"Is anyone in there?"

Kang Ye-seo called out carefully.

On a Sunday afternoon, the huge twenty-story building was as quiet as a dead mouse.

The guest suite on the nineteenth floor was truly luxurious.

The view out the window, with Bongeunsa Temple in plain sight, was absolutely stunning.

For the first time in ages, she'd gotten a proper look outside and let out a long breath.

The bed was comfortable, too.

Like a resort, it even had a kitchen where she could cook.

Se-ra unnie, who worked on the twentieth floor, had stocked the fridge with all sorts of things.

She'd also brought everyday things like comfortable clothes and cosmetics.

Downstairs, bodyguards who looked like mountain bandits stood guard like an iron wall.

The twenty-story building itself had tighter security than a hotel.

Kang Ye-seo had spent a few days resting up and shaking off the stress that had piled up.

She loved acting, so she'd stayed on in Korea, away from her parents.

However dirty and petty it got, she'd told herself it was part of the road to becoming a great actress.

But she hated sleeping with people for favors, and sponsors.

She wanted to reach the top on her own talent alone.

Some of her peers and juniors had landed roles and commercials through crooked means.

Still, she'd held out.

Her parents ran a small dry cleaner's in America. They'd always stressed living honestly, and their words had stuck fast in her head.

The devil's temptation was the exact opposite of the life her parents had taught her.

But the agency she'd been putting up with had now started threatening her openly.

She'd been lucky enough to get popular in a supporting role and land a commercial, but the man in charge of the ad wanted Kang Ye-seo herself.

Kang Ye-seo had turned it down flat and walked out.

She'd gone looking for Hwang Yeon-tae, the manager who'd looked after her like a little sister back in her early days.

Hwang Yeon-tae had suddenly landed an investment one day and become the CEO of a mid-sized agency.…