Cheongseonjae

Se-hwa is the eldest daughter of Myeonghwa, the most prestigious restaurant group in Nampyeong City. While her father constantly cheats, her mother buries herself in work to keep the family afloat. As Se-hwa takes on more and more responsibility, caring for her siblings and helping at the restaurant, the weight of expectations wears her down. She longs to break free from the life her mother has planned for her, but she always finds herself right back where she started. Then one day, a marriage proposal arrives for her younger sister. The groom-to-be is Kwon Yoon-hak, the youngest son of Chairman Kwon—a major landowner in Nampyeong City—and the heir to Cheongseonjae. He’s brilliant, a natural entrepreneur, and perfectly handsome, but he’s also a divorcee who returned after just one year of marriage. He’s also Se-hwa’s first love. When her sister, not wanting the arranged marriage, tries to run off with her boyfriend, Se-hwa seizes the opportunity and takes her place at the blind date. “So, you’re really serious about getting married?” “Yes, I am.” Se-hwa doesn’t flinch under his scrutinizing gaze. And so, the two are bound by a strict prenuptial agreement. When an impatient Se-hwa starts to provoke the husband who leaves her untouched, Yoon-hak begins to see his wife in a new light. *** Her body was a mystery. How could flesh be so soft? It was as if she’d never done a day of work in her life. And that sweet scent of her skin? Surely not all women could be that soft and sweet. Was she really twenty-six? Yoon-hak flicked the ember from his cigarette, extinguishing it, and snapped the stick in two. Her moans… damn it. Now he knew. He knew why every time Myeong Se-hwa spoke, it felt like an irritating, tickling thread. So this was his type… a young woman. He thought he had no s*x drive. He wanted to grab the ankle of the woman who was about to go wash up and do it again. Until the maddening thirst was quenched. A hollow laugh escaped him, followed by a wave of self-loathing.