Prologue: The Cold Apartment (First Timeline) In his first life, Ji-won died on a Tuesday, and nobody noticed for six days. There were no flower arrangements. No hysterical crying in hospital corridors. No overprotective brothers threatening to sue the medical staff. There was only the low, rhythmic hum of a cheap electric heater in a cramped, dark studio apartment on the outskirts of Seoul. In that timeline, the Kang brothers were not a family; they were a corporate war machine. Min-jun lived in executive boardrooms, treating human relationships like balance sheets. Ji-ho was buried so deep in European academic circles he barely remembered he had a third sibling. Do-hyun was constantly dispatched overseas to manage shipping logistics, his stress masking any room for affection. Ji-won had been the invisible Kang—the quiet, fragile youngest brother who stayed out of the way, ate his meals alone, and learned early on never to ask for help. When his health finally collapsed under the quiet weight of malnutrition and isolation, he didn't even have a contact number saved on speed dial. His last memory before the darkness claimed him was looking at his silent phone on the nightstand. Zero unread messages. Zero missed calls. Just a cold, empty room and the realization that he was dying completely, utterly alone. The icy chill of the bare floorboard was the last thing Ji-won felt in his previous life. He had died quietly, alone in a cramped, dark apartment, entirely exhausted from years of struggling just to survive in a cold, indifferent world. As his consciousness faded, he closed his eyes with one final, desperate thought: If there’s a next time, I just want a family that loves me. Heaven, it turned out, possessed an extraordinarily literal sense of humor. He woke up to blinding chandelier light, the scent of expensive baby lotion, and a chorus of unhinged, weeping voices. Reincarnated as the long-awaited youngest son of the prestigious Kang family, Ji-won was immediately thrust into a world of incomprehensible wealth and suffocating affection. His new father, Kang Jin-woo, was a terrifying titan of the shipping industry in the boardroom, but at home he was a bumbling softie who personally inspected every blanket fabric to ensure his infant son never suffered a draft. His mother, Elena, abandoned high-society galas entirely for the first three years of Ji-won't life just to supervise his nap schedule. Then came his three older brothers, who took overbearing protectiveness to an art form. Ji-ho the quiet, analytical linguistics scholar, Min-jun the stoic eldest brother and future corporate heir, treated Ji-won like fragile crystal, keeping a mental ledger of his favorite foods and glaring at anyone who walked too close to him. Meanwhile, Do-hyun, the brilliant second brother, panicked over every tiny sneeze and constantly tried to sanitize the entire mansion. The day they brought infant Ji-won home from the private hospital was treated like the arrival of a divine artifact. A motorcade of four bulletproof SUVs escorted the nursery transport, and the moment they crossed the threshold of the family villa, his father declared a week of paid leave for the entire domestic staff so the family could bond uninterrupted. Min-jun had personally carried the silk-lined bassinet into the nursery as if holding volatile explosives, while Do-hyun hovered behind him, continuously checking Ji-won's temperature with three different clinical thermometers. For a soul that had known only bitter isolation, the immediate, smothering warmth was overwhelming. They wrapped him in soft cashmere, fed him hand-peeled fruit, and competed fiercely for who got to carry him around the estate. By the time he turned five, his father had bought a private island simply because Ji-won once pointed at a picture of a sea turtle. By fifteen, his brothers had personally vetted every single one of his classmates, forcing potential friends to pass background checks before attending a sleepover. For twenty years, Ji-won flourished in this gilded cage of absolute, unadulterated devotion. He grew into a gentle, sweet-tempered young man—the undisputed precious angel of the household. His family built an impenetrable fortress of love around him, shielding him from every hardship, every cold breeze, and every ugly truth of the world. He thought his life was set on an easy, peaceful track forever, surrounded by gentle hands and warm embraces. The grand ballroom of the Kang estate sparkled under multi-million-dollar crystal chandeliers, filled with the murmur of high-society elites, corporate tycoons, and politicians. It was the annual summer gala, but inside the private holding room on the second floor, the atmosphere was entirely focused on a much higher priority: dressing Ji-won. "Min-jun, the navy silk tie makes his skin look pale. Use the champagne gold," Elena instructed, gesturing with her champagne flute while a tailor adjusted the cuffs of Ji-won’s bespoke suit. "The champagne gold highlights his eyes, Mother, I agree," Min-jun said gravely, adjusting the silk with absolute surgical precision. "Ji-won-ah, if anyone at the party speaks to you in a tone you don't like, point them out to me immediately." "Or me," Do-hyun added, fussing with Ji-won's hair for the fourth time. "I’ve hidden two pocket sanitizers in your jacket. Do not touch the banisters. The staff disinfected them, but people are walking petri dishes." Ji-won offered a helpless, affectionate smile, his heart warm despite the sheer absurdity of it all. "I'll be fine, Hyung. I'm twenty, not five." "You'll always be five to us," Kang Jin-woo declared, striding into the room and immediately pulling Ji-won into a tight, rib-cracking hug. "My pure little star. Don't wander away from us down there." When the family finally made their grand entrance down the double staircase, all eyes turned to them. But while the Kang family stood as an unbreakable wall of wealth and power around their cherished youngest son, someone was watching from the shadowed alcove of the upper mezzanine. Lu Sheng, the newly crowned heir to the multi-billion-dollar Lu Conglomerate, leaned against the dark marble pillar. Rumors called him a demon in a suit—a man who bought competitors for sport, bankrupted rivals without blinking, and possessed an unhinged, predatory nature masked behind a face of terrifying perfection. He took a slow sip of his amber whiskey, dark, sharp eyes locking onto Ji-won. In a room full of greedy, calculating wolves, Ji-won stood out like a delicate, untouched lamb, radiant and soft under the lights, practically dripping with the scent of unblemished innocence. Lu Sheng’s lips curved into a slow, wicked smirk as a sharp, dark hunger flared in his chest. So that's the Kang family's precious little angel, he thought, his gaze tracing the curve of Ji-won's neck with shameless intensity. Below, Ji-won suddenly felt a strange, icy shiver trace down his spine. He looked up toward the balcony, but saw only empty shadows. Overwhelmed by his father's constant introductions and his brothers' relentless "cuddle attacks" and smothering attention, Ji-won waited until Min-jun got distracted arguing with Do-hyun over who would hold Ji-won's glass of sparkling apple juice. Grasping the rare opportunity, Ji-won slipped past the velvet curtains and escaped into the quiet, moonlit garden for a breath of fresh air. He had no idea that the demon upstairs had already set down his glass and followed him into the dark. The heavy scent of rain-soaked jasmine hung thick in the night air, but Ji-won barely registered the fragrance. He was too busy fleeing for his absolute life. Behind him lay the warm, light-filled villa where the Kang family was currently plotting to force him into matching velvet pajamas. He had only managed to slip away after his eldest brother, Min-jun, got distracted arguing with Do-hyun over who got to feed Ji-won the last piece of melon. It was smothering, it was ridiculous, and after a past life spent freezing to death in a dark, empty apartment, it was a terrifyingly comfortable trap. Catching his breath, Ji-won leaned against the stone archway of the private garden, letting the cool breeze soothe his flushed cheeks. He closed his eyes, soaking in the rare, blissful silence. Click. The soft, deliberate crunch of gravel snapped Ji-won’s eyes open. Standing beneath the shadow of the weeping willow was a figure tailored in immaculate, charcoal-grey silk. Lu Sheng—heir to the multi-billion-dollar Lu Conglomerate, a man who bought competitors for breakfast and ruined reputations by lunch—was leaning casually against the fountain, a half-empty glass of amber whiskey in hand. In the dim moonlight, his sharp jawline and porcelain skin made him look like a fallen angel. But as his gaze drifted over to Ji-won, the illusion shattered completely. Lu Sheng’s eyes—dark, heavy, and razor-sharp—locked onto him. Every single survival instinct Ji-won had honed in his brutal past life shrieked in immediate, deafening alarm. "Well, well," Lu Sheng murmured, his voice a smooth, low baritone that vibrated straight down Ji-won's spine. He took a slow, deliberate step forward, the predator dropping all pretense of hiding. "The Kang family’s little saint finally strays from the nest." Ji-won’s back hit the stone pillar. "Mr. Lu. I... I was just getting some fresh air. My brothers will be looking for me." "Let them look," Lu Sheng purred, stopping mere inches away. The scent of expensive sandalwood and fine liquor enveloped Ji-won, heavy and suffocating. Lu Sheng reached out, his long, calloused fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from Ji-won's forehead. The touch was feather-light, almost gentle—a staggering contrast to the raw, unhinged hunger burning in his dark eyes. "You smell like sweet peaches and innocence, little Ji-won," Lu Sheng whispered, leaning down until his lips brushed the shell of Ji-won's burning ear. "It makes me want to tear that pristine little facade to pieces." Before Ji-won could even gasp, the heavy patio doors burst open behind them, casting a long streak of golden light across the stone path. "Ji-won!" Min-jun’s sharp, authoritative voice cut through the damp night air. "Where did you—" The moment the light hit them, Lu Sheng smoothly stepped back into the shadows, adjusting his charcoal cuffs with infuriating composure. "Ah, Executive Kang," Lu Sheng said softly, his voice shifting in a heartbeat to the cold, distant tone of a high-society rival. "I was just admiring your garden. It seems your little brother lost his way in the dark." Min-jun marched straight down the steps, his face dark as thunder as he placed himself directly between Ji-won and Lu Sheng. Do-hyun was right behind him, instantly draping a heavy cashmere coat over Ji-won’s shivering shoulders and pressing a warm hand to his forehead to check for a chill. "Lu Sheng," Min-jun spat, his tone laced with pure poison. "I don't recall giving you permission to wander near the private residence." "A tragic mistake on my part," Lu Sheng purred. He took a slow step back toward the path, his gaze slanting around Min-jun's shoulder to lock onto Ji-won one last time. His eyes glittered with a dark, filthy promise in the moonlight. "I'll be taking my leave now." Leaning in one last time before stepping completely into the dark, Lu Sheng's voice, silken and dangerous, whispered so low only Ji-won could hear: "Such a delicate flower. I wonder how long it will take to pluck you, little brother?"

Chapter One: Born to be spoiled