First Meet, Last Choice.

In South Korea's business world, the name Lee Seo Jun was impossible to ignore.

A third-generation chaebol heir and the eldest son of the powerful Cheonha Group, he was born into wealth, influence, and expectations heavy enough to suffocate a person. From Korea to Japan, Thailand, and even the United States, Cheonha's branches stretched across the world like an empire.

At only thirty-two, Lee Seo Jun had already become the CEO of Cheonha Mall and one of the country's most desired bachelors. Every conglomerate wanted their daughter to marry into the Cheonha family.

But Seo Jun had no intention of marrying for business.

He had grown up watching exactly what such marriages became.

Cold. Empty. Transactional.

If he ever married, he wanted it to be for love.

---

The monthly Cheonha family dinner was less of a family gathering and more of a board meeting disguised with expensive food and crystal glasses.

The long dining table was filled with silence.

At the head sat Chairman Lee Man Seok, a man who had devoted his entire life to preserving the Cheonha name. Beside him sat his wife, Kang Mi Ja, the elegant daughter of Segye Group. Their marriage had been arranged decades ago as a business alliance, and not once had Seo Jun seen warmth between them.

Across from Seo Jun sat his younger sister, Lee Seo Yun, a piano major with little interest in the business world. Unlike the others, she still smiled gently at him whenever she could.

The next dish was served.

Seo Jun barely touched his food before finally speaking.

"I want to move out."

The chopsticks in the room paused.

Chairman Lee slowly lifted his eyes.

"You may leave this house," he said calmly, "the day you get married."

Seo Jun's jaw tightened.

"So my freedom comes with conditions?"

"Freedom?" his father scoffed. "You are the successor of Cheonha Group. Men like you do not live freely."

His mother placed down her wine glass elegantly.

"You have responsibilities, Seo Jun. Marriage is part of them."

"And if I refuse?"

Chairman Lee's expression hardened.

"Then walk away from Cheonha."

Silence filled the room once again.

Seo Jun looked around the table.

No warmth.

No affection.

Just obligations.

Exactly why he never wanted a marriage like theirs.

---

Elsewhere in the same restaurant sat Choi Ga Eul.

A successful dentist with her own clinic in Gangnam, Ga Eul had spent her entire life fighting for herself. She had built everything from nothing, refusing to depend on anyone.

Marriage was the last thing she wanted.

Unfortunately, her family disagreed.

Which was why she was currently suffering through a blind date.

The man across from her smiled awkwardly as she sipped her water.

"So... what kind of future do you imagine after marriage?"

Ga Eul smiled sweetly.

"I don't want children."

The man blinked.

"And if we marry," she continued calmly, "you'll have to accept a loveless relationship because I prioritize my career above everything else."

His smile immediately disappeared.

"I'm sorry... what?"

Ga Eul leaned back casually.

"Oh, and I work late almost every night. I probably won't cook either."

The poor man looked horrified.

Inside, Ga Eul almost laughed.

She was only acting rude on purpose.

In reality, Choi Ga Eul was softer than anyone realized.

---

Back inside the private dining room, Seo Jun stood abruptly.

"I've lost my appetite."

Without waiting for permission, he walked out.

As he reached the lobby, his chest suddenly tightened.

His breathing stopped.

Seo Jun frowned slightly, confused at first, before realization struck him.

Shrimp.

The dish.

Someone had used shrimp stock.

He was severely allergic.

His vision blurred.

People around him panicked as he stumbled against the wall.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"Someone call an ambulance!"

Seo Jun tried to breathe, but his throat felt like it was closing completely.

Then-

"Move."

A sharp voice cut through the chaos.

Ga Eul pushed through the crowd immediately.

One look at him and her expression changed.

"Anaphylaxis," she muttered quickly.

She turned toward the terrified restaurant manager.

"Do you have an emergency medical kit?"

"Yes-yes!"

"Hurry!"

Seo Jun collapsed to his knees.

Ga Eul caught him before he hit the floor.

"Stay awake," she ordered firmly.

The manager returned with trembling hands. Ga Eul quickly grabbed the emergency injection and administered it expertly.

Slowly, Seo Jun's breathing steadied.

But his consciousness faded anyway.

The last thing he saw was her face.

---

When Seo Jun woke up, the sterile scent of a hospital filled the room.

He blinked slowly.

A woman sat beside his bed, half asleep in the chair.

Choi Ga Eul.

Noticing movement, she opened her eyes immediately.

"Oh thank God," she sighed. "You scared everyone."

Seo Jun stared at her silently, still disoriented.

"...Who are you?"

Ga Eul blinked.

"You collapsed in front of me."

He frowned slightly as memories slowly returned.

"The restaurant..."

"You had a severe allergic reaction."

Before he could reply, the hospital room door burst open.

"Sir!"

His secretary hurried inside, visibly panicked.

"Are you alright?"

Ga Eul finally froze.

Sir?

The secretary bowed immediately.

"CEO Lee, the chairman has been informed-"

Her eyes widened slightly.

CEO Lee?

Lee Seo Jun?

The famous chaebol heir?

Seo Jun noticed her shocked expression.

For some reason, he almost smiled.

He looked back at his secretary calmly.

"Process my discharge."

"But sir-"

"I'm fine."

The secretary reluctantly nodded.

A few minutes later, Seo Jun finally turned toward Ga Eul properly.

"You saved me."

"It was nothing."

"No," he said quietly. "It wasn't."

For a brief moment, neither spoke.

Then she stood awkwardly.

"I should leave."

"What's your name?"

"Choi Ga Eul."

He repeated it softly.

"Lee Seo Jun."

She almost laughed lightly.

"I know that now."

For the first time that night, Seo Jun genuinely smiled.

Since her car remained at the restaurant, Seo Jun insisted on driving her back.

The ride was quiet, yet strangely comfortable.

When they reached her apartment building, Ga Eul bowed slightly.

"Thank you for the ride."

---

A week after the hospital incident, Choi Ga Eul found herself trapped in yet another nightmare disguised as a "family celebration."

Her younger cousin was getting married.

The wedding hall was overflowing with flowers, expensive hanboks, loud relatives, and endless questions she had heard a thousand times before.

Ga Eul stood near the buffet table politely smiling while relatives surrounded her one after another.

"So, Ga Eul... when will it be your turn?"

"You're already successful enough. Now you need a husband."

"A woman shouldn't live alone forever."

"You're becoming too picky."

She forced a smile.

"I'm not interested in marriage."

An older aunt clicked her tongue immediately.

"That's what all career women say until they grow old alone."

Another relative laughed.

"You should stop spending all your time at the clinic. Men don't like women who work too much."

Ga Eul's patience slowly began disappearing.

Then her own mother sighed dramatically beside her.

"We've tried introducing her to so many good men. She scares every single one away."

The relatives laughed softly.

Ga Eul looked at her mother in disbelief.

"Seriously?"

"What?" her mother replied. "Are we wrong?"

"You act like marriage is some kind of life achievement."

"It is."

"No," Ga Eul snapped. "It's a choice."

The room fell silent.

Her aunt frowned.

"You talk too much for a woman your age."

Ga Eul laughed bitterly.

"And all of you care too much about whether I have a ring on my finger."

"Ga Eul-" her mother warned.

"No," she interrupted firmly, eyes burning with frustration. "I am tired of every conversation revolving around marriage. I built my clinic by myself. I worked day and night for years, but none of you care about that. The only thing you ask is when I'll get married."

Nobody answered.

For a moment, only the wedding music echoed awkwardly in the background.

Ga Eul grabbed her bag.

"I'm leaving."

"Choi Ga Eul!" her mother called angrily.

But she walked away without turning back.

---

By the time she reached the streets outside, the cold night air hit her face sharply.

The city lights blurred slightly as tears gathered in her eyes.

She hated this feeling.

No matter how successful she became, people only measured her worth by marriage.

Ga Eul walked aimlessly along the sidewalk, hugging her coat tightly around herself.

Then suddenly-

A black luxury car slowed beside her.

The tinted window rolled down slowly.

Lee Seo Jun.

Ga Eul blinked in surprise.

"...CEO Lee?"

Seo Jun studied her quietly.

"You look like you're having a bad day."

She let out a small humorless laugh.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Get in."

"What?"

"I was heading for dinner anyway."

"I'm fine."

"You're clearly not."

His calm voice strangely made it harder to refuse.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Ga Eul finally opened the passenger door and entered the car.

---

The restaurant Seo Jun took her to was quiet and warm, far more peaceful than the wedding hall she had escaped from.

For the first few minutes, neither spoke much.

Then Seo Jun finally asked,

"What happened?"

Ga Eul stared down at her glass.

"My cousin got married today."

"And?"

"And apparently my existence offends everyone because I'm unmarried."

Seo Jun almost smirked slightly.

"That sounds familiar."

She looked up at him.

"My family thinks a woman's life is incomplete without marriage," she continued quietly. "No matter what I achieve, it's never enough."

Seo Jun leaned back slightly.

"My family thinks marriage is a business strategy."

Ga Eul laughed softly for the first time that night.

"That sounds terrible."

"It is."

The waiter arrived with their food before silence settled between them again.

Ga Eul absentmindedly stirred her drink.

"You know what the funniest part is?" she asked suddenly.

Seo Jun looked at her.

"They don't even ask if I'm happy."

Her voice was calm, but there was hurt hidden underneath it.

"They just ask when I'll get married, when I'll have children, when I'll settle down. As if everything else I've done means nothing."

Seo Jun watched her quietly.

"My mother introduced me to three different men this month alone," she continued with a dry laugh. "One of them asked me if I planned to quit working after marriage."

"And what did you say?"

"I told him my clinic would probably outlive our marriage."

Seo Jun let out a quiet laugh.

Ga Eul looked at him in surprise.

"You actually laughed."

"You're unexpectedly funny."

"You're unexpectedly human."

That made him raise an eyebrow.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"A little."

For the first time in a long while, Seo Jun felt strangely relaxed.

No formalities.

No fake politeness.

No one trying to impress him because of his name.

Ga Eul rested her chin against her hand.

"You know," she said, "before today I thought rich people had perfect lives."

Seo Jun scoffed softly.

"Perfect lives don't exist."

"You have money, power, influence..."

"And no freedom."

Her expression softened slightly at his answer.

He looked away briefly before speaking again.

"When I was younger, I used to think my parents simply weren't expressive people."

Ga Eul listened silently.

"But as I grew older, I realized they were strangers tied together by business." He gave a faint bitter smile. "I don't think I've ever seen them love each other."

Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten.

"That's why you hate business marriages," she realized quietly.

Seo Jun looked at her.

"Yes."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Ga Eul smiled faintly.

"I used to think I'd marry for love when I was younger too."

"And now?"

"I think love is complicated."

Seo Jun's eyes remained on her.

"Complicated," he repeated softly.

She nodded.

"My mother gave up everything after marriage. Her dreams, her career, her freedom." She looked down at the table. "I promised myself I would never become someone who lives only for other people."

Seo Jun understood that feeling far too well.

"You built your clinic alone?" he asked.

Ga Eul nodded proudly.

"Every single thing. The loans, the rent, the equipment. I barely slept for years." She smiled tiredly. "Sometimes I think my clinic is my child."

"That explains why you scared your blind date away."

Ga Eul nearly choked on her drink.

"You noticed?"

"You were loud enough for half the restaurant to notice."

She covered her face briefly in embarrassment.

"Oh God."

"You told him you wanted a loveless marriage."

"I was trying to make him leave."

"You succeeded."

Ga Eul laughed again, this time more genuinely.

Seo Jun found himself staring slightly longer than he should have.

She looked different when she laughed.

Lighter.

For someone who claimed not to believe in love anymore, her smile felt unexpectedly warm.

Ga Eul noticed his gaze and cleared her throat awkwardly.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why were you really at that dinner?"

Seo Jun sighed softly.

"My father wants me married."

"To some chaebol heiress?"

"Preferably."

"And you refused."

"I always refuse."

"Why?"

Seo Jun looked directly at her.

"Because I don't want to wake up one day beside someone who feels like a business partner."

His voice was calm, but the loneliness behind it was impossible to miss.

Ga Eul's expression softened.

"You know," she said quietly, "for someone everyone envies... you sound lonely."

Seo Jun smiled faintly.

"That's because I am."

The honesty in his answer caught her off guard.

For the next few hours, conversation flowed naturally between them.

Far too naturally.

Ga Eul told him about building her clinic alone, the sleepless nights during residency, and the pressure of constantly proving herself.

Seo Jun spoke about Cheonha Group, the suffocating expectations, and the loneliness that came with power.

For the first time in years, both of them felt understood.

No pretending.

No masks.

Just honesty.

---

Later that night, Seo Jun drove her home.

The streets were quiet, illuminated only by soft city lights.

When they reached her apartment building, Ga Eul unfastened her seatbelt slowly.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "For tonight."

Seo Jun watched her silently.

She smiled faintly and stepped out of the car.

But before she could walk away-

"Choi Ga Eul."

She turned around.

Seo Jun stepped out of the car and walked toward her.

The cold wind brushed past them quietly.

Then he looked directly into her eyes and asked,

"What if we get married?"

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