Read Married For The Wrong Reason :: Ice Cold

Sunjae

I held the boardroom in a silent, freezing glare. "Our Q3 growth relies on our roots. Seoul isn't just a location; it’s our DNA. Elyvion didn't launch out of Paris or New York. We were born in Apgujeong and raised on the streets of Garosugil."

I clicked the remote, flashing the projected ROI across the screen. "Marketing, I want the localized ad spend optimized by Friday."

The Director of Marketing nodded rapidly, typing into his tablet.

An hour later, the board dismissed. I stepped out of the boardroom with Taeho trailing closely behind.

"Sunjae—"

"What’s next in my schedule?" I cut him off.

Taeho hesitated, a look of concern flashing across his face. "Lunch with the Lead Investors. But—"

"Excellent. Let’s go."

We reached the executive garage in silence. The moment we slid into the car, Taeho turned around in the driver's seat. The engine remained dead.

"Did something happen yesterday?" he asked.

I kept my eyes on my tablet. "No."

"You're lying. You pulled the directors' quarterly review forward by three days. You always bury yourself with work after a meeting with your family."

"Start the car."

"Sunjae, listen to me," Taeho’s voice softened. "You're the closest thing to family I have. Stop fighting your battles alone."

I finally paused, staring at the screen. "I’m looking into a brand ambassador pivot. A top-tier historical drama actor. Even though Elyvion specializes in Modern Hanbok, a cultural icon bridges the emotional gap beyond our premium pricing tier. Compile a shortlist of talent index scores."

Taeho scowled. "Are you seriously talking strategy right now?"

I closed the tablet, the heavy silence filling the car. "Chairman Lee made an announcement."

"Well, we expected that--"

"That's not it..." I interrupted and told him everything. By the time I was done, his jaw was wide open.

A massive grin broke across his face. "Sunjae, that’s incredible! You secure the chair, your stepmother loses all leverage, and you marry someone you actually know. This is a total win."

I met his eyes through the rearview mirror, my expression cold. "If you think this is a win, you don't know me at all."

His smile evaporated. "What do you mean?"

I checked my watch. "Just drive. I’ll explain everything later."

By 9:00 PM, the headquarters was dead silent. I spent the afternoon surviving investor pleasantries and the evening mapping out the new campaign architecture.

Taeho knocked gently on my office door, coat over his arm. "The talent shortlist is in your inbox. I'm heading out."

"Good work. You can go home." I stood up, packing my laptop.

"You should leave, too. You’ve worked for fourteen hours today."

"I have one stop left," I said, grabbing my keys. "I left the core campaign brief at the Apgujeong store."

Juri

My eyes started stinging as I read through the profiles of local elite buyers.

I was fixated on understanding our clientele because Mrs. Min revealed the branch's secret: we outperformed everyone because we knew our buyers' secrets, and we used that intimacy to curate experiences money couldn't buy.

Realizing how stiff my neck had become from all that strain, I paused, closed my eyes, and slowly rotated my neck from side to side. As I did so, there was a soft knock on my door. It was Mrs. Min.

"We're all heading home now. Are you closing up the store again?" she asked, and I nodded.

"There are still a few things I need to do." I said, and she narrowed her gaze and folded her arms, "You know, you remind me of Mr. Lee," she said, and my brows lifted.

"He usually stays behind like this, too. Are you trying to impress him even though he isn't here?"

I forced an awkward laugh. To be honest, I thought I would be relieved at his absence, but I ended up missing his presence, even if it was intimidating and cold. Perhaps it was because he was the only one who knew about Juwon and Nari, and sharing that knowledge with a stranger kept me sane. Even if that stranger was my boss.

In the end, I decided to drown myself in work to push the words Nari told me to the furthest part of my brain. However, I felt even more sick in the end.

Mrs. Min smiled warmly, "Don't push yourself too hard, Juri. You're still young, don’t lose yourself to work.”

I bit my lip so hard the color fled, trying to remain composed as her words threatened to strip away my defenses.

I cleared my throat, "I am almost done."

My voice ended up cracking in the end. I've only known her for two days, and yet it felt like she already knew me. I understood why she seemed close to Mr. Lee.

Suddenly, I remembered something.

"Oh, about our clientele, do you have the Secret VVIP List you told me about earlier?" I asked.

Her forehead creased with sudden, sharp interest.

"Why are you asking?”

"It's for the upcoming campaign. I just thought that since I'm already trying to understand our clients, then I might as well help out with the VVIP list, don't you think? I have a knack for things like that, especially with my background in sales."

She narrowed her gaze in concern, "It's a global campaign, Juri, and Mr. Lee knows marketing inside out. Are you sure you want to do it?" she said, and I nodded confidently.

Her arms folded, "Is it because of his skepticism towards your background experience?

My lips curled into a wide smile as my excitement bubbled to the surface, "Not completely. It's just that the fact that the CMO of Elyvion worked at this branch meant we had direct access to the C-suite. Isn't it fascinating that we get to bypass the usual corporate ladder?"

Mrs. Min's shoulders shook as a sudden laugh rippled through my office. She pressed her hand over her mouth, a polite but useless attempt to compose herself. After a long moment of laughing, she finally calmed and looked up to lock eyes with me.

"It's been way too long since I've seen someone so passionate about what they do," she said. "I'm glad to have you on our team. And Mr. Lee will be too...soon enough."

With that, she turned to leave, and I attempted to stop her, "Wait. What about the report?"

Her lips twitched to a smirk, "It's on Mr. Lee's desk."

Before I could say anything more, she had left.

Sighing, I cleaned up the spread-out sheets of paper on my desk and stood. I guess I'll take it myself.

I took a deep breath as my hand slowly rested on the door handle. The idea of entering the CMO's office without his knowledge terrified me even in his absence. After gathering my courage, I opened the door and stepped in after switching the lights on.

As I made my way to his desk, I couldn't help but glance around. I'd already had a good look at the place the first time, but it was still a pleasure to revisit. He certainly had a keen eye for interior design...if he decorated it himself, that is.

Although he was absent, the scent of a rain-drenched cedar forest gently filled the room.

Focus Juri.

My gaze fell on his desk, and I started looking through the files until my eyes landed on a black leather binder. There was a Project Heritage: VVIP Gala invite list.

I flipped it open. My eyes scanned through the column of names of the corporate headquarters that have been selected for the new collection launch. A cold spike of adrenaline hit me. They left out Mrs. Kang. Or should I say, Madam Kang?

But that made no sense. There wasn't a single person who didn't know Mrs. Kang in my field. The list only included generic socialites who borrowed the clothes a few times. They barely appeared on the list I was reading earlier for the last six months!

Elyvion is known for putting its clientele first, but this list said otherwise. If they hosted the gala without Madam Kang, it would be an insult not only to her but to their actual local buyers.

Another wave of adrenaline hit me as an energetic smile plastered on my face. I just need time to research more on--

"What are you doing?" a stern voice asked from behind, and my heart jumped to my throat. Gasping, I whipped my head to the door.

It was Mr. Lee.