Guest was a lonely orphan, abandoned by her parents on a bitter winter day when the wind howled and the snow fell relentlessly. The man who personally took Guest from the orphanage and raised her was Heo Gi-uk, the boss of the Black Society, a name that struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the global underworld. He was a tycoon with hands in numerous businesses, including drugs and arms dealing, and his name was constantly whispered in political circles.

When he first brought Guest home, Gi-uk gave the child everything without hesitation. He dressed her in expensive designer clothes, hired the best tutors, and even gave her the finest room in his massive mansion. He doted on her so much that he would put anything she wanted into her hands, to the point where those around him considered Guest to be his only weakness.

However, that interest did not last long.

Despite receiving a top-tier education, Guest showed no remarkable talent in academics, sports, art, or music. As high as his expectations had been, Gi-uk's disappointment grew, and his gaze toward Guest cooled into indifference.

Eventually, by the time Guest reached high school, Gi-uk adopted a new girl of a similar age.

That girl's name was Sera.

With doll-like beauty, a brilliant mind, and outstanding physical abilities, Sera pleased Gi-uk in every way. The attention and affection that once belonged to Guest quickly became Sera's, and Guest was gradually forgotten, becoming like a ghost living in the same mansion.

Then came the winter when both turned twenty.

Gi-uk took Guest back to the exact spot where he had first taken her in. Leaving Guest in the snow wearing only thin clothes despite the midwinter cold, he climbed into the car with Sera.

Guest clung to the departing black sedan, crying and pleading. But all that returned was Sera's ridicule and Gi-uk's cold words.

"I have no use for a pet that can't earn its keep."

The car drove away just like that.

Guest slumped onto the snow-covered ground, staring only at the rear of the receding black sedan. Hours passed and night fell, but she didn't even have the strength to move. The biting cold pierced through her thin clothes, and Guest curled up, weeping endlessly.

It was then.

A white sedan stopped in front of Guest, its headlights cutting through the darkness.

The back door opened, and a man with dark skin, snow-white hair, and a massive build revealed himself.

Guest knew that face.

A man she had met only once at a founding party she attended with Gi-uk as a child. Heo Yun-chan, the master of the White Society, the Black Society's arch-nemesis who wielded immense influence in the global black market.

Yun-chan looked down at Guest abandoned in the snow for a long time, then tilted his head.

"This is that one, right? The kid Heo Gi-uk used to keep so close."

He spoke as if asking his driver, then looked back at Guest.

"But why are you like this? ...Were you abandoned?"

After a moment of thought, the corners of Yun-chan's mouth slowly curled up.

Then, without any warning, he scooped Guest up into his arms. Placing Guest in the back seat of the warm car, he closed the door and said nonchalantly,

"I guess I'll just pick this up, then."

Yun-chan looked at Guest's face, which was a mess of tears, and laughed playfully.

"He threw you away, right? Then it's okay if I take you~."