PSS - 10

Chapter 10: Memories to Forget

Hae-in swallowed hard, her dry throat betraying her anxiety. Her hands, trembling as they clutched Soo-hyun’s, betrayed her desperation. With pleading eyes, she gazed at him, recalling the words Seok Ji-hyung had spoken when handing her the hotel key card.

“Chairman Park wants the two of you to spend the night in the same room.”

“Ah.”

“Start by gaining President Jung’s favor.”

Ji-hyung had carefully observed her reaction, checking if she understood his meaning.

“I don’t need to spell it out—you’ll know what I mean.”

Replaying Ji-hyung’s words in her mind, Hae-in steeled herself for what lay ahead.

The closet full of seductive lingerie made the intent painfully clear. The message from Chairman Park was unmistakable—this was what he expected of her. But even knowing this, she couldn’t bring herself to send Soo-hyun away.

“Hah. Yoon Hae-in. Stop being so clingy. I warned you clearly.”

His gaze was icy cold.

Since her brother’s hospitalization, Hae-in had done every menial job imaginable to earn money. She wasn’t someone who cared much about others’ opinions.

But meeting Soo-hyun’s genuine contemptuous stare made her heart sink.

Words like “I don’t want this either” bubbled up to her throat. A mix of injustice and frustration brought tears to her eyes.

Hae-in bit her lip to suppress the tears threatening to spill. She fought to keep her composure, though it felt like crumbling inside.

Watching her struggle, Soo-hyun narrowed his eyes and sighed softly.

“You should stop pretending to be something you’re not. Go back to where you belong.”

Thud.

The hand Hae-in had been gripping slipped away effortlessly. He glanced at her briefly before turning his back again.

“They… said they’d check the bed sheets.”

“What?”

Soo-hyun spun around, his face now filled with humiliation and shame. It was the look of someone who had heard something they shouldn’t have.

“What did you say? What do you mean?”

“To see if we… slept together. They’ll check for evidence…”

It was a sentence she didn’t want to utter. Absurd, yet true. It was one of the last things Chairman Park had said as she left after signing the contract.

“Just so you know, don’t think of faking intimacy. We’ll verify everything.”

The chilling statement sent shivers down her spine, but Hae-in had smiled in response. Such concerns were unnecessary, she assured him.

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t care about me. But please… save me.”

If all of this was a test from Yoon-hwa, Hae-in had to prove herself step by step.

She needed to show that she was worthy of entering Taesung. That she was an investment worth making.

“Sunbae.”

Her desperate gaze locked onto his.

When she noticed his eyes flicker, Hae-in stepped out from the bed and stood before him. Slowly, the bathrobe she wore slid off her shoulders and pooled at her feet.

Exposed in nothing but the thin slip and lace lingerie, Hae-in’s movements drew Soo-hyun’s relentless gaze.

“I’ll do whatever you want, Sunbae.”

Her desperation drove her body to move on its own. Trembling and pleading, she looked up at him, while he silently watched.

His eyes traced the hollow of her collarbone, then moved to her pale, delicate neck, finally resting on the glossy strands of her hair cascading down.

Everything about her—the lush black hair, the occasional glimpse of her nape as she passed by, her subtle scent, and her calm, tranquil voice like ripples on a lake—had lingered in his memories.

All those things he once cherished were now standing before him, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hold her.

No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t. 

He wanted to grab her slender waist and pull her under him right then and there—but he refused to let himself do it.

Because touching her would mean playing into Chairman Park’s hands.

This woman, seducing him before his very eyes, was nothing more than a puppet sent by Park Yoon-hwa. The Yoon-hwa he knew never missed an opportunity to exploit someone’s weakness.

If Soo-hyun, who had never loved anyone, were to embrace Hae-in, Yoon-hwa would tighten her grip on her. She would squeeze every last drop out of Hae-in until she achieved her goals—and use her to manipulate Soo-hyun further.

And why, of all people, did it have to be Yoon Hae-in?

Yet, he couldn’t tear his gaze away.

How many nights had he imagined her, desired her? He had always thought she was someone he could never have. Perhaps he had romanticized her image far beyond reality, weaving his own memories of her.

Even though marrying a woman like a first love should have brought joy and happiness…

The fact that Hae-in, posing as Chairman Park’s tool, was standing before him to dismantle his defenses was unbearable.

“You really think this is okay? Look at yourself.”

“…That doesn’t matter.”

Because this was the only way to save my family.

Hae-in reassured herself.

Anything was fine—it had already started with that mindset. Soo-hyun’s constant reminders of her past and attempts to wound her pride hurt, but she had to endure.

Perhaps it was time to erase the version of herself he remembered. Whoever she had been in his memory no longer mattered compared to the present.

“The you I remember is…”

Before Soo-hyun could finish, Hae-in quickly cut him off.

“Sunbae. Please forget the past me.”

“What?”

“If remembering me holds you back… just forget.”

“Then who are you now? How am I supposed to see you?”

“I am…”

Before answering, Hae-in took a moment to gather her thoughts.

She hadn’t been idle while waiting for the marriage contract day. Through her father, who gathered information from colleagues, she had pieced together fragments of Taesung’s internal affairs.

Though limited, one thing was clear: despite being an honorary chairman, Park Yoon-hwa still held the real power at Taesung. The company was in the midst of restructuring its governance.

While Hae-in didn’t know the exact share distribution among the family members, she learned that Soo-hyun was also striving to increase his stake.

Yoon-hwa claimed to favor Soo-hyun above all but pitted her children and grandchildren against each other in fierce competition. Arranged marriages, forced divorces—it was chaos.

“In any case, I’ll help you, Sunbae.”

Though bound by the contract with Yoon-hwa, Hae-in meant to stand by Soo-hyun’s side. But his expression darkened at her words.

“Do you really think you can do anything meaningful in this family?”

“If there’s anything I can do…”

Her sorrowful gaze met his. To Soo-hyun, she seemed like a lamb leaping into a den of wolves, naively believing she could survive.

“Forgetting the past you…?”

“Please.”

“Are you serious?”

“…Yes.”

Soo-hyun’s eyes glinted dangerously as he scrutinized her expression. His tone dripped with mockery.

“So, what do you want in the end? Marry me and get pregnant?”

“…As a bride-to-be, isn’t that obvious?”

A bitter smile tugged at Soo-hyun’s lips as he watched her falter.

What Hae-in wanted aligned perfectly with what Chairman Park desired from him: children and a family.

Yoon-hwa’s intentions were transparent. Wasn’t this exactly how a horse breeder treated prized stallions?

Yoon-hwa was trying desperately to tame him. The thought of her relentless efforts to control her elusive grandson made him nauseous.

‘Never. But if that’s what she wants, I’ll play along for now.’

Given how Yoon-hwa had uncovered even the detail about Hae-in being his first love, pretending to fall into her trap would lower her guard—for now.

Yet, as his resolve solidified, his heart ached.

‘Just as you’ve abandoned the person you used to be, I’ll erase that version of you from my memory too.’

Soo-hyun grabbed Hae-in’s shoulder and yanked hard at the flimsy strap clinging to her skin. The fragile piece of fabric tore away instantly.

“You brought this upon yourself.”

He closed the distance between them and pushed her shoulder lightly. She stumbled backward and fell onto the bed.

Propping herself up with both arms, Hae-in looked up at him.

Her disheveled hair spilled over her shoulders, revealing glimpses of her exposed skin beneath.

Soo-hyun’s emotions were tangled. Though his instincts screamed to claim her, embracing her meant erasing the cherished memories of the girl she once was.

‘Right, it was never meant to be. Someone like me doesn’t deserve such nostalgia.’

The thought of finally having her in this way, after deliberately suppressing his feelings for so long, filled him with revulsion.

Realizing how far they had fallen, a hollow laugh escaped his lips.

I curse this family. I despise the blood running through my veins.

Trembling with anger, his gaze was nonetheless drawn to the sensual sight before him.

Soo-hyun ripped off his shirt in one swift motion, letting it drop to the floor.

Hae-in, watching him, couldn’t bear to look directly and turned her flushed face away.

Finally closing the distance, Soo-hyun grabbed her chin and forced her to face him.

“Yoon Hae-in, if rolling around in this trash heap is what you desire, then I’ll oblige.”