The CEO Who Erased My Past

The rain hadn't stopped for hours. From the 40th floor of the glass skyscraper, Seoul looked like a wet painting — lights bleeding into the fog, car horns echoing like forgotten memories, and in the center of it all stood Han Eun-bi, drenched but unmoved. She clutched the marriage contract in her hand like it was both her weapon and her prison. The receptionist looked at her, unsure whether to call security or offer an umbrella. “I’m here to meet Kang Jae-hyun,” she said, her voice calm — too calm. “You don’t have an appointment, miss.” Eun-bi simply placed the sealed contract on the counter. "He'll want to see this." The receptionist blinked, then picked up the phone hesitantly. Moments later, the elevator door opened. Inside the executive suite, Kang Jae-hyun didn’t bother looking up. He was sculpted perfection — black suit tailored like armor, sleeves folded with precision, and eyes colder than the glass around him. “You have five minutes,” he said as Eun-bi entered, water still dripping from her coat. She didn't sit. Instead, she threw the contract on his desk. “I accept.” His pen paused in midair. “I wasn’t aware the offer was still on the table.” “I wasn’t aware you had another option,” she replied, meeting his gaze. A smirk ghosted across his lips. “Desperate, are we?” “No more than you are, Mr. Kang,” she snapped back. “Your grandmother is threatening to remove you from the CEO position unless you settle down. I’m just... a solution on paper.” Jae-hyun leaned back, studying her. “And what do you get in return?” “Revenge,” she said, voice tight. That caught him off guard. Her eyes burned — not with hatred, but a deeper pain. “Your company played a role in destroying my father’s business. This is my only way in.” Silence. Long, heavy silence. Then, slowly, he picked up the pen. “If we do this,” he said, voice like ice, “you follow every rule. Public appearances, family gatherings, whatever my grandmother demands.” “I’m not here to play pretend,” Eun-bi said. “I’ll act the part. But I won’t be your puppet.” His gaze hardened. “Don’t mistake this for anything other than a transaction,” he warned. “Good,” she said. “Because love is off the table.” They signed. The next morning, the headlines exploded: "JK Group’s Young CEO Secretly Married?!" "Han Corp Heiress Weds Kang Jae-hyun in Private Ceremony!" Eun-bi watched the news unfold like someone else’s life. The wedding had been staged in a luxury hotel suite, witnessed only by a lawyer, a notary, and a photographer hired for PR. There were no vows. No flowers. No emotions. Only paperwork and polite nods. Even her white dress was borrowed from a stylist she didn’t know. That night, as they entered the penthouse suite now labeled their “marital home,” Jae-hyun poured himself a drink, not offering her one. “Your room is down the hall,” he said. “No wedding night?” she mocked. He didn’t even blink. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Eun-bi swallowed her pride and walked away. Three days later, the first test came. His grandmother, Yoon Sook-ja, had invited them for dinner — or rather, summoned them like a queen summoning her chess pieces. “You’ll smile,” Jae-hyun instructed as the chauffeur drove them to the estate. “You’ll laugh at her jokes. You’ll pretend we’re in love.” “I don’t need a script,” Eun-bi said. But inside, she wasn’t so sure. Sook-ja was everything you'd expect from a woman who once controlled Korea’s largest conglomerate — ruthless, sharp-tongued, and obsessed with appearances. “Eun-bi, is it?” she said, examining her like a sculpture with flaws. “Yes, Grandmother,” Eun-bi replied, bowing politely. Sook-ja’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I suppose you're better than that Seo girl. At least you don’t wear scandal like perfume.” Eun-bi flinched — not because of the insult, but because Jae-hyun didn’t defend her. After dinner, as they stood on the mansion’s terrace, Jae-hyun finally broke the silence. “You handled her well.” “You let her humiliate me.” “She’ll do worse if she senses weakness.” Eun-bi turned to him. “Then maybe you shouldn’t marry for convenience.” He didn’t reply. That weekend, they attended a gala hosted by JK Group — Eun-bi’s first public appearance as “Mrs. Kang.” The ballroom glittered with crystal chandeliers and fake smiles. Cameras clicked. Champagne flowed. But the real storm was waiting. Seo Ji-ae — Jae-hyun’s ex-fiancée — approached them like a queen returning to her throne. “So this is the new Mrs. Kang,” she said, eyes sweeping Eun-bi like a designer knockoff. “Cute. You upgraded from business deals to charity cases, huh?” Eun-bi opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Jae-hyun stepped forward. “That’s enough,” he said coldly. “Walk away.” Seo blinked. “Oh? Defending your contract bride already?” He didn’t repeat himself. Seo’s lips curled, but she left. Eun-bi stood frozen. “Why did you defend me?” she whispered. Jae-hyun didn’t meet her gaze. “We’re married. At least in the public eye.” Later that night, back at the penthouse, Eun-bi stood by the window, staring out into the glittering city. “I don’t want your pity,” she said quietly. “You didn’t get any,” Jae-hyun replied. “Then why…?” “Because my name is on that contract too,” he said. “If people mock you, they mock me.” She turned to him. “Do you even feel anything?” A pause. “I feel the weight of expectations,” he said. “And right now, you're part of that burden.” Eun-bi didn’t reply. Instead, she walked away — again. But this time, her hands trembled. Three days passed. Then one night, she found a sealed envelope hidden among old books in her father's study — a study no one had touched since his disgrace. Inside was a legal document... and an email chain. Subject: JK Group – Internal Acquisition Proposal Date: Three months before Han Corp’s bankruptcy. Eun-bi’s blood turned cold. JK Group wasn’t just a rival business... They had played a direct role in her father’s fall. And now... she was married to its CEO. She laughed — bitterly, brokenly. Was this fate? Or the cruelest joke the universe could play? Behind her, a voice spoke. “What are you doing here?” She turned — and froze. Jae-hyun. His face unreadable. His eyes dark. He had followed her. “I came to see my father’s grave,” she lied. But her hands were shaking. He noticed. “You were crying.” “I don’t cry for men like you,” she said, stepping past him. But as she walked away, Jae-hyun looked down at the paper she had dropped. And his heart — the heart he claimed didn’t care — twisted for the first time in years.