The elevator doors slid open with a quietly, revealing a world Han Seo-jin had never imagined herself entering.
The penthouse wasn't an apartment. It was an empire built of glass, steel, and silence. Floor to ceiling windows stretched across the skyline, the city lights glittering like a field of distant stars beneath her feet. Everything gleamed marble floors, black leather furniture, gold rimmed fixtures. Even the air smelled expensive, like rain and power.
She hesitated at the threshold, clutching the black envelope against her chest.
Kang Joon-hyuk stood near the windows, his back to her, staring out at Seoul as if he owned every light that burned. His reflection in the glass looked colder than his real face sharper, lonelier.
"You're late," he said without turning.
"I had to pack my life into two suitcases," she replied, forcing a calm tone that hid her trembling.
"Then you should've started earlier." His voice was crisp, detached. "In my world, timing is everything."
She wanted to roll her eyes but didn't. Instead, she set her bags down and opened the envelope he'd given her at his office. Inside was a folded letter, typed in bold precision The Penthouse Rules.
Her breath caught as she read:
You will move into this penthouse tonight.
You will accompany me to all public and corporate events as my fiancée.
You will never question my schedule, my decisions, or my past.
You will not enter the study on the second floor under any circumstance.
You will obey Rule 4 without exception.
At the bottom was his signature sharp, dominant, final.
Seo-jin lowered the paper slowly. "Rule four seems oddly specific."
Joon-hyuk turned then, eyes dark and unreadable. "Then consider it the most important one."
"What's in that study?" she asked before she could stop herself.
He met her gaze evenly. "A locked door, and consequences if you open it."
Her pulse jumped. "So I'm supposed to live here like a prisoner?"
His lips twitched. "No. A guest, with boundaries."
"Boundaries." She laughed softly. "Right. Like pretending to be in love with you in public, while you give me house rules in private."
For a heartbeat, something flickered in his eyes amusement, maybe. "Pretending requires chemistry, Miss Han. I hope you can manage that."
Before she could respond, the elevator doors opened again. A woman stepped out elegant, poised, and dressed in an immaculate white coat.Yoo Min-ah.
"Joon-hyuk," she greeted smoothly, ignoring Seo-jin altogether. "I see you've moved your… new fiancée in."
The venom under her tone was sweetly disguised, but Seo-jin felt it burn.
Joon-hyuk's expression didn't change. "Min-ah, this is Han Seo-jin. You'll be working together soon PR coordination."
Min-ah's smile tightened. "Of course. I look forward to it."
Seo-jin met her gaze head on, unflinching. "So do I."
As Min-ah left, the air felt heavier. Seo-jin turned back to Joon-hyuk. "She hates me."
"She hates everyone," he said simply. "You'll get used to it."
He walked past her then, heading toward the spiral staircase that curved to the upper floor."You'll find your room on the right. Dinner is at eight. Don't be late again."
And with that, he was gone.
That night, Seo-jin stood by her new window, staring out at the rain soaked city. Beneath her anger, something else churned curiosity.
Why her? Why now?And what could possibly be so forbidden behind that locked study door?
She set down her cup of tea and walked quietly to the staircase, drawn by the faint light glowing under the door of the room she wasn't supposed to enter.
Her hand hovered over the knob.
She told herself she'd only listen, only look. But before she could decide, voices drifted through the door.
Joon-hyuk's voice low, cold, strained.
"She signed the contract. The plan's in motion."
A pause, another voice, rougher Park Do-yoon.
"You're sure this is the only way?"
"It's the only way she'll ever learn the truth about her father."
Seo-jin froze.
Her heart thundered, her father?What truth?
The doorknob turned from the inside.
She stumbled back just as the door opened and Kang Joon-hyuk stepped into the hallway, his eyes locking on hers.