IMFOBO | CH 15 | Prenuptial Agreement

Prenuptial Agreement

 

‘Seriously?’

Tae-san felt utterly blindsided.

He’d been outmaneuvered, plain and simple.

He looked intently into Eun-cho’s clear eyes.

It seemed like a habit of hers—to be afraid of being abandoned again before anything even started. It wasn’t unreasonable, considering she’d been treated like a distant relative by her own father as a child.

“I’ll pay you back fairly. I can’t pay it all at once, unfortunately, but I’ll make monthly payments with interest for as long as we’re married.”

One moment she was acting all scared, and now she was driving a hard bargain.

Her tone was sincere, without a hint of deceit. Given her diligent nature, she would undoubtedly repay the debt conscientiously.

As if mocking his condescending attitude of bestowing a favor, Eun-cho proposed a fair transaction. When he thought about it, he was the one who needed her and extended the hand first.

So, this was a reasonable starting point.

“I feel like a ruthless loan shark,” Tae-san chuckled.

A thought flashed through his mind as he swallowed down with a puff of harsh cigarette smoke.

What does Lee Eun-cho mean to Ryu Tae-san? He looked forward to the moment when he expressed his true feelings, not a vague answer.

‘An easy woman.’

He’d never done anything without weighing the pros and cons. In the most important deal of his life, it was only logical to assess the other party’s gains and losses.

Lee Eun-cho, who had charmed his grandfather, was the perfect stepping stone to securing Baek-woon.

Unfortunately for her, even the pit-like misery of her troubled family background was nothing more than an easy lever for Taesan to control.

A woman who couldn’t easily escape the trap he’d laid.

Ultimately, she was an easy target to manipulate and take advantage of.

Any injury she might inflict was a worthwhile trade for the benefits she’d bring. The debt that came with it was just a speck of dust to Tae-san.

Besides, Lee Eun-cho was pretty.

The way she refused to be intimidated and even tried to push back was surprisingly endearing. Like a special bonus that outshone the main prize.

“Forget the interest.”

The image of a little girl crying after falling disappeared without a trace.

To Ryu Tae-san, Lee Eun-cho was no longer a girl but a woman.

“And I can’t give up my clinic in Cheongrim Village. I’ll run it just like I do now.”

He’d cracked the whip, so it was time to offer a carrot.

Tae-san readily nodded.

It was a clear-cut relationship where he gave her what she wanted and got what he needed. There was even a touch of generosity in his heart.

In truth, he was so generous because he didn’t think she could cause him any harm. It was almost comical, seeing himself act so uncharacteristically kind.

Eun-cho wrote down the agreed-upon terms, numbering them in her round, neat handwriting.

“I’d prefer it if we didn’t publicly announce that we’re married.”

“Is there a problem?”

Was she ashamed to be seen with him?

In terms of worldly qualifications, he lacked nothing. Any matchmakers in Cheongdam-dong would be tripping over themselves to get to him, a highly eligible bachelor.

He should be showing her off to everyone, so why?

Tae-san frowned slightly, displeased.

“Please be discreet not only with the media but especially here in Cheongrim Village. It shouldn’t be difficult, since you have no business coming here anyway.”

Tae-san recalled the previous reports.

Cheongrim Village was small.

Even in this day and age, when divorce was no longer stigmatized, Cheongrim Village, stuck in its ways, had a low tolerance for it. A contract marriage was out of the question.

There was no need to experience firsthand how frightening a scarlet letter could be in a rural community. Especially for her, considering her grandmother.

Still, a part of him felt uneasy. Something smelled fishy.

“Then what kind of relationship will we have in the public eye?”

“Hmm… A guy who was so smitten that he followed me all the way to this countryside?”

He indulged her a little, and now she was trying to take advantage of him?

“Not Lee Eun-cho clinging to me? Me to you?”

Of all things, he had to play the role of a lovesick puppy.

Was that kind of pure devotion even possible for Ryu Tae-san?

She was subtly mocking him with a beaming smile.

Perhaps this was the inevitable outcome from the moment she found “her brother” in a loan shark’s den.

“I’ve been told I’m quite pretty.”

Tae-san found it inexplicably charming rather than offensive or annoying.

It was so absurd that he let out a laugh of disbelief.

“Oh? You laughed? Does that mean you agree?”

If that was a laugh, then yeah.

Before Tae-san could answer, Eun-cho quickly wrote the clause into the agreement.

There was no need to scrutinize each item in the contract; it was a deal that was beneficial for Lee Eun-cho in its own way.

It was a clever choice to maintain her sphere of life as much as possible, only adding marriage as another option.

But everything was in Ryu Tae-san’s control.

He decided to indulge her, finding her antics amusing.

“Alright.”

She had locked her doors tight in the past because she couldn’t shake the fear. Now, she was walking straight into the lion’s den.

He wondered if the latch on that door would ever come undone and if Lee Eun-cho, as hard as granite, would ever soften.

“Shall I write that down then?”

Now, she was even giving him a bright smile, unaware that he could devour her.

His gaze lingered on her crescent-shaped eyes.

“Let’s make exceptions for any unintentional slip-ups.”

“For your sake, you better hope that doesn’t happen. An outsider secretly in love with the granddaughter of Mr. Go from the herbal medicine shop—things could get very complicated.”

She was even threatening him in her own way, trying to get a firm commitment.

By this point, he was even more curious about her reasons for keeping her husband a secret.

Like a nail that was hammered in wrong.

“Is there someone you can’t let know about your husband’s existence?”

“…Ah. It’s nothing like that.”

The brief silence conveyed an unpleasant truth.

This made him feel even worse.

An unknown animosity toward an unspecified person surged within him.

Now that she told him not to come, he wanted to even more. Now that she told him not to get caught, he wanted to even more.

“The rumors are scarier in the countryside. I’m going to stay here for the next year.”

Even her heartfelt appeal didn’t put him at ease.

He could tell she wasn’t used to lying because she averted her gaze.

“Is there anything you want to add, Director Ryu?”

Tae-san wrote down a few items on the blank paper.

The contractual relationship must never be revealed internally or externally, including to his grandfather.

He must fulfill any schedules as a member of the Baekwoon family.

When the role of a wife is needed, he must respond to the request.

Eun-cho’s eyes widened as she read the neat handwriting.

“The role of a wife?”

“It’s tiring to be too blessed with talent.”

Tae-san shrugged and smiled.

If the position of wife was filled, fewer women would bother him.

Besides, Lee Eun-cho, who was quite, no, exceptionally pretty, would provide more than expected protection.

“Does that mean I can just smile and hold your arm prettily?”

Her purity shone through.

It was miraculous that at twenty-seven, there was no sign that she had been with someone.

She thought the role of a wife would end with holding arms.

There were countless more things than that.

What should he do with her?

“This is enough. Let’s sign.”

“And finally, if you change your mind before this contract is realized, tell me. I won’t ask for any penalty for the breach.”

“That’s not going to happen, but let’s write that down.”

Tae-san wrote his name and signed it in neat handwriting.

Eun-cho, who had been watching the scene, smiled brightly.

“That’s unexpected.”

“What is?”

“You’re kinder than I thought.”

Tae-san chuckled at the kind of compliment he had never heard before.

If nothing else, he had to admit that Lee Eun-cho had a knack for making him laugh.

“Is that an insult?”

“I’m serious. I think you’re a better person than I heard.”

She needed to get eaten by him before she came to her senses.

A strange heat rose in Tae-san’s eyes as he looked at the woman, who didn’t even know she was trapped.

“There’s no changing our minds now, right?”

You either.

The crape myrtle, blooming vibrantly red through the half-open shutters, and Eun-cho’s clear face flashed in his view all at once.

They were strangely well-matched, so much so that his chest felt tight.

“Then let’s get along.”

Eun-cho stared blankly at the hand that was held out to her.

The woman, hesitant but not refusing, placed her hand over his.

Their body temperature gradually rose from where they touched.

It was ticklish yet unfamiliar.

He felt a faint pang of regret as the warmth slowly ebbed away like a slow tide.

The humid wind blowing through the shutters tickled his hair.

It was a brief silence, but the atmosphere between them was tense enough to feel the air resonate.

The moment Tae-san firmly grasped her hand as she tried to pull away, Eun-cho slowly blinked her eyes.

As if expecting something, in a sensuous manner.