sweet romance

chapter 5

SEOUN'S ROOM

“Look, Seoun, I know you’re desperate, but that doesn’t mean you should make such a rushed decision. You don’t even know me or what I’m capable of.”

“Relax, Jihoon. I may not know you well now, but I believe you’re better than Cliff.”

Jihoon stared at her, still unable to understand how she could trust a complete stranger with something as serious as marriage.

“It would only be a contracted marriage,” Seoun continued. “After two years, it’s over. I need to get married, or I’ll lose everything.”

Jihoon frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Seoun walked over and motioned for him to sit on the chair in front of her vanity mirror.

“Look, before my father passed away, he made a condition in his will. If I turned twenty-seven and was still unmarried, my assets would be taken away from me and given to my stepsister.”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow.

“Your stepsister?”

“I don’t even know her,” Seoun admitted bitterly. “I don’t know who her mother is, and I’ve never even met her. The only way I can keep my inheritance is by being married.”

She paused before continuing.

“And the marriage has to last for at least two years. The condition states that if the marriage reaches two years and we later have marital problems and decide to divorce, my inheritance remains mine.”

Jihoon remained silent, listening carefully.

Seoun lowered her gaze.

“And now I’m pregnant without knowing who the father is. If this becomes public, it could ruin my family’s reputation.”

She looked at him desperately.

“I promise I’ll provide everything you need. I’ll pay you one million yuan every month as an allowance. We already have a house of our own, and we can let everyone believe that you own it.”

Jihoon stared at her in disbelief.

Then, to his shock, Seoun suddenly dropped to her knees.

“Please, Jihoon. Help me.”

For a moment, Jihoon was completely speechless.

He had expected desperation, but he had never expected Seoun to go this far.

Despite himself, he found her innocence and determination strangely fascinating.

He sighed.

“I have a house of my own. We can live there.”

Seoun's eyes widened.

“You mean you’ll agree?”

“Yes.”

A huge smile spread across her face.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go get our marriage certificate.”

Before Jihoon could respond, Seoun was already heading toward the door.

---

ON THE WAY TO THE REGISTRATION OFFICE

A short while later, they left the mansion in Seoun’s private car.

Jihoon was driving when Seoun suddenly glanced through the rear window.

Her expression changed.

“Jihoon.”

“Yes?”

“Look at that car behind us. It’s been following us.”

Jihoon glanced at the rear-view mirror.

A black vehicle was indeed following them.

Without saying a word, Jihoon slowed down, made a sudden turn, and pulled over.

The other vehicle stopped as well.

Jihoon stepped out and stared at it.

Not even a minute later, the driver hurried out and immediately bowed deeply.

“Boss—”

Before he could say anything else, Seoun stepped out of the car.

Her eyes widened.

“Boss?”

She slowly turned toward Jihoon.

“Jihoon...?”

Jihoon’s expression remained calm for a moment before he suddenly laughed awkwardly.

“No, Seoun. Don’t misunderstand. I paid him to act like this. He just... doesn’t know yet that you’re my lady.”

He turned toward the driver and gave him a terrifying stare.

“Right?”

The driver immediately understood the threat behind Jihoon’s eyes.

“Yes, Miss Seoun,” he stammered.

He quickly bowed again before returning to his vehicle and driving away.

Seoun watched the car disappear.

Something about the man's behavior didn't make sense.

She turned back to Jihoon, still confused.

“Who exactly was that?”

“Just someone I know,” Jihoon replied casually.

Seoun narrowed her eyes.

She didn't believe him.

But she decided to let it go—for now.

---

REGISTRATION OFFICE

They completed the necessary procedures at the registration office.

Seoun handed her family documents and identification papers to the registrar.

Jihoon did the same.

While the registrar was arranging the paperwork, Seoun glanced at Jihoon’s documents.

Her eyes stopped on his full name.

Kang Jihoon.

Something about the name suddenly felt strangely familiar.

“Kang Jihoon...”

She unconsciously whispered his name.

Jihoon immediately looked at her.

“What?”

Before Seoun could respond, the registrar interrupted them.

“Please, both of you. Sign here.”

Seoun quickly looked away.

They signed the necessary documents, completed the registration process, and officially became husband and wife.

Neither of them realized just how much that single signature would change their lives.

---

SEOUN'S MANSION

When they returned to the mansion, Seoun’s mother was waiting for them.

The moment she saw Jihoon beside her daughter, her face hardened.

“Why are you two back here?”

Seoun smiled.

“Mom, we’re married.”

Her mother’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“I’m in love with my house, so I begged him to move in with me.”

Her mother stared at her daughter in disbelief.

“Seoun, do you think I’m a child? Do you really think you can deceive me?”

Jihoon stood quietly with his hands in his pockets, maintaining his usual calm demeanor.

Seoun’s mother looked him up and down.

“Look at him, acting all cool and proud. You should be ashamed of yourself! A grown man moving into a woman’s house as her husband. You should be lowering your head in shame!”

“Mom, stop!”

Seoun's voice immediately became stern.

“Don’t forget that you’re in my house, and he is my husband now. His problems are my problems. So if you insult him, you’re insulting me.”

Her mother scoffed.

Before she could respond, Jihoon’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen.

“Excuse me.”

He stepped away to answer the call.

Seoun’s mother watched him leave.

“Look at him. What important call could a broke man possibly receive? Probably someone calling him about some meaningless matter.”

“Mom.”

Seoun’s voice was now cold.

“I’m telling you this once. If you ever speak rudely to my husband or insult him again, I’ll have your driver come and take you back home.”

Her mother stared at her in shock.

Before she could respond, Jihoon returned.

“Hey, babe.”

Seoun immediately turned toward him with a bright smile.

Jihoon froze for a second.

Then he remembered.

They were married now.

He returned her smile.

“Let’s go to my room,” Seoun said sweetly. “I want to spend some private time with my husband.”

She playfully reached for Jihoon’s suit jacket and began helping him take it off.

Jihoon quickly stopped her.

“Seoun, we’re still in the sitting room.”

He glanced around.

The staff were standing nearby, trying desperately not to stare.

Seoun finally realized what she was doing.

“Oh!”

She quickly stepped back.

“I got lost in the moment. I forgot everyone was watching.”

She turned toward the staff.

“And I suppose you all saw nothing, right?”

The staff immediately lowered their heads and pretended to be extremely busy.

Seoun laughed awkwardly.

“Good.”

Once the staff had quietly left the room, Jihoon suddenly reached for Seoun and pulled her closer.

She looked up at him.

They were standing so close that neither of them knew what to do next.

For a brief moment, they simply stared at each other.

The atmosphere suddenly changed.

Their faces slowly moved closer.

But just as they realized how close they were, they both quickly pulled away.

“I’m sorry,” Seoun murmured, awkwardly rubbing her shoulder.

“Sorry,” Jihoon replied, slipping his hands into his pockets.

Neither of them looked directly at the other.

“Please,” Seoun said quickly, “let’s just go to the room.”

Jihoon nodded.

But just as they were about to leave, he suddenly remembered something.

“My marriage certificate.”

Seoun looked at him.

“I left it in the car.”

“Go get it. I’ll be waiting in the room.”

Jihoon nodded and headed outside while Seoun hurried upstairs.

---

SEOUN'S ROOM

By the time Jihoon returned, he went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

Seoun was waiting in the bedroom when she suddenly realized she had forgotten something.

She walked toward the bathroom and opened the door.

The moment she saw Jihoon inside, she froze.

Her eyes widened.

She immediately turned around.

“I’m sorry!”

She hurried out and quickly closed the door behind her.

Back in the bedroom, Seoun sat on the edge of the bed, breathing heavily.

She pressed a hand against her chest.

“That was so close...”

She paused.

“But why is my heart beating like this?”

She stared at the floor, confused.

“Wait... am I...?”

She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

“No.”

She immediately shook the thought away.

“This is ridiculous.”

She stood up quickly, as though escaping from a thief, and walked toward her walk-in closet.

When she entered, she noticed that Jihoon had already placed his suits neatly inside the wardrobe.

A strange smile appeared on her face.

Without thinking, she picked up one of his suits and brought it close to her face, inhaling his scent.

She smiled to herself.

Then her eyes caught sight of some documents placed among his belongings.

Her curiosity immediately took over.

She picked them up.

Before she could read them, Jihoon suddenly appeared behind her and snatched the documents from her hands.

“Seoun.”

She turned around.

But it was too late.

She had already seen something on the document.

The smile disappeared from her face.

Her eyes widened.

“Wait...”

She stared at him.

“You’re related to Kang Tae-hyun?”

Jihoon froze.

For the first time, the calm expression on his face disappeared.

Seoun stared at him suspiciously.

“Kang Tae-hyun...”

She repeated the name slowly.

“Why does that name sound so familiar?”

She immediately reached for her phone.

Then she spotted it on the bed.

She grabbed it and quickly searched the name online.

The result appeared almost instantly.

Kang Tae-hyun

Chairman of KAVEL HOLDINGS

Seoun's eyes widened as she read the information.

KAVEL HOLDINGS was a multinational conglomerate with interests spanning luxury hotels, real estate, technology, finance, shipping, and logistics.

Seoun slowly turned toward Jihoon.

Her expression had completely changed.

Her voice was now cold.

“Who is he to you?”

Jihoon remained silent.

“Don’t even think about lying to me.”

Jihoon stared at her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, in a calm voice, he finally answered,

“He is my father.”

Seoun's phone nearly slipped from her hand.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

The man she had just married wasn't poor.

And the man she had promised to pay one million yuan every month...

was the power country.