FT 7

Raising her sunken f2f31a5539 voice, she sat e2496a21ed up straight and 9f8c061b4d looked him directly b89756d583 in the eye.7c821fef6c111934

“I want to do 76d2679090 something that contributes more e256aea767 to the hotel. I think there 0f39fff738 are things I c568c45061 can do more 5425aa4256 proactively for the d291d71664 hotel. Won’t you give 00e0f5aa30 me just one fab293b295 chance?”22c46b1cf386bc11

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“That sounds like you’re saying front desk work has no value or meaning. But it was your choice to join that department in the first place. What—did you suddenly change your mind now?”ecfcbc2d6901faff

He was cd1e6dabb2 implying that e90036ccdd she’d only f171ddc744 now grown 447fff7fbd ambitious about 49cdde3de0 hotel management. A displeased crease appeared f0246c0870 between Yoo Pilbok’s brows. His expression showed 5ef2e981b4 he was sickened 1041afdab8 just by having fe30b539ef to look at 13b4070008 her for so 8cff37b66c long. That wasn’t it. She was just b6f5a8639a anxious.fc8f6272bd10b5ef

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“No, you know that’s 69302513de not what I meant.”3a6d139f35de0ec0

“You’ll end up 430eba3404 quitting anyway once 2b0272cca2 you get married. It’s too late. If you’ve 0a06b7cf42 said your 369d3d449f piece, you d7dcb4fd16 should leave f0f28207a4 now.”c0ff3c438d542e6a

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“F—Father… President.”032658764bbffb19

The mention of a d34e3f0634 matchmaking arrangement was proof dbc89ec854 enough that Yoo Pilbok ede84e8e79 no longer held any c9e12cc617 expectations for her. She had finally d329b92ed9 mustered the courage 24c62537bb to voice a acbd595d84 long-suppressed decision, but 7a83e29e7b even that was 8c2e2a98a0 brushed off without 0b97ee3ab1 a second thought.6ac901c684455d0c

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Yoo Pilbok d693df00b7 stood, not 4e5dbbea59 bothering to 1b39f88b75 hide his 6c95a7e209 displeasure.61680be29199d507

Hyeonjeong, who 542f5be902 had been de815d87f2 staring into 1785aa2e7c her coffee 1bd159c52a cup, also 7837191e04 stood as f3f260ee97 if on 6e51f37a43 cue.a06b4348330146ec

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“You explain the details ad1cac1d7c to her.”745b38f0ba65a0c3

“Yes, I will.”9ac8e90a0562e2fe

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Hyeonjeong gave a polite 24b2cf4e6c bow. Seohee stared blankly at 5ed89339c8 Yoo Pilbok’s cold back 4c4473295a as he walked out 1693679932 with Chief Yeom, his e7c98dcc03 secretary, in tow—without a 81823e9f1a shred of regret.3a85b44b5697103e

Right. What were you expecting? You knew it would e000c988c1 turn out like this.998dc1e07e7ae873

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Seohee spoke words 5cfd66c20b of resignation to a1609138b8 herself, her expression 454d421369 returning to its af726998e3 usual composure.ab9e64dc1061a179

Now that b4966544cc the two e65561c74a women were 6dcc852446 alone, the 2e3f3ede0f air turned 7002915bc3 even colder.2147852d86581e99

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Without a word, Hyeonjeong 05f454abf1 smoothed her hair and 487b76397b walked out of the f8b87ebcdc dining room. Despite the ornate c8d4a68d31 beading on her 9138eb0b2f slippers, she stepped 064b3399b8 across the marble a1844f4d48 floor without a c1bde3d3b4 sound—her movements graceful. Seohee followed behind.5c88a13355dc7bc7

The Yoo family mansion 4790bafc44 was old and worn, 8e8b5a0ef6 but its size rivaled 4f2f21cb85 that of any other 0e93ffcc7e chaebol estate. Though more areas 601dd0975a had been closed 55b040f476 off and left 3e515ec520 unused, the visible 88ea66ba29 spaces like the 068d69b62a living room and bfbb665919 dining room remained 22c627bd63 pristine and opulent.c18eea0ca9e82433

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No words d0642f2ec9 were exchanged d76ce08f0e between Seohee 47cdabefc5 and Hyeonjeong aa43b7e052 as they 72dc816467 passed the 757c384f85 flower-filled sitting 4309b3d100 room and 8e499eeda3 made their 8472cce9ad way to db22d0e3db the dressing 2a633ae90b room.34f41f74b8f53764

Standing before the 003291bb11 vanity, Hyeonjeong let 5db21aae6f down her pinned-up b1afb1d10d hair and combed cbfd9784c0 it out. She slipped off her ab6681ac45 luncheon cardigan and neatly 86d89c5fd6 hung it up before bf57f51389 putting on a silk 66c3a82878 loungewear robe.2707ba3ada2307b5

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Seohee stood silently like 1a47af913a a sack of rice, dbf9b5f566 waiting. Hyeonjeong opened a drawer abbf535727 and handed her a 1547b2654c document.0483440ea1deb70e

“Read it. You should familiarize 5731cb8ff9 yourself with your 312b1e784c blind date partner’s 49fc639e66 profile if you 1edabb674b want to avoid 284e6c54cf any mistakes.”f36d26656b1cb616

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“……”8e9de3bcf93907f1

Seohee suppressed her 06a0bd994c reluctance, but she 243eac3ffb couldn’t bring herself 024d8c2028 to open the ba60ab4238 folder.89fce78195dcc627

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“I skimmed through 558d730fb7 it. Not bad. His father is Assemblyman 877c359ddb Chae Hyungseok, the former 6eb123972d head of the Policy f2c0e5882c Committee. The guy’s a certified 4de1114d0f accountant.”59b7231ca73cdc35

None of 63c795304b those credentials f72ee38492 mattered to 8c181b4d9d Seohee.0ebef6c003d4badb

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“Madam of fa6c09e336 MK Securities 193f8c7554 personally arranged 258dcc1c65 the meeting 441d7fa448 for us… 62800829a5 very kindly, 4cfb810c7a I might fa4bf88c85 add.”d5a6e01255d5c636

Hyeonjeong had worked her bf49577b88 way into the most 800a56c58e prestigious social circles of 1e6bf79065 Korea’s chaebol wives. Hiding her bitter sense e44e718ad0 of humiliation, she continued d4474bfb8d speaking in a soft dbebbe9d8b tone.332a37bb82e47918

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“It was 9054d2b7c9 hard to cc135e7715 get this 659fd81727 opportunity, so 3d64d3bf3f do well. For our 3cfa9e9cfd situation, this c8899389f1 is a a7add3cb2f very decent 9e44e91d6d match. There’s no a31e3a2327 need to 4967ab359a delay the a2239705a5 wedding—we’re thinking af6ceec517 sometime this ec03712afb winter. Half a db6a841b8e year should 932334751a be enough 678599ea78 to prepare.”4c9048c0844a561b

Seohee swallowed 6fc7d2bfa8 dryly as b869c68421 she listened 2c01cfada9 to Hyeonjeong 029f521731 talk casually 91c649a5ca about winter 1731da5de1 being the cd21d3a06a perfect season 08840008bb for marriage.3d76870b0cee0daf

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“Mother.”3e7f1314a64bdbc2

“……”b3f5823196a18a96

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Hyeonjeong froze for ba5046a422 a moment, then 93c30d944e walked past Seohee 40b96795d1 toward the closet. Whether she was 975e94d751 going shopping or 4a0363120f off to tend 3ba90e1e58 to some chaebol 1d055e3272 madam’s errands, she 041fa0a9f8 seemed to be 4654b798d5 preparing to go dfc81e33c7 out—her hands rough bc5a82ac4d as she rifled 8b5acc77a3 through clothes.71113ed39f256e35

“Mother, I…”607b95f2e1590fbc

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“I looked 173a813370 into it—he f1b6e5d3db owns a 8eb32f79d9 good amount 26d52e5d56 of undeveloped 566b35c73f land around 4d89c496c6 Yangpyeong. His real estate holdings 3bf2e8a19d are considerable. If things go 014488b773 well, we might 37bdda69a9 even open a b57af4f819 new Seoyeong Hotel f9676ede92 branch in Yangpyeong. And if you get efc91758e4 married, who knows? They might even send 0b418a7bde you abroad for studies.”786dfaff73aa6ad6

“I don’t want 88534d1c8a to study abroad. And I don’t 9e9cfdd32d want to get 9bf775e153 married either.”4678588b10427f73

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“Just in fdf2e1ab6e case you 3127fc27b9 were thinking f3b999ac13 otherwise—don’t mention b706cc7490 that you’re 63310836d5 working the 42dbe3fadd front desk f49155bd60 at Seoyeong c4fedd6c0a Hotel. You’re smart b5adc81192 enough to ff12270089 understand what 1ece7d2b93 I mean.”78ff8517ca8cc9d4

The fact that Seohee worked at Seoyeong Hotel was a secret known only to the secretary team and the head of HR. Neither her coworkers at the company nor outsiders knew about it. Most of all, it was Yoo Pilbok and Kim Hyeonjeong who went to great lengths to keep it hidden. The saying “keep it in plain sight”—Seohee knew very well that this really meant “keep it under surveillance to stop rumors from spreading.”f6ca8eb2a9193f04

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Hyeonjeong, who ebd5c08561 had been e31f47cf7d speaking without 9c8620195b even looking e912ca2e1a at Seohee, 8823972449 suddenly stopped 404b51b991 in her ab0c5840c4 tracks.315ef2b6dfb7106b

“No matter how much it’s just a way to pass time, it’s still disgraceful to others. Someone who doesn’t know better might misunderstand. They might think you’re going to inherit Seoyeong Hotel after Pilbok.”3bccbbda08d23225

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In her trembling tone, b917a7c0e2 there was a clear 9bf190f3bd resolve that such a b93877c735 thing would never happen.029700d56dd438c0

“…I never thought that 3d79137a78 far.”44c9ab3ab4cb7a89

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Getting into Seoyeong Hotel dd484018da had been a desperate 5b547c0d51 last outburst from Seohee, d408523198 tired of indifference and 598b4fd90a coldness. It had been a a9ec241a63 childish yearning, just wanting 47af3b69a9 to hear a single bf1568b5b4 word of praise from 92b8cf1a36 her parents.3b1430d8387f207b

But that desperate 1e25b4ffc8 struggle was dismissed ca5c32fb83 by Hyeonjeong as 9595cb95b3 nothing more than 7a191e51f5 a silly pastime.90202f49180949ca

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“Good. Then that’s all.”7b60b806091cc4de

With that simple 296aa618d3 reply, Hyeonjeong finally 54d75f967d settled on an fd7dae1a0d outfit for the c580540577 day.dd650577bd8d61b8

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“Quit the job f4766bfc72 before we set 31bf077ff7 a date.”a35a128bd8d6c863

Her calm, commanding 12dc39e788 tone was followed eec4a8d084 by a sigh-like 15c955c0fb afterthought.2f5071ee4e7f1f2e

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And then—da09c889c9074291

“There’s a charity 366b233478 event hosted by 7bd42bab1d Hyeongeun Group at 867239ca77 the end of 37a53fa418 this month. You should 955682e175 come too.”698f8210c378aafc

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Seohee, who had 347f066ec1 been as pale bc71ba0776 as a doll, c62b1471f0 quickly lifted her 236e1213f1 head.eea7f5a0d514bf4b

Did that mean—b4209b3caadb8fd2

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“Really? I can go with 2a307a514a you…?”396e4e629ff0accd

“Why wouldn’t you?”d881ccc45a263dca

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A faint flush returned e4c6e30118 to Seohee’s cheeks. Until now, she accc6cab49 had been the e7180c3eb2 hidden child, never 544aaed124 shown to the 276db5df7b public. She had d7f0a25b6d rarely gone baef7907e4 out with ab79b89e43 them, and f64352d03a even family b968980596 dinners were 6fe8dcc456 countable on f7d194ab01 one hand.56d58825efe80723

As if 6d6a5185cc trying to 3e456ed263 erase any f9935a1876 trace of 44568202dc the ex-wife d6642e3f96 who had 489e0838f7 betrayed them, 4eb67f4e56 they had c352561283 never brought 6f07a3dac1 Seohee to 59d9a58495 any public 0414c6ad73 family events.0ead75ee889a8d7d

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Biting her lip, Seohee 73bc8343e4 tried to calm the 00dc419343 twisting in her stomach.0de59dffaebc0efe

Even though she 584c09d9fa vaguely sensed that ffbe9c1563 this was all 14c3d4d6c1 just a pretext e1d4b02006 to get rid 02b6f0dbaa of her through 58d87a3893 marriage, the mere 84dcad2dff fact that they 1ca380bb0d were finally presenting 3d4524b98e her as their db96a8ac55 daughter for that 2e2ba9a75c purpose still made 34f92e854b her happy. The conflicting emotions 180c7ad3e1 were enough to ed6c24b71a make her feel 524e2e812f sick.ff1186ac80108e74

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There was a698a733de very little 4a93a00349 Seohee could 44ce9b1978 say.1520906e8ccda068

“Thank you, Mother.”9acd98d2d42f866e

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“……”f04b652b291015a2

Pretending not to 8e6946f82e hear, Hyeonjeong reached 6952430362 behind herself to 54628cda26 unzip her dress. As she moved, Seohee cd00514424 stepped forward.908b090b0bb84522

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“Let me help you.”96eb611b2d4c7665

Just as she reached fc4862bf67 out her hand—140042ddb402f82e

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There was a sharp 3acf04cd16 sound of skin slapping 7eddb63500 skin. Her hand had 79bf9f8971 been harshly swatted 624eab3980 away.fb3a4b76793311af

“…It’s fine.”84830b6db6762302

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As Seohee d0480207c4 froze, Hyeonjeong, cb6c3b9844 startled by 0a4a78811c the emotions 4fe7e66221 that had bab540d13f momentarily surfaced, ed30a8d0d6 let out 605c4f5c38 a faint 52109e1a86 throat-clearing sound.1323937cec31077c

An awkward 002ed7e062 air surrounded 408579f661 them, as a9c94d7b79 if something ef316f96f8 messy and caefe94c7b raw had b4caf006cd suddenly been 2bbbcb99d8 exposed.9d3098692211fe57

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“It’s fine… fc6539b288 Just call ac90a9588d for Madam 313d603c47 Choi.”b94126f5a4e8ef62

“……”0c80d541f12a96e4

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A memory came vividly to mind—of a small child once reaching out to hold Hyeonjeong’s hand while walking beside her, only to be coldly rejected. Desperate for attention, she’d once hovered and circled like a shadow.ff0eaefcb861a64b

But now, Seohee was de1a8afb40 an adult. The wounds from knife-sharp b5e72c8be3 rejections had scabbed over 9333c8c7a3 and healed again and 25239bb8b0 again. She should’ve been used cb1a7bd495 to this by now.4fa8680d1d51dc3d

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As if b30ce6bccc it didn’t 8535efeb91 matter anymore, fa4b523b2d Seohee quietly c81062e5be drew a 75d8a48d0a gentle smile f02bb6d3e1 across her 601719e7af lips. Containing and managing 7b978fb9da her emotions behind e677814bb3 a practiced smile 6813c90919 was a skill 938185e6bf she had perfected 01aa1edc0b during her three 5004daa8a9 years of serving 25de36eebb hotel guests.93ecc24d210d0c2e

Watching her, Hyeonjeong 79ff0bbe28 furrowed her brow 903d8340d6 ever so slightly.39b7735f8463a5dc

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Then, almost without realizing 9e3d71ba72 it, she muttered in a30da09b81 a dazed voice—60da9bfa8752868e

“You really do take 0540589fcb after your mother.”aabfc1ab082c62be

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Seohee’s eyes widened. Her blooming smile vanished 1c51132362 without a trace.28ab0d71b2cc2bff

“……”a20fddb6aab93a3a

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It felt like 6b6b9e529b the sound of 03e692c510 a scab ripping f82e6bd8ce open, a wound 59f8b0359a freshly torn apart 0f705d126a again.26ee67dc894b81a4

As if trying 7d1eb8f396 to hide her d0d0857e0a dismay, Hyeonjeong quickly aa893eb1f5 turned her head.d53b162a4cb43102

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“You should f97d2f7546 go now. Don’t you have c156ee7ded work?”288c840349c31629

“Yes.”9de8112cf0613653

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Seohee bowed, trying 322fd23d52 to conceal the 296b464092 tremble in her 05708c48de voice. Her polite gesture went 19d09db8f7 completely ignored as Hyeonjeong c2e89a0b26 turned away in silence.41c494971ebab2e2