo-hee sitting there, dazed and empty.

Back at the office, Seo-hee went straight to Lee Soo’s room and explained everything with an apologetic face.
Lee Soo sighed, as if she had expected this.

“Unni, honestly…”

She trailed off, exhaling sharply.
Her eyes flickered with a mix of contempt and irritation.

“No, it’s my fault for not being able to go,” she said finally.
“Sorry. I was just… shocked when I saw Woo-hyuk there…”
“Why were you shocked?”

Seo-hee blinked, confused.
“You mean you didn’t even know who you were meeting?”

Lee Soo clicked her tongue, muttering, “Unbelievable.”

“Well, I guess that’s just like you. You were flustered, so you didn’t check. But still…”

“Lee Soo—”
“Why were you shocked, anyway?”
“Don’t you remember? Back then, we turned down Woo-hyuk’s investment proposal…”

Not to mention, Tae-gyu had secretly stolen parts of Woo-hyuk’s project back then.
In hindsight, it was strange he’d even considered working with them again.

“Let’s be clear,” Lee Soo interrupted.
“It wasn’t we who rejected him. You did. Right?”

Her sharp tone made Seo-hee falter.
Seeing her speechless, Lee Soo continued coldly,

“So he remembers?”
“I don’t think so. He didn’t seem to. He probably felt awful back then, but the fact that he even agreed to meet us shows he’s not holding a grudge.”
“Are you stupid?”
“What?”
“He turned us down because he’s holding a grudge.”

“…Maybe.”

Maybe it was a mistake to approach him in the first place.

“Anyway.”
“…”
“So the bottom line is—you failed to get the investment.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll try to find another—”
“Another where? Once word gets out that Jin Investments rejected us, who’s going to touch Shinsung? Everyone already knows the group’s in trouble!”

It wasn’t wrong.
If a sharp investor like Jin Woo-hyuk had refused them, others would back off, too.
Especially now that their uncle’s betrayal had already thrown the company into crisis.

“If you’d done your job properly, I wouldn’t have to clean up this mess right now.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Forget it. Just go.”

Lee Soo stood abruptly, her face tight with annoyance.

“Lee Soo…”
“Go, Director Han Seo-hee.”
“…”
“Oh, and since you completely ruined today, maybe try convincing the Chairman yourself. Who knows? Maybe he’ll bail you out by selling off his shares.”

Driven out of the office, Seo-hee headed straight to her family home.
She had to find a way to cover the losses.
Maybe Lee Soo was right — maybe talking to her grandfather could help.

After all, it was her mistake. She wanted to make it right somehow.

She called her husband, Jae-min, as she got into the car.

–Where are you?

His tone was curt as usual.
She should’ve been used to it by now, but today it stung a little.

She knew he wasn’t the affectionate type, but there were moments when she longed for a kind word from her husband.
Today was one of those moments — and he was, as ever, cold.

“I just left the office. What about you?”

–Out for a meeting. I’ll have dinner outside, so don’t wait up.
“Oh… okay. I need to stop by my grandfather’s place anyway.”
–To see the Chairman?
“Yes.”
–Do your best.

She thought about mentioning the failed meeting — but decided not to.
He wouldn’t have cared anyway.

“No, it’s just a quick visit. I’ll check on him.”

–Sure. Take care of his health for me, too.

That surprised her.
It was rare for him to sound even vaguely considerate.

Maybe, she thought, their relationship could start to get better.
Feeling a faint hope, Seo-hee drove toward her grandfather’s estate.

If she could persuade him to help, maybe Jae-min would look at her with a little warmth for once.

When she arrived, she made sure there were no special family gatherings scheduled — yet the house was unusually quiet.
Even Oh, the house manager, and the other staff were nowhere to be seen.

“Grandfather?”

There was no answer.
The whole house felt still and empty.
Frowning, she made her way to the study — her grandfather’s favorite room on his days off.

Knock, knock.

No response.

“Not here?”

Puzzled, Seo-hee tilted her head and slowly opened the door.