Please be my wife for just one year.

EP.9

Three days since the event ended.

The contract marriage had already gone on for over ten days.

In the mornings, they ate together; in the evenings, they returned to the same house.

They still used separate rooms and respected each other's privacy.

But there was one thing that had changed from the beginning.

Things between them were no longer awkward.


---

7:00 a.m.

The kitchen was faintly filled with the smell of coffee.

Seongho was frying eggs in an apron, and Yeoju sat at the table with sleepy eyes.

Yeoju "...Good morning."

Seongho "Good morning."

A moment later, plates were placed on the table.

Toast, scrambled eggs, salad.

As soon as Yeoju took a bite, she widened her eyes.

Yeoju "CEO."

Seongho "...Yes."

Yeoju "When you were studying abroad, did you go to a cooking academy?"

Seongho "...No."

Yeoju "Then why are you so good at it?"

Seongho thought for a moment, then answered.

Seongho "If you live alone for a long time, you get better at it."

At that, Yeoju felt strangely unsettled for no reason.

'Live alone for a long...'

Those words somehow sounded lonely.


---

Afternoon.

Yeoju was meeting her father at the hospital.

The surgery date was confirmed for next week.

The hospital bill had already been handled by the SH Group Medical Foundation.

Father "Yeoju."

Yeoju "Hmm?"

Father "Is your husband treating you well?"

For a moment, Yeoju choked on the water she was drinking.

Yeoju "Cough! Cough!"

Father "What's wrong?"

Yeoju "...Nothing."

Her father smiled.

"You look better."

"..."

"I'm glad you met a good person."

Hearing that, Yeoju couldn't say anything.

'A good person...'

But he was someone she had met through a contract.

For some reason, something in her chest pricked sharply.


---

By the time she left the hospital.

The sky was already covered in dark clouds.

Soon, heavy raindrops began to fall.

Swoooosh...

A sudden downpour.

Without an umbrella, Yeoju stomped her feet under the hospital entrance eaves.

"What a mess..."

It was quite a walk to get to the bus stop.

Then.

A black sedan stopped in front of the hospital.

The rear window slowly rolled down.

Inside was a familiar face.

Seongho "...Ms. Kim Yeoju."

Yeoju was startled.

Yeoju "CEO?"

Seongho "Get in."

Yeoju "...How are you here..."

Seongho "Manager Kim told me you were at the hospital."

"..."

"It's raining heavily."

It was a brief explanation.

Yeoju got into the car at once.

When the door closed, the sound of rain faded.


---

Inside the car.

The two sat side by side.

The wipers moved rhythmically, pushing the rain away.

A little later.

Seongho looked to the side.

Yeoju's shoulders were wet.

Without a word, he picked up the blanket on the back seat and handed it to her.

Seongho "...Cover yourself."

Yeoju "I'm okay..."

Seongho "You'll catch a cold."

Yeoju quietly took the blanket.

It carried a faint, warm scent of fabric softener.

"Thank you."

Seongho looked out the window without saying anything.


---

The car stopped at a red light.

Then Yeoju's phone rang.

It was an unknown number.

Yeoju's face instantly stiffened after answering.

"...Yes?"

"...Now?"

"...Understood."

After hanging up, she let out a deep sigh.

Seongho asked quietly.

Seongho "...What's wrong?"

Yeoju "It's nothing..."

"..."

"I borrowed money a while ago, and the creditor suddenly said I have to pay it back by today."

Seongho looked at her for a moment.

Yeoju forced a smile.

"It's fine."

"..."

"I'll figure something out."

But her trembling voice didn't sound fine at all.

Seongho didn't ask any more.


---

After they got home.

Yeoju went into her room and kept tapping away at a calculator for a long time.

No matter how she crunched the numbers, no solution came up.

Then.

Knock, knock.

She heard a knock at the door.

When she opened it, Seongho was standing there.

In his hand was a white envelope.

Seongho "...Take it."

When Yeoju looked puzzled, Seongho said calmly,

"It would be best to settle the debt today."

Yeoju "...!"

"Uh... how..."

Yeoju hurriedly waved her hands.

Yeoju "I can't accept this."

"..."

"You've already helped me so much with the hospital bill."

"This is something I..."

Seongho quietly cut her off.

Seongho "Ms. Kim Yeoju."

"..."

"We're married."

"..."

"If my spouse runs into financial trouble during the contract period, that's a loss for me too."

He gave a thoroughly businesslike reason to the very end.

But Yeoju knew.

This man.

Was clearly worried about her.

He just couldn't express it.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally took the envelope.

The corners of her eyes grew a little hot.

Yeoju "...I'll pay you back quickly."

Seongho shook his head very slightly.

Seongho "Take your time."

The moment he turned away after saying that,

Yeoju spoke to his back.

Yeoju "...CEO."

Seongho stopped.

Yeoju "...Thank you so much."

A brief silence.

Then a very low voice was heard.

Seongho "...Think nothing of it."

Back in his room, Seongho closed the door and stood there for a while, holding the doorknob.

It was strange.

It was clearly just a contract.

So why did it bother him when she looked like she might cry?

He still couldn't explain the reason.