TTD Chapter 2

“Ryu Iseok… Ryu Iseok?”

Tears dripped from her eyes as she paced the floor, gnawing at her fingernails.

In the full-length mirror, her reflection looked deeply anxious and lost.

Ryu Iseok.

A memory surfaced—back when she was still too young to be called an adult.

A party she had attended with her grandfather.

The only reason she had been able to walk—more or less—in those ten-centimeter heels was because of the training she had received.

Her grandmother, always lamenting that Heeju had only grown to around 160 cm instead of the 170 cm she had hoped for, had instilled in her from an early age that a woman should always be adept at wearing heels anytime, anywhere.

So, wearing those heels, her arm linked with her grandfather’s, she had entered that banquet.

And there, she saw him.

The man she had only ever heard about in rumors.

It wasn’t a party for him, but somehow, the event revolved around him.

People’s gazes—whether out of interest, wariness, or scandal—were inevitably drawn to him.

Because of his reputation.

Because of his looks, which were undeniably exceptional.

Then, in the midst of it all, someone stepped forward—someone bold enough to pick a fight.

The scene she had witnessed was—

“Well, well. Look who it is. It’s been a while, Iseok. Or was it… Jaegyeom?”

A half-drunk businessman sneered, his taunt not particularly loud, yet it instantly silenced the surrounding chatter.

Just as Ryu Iseok’s so-called eyes—his secretary—moved to intervene, Iseok raised a hand, stopping him.

He took a slow sip of his martini before speaking, his voice unhurried.

“If it’s not Myunghoon but Jaegyeom, then I suppose that means you’re still using.”

His gaze dipped slightly before lifting again—

That distinct way he looked at people.

A gaze that somehow seemed to belittle the world.

“I see you still haven’t kicked the habit. The stench of your drugs is killing me.”

“What… What did you just say?”

“When one sense deteriorates, another tends to sharpen.”

“…What?”

“Just kidding.”

He smirked, his tone light as he rubbed the gently arching bone of his brow before continuing.

“I hear you’re so broke you have to beg for drug money now. If you need some, let me know. I can get you something strong enough to ruin your life.”

Without a care for the people around him, he casually pulled out a cigarette, placing it between his lips with another empty laugh.

“It’s a joke. Laugh.”

As he loosened his neck and headed toward the terrace, his secretary followed behind.

The atmosphere had already collapsed beyond repair.

Every memory of him was like that.

Ryu Iseok was a choice that could never fulfill even the smallest yearning for stability or normalcy.

From what Heeju had observed, he was the very embodiment of unpredictability.

If her grandfather’s household was a suffocating shackle, then marriage to Ryu Iseok was a terrifying one.

A cage where you couldn’t even predict what would happen next—that was the worst kind of imprisonment.

Her grandparents had amassed a great fortune, yet they still carried an inferiority complex about their merchant-class roots.

They had spent their entire lives desperately trying to insert themselves into the ranks of high society.

And Heeju, the granddaughter who had suddenly appeared one day, had been burdened with that weight.

By the time she entered elementary school, she was already being groomed to become a chaebol’s wife.

Her grandparents had meticulously crafted a life for her—one that left no room for her own preferences or individuality.

At first, when she was taken in and brought into their home, she had been grateful simply for not being abandoned.

Even if it was suffocating, at least she had nutritious meals and a warm, comfortable place to sleep.

But the moment she realized that every bit of that comfort had been exchanged for her freedom, escaping that house became her sole objective.

If marriage was the way out, then fine.

Anything was better than living in a place where even the food she ate was scrutinized.

But not if the groom was Ryu Iseok.

The way her body tensed involuntarily in his presence was already a bad sign.

Was it because he seemed impervious to common sense?

Or was it the way his gaze felt as though it could strip a person down to the bone?

Lost in thought, Heeju finally collapsed onto her bed and wept.

The truth was, it was all a lie.

She didn’t want to get married.

She was sick of everything.

She just wanted to go back—to the happy, carefree days of childhood.

Back to the time when she had lived with her father…

Half-asleep, she felt a hand gently sweeping her hair back.

Through swollen eyes, she looked up to see her grandmother sitting at her bedside.

“Grandma…”

Strict as she was, there were rare moments when warmth flickered in those eyes.

And it was in that warmth that Heeju had anchored her heart for so long.

Tears welled up in her eyes again.

 “When we took you in, a child without a mother or father, we did our best to raise you well. I prayed for you every single day for over ten years. And now, those prayers are finally bearing fruit. That prestigious family has taken a liking to you. What greater fortune could there be?”

Grandmother sighed as she gazed down at Heeju’s reddening eyes in the dark. She gently swept her fingers through Heeju’s hair once more.

“He recognizes you.”

“What…?”

“Hard to believe, isn’t it? But that man says he can see your face. Whether it’s the result of long treatment or a calculated political move for succession… Well, as you said, if not for a reason like that, what could their family possibly hope to gain by proposing this arrangement to us?

No matter what, Chairman Ryu lost his son in an instant and barely managed to hold onto his grandson.

So, he’ll cherish you. He’ll see you as his benefactor and…”

“This is ridiculous.”

“A lineage must continue. Theirs too.”

After a brief pause, Grandmother confessed,

“This was a promise made long ago. Around this time, the two families were meant to be joined. Five years ago, you were only twenty. You were too young.”

Thick, heavy tears dripped down.

Was that unexplained trip to Paris because of this? Had she been treated like some kind of trophy all along?

A bitter sense of helplessness welled up in her chest.

Grandmother wiped away Heeju’s tears with her hand, her voice turning soft—just like the day Heeju had first arrived in this house, trembling with unfamiliarity, and Grandmother had held her on her lap to comfort her.

“This marriage will be a great help to your grandfather and uncle’s business. With that support, our family will be able to rise again—it’s only a matter of time.

Heeju, please… save us just this once.

We won’t make it otherwise.

Only you—only you can help us.

My sweet Heeju, just like your kind father… Please, just this once… Can’t you do this for me?”

Tears streamed down endlessly, soaking her pillow.

A gentle yet ruthless plea.

A lifetime of being suffocated under this kind of coercion flashed before her eyes.

For as long as she could remember, she had lived with her father.

A life that was lonely, yet never truly lonely.

They had wandered through the heat of Southeast Asia, making every place their home.

A life as free as the wind.

At times, they had been so poor they had to split a single piece of bread, but she had never felt trapped.

Then, her father had died suddenly in an accident, and in the blink of an eye, she had become an orphan.

She had met her grandparents for the first time at his funeral.

The grandparents she had only vaguely known about turned out to be far wealthier and more powerful than she had imagined.

That very day, Heeju lost her freedom and gained material wealth in its place.

Unlike her warm and easygoing father, her grandparents’ home was cold and rigid.

To survive, she had learned how to play the role they expected of her.

Whenever their business wavered, she moved even more carefully, performed even more flawlessly.

Because of that, she became their beloved something.

She had always wondered what that something was.

And today, she finally understood.

A prized breeding mare.

A beautiful, well-bred creature meant to secure the family’s wealth and prosperity.

***

The wedding proceeded quietly and swiftly, as if it had been a foregone conclusion. No one met her gaze. It was clear they found the prospect of engaging in an exhausting, drawn-out argument with her too bothersome.

Was this what it felt like to watch a movie without a lead character?

“Wow, you really pulled this off. How did you manage to keep it completely under wraps? Not even a hint? Huh? Hey, Yeon Heeju? Is this all our friendship amounts to?”

Since the wedding was being arranged with Ahyeon’s family—the owners of one of the country’s top wedding businesses—the news had naturally reached her ears in no time. Ahyeon, like Hyunsu, was a childhood friend introduced by her grandparents. The three of them had grown particularly close during their middle school years, studying together for high school entrance exams, and their bond had lasted ever since.

So it was understandable that she’d be upset.

They had always shared everything—every little detail—so for Heeju to have kept something as personal and secretive as a romance to herself, and then for Ahyeon to hear about the wedding from her parents of all people? It was no wonder her lips were practically jutting out in a pout.

Ahyeon sulked through the entire conversation, only finally voicing her true feelings after finishing her coffee.

“Well… I mean, I’ll give you this—it does seem impressive.”

She had seen Ryu Iseok just a few days ago at her mother’s business.

With his strikingly masculine features, wealth, and polished demeanor, he would have exuded an air of refinement and class—if not for all the scandals surrounding him.

Ahyeon pursed her lips.

“Oh, and guess what? Even Kim Chaehee somehow got wind of this. She called me out of nowhere. You remember how a few years ago at the club, she saw Ryu—”

Catching herself, Ahyeon awkwardly trailed off with a sheepish smile.

Kim Chaehee, their old middle school classmate, had crossed paths with Ryu Iseok at a club party years ago and had talked about him endlessly for a while. She was the type to be completely captivated by surface-level appeal.

“Anyway, the rumors are insane. And honestly… you being his fiancée? That’s the real shocker.”

“Is that what everyone thinks?”

“Oh, don’t even get me started. I mean, you were too good at hiding it. So, yeah… people are talking.”

Given that Ryu Iseok had practically become a celebrity within the business world, and this marriage essentially symbolized a merger with the Geo Group family, the buzz was inevitable.

“So tell me—when did it start? When exactly did you two begin this secret romance?”

Since her financial standing was far inferior to his, everyone naturally assumed the relationship had developed organically.

Heeju let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Did being silently observed count as dating?

If so, then they had a five-year history.

They had never even exchanged a single word.