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# Chapter 1
“Ugh...”
Damn, my head.
Just how much did I drink at last night's company dinner? My skull felt like it was about to split open.
'How long did I sleep?'
I reached beside my pillow, searching for my phone.
No matter how drunk I got, I always left it in the same place before sleeping.
Without even opening my eyes, I buried my face in the pillow and groped around the bedside.
Then—
Squish.
“...?”
Something incredibly soft and smooth brushed against my fingertips.
'That's not a cushion.'
But it was just as soft and fluffy.
It felt like stroking silk or velvet.
Almost like... human skin.
A powerful sense of unease surged through me.
“...Huh?”
My eyes snapped open.
Right in front of me was flawless, pale skin.
A delicate collarbone extended from a slender neck.
Below it, smooth curves flowed naturally into the outline of a woman's chest.
There was nothing but bare skin.
“...”
My mind went blank.
A woman.
A completely naked woman was sleeping peacefully beside me.
And the worst part—
'Yu Sia?'
She was the youngest female employee in our department.
A rookie hire.
She had joined the company only three months ago.
Still a contract intern with a long way to go before completing her first year.
'What the...'
My clothes and hers were scattered around the bed, tossed aside in obvious haste.
One look around the room was enough to tell me we were in a motel.
'What the hell happened last night?'
I desperately searched my memory.
Closing my eyes tightly, I forced myself to remember.
'The company dinner...'
Right.
We had gone out to celebrate.
Our department had landed the biggest contract in its history, and the executive director had even given us an unlimited company card.
First round was premium Korean beef.
Second round was grilled beef intestines.
Everyone drank like there was no tomorrow.
By the third round, nobody was sober anymore.
Assistant Manager Choi, who had joined the company with me, was passed out on the table.
Manager Oh, Assistant Manager Park, and Assistant Manager Kim were busy listening to Department Head Ma complain endlessly about his wife.
I was completely wasted myself.
Beside me, the intern, Yu Sia, was staring at a spoon with a silly grin, giggling to herself.
Eventually, around three in the morning, the third round finally ended.
Everyone stumbled out of the bar, completely drunk.
“Manager Ma, I seriously can't drink anymore.”
“Come on! Once today is over, they'll take the company card back!”
“Still no. Whether it's rice wine or anything else, if I drink another glass, I won't make it to work tomorrow.”
“Tsk. Back in my day, we'd drink until five in the morning and still show up at work by eight!”
Having completely forgotten that tomorrow was the weekend, Department Head Ma clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Then Assistant Manager Park can head home. Manager Oh and Assistant Director Lee are coming with me for another round, right?”
“Of course! We're with you until the end!”
His gaze shifted toward me.
“What about you, Assistant Manager Song?”
I felt like I was dying.
I had enjoyed the first and second rounds.
But by the third, I couldn't even tell whether I was drinking alcohol or water anymore.
All I wanted was to go home and collapse.
But...
“I'll keep going too!”
Working life wasn't something you could handle however you pleased.
The promotion exam was coming at the end of the year.
At this point in autumn, performance evaluations were incredibly important.
Fourth round.
Fifth round.
I'd have to keep drinking until the department head collapsed.
Thud.
Just then, Yu Sia suddenly crumpled onto the pavement beside us.
“Oh dear, Sia. You're completely drunk.”
“Hehe... That's right. I'm drunk.”
“Let's get Sia into a taxi and then continue ourselves.”
“Sounds good.”
Unfortunately, finding a taxi at three in the morning was nearly impossible.
Barely conscious, Yu Sia could only cling weakly to my sleeve to keep herself from falling over.
“At this rate it'll be morning before we find a taxi. Assistant Manager Song, get Sia home first. I'll text you the location for the next place.”
“Understood.”
After everyone else left, I finally managed to stop a taxi.
Helping Yu Sia into the back seat, I asked,
“Where do you live? What's your address?”
“Nope. It's a secret.”
“You have to tell me your address so the driver can take you home. Otherwise Manager Ma will keep calling me.”
“Nooo. Dad said I should never tell anyone.”
We argued like that for about five minutes.
Finally, the taxi driver turned around with an annoyed expression.
“Sir, could you please get out?”
“...I'm sorry.”
I handed him a ten-thousand-won bill as an apology before helping Yu Sia back out.
She simply laughed and leaned against me again.
“Seriously... What am I supposed to do with you?”
Without her address, I couldn't send her home.
But I couldn't take her to my apartment either.
In this day and age, that would only invite trouble.
“Sia, then let's walk around until you sober up a little.”
“Okaaay.”
It was the only option.
She was far too drunk to take home safely.
But we hadn't even walked ten minutes before she stopped.
“Assistant Manager... My feet hurt... I can't walk anymore.”
“...Then what are we supposed to do?”
“These high heels make it impossible.”
She looked ready to collapse at any second.
So I took her to the nearest motel.
'I'll just let her sleep here and leave.'
Just in case anyone misunderstood, I made sure the lobby had CCTV cameras before checking in.
If I laid her on the bed and left immediately, there wouldn't be any room for suspicion.
To be extra safe, I even started recording audio on my phone.
“Sia. Sleep here. I'm leaving now. Get some rest.”
“Assistant Manager... Song...”
“What now?”
The moment I turned around—
She suddenly wrapped both arms around me.
That was all it took.
A young man and woman, both drunk.
Alone in a motel room.
An intimate embrace that stirred their emotions.
Everything after that happened exactly as anyone would expect.
“Damn it...”
I ran both hands through my hair.
Now that my memories had returned, I felt even more confused.
Normally, after a one-night stand, people simply left the next morning without a word.
But...
'I know her.'
Not only that.
She was my coworker.
There was no way I could just disappear.
Forget last night.
'How am I supposed to face her at work now?'
Before I could even begin sorting out my thoughts—
“Mmm...”
Yu Sia stirred beside me.
Stretching her arms and legs lazily, she slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes widened in shock the moment they met mine.
“...”
“...”
Heavy silence filled the room.
Without saying a word, we both turned away from each other and hurriedly got dressed.
Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to go straight home.
But we needed to clear things up first.
Fastening my belt, I glanced over at her as she hooked her black bra behind her back.
“...Want to go get something for the hangover?”
---
Slurp.
Slurp.
We settled on hangover soup.
Thankfully, there was a twenty-four-hour soup restaurant near the motel.
Neither of us said a word as we quietly drank the broth.
As expected, neither of us touched the bowl of rice.
After drinking ourselves senseless the night before, all we wanted was hot soup.
Little by little, the warmth settled my stomach.
Unfortunately, as the alcohol wore off, reality came rushing back.
She was beautiful.
Pretty features.
A great figure.
Anyone would call her attractive.
She was already fairly popular around the office.
But that was all.
'I have no intention of dating her.'
I was thirty-one years old.
At my age, reality mattered more than romance.
I wasn't looking for someone to casually date anymore.
I needed someone I could marry.
Yu Sia was twenty-four.
She spent money far too freely.
Every bag she brought to work was a different luxury brand.
I'd never seen her wear the same outfit twice.
Whenever overseas clients came up in conversation, she'd casually share stories about places she'd personally visited.
She had traveled abroad more times than I could count.
'She's way too materialistic.'
I'd heard this was her first job.
I couldn't even imagine how much debt she might have piled up.
And I was supposed to date someone like that?
'I'd go bankrupt in no time.'
Last night had been a mistake.
Nothing more than a drunken one-night mistake.
We weren't teenagers.
There was no point dwelling on a single night's lapse in judgment.
I was about to suggest that we both forget everything.
“Sia... About last night...”
But before I could continue—
“Assistant Manager.”
She spoke first.
“I don't regret it.”
“...What?”
“It was my first time.”
Clatter.
The spoon slipped from my hand.
Buzz.
At that moment, her phone started ringing.
“...Ah.”
She frowned slightly, as though it was a call she absolutely had to answer, then carefully stood up.
“I have an important appointment today. Let's talk about this another time.”
With those words, Yu Sia quickly left the restaurant.
'...What?'
My head felt like it was about to explode.
She was twenty-four.
Was I really her first?
'Come to think of it... maybe she really was...'
But that wasn't the important part.
'Wait... Is she planning to use last night against me?'
I'd worked hard all my life.
Graduated through the elite track.
Built a successful career at one of the country's top corporations.
'Is she planning to marry me and live off my money?'
A sharp headache pounded in my temples.
'This is seriously bad...'
---
That evening.
A massive estate stood in Naegok-dong, Seocho District, Seoul.
Its walls were over three meters high, and thick trees completely blocked any view from outside.
One luxury sedan after another drove through the gates.
This was the private residence of Chairman Yu Jin-gap of HR Group.
Once every month.
Chairman Yu Jin-gap gathered only his direct blood descendants to discuss family and company matters.
Even daughters-in-law were excluded.
Only those carrying the Yu family bloodline were permitted to attend.
An extravagant feast covered the enormous dining table.
Members of the Yu family gradually took their seats.
One thing stood out.
Men.
Men everywhere.
The entire room was filled with them.
It couldn't be helped.
Chairman Yu Jin-gap had five children.
All five were sons.
Even more remarkably, each of his eldest four sons had only sons of their own.
His fifth son had three sons as well.
That meant he had thirteen grandsons.
At first, they had thought it might be some kind of genetic condition.
But after countless examinations, the conclusion was always the same.
It was simply luck.
Then, proving everyone wrong—
“A princess! It's a princess!”
The youngest child of the fifth son was born as a daughter.
A miracle.
Thirteen grandsons.
And finally, one granddaughter.
“Grandfather, it's good to see you.”
“Mm.”
“Grandfather, I hope you've been well.”
“I have.”
“Chairman, good evening.”
“Mm.”
No matter how respectfully his grandsons greeted him, Chairman Yu Jin-gap merely answered without even looking at them.
Then, just before dinner officially began—
“Grandpa!”
The only girl in the Yu family.
Yu Sia had arrived.
“Have you been doing well, Grandpa?”
“Oh, my precious granddaughter!”
Chairman Yu Jin-gap's face instantly lit up.
“My granddaughter's become even prettier!”
A broad smile spread across his face.
How could he not adore her?
Five sons.
Thirteen grandsons.
And finally, the youngest granddaughter.
Even if she weren't beautiful, she would still have been the apple of his eye.
But she was stunning enough to rival famous actresses.
Naturally, he treasured her.
“My granddaughter, is there anything you'd like to eat?”
“Oh, Grandpa. You know I'll eat anything.”
“That's right! But why are you speaking so formally? It feels so distant.”
“I'm an adult now. If I accidentally spoke casually at work, that would be embarrassing.”
“My Sia doesn't need to worry about that...”
“I do. Nobody at the company knows who I really am.”
“Is that so? Our Sia's all grown up!”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
Dinner soon began.
Since the grandchildren were all of marriageable age, the conversation naturally shifted to marriage.
“Father, Jung-hoon has finally received a marriage proposal.”
It was for the twelfth grandson.
“Did he choose one from the candidates I selected?”
“Yes.”
Every grandson would eventually enter a strategic marriage.
That was simply the reality of being born into a chaebol family.
Daughters of executives from the nation's five largest banks.
Daughters of IT company founders.
Daughters of senior judges.
Daughters of influential politicians.
Every family was among the most powerful in Korea.
The only exception was the youngest granddaughter.
The fifth son spoke carefully.
“Father... Sia has also received a marriage proposal.”
The prospective groom was the son of a former president.
Ordinarily, a match like that would be impossible to refuse.
“No.”
Chairman Yu Jin-gap rejected it without hesitation.
“How could I send my young, beautiful granddaughter to some thief?”
Everyone around the table nodded in agreement.
The Yu family constantly competed against one another over shares and influence.
But Yu Sia had always been exempt from that struggle.
Among her four uncles and thirteen older brothers, there was one unspoken rule.
At all costs...
Protect Yu Sia.
“Sia.”
Chairman Yu Jin-gap spoke gently.
“You don't need a political marriage. Just choose the life that makes you happy.”
Yu Sia slowly raised her head.
“Grandpa.”
“Yes, my granddaughter?”
“There's someone I want to marry.”
She spoke calmly.
As if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
“I want to see where things go with him.”
In an instant, the entire mansion fell silent.
The lively conversation disappeared.
Even the faint clinking of silverware stopped.
It was the stillness that came just before a storm.