PSS - 1

1. Daughter-in-Law Interview

Thud.

Heavy raindrops poured down onto the dense greenery. The sound of falling rain filled the silence.

Hae-in kept her gaze fixed on the feet of the person sitting across from her. But even with Hae-in right in front of them, the people discussing her showed no restraint in their words.

“…Good grades, top of the class at Taesung Mulsan during recruitment. The interview scores were quite generous too? Who conducted the interview?”

Park Yoon-hwa, the head of the Taesung Group and its honorary chairman, muttered to himself while flipping through a stack of documents before turning to the man seated behind Hae-in.

“It was Executive Director Tae Yoon-sik.”

“That man has always been upright and had a good eye for people. Well then, it’s understandable why she caught his attention.”

After carefully scanning the document that likely contained Hae-in's credentials, Yoon-hwa spoke again.

“…You have a sick younger sibling? Currently hospitalized at Taesung Medical Center.”

“Yes.”

“You must’ve spent quite a bit of money.”

At Yoon-hwa’s casual mention of the word "money," Hae-in flinched slightly and clenched her hands into fists atop her lap.

Money.

That single syllable, so carelessly uttered by Park Yoon-hwa, carried within it a weight far greater than it seemed.

The hospital bills and treatment costs for Hae-in’s sibling, who suffered from an incurable disease. The emotions stirred by these expenses, family disputes, and the overwhelming circumstances they created—all of this had driven Hae-in to the edge. And now, here she sat, facing Park Yoon-hwa, who could offer her a way out of it all.

If there was anything different about this interview compared to others, it was simply that this one was to select a daughter-in-law for her grandson.

Calling it an "interview" might seem absurd, but the atmosphere wasn’t much different from when she had applied for a position at Taesung Mulsan.

“If things go as planned, we’ll set up a dedicated team for you.”

The man seated behind Hae-in added another comment.

Park Yoon-hwa shuffled through the documents again, falling silent. The stillness was absolute, not even a breath audible. Hae-in found herself grateful for the sound of the rain filling the silence.

It had been raining like this that day too.

It was less than a week after Hae-in had finished her final interview at Taesung Mulsan. Late at night, someone from the Taesung Group paid an unexpected visit to her home.

Hae-in, who had been anxiously waiting for the interview results, couldn’t understand why such a guest had arrived at this hour. However, her father, who had worked at Taesung for many years, immediately recognized the stranger’s face.

The visitor was Secretary General Seok Ji-hyung, a direct subordinate of Park Yoon-hwa, the group’s chairman. He was now the same man seated behind Hae-in, responding to Yoon-hwa’s questions.

Her father had gone to the entrance to greet him but didn’t invite him inside, instead speaking with him just outside the door.

When her father finally came back in after more than an hour of chain-smoking with the visitor, Hae-in thought the man looked like the Grim Reaper. Seok Ji-hyung’s gloomy, dark aura left little doubt about his intentions.

Without even taking off his shoes, Seok Ji-hyung stood at the entrance and said to Hae-in:

“This is her, I presume. Think carefully about what I’m offering.”

She hadn’t understood what he meant at the time.

Still, something about her father’s unusually troubled expression made her realize that whatever this man had brought was somehow related to her.

“Miss Hae-in. Do you have any experience with men?”

A sharp question broke the prolonged silence. Hae-in, who had been listening to the sound of the rain, cautiously raised her head and looked straight ahead.

There sat Park Yoon-hwa, the woman who had single-handedly steered Taesung through turbulent times and turned it into the top company in the industry. Despite her age—well into her eighties—her expression remained cold and emotionless, regardless of the gravity of her words.

“Uh… No, I don’t.”

“Then your body should be pure.”

Though the question and answer were awkward, there was no time to feel embarrassed. The best she could do was respond obediently to the questions directed at her.

Hae-in barely managed to steady her trembling body, which felt like a leaf shaking in the wind.

“Mr. Im, take a look.”

At Yoon-hwa’s command, the man who had been obscured in the shadows stepped forward slightly.

“Raise your head.”

Following the man’s instruction, Hae-in lifted her head once more, holding her breath to conceal her startled expression. If a venomous snake could take human form, it would look something like this man—with unusually large, pitch-black pupils.

She swallowed hard. Those snake-like eyes scanned her face thoroughly.

“She’s a gentle child. Her features are auspicious. However…”

The man trailed off and whispered something into Yoon-hwa’s ear. After a brief pause, he bowed again and retreated into the shadows.

“Miss Hae-in, I assume you’re aware of my family’s history. As I mentioned before, I value descendants above all else. That’s why someone like you is being considered to join our household. From the moment you step foot into this family, you will need to fulfill your obligations fully.”

“Yes, Chairwoman.”

Yoon-hwa was blunt about her intentions. The "obligations" she referred to were clear—pregnancy.

The primary goal was for Hae-in to conceive and carry Joo-hyun’s child, no matter what. It was evident that from the start, they had sought out someone easy to control.

“The moment you enter this house, remember that you must not see, hear, or speak out of turn. Conduct yourself properly and stay within your bounds.”

As Yoon-hwa continued her lecture, Hae-in’s thoughts drifted to Soo-hyun, who was conspicuously absent from this meeting. Ironically, the most important decision-maker in this situation wasn’t present.

How was that senior doing?

It was laughable. This wasn’t the Joseon Dynasty, where brides met their grooms for the first time on their wedding day. What kind of situation was this?

They had graduated from the same university, but back then, Hae-in had only ever seen him from afar. Now, they were supposed to get married, and she hadn’t seen him face-to-face in ages.

She had heard that Seok Ji-hyung, the secretary general of Chairman Park, had spent a long time narrowing down candidates for the role of granddaughter-in-law.

The list included employees nearing retirement or already retired from Taesung—those known for their loyalty and diligence—as well as capable and intelligent children from those families. Hae-in’s name had made it onto the final list.

Rumors circulated that no matter how much resistance her grandson put up, Park Yoon-hwa would push forward with whomever she deemed suitable as a daughter-in-law. Hae-in didn’t know how many women had already been subjected to this process.

According to stories shared by colleagues at work, every woman who had gone through this “interview” ended up being treated the same way: judged by Chairwoman Park based on monetary calculations and humiliated by her grandson, Joo-hyun, until they gave up entirely.

This was the story Hae-in’s father had relayed to her after painstakingly gathering information from her coworkers just before she left for the main Taesung household.

‘Don’t go, Hae-in.’

Thinking back to her father, who had chased after her without even putting on his shoes in an attempt to stop her from leaving, Hae-in's heart grew heavy.

'But, Father. If someone has to sacrifice themselves so that the entire family can survive... I’ll do it.'

Hae-in held her trembling breath for a moment before exhaling softly.

“…You’ll get a taste of wealth beyond anything you’ve ever seen or enjoyed. Isn’t the compensation more than enough for just offering your body?”

As Chairwoman Park continued speaking, a sudden commotion erupted outside the door.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed across the wooden floors of the hanok (traditional Korean house), followed by the loud noise of the ornate sliding door to the room being thrust open violently.

Bang.

The door slammed against both sides as if struck with force, and a voice boomed through the space, startling everyone present.

“Chairwoman!”

All eyes turned toward the source of the voice. It was a familiar voice, one Hae-in recognized. She too turned her head toward the speaker.

A cold gaze locked onto her. Standing at the doorway was none other than Senior Joo-hyun.

“Heh. Yoon Hae-in?”

Joo-hyun’s expression twisted in surprise upon recognizing her.

“Damn.”

“Joo-hyun! Show some respect in front of your grandmother!”

The man who had been lurking in the shadows scolded Joo-hyun as though he were his uncle, but Joo-hyun paid him no mind.

“Tsk. Always nagging.”

Muttering under his breath, he wasted no time grabbing Hae-in’s wrist and pulling her out of the room without hesitation.

---

“Yoon Hae-in!”

At the sound of her name being called, Hae-in’s trembling eyelids slowly lifted.

Everything felt like a dream—or perhaps not quite real.

She had been pulled along by Joo-hyun and abruptly found herself outside the main house. When she finally came to her senses, she realized they had stopped in the middle of the courtyard, where Joo-hyun now stood staring at her.

Though there was still plenty of daylight left, the surroundings were dim. In the center of this gloomy scene, Joo-hyun glared at her and asked again.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

His drenched hair clung to his head as he demanded an answer. Thick raindrops the size of thumbs pounded down on his head and shoulders.

It wasn’t just Joo-hyun; Hae-in was also completely soaked, the torrential downpour battering her body mercilessly. It felt as though she were being pummeled by an invisible force.

Perhaps it was the deafening roar of the rain drowning out all other sounds that kept Hae-in from realizing she needed to respond to his sharp questioning.

Rain splashed up around Joo-hyun’s shoulders. Amidst the pouring rain, Hae-in couldn’t help but worry about his expensive-looking suit.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Why were they standing here like this?

Her mind raced with thoughts, yet all she could focus on was the fact that his suit was getting soaked. She almost laughed at herself for worrying about such trivial matters when clearly, this was no time for it.

Hae-in placed her free hand over the one Joo-hyun had wrapped around her wrist.

“…Senior Joo-hyun. Let go of my wrist. Let’s go inside and talk.”

She spoke as calmly as possible, trying to keep any emotion out of her voice. Beneath her composed exterior, however, her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

This man—Joo-hyun—was glaring at her with piercing eyes.

She knew well enough about him.

Joo-hyun, whose very name was synonymous with "bastard." The crazy guy people whispered about, the one who made others shiver just by locking eyes with them, was now standing right in front of her, intimidating her. It was impossible not to tremble.

“…Promise me. Promise you won’t come back here again.”

“I can’t.”

“You’re really… You actually intend to marry me?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Damn. This is insane. Completely ridiculous.”

Joo-hyun let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head in disbelief before turning back to Hae-in with an icy glare. His eyes burned with intensity, pinning her in place. The murderous intent flickering in his gaze caused her body to stiffen instinctively.

Right. She had forgotten. This was the kind of man who always carried such a chilling aura, never allowing anyone to approach him within a certain distance.

Park Yoon-hwa’s most favored grandson. Joo-hyun.

The only man capable of dragging her out of the presence of the chairman of Taesung Group, the top-ranking conglomerate in Korea. And soon, he would be her husband.

Yet, the look in his eyes held no love—only contempt and anger.

“You didn’t come here willingly, did you? Just leave while I’m giving you the chance. Consider this your one opportunity.”

“…”

Hae-in raised her gaze to meet his eyes. Joo-hyun, tall and imposing, towered over her, forcing her to crane her neck upward just to make eye contact. She stared silently into his dark, unyielding eyes.

Please, she thought desperately. Accept me.