if you looked up the definition of “perfect CEO,” you’d probably see a glossy photo of Kang Tae-Moo, tie straight, expression unreadable, posture sharp enough to cut glass, the kind of man who made entire boardrooms sit up straighter without saying a word.

in Seoul, men like him weren’t just powerful, they were mythic. headlines followed him like shadows, shareholders whispered his name like he was both a weapon and a promise. Kang Tae-Moo was the golden heir, the prodigy, the man who didn’t make mistakes.

but before the mergers, before the legacy, before the weight of a company sitting on his shoulders, there was a lonely boy who ate dinner by himself more nights than he could count. a boy who learned early that love was a distraction, and vulnerability was something you locked behind steel doors.

and then came her not the way he expected, definitely not the way he wanted. disguised in a red dress, smiling too brightly, lying through her teeth. she arrived in his life like a glitch in the system, chaos wrapped in charm, turning his logic into static.

now, Kang Tae-Moo wasn’t just the nation’s most eligible bachelor, he was the CEO who got blindsided on a blind date. the man who had everything under control suddenly couldn’t stop thinking about a woman who wasn’t even supposed to matter.

until the truth slipped out like a spark hitting dry wood. she wasn’t who she said she was. and the world he’d built with precision cracked.

but fate has a habit of laughing at careful people.

a contract, a favor, and the need for a perfect public image tied them together, fake dating becoming the only solution that made sense on paper, even if it made no sense to his heart. she needed to protect her friend; he needed to protect his reputation. they signed the deal, shook hands, and pretended none of it meant anything.

yet every shared moment added tension like a string pulled too tight: elevator rides thick with unspoken words, dinners where his eyes lingered too long, the warmth of his hand on her back guiding her through crowds, coworkers whispering about their “chemistry” when they thought he wasn’t listening.

old walls trembled. new feelings grew quietly, stubbornly, dangerously.

and as he looked at her, laughing at something she shouldn’t, hair falling across her cheek, eyes bright in a way that made his pulse stumble.. he realized the truth he’d avoided his whole life.

some people don’t break your rules. they rewrite them.