The Heiress in the Basement
The girl who had never once shown a weak side to anyone.
Right now she was crouched beneath my bed, smothering her sobs like a child.
Her face—empty of everything in the world—mirrored the image of her standing out in the pouring rain, utterly broken.
...Should I comfort her?
But I pulled the blanket tighter around myself and closed my eyes.
Better not to interfere.
Act like I know nothing.
I had to understand her position.
This was a problem wrapped up in corporate interests and arranged marriages of the chaebol family.
If I opened my mouth to “comfort” her, I might accidentally create a misunderstanding.
Given Min Jiyeon’s prideful personality,
she would see even her pitiful crying as the ultimate humiliation.
Turning a blind eye was the kindest thing I could do for her right now.
I stopped listening for any longer, muffling my thoughts,
and forced myself to ignore the faint sniffles drifting through the walls.
I tried to drift into deep sleep.
***
“Look at the documents, Jiyeon-ah.”
The words came from my father’s study, harsh and merciless over the wide desk.
They weren’t mere printed sheets scattered across the surface.
This was the chaebol’s one-sided order that would completely lock up my entire future.
The Successor Marriage Contract.
The name that appeared on the paper was a man I had heard only a few times—
a successor from another conglomerate whose face I still couldn’t remember clearly.
“I refuse.”
I lifted my head and met my father’s gaze.
My hands trembled, but the rejection in my eyes was clear.
My father frowned deeply, displeased with my answer.
“Refusal changes nothing. This is a union between groups. An unavoidable political alliance. Since you were born into the Min Ga Group, do you truly believe your life belongs entirely to yourself?”
“Marry a man I’ve seen at most a few times? You never once considered my opinions or feelings? I’m not a tool for the family.”
I had always worked hard to be the proud daughter of the Min Ga Group.
I disciplined myself at the academy to keep up appearances.
But what my father wanted was not an independent daughter—
just a disposable accessory he could use for corporate benefit at any moment.
The reality shattered me.
My father stood up.
His towering presence pressed down like a weight.
He walked over and seized my wrist.
I bit my lip to keep from making a sound.
Severe pain flared in my wrist.
“If you refuse this marriage, I will cut off every support the family offers. Your status, your funds, your honor—everything. Without the family’s backing, what can you possibly do with your own strength? Sign the contract right now. That is the only path still open to you.”
His eyes were cold, threatening, utterly lacking in warmth.
He was reminding me that I was nothing but a useless creature the moment I stepped outside the family’s walls.
Yet this coercion severed the last thread of reason inside me.
Despair instantly ignited into uncontrollable rage.
“...Let go.”
I snatched the document from his hand with my free one and tore it in half.
Then I ripped the pieces again and again.
Crack.
Rip. Rip.
White paper scraps scattered across the study floor.
My father’s eyes turned bloodshot with fury.
Smack!
His sharp hand whipped around.
The sting of a burning cheek bloomed.
I stood frozen, head still turned.
The man who had never once laid a hand on me in my life.
He froze too, staring down at his own palm.
His pupils shook violently.
He quickly masked the shock of having raised a hand to his own child out of anger.
With an expression mixed between confusion and anger, my father opened his mouth.
“Jiyeon-ah, what I just—”
“...”
Hot tears streamed down my face.
But I didn’t cover my cheek.
I lifted my head through the disheveled black hair and glared at him with the most vicious, murderous look of my entire life.
“...I’m leaving.”
“What nonsense are you—”
“I will never set foot in this house again. Never.”
That was the beginning of my decision.
I left the study without looking back and kicked open the door.
Even as the downpour soaked my body,
all I could think was that I would never again touch the hand that reached for me from the family.
***
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The shockwave vibrating through the walls jolted me awake.
“Ah... what’s that?”
I pushed up my eyelids and sat up.
From the next room over, it sounded like someone was hammering away first thing in the morning.
I pressed a hand to my forehead and looked around the room.
Sleep completely fled.
Because memories of last night surfaced.
Min Jiyeon.
The utterly unrealistic fact that the academy’s top chaebol heiress was now living in my semi-basement room.
I turned my head and checked under the bed.
The spot where she had slept all night wrapped in the blanket, sobbing silently.
But the floor was empty.
Wait...?
Instead of her, all I saw was an empty wooden floor.
On top of it lay the blanket and pillow she had used last night—folded neatly and precisely.
No wrinkles, perfectly arranged.
I stared in a daze.
...Was it a dream?
A bizarre illusion flashed through my mind.
It was possible the entire scene had been born from the rain and fatigue of last night.
Min Jiyeon living in this shabby basement room was simply impossible.
I sat on the edge of the bed, still half-dreaming,
when a rich, savory scent drifted into the room from somewhere.
The aroma of doenjang jjigae.
I frowned in confusion and stepped down from the bed, turning my gaze toward the sink and tiny living area combined.
“...”
It wasn’t a dream.
There she stood—Min Jiyeon—dressed in the academy uniform that had just been dried by the washing machine and space heater.
The white shirt and skirt hung perfectly, wrinkle-free.
The disheveled appearance from yesterday’s alley had vanished.
Even stranger was the apron tied neatly around her waist.
One I had jammed into the corner of my sink.
With its ugly flower pattern, she had tied the strings tight and was wearing it like a proper chef.
Min Jiyeon held a ladle in one hand, gazing seriously into the pot of stew bubbling away.
Her side profile—black hair tied back, concentrating on cooking—was both quiet and beautiful.
I stared at the impossible scene with a dazed expression.
The academy heiress is cooking in an apron in a semi-basement room?
“You’re awake?”
Min Jiyeon set down the ladle and turned to me.
Her face was bare of makeup, yet her skin glowed under the morning light like it was lit from within.
“U-uh... And what’s this apron? Where did you get it?”
I asked in a daze.
“You’ll figure it out if you look. I made breakfast. Saw the fridge had soy sauce and tofu, and there were some eggplants, so I threw a quick stew together. A few eggs left, so I fried them. It’s not much.”
She unfolded the narrow foldable wooden table and set the pot and dishes on it.
“Don’t stand there. Come sit down and eat before it gets cold.”
I walked over like I was under a spell and sat down opposite her at the tiny table.
On the small table sat a pot of steaming doenjang jjigae and two perfectly fried egg yolks.
I picked up a spoon and took a sip of the broth.
...It was delicious.
I was genuinely surprised.
A deep, rich flavor—not just seasoning.
The real taste of properly cooked doenjang jjigae.
I had always thought a chaebol heiress never touched a drop of water in her life,
but her skill far exceeded my expectations.
I mixed the stew and egg fries into rice and watched her eat gracefully with perfect manners opposite me.
The sight of her in uniform and apron was even stranger.
Min Jiyeon paused mid-bite, looked up at me, and met my eyes.
As soon as our gazes locked, tension crackled between us.
“What are you staring at? Got something to say to me?”
Her words carried the same haughty confidence as always.
The weak, sobbing girl hiding under the blanket last night had vanished.
“...It’s just surprising. You cook really well. I thought a chaebol heiress would never do housework in her whole life.”
I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
“...”
But Min Jiyeon ignored my praise.
Instead she set down her spoon and looked at me with a serious expression.
“That’s enough. Answer my question.”
“What question?”
“As long as you’re fine with it, I want to keep living here.”
“What?!”
A violent cough exploded from my chest.
I pounded my own ribs, drank a full glass of water, then stared at her.
Min Jiyeon’s eyes held no trace of joking or amusement.
“You’re serious? Why are you living in this shabby basement room? If your family finds out—”
“I’ll keep it a secret from the family. I’m not going to run home anyway. I left of my own will when I stepped out of the house.”
“That’s not possible. The legitimate daughter of the Min Ga Group running away and hiding in a place like this? How long do you think it will last? Bodyguards will tear this whole neighborhood apart the moment they realize you’re here.”
“I froze every card in my name. Burned every ID. It’ll take them a while to track me down. I’m not taking advantage for free. As soon as I make money, I’ll pay the deposit and rent. Just give me one room.”