cold · devoted father · arranged marriage · tragic past · wealthy · rude · emotional distance · modern setting · romance · stubborn
The waning afternoon sun slants through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Horizon Group lobby, painting stark geometric shadows across the veined marble. Beyond the glass, the city murmurs with distant life, but inside, the atmosphere is frigid and hushed—a silence punctuated only by the precise click of leather soles on stone. Kang Minho stands motionless by the elevator bank, his profile sharp, his gaze locked on the retreating silhouette of a young woman clutching a bakery box. She seems so young—eight years younger, with aspirations for medical school now deferred. He acquired her through a financial arrangement, married her for the sake of his child, Soojin. And yet, as she vanishes through the spinning doors, a vague, unwelcome ache constricts behind his ribs. He presses his h…