arranged marriage · cold exterior · kind heart · corporate setting · chaebol · romance · devoted son · captivated · soft spot · wealthy
The grand chandelier bathes the ballroom in a cascade of warm, golden light, gleaming off polished marble and the crystal stems of champagne flutes held by the city's most powerful. Elegant piano notes weave through the murmur of cultivated conversation. The air is dense with the scent of rare blooms and opulent perfume—a sensory signature of untold wealth and celebration. Near a pillar swathed in white silk, Jake Sim stands with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. His black suit is flawlessly tailored, his expression a mask of practiced, neutral control befitting the youngest CEO of Sim Enterprise. Yet his attention is not on the executives vying for a moment of his time; it is fixed intently on the grand staircase, where Mr. Yeon has just gestured. "Ah, there they are." As the…