The café was dimly lit — the kind that smelled faintly of roasted beans and quiet conversations that no one was supposed to hear. Tae-jun sat opposite a man whose face was shadowed by the brim of his cap. Outside, Seoul’s neon lights bled through the glass, painting both men in colors of red and blue.
Their discussion had lasted hours — economics, lineage, alliances, betrayal — yet not a single word was wasted.
At the end, the man placed his cup down gently.
“Remember this, Ryu Tae-jun,” he said softly, his tone almost philosophical.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMd18HuKQ1n
“What’s in front of you may not be the answer to your question… but the question to the answer you’ve been avoiding.”
The words hung between them, dense and cold.
Tae-jun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to read the cryptic meaning, but the man only smiled faintly and stood up.
“Find the question first,” he said. “The answer’s already with you.”
When he left, the faint sound of the door chime felt like a whisper of fate closing behind him.
For a long moment, Tae-jun sat still — then turned toward Yize, who had been silently watching from the next table.
Their eyes met. Silence stretched like a knife.
Finally, Tae-jun spoke.
“Start digging Su-ah.”
Yize’s brows lifted slightly.
“Su-ah?”
“Yeah,” Tae-jun said, voice low. “That prick is the one pulling the strings — behind Min-jae, Han-se, maybe even Ji-ho. Find everything. No mistakes.”
Yize gave a curt nod.
“Understood.”
The next morning at Seoul National University, the air was crisp and full of spring sunlight. Tae-jun walked across the courtyard with his cousin, Ha-neul, who waved to a few classmates.
At the Business department, the professor was arranging group projects for the midterm presentation. When the names appeared on the board, Ha-neul burst out laughing.
“Look! You’re with Kang Hae-won!”
Tae-jun’s eyes flicked to the list. He didn’t react, but a faint smile ghosted across his lips.
Minutes later, he saw her — Kang Hae-won, standing by the window, the light outlining her hair like gold. She was dressed neatly, an air of confidence in every motion. Their eyes met briefly before she looked away.
Ha-neul nudged him.
“You two look like a drama pairing. Just don’t turn it into a tragedy, yeah?”
Tae-jun ignored her.
During the session, they were assigned to prepare a presentation on “Corporate Morality in Economic Crises.” The irony wasn’t lost on him.
As they sat across from each other, Hae-won broke the silence.
“I didn’t expect you to be in business.”
“I didn’t expect you to follow me into restaurants either,” Tae-jun replied without looking up.
Her cheeks flushed. “That was— I didn’t—”
“Relax,” he said smoothly, leaning back. “I’m not blaming you. Just curious.”
They exchanged notes in silence, the tension between them softening as time passed. When Hae-won explained a point, she gestured animatedly — confident, intelligent, stubborn. Tae-jun found himself watching the way her eyes lit up when she spoke.
When their hands brushed accidentally while reaching for a paper, both froze.
“You’re cold,” she murmured.
“You’re warm,” he replied.
For a second, neither moved. The professor’s voice broke the moment.
“Class dismissed.”
They stepped outside, pretending the electricity in the air wasn’t real.
That evening, back at the Ryu residence, chaos greeted them.
The sound of shouting, a crash, and then — Min-jun’s voice.
“Hyung!”
Tae-jun rushed inside. Min-jun was on the floor, blood dripping from his nose, Ye-rim standing a few steps away, her eyes red with tears and rage.
“What the hell happened?” Tae-jun demanded, crouching beside his brother.
“It’s nothing,” Min-jun muttered.
“Nothing?” Ye-rim snapped. “He insulted me first!”
“You started it!” Min-jun shot back.
The room fell into chaos again until Tae-jun stood up, his expression unreadable. He looked at Yize, who had appeared silently at the doorway.
Their eyes met — a silent signal passing between them.
For months, Tae-jun had avoided dragging Ye-rim into the darker corners of his revenge. But now, something inside him cracked.
“Yize,” he said softly, dangerously calm. “Change of plans. Touch nothing for now. Observe everyone around Ye-rim. Every word, every step.”
Yize nodded once.
“Understood.”
As Tae-jun led Min-jun away to treat his nose, his mind was already racing.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmXx21VUIf
If Ye-rim got involved... then someone wanted her to.
The next morning, in the Ryu residence, the day began with the ring of the doorbell. A courier handed over a plain brown envelope marked confidential.
Ryu Kyung-min opened it.
Inside was a DNA test report.
He read the first lines — and the blood drained from his face.
“Not biologically related.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4acFkloVAw
“Sample comparison: Ryu Kyung-min and Ryu Ye-rim — 0% match.”
Below that, a note written in neat handwriting:
“Your daughter belongs to another Ryu.”
His hands trembled as realization struck — his own brother, Ryu Sang-ho.
Moments later, his rage exploded.
“Da-eun!”
His wife entered the room, startled. “What is it—”
The sound of his slap echoed through the house.
“You cheated on me with my brother!” he roared. “You destroyed this family!”
Da-eun fell to the floor, tears streaming. “I… I was forced—”
“Enough!”
In the doorway, Tae-jun stood, watching the chaos unfold with quiet satisfaction. When Da-eun’s eyes met his — filled with terror and realization — Tae-jun simply smiled.
“Good morning, Aunt,” he said softly, before walking away.
That evening, the storm in the Ryu family had only begun.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TVFQEnRMK
Kyung-min filed for divorce.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oEmNSQMT1
Yoon Hye-jin, Sang-ho’s wife, filed hers the same day — taking her daughter Na-eun with her.
The empire of Ryu was crumbling, one secret at a time.
The following day at university, Tae-jun and Hae-won met again to prepare their presentation. This time, the air between them wasn’t just tense — it was electric.
They spent hours in the empty seminar room. Hae-won leaned over his shoulder, correcting a line on the slides.
“You’re still thinking too logically,” she said. “Sometimes business isn’t about numbers — it’s about emotion.”
“And sometimes emotion destroys empires,” he replied quietly.
She laughed. “Then maybe you haven’t felt it yet.”
He turned to her — too fast, too close. Their eyes locked, breaths mingling in the silence.
Something unspoken sparked — and before she could react, his lips were on hers.
It wasn’t gentle. It was a collision of everything unspoken — frustration, attraction, defiance. For a second, the world stopped.
Then Tae-jun pulled away, his expression unreadable.
“That was a mistake,” he murmured.
He grabbed his bag and walked out without looking back.
Hae-won stood there, fingertips brushing her lips, eyes wide — heart racing and confused. Anger mixed with something else, something dangerous.
“Then why…” she whispered to herself, “…did it feel right?”
That night, Tae-jun received a call from the Chairman.
“Tae-jun-ah,” Tae-ho’s voice was weary, fragile. “Don’t break the family, dear.”
There was a long pause. Then Tae-jun replied quietly, his tone cold but steady.
“It’s already broken, Grandpa.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6cfbqOV8l
“You’re just too blind to see it.”
He ended the call, looking out the window as the rain began to fall — the sound sharp and lonely, like the echo of everything the Ryu family had lost.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.