CHAPTER 7
Seola could not bring herself to face them, so she lowered her head.
Behind her, Eunae and Jinseong cautiously straightened their backs and raised their heads.
“What on earth is going on, and how could you possibly become Kang Ijun’s wife candidate?”
Eunae’s voice trembled uneasily.
She herself could not tell whether she was angry, aggrieved, or afraid.
Her mind was still a complete mess after being unable to breathe properly in front of Ijun moments ago.
“Tell me the truth.”
“What on earth happened?”
Seola barely managed to lift her head and steady her ragged breathing.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally forced herself to speak.
“The representative was at the place where I had my blind date today.”
“The representative was there?!”
Eunae’s expression changed instantly.
“Don’t tell me you did this on purpose?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she fired off her accusations.
“Did you arrange this with Representative Kang Ijun beforehand?”
“No!”
Seola immediately denied it, but Eunae did not even pretend to listen.
“Then why was Representative Kang Ijun there of all places, exactly when you were having your blind date?”
Jinseong subtly grabbed Eunae’s arm as she became increasingly agitated.
“Honey, that place belongs to Myeongheon Group.”
“The executives from Myeongheon Group hold meetings there all the time.”
“Now, forget about that.”
“Seola, tell us exactly what happened.”
“What happened?”
Seola barely managed to nod and struggled to open her parched lips.
She told them everything about how humiliatingly the man she had met on the blind date had treated her.
She also told them how Ijun, unable to stand by and watch any longer, had helped her.
“You’re useless, even though the only thing you have going for you is that pretty face.”
Instead of comforting Seola after she had been hurt by the man, Eunae only berated her further.
Jinseong was no different.
Although he looked displeased, he ultimately did nothing but nod along with Eunae’s words.
Will I never be able to become your real daughter?
Why do you treat me like this?
Seola moistened her dry lips and slowly drew in a breath.
Her misery and resentment had already gone beyond their limits.
And finally, she spoke the one thing that could turn the situation around.
“He saved me and personally told me that I had become Representative Kang Ijun’s wife candidate.”
The mouths of the adoptive parents, which had been ready to criticize Seola, fell silent at the same time.
Soon, Eunae’s expression changed completely.
Unable to hide her excitement, she approached Seola.
“Wife candidate?”
“Then, does that mean what he said is really true?”
Avoiding Eunae’s gaze, Seola spoke in a small voice.
“The representative said it himself.”
“He said I was his wife candidate.”
When Seola merely hesitated, Eunae could no longer contain herself and grabbed her arm.
Trying to hide her excitement, she urged Seola in a low voice.
“You’ve been recognized as a wife candidate!”
“Do you know what that means?”
Jinseong immediately seized the opportunity to join in.
A calculating gleam flashed across his face as he finished doing the math in his head.
“That’s right.”
“Being a wife candidate for Myeongheon Group doesn’t mean you’re simply a candidate.”
“It means the group is considering you as a future spouse.”
“What on earth is happening?”
Her eyes widened, and her face was filled with anticipation.
Jinseong continued speaking.
“If you’re selected as a candidate, the group starts managing you directly, and they even provide everything from etiquette training to image consulting.”
“The cost alone is said to be nearly 100 million won!”
The moment Eunae heard Jinseong’s words, she drew in a sharp breath.
Her eyes widened, and anticipation spread across her face.
Jinseong’s eyes gleamed intensely.
It did not matter even if Seola failed to become Kang Ijun’s wife.
Just having the name of Myeongheon Group attached to her would make her worth incomparably higher than it was now.
Trying to calm his rising excitement, he spoke.
“Honey, that’s not all.”
Jinseong lowered his voice and moved closer to Seola.
Unconcealed desire filled his eyes, and a greedy smile lingered around his lips.
“If she’s officially recognized as a wife candidate, she’ll even get a personal secretary and a private vehicle provided exclusively to candidates.”
“And she’ll receive a huge monthly allowance for image management, like luxury clothing and skincare.”
Jinseong eagerly chimed in as though he had been waiting for the chance.
The greed in his eyes grew even darker.
“Now, all of that will belong to us.”
As though they had completely forgotten Seola’s existence, the couple excitedly chattered about all the benefits they would receive.
Their faces were flushed with uncontrollable excitement.
In particular, Eunae’s eyes had already grown as wide as though she had received bundles of cash.
“If it leads all the way to marriage, they say the financial support will start pouring in from the very first meeting between the families.”
“And Myeongheon will prepare all the wedding furnishings.”
“They’ll even arrange a penthouse for the newlyweds as soon as you get married and give you a top-of-the-line car.”
“And on top of that……”
Even as she spoke, she opened her mouth wide as though she could hardly believe it herself.
“They say there’s even a separate payment for the daughter-in-law’s education.”
“Do you know how much that is?”
“They say two to three hundred million won a month is the minimum!”
“You’ll be sitting on a mountain of money without having to lift a finger, honey!”
At Eunae’s words, Jinseong let out another long breath.
He had the unmistakable expression of someone already immersed in planning a new business venture.
After exchanging excited words for quite some time, the adoptive parents looked at Seola at the same time.
Their eyes were filled with unmistakable expectation and greed.
Facing those gazes, Seola felt her chest tighten painfully.
Jinseong abruptly grabbed Seola’s hand.
“That’s what being a ‘wife candidate’ means.”
“Just reaching that position can completely change your life.”
“And if you become the official daughter-in-law, you’ll literally be living in an entirely different world!”
Eunae gripped Seola’s shoulders tightly and practically shook her.
Her eyes were filled with excitement and greed.
“It was worth raising you after all!”
“Make sure you win Representative Kang Ijun’s heart.”
“No, wait!”
“It’s obvious he already has feelings for you.”
“Otherwise, would he have gone to the trouble of dealing with that bastard and escorting you all the way home?”
The man who had tried to force Seola into marriage had already become nothing more than that bastard in Eunae’s mind.
Eunae drew in an overwhelmed breath before speaking in a voice that seemed ready to burst.
“This is a huge opportunity!”
Seola curled her fingers tightly.
Yet the trembling did not stop easily.
Her adoptive parents called it an opportunity in excited voices.
But to Seola, those words did not sound like hope.
Their eyes were filled only with Myeongheon Group, money, and a glamorous future.
Meanwhile, Seola’s mind was completely blank.
And within that emptiness, only one thought kept circling.
Do I really want to become Representative Kang Ijun’s wife?
As that thought continued to linger, another question suddenly arose.
Am I even the kind of person who deserves to be his wife candidate……?
Seola no longer wanted to say anything.
After taking a quiet breath, she spoke softly.
“I’m going to go to my room now.”
Eunae gave her a gentle smile unlike anything Seola had ever seen before.
Her voice was overflowing with excessive affection.
“Of course, of course.”
“Go inside and get some rest.”
“You’ve had such a hard day.”
Eunae patted Seola’s shoulder and continued.
“You need to rest well and make yourself prettier.”
“That way, you can make a good impression on Representative Kang Ijun too.”
“Should I run you a bath?”
Seola deliberately avoided looking at Eunae.
If this had happened in the past, even a single word of kindness like this might have shaken her heart.
She had wanted, even just once, to receive the kind of attention a parent would give their child.
But now, she felt nothing but emptiness.
She was not happy in the slightest.
“No.”
“I’ll just go to sleep.”
Seola slowly turned and headed toward her room.
Her toes trembled lightly as she climbed the stairs, overwhelmed by complicated emotions.
And yet, it felt as though a tiny change had occurred somewhere in her long-dried heart.
It was an emotion she could not easily ignore, no matter how hard she tried to pretend it did not exist.
For the first time, it felt as though she had a wall protecting her.
At least today, no one could recklessly corner or mistreat her.
That much was certain.
