Yoo Seo-jin sat stiffly in her father's private study, her perfectly manicured fingers gripping the armrest of the chair. Her father, Yoo Sung-hoon, chairman of the Yoo Group, loomed over her with an expression of cold disapproval. The air between them crackled with tension as he slammed a newspaper onto the desk in front of her.
It was an article about the joint AI venture between the Yoo Group and the Kang Group. The headline highlighted the newly appointed CEO of the Kang Group: Kang Min-jae. The accompanying photo of Min-jae, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, exuding confidence and power, stared back at her. The same man who had once been an overweight, insufferable playboy now carried himself with a presence that commanded respect.
Sung-hoon jabbed a finger at the image. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" he snapped, his voice like a whip. "You broke off an engagement with this man—this man who now holds a PhD, who graduated summa cum laude, who worked at Goldman Sachs and proved himself more capable than anyone else in his field!"
Seo-jin flinched slightly but kept her composure. She wasn't used to her father's temper being directed at her. "I didn't know he would... change like that," she said quietly, though the memory of seeing Min-jae in the boardroom days ago still haunted her. He had been utterly unrecognizable—not just in appearance, but in demeanor. Cold, calculating, and completely indifferent to her presence.
"You didn't know?!" Sung-hoon scoffed. "Of course, you didn't! You were too busy humiliating him, breaking the engagement in front of everyone. Do you know how valuable he is now? The Kang Group's stock value soared the moment he was announced as CEO. He's a strategic genius! And you—you threw him away like he was nothing."
Seo-jin's fingers tightened around the chair. "He wasn't this person back then. He was immature, entitled, and—"
"And now he's not!" her father interrupted sharply. "He is everything you claimed you wanted in a partner. Do you know how many companies would kill to have someone like him on their side? And you had him handed to you on a silver platter. Do you have any idea what I've had to do to repair the damage your impulsive decision caused to our relationship with the Kang family?"
Seo-jin swallowed hard. She had always resented Min-jae's old self, but now she couldn't deny the truth: the man she had seen in the boardroom was nothing short of extraordinary. His transformation was undeniable, and the realization stung. Still, she couldn't bring herself to admit it.
"Why are you bringing this up now?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "The engagement was called off years ago."
"Because I'm fixing it," Sung-hoon said firmly. "I've already spoken to Chairman Kang. We're discussing terms to reinstate the engagement."
Seo-jin's heart sank. "You're what?!"
Meanwhile, in the Kang family estate, Kang Tae-hyun sat at the head of the dining table, his family gathered around him. Min-jae was there too, seated stiffly, his sharp eyes scanning the room as if calculating every possible outcome of the conversation that had just begun.
"I've been speaking with Chairman Yoo," Tae-hyun announced, his tone brooking no argument. "He wants to renew the engagement between you and Seo-jin."
The room fell silent. Kang Ji-yoon, Min-jae's mother, looked up from her meal, her expression cautious. Min-jae's younger sister, Soo-bin, arched an eyebrow, clearly waiting to see how her brother would respond.
Min-jae put down his chopsticks slowly, the deliberate motion drawing everyone's attention. His face was unreadable, but the sharpness in his voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"I'm not interested."
Tae-hyun frowned, leaning forward slightly. "This isn't about what you're interested in. It's about the future of our family. The alliance with the Yoo Group is crucial—"
Min-jae raised a hand, cutting him off. "If you want Seo-jin in the family so badly, you can marry her yourself."
The room froze. Ji-yoon gasped audibly, and Soo-bin's jaw dropped in shock. Even Tae-hyun, who prided himself on his control, looked momentarily stunned.
"Min-jae!" Ji-yoon exclaimed, her voice trembling. "How can you say such a thing?"
Min-jae leaned back in his chair, his expression unbothered, almost detached. "I'm not a pawn, Father. You might have forced me back here, but you can't force me into a marriage I don't want. I've spent too many years working to fix everything wrong with myself. I refuse to let you undo all of that for the sake of a 'strategic alliance.'"
Tae-hyun's face darkened. "You don't understand the importance of this—"
"I understand perfectly," Min-jae interrupted, his voice cold. "But I've learned one thing in the last four years: I don't owe anyone anything—not you, not the Yoo Group, and certainly not Seo-jin."
Ji-yoon looked at her son with a mixture of shock and sadness. "But, Min-jae... don't you still care for her?"
Min-jae's expression didn't waver. "Not anymore."
Soo-bin, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up, her tone sharp. "Well, I guess this is what happens when you try to control someone for years. You're all surprised he's not bending over backward to please you anymore?"
"Stay out of this, Soo-bin," Tae-hyun snapped, though there was an edge of uncertainty in his voice.
Min-jae stood, pushing his chair back with a quiet scrape. "If this conversation is over, I have work to do. I don't have time to waste on this."
Without another word, he walked out of the dining room, leaving his stunned family behind. Ji-yoon covered her mouth with her hand, struggling to process the defiance and distance in her son's demeanor. Tae-hyun remained seated, staring after him, his fists clenched on the table.
Soo-bin smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Well, this is going to be fun to watch."
Later that night, Seo-jin received a terse call from her father. "He refused," Sung-hoon said bitterly.
Seo-jin's heart twisted at the words, though she wasn't sure why. The Min-jae she had seen in the boardroom flashed in her mind again—calm, commanding, and utterly indifferent. The man who had once adored her now seemed like a stranger. And for the first time in her life, Seo-jin felt the sting of rejection.
It wasn't the Min-jae she had dumped. It was the Min-jae she would never have.