Kwon Ohyul

The Kwon Empire wedding had been called the union of a lifetime. Kwon Ohyul remembered standing at the altar, hands clenched at his sides, heart racing—not with nerves, but with anticipation. He was finally marrying Baek Jiwon. The woman he had loved for years. The woman he had begged his parents for. When his parents had approached the Baek family about the marriage, it had been perfect. A merger between the Kwon Empire and the Baek Empire—power, influence, legacy. Jiwon’s parents had agreed almost immediately. Ohyul had believed it was fate. He never knew that Jiwon had never loved him back. Just days before the wedding, she disappeared. No note. No warning. She ran away with the man she had truly loved, fleeing the country before anyone could stop her. The Baek family panicked scandal like that would destroy both empires. And so they made a decision. A cruel one. The music had begun. The doors at the end of the aisle slowly opened. Everyone stood. Everyone smiled. Everyone clapped. Ohyul’s breath caught in his throat. It wasn’t Baek Jiwon. It was Baek Jieun. She walked down the aisle alone, her face calm, almost numb, dressed in white that didn’t feel like hers. The guests didn’t know—didn’t question it. To them, a Baek daughter was a Baek daughter.But Ohyul knew. His heart shattered in real time. His father’s voice was low and sharp beside him. “Proceed.” So he did. That day, two people were married neither by choice one year and a half later. The Kwon penthouse was vast, luxurious, and unbearably quiet. Ohyul and Jieun shared a home, a last name, and a marriage certificate but little else. Every morning, they left separately. Ohyul disappeared into boardrooms, acquisitions, and endless meetings that kept the Kwon Empire thriving. Jieun buried herself in law cases, sharp suits, and late nights at the firm her reputation already formidable despite her young age. They spoke only when necessary.”“I’ll be home late"