Chapter 02
What a mess.
Yuseong pressed her throbbing temples and stared straight at the three people in front of her.
She had come because they said they would introduce her to the man she was going to marry…
“Kwonseong, Kwonseong! Do you know how big that is? Thanks to your aunt, you’re becoming the daughter-in-law of Kwonseong Group. Huh?”
The woman laughing loudly as if she couldn’t even see Yuseong’s disgusted expression—
A textbook evil stepmother type.
Except she wasn’t a stepmother, but her aunt, Shin Kyunghee.
“Yuseong, marrying your high school classmate… how romantic. Congratulations, little sister?”
Like mother, like daughter.
That cousin of hers, Oh Yuna, who had stood by and watched her get beaten every day by that “high school classmate,” now spoke as if it were a blessing.
Even while being openly mocked, Yuseong couldn’t say a word.
Because of the man sitting right next to her—her supposed fiancé, brought by her aunt.
“Hey. Get on your knees and thank me. Go on.”
The man tapping her cheek lightly while grinning disgustingly—
A face she knew all too well.
‘Kwon Hyukjun.’
The only son of the chairman of Kwonseong Group, ranked third in Korea’s business world—
And…
“Listen up. From today on, anyone who hangs out with this orphan is asking to get beaten too. Got it?”
The very same school bully who had tormented her to death in high school just because she was adopted.
At first, it had started with small hits—like now.
Then the violence escalated.
Verbal abuse became everyday life.
Back then, Yuseong never told her father about the bullying.
Because her father, the chairman of Shinyang Trading…
Had once been the boss of the infamous underworld gang, Shinyangpa.
If she had told him, her father would’ve hung Kwon Hyukjun upside down and thrown him into the sea.
And the next day, the world would be screaming:
“Murder of Kwonseong Group’s only son.”
Well… that part didn’t matter.
There was another reason she stayed silent.
Because she couldn’t forget her father’s proud smile when she got accepted into that elite private high school for chaebols.
So she pretended.
Pretended she was adjusting well.
Pretended she was happy.
And she endured.
Again and again.
Until—
“Hey. Either do what I say nicely, or I’ll finish you today.”
Kwon Hyukjun crossed the line.
At graduation, he even attempted to sexually assault her—
And pushed her down the stairs.
The day she was taken to the hospital with a broken arm—
“Seriously! Why would you provoke the only son of Kwonseong Group?! You should’ve just gone along with it! Is that so hard for you?”
“Aunt… what did you just say?”
“If this gets reported, what a disgrace! Don’t you dare tell your father. Just stay quiet and go to school like nothing happened. Got it?”
“….”
“Yuseong, aren’t you mistaken? Maybe you just slipped on your own.”
Instead of asking if she was okay, that’s what the mother and daughter said when they visited her.
‘So I’m still just the outsider who rolled in.’
As a child, Yuseong had been noticed by Shin Byungoh during his volunteer visits to an orphanage and was adopted.
She gained a father as strong as a mountain.
But the position of “mother” was always empty.
“Chairman—no, oppa! You’re unmarried and already have a kid? What are you thinking?!”
Because Shin Byungoh was single.
And the “stone that rolled in” never truly belonged anywhere—
Constantly oppressed by her aunt, uncle, and cousin.
“Yuseong. No matter what anyone says, you are my blood.”
Even so, she endured because of her father.
And partly because she had inherited his fiery temper.
“Dad. I’m at the hospital right now. Ah, you know Kwon Hyukjun? From Kwonseong Group? He tried to assault me and pushed me down the stairs. They say I need four weeks to recover.”
“What are you doing right now—?!”
“Shin Yuseong!! Have you lost your mind?!”
“Aunt and Yuna are here. Yeah. They told me not to tell you. They said maybe I just slipped… that I should’ve just gone along with it. So what should I do?”
Yuseong—
Extremely hot-tempered once she reached her limit.
She endured… but once she snapped, no one could stop her.
That night—
What she saw in her hospital room was—
“You bastards! You’re not even family—!!”
“Oh my! Oppa, calm down!”
“Aaah! Uncle, stop!”
“C-chairman, please put that down!”
“You think I can calm down?! Let’s all die together today!!”
Her father, holding a metal baseball bat, swinging wildly at her aunt, uncle, and cousin.
And Yuseong—
Calmly eating the strawberries her father had bought.
“Dad, when you’re done, please take care of Kwon Hyukjun too. Just don’t throw him into the sea.”
The strawberries were so sweet, she almost smiled.
“Maybe hanging him upside down for a bit would be fine.”
The next dawn—
Former Shinyangpa executives and Shin Byungoh visited the Kwon residence.
“Break the gate.”
Of course, it wasn’t a scheduled visit.
After hearing everything, Chairman Kwon Seongjae, once her father’s close friend, said—
“…Fine. Just don’t touch his face.”
“F-father—!!”
He handed over his son without resistance.
From that moment on, Kwon Hyukjun was no longer his precious only son—
But a troublesome burden.
After her father dealt with him, Yuseong’s life became peaceful.
Or so she thought…
Until recently.
Her once-healthy father suddenly collapsed.
It had already been two months since doctors told her to prepare herself.
And he still hadn’t woken up.
And now…
In this situation—
What was she supposed to do with that bastard?
“Aunt, explain this. Marriage with Kwon Hyukjun?”
As if she had been waiting, her aunt placed a yellow envelope on the table.
“Take it out first.”
With trembling hands, Yuseong pulled out the document.
“A… marriage contract?”
Bold letters at the top.
A typical business marriage contract—
Common in high society.
[ Chairman Kwon Seongjae of Kwonseong Group, Chairman Shin Byungoh of Shinyang Trading ]
Until she saw both signatures.
“I found it while organizing the chairman’s study. You know how close they were, right? Not everyone makes promises to marry their children.”
Yuseong stared at her father’s seal again and again.
It was real.
Her father’s handwriting. His seal.
But—
‘He never told me about something like this…!’
By coincidence, both men had exactly one child each.
That meant—
Kwon Hyukjun.
And her.
Why didn’t her father ever tell her?
Her hands trembled.
Marriage with Kwon Hyukjun.
Just thinking of it painted a horrifying future.
“…Because of this ridiculous contract… I have to marry this trash?”
At her calm but unfiltered tone, Shin Kyunghee widened her eyes.
“Watch your language in front of Director Kwon! Were you like this in high school too?”
Then came the condescending voice—
“No wonder you got on his nerves…”
You were asking to be beaten.
At that muttering, Oh Yuna laughed.
“Boys are like that, you know. They bully girls they like.”
She continued gracefully—
“Director Kwon must’ve liked you so much. He just wanted your attention… I’m honestly jealous.”
Ah.
So if you like someone, you beat and torment them?
Is that why she was brutally beaten for three years?
Just to get her attention?
Compared to her pain—
It was such a pathetic excuse.
“Yuseong, stop playing the victim. If you had just accepted it nicely, none of this would’ve happened.”
That was it.
Oh Yuna poured fuel onto her anger—
And Yuseong’s restraint finally snapped.
“Ah…”
You… so-called family.
