The name Kwon Ryun echoed in my mind like an old memory buried too deep to reach.
It felt familiar… too familiar.
"Why are you helping me?" I asked, my voice trembling.
He looked down at me with calm, unreadable eyes. "Because that is my duty."
"Duty?" I repeated, confused. "I… I don't even know who you really are."
His lips curled into the faintest smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"But you will," he said softly. "You'll know everything about me… once you become my wife."
My world stopped spinning.
Wife?
My mouth parted. "You mean…?"
He pulled out a folded paper from his coat pocket and handed it to me.
"Sumin, sign this — and you will get your revenge on the Jang family."
Revenge.
The word made my chest tighten. I could almost see it — Nari on her knees, begging for forgiveness, Minjae regretting ever calling me not family. The image felt... satisfying.
Without thinking, without even reading what I was signing, I grabbed the pen and scrawled my name at the bottom. Anger guided my hand more than logic.
But just as I was about to return the paper—
"Wait."
Runo rushed in from behind and snatched the signed document from Ryun's hand.
I blinked, startled. "Runo?!"
Then he smiled at me, the kind of smile that said you've already stepped into the fire.
"Sumin," he said quietly, "I am your husband after all."
My entire body froze. The air in the room shifted.
What did I just do?
Kwon Ryun's smirk deepened as he looked at me — not with pity, not with love — but with ownership.
"Welcome to the Kwon family, Mrs. Sumin," Runo said, tucking the paper into his jacket.
And just like that, my life changed with one reckless signature.
"Then… then what you said was all a lie?" I asked, my voice shaking, fear crawling up my spine.
"Mr. Kwon is a man of his word," Runo answered calmly, standing like a soldier beside us.
"Shh! I'm asking him, not you, Runo," I snapped, my emotions spiraling between panic and rage.
Kwon Ryun leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes locked on mine.
"As I said," he repeated slowly, "you'll be my wife. And together, we'll destroy the Jang family."
"You talk like it's easy!" I shouted, standing up. "Don't you know who the Jangs are? They practically own South City!"
Ryun didn't flinch.
But Runo stepped in again, his voice too calm for my liking. "Miss Sumin, one phone call is all it takes to end the Jangs."
I clenched my fists. "Can you shut up, Runo?! This is between me and him!"
Ryun chuckled under his breath and looked at Runo, amused. "See?"
Then he pulled out his phone, scrolled for a moment, and dialed a number. I watched him with wide eyes as the call connected.
"Dohyun," he said, voice low and commanding. "Make the Jang family go bankrupt. Now."
I blinked.
Was this man for real?
He can't just say that and expect it to happen. The Jang family… my family — for seventeen years — were too powerful. One call couldn't possibly—
"Make sure they collapse in the next hour. I want results fast."
He ended the call with a flick of his thumb, placed the phone on the table, and turned to me.
"Just wait and see, my dear wife," he said smoothly. "My promises are never empty."
I stood frozen.
Was this really happening?
"Why don't you have a seat and wait, Miss Sumin?" Runo said politely, almost mockingly.
I didn't say a word. I just sat down on the velvet couch like a puppet pulled by invisible strings. Ryun took his place beside me, close… too close. Runo stood firm in front of us, his presence unnerving.
My fingers gripped the coat around me tighter.
I had signed something.
I had stepped into something far more dangerous than I realized.
And now… there was no turning back.
An hour had passed.
I sipped the glass of water Runo had brought, my hands still trembling slightly from everything that had happened. The silence in the room felt heavier than before—until my phone began to ring.
It was a call from Minjae.
I hesitated, thumb hovering over the screen.
I was about to answer when Ryun gently took the phone from my hand and gave me a firm look.
"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.
"He's going to scream at you, my dear," Ryun said calmly. "You don't deserve to hear that."
But I snatched the phone back and pressed answer, curiosity and anger eating away at me.
"Sumin!" Minjae's voice exploded through the speaker. "I swear I'll kill you with my own hands!"
My blood turned to ice.
But before I could say a word, Ryun leaned closer and pressed the speaker button.
"I'll kill you within seconds if I want to, Minjae," he said in a quiet, deadly tone.
"What the hell is that voice? Who the hell is that?!" Minjae snapped.
I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you calling me now?"
"You're the one who tried to destroy the Jang family, right? You're behind this bankruptcy attempt!"
So it worked.
Ryun was right. He really did what he said he would. He brought the Jang empire to its knees in just one hour.
"Not me," I replied coldly. "But my husband did. So what?"
There was a moment of silence. Then Minjae roared, "You little rat! I'll tear you apart! You're dead meat!"
Ryun stepped in, his jaw clenched. "Mr. Minjae, I'll make sure what's left of your family wealth burns to the ground if you ever speak to my wife like that again."
"You think you're something, huh?" Minjae barked. "There's only one man who rules South City—and it sure as hell isn't some street rat like you!"
I held the phone tighter. My heart was pounding, but my voice stayed strong.
"For years, I thought you were my kind and caring brother… but now I see it. You're nothing but a cold, cruel man fueled by hate. A hidden enemy, pretending to be family."
Minjae's laugh echoed through the phone—and then I heard another one. Nari.
"Oh little Sumin," she said in her smug, syrupy voice. "Maybe something happened and caused this mess. But don't get too excited. Don't dream of bringing us down. And please—don't even think you have a rich husband. That's just sad."
Ryun didn't waste a second. He ended the call with a tap, his face unreadable.
"They're furious," he said, voice low. "Which means… I hit the right place."
His words sent a strange mix of satisfaction and fear through me. I'd never seen anyone make Minjae or Nari crack before. But Ryun just did it like it was nothing.