Chapter 1: Prologue

A disaster I brought upon myself.

Commonly known as Sbuljae (short for self-inflicted disaster).

When I first heard the word, I had no idea what it meant.

But now, I feel the weight of those three syllables deep in my bones.

“Seoa, please! It’s all over now… Come back to Jeohan… I’ll really, really treat you well this time… Come back to Yeryeo Hotel… please….”

“No, I can’t… Right now, Yoo Seoa is… an employee of Yeryeo Mulsan. Even if it’s you, Hwayoon, I can’t let her go….”

A penthouse in a tall skyscraper.

Wine that makes you wonder how it could possibly be this expensive.

An objectively handsome man and a woman just as beautiful.

Nothing about this scene screams “disaster” to an outsider.

But to me, this was a disaster.

Because, really, I was practically being held captive by these two.

“…Seeing you both fight because of me… I don’t feel comfortable. I’m resigning.”

“We’re not fighting!” / “We’re not fighting.”

The two people who had locked me up in this luxurious prison—worth several billion won—were Jung Hwayoon and Jung Doyoon.

Both of them were executive directors at Yeryeo Group, the top-ranking conglomerate in South Korea.

If they’re the future of this country… things aren’t looking so great.

And of course, they had to be twins.

Even the timing of their responses was in perfect sync.

…Now that I look closely, even their tipsy faces look a little alike.

So fraternal twins are still twins, huh.

No, that’s not the point.

The real issue is that they’re not letting me—an undeniably free citizen—go.

“I’d like to leave now.”

“Is it because of the broadcast? Just take today off… It’s our birthday, after all….”

“…I think I’ve already celebrated your birthday enough.”

“No, no! It’s not over yet. Right, oppa?”

“Yeah. It’s far from over….”

What could possibly make two high-ranking executives cling to a mere employee like me?

Maybe because I’m their subordinate?

Well, no.

Our relationship had already gotten way too tangled to be called just “work-related.”

We first met when they were kids.

I saw them even during that ambiguous time in life when it’s hard to label someone as just a colleague.

Well, fine.

When I think about everything that’s happened with those two… I can understand why they’re attached to me.

There were times when my life was literally at risk.

Sure.

I understand… just a little…

“…Am I drunk too?”

I take that back.

I don’t understand at all.

Why am I even trying to justify their obsession?

—Clink.

Just as I was watching my bosses with conflicted eyes, another clear sound of wine glasses clinking echoed through the air.

Of course, my glass remained completely still.

Gulp.

The sound of very expensive wine slipping down already-drunk throats filled the room.

At this point, they probably can’t even taste it anymore.

What’s the point?

I must be drunk too.

I can’t stop having pointless, unproductive thoughts.

I used to handle alcohol better than this, but ever since being reborn as a woman, my tolerance is just abysmal.

“How long are you planning to keep drinking?”

At some point, I reached out and stopped their tilted wine glasses, asking them both to stop.

Ending this wine-soaked birthday party seemed like the wisest choice.

But unfortunately, my efforts were meaningless.

“This is starting to affect your health—”

“…Seoa.”

Cutting me off and sinking down in front of me, Hwayoon looked up with soft eyes.

And from behind me, leaning in and gazing down, Doyoon spoke too.

“We’re trying to seduce you right now, Seoa.”

“I think Hwayoon and I have given you plenty of time to think about it.”

Every word from them made my head pound.

They were such cute kids back then…How did they grow up into such weird adults?

So many things have happened that I have no idea where it all went wrong.

All I ever wanted was to wrap up the things I couldn’t finish in my past life.

How did it come to this?

“…Guys.”

For the first time, I spoke without formality.

The moment my tone changed, both their eyes flinched slightly.

Still, nothing about the situation—me being surrounded front and back—changed in the slightest.

“What am I supposed to do with you two….”

Even now, all I can say just proves how weak I am.

By this point, the ties between us are too deep to cut off coldly.

…I guess this is what they mean by sbuljae—a disaster I brought on myself.