Chapter 1
The long dining table was filled with warm food, quiet laughter, and the presence of family.
At the center of the table sat a young boy.
Kim Tae-hyun.
He was still just a child.
No responsibilities. No enemies. No idea about the dangerous world waiting for him.
He quietly ate his dinner while listening to the adults talk.
For him, this was just another normal night.
A night with his family.
A night where everyone he loved was safe.
Until...
BANG!
The doors of the dining hall suddenly flew open.
Everyone froze.
Several men rushed inside.
But they weren’t strangers.
They were the Kim family’s most trusted members.
The men who had protected the family for years.
Except tonight...
They were barely standing.
Their clothes were torn. Their faces showed exhaustion. Their voices shook.
The peaceful dinner disappeared instantly.
Young Tae-hyun stopped eating and looked up.
The smile on his face slowly faded.
At the head of the table, his father immediately stood.
His expression changed from calm to alert.
"What happened?"
One of the wounded men tried to speak.
He struggled to breathe.
“Boss...”
Everyone waited.
“The Han family...”
The room became silent.
The man continued:
“They betrayed us.”
Young Tae-hyun looked around, confused.
Han family?
The same people who always visited them?
The same family his father called their closest allies?
He didn’t understand.
Because to him...
Han Yuna wasn’t an enemy.
She was his best friend.
The girl who always made him laugh.
The girl who wore the matching bracelet he made for her.
But that night...
A single sentence changed everything.
The Kim family’s trust was shattered.
And the friendship between two families became a war.Young Tae-hyun didn’t understand what was happening.
The adults were speaking in serious voices.
Words like betrayal, attack, and enemy filled the room.
But one thing kept repeating in his mind.
Han family.
“No...”
He whispered.
Everyone looked at him.
His father noticed the confusion in his eyes.
“Tae-hyun, go to your room.”
But the child shook his head.
“No.”
His voice was small but firm.
“Yuna wouldn’t do that.”
Silence filled the dining hall.
Because everyone knew who Yuna was.
Han Yuna.
The daughter of the Han family.
Tae-hyun’s best friend.
The girl who spent more time in the Kim mansion than her own home.
His father looked away.
For the first time, Tae-hyun saw something he had never seen before.
Pain.
That night, while the adults prepared for a meeting, Tae-hyun secretly left the mansion.
He didn’t believe them.
He couldn’t.
Because how could the girl who gave him a bracelet and promised to always stay by his side become his enemy?
The rain poured as he reached the Han family’s mansion.
But something felt different.
The place that was once filled with warmth felt empty.
Guards stood outside.
People looked worried.
Tae-hyun ran inside.
“Yuna!”
A few moments later...
A young girl appeared.
Han Yuna.
She looked surprised.
“Tae-hyun?”
For a second, everything felt normal again.
Two children.
Two best friends.
Two families that were once together.
But Tae-hyun noticed something.
Yuna’s eyes were filled with tears.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
Yuna looked at him.
“I don’t know...”
Her voice trembled.
“My father keeps saying they didn’t do anything.”
Tae-hyun froze.
Because her words matched what the wounded men had said.
Both sides believed they were innocent.
Both sides believed they were betrayed.
Yuna stepped closer.
“Do you believe me?”
Tae-hyun looked at her.
The world was telling him one thing.
His heart was telling him another.
Slowly, he took off the bracelet from his wrist and held it.
“Of course I believe you.”
But before they could say anything else...
A voice interrupted.
“Tae-hyun!”
His father’s men had found him.
The moment was over.
Tae-hyun looked at Yuna one last time.
Neither of them knew...
This would be the last time they would see each other as friends.
Years would pass.
Their families would become enemies.
And the two children who promised never to forget each other...
would grow up on opposite sides of a war.
The rain grew heavier.
The gates of the Han mansion slowly closed.
Young Tae-hyun stood outside, staring at Yuna.
Neither of them understood why the adults were suddenly calling each other enemies.
Yuna took a step forward.
“Tae-hyun...”
Before she could say another word...
Her father gently pulled her behind him.
On the opposite side...
Tae-hyun’s father placed a firm hand on his son’s shoulder.
His voice was cold.
“From today onwards...”
He looked directly at the Han family.
“The Kim family has no relationship with the Han family.”
Silence.
Yuna’s eyes widened.
She looked at Tae-hyun, hoping he would say something.
Instead...
He slowly lowered his head.
Not because he hated her.
Because he was a child who couldn’t stop the adults.
Yuna quickly removed the matching bracelet from her wrist.
She held it tightly.
Tae-hyun instinctively reached for his own bracelet.
For one brief moment...
Their eyes met.
A friendship that had survived years...
Couldn’t survive one night.
The gates closed.
With a loud metallic sound...
CLANG.
The two children disappeared from each other’s sight.
Far away...
From inside a black car parked across the street...
A man watched everything.
He smiled.
“The plan worked.”
He picked up his phone.
“The Kim and Han families are officially enemies.”
“Phase One... complete.”
The call ended.
The car drove away into the darkness.
No one noticed...
The true enemy had never stepped onto the battlefield.
The automatic gates of Seoul National University slid open as hundreds of students hurried across campus.
Some were late for lectures.
Some rushed to finish assignments.
Others simply enjoyed another ordinary morning.
Among them...
Walked a young woman with confidence in every step.
Han Yuna.
No luxury brands.
No bodyguards.
No signs of wealth.
Just a white blouse, black trousers, white sneakers, and a backpack hanging over one shoulder.
If anyone looked at her...
They would see nothing more than an ordinary Business Administration student.
No one would have guessed...
She owned a company worth billions.
No one would have guessed...
She was the hidden heir of one of the most powerful families in the country.
And no one would have guessed...
Every decision she made brought her one step closer to finding someone.
“Han Yuna!”
A cheerful voice echoed across the campus.
Yuna turned around as her best friend, Kang Ji-eun, ran toward her carrying two iced coffees.
“I saved one for you.”
Yuna accepted the cup with a smile.
“Thanks.”
Ji-eun sighed dramatically.
“Do you know how annoying you are?”
Yuna raised an eyebrow.
“I haven’t even said anything.”
“Exactly! You topped every subject last semester, you won the national business competition, and now Professor Choi personally asked you to present in front of CEOs today.”
Yuna laughed.
“I didn’t ask him to.”
“You’re impossible.”
The two friends walked toward the Business Building as students whispered while passing by.
“That’s Han Yuna.”
“The girl who won the National Business Strategy Challenge.”
“I heard companies are already trying to recruit her.”
Yuna ignored every comment.
Recognition never interested her.
She had a different goal.
One no one knew about.
Inside the lecture hall...
Professor Choi adjusted the microphone.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Today is not an ordinary class.”
“We have executives from one of Korea’s fastest-growing marketing companies joining us.”
The room instantly became quiet.
The executives sat in the front row, observing every student.
Professor Choi smiled.
“One student will present a complete marketing strategy.”
“If the executives approve it...”
He paused.
“They may implement it in the real world.”
The classroom erupted in whispers.
Everyone wanted to be chosen.
Professor Choi looked down at the attendance list.
Then spoke one name.
"Han Yuna."
The room fell silent.
Yuna stood up.
Calmly picked up her laptop.
And walked toward the stage.
The lecture hall became completely silent.
Hundreds of eyes followed her as she walked toward the stage.
Some were curious.
Some were doubtful.
Some were already judging her.
“She’s just a student.”
“What can she possibly present to company executives?”
Yuna placed her laptop on the desk.
She looked at the audience.
No nervousness.
No hesitation.
Just calm confidence.
Professor Choi smiled slightly.
He had seen many talented students before.
But Yuna was different.
She didn’t prepare strategies to impress people.
She prepared strategies to win.
The screen behind her turned on.
The first slide appeared.
A simple sentence.
“The Future of Marketing: Stop Selling Products. Start Creating Connections.”
The executives exchanged looks.
Interesting.
Yuna picked up the microphone.
“Most companies make the same mistake.”
She clicked the next slide.
“They focus on what they want customers to see.”
Another click.
“They forget to understand what customers actually feel.”
The room became quieter.
One executive leaned forward.
“Interesting statement.”
Yuna looked at him.
“Because people don’t remember advertisements.”
She paused.
“They remember how a brand made them feel.”
The presentation continued.
She didn’t talk like a student.
She talked like someone who had sat in board meetings for years.
She explained:
Consumer psychology.Brand identity.Digital transformation.Emotional marketing.Future market trends.
Every point was supported.
Every strategy had a purpose.
After forty minutes...
She reached the final slide.
The executives waited.
The final words appeared:
“A company doesn’t become number one by chasing customers. It becomes number one by understanding them.”
Silence.
Then...
One clap.
Then another.
Soon, the entire room filled with applause.
Professor Choi looked proud.
The executives whispered among themselves.
Finally, the CEO of the visiting company stood.
“Miss Han.”
Yuna turned.
“Yes?”
“How old are you?”
The students laughed quietly.
Yuna answered calmly.
“Twenty-two.”
The CEO smiled.
“At twenty-two, most people are trying to find their direction.”
He looked at her presentation.
“You already know where the entire industry is going.”
After the presentation ended...
Students surrounded Yuna.
“How did you even think of that?”
“Are you sure you’re not secretly a CEO?”
Everyone laughed.
Yuna smiled.
But she didn’t answer.
Because the truth was...
The CEO they were talking about...
was standing right in front of them.
Later that evening...
A private office.
A woman sat behind a large desk.
The same presentation was displayed on a computer screen.
The company executives stood silently.
The woman removed her glasses.
“She performed well?”
The executive nodded.
“Better than expected.”
The woman looked at the name on the report.
Han Yuna.
A small smile appeared.
“Good.”
“Continue monitoring the market.”
The executive hesitated.
“But... why are you hiding your identity from everyone?”
The woman looked out of the window.
“Because before I reveal who I am...”
She opened a small drawer.
Inside was an old bracelet.
“I need to find him.”
The sound of applause still echoed through the university hall.
Miles away, in the heart of Seoul, there was no applause.
Only silence.
A long black car stopped in front of a towering glass building.
Two men stepped out first.
They stood beside the rear door.
Then the door opened.
A man stepped out.
Black suit.
Dark hair.
A calm expression that revealed nothing.
The people standing outside immediately lowered their heads.
“Good evening, Chairman Kim.”
Kim Tae-hyun didn’t answer.
He simply walked past them.
The lobby of Kim Corporation fell silent as soon as he entered.
Employees who had been talking moments ago immediately returned to work.
No one wanted to make eye contact.
Not because he had ever asked them to fear him.
They simply did.
Inside the elevator, Tae-hyun loosened his tie slightly.
His secretary stood beside him, nervously holding a tablet.
“Chairman Kim, the board meeting has been moved to the top floor.”
Tae-hyun remained silent.
“There is also another matter.”
That made him look up.
His secretary swallowed.
“Nova Marketing has surpassed us again.”
The elevator became silent.
Tae-hyun slowly turned his eyes toward him.
“In what?”
“Their latest campaign.”
His secretary handed him the tablet.
“Three months ago, they were ranked fifth in the industry. Now they are first.”
Tae-hyun looked at the screen.
A single name appeared repeatedly.
HAN YUNA.
His eyes stopped on it.
“The strategist?”
“Yes.”
“A university student,” Tae-hyun said quietly.
“That is what everyone believes.”
Tae-hyun returned the tablet.
“Belief and truth are rarely the same thing.”
The elevator doors opened.
Before Tae-hyun stepped out, his sleeve moved slightly.
Around his wrist was an old bracelet.
Simple.
Worn.
Clearly something that didn’t belong with his expensive suit.
His secretary noticed it for only a second before quickly looking away.
Everyone knew better than to ask about it.
Tae-hyun walked into the boardroom.
Ten directors immediately stood.
“Sit.”
One word.
That was enough.
Tae-hyun took his seat at the head of the table.
“Nova Marketing,” he said.
The large screen turned on.
Their company’s growth filled the screen.
“They have become our strongest competitor,” one director explained. “Their strategies are attracting clients that previously worked with us.”
Tae-hyun stared at the screen.
Then he saw her name again.
Han Yuna.
“Find out everything about her.”
The room became quiet.
One director looked surprised.
“Chairman?”
Tae-hyun leaned back in his chair.
“If a twenty-two-year-old student is capable of changing an entire company’s position in the market, then she isn’t someone we should ignore.”
His eyes returned to the name.
“Find out who she really is.”
No one knew that, at that exact moment, Yuna had already found him.
And while Tae-hyun had ordered his people to investigate the mysterious woman threatening his company...
He had no idea he was searching for the girl he had lost years ago.
Han Yuna.
