THICA 1

Chapter 1

…A familiar ceiling came into view.

Breathing heavily, she raised her hand and touched her face.

The room was familiar, too.

My room?

She couldn’t believe it.

The air was nostalgic. This was the place where Ye-seo had lived before she got married.

Ye-seo looked into the mirror.

There… stood her twenty-six-year-old self.

She slowly drew in a breath. Then she gently clenched and unclenched her hand. The warmth of her body and the sensation of her skin felt incredibly real.

Is this a dream? Or an illusion?

Just moments ago, the lights of a car had filled her vision. Now, faint moonlight shone through the window into the dim room before dawn. The sound of car tires scraping against the road and the distinct smell of gasoline had disappeared, replaced by the familiar scent lingering in the quiet room.

Until a moment ago, she had been in such a shocking situation that she could hardly breathe. Now, she was in a place with familiar surroundings. She couldn’t believe what was happening.

With trembling hands, she checked the clock on her desk. The second hand moved steadily, keeping time.

She was back at the age of twenty-six.

She had returned… to the past.

It was before anyone had even brought up marriage, and before her mother’s pottery studio had been taken away from her.

For a while, she looked around the room in confusion.

But as time passed, the feeling that this was reality grew stronger.

That’s right. She didn’t know how it had happened, but she had returned to the past.

Then this life will be different.

She would no longer live a life of sacrifice, letting her family control her as she had in her previous life.

She had given Ye-jin everything she wanted and lived to meet her stepmother’s expectations.

And in the end, she had been insulted as a discarded substitute.

That life was over now.

The first thing she needed to do was protect her mother’s pottery studio.

And she had to stop sacrificing herself for her family.

Above all, she had to avoid the same shackle that had bound her in her previous life: marriage.

But she didn’t have much time.

If things continued this way, just as they had in her previous life, her father would force her into an arranged marriage for the sake of the company and the family.

If that happened, nothing would have changed.

The two-year marriage had only been limited to her former husband. If another advantageous arranged marriage opportunity arose, the same thing would happen again.

Even before those two years were up, they would find a way to push her into another marriage.

As she breathed in the early morning air and thought about which direction to take in the future, the sky began to brighten.

Just then, she heard her stepmother’s voice.

“Are you still not up? You need to get moving early.”

Her cold, dry voice came from outside the door.

Soon, Ye-seo heard her stepmother moving around, followed by the sound of the door opening.

“Sweetheart, you need to get up, don’t you? It’s already morning.”

“Mmm. I’m up.”

Her stepmother’s voice was infinitely gentler with her younger daughter than it ever was with Ye-seo.

Just as I thought. Everything is the same as before.

In this house, Ye-seo was nothing more than someone they had no choice but to live with.

Ye-seo had always sacrificed herself for her family, but they had excluded her and pursued their own happiness.

The insult of being a discarded substitute had simply been the ultimate expression of that attitude.

It had only been a matter of time before it happened.

Memories of all the moments she had sacrificed herself for them under the name of family came to mind, then faded away.

Despite everything she had done, her mother’s pottery studio had been taken away under the claim that SH Group had invested money in it.

Back then, she hadn’t anticipated such a claim, so she had been caught off guard without any legal evidence prepared.

The pottery studio had been taken from her so easily, and she hadn’t been able to stop the process of shutting it down.

And so, Yunseak Pottery Studio, which had inherited the craftsmanship of her maternal grandfather, a renowned master artisan, disappeared.

By then, it had already slipped out of Ye-seo’s hands, and she couldn’t stop it. She had no idea how much she had cried that day.

Now that I’ve returned, I’ll protect the pottery studio, too.

She could predict when they would make their move: when Ye-seo got married and moved out.

They would target that moment. The studio was well-known among collectors, making it an asset SH Group could use to justify its claim. It helped the group build an image of supporting traditional culture and giving back to society.

Until now, she hadn’t opposed them because they were family.

But she felt that the time had finally come to protect the studio with everything she had.

“First, I need to check the current state of the pottery studio.”

It felt like ages since she had last gone to work, but she prepared for the day out of habit and left her room.

In the living room, her stepmother was elegantly sipping tea.

“Where are you going?”

Ye-seo answered without hesitation.

“To the pottery studio.”

“How long are you going to keep running it yourself? You should leave it to a professional manager now.”

“My mother left it to me. I’ll take responsibility for it.”

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, CEO.”

Seo-yeon was there to greet Ye-seo.

Seo-yeon was her college friend and secretary, as well as her closest ally.

She was the dear friend who had followed Ye-seo to the pottery studio.

She was also the only person who had never hesitated to advise Ye-seo to take better care of herself when her family pushed her around.

“Seo-yeon, organize the current business operations and prepare a report for me.”

“Are you planning to start a new business?”

“There are some things I need to sort out.”

Her maternal grandfather had been such a renowned master artisan that he had been recognized as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Heritage designation.

Thanks to him, Yunseak Pottery Studio was running a business supplying pottery to meet the orders of various companies.

At first, only people who knew about the studio came to visit. It was her mother’s efforts that expanded the business.

Ye-seo had inherited it from her mother and was looking for new ways to expand it.

Reviewing the progress of existing business operations before starting a new venture was part of her usual routine.

So Seo-yeon added the business report to Ye-seo’s schedule for the day without making any particular comments.

“Oh, include the cash flow and changes in capital, too.”

“Did something happen all of a sudden?”

Seo-yeon wanted to know the reason behind Ye-seo’s sudden request.

“I need evidence that we never received financial support from SH Group.”

“But we never have. Why bring it up all of a sudden?”

“Even so, SH Group has this image of sponsoring us. I never know what my family might say or when they might say it.”

“Your family really does act as if everything you own belongs to them.”

Ye-seo had never responded this way before, despite hearing such remarks from her family all this time.

Sensing something unusual in Ye-seo’s behavior, Seo-yeon’s expression grew serious.

“Did something happen?”

“No, not yet. But I should prepare in advance. I don’t know what might happen.”

Ye-seo wasn’t the type to make requests out of the blue.

It was also rare for her to give instructions without explaining the reasons in detail, as she was doing now.

Seo-yeon was curious, but she trusted Ye-seo’s decisions.

“Start gathering the records from when my mother got married. And please get in touch with the lawyer who notarized her will.”

“Why do you need to meet a lawyer now?”

“I want to have everything notarized together with the inheritance confirmation documents.”

“Okay! I’ll take care of it. But what brought on this sudden change?”

Seo-yeon was a little puzzled by Ye-seo’s changed attitude.

Ye-seo had always been self-sacrificing and devoted to her family.

Even though they never repaid her, she acted as if sacrificing herself for them was her duty.

Meanwhile, she barely took care of herself.

Seo-yeon had advised her about this many times, but Ye-seo had never changed much.

Her current behavior seemed like a sign that something new was happening within her.

“Do you really need to prepare that much?”

Seo-yeon asked again, as if trying to confirm the change in Ye-seo.

Ye-seo thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. The more thoroughly I prepare, the better.”

“You seem different today.”

“I had a dream. A dream where I kept giving in and sacrificing myself for my family, but never received anything in return.”

“I’ve told you that so many times, but you never listened. Wait, wasn’t that just a documentary you watched or something?”

“I thought everyone would be happy if I gave in just a little, but I don’t think that’s true anymore. From now on, I’ll protect what’s mine.”

Seo-yeon was surprised by Ye-seo’s determination, but at the same time, she felt relieved to see her becoming so strong.

This was exactly the kind of change she had always hoped for while giving Ye-seo advice. She didn’t want Ye-seo to keep getting hurt or breaking down because of her family.

“So you’re finally going to take care of yourself. I’ll support you.”

For a moment, Seo-yeon set aside their professional relationship and smiled at Ye-seo as her friend, offering her support.

Ye-seo smiled back, expressing her gratitude.

“I’m counting on you again this time. Thank you for always helping me.”

The inheritance issue surrounding the pottery studio was not simply about financial gain for Ye-seo.

It was the first step toward starting a life of her own.

More than anything, it was a declaration that she had decided to walk her own path without letting anyone control her anymore.

However, this alone wouldn’t change everything.

To live the way she had decided, she needed to break free from both her family’s influence and the lingering effects of her past.

She had to make sure that no temptation or sense of obligation could drag her back into her old life.

From now on, I’ll truly live for myself.

Ye-seo sighed and reaffirmed her resolve.

Now that she had begun preparing to protect the pottery studio, she needed to think about how to escape a life in which her family always controlled her.

In particular, she couldn’t let herself end up in the same marriage again.

I need someone who will benefit both the group and me.

She needed to marry someone who could offer greater benefits than her former husband. That way, she would be able to refuse any other marriage proposals that came along later.

Her father and stepmother wouldn’t be able to oppose it, either.

“Seo-yeon, please also prepare a list of people who are currently looking for marriage partners.”

“You’re suddenly looking to get married?”

“If I’m going to get married anyway, I might as well choose someone who benefits me, not just my family.”