Her father had apparently already been spreading the news of her engagement to Jinhyuk—or, more precisely, to the family of Myungsung University’s chairman. He’d even warned other family members not to meddle with her anymore.

While it was nice that those who used to torment her now left her alone, she still couldn’t be sure that going through with this marriage was the right thing to do.

It wasn’t that the concept of marriage scared her. She had long resigned herself to the idea of marrying whoever her father chose. As Jinhyuk had said, she had always expected to settle down with someone chosen through an arranged meeting, have children, and live together.

So, if she had to marry someone, she knew it might as well be Jinhyuk. But what truly scared her was what might happen afterwards.

If she married someone as prominent as Woo Jinhyuk, Park Jinsoo’s father—who blamed her for his son’s death—wouldn’t let it slide. Once Chairman Park decided to attack, their marriage would inevitably face turmoil. Even someone as indifferent as Jinhyuk would grow tired of her, and their downfall would be inevitable.

“I really don’t want that,” Eunsu muttered gloomily.

If it hadn’t started, it wouldn’t matter. But she didn’t want to get married, live together, and then separate in such a bitter way. Jinhyuk was her cherished first love. She didn’t want to bring any harm to him.

Should I explain everything to him again? Maybe then he’d understand. Still, I’d be upset if, after all this, he decided to marry someone else.

With a bittersweet smile at her own conflicting thoughts, Eunsu picked up her phone and called Jinhyuk.

Whether they married or not, she couldn’t afford to drag things out any longer. If she was going to put an end to this, it had to be before her father printed a “Congratulations on Your Marriage” banner. That way, Jinhyuk could move on and find another partner sooner.

***

As soon as Jinhyuk arrived at the meeting place, he asked, “Have you made up your mind?”

“No.”

“How long are you going to take?”

His tone seemed to carry a hint of amusement, which gave Eunsu enough courage to respond.

“You know Jinsoo’s father, Chairman Park, don’t you?”

“I do. Why?”

“I’m sure he won’t be happy if we get married. He might even cause trouble during the wedding preparations…”

Suddenly, Jinhyuk’s voice turned icy.

“Seo Eunsu.”

“Yes?”

“Is that your reason? You’re afraid of Chairman Park?”

“To be honest, it’s what concerns me the most…”

“So, if that’s resolved, there’s no issue with the marriage?”

Startled by his sharp tone, Eunsu hesitated before replying.

“Well…”

“What other problems are there?”

Jinhyuk’s sudden anger frightened her, and she lowered her gaze, unable to answer. Seeing her timid reaction, he suppressed his irritation and spoke in a controlled voice.

“Any issues that arise during the marriage process—I’ll handle them all. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

Eunsu’s small face showed a mix of surprise and confusion, and Jinhyuk let out a quiet sigh.

He was well aware of her situation. The first rumour he heard when he started attending arranged meetings after returning to Korea was about Seo Eunsu.

“Park Jinsoo died in a drunk-driving accident. It’s true there was no one else in the car, but Eunsu made the mistake of telling the police the truth. She said he stormed out after an argument while drunk and drove off alone.”

“So, they’re blaming Eunsu for Jinsoo’s death?”

“Technically, it wasn’t her fault. But you remember how much Chairman Park doted on Jinsoo, his only son and the sole heir of three generations. After the accident, he lost it completely. There were even rumours that he wanted to ruin Eunsu’s life in revenge.”

“So instead of outright revenge, he’s been sabotaging her future?”

“Pretty much. The accident happened a few months before graduation, and since then, Eunsu hasn’t been able to work or engage in any social activities. It’s an open secret that Chairman Park is pulling strings behind the scenes.”

“And what did her family do? Just let her suffer like that?”

“What could they do? You know what Chairman Seo is like. He just had his fourth marriage, and he thinks he’s fulfilled his responsibilities by officially recognizing his children. He pays attention to his sons, but it seems he couldn’t care less about his daughters.”

“So Eunsu’s just been stuck in that situation?”

“Yeah. She’s almost thirty now, hasn’t had a proper career, and hasn’t even dated anyone.”

The more Jinhyuk listened, the more absurd it seemed. How could Chairman Park take out his anger over his son’s death on innocent Eunsu? It wasn’t as though she had forced Jinsoo to drink and drive.

“Why the sudden interest in Eunsu? Were you into her or something?”

Watching Jinhyuk stew in silent anger, his friend Wonwoo, who had known Eunsu from their university days, asked curiously.

“I’m considering marrying her.”

“What?”

“I’m thinking about marrying Seo Eunsu.”

Wonwoo stared at him like he had lost his mind.

“Since when have you and Eunsu been like that?”

“We’re not.”

“And yet, you’re talking about marriage? Has she even agreed to this?”

“I’ll talk to her about it now.”

Wonwoo was at a loss for words, blinking in disbelief for a long moment.

“Are you really Woo Jinhyuk? Did you overwork yourself and lose your mind? You’re talking about marriage out of nowhere when you two aren’t even close?”

“Marriage doesn’t require a prior relationship. I wasn’t close to the women I met at those arranged meetings either.”

“Technically true, but… still! You and Seo Eunsu? Do you think that makes sense?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“Well, it’s just…”

“Just give me her contact information.”