[Flashback: 10 Years Ago – The Seoul Royal Garden]
The evening in Seoul was serene, but on the face of 8-year-old Kim Aeri, there was a wave of pure fury. Standing before her, 9-year-old Jeon Kang remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ground.
"You're leaving?!" Aeri's scream shattered the garden's silence. In a fit of rage, she snatched the burger from Kang's hand and threw it into the trash without a second thought. "You didn't even ask me?! Am I nothing to you?!"
Tearfully, Kang pulled an old silver chain from his pocket, a key-shaped pendant dangling from it. With trembling hands, he handed it to Aeri. "Aeri-ah… this is my most precious possession. I will come back… only for you. As long as you have this key, my path will always lead back to you."
Aeri pulled a silver ring from her finger and forced it onto Kang's. Her anger had cooled, but it was replaced by a strange sense of 'Obsession.' "This is my heart, Kang. If you lose this, you lose me forever. Remember that!"
As he left, Kang whispered to himself— "I will definitely return. You are only mine, Aeri!"
[Present Day: Incheon Private Terminal – The Arrival]
Ten years later. A private jet touched down at the Incheon airport terminal. As the door opened, a cold breeze welcomed the man whose very presence made the guards break into a cold sweat.
Jeon Kang stepped out. He wore an expensive charcoal-black suit that fit his iron-like physique perfectly. Beneath this suit lay the result of ten years of grueling discipline—his 8-pack abs and chiseled body were nothing short of a 'Devil's'. Yet, his face? It was still that same "Puppy-Face"—innocent eyes and a smile that could deceive anyone. His family had arrived in Korea a day earlier.
To the world, he was "The Silent Tycoon"—a business genius who had built an empire by the age of 18. But no one knew this innocence was merely a mask. He gazed at the Seoul skyline through his glasses. Hidden beneath his suit, right over his heart, Aeri's silver ring still beat in rhythm with his pulse.
"I'm back, Aeri," he whispered. A ruthless glint appeared in his innocent eyes, the kind found only in a predator. The true "King" of the business world had returned, but the world didn't know it yet.
[Present Day: The Kim Mansion]
Kim Dae-ho tenderly kissed his daughter Aeri's forehead. "My innocent little daughter, please be careful at college. You are so delicate; we worry about you constantly."
The chaos of a massive elite family unfolded around her. Her seven protective brothers and six elegant sisters-in-law were busy packing juices and healthy snacks for her. Her four young nephews giggled and chased her. "Our Aeri is so gentle," one sister-in-law remarked.
Aeri flashed an angelic smile. But beneath the table, her hands were flying across her phone, fixing a multi-million dollar business meeting. She was a 'Sweet Doll' to her family, but to the world, she was a cold, ruthless business queen.
[The Jeon Mansion]
Jeon Jung-il looked proudly at his son, Kang, who was buried in scholarship textbooks. "Kang, your simplicity makes me proud. You are a true gentleman."
The second his father left the room, the 'Innocent Student' vanished. He flipped open a sleek black laptop—The Silent Tycoon had awakened. He reached inside his shirt and touched the silver ring threaded onto the chain. "Aeri, you said if I lost this ring, I'd lose you... I have kept it safely right against my heart."
[The Collision: Seoul National University]
A luxurious car pulled up at the gate. Kim Aeri stepped out—The Diamond Queen. A cold woman who had built an empire at 15 while keeping her identity hidden from everyone. The moment she entered the gate, she dismissed her guards.
On the other side, Kang walked through the crowd disguised as an ordinary scholarship student, carrying a pizza box.
BAM!
Pizza sauce splattered across Aeri's expensive clothes.
"Are you blind?!" Aeri screamed. She tried to maintain her "sweet" facade, but the fury in her eyes was unmistakable.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Kang stammered, feigning apology. As he leaned down, he "accidentally" brushed against Aeri's bag. The zipper was already slightly open; his touch sent a small black pendrive falling straight into a nearby fountain.
"My pendrive!" For the first time, fear flashed in Aeri's voice. That drive contained her secret business codes.
Kang put on a "guilty puppy" face. "Oh no! I'll get it right now!" But internally, his 'King' eyes were smirking. This was no accident; it was a calculated move.
[The Swimming Pool: The Mask Falls]
Aeri dragged him by the collar to the deserted university swimming pool area and locked the door. Her "Sweet" face vanished.
"Do you have any idea what you've destroyed?" she asked in a voice as cold as ice.
SPLASH! She shoved Kang's head into the water.
Under the surface, Kang was strangely calm. 'Aeri… you really have become heartless. I didn't think you would change this much in ten years.'
When Aeri yanked him out, the wet suit clung to his frame, revealing the clear outline of his 8-pack abs. Aeri stood stunned for a moment. She had never seen such a 'perfect' body; this couldn't belong to a mere student. But Kang immediately reverted to his "Puppy-face," his eyes filling with fake tears.
Aeri punished him by ordering him to complete her college project and stormed off in a rage. Kang watched her go, drying his hair with a handkerchief. He wondered why she was so upset over the pendrive. Was there a secret identity?
"Could she be the 'Diamond Queen'? She is my biggest competitor... Aeri, if you are who I think you are, then you started this game, but I will be the one to finish it."
[Final Scene: The Silent War Begins]
Midnight. Aeri stood on her bedroom balcony, wine glass in hand, looking at the Seoul lights. But her mind was elsewhere... she was thinking about that strange boy. His iron body... his eyes... there was something unsettling about him.
At that same moment, Kang stood in the shadows wearing a black hoodie. He spun the silver ring on his chain and opened his dark-web laptop, which had just established a connection with Aeri's system.
"The game has just begun, my little wild cat," he whispered with a predatory smile.
Suddenly, a glitch appeared on Aeri's computer screen. An invitation from an unknown system flashed: "DO YOU REMEMBER THE KEY?"
Aeri's breath hitched. The King had made his first move.
"Thank you for reading the first chapter of 'The Princess and Her Devil Undercover'! 🌹
The game has just begun. If you enjoyed the chemistry between Aeri and Kang, please add this book to your LIBRARY and support me with your comments and Power Stones. Stay tuned for more secrets! 😈✨"