FTC Chapter 1(Part 7)

[Then what should we do? Should we head to your place first?]

 

“I don’t live there anymore. Because I’m… getting married soon. Right now…”

 

[Ah, so you’ve already moved into your newlywed home, CEO?]

 

At Secretary Kang’s words, Seoyeon bit her lip. Newlywed home—no matter how many times she heard it, it was a disgusting phrase.

 

“So, you don’t have to come anymore. Let’s meet at the office from now on.”

 

[Understood. Then, about this week’s schedule…]

 

“Clear everything. I’m… busy with wedding preparations. Do you know how hard it was to plan this wedding in secret for a year without Jieun finding out?”

 

[You should’ve told me, CEO! I would’ve handled everything for you! Congratulations again!]

 

“Ah… thanks.”

 

Even as she spoke on the phone, she couldn’t ignore the presence of the man sitting beside her.

 

Every time she said the word marriage, he seemed to smirk to himself.

 

Annoyed, Seoyeon clenched her teeth and stared out the window at the unnecessarily clear, cloudless sky.

 

“I won’t be able to focus on work for a while, so handle the basics for me, Secretary Kang.”

 

[Understood, CEO.]

 

As soon as she hung up, an even heavier emptiness washed over her.

 

Even after a night had passed, the question remained: Is this really the right thing?

 

Han Mooyoung stepped on the gas without hesitation.

 

Seoyeon stared at the back of his head, irritated by how easily he drove, as if nothing was wrong.

 

Back at the house, Jaebin had thrown her off guard with that icy gaze of his.

 

Then, Mooyoung had appeared right after, saying, “Call me when you’re ready,” as if he had been expecting her.

 

What annoyed her even more was that both men carried the same air about them.

 

Just looking at them was infuriating.

 

“Well, thanks to this, I suddenly have no work. I was supposed to be busy until the end of the year.”

 

“…”

 

“Instead of rotting away at the office, I’m off to get fitted for a dress.”

 

“Consider it a vacation.”

 

Mooyoung chimed in from the driver’s seat.

 

Through the rearview mirror, he glanced at Seoyeon.

 

His gaze was just sharp enough to tell her to shut up, and she let out a dry laugh.

 

She was about to snap back when Jaebin, who had been silently working on his tablet, spoke.

 

“A very romantic vacation.”

 

His tone was dry as he handed the tablet to her.

 

—-

 

Seoyeon’s mouth fell open when she saw the screen.

 

It was a meticulously detailed schedule for the next two weeks, starting today.

 

“He’s insane.”

 

The words almost slipped out before she could stop them.

 

Just how long had he been planning this?

 

“Unbelievable…”

 

Dress fittings, wedding studio visits, couple events—an entire fake wedding project set for September 21st, with an overwhelming to-do list leading up to it.

 

And tomorrow—she was originally supposed to attend V Brand’s luxury launch party alone, as Mare’s heiress.

 

Now, it was listed as a couple’s event.

 

How had he arranged all this in such a short time?

 

For an ordinary person, these reservations would take at least a year to secure.

 

Yet somehow, this fraud of a marriage had been set in motion overnight.

 

It was clear as day—Jaebin had been preparing for this marriage for a long time.

 

“When did you start preparing for this scam?”

 

“…”

 

“Aren’t you afraid? Lying to fifty million people?”

 

He turned to look at her.

 

The sharp bridge of his nose cast a shadow across his cheek.

 

“Isn’t it better to lie to fifty million people?”

 

“…”

 

“Than to be the daughter who embezzled her parents’ company funds?”

 

Shit.

 

Seoyeon clenched her jaw.

 

“How much?”

 

“What?”

 

“How much did they siphon off in twenty years? How much did my mother—”

 

“-341.3 billion won.”

 

“…What?”

 

Without realizing it, the question slipped from her lips.

 

Seoyeon had never been particularly interested in Mare. How could she love a company when even her own parents had consumed her as a carefully crafted image for its sake? She was nothing more than an actress on a massive billboard, existing solely for the company’s benefit.

 

At twenty, when she had just started catching the stench of the world’s filth, she had already been sharper than most her age. Ironically, that sharpness led her to recognize her parents’ corruption faster than anyone else. The only thing she hadn’t known was just how deep that rot ran.

 

Was it just a bit of mold on the surface? Or had the roots buried deep into the ground, blackened and decayed to the core?

 

She was at a loss for words.

 

Seoyeon stared at Jaebin with a blank expression, like a child hearing for the first time that Santa wasn’t real.

 

“Where did they spend all that money?”

 

Jaebin gave her a look as if to ask if she really needed him to spell it out.

 

Unfortunately, Seoyeon didn’t need him to.

 

She already knew.

 

For a businessman preparing for a political career, connections were everything—limitless, even.

 

In an instant, a map of the nation’s “high-ranking figures” formed in her mind.

 

And right at the center, smiling ever so gracefully, was her mother.

 

The realization made her stomach churn.

 

She despised the woman, yet the fact that they were bound by blood made her skin burn with shame. A wave of indescribable humiliation crashed over her.

 

Turning away from the tablet, she quickly looked out the window, as if trying to escape.

 

“I just thought of something.”

 

Like I care.

 

She frowned, keeping her gaze fixed outside.

 

“Why do you hate your parents?”

 

There was an odd trace of amusement in his voice.

 

The single word—parents—made her eyelids twitch.

 

Since she was twenty, Seoyeon had never once referred to them as her parents.

 

Go Hyunju and Baek Jinwoong were not parents to her.

 

She refused to grant them that title, because they were undeserving of it.

 

Because their relationship was never built on love.

 

Jaebin glanced at her profile.

 

Under the clear sunlight, her face had flushed faintly red.

 

“Do you know what makes a businessman, a politician, or even a celebrity seem most relatable to the public?”

 

Seoyeon turned to look at him again.

 

His sharp features were captured in her light brown eyes.

 

“Family.”

 

“…”

 

“A seemingly ordinary, loving family—just like everyone else.”

 

She let out a small, bitter scoff.

 

“Did you know that when I was born, Mare Life Insurance launched a new policy?”

 

“…”

 

“Because there was no better advertisement than me.”

 

Seoyeon turned back toward the window.

 

Jaebin’s gaze lingered on her smaller, retreating figure longer than necessary.

 

* ~ *

 

Rows of suffocating dresses hung before her, welcoming Seoyeon into their grasp. For a moment, she wondered if this was real—if perhaps this wasn’t some vivid nightmare. But no, it was real.

 

It was real that, overnight, she had somehow ended up getting married.

 

It was real that she had been dragged to a wedding boutique instead of her office, frozen stiff in front of dresses she had never imagined herself wearing.

 

“Do we really have to go this far?”

 

She swallowed the words “for a fake wedding?” because of the staff nearby.

 

“Let’s just get this over with.”

 

Jaebin stepped closer, a small smile on his lips.

 

He placed a hand—no, an arm—around her shoulders as he spoke.

 

Her body tensed instinctively.

 

“You’ll look beautiful in anything.”

 

The shop manager and staff exchanged glances before turning their envious gazes toward Seoyeon.

 

It was then that she remembered—their engagement had made headlines just yesterday.

 

To the world, they were now a picture-perfect couple, on the brink of their beautiful wedding.

 

Not a marriage tainted by money, blackmail, and embezzlement, but a love story full of fluttering petals and adoring gazes.

 

Seoyeon swallowed hard.

 

As much as she wanted to break the wrist resting on her shoulder, she held herself back.

 

“Ma’am, do you have a specific design in mind?”

 

She clenched her jaw.

 

Right. Just think of it as acting. Just pretend I’m an actress.

 

“…No. Anything is fine.”

 

“Then let’s try a few options! You’re so beautiful, everything will suit you perfectly.”

 

The staff recognized them immediately, even without an introduction.

 

Mare Group was one of the country’s top corporations, and as the only daughter of Chairman Baek Jinwoong, Seoyeon was well known.

 

And now, standing beside her was Woo Jaebin—the strikingly handsome CEO who had just announced his engagement to her.

 

If there was anything odd about the situation, it was that they had come in less than two weeks before the wedding.

 

Most couples selected their wedding attire at least three or four months in advance.

 

“They must be incredibly busy.”

 

“Or maybe… is she pregnant?”

 

“Shh! Shut your mouth.”

 

Seoyeon heard their whispers.

 

She had neither the energy nor the will to correct them.

 

Let them think whatever they want.

 

This marriage was just for show anyway.

 

With that thought, she glanced past the slowly closing curtain at Jaebin.

 

“…”

 

The moment the staff turned away, the warmth vanished.

 

The gentle touches, the affectionate smile—gone, as if they had never existed.

 

His gaze landed on her, void of emotion, void of warmth.

 

A silent command.

 

Sit still. Don’t try to run. Don’t pull any foolish stunts.

 

His black suit, slicked-back hair, and sharp features only amplified the intensity of that stare.

 

And that—that—was what pissed her off.

 

Even his damn looks suited the razor-sharp edge of his personality.

 

“Anything is fine. Just do a good job.”

 

She tossed the words out carelessly as the manager guided her inside.

 

The only silver lining was that despite calling it a “dress tour,” there was only one boutique on their schedule.

 

Whenever her friends got married, they would spend at least two full days visiting multiple shops.

 

But in Jaebin’s meticulously planned itinerary, this was the only stop.

 

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of sentiment in the decision.

 

She could tell exactly what he was thinking—just pick something, throw it on, and make it look convincing.

 

It wasn’t consideration for her.

 

It was indifference.

 

Bastard.

 

Grinding her teeth, Seoyeon began to undress.

 

* ~ *