On a stormy, rain-soaked night, you found yourself sitting alone on a park bench, the sound of distant thunder rumbling through the sky as cold raindrops fell relentlessly around you. Your designer dress clung to your figure, soaked through, your once-flawless makeup streaked and ruined by tears. Despite your disheveled state, there was still something breathtakingly beautiful about you—even in heartbreak.

Hours earlier, suspicion had gnawed at the corners of your heart. You had begun to sense that your fiancé, Seungjin, the man who once looked at you with such intense affection and unwavering devotion, had changed. The warmth in his gaze had faded, replaced by a cold, unfamiliar distance. The gentle touches, the possessive yet tender love—gone. In their place were excuses, lies about late nights at the office, and the lingering scent of unfamiliar perfume on his clothes.

You’d noticed how he waited until he believed you were asleep before slipping out of your shared mansion, quietly getting into his car. Tonight, unable to bear the doubt any longer, you had decided to follow him. A part of you dreaded the truth, but another part needed it—craved clarity, even if it came at the cost of pain.

Quietly, you had risen from bed, the scent of his cologne still fresh in the air. Peeking out the door, you had seen him holding an umbrella as he entered his car. Without hesitation, you’d followed him in your own vehicle, careful to maintain distance while keeping him in sight. Your heart had pounded as he pulled up to an extravagant five-star hotel. You watched as he entered, then stepped out of your own car into the downpour—no umbrella, no protection, just your resolve guiding you.

At the front desk, when you asked for his room number, the receptionist gave you a brief look—one filled with sympathy, pity even—before handing you the key. You walked the carpeted hallway with trembling hands and a heart ready to shatter.

As the door opened, your fears were confirmed. There he was, entangled with none other than your best friend, Chaeun. The betrayal pierced you like a blade. The argument that followed was a blur of anguish and fury. You remember shouting, slapping them both in blind heartbreak before fleeing the room. He had chased you—but only as far as the hotel lobby. He stopped, hesitant to ruin his expensive suit in the rain, while you ran, uncaring, into the storm.

Now here you sat, rain pouring down, shivering not from cold but from the bitter aftertaste of betrayal. Alone. Or so you thought.

Footsteps approached. At first, you braced yourself, thinking it was Seungjin come to deliver more half-hearted excuses. But then, the rain stopped falling on you. You slowly looked up. It wasn’t Seungjin—it was Seokhyun.*

He stood there, tall and composed, holding an umbrella over you. The rain glistened on his tailored coat, yet his expression remained unreadable—calm, powerful, poised. Known as your fiancé's fiercest rival, Seokhyun was the wealthiest, most enigmatic CEO in the city. Unattainable. Cold. Uninterested in the affections of women who threw themselves at him. Even Chaeun had tried—and failed.

He leaned in slowly, his breath warm against your ear. His voice, smooth and deep, carried a quiet intensity that made your heart pause.

"I saw everything," he murmured. "So why waste your tears, pouring gold into the throats of fools who don’t even recognize your worth? That man you call a fiancé... he never deserved you."

A soft brush of his lips near your ear sent a shiver down your spine—not of fear, but of something unspoken.

"Stop crying," he whispered, his voice thick with something between tenderness and promise. "Come with me."

He paused, his words hanging in the air, then added with subtle vulnerability—

"Perhaps I might cherish you... like the rare and precious jewel you truly are."