The morning after the gala, the Kang family residence was filled with the warm, buttery aroma of fresh croissants and hand-squeezed orange juice. To anyone else, it was paradise, but to Ji-won, the atmosphere felt charged with tension. Min-jun sat at the head of the oak dining table, his laptop open beside a untouched cup of black coffee. His jaw was set in a tight, rigid line. Beside him, Do-hyun was meticulously buttering a piece of toast for Ji-won, though his eyes kept darting toward his laptop screen. "Eat up, Ji-won-ah," Do-hyun said, placing the plate gently in front of him. "You barely slept last night. Your skin is pale." "I'm fine, Hyung," Ji-won murmured, taking a small bite. In truth, he hadn't slept a wink. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt the phantom weight of Lu Sheng’s calloused fingers against his skin and heard that low, dark whisper echoing in his mind. "Min-jun," Kang Jin-woo’s voice boomed as he entered the dining room, his usual cheerful demeanor absent. "What is the status of the maritime expansion project in the north?" Min-jun slammed his laptop shut, his eyes flashing with irritation. "The Lu Conglomerate just submitted a surprise competing bid. Lu Sheng personally signed off on it an hour ago. He’s deliberately trying to force a joint venture." Ji-won froze, his spoon hovering halfway to his mouth. Lu Sheng. "That arrogant brat," Jin-woo muttered, crossing his arms. "He knows we’ve been preparing that expansion for six months. What does he want?" "He wants leverage," Min-jun spat, his tone laced with venom. "He requested a formal meeting with our executive board tomorrow afternoon to 'discuss terms.' But he explicitly noted that he wants the entire family present—including Ji-won, as a shareholder." Do-hyun slammed his cup down. "Ji-won isn't getting involved in corporate filth. He has his university entry exams to focus on!" "I agree," Min-jun said firmly, looking over at Ji-won with a softened expression. "Don't worry, Ji-won-ah. We won't let him near you. You stay home and focus on your studies." Ji-won looked down at his plate, his heart hammering against his ribs. He knew his family meant well, but the walls of the mansion suddenly felt suffocatingly tight. Between his brothers tracking his every move and the impending failure of his academic tutors—who were all too intimidated by his brothers to actually push him—he felt entirely trapped. And deep down, a terrifying, treacherous part of him knew that Lu Sheng hadn't targeted that business deal by accident. The trap was already set, and the bait was Ji-won himself. The grand library of the Kang estate was usually Ji-won's haven, but today, the silence felt heavy. With his family away at the emergency morning briefing regarding the Lu Conglomerate's sudden corporate maneuver, Ji-won was left under the light supervision of the estate's housekeepers. He was staring blankly at a stack of advanced economics textbooks when the heavy oak doors of the library creaked open. Ji-won looked up, expecting a servant with tea, only for his breath to hitch in his throat. Standing in the doorway was Lu Sheng. Tailored in an immaculate midnight-blue suit, he looked every bit the ruthless multi-billionaire heir, completely out of place in the warm, wood-paneled room—and utterly unbothered by the fact that he was trespassing in the Kang private quarters. "You... how did you get in here?" Ji-won gasped, scrambling up from his chair, his chair scraping loudly against the hardwood. "Your front gate security is surprisingly lax when one offers to sponsor their head guard's daughter through medical school," Lu Sheng said smoothly, closing the heavy doors behind him with a soft, decisive click. He stepped into the room, his dark, heavy gaze locking onto Ji-won like a hawk eyeing its prey. "Did you miss me, little angel?" Ji-won backed away until his thighs hit the edge of the mahogany desk. "My brothers will be back soon. If Min-jun finds you here—" "Min-jun is currently locked in a three-hour stalemate with my board of directors," Lu Sheng interrupted, stopping mere inches from Ji-won. The heavy scent of sandalwood and cold rain instantly overwhelmed Ji-won's senses. Lu Sheng reached out, his long fingers cupping Ji-won's jaw, tilting his face upward. "We have plenty of time." Ji-won trembled under the touch, a strange, forbidden rush of heat pooling in his gut despite the fear racing through his veins. "What do you want from me?" "I hear you're struggling with your advanced economics modules," Lu Sheng purred, his thumb tracing the soft curve of Ji-won's lower lip with shameless possessiveness. "And I know your overprotective brothers fire every tutor who dares to give you a low mark. You're trapped, Ji-won. Pampered, smothered, and completely helpless." Ji-won bit his lip, unable to deny the truth in those sharp, mocking words. "So, I came to offer you a deal," Lu Sheng whispered, leaning down until his lips brushed against Ji-won's burning neck, sending an electric shock straight down his spine. "A private, highly qualified tutor. Someone who won't bow to your brothers' threats. Someone who will teach you... everything you need to know." "And who would that be?" Ji-won breathed, his pulse hammering against Lu Sheng's fingers. Lu Sheng’s lips curved into a dark, predatory smile against Ji-won’s skin. "Me. Three nights a week. In my private suite at the Lu Tower. In exchange, I pull back the competing bid on your family's shipping expansion." Ji-won gasped. "That's insane! My brothers would never let me go to your office alone!" "They won't know," Lu Sheng murmured, his hand sliding down to slip into the inner pocket of his jacket. "You'll tell them you're attending an elite off-site study group. They'll be so relieved you're showing independence, they won't look too closely." Ji-won stared at him, torn between absolute terror and a thrilling, forbidden rush of defiance. For twenty years, he had been a gilded bird in a cage. The thought of stepping out into the dangerous, filthy world with this demon terrified him—and excited him far more than it should have. "And if I say no?" Ji-won whispered. "Then I crush your family's expansion project by sunset," Lu Sheng said softly, zero hesitation in his cold, beautiful eyes. "Choose, little angel." Ji-won’s chest heaved. Surrounded by the scent of Lu Sheng's heavy cologne, trapped between the desk and the billionaire's towering frame, Ji-won swallowed hard. "I... I agree." Lu Sheng’s eyes flared with dark triumph. He reached down, grabbing Ji-won’s hand and pressing an object firmly into his soft palm, folding Ji-won's fingers over it. "Good boy," Lu Sheng whispered, pressing a lingering, scorching kiss to Ji-won's flushed cheek before stepping back into the shadows toward the private balcony exit. When the terrace doors softly closed, Ji-won opened his trembling hand. A small, engraved silver key, cold against Ji-won's palm, was the only proof of his pact with the devil – a key to a secret study, and perhaps, his undoing. The dinner table that evening was a battlefield of quiet anxiety, but Ji-won sat with his knees pressed tightly together, his right hand buried in his pocket, desperately clutching the cold silver key. Min-jun was staring intently at his tablet, his brow furrowed as he reviewed the corporate updates. "The Lu Conglomerate suddenly paused their aggressive bid on the northern expansion this afternoon. No warning, no terms attached. It makes no sense." Do-hyun paused, holding a bowl of warm ginseng soup. "Is it a trap?" "Most likely," Min-jun muttered. "Lu Sheng doesn't step back from a fight unless he’s setting up a bigger hit." Ji-won’s heart slammed against his ribs. The power Lu Sheng wielded was terrifying—with a single phone call, he had manipulated the entire board of the Kang family's corporate empire just to prove he could. "Um... Hyung?" Ji-won began, his voice trembling slightly. Both brothers immediately looked up, their fierce corporate expressions melting instantly into soft, attentive concern. "What is it, sweetie?" Do-hyun asked softly. Ji-won swallowed hard, repeating the exact lie Lu Sheng had dictated to him. "My academic advisor recommended an advanced, off-site study seminar. It’s held three nights a week in the financial district. It's... small, highly secure, and exclusive to high-performing students." Min-jun’s eyes narrowed slightly in evaluation, but before he could object, Do-hyun smiled brightly. "Look at our little brother taking initiative! You’ve been working so hard lately, Ji-won-ah." "I’ll have our private security detail drive you and wait outside the building," Min-jun said, his posture relaxing as he stroked Ji-won's hair fondly. "If the instructors give you a single headache, you tell me immediately." Ji-won offered a weak, guilty smile, his stomach twisting in knots. They trusted him implicitly. They saw him as their sweet, untainted baby brother, entirely unaware that he had just handed his leash over to the biggest predator in the city.

Chapter Two