Chapter 6
In South Korea, when ranking conglomerates, Yeongdo was a name that always made the top five.
Ha Yoon-jae was the eldest son of Chairman Ha Tae-won of the Yeongdo Group, and held the position of executive director. But the prestigious heir was not treated as preciously as one might expect.
The reason was simple. No matter what else he had, Ha Yoon-jae was only half a son.
“The deeply rooted, long-standing eldest grandson of Yeongdo—yet an illegitimate child treated with disdain.”
Because of that, he and Go Woo-ri, the daughter of nouveau riche Go Kyung-chul, made a strangely fitting pair.
But now, the perfect use for this “illegitimate child” had gone awry, and it was understandably frustrating.
“The opportunity to get rid of an eyesore flew right out of her grasp. No wonder she’s mad.”
In a twisted way, it was easier to understand someone who spat venom with a smiling face. After all, how many legitimate wives in this world would love a child born out of wedlock?
But right now, what mattered most wasn’t the evaluation of a body that wasn’t even truly hers.
“Please drive safe.”
And just like that, a brief meeting ended—one where someone was clearly being slapped, but no one looked like they had been hit.
Chairman Ha had already left the reception room midway through the visit with his secretary and hadn’t spared even a single glance in their direction. His attitude was as if they simply didn’t exist.
That was fine.
“Let’s meet again next time. Not so briefly—something longer. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Haewon’s words held an odd weight to them. In response, we offered a bright smile.
“Yes, Mother. Please buy us something delicious next time.”
Startled.
After staying quiet even while being subtly insulted, we delivered a single line that made Haewon’s pupils visibly shake.
And she wasn’t the only one surprised. Even Yoon-jae raised his eyebrows at the bold reply, but seeing Haewon’s expression crack, he quickly stepped in.
“We’ll be going now.”
A simple yet clear way to break the tense flow before it could escalate.
Thanks to that, Haewon blinked once with her long lashes and recovered her elegant smile.
“Alright. Good work today. Take care.”
With Yoon-jae’s polite goodbye, the two of them headed down toward the parking garage. The moment they disappeared down the stairs, her expression twisted.
“How dare she.”
Her anger, boiling up so suddenly, was directed at Ae-jung—for daring to call her “Mother” so shamelessly.
There was resentment toward Yoon-jae as well.
No longer hiding her emotions, Haewon turned sharply and stormed into the house. Her furious face was soon met by her daughter Eun-se, who clung to her side.
“Mom, isn’t she acting weird?”
Haewon adored her precious daughter, but her overly nosy tone made her roll her eyes.
Eun-se pressed closer, whispering conspiratorially.
“She feels like a different person.”
Haewon had sensed it too. She couldn’t quite explain it, but something about the way that girl looked at her sometimes felt… off.
After a pause, Haewon let out a scoffing breath.
“She’s just been getting some treatments because of the marriage. Of course she looks cleaner.”
But Eun-se folded her arms and rolled her eyes again.
“No, that’s not it. Last time she came, she had her bangs hanging all the way down and looked down when talking, like she couldn’t even breathe. But today, she looked me straight in the eye. Sure, she still didn’t talk much, but…”
“What’s so strange about that?”
Haewon replied with a disbelieving sigh.
Yoon-jae, who already had a fiancée, suddenly brought in some random girl and filed for marriage. It had completely derailed her plan to marry him off as a son-in-law into the rich Ha-seong Apparel family.
And yet, Chairman Ha had allowed it.
“‘Mother’?”
The fury she’d barely held back surged again. She clenched her jaw and stormed off.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Only once they reached the parking garage did we ask, pushing her glasses back up her nose as always.
Yoon-jae narrowed his eyes.
“You called her ‘Mother’ and she looked ready to explode.”
Even while clearly thinking it might have been a mistake, her face was unapologetically cheeky. He tilted his head.
“Did you hit your head or something?”
A rude question under normal circumstances, but now, probably the most appropriate.
She scratched her cheek sheepishly and shrugged.
“Who knows? Maybe someone else’s soul took over my body.”
It was 100% true. Not a single lie. But the person hearing it clearly didn’t believe even 1% of it.
“I’ll send you the rest of the money after the wedding. Just so you know.”
Money? What money?
She blinked in confusion, and his expression turned cold.
“Stop pretending you’re not involved. If this was your choice, then take responsibility.”
“……”
“Instead of wasting time feeling guilty, focus on doing your part properly.”
The sharp reprimand made her bite her dry lips.
‘So this wasn’t a marriage out of love… and there was money involved too?’
No wonder he’d broken off an engagement with someone rich, beautiful, and competent. There had to be a reason.
‘What a mess.’
She scoffed, loving beauty as she did—it was offensive to her on a spiritual level.
“Can I ask something?”
She stepped closer, her eyes void of emotion but steady.
“Why… Ju Ae-jung—no, why me?”
It was getting harder to keep her thoughts straight, but she finally got the question out.
If he asked why she was only now curious, she could always say she didn’t remember.
‘Now that I said it, I really want to know.’
Ju Ae-jung had taken money. Yoon-jae was being treated like dirt. So why choose a powerless woman like this?
For a moment, a flicker of emotion passed through Yoon-jae’s eyes.
“Why?”
“No reason. Just curious…”
“You never once asked before. Why now?”
He was right. Who agrees to register a marriage and doesn’t even ask why?
“I figured it was time to be curious. After all, we’re legally married now.”
He smirked—for the first time—but the moment passed quickly.
“Because if I married someone who had everything, like Go Woo-ri, I’d end up as nothing more than an accessory. But if I marry someone like you, who has nothing—I don’t become anyone’s decoration.”
“……”
“Didn’t get that? Want me to explain again?”
How sweet of him.
With that unusually kind (yet incredibly offensive) answer, things became clearer.
‘So he married Ju Ae-jung to avoid being used as a pawn in the Yeongdo empire. She was his shield.’
And whatever shame Ae-jung faced in public, being branded a homewrecker, was simply paid off with cash.
‘Wow. What a bastard.’
Even if it wasn’t happening to her directly, it was one of the worst reasons for a marriage she’d ever heard.
‘I don’t care anymore.’
She didn’t know how she ended up in this body, or where the real Ju Ae-jung went. But what mattered most was figuring out how to return to her own body.
And the only clue she had—the instinctive thread pulling at her—was just one thing:
Her real body.
Not wanting things to get heavier, we raised both hands to end the conversation.
“Okay. Got it. Enough talk—let’s go to Hannam-dong.”
The cursed house she wanted to leave forever, yet was now heading straight back to. The house she bought five years ago, swallowing tears and saving every penny, now worth a fortune thanks to its location.
That’s where Go Woo-ri would be. If death was a lie, then the answer would be in that house.
Thinking that way only made her more irritated.
“Isn’t this situation just… pathetic?”
“…Pathetic?”
“Sorry, habit. Not like I can just insult your family to your face.”
Though she’d like to.
With a huff, she pushed her annoying bangs back and turned toward the parked car—only for Yoon-jae to suddenly grab her arm.
“Ah!”
Thrown off balance, her body staggered from the force, and she stumbled straight into his arms.
Yoon-jae caught her firmly, as if drawn in by ropes. Their eyes locked, the distance so close it felt like a trap.
‘Wow.’
Seeing Ha Yoon-jae this close—through glasses and all—made her realize something she’d refused to acknowledge until now.
‘He’s ridiculously good-looking.’
She was supposed to go find a possibly dead body. Her body. Yet she found herself stunned by the face of a man who was dangerously close to her ideal type.
Maybe it was because she’d never really looked at him this closely before. Or maybe because she’d never seen this much expression from him.
Furrowed brows. Tightly shut lips. Sharp, clear eyes.
Beauty wasn’t just about appearance. It needed an aura—a glow. And Ha Yoon-jae had that.
As her throat tightened and she swallowed, he gripped her arm even tighter and finally spoke:
“Who the hell are you?”
