Kang Hye-rin has spent her life learning how to stay invisible — a quiet, diligent employee in the vast machinery of LJ Group. But when her cold, calculating CEO, Lee Joon-hyuk, proposes a contract marriage, invisibility becomes impossible.

To him, it’s simple: a deal to secure the board’s confidence, protect his company, and maintain the image of stability. To her, it’s chaos — a collision between the past she’s tried to forget and the man who once broke her heart.

Years ago, under cherry blossoms and cruel laughter, Hye-rin learned how sharp Joon-hyuk’s indifference could be. Now, he stands before her again — powerful, composed, and offering a ring instead of an apology.

But as business turns into blurred lines, and loyalty begins to look a lot like longing, the boundaries between duty and desire start to crumble. Joon-hyuk’s perfect control begins to fracture, revealing the man buried beneath the mask — the one who remembers the same past, the same guilt, the same girl he once pushed away, the one whom his heart longed for. 

And in the shadows of Seoul’s glittering towers, another man watches: Choi Min-jae, the warm, effortless heir to Sungjin Group, who offers Hye-rin not contracts or promises — but choice.

Caught between the man who wounded her and the one who sees her, Hye-rin must decide whether love built on old scars can ever heal — or whether it’s time to walk away from both men and the world that uses affection as a bargaining chip.

Because in the end, every deal demands a cost — and every heart has a breaking point.

The news spread before she could even catch her breath.


By the time Kang Hye-rin stepped into the office that morning, the air was already electric. Every glance felt heavy, every whisper sharpened into blades of speculation. She could almost hear her name tumble through the corridors like a secret no one was supposed to know — yet everyone did.


They say it's someone from inside the company.


Each sentence clawed closer until the unspoken truth hovered just above her. She kept her eyes down, shoulders tense, pretending not to notice. But the murmurs followed her into the elevator, through the polished hallways, into the quiet corner where she usually found peace.


By noon, her phone vibrated — a single message that erased whatever hope she had left for calm.


When she reached the top floor, the city stretched endlessly beneath gray clouds. Seoul glimmered like a cage of glass and gold. He was already there, leaning against the railing, suit immaculate despite the wind.


"You didn't think this through," she said without greeting. Her voice was low but trembling with control. "Everyone's talking."


"That was the point," he replied, calm as if this chaos were part of some perfect calculation. "Let them talk. It forces the board's hand."


He turned then, eyes sharp. "I'm using the situation."


"Same thing." Her voice cracked despite her effort to keep it steady. "You didn't even give me a chance to prepare."


Joon-hyuk studied her for a long moment. "Preparation doesn't change what's already set in motion."


The wind whipped at her hair. "You really think everything's that simple?"


His expression softened — barely. "No. But simplicity keeps people from seeing how messy it really is."


For a brief second, something human flickered across his face, too fleeting to name. Then it was gone.


As she turned to leave, he said quietly, "You'll have your freedom when this is over. I promise."


She paused. A promise from Lee Joon-hyuk sounded less like comfort and more like a warning disguised as kindness.


Chapter 23 - The Announcement