Contract Marriage with a Male Friend - Chapter 63

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#63

“Really? That’s actually true?”
The secretary nodded gravely.
“His Chief Secretary was there as well.”
Disappointment flickered across Kim Se Na’s eyes at those words.
She would have preferred it if Beom Jin had met the woman alone.
That would still be unpleasant, but wasn’t this situation more infuriating for his wife than for her?
‘Wife, honestly.’
She still couldn’t believe it.
That Beom Jin’s wife was not her, but some unremarkable woman of unknown origin and standing.
An Soo Yi’s background had no connection whatsoever to politics or business—it was utterly ordinary, worse than ordinary, really.
When she first heard that the woman had worked as a funeral director, she’d doubted her own ears more than once.
She couldn’t fathom it.
To lose out to such a woman.
All those years wandering overseas, enduring hardship after hardship, had been for one purpose: to become Beom Jin’s wife.
To be a proper helpmate to him.
Kangho Group would only grow larger, and with their plans to expand into overseas markets, she had followed Beom Jin abroad to study at a prestigious school—one she’d begged her grandfather to let her attend alongside him.
Her grandfather was the kind of man who indulged his granddaughter’s every wish, and she’d assumed marriage would be no different.
But then…….
Everything her life had built toward shattered in an instant.
‘So you need to do the same.’
Kim Se Na’s eyes gleamed with sudden resolve.
“The photographs—you got them?”
“Yes, though they’re somewhat blurred… The two of them kept their distance very carefully.”
She knew that much already.
Both Beom Jin and Ma Do Hwan, his Chief Secretary, had the instincts of predators—they could sense when they were being watched.
But the moment she saw the photos the secretary had taken, the corners of her mouth lifted.
There weren’t many men in Korea with such an overwhelming physique.
And those features, sharp enough to cut through the image quality—anyone could tell it was Beom Jin.
As Kim Se Na gazed endlessly at the image of her first love, something cruel and thrilling flashed in her eyes.
“Find out An Soo Yi’s schedule. Or arrange for us to run into her naturally—get her an invitation to something.”
“Understood.”
“Are there any other photos?”
She swiped the screen, and another image appeared: Beom Jin and the woman facing each other in conversation.
Ma Do Hwan was nowhere to be seen in this shot.
Kim Se Na smiled coldly.
“Even the mightiest tower crumbles from the smallest crack.”

Soo Yi attended a Charity Bazaar with her mother-in-law, Jin Suk Young.
They’d received a formal invitation from a prominent member of high society who maintained close ties with Jin Suk Young.
“Oh my, welcome!”
Choi Ji Seon, the event’s organizer, came to the entrance to greet them warmly.
“I never thought the day would come when our Jin Suk Young would bring her daughter-in-law to a public event.”
“Soo Yi, this is Madame Choi Ji Seon, today’s hostess. She’s the Director of the Isun Hospital Foundation, and she’s been quite interested in meeting you.”
“How do you do? I’m An Soo Yi. I’ve heard a great deal about you, Madame.”
“My goodness. You’re even more beautiful in person than I imagined. Wait—now that I see you up close, you have the same refined air as our Jin Suk Young. The two of you don’t look like mother-in-law and daughter-in-law at all; you look like warm mother and daughter.”
Jin Suk Young beamed and wrapped her arm affectionately around Soo Yi’s shoulders.
“Ha ha, I’ve often thought: this must be what it feels like to have a daughter.”
“I can imagine. I heard you two visit the Department Store together quite often? There’s quite a rumor going around about it.”
“Our Soo Yi has such lovely taste. No matter what we put her in, it always looks perfect.”
At her mother-in-law’s praise, Soo Yi’s face flushed red.
“Oh, Mother……”
“Ha ha, that’s precious too. Now come, let’s not stand here chattering. Come inside. We must show off such a lovely daughter-in-law to more people.”
Guided by the hostess’s kind hand, the two stepped into the main hall.
Though Soo Yi had been anxious, everyone seemed just as welcoming as Madame Choi—the mood was warm and encouraging.
‘Thank goodness. I was so nervous.’
Whatever had happened in the past could wait; right now, she needed to focus on the present moment.
“Congratulations again on your marriage. I was so surprised when I heard—you’re so beautiful. But you’re even lovelier now.”
“How wouldn’t you be? You’re newlyweds, and the fearsome Dok Go Beom Jin is said to cherish his wife dearly—it’s the talk of the town.”
“Ha ha, I’ve even seen them on a date myself.”
At this unexpected remark, Soo Yi’s eyes went wide with surprise, round as a rabbit’s.
“Oh, that startled expression is adorable too. This is why being young is such a blessing—everything she does is so charming.”
The atmosphere was growing warm and genial, centered on Soo Yi, when the main event of the bazaar—the Charity Auction—was about to begin.
At that moment, the doors to the hall opened, and a latecomer stepped inside.
“My apologies for the delay, Madame.”
The moment Soo Yi saw the woman walking in, she gasped involuntarily.
‘Wow…… she really is stunning.’
The woman wore a brilliant Red Formal Suit with such flair that she radiated confidence, and the ease that came from being born into the upper class emanated from every inch of her being.
“Oh, Se Na’s here! Or should I say, you’re officially a Department Director now?”
“Please, just call me Se Na like you always have, Madame.”
Madame Choi greeted the woman she called Se Na, then promptly led her to the table where Jin Suk Young and Soo Yi were seated.
“Does my daughter-in-law perhaps know this young lady? This is Kim Se Na, who serves as Executive Director of Strategic Planning at Haejeon Group. She’s the treasured granddaughter of Chairman Kim Sung Pil of Haejeon Group.”
Haejeon Group Chairman’s granddaughter. Kim Se Na.
The moment Soo Yi heard that name.
A conversation between Beom Jin and Chairman Kim suddenly played back crystal-clear in her mind—one she’d overheard by chance before the wedding, outside a hotel bathroom.

“Please take good care of Se Na. If there’s anything she needs, just tell me, all right?”

“Mm, I do hope that someday she might call me by another name. Ha ha.”

Soo Yi drew a quiet breath, recalling the elderly chairman who’d hoped so openly for his granddaughter and Beom Jin to be together—a man as confident as Kim Se Na herself.

“You young people should get to know each other better. You’ll be seeing quite a lot of each other from now on.”
“That’s right, Soo Yi. Se Na has such a bright, refreshing personality—you two will get along wonderfully.”
As even her mother-in-law chimed in with a laugh, Soo Yi missed her chance to refuse and could only offer an awkward smile.
“Well then, Madame, would it be all right if I took Soo Yi to the exhibition hall for the charity showcases? I’d love to show her the works on display and introduce her to our circle.”
“Of course, you young people will have much more to talk about together. Go ahead.”
“Ah……”
Soo Yi looked urgently toward Jin Suk Young.
But her mother-in-law, interpreting the gesture as her daughter-in-law’s polite deference, simply smiled fondly and nodded.
‘I want to stay with you!’
But the silent cry never reached anyone’s ears.
And so Soo Yi found herself drawn along with Kim Se Na toward the quieter exhibition hall.
“Congratulations on your marriage.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“I couldn’t make the wedding—I had a prior commitment.”
The smile vanished just as quickly.
Kim Se Na stopped walking and turned around.
Her expression shifted to one of concern, and her voice dropped to something more intimate.
“But…… Beom Jin is treating you well, isn’t he?”
“……Sorry?”
“Actually, I saw him last week. I went to a friend’s private villa, and…… he was there with another woman.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————