The silence between them was heavy — almost vacuum-like, swallowing every sound.Only the soft hum of the air conditioner and the ticking clock filled the room.Han Serin stood straight, her expression calm, though disbelief flickered faintly in her eyes.
"A contract marriage?" she repeated, slowly, as if making sure she hadn't misheard."And you think I'll just agree to that?"
Kang Jaeheon's face remained unreadable. "No. I don't think you'll agree easily."He moved toward the table, opened a slim black folder, and placed it in front of her."That's why I've given you reasons to consider."
Serin glanced at the folder — inside, a contract bearing the AUREX Holdings letterhead.She looked back at him. "I'm a designer, not a pawn for your personal agenda."
"I know," Jaeheon said evenly. "But this isn't a game, Han Serin-ssi. It's strategy."
His tone was calm, but beneath it lay intensity —not the kind of man who used people, but one who moved them like final pieces on a chessboard.
Serin inhaled slowly. "Why me?""Because the world already believes you're part of the family I plan to destroy," he replied."If I marry you, all eyes turn to me — not to where they should really be watching."
She studied him carefully, trying to read what lay behind those deliberate words."So this is... to divert the media's attention?"
"One reason," he admitted.He turned toward the window, city lights reflecting in his eyes like fragments of the past."And another — to show the world that even those they cast aside can still stand beside me."
For a brief moment, Serin wasn't sure whether she was being offered an alliance... or turned into a statement.
Her gaze dropped to the contract. The clauses were clear:Duration: six months.Purpose: strategic partnership for public and corporate image.Rights & obligations: mutually agreed.
But one detail caught her eye — a signature already inked at the bottom.Kang Jaeheon.He had signed it before she even answered.
"Bold," Serin murmured.He raised an eyebrow. "Bold, or foolish?"
"Sometimes they're the same," she replied softly — a hint of a smile brushing her lips.
She closed the folder slowly. "If I refuse, what will you do?"
"Nothing," Jaeheon said quietly. "But if you accept... you'll gain more than money."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Then what?"
He leaned slightly closer, his tone dropping into something low and deliberate."You'll gain the power to make your ex-husband bow before you again."
The words struck harder than a shout.Serin froze — not from fear, but from the sudden realization that he had spoken the very thing she'd buried for years.
She met his gaze, and for the first time, there was something different in his eyes —a silent confession that maybe, they were both broken in the same way.
"Give me three days," she said finally.
Jaeheon nodded once. "Of course. But remember one thing, Han Serin-ssi."His tone softened, though his eyes remained sharp."Revenge isn't for the uncertain."
Serin answered calmly, "And marriage isn't for those who play."
Silence stretched again — two people carrying the same wounds, but fighting in different ways.Between them, the contract remained on the table —a silent, poisonous promise, waiting to be signed.