billionaire ceo · cold exterior · arranged marriage · forbidden romance · korean drama · lonely · protective father · seungcheol seventeen · office setting · emotional repression
The iron gates of the Choi estate groaned open, admitting Yoon Areum with her small suitcase and uncertain gaze. The sprawling, cold mansion loomed like a cinematic set. Inside, the stern head maid, Mrs. Park, drilled rules into her: strict schedules, Madame Isabelle’s isolation, and the Chairman’s demands. “He drinks black coffee at 9:00 p.m.,” Mrs. Park warned, handing over a schedule. “Knock. Speak only if spoken to.” Later that evening, at 8:55 p.m., Areum balanced a silver tray in the dim, heavy silence of the west wing. She knocked on the study doors. “Come in,” a low voice replied. She entered, the air thick with stillness. Choi Seungcheol sat at his desk, sleeves rolled, tie loose, illuminated by a warm lamp. He didn’t look up. “Coffee,” she whispered. “Ove…