TMBF-03

Chapter 3

At Beom Kwon-yeol’s words, the inferiority complex Yoon Hee-jo had suppressed over and over surged up again.

Was he expecting her to say it out loud?
So she could finally be free from the burden in her heart?
So she could escape the shackles of that day?

A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she mocked herself.

‘How pathetic, Yoon Hee-jo.’

It seemed Madam Jin Seo-ryeong—Kwon-yeol’s mother—could see right through this ugly side of her.

“Hee-jo. Which one of these women do you like as your future sister-in-law?”

“My… future sister-in-law?”

“Hee-jo, you’re practically family to us. Whoever Kwon-yeol marries will become your sister-in-law.”

Lately, Madam Jin Seo-ryeong had been saying things like that to her more often.

Under the pretense of respecting her opinion—as someone “practically family”—she had been issuing a constant warning:

Do not take advantage of Kwon-yeol’s guilt and sense of responsibility.
If you dare to harbor dreams you shouldn’t, the kindness born of pity and sympathy will come to an end.

Yes… it was time to leave Kwon-yeol’s side.

Eight years had already passed.

‘That’s the right thing to do, isn’t it… Oppa?’

[…Someday, I hope our Hee-jo meets someone good, falls in love, gets married, has children, and builds a warm, happy family.
Watching you live a happy, ordinary life—that’s your oppa’s wish.]

In the birthday letter her late oppa left behind, he told her to live happily and ordinarily—but that was a contradiction.

She could never be happy without him.

And yet…

The reason she had managed to endure until now was because of her first love—Beom Kwon-yeol.

The first friend her oppa had ever brought home.
Cold and blunt, yet occasionally ruffling her hair with a careless but gentle touch.
The pockets he would fill with candies and chocolates labeled in English, French, or German.

And now, the only person left who shared memories of her oppa.

Only by staying beside Kwon-yeol did it feel like she could glimpse even the shadow of the word “happiness.”

So she had suppressed her grief, hidden her feelings, and endured somehow, again and again.

But in the end, the time to choose had come.

Instinctively, Hee-jo knew—this was the moment to let go of “happiness” and choose “normalcy.”

Because Beom Kwon-yeol belonged to a world light-years away from anything called “ordinary.”

The heir of Beomho Group had to marry a woman from a family far beyond comparison to someone like her.

“It was my decision.”

At Hee-jo’s answer, something flickered beneath Kwon-yeol’s eyes.

“Your decision?”

“The director is a very good person. I thought… her son would be a good match.”

He frowned, about to say something—

—but just then, a sharp vibration rang from inside his jacket.

After checking his phone, his expression hardened.

“I need to take this call.”

“I’ll get going first.”

“No. Wait.”

Kwon-yeol looked straight into her eyes.

“Until I come back.”

As if under a spell, Hee-jo couldn’t say anything. She simply watched his broad back as he walked away, phone to his ear.

“….”

He probably didn’t mean anything by it.

But to someone who loved him unrequitedly, it sounded completely different.

‘He’ll never know that a careless word could make someone’s heart tremble to death.’

She let out a small sigh at the foolish thought—

“Yoon Hee-jo?”

A sharp, high-pitched voice struck her like an arrow. She turned her head.

Click, click.

With the crisp sound of high heels, a stunning woman approached—dressed head to toe in high-end brands.

“Just as I thought—my dad’s the best. I actually get to meet the famous knot artisan everyone’s been talking about. Oh, and Kwon-yeol won’t be back anytime soon. Shall we talk while we wait?”

Each time she spoke, the long diamond earrings swayed and glittered under the lights.

Yet nothing about her felt excessive.

She carried the effortless ease of someone who had worn expensive things all her life.

Yes—this woman belonged to the same world as Kwon-yeol.

Realizing it instantly, Hee-jo took a deep breath. Her grip tightened on her clutch.

A bad feeling crept in.

The headache that had subsided earlier returned.

“Do you… know me?”

“I’m Kim Jung-yeon. I was promoted this year to Executive Director of the fashion division at Sayoung Corporation. Well, honestly, it’s thanks to my grandfather’s influence—but I’m trying to live up to it.”

Kim Jung-yeon curled her red-painted lips.

“After all, I’ll have to properly support Kwon-yeol once we’re married.”

At the word marriage, Hee-jo’s heart sank.

Unaware—or perhaps fully aware—of her reaction, Kim Jung-yeon continued with a slightly flushed face.

“Oh, you asked how I know you, right? I ran into Kwon-yeol’s mother in a department store VVIP room last week while I was resting after shopping.”

Young executive promotion.
Grandfather’s influence.
A VVIP lounge visit after shopping.

As expected, Kim Jung-yeon was from an extraordinary family.

Unlike herself—someone fully qualified to marry the heir of Beomho Group.

“I heard there’s a cherished scholarship student. Apparently she’s so bright that the whole family adores her.”

A cherished scholarship student.

Hee-jo almost let out a hollow laugh.

There was no better way to describe her place in the Beomho Group family.

“But she told me not to worry.”

“…Worry?”

Kim Jung-yeon looked at her with feigned concern and spoke slowly, gently—

as if explaining something to a naive child.

“A scholarship student can’t become family. It might sound harsh, but even if you’re the younger sister of a close friend, you’re still an outsider.”

The woman who might become his wife knew everything.

What kind of relationship Kwon-yeol had with her oppa.
What had happened between them.

The fact that Madam Jin Seo-ryeong had told her everything meant only one thing—

Kim Jung-yeon had a very high chance of becoming part of that family.

Almost one hundred percent.

Bad premonitions never missed.

“I’m not that narrow-minded. Even after marriage, you can still meet him occasionally—like on your oppa’s memorial day.”

Hee-jo steadied her breathing.

She couldn’t fall apart here.

‘Oppa is watching from above.’

She had already decided to end her one-sided love.

In a way, this made things easier.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

At her reply, Kim Jung-yeon smiled with her eyes.

“Just like his mother said—you really know your place. Oh, don’t take it the wrong way. It’s a compliment.”

Hee-jo already knew that.

The reason Madam Jin Seo-ryeong and the Beomho Group family had treated her kindly—at least on the surface—was precisely because of that.

“I truly feel sorry about your oppa. But if you think about it, it wasn’t Kwon-yeol’s or Beomho Group’s fault, was it?”

Hee-jo took a deep breath.

…Kim Jung-yeon wasn’t wrong.

Hee-jae’s death wasn’t their fault.

Fifteen years ago, after entering the business administration department of Hankuk University, Yoon Hee-jae and Beom Kwon-yeol quickly became close.

They had similar builds and trained together, their physiques becoming so alike that even Hee-jo sometimes got confused from behind.

Who could have known that would lead to tragedy?

At the time, Chairman Beom Hoon-young wanted Kwon-yeol to marry early and personally arranged a blind date.

The problem was—the woman was someone Hee-jae liked.
And she liked him back.

Knowing this better than anyone, Kwon-yeol made a suggestion.

That Hee-jae should go in his place.

“Don’t worry—if you want her, hold on tight. I’ll take care of the aftermath.”

“…How can I do that?”

“My goal is to stab my grandfather in the back anyway. So you go live happily with Jung Ji-hyun. That’ll be helping me.”

Kwon-yeol dressed his friend in his own clothes, styled his hair similarly, and handed over his car keys.

And then—

After parking in the hotel’s underground lot, the moment Hee-jae—disguised as Kwon-yeol—stepped out of the car—

“Beom Kwon-yeol!”

“Who are you?”

“Chairman Beom—try suffering and falling apart for once! Just like me!”

A knife plunged into his abdomen.

A man holding a grudge against Beomho Group mistook Hee-jae for Kwon-yeol—and killed him.

Hearing that Kwon-yeol had been stabbed and was in critical condition, the Beomho Group family rushed to the hospital.

There, they found Kwon-yeol—standing dazed, eyes unfocused, muttering:

“Wake up, Yoon Hee-jae… please… You have a younger sister you cherish… If you come back, I’ll give you everything I have… just come back alive… please…”

But Hee-jae eventually passed away.

And the only one left behind—his younger sister—was alone.

From that day on, the Beomho Group family provided her with full support.

Food, clothing, shelter—everything she needed to learn.

A mix of guilt. Relief that Kwon-yeol had survived. Pity for the one left behind. Compassion tinged with sympathy.

All tangled together.

“It was just an unfortunate accident—a coincidence.”

Her flame-red lips spat out words like blades, mercilessly tearing into Hee-jo’s heart.

“So from now on, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use that as an excuse to approach Kwon-yeol. If you need money, you can just contact me instead.”

Hee-jo slowly steadied her breathing.

Then she remembered what Hee-jae always told her: