The next morning.
CEO’s office, SH Group headquarters.
Mr. Kim placed a thick file folder down in front of Seongho.
Mr. Kim "Here are the results of the investigation into the person you mentioned yesterday."
Seongho took a sip of coffee, then flipped through the file.
Name: Kim Yeo-ju, 25.
Contract designer.
Contract set to end soon.
Her father was hospitalized with a heart condition.
Surgery was urgent, but there wasn’t enough money to cover the hospital bills.
She was also heavily in debt.
Seongho read slowly all the way to the last page.
Mr. Kim "I looked into it further, and her reputation is good. Most people around her said she’s diligent."
"..."
"That said, her current situation is very difficult."
Seongho closed the file.
After thinking for a moment, he said briefly,
Seongho "...Let’s meet."
Mr. Kim couldn’t hide his shocked expression.
"You mean, in person?"
Seongho "Yes."
At the same time.
Yeo-ju spent the entire day sending out resumes to raise money for hospital bills.
Already the thirteenth one.
But every reply was the same.
'We prefer experienced candidates.'
'Hiring has been closed.'
'We’re sorry.'
After putting down her phone, Se-yoon let out a deep sigh.
Then a call came in from an unfamiliar number.
Yeo-ju "...Hello?"
Mr. Kim "Is this Kim Yeo-ju?"
"Yes."
"CEO Park Seongho of SH Group says he’d like to meet with you briefly."
"...Pardon?"
Yeo-ju thought she must have misheard.
"Is this a prank call by any chance?"
Mr. Kim "No, it isn’t."
Yeo-ju "Why would I... meet the CEO of SH Group?"
Mr. Kim "I’ll explain when you meet him in person."
An hour later.
A quiet hotel lounge in Gangnam, Seoul.
Yeo-ju entered with a very tense expression.
At the window seat was a man in a black suit.
The very same man she had bumped into at the hotel yesterday.
It was Seongho.
Without even getting up from his seat, he said calmly,
Seongho "Please sit."
Yeo-ju carefully sat down across from him.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.
In the end, Yeo-ju spoke first.
Yeo-ju "...What is this about? Why did you call me here?"
Seongho didn’t beat around the bush.
True to his personality, he got straight to the point.
Seongho "Ms. Kim Yeo-ju."
Yeo-ju "...Yes."
Seongho "Are you interested in a contract marriage?"
"...?"
Yeo-ju’s mind went blank.
Yeo-ju "...Sorry, but..."
"...I must have heard you wrong, right?"
Seongho "No."
"..."
"I’m proposing a contract marriage."
For several seconds, Yeo-ju couldn’t say a word.
Was this real?
A hidden camera prank?
All sorts of thoughts flashed through her mind.
Yeo-ju "...Why me?"
Seongho looked straight at her.
Seongho "I have to get married within a year."
"..."
"And Kim Yeo-ju needs money."
"..."
"We get what each of us needs."
It was such a matter-of-fact statement.
As if he were explaining an important contract.
Seongho slid the prepared envelope toward her.
Inside were the contract and a document listing the amount.
Contract payment: 1 billion won.
And full coverage of hospital expenses.
Living expenses provided.
Separate divorce settlement guaranteed.
Yeo-ju’s fingertips trembled.
"...1 billion won?"
Seongho "If that’s not enough, it can be adjusted."
"..."
"The conditions are simple."
Seongho turned the contract pages and read them out calmly.
Seongho "Marriage period: one year."
"In public, act like a normal married couple."
"Respect each other’s privacy."
"No unnecessary physical contact."
"After one year, divorce by mutual agreement."
"..."
"And keep the marriage a secret even after the divorce."
Yeo-ju looked at the contract, then slowly raised her head.
Yeo-ju "...Mr. CEO."
Seongho "Yes."
Yeo-ju "With conditions like these... there must have been plenty of other people."
Seongho thought for a moment, then answered honestly.
Seongho "That’s right."
"..."
"But I don’t trust people."
"..."
"Especially not people who approach me for money."
Yeo-ju’s expression stiffened a little.
Noticing that, Seongho quickly added,
Seongho "I’m not saying I trust you, Kim Yeo-ju."
"..."
"But after investigating, at the very least, you don’t seem like someone who lies."
A snort of laughter slipped out of Yeo-ju.
What a strange man.
He sounded like he was saying something nice, but then always ruined the mood at the end.
Silence stretched on for a moment.
Outside the window, the sunset was spreading.
Yeo-ju looked at the contract.
Her father.
Hospital bills.
A job that had vanished.
And the reality ahead.
She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again.
Yeo-ju "...Could you give me a little time to think?"
Seongho nodded.
Seongho "Of course."
"..."
"But I can’t give you much."
As he stood up from his seat, he left her with one last remark.
Seongho "Kim Yeo-ju."
Yeo-ju lifted her head too.
Seongho "I’m not looking for a marriage partner."
"..."
"I’m looking for a contract partner with the same goal."
Having said that, Seongho quietly left the lounge.
Left alone, Yeo-ju sat there clutching the contract to her chest, unable to move for a long time.
One choice of hers might completely change the next year of her life.
