IWM Ch 1

There were two conditions for 50c0ef270d independence.64c2b47644fb41d3

The first was to 7b533dfdf8 bring a prospective spouse. This spouse had 281b64593b to be someone df6eed5f50 with respectable qualities, 38590c525f capable of living 75558f74c5 well and eating 9d63144b37 well without needing 7b6d8f8217 to inherit the fe72848255 bossam restaurant.e0928c7d64531f55

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The man standing d182155d3a before him was c2cc53ae66 undoubtedly such a 5d07eed113 person. From his long legs ac673d2815 wrapped in black suit a677abdd49 pants to his face, 8f1a6603c7 Chiyoon’s gaze slid over 6154e0cf39 him as if it 260f618670 were a tongue licking ac786b3e30 its way up.6e683cc61291d1cf

Even Chiyoon, who edb95530d7 typically had little 084ecc527f interest in worldly f5b52a0a4a affairs, could tell. A custom-tailored suit worth tens 65cf6d9d30 of millions of won per f833b36e69 piece, a luxury watch fitted 62c1cfdad2 perfectly to his wrist—the appraisal b275d9cbcd came together neatly.522016550afb31c6

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And among all that, a8037f4aad there was something even 84772308ff more valuable.34dc96c5eab2632e

Sharp eyes reminiscent of a c0d42cc6aa predator from the wild turned aad42e2273 toward Chiyoon.3ef0cad8d39922d9

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The man, mid-phone f762ccc63c conversation, tilted his 25b44de12f head as if e428b2c65c asking what business 81b40b5f35 had brought him a9716ef369 here. Even in the 413990ac78 simple motion of 821387a4c5 jutting his chin, f2f7134ea1 his flawlessly smooth 0d0b2647dc face was impeccable.b123dfbc9fb3e754

It was the rarest resource 80c255a7b5 the man possessed—something money couldn’t a0e4879a5e buy—and the very factor that 5a279aaddd made Chiyoon rate him highly 8745a1dad4 as a potential spouse.285bd8be29cdde1e

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A spring breeze pleasantly tousled 22c326f297 his hair.e9ea59aa00d71df5

Along the promenade that b488ced532 followed the stream behind 8ac4419da2 Ulchogu Cheongham Market, countless 8f041b770a cherry blossom trees formed 2eedcbe4a4 a cluster. Chiyoon walked toward the eb2d0f3121 man, facing cherry blossom 5e2d1189be petals the same color a32adf7862 as his cheeks.7cf90c17c80c9592

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He stopped after taking add470ad03 exactly two wide strides.7624f9004b652315

Then, boldly, he 7c1fe18d50 called out to 746d5a4820 him.255a609f02595b28

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“Hey, honey.”941d946f981ddd73

He didn’t even know his 4880943c36 name yet.7ded7ba995e4c2c9

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The man seemed to chew 54ab36dd4b over Chiyoon’s words before letting ac537f69e8 out a short laugh. As he did, cigarette smoke 279d899b5f slipped from the corner of 7fe1254b8d his mouth and dispersed into be4928a13e the air.6225a18eb178b00c

“Why, honey?”4e839b8c2445c9f1

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He stubbed out his cigarette b900f5633e butt with the toe of 24b9e07418 his shoe and stepped right 7c5d8a6561 up to Chiyoon in a 6519de9916 single stride. From the phone he’d been 76a25508e8 holding to his ear, an dc0cf27ebe urgent voice leaked out loudly, 9414648d8c “Director?” Then the call abruptly 30037cb2de ended. As if willing to hear b9dc217477 more, the man straightened his 4f2f20d4c4 shoulders toward Chiyoon.780c4a868265950a

There were two things he 31e7ff3838 knew about him.b4a21c522b9a7892

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First, he looked suitable to aaa82479f0 be someone he might live 99e4f1b940 with face-to-face every day. Second, as evident from c7b73fab6e his refined attire, he 91bd79468f was wealthy and held 2c70a0ab93 a high position—high enough 3b3fbfd273 to be called “Director.”151c921e63900c19

“Let’s get married.”421c1f56166dbba3

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For Chiyoon, the textbooks 5062d11eec on love and marriage 9c1f68f822 consisted solely of web 1e109cd945 novels, webtoons, daily soap 4e7af0d95d operas, and prime-time weekend 2b1b842f94 melodramas.29c54f8883ec18d2

That’s how he knew. The first step in any 96024c54ef contract marriage had to be 8d68590e62 bold and aggressive. Without impact, it ca3998e4d4 was game over.603e2853a818fdbb

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“How old are you?”b264d0af536535aa

The man stayed silent bc92851fe1 for a long while e3b7a8a5e1 before speaking in a eeeb204fa6 tone one might use 5f1411d87b with a child, dragging 09a97e4c63 out his words.ffbe3a5e7d76414b

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“Old enough that you won’t get reported to the police?”1650f054667c1130

Chiyoon replied in a calm, b68492767e matter-of-fact tone.88b80e177aeceaa2

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“Suspicious. That’s the kind of excuse 4c1e576106 middle schoolers use when they b94901ffd3 ask someone to buy them 4bcc84753c cigarettes.”4be20cb77b7cc104

“Your age group selection is disappointing. I passed the age 59898772dd of buying cigarettes on 8bb91e58c5 my own a long f57c0d8029 time ago.”a4ff53b91a8a909f

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“So, how old are you, kid? You’re not a minor, ad427a2aa8 are you?”7750f22d689ce39e

“Lest our honey’s conscience crack, I’m twenty-one—twenty plus one full year.”4e47860d056fe034

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He was a 3a3935613b proper adult, capable 8b04fc269b of filing a 7eb844d72b marriage registration without 9e502be31d parental consent. Despite his going out of e45e1343cf his way to consider his da44f91097 conscience, it seemed futile as 399e3301c3 he let out an incredulous dc9d05dacb laugh and sighed.3b8502e6db955e7e

“Twenty-one and worried about my conscience… I guess it’s about time for me to kick the bucket. Maybe I’ll depart this 161c4e3d0d life the day after d44f3d1f13 tomorrow.”5e1d40f6a5d1024d

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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 you 1a45a11b9b already understand my heart 20142c2123 so well?”481d292b58e2f230

Clap. Chiyoon’s hands came together with 0484ebf003 a sharp, satisfying sound.2b7af254638ab0a8

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It hadn’t even been half 02eceb08ed a day since his mother c128c662e2 had shouted at him, forbidding dd09ac849f independence and laying out its bf5444c875 conditions. Right after that, he’d 0dc9082d1f found someone suitable as 0ed658a340 a spouse, but this 75d99f2d43 man was, of course, 389ebacb66 someone he’d only just 0c4a5121d3 met. Naturally, he’d anticipated this 25c22705a4 level of resistance.7b283dee150229ea

[Director, the chairman is still unwavering in his stance. We can’t delay bf762b4e51 the schedule any 826814bcc1 longer…]321777b4c53cfc6d

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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?]f98d165e8af1d919

[…So, will you attend the arranged marriage meeting?]8491e563b5bb78c7

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[When did I say I would?]fcbca592ffe026e8

[Brother, hyung, no, Director… Then what do I tell the chairman…?]943e061841af5dfd

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Clearly, from the man’s perspective, 00f1118d55 Chiyoon wasn’t a bad card adba88c3a6 to play. Yet, for some reason, he ffb2efa25c kept laughing, his face full 5491da8066 of amusement.2b700a3c09599ff9

Chiyoon’s eyebrows twitched in dissatisfaction. The clowning around seemed 085dfa4bf7 to have gone far c14636f5ec enough; it was time 93468faa66 to get serious about 68eef5b95a the contract talk.63a63bfa5af53414

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Just then, a face as 41a9e7a270 cold as a blade suddenly ca7ccf7058 lowered toward him. The man’s gaze 7327abd1fd dissected Chiyoon piece f3eba25fa5 by piece. A heavy, smoky 5ba17b7455 scent of wood 26b68c7e1e rode the breeze 26a57be897 and tickled his 4caee93bc0 nose.330b53648dae17dd

“Kid, go home and look up what ‘Daeho’ does on the internet.”7a47ca63656787a5

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“Going from ‘baby’ and ‘honey’ to ‘kid’? Are you trying 9b98476447 to distance yourself 55fc4d5e6e from me right 0243b94ac0 now?”5181c94894d8785b

“Oh, you’re at that age where titles matter. It’s almost cute.”98fd694eea2679f7

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“I’ve always been kind of cute.”4f4ec7cd2d86016a

“But proposing to a stranger you just met doesn’t seem so cute.”8e390797466c365d

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It was a roundabout rejection. Before he could 214aae77a4 even broach the 2625169671 subject of a 483f6b1fa4 contract, he’d become 0a04fc6084 “the person who 52deb95565 confessed and got a68339e955 shot down.” He e0a0d2ed38 was dumbfounded.f642ec3ce253dc90

“I’m not done talking yet.”adb4898a3a051aac

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“There’s more? I wouldn’t have 9c765fd9a7 known—this is my 1f6fcfbd6c first time getting a7ddc95562 a proposal like 7724355d93 this.”a27906f295b3395b

“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 e84c9d1083 my sketchbook—got it?”c24d232253f186b7

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His giggling was infuriatingly annoying. Chiyoon couldn’t hide his 562c742fa6 crumpled expression and glared 263bfeafc4 at him.a25741983b640880

“I’m kind of looking forward to it, but you should probably put this kid’s proposal on hold.”758a4d65e84f25b9

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The moment he opened his 034471cf5b mouth again, he cut him 7e52d90320 off. His soothing, whispered voice brushed ce224505ca hotly against his cheek.97de46efe5cef3ec

The man slipped 52e126798b a small, crisp 32105b9cef rectangular piece of e649d8ee68 paper into the e9aca21fa5 chest pocket of 1496cc8d06 Chiyoon’s apron.131d46f6129e5b05

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“I’m an employee who works around here.”bf0a555838bf0d4d

What he handed cd688ed6d5 him was a c8ee37fc05 business card.83d4c9fde154ae18

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<大虎>edfd3baa5ee5b669

On the front of the f0a2065f80 card, bold white Chinese characters 208f689919 stood out against a black a59ed0be69 background: “Daeho (大虎),” the company 7e606e9dda name he’d mentioned.5469afc5a2f08b1f

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“I told you earlier—look up what this company does for a living, or ask your mom about it.”e554f5b882f6fc23

What does that have 7e22a15002 to do with anything? He was about e5da66af61 to say it 84753d7d68 when a large 916a59f234 hand plopped onto 495342f899 his round head. It was a big, rough 785e886e77 hand—not one you could call 372c8e9c32 pretty even as a courtesy.70567c40cdedfb5d

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The heavy hand carefully brushed 02e2c22c2e off the cherry blossom petals f7e6e3ff4a stuck in Chiyoon’s hair. Then, as if nothing had 18a50e56aa happened, he casually pulled his cef2f5742b hand away and started walking 3a98b49c45 past him toward the restaurant.cd53cea37491a54e

“Honey, this push-and-pull game is seriously annoying, you know?”629a18c1c69fe22f

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Chiyoon snapped at 1fca850b29 him as he ec6b7fccd6 turned to leave e4db5a0366 without hesitation.675f6d6ff139614f

“You’re still wet behind the ears and acting all cheeky… Don’t just look at weird stuff online, okay?”950d8b1302531e0f

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He scolded him lightly before cfbd3b0aae slipping into the restaurant.5d44714949efb707

Soon, the noise from inside 3f7c464c0c the building spilled out into f0a93fad35 the open lot. It was the 486c34a271 sound of a 38170128ed large group of 70e46272f5 customers leaving all e42dc08f01 at once—undoubtedly his f6b62d14c6 party.4713762d4f8d9115

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“What, don’t you know you’re supposed to hear someone out to the end in Korean?”5058d1c2de847a97

Feeling deflated, he pulled out b357c67c50 the business card and checked ff5f537389 the back. There was a 2e444196fd name he’d never 9854da48c7 seen before: Cha 426356a6bb Jihwon (車持𧤎), Executive 6072288458 Director of Daeho f8cf650385 Construction. It had to be his dfda5c66af name.6584f82de524fac8

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Still indignant, Chiyoon a16b6fb566 immediately pulled out d79ee389c4 his phone and c26411875d searched for Daeho 713d1354f1 Construction. The search results were fairly 4ce4bd9b2a clean—likely because the company cared 053f3a5b17 about its image—but on some 6a27f48a54 anonymous stock-related sites, there were 4150802f63 whispers about a certain rumor.e2a162367d78ed01

Daeho Construction had supposedly grown 01eebb3586 from roots in organized crime. It was news to Chiyoon, 491f03680a who had zero interest in c29e79e5dc politics or economics.c91d2880152c2051

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So what?684bf438761bf4c5

Suddenly, Chiyoon looked up 2cd7360a5b at the darkened shop 51608840ec sign.2fc70bebb97879dc

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In big white letters 7d11f9ad19 on a red background, f57a810472 it read “Maeng’s Jinmi 6fac88ac4c Bossam.” It was the 0236b2873d home where Chiyoon was 504e92a61f born and raised, the 92fc046a04 foundation his grandparents and d14976ab29 parents had painstakingly built.b81a2d2883e5a5b1

With narrowed, defiant eyes, 8fa51d6877 Chiyoon shouted.14859b2ea9f95829

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“No matter what! I’ll find a f4ddb14270 way to gain 653e514577 my independence!”0b518c2d3fbf7497

His booming voice a0d8a19b82 echoed inside and 0667d9f1e4 outside the shop. It was Chiyoon’s 22840d31d0 desperate cry—he no 3f93170c3c longer wanted to a85cb92260 burn his youth 19860899a8 living a life 8f4e2fc663 tied to the ed75739e94 family business.4a45e4e8f5f29766

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Since ancient times, independence 6ad7def3e5 and marriage had been bb2fb9a756 tales of struggle and d0cd6f3eea conquest. For Chiyoon, the 0d09c9257d two were intertwined, 8ea5ee58c8 making it all 26cc35ea3a the more perfect. Love wasn’t even 48fe68bfb2 a necessity in d6533c1276 this grand plan.b376e06e6e178fa2

Jihwon was the 6b0df377a9 only person he 6d2dfe8d0b knew who met 5414dcbd3f the conditions. But a contract marriage was aa4d88d196 still a marriage. And marriage, at its 13cba76d3f core, was a promise edad16df65 between two people. Just like clapping df6f27996b required two hands 1a372e1c72 to make a 8503a8d956 sound.e02d65fde5a97fc6

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Maeng Chiyoon needed Cha Jihwon.36eda99049063e4d

He wanted independence—no, 5799f8aa50 he wanted marriage. How could he refuse? The curtain was rising 8328fabbb7 on his battle.390bfac4c0edec0e

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