“Can I talk comfortably?”

“Yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

“Sit over there.”

Slim build overall.
Hair parted perfectly at a sharp angle.
Even the angular glasses give off a piercing vibe.

Kang Taeyang’s first impression screamed “strict middle-aged man.” Even though I’d already seen him in photos, meeting him in person made him look way more intimidating.

‘…No matter how I look at it, he gives off total mastermind energy.’

If I put him in a web novel, I’d definitely make him the smart “second-in-command” type — the strategist quietly pulling strings behind a big, muscle-bound boss.

Of course in real life he’s part of Daehan Group, so there’s no need for a puppet president or anything.

‘That glare could kill.’

The man sitting across from me was staring daggers. If looks could physically slice someone, I’d already be in pieces.

‘Is he pissed because I stuck my nose in?’

Most likely.

If we assume he really is running drugs and wants to keep it hidden from Kang Bada, then me showing up in the middle must be seriously annoying.

Trying to handle it quietly would be hard with Bada watching, but just leaving it alone would probably make him nervous too.

‘So the smartest move I can make right now is…’

Cut a deal with Kang Taeyang.

I stay out of his business and keep my mouth shut → in exchange he gives the green light for me to date Kang Bada.
I already roughly sketched out possible scenarios on the way here.

‘Just treat it like I’m reading lines from a script.’

No need to stress.

I’ve prepared answers for almost every question he might throw. It’s like a pre-arranged game of Go-Stop — I just have to pull out the right line when he asks.

‘What’s he gonna ask first?’

Current events? Economy? Or straight to the drug topic?
Doesn’t matter — everything’s within my expected range. No reason to panic.

“Let me ask you straight. Are you still a virgin?”

“Huh?”

“I said, are you a virgin?”

“……”

Totally blindsided.

Did I hear that right? Is he messing with me? My brain was spinning in circles.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“Uh… well…”

“Don’t tell me you already slept with our baby sister—”

“No! I didn’t!”

“Then you’re saying you did it with some other girl?!”

**BAM!**

He slammed the desk and shot to his feet. If there’d been a gun in his pocket, I swear he would’ve pulled it on me right then.

‘What the hell is this…’

Anyone watching would think he’s her dad, not her older brother. He never struck me as the hot-blooded type, but wow, the gap between outside and inside is huge.

“I’ve never done it.”

“Are you seriously taking me for an idiot right now? With a face like that, you expect me to believe you’re still a virgin?!”

“……”

…Is that a compliment?

I couldn’t tell whether to feel flattered or insulted, so I just froze.
Well, at least it sounds like I passed the face check. Somehow made it through the first round.

“You’d better keep that virginity intact until the wedding with Bada. Understand? No— even after the wedding…”

“Sir, please calm down.”

Right then the stone-faced secretary spoke from behind. His voice was so icy that Taeyang flinched and sat back down.

He took a handkerchief from the secretary and started polishing his glasses — apparently his personal way of cooling off.

‘…What a character. Gotta remember this one.’

I should recycle him later.

How about making him a direct-line royal relative in my story? Cold exterior, but deep down a total tsundere who treasures the princess more than anyone.

‘This is nothing like what I expected.’

The situation was ridiculous, but honestly I didn’t hate it.
Thanks to this meltdown I now clearly understand how precious Kang Bada is inside the family.

Just confirming that she’s completely outside the heirs’ bloody power struggle was already a huge win.

“…I got too worked up. My apologies.”

“It’s fine.”

“You’re freakishly calm. I already thought you weren’t normal when you walked in here on your own, but did you actually see this coming?”

“More or less, yeah.”

I nodded casually.
Ever since I accepted Bada’s proposal, I knew normal daily life was over.

Years of web-novel writing experience aren’t going anywhere. Even if a status window popped up or I got isekai’d right now, I’d adapt in like two days.

‘Compared to the nightmare customers I dealt with during part-time jobs, this is adorable.’

Some of those people were on another level of crazy. Next to them, Kang Taeyang is practically a gentleman.

At least he hasn’t grabbed me by the collar or tried to force insane logic on me.

That’s why I smiled.

Smiling is my strongest weapon.

“…You’re not a total pushover, huh.”

“Thank you.”

He pushed his glasses up; his eyes glinted.
The earlier hot-headed uncle vibe vanished, replaced by sharp businessman mode.

‘This guy’s actually pretty fun.’

I watched him quietly.

That over-the-top reaction earlier was clearly just a test. Otherwise the mood couldn’t switch this smoothly.

‘So this is what chaebol family members are like.’

A modern royal family, basically.
If I write that duality into a character, he’d be seriously charismatic.

How about “Shadow of the Empire”? The guy who handles dirty work in the dark for the throne — perfect fit.

“Why were you even there?”

“I was trying to catch the distributor.”

“Why?”

“There’s an orphanage I volunteer at nearby. I wanted to remove the problem before it could hurt the kids.”

“Using me to do it?”

How dare you — I could almost hear the unspoken line.
One wrong answer here and I’m finished.

Plan A was catch the guy myself and hand him to the police.
Plan B was get Bada to handle it.
But I obviously can’t say that straight.

“Wouldn’t it make a pretty nice gift for you, sir?”

“…Cheeky bastard.”

Despite the words, a faint smile tugged at his mouth.
As expected — he prefers bold over bootlicking.

“Better than being a spineless flatterer. Our youngest is so kind and soft-hearted, I’m always worried someone will take advantage of her.”

“…I get it.”

“Every single guy who’s approached her so far has had something — looks, background, brains. She’s got it all.”

“I understand.”

This man is a complete sis-con.
Sure, Bada is on the nicer side, but she’s definitely not the type who gets used easily.

‘If anything, it’s the other way around.’

Still, she’s the kind of woman anyone would want. So getting suspected like this makes sense.

Right now I only have one card to play.
He treats her like his own daughter, so I just have to lean into that.

“Bada-ssi was super popular with the orphanage kids. Like you said, kids’ eyes don’t lie, right? They kept saying unnie is so pretty and clinging to her…”

“Hmm. Good kids.”

Sure enough, the moment it’s about Bada he melts.
I slipped in “hyung-nim” and he didn’t even react — confirmed.

The explosive reaction at the beginning was probably genuine too.
Getting his blessing might actually be easier than I thought.

“When Bada-ssi clapped her hands the whole storage room cleared out like magic. I thought a fairy was casting spells. Reminded me of the master sergeant in the army who could do similar tricks—”

“Enough. I get it.”

“Yes sir.”

After roughly thirty minutes of nonstop Bada praise, I shut my mouth at the perfect moment.
Knowing exactly when to stop is Gambling 101.

“Anyway. Stay out of this from now on. It’s dangerous and not something an outsider should touch.”

“Understood. But…”

“I’ll make sure the area around the orphanage is completely cleaned up.”

“Thank you very much.”

That was way more than I hoped to get from him.
This problem’s officially off my plate.

“Get going.”

“I’ll see you next time.”

“Keep that virginity. Break it and you’re dead.”

“…Yes sir.”

He waved me off dismissively.
I bowed silently and left the room.

‘Went better than expected.’

Keeping my virginity as a condition?

That’s literally already in the fake-marriage contract.
If I break it, Bada herself will end things anyway.

It’d be a shame to let our family bloodline — which survived wars and disasters — die out on my watch…

‘…But it’ll continue somehow.’

I’ve got a little sister, after all.

Whether that personality of hers will ever let her get married is another question.
But she’s pretty enough. If I help with the dowry, it should work out somehow.

‘Anyway.’

Cleared a major hurdle.

Everything from here is the real start, but the first step went pretty well.
I finally let out a long breath of relief and started walking.

* * *

“Hmm.”

Tap tap tap.

After Kim Ha-neul left, Kang Taeyang sat drumming his fingers on the armrest, thinking.
The warm uncle from earlier was gone — only the cold businessman remained.

“What’s your read, Jang?”

“Seems decent.”

“More detail.”

“Not servile, but he still made sure to secure what matters to him. Doesn’t get emotional, and he’s very quick to read the room.”

Taeyang looked up in surprise. A tiny smirk appeared.

“It’s been a while since you gave anyone a good review.”

“It’s not exactly high praise.”

“That level is high coming from you. Usually it’s ‘trash’, ‘should be sorted for recycling’, that kind of thing.”

“I like people who have accurate self-awareness. And Kim Ha-neul knows exactly what he’s worth.”

“Hmm…”

Taeyang rubbed his chin in thought.
Even to him, the kid left a pretty good impression.

“Wouldn’t it make a nice gift for you, sir?”

That relaxed smile Ha-neul gave while saying it was still stuck in his head.

Even without the Daehan Group name, the guy clearly knows what kind of world Taeyang operates in — drugs, clubs, the whole thing — and still carried himself with that confidence.

He originally planned to scare the punk a little for daring to approach the innocent youngest.
Never expected his own heart to waver instead.

“But does he actually like her?”

“Looks that way.”

“Based on what? Could just be after money. Or trying to get her in bed no matter what.”

After seeing so many guys like that, Taeyang couldn’t trust easily.
The secretary answered quietly.

“Woman’s intuition.”

“…That’s not like you.”

“He looked happy.”

“Hm?”

“When he talked about the young miss, he genuinely seemed to enjoy it. I don’t think he even realized it himself.”

“…”

Taeyang fell silent for a long moment.

“…She’s about the right age to get married, isn’t she.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s send our cute little brother-in-law a gift. Pick out a few really nice ones.”

“Understood.”

A small, matching smile appeared on both their faces.