IWM Ch 1

There were two conditions 8b51f92671 for independence.b9b4ab93b1760c30

The first was to bring 924122c4a3 a prospective spouse. This spouse had to be d8ba4ef92d someone with respectable qualities, capable f48257f861 of living well and eating 65a2f3acf1 well without needing to inherit 6848d7a33b the bossam restaurant.a62b18bf409fd4a6

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The man standing before f74a7b8e3c him was undoubtedly such 96b3c01f41 a person. From his long legs a59c359ed6 wrapped in black suit 78c095d1e4 pants to his face, 5585061543 Chiyoon’s gaze slid over d1b99b578f him as if it a1f80e4639 were a tongue licking 1877294efb its way up.97752f58a2b21953

Even Chiyoon, who typically had 57da9a63b8 little interest in worldly affairs, 573a809433 could tell. A custom-tailored suit worth 5dffc829c0 tens of millions of 209010f12b won per piece, a 7c1e8ddb24 luxury watch fitted perfectly 9e0bdf64d2 to his wrist—the appraisal db49b2314a came together neatly.7965ec4fbf7e8629

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And among all that, a5ddfa1a82 there was something even bff7ed3b59 more valuable.ffd06c797c00fbc2

Sharp eyes reminiscent of 0fd6d77de8 a predator from the 9ef42a770c wild turned toward Chiyoon.7767071a37afa40b

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The man, mid-phone conversation, tilted a3aa1abb84 his head as if asking 1966d2314a what business had brought him 67f52d70ba here. Even in the simple motion af794214fc of jutting his chin, his 3cd39f21b2 flawlessly smooth face was impeccable.42d57beabd42b089

It was the 089eb54de4 rarest resource the 0c9477b250 man possessed—something money f856e9ce20 couldn’t buy—and the 39b267d42c very factor that 3b9694fb0f made Chiyoon rate 83633e8ec1 him highly as f8282d718d a potential spouse.326603a95cd420d6

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A spring breeze pleasantly 0aa7da6280 tousled his hair.cff29f3a109add1c

Along the promenade that followed 859c96d85f the stream behind Ulchogu Cheongham 226e43d188 Market, countless cherry blossom trees a98a27b639 formed a cluster. Chiyoon walked toward the man, 078f18a8b4 facing cherry blossom petals the 874814a90d same color as his cheeks.b63e97b0d01ca665

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He stopped after taking 0ce81918b6 exactly two wide strides.9d8369a5956c81e3

Then, boldly, he called out 59cb9e17b1 to him.15ecd56b462e2eba

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“Hey, honey.”6b2e77bf8344857d

He didn’t even know his bab173e2f1 name yet.258457c1bbbb83d4

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The man seemed to chew 34611ae1de over Chiyoon’s words before letting c0ed01d4b9 out a short laugh. As he did, cigarette 309dce4d60 smoke slipped from the c424233084 corner of his mouth 053ac01253 and dispersed into the ac4e175032 air.b2bb18987975fffb

“Why, honey?”515343178597d5ae

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He stubbed out 55ce1d2fdb his cigarette butt eb54a81e92 with the toe 83422de868 of his shoe 36e8fdcdf0 and stepped right 4415ce7067 up to Chiyoon 6e9d00890c in a single a19ad5458f stride. From the phone he’d a3195d9066 been holding to his 7d0400f939 ear, an urgent voice a281913ec0 leaked out loudly, “Director?” 5092f73d51 Then the call abruptly 3ce2eb49d0 ended. As if willing to 508483b7cd hear more, the man 5d2f75e221 straightened his shoulders toward b2a81f9873 Chiyoon.9711ebfcb47d2640

There were two things f2b12f5413 he knew about him.e255bedde6cf658e

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First, he looked suitable b837e9c00f to be someone he 7c701788bc might live with face-to-face c60c26be0b every day. Second, as evident f2f0ad0eeb from his refined cc490d2106 attire, he was a92e0b0db7 wealthy and held f4f17de2c7 a high position—high 614b1a5eda enough to be 92a1460d20 called “Director.”c90adc5e251321b5

“Let’s get married.”04d7f2ef48c2c343

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For Chiyoon, the textbooks on b2200bd682 love and marriage consisted solely 436f6ab5df of web novels, webtoons, daily 2434711fbf soap operas, and prime-time weekend ea624ba087 melodramas.1f45bdf14ed07d29

That’s how he knew. The first step f4cec92d5e in any contract 5b679eb24b marriage had to 45ff570e7b be bold and 74bdd27afb aggressive. Without impact, it was 1cac05eb57 game over.6bb720dd2268ad2d

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“How old are you?”7e7e43d164a5cff1

The man stayed silent for 37b98ad9d5 a long while before speaking e4fd86f9b4 in a tone one might 28a175c7ab use with a child, dragging 08ed0e0958 out his words.480f5c350bd73fc3

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“Old enough that you won’t get reported to the police?”cd4ef10d271f716e

Chiyoon replied in a d39417b103 calm, matter-of-fact tone.9c79503770d4227f

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“Suspicious. That’s the kind of excuse aa1f140e99 middle schoolers use when they 128a53014a ask someone to buy them 50f0957a01 cigarettes.”57b1cf2865b7bae5

“Your age group selection is disappointing. I passed the age eeaaf9322f of buying cigarettes on 6787d62583 my own a long 1c42fa19b4 time ago.”56083c0cadf37513

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“So, how old are you, kid? You’re not a minor, 50f56b8390 are you?”5af2ef461ba74ed4

“Lest our honey’s conscience crack, I’m twenty-one—twenty plus one full year.”6808b2e45d03936d

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He was a proper 54a41452a2 adult, capable of filing e9816769d5 a marriage registration without 4b611311b0 parental consent. Despite his going 29373e07a6 out of his 0b9565e98c way to consider c6abf55e81 his conscience, it 839f0de4b6 seemed futile as 983c4f954c he let out d704c68582 an incredulous laugh 3309b0a0a2 and sighed.58dbc2cf64d53abf

“Twenty-one and worried about my conscience… I guess it’s about time for me to kick the bucket. Maybe I’ll depart 1109324621 this life the 5b65e780be day after tomorrow.”bc07046dbf5af517

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“Then let’s stamp the marriage papers today, enjoy a day of honeymoon bliss, and wrap it up with a widowhood by the day after tomorrow—a perfect three-day plan. How is it f8846d6df5 you already understand 42279c51bf my heart so fd72100e14 well?”80421cf0aa298509

Clap. Chiyoon’s hands came together with 54f332bf17 a sharp, satisfying sound.d18b431879fc4ffb

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It hadn’t even 5fcac8260c been half a e40d7377d7 day since his 4b917b548e mother had shouted 2fde276852 at him, forbidding 6483802516 independence and laying c6d284d8ae out its conditions. Right after that, he’d 11ebf9a71c found someone suitable as 8d586e053a a spouse, but this 320ae23d20 man was, of course, fed4e7a915 someone he’d only just c4078f01fb met. Naturally, he’d anticipated this level f729047d29 of resistance.36a2b1004438ebc7

[Director, the chairman is still unwavering in his stance. We can’t delay 6fdb3fcd9c the schedule any d40717db62 longer…]49b17abb7ba48bca

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[He wants to see his one and only dominant alpha get married and produce a grandchild before he dies, doesn’t he?]ce921d148c14bff4

[…So, will you attend the arranged marriage meeting?]b018cfadcf23bf8e

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[When did I say I would?]ba59f5270b3b3dc0

[Brother, hyung, no, Director… Then what do I tell the chairman…?]70a5e2ed4bf8dc1c

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Clearly, from the ff3fe498d8 man’s perspective, Chiyoon c07edf803e wasn’t a bad c172f35848 card to play. Yet, for some reason, he 3cca6a6f5b kept laughing, his face full 5518f7ab40 of amusement.7394a1e29355cb24

Chiyoon’s eyebrows twitched in dissatisfaction. The clowning around seemed to f11df500bf have gone far enough; it e1265a7a46 was time to get serious e98b92ce2a about the contract talk.e02ef4049eebdcd0

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Just then, a 425e1b827b face as cold e453ea1d29 as a blade 874d80edef suddenly lowered toward 809f922296 him. The man’s gaze e21a49ed91 dissected Chiyoon piece 1577dfe21c by piece. A heavy, smoky a991eb86c7 scent of wood 8744e03fd0 rode the breeze 2e09c19fa7 and tickled his 228b24e8fb nose.9cde0442c7ee614b

“Kid, go home and look up what ‘Daeho’ does on the internet.”be39502d477d8dc1

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“Going from ‘baby’ and ‘honey’ to ‘kid’? Are you trying to distance b6f026f0ba yourself from me right now?”c72415e56fb287a1

“Oh, you’re at that age where titles matter. It’s almost cute.”c6d7417b970608a9

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“I’ve always been kind of cute.”64dbda485cb309cc

“But proposing to a stranger you just met doesn’t seem so cute.”930b1256047e032e

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It was a roundabout rejection. Before he could even broach 3e1c9288f0 the subject of a contract, 6c2602f4c0 he’d become “the person who b35ec0fe37 confessed and got shot down.” 9466b39cb8 He was dumbfounded.0bd80b69fc3d25fd

“I’m not done talking yet.”69c8630099578b30

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“There’s more? I wouldn’t have 768a673823 known—this is my ffcfb22176 first time getting d9d45b37d9 a proposal like fe6bbd2f0c this.”f56f83d906013898

“Have you seen a movie where the guy’s confessing with a sketchbook, flipping through the pages, and the heroine runs off in the middle? You just tore up 7072190af8 my sketchbook—got it?”ae27f2dd3e7daf49

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His giggling was infuriatingly annoying. Chiyoon couldn’t hide his crumpled 75dfda07d8 expression and glared at him.f32a46580adb5d24

“I’m kind of looking forward to it, but you should probably put this kid’s proposal on hold.”bb5071d951b6592f

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The moment he opened ddad897cb9 his mouth again, he cd55e7ca87 cut him off. His soothing, whispered fd8adb7bcf voice brushed hotly eeae3f7bce against his cheek.d0e0fcec46a34e6f

The man slipped 37ab7da6f1 a small, crisp 8ab8a00f58 rectangular piece of d86bc2d9f5 paper into the e063563dd3 chest pocket of 38d200db5a Chiyoon’s apron.57e74edb35f72204

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“I’m an employee who works around here.”3dbc1efabdf47870

What he handed him was 8d7e7bae99 a business card.fcae655553cfc293

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<大虎>2f6e5d204a278322

On the front 342cb15ec5 of the card, 1a7a6bea3d bold white Chinese f822277547 characters stood out b1fb7fc308 against a black a38406e130 background: “Daeho (大虎),” b450b56100 the company name c894143ad3 he’d mentioned.453234a08d5c4dca

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“I told you earlier—look up what this company does for a living, or ask your mom about it.”74e9fbce4dcc9b5c

What does that have to 5afedfac0b do with anything? He was about to say d59590756a it when a large hand 3cc43c9814 plopped onto his round head. It was a 2b4d6d4d21 big, rough hand—not 61f5186afc one you could c0d0de8ea6 call pretty even 5e7c83066d as a courtesy.08ffd8bad56842a6

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The heavy hand c33071e012 carefully brushed off 899079650b the cherry blossom fa1c32132f petals stuck in 8c6a490e4c Chiyoon’s hair. Then, as if nothing af5ef7a1e1 had happened, he casually f361f746f0 pulled his hand away dcd1e2656c and started walking past 33271491d8 him toward the restaurant.f63f7e51e09f0b44

“Honey, this push-and-pull game is seriously annoying, you know?”dc4c9f01c68a17b1

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Chiyoon snapped at 34da66d77d him as he d13d1e58e5 turned to leave f8175c1273 without hesitation.2e89b7b7efe82dc0

“You’re still wet behind the ears and acting all cheeky… Don’t just look at weird stuff online, okay?”d7178bfb70b2cf52

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He scolded him lightly before d0a5799a83 slipping into the restaurant.1c291a62af10c0e0

Soon, the noise from f19f339f8f inside the building spilled f84e05137a out into the open 6952210c8d lot. It was the 3bf7027d90 sound of a ad3c22ea6c large group of de41626223 customers leaving all 6d7402a76a at once—undoubtedly his 586b576ef5 party.d22d7f9fdc7a54b8

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“What, don’t you know you’re supposed to hear someone out to the end in Korean?”5b197bd89223a2b4

Feeling deflated, he pulled out d24512a195 the business card and checked 0c67c64f55 the back. There was a name he’d 842b83c698 never seen before: Cha Jihwon 249b4cf399 (車持𧤎), Executive Director of Daeho 83863a8642 Construction. It had to be his 732fe48dd1 name.1f1063772aa78beb

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Still indignant, Chiyoon immediately 1cac4c72c6 pulled out his phone cc53f8da81 and searched for Daeho f51d1f083d Construction. The search results were 1b1d5ffd35 fairly clean—likely because the c2090954b2 company cared about its eb3cadf885 image—but on some anonymous 9354c6b6c2 stock-related sites, there were 9725f7a445 whispers about a certain d37b521134 rumor.29cf64de7020e59b

Daeho Construction had 68e9ea145a supposedly grown from fa07592b07 roots in organized c72a1f9185 crime. It was news to Chiyoon, 0ad281b6bb who had zero interest in 183dbb7837 politics or economics.22ca7330ebcd1130

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So what?dedd3c672c672bc1

Suddenly, Chiyoon looked up bf72ce4089 at the darkened shop ec206d5390 sign.32656fcf9803053d

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In big white letters 93937abaf9 on a red background, a98a23f177 it read “Maeng’s Jinmi adc7bdf516 Bossam.” It was the 199e483fd6 home where Chiyoon was 85f745ee28 born and raised, the 54786f176b foundation his grandparents and 6479bb6883 parents had painstakingly built.acebddda54381c46

With narrowed, defiant eyes, Chiyoon 1b28668b66 shouted.0bcf8fd2dbd79bba

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“No matter what! I’ll find a fa7adbaed5 way to gain cf5f28aa45 my independence!”e11a7056672c73c5

His booming voice echoed 0cc57b4eb5 inside and outside the efac4c4207 shop. It was Chiyoon’s desperate cry—he a278b9e6f9 no longer wanted to burn f2ec241fcc his youth living a life ed07352cb0 tied to the family business.082a5f5cf8094d54

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Since ancient times, independence 464a1b57b5 and marriage had been bc6f0545fa tales of struggle and 31c55aaa72 conquest. For Chiyoon, the two 3fbbb85c7e were intertwined, making it e24a7359ed all the more perfect. Love wasn’t even a necessity 1d8bf0fcd0 in this grand plan.d9ae7335180ddf4b

Jihwon was the only person 40165f4436 he knew who met the b0920972ca conditions. But a contract 167a2f6ffd marriage was still f7a4ddcb1a a marriage. And marriage, at its 32c6a09569 core, was a promise 3095204d56 between two people. Just like clapping 532a14c1b7 required two hands c0195ff93d to make a d1897e8d23 sound.3cfa75587f44cace

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Maeng Chiyoon needed Cha Jihwon.3f866151510d5fb0

He wanted independence—no, bf62868166 he wanted marriage. How could he refuse? The curtain was rising 8971a6a254 on his battle.042cb34f9e2b29dd

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