The night had completely taken over the city, casting deep shadows across the towering skyscrapers. Inside one of the highest luxury office buildings, a massive, high-ceilinged conference room was completely drowned in darkness.
The only source of light was the bright blue glow emanating from a giant projector screen. On the screen, a fluctuating financial graph was displayed, tracking the steady, brutal decline of shares. The bold letters at the top of the slide read: HAN SANG ENTERPRISES. The numbers were flashing in alarming red.
Standing near the screen, a secretary adjusted his glasses nervously, sweating under the cold gaze of the man sitting in the shadows.
"Sir... Han Sang Group was on the absolute track to its death," the secretary reported in a low, hushed whisper, keeping this chat strictly confidential. "But suddenly, this company... we don't know how, but a secret chat leaked from an Italian corporation. At the start of this month, Mr. Han Seok-hoon managed to hide it well. But now, the news had spread everywhere like wildfire. Valkyrie Ventures is officially set to become the new major shareholder of Han Sang Enterprises."
From the darkness, the leather chair slowly creaked. A man sitting with his back to the screen let out a low, dark chuckle.
"Yes, I already knew this before," a calm, dangerous voice echoed through the empty hall. "But what about that company?"
The secretary quickly pressed a button on his remote. The presentation slide shifted smoothly, displaying a golden, legendary logo that sent shivers down the spine of the corporate world: VALKYRIE VENTURES. Along with it, a massive sheet of their rapid market share growth appeared.
"Sir... this company was an absolute legend," the secretary said, his voice trembling slightly with awe. "They made money faster than a printing machine. If... if they step in..." He suddenly froze, stopping mid-sentence, too terrified to speak the next words.
The dark stranger leaning back in the leather chair tilted his head. The atmosphere in the room turned suffocatingly heavy. "If? Tell me. If what?"
"Sir... if this company invests in Han Sang Enterprises, then your lifelong dream to take over and achieve Han Sang... will be completely declined. The acquisition will fail."
The man in the chair remained dangerously calm for a split second. Then, the projector clicked again. This time, a photo appeared on the screen. It was a picture of a girl—Siwon.
The man in the shadows, Mr. Kwon, leaned forward slightly, squinting at the screen. "So... this is Francesca Park. In Korean, Park Siwon." He paused, his brows furrowing in annoyance. "But why is her face so translucent? Why is the image so blurry?"
"S-Sir," the secretary stuttered, stepping back. "Her photos were rarely visible anywhere. She lived an extremely private life, conducted private conferences, and deleted her digital footprint. No one outside her inner circle knew what she truly looked like."
BANG!!!
Mr. Kwon slammed his clenched fist heavily onto the solid mahogany table, the brutal sound echoing through the dark hall like a gunshot. The secretary flinched violently, completely terrified.
"And for this pitiful, useless information, you disturbed my entire month?!" Mr. Kwon roared, his calm facade shattering into pure, unadulterated rage.
"B-But Sir—!"
"ENOUGH!" Mr. Kwon snapped, his eyes flashing with lethal venom. "Now leave my sight!"
The secretary bowed frantically and practically scrambled out of the room, hitting the main switch on his way out.
Click.
The bright overhead lights flooded the grand conference room, finally revealing Mr. Kwon in his full glory. Dressed in a sharp, tailored royal blue coat, his facial features were strikingly sharp—but any handsome elegance was completely wiped away by the sheer greed and cleverness dripping from his face.
He stared at the blurry image of Park Siwon on the projector screen, his lips twisting into a slow, malicious, and wicked smile.
"Let's see what you can actually pull off this time..." Mr. Kwon muttered into the empty room, a dark laugh bubbling up in his throat. "...Han brothers."
Inside the massive, ultra-luxurious Han Sang Mansion, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Han Seo Jun stood in the middle of the grand living room, his head hanging down low, looking like a guilty child. Standing right in front of him, furious and pacing around, was his elder brother—the current Chairperson of Han Sang Enterprises, Han Seok-hoon. He was scolding Seo Jun with the absolute authority of a strict father.
"Now tell me, why on earth did you go to that cafe today?!" Seok-hoon roared, his voice echoing through the high ceilings of the mansion. "Getting into trouble is one thing, but why did you have to go there completely drunk and cause a scene?! Do you have any idea what you did today? You heavily disturbed Ms. Park!"
Seo Jun finally snapped his head up, his brows furrowed in pure confusion and annoyance. "I didn't disturb any 'Ms. Park'! Big Brother, you clearly got some misinformation!"
"Shut up!" Seok-hoon snapped, pointing an angry finger at him. "You know very well that Inspector Jang personally called me! He told me that Ms. Park was in a completely angry, volatile mood because of the chaos. Tell me, why are you drinking so much these days anyway? If you have any problems, just tell me—I am your big brother! But if you keep acting like this, then please..." He threw his finger up in the air, his eyes flashing with a warning, "...Don't expect me to clean up your mess. Don't!"
"Seok-hoon! Why are you scolding him in such a brutal way?!"
Suddenly, a warm yet sharp voice cut through the room. Their mother walked down the grand staircase, looking elegant but thoroughly displeased with her eldest son. She spoke in a smooth, creamy yet protective tone. "Can't you see how stressed and exhausted he already is?"
Seok-hoon let out a dry, bitter laugh, looking at his mother with a hurt expression. "For this... for this exact treatment of yours, he is completely spoiled! Mom, you always shield him. Mom, you never showed this type of soft love to me when I was struggling," Seok-hoon muttered, the deep-seated envy clear in his voice as he glared at his younger brother. "And now, you seem so lovely and overprotective of your precious small child!"
SMACK!
Before Seok-hoon could finish his sentence, Mom stepped up tightly behind him and delivered a heavy, resonant back slap right onto his shoulder blade.
"Yes! Look at you now, trying to teach your own mother how to parent!" Mom scolded, raising an eyebrow defensively as she pulled Seo Jun closer to her side.
Seok-hoon rubbed his back, his face twisting into a mixture of pure anger, frustration, and jealousy. Without saying another word, he turned on his heels and marched away, storming out of the hall in a fit of pure rage.
"Oh, Jun, my dear… what has happened to you? Why are you like this?" Mom's voice softened with pure, maternal worry as she stepped closer. She gently raised her hand, reaching out to caress his cheek and comfort her youngest son.
But before her fingertips could touch his face, Seo Jun abruptly pulled away. He sidestepped his mother, leaving her hand hanging frozen in the cold air of the hall. Without throwing a single glance back, he marched down the long corridor and shut himself inside his dark bedroom.
Left behind in the grand living room, Mom looked at her empty hand, her eyes filled with sadness. "What on earth has happened to him...?" she whispered to herself.
Inside the quiet room, the heavy wooden door clicked shut. The moment Seo Jun was entirely alone, the tight, arrogant mask he wore in front of the world completely crumbled. His chest heaved with pure, suffocating rage and pain.
"Why should I be the only one to sacrifice?!" Seo Jun shouted into the empty room, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his own hair in pure frustration. He kicked a small stool across the floor, his voice breaking. "But... it's already done, isn't it? You've already done it, Han Seo Jun."
He stumbled backward, completely exhausted, and collapsed heavily onto the edge of his king-sized bed. He buried his face in his trembling hands, staring blankly at the floor as he started mumbling to himself, his voice dropping into a broken, desperate whisper.
"What have you done, Seo Jun...? You should have thought about this back then... before signing away your soul. Now..." A hot tear slipped down his cheek, followed by another. He choked back a sob, his throat burning. "...now you will never get Sang Hae back. Never."