DA 04

Thump, thump.

The man approached the chair across from her, the sound of his low heels echoing.

A heavy, rich scent of cologne filled the air. A rebellious face, much like the first time they met at the lounge bar, and an equally intense fragrance.

Handsome features, a well-built physique, and arrogant eyes that suggested he knew it. This man, who looked like he’d never uttered a word of pleading in his life, was now sitting in front of her.

“Hello, Ju Seong-chan-ssi.“

Su-jeong, after a brief eye contact, greeted him first with a practiced smile.

“Please have a seat.”

At her invitation, the man who had been looking down at her with a haughty expression sat down across from her.

“Since we’re both busy, shall we discuss the details of the contract right now?”

Su-jeong had no intention or time for meaningless pleasantries or superficial conversation. She wanted to get right to the point. But the man’s deep voice interrupted her.

“I was under the impression that this was a meeting between the two of us.”

His gaze was directed at Hye-mi, who was standing behind Su-jeong. It was an indirect way of asking why someone who wasn’t a party to the agreement was present.

Hye-mi, apparently surprised that he had singled her out, looked flustered.

Su-jeong spoke first, as if to defend her secretary.

“Oh, my apologies. This is my personal secretary. She’s here to assist with the contract we’re going to discuss today, Seong-chan-ssi, so please don’t mind her and…”

“That’s not what we agreed on.”

“Excuse me?”

“Did I come here for nothing?”

The man muttered, as if to himself.

“…….”

He seemed to be ready to leave at any moment.

Seeing that Seong-chan had no intention of talking until her secretary left, Su-jeong had no choice but to turn to Hye-mi.

“Could you excuse us, Secretary Oh?”

“……Yes. I’ll be waiting outside, CEO. And …….”

Hye-mi leaned close to Su-jeong and whispered.

“If anything happens, you must call me.”

She put a strange emphasis on the word ‘must’. It was supposed to be a whisper, but her voice was anything but.

Su-jeong noticed Hye-mi’s provocative tone, glanced at Seong-chan, quickly agreed and ushered her secretary out.

Hye-mi didn’t let her guard down against Seong-chan as she left.

“Shall we continue our conversation then?”

As soon as her secretary left the room, Su-jeong quickly changed the subject. The man gestured with his chin as if he wanted her to continue.

“You received the contract through my secretary, didn’t you? As I said, what I want is clear. That you legally become my husband, Seong-chan-ssi, and for us to have a child. That’s all I want. After the child is born, I won’t interfere in your life, so you can live as you like.”

“Hmm.“

“In other words, this contract ends with the birth of the child. The divorce will be a year after that. Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you’d practice strict contraception until then.”

“Contraception?”

One of his eyebrows rose.

“Yes. Contraception. I’m not completely unaware of your private life, Seong-chan-ssi. I have no intention of interfering with it. However, I would appreciate it if you could abstain as much as possible during the contract period. Things will get complicated if you have a child with another woman before the divorce.”

“…….”

“As long as you abide by this condition, I will fully support your return to golf as promised and provide you with unsparing support. If you wish, the sponsorship can continue after the contract ends. We will have an amicable divorce based on mutual agreement.”

See? Easy, right?

After Su-jeong finished her explanation, she gave Seong-chan a business-like smile. He rested his chin on his hand and smirked.

“So, to put it simply, you’re offering me money to have sex with you because I’m a manwhore.”

“…….”

“Like a stud horse servicing a mare.”

“…….”

“Or in other words, a kept man, a male prostitute. Something like that, right?”

Su-jeong’s lips twitched slightly at the man’s unfiltered words.

She retracted her earlier thought that he might be a reasonable person. She had been too naive, unlike her usual self.

Su-jeong closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, forcing herself to respond calmly.

“Well… a more refined term would be a contractual marriage.”

Or a partnership agreement.

Her definition was closer to the latter. But she didn’t want to cause trouble by saying so.

It didn’t really matter.

She wasn’t unaware of his rough demeanor and his colorful dating history, and she’d taken that into account when she’d chosen him.

The worse he was, the better. She wouldn’t have to feel guilty.

“And until the contract ends, don’t sleep around and don’t spread your seed anywhere else.”

“……Yeah, that’s right.”

Seong-chan shrugged as if he didn’t understand.

“Then why bother to have a child? A simple contract marriage would be enough.”

“Because such a half-baked plan won’t solve the problem. I need to have a child to stop my family from pushing for an arranged marriage. And it will keep other men from bothering me.”

“Then why not just have a child with your boyfriend?”

‘Because I don’t have one!’

Su-jeong felt a surge of defiance at his casual, sarcastic remark, but she kept her composure.

“Well, marriage and love aren’t particularly important values in my life. I don’t have the time or the person for it.”

“Pfft.“

“……?”

What? Why is he laughing?

Su-jeong looked at him quizzically at the sudden, short burst of laughter. The man, laughing with an unexpectedly innocent face, looked at her and said,

“I thought the CEO of Wings Apparel would be able to ignore an arranged marriage, but I guess not.”

“…….”

That subtly provocative attitude and sarcastic tone had been getting under her skin for a while now.

Since he was known for being difficult, she had tolerated it until now. But as it continued, Su-jeong became certain.

This man was deliberately provoking her.

‘Why is he doing this after coming all this way?’

She wished he would just cooperate, but he seemed to have no intention of doing so.

Was he trying to assert his dominance now?

Su-jeong couldn’t understand his behavior.

Did he really think he could have the upper hand in this contractual relationship?

It was clear who had the power here.

“Excuse me, but I was under the impression that you came here because you agreed to the contract, Ju Seong-chan-ssi.“

“Well, that was the case.”

Was that the case?

Su-jeong frowned.

The man spoke in the past tense.

He seemed to sense her confusion and wore a smug expression. He shrugged and said casually, “Nothing is certain until the contract is signed, right? If we don’t agree on the terms, the deal can fall apart at any time.”

“…….”

‘What a jerk.’

Su-jeong clenched her hands under the table and watched him play his childish games.

But she had no intention of backing down. If she gave in now, she knew what would follow.

“…… You don’t seem to want to cooperate at all. If you need more time to think, I’ll give you more time. Let me know through your agency when you’ve made a decision. I’ll hear from you through my secretary.”

She would find another man to replace him instead of begging him.

Su-jeong stood up, showing her resolve. But he remained unperturbed and replied,

“No, I don’t need to think about it anymore.”

Su-jeong turned to look at him.

“Because what I heard pissed me off.”

He sneered, a corner of his lips lifted.

“You seem to be mistaken. The one who should be asking is you, not me. You’re the one in a hurry, not me, right?”

“…… What did you say?”

“I have already lost everything I could lose, so I have nothing left to lose. That’s why I have nothing to worry about. But you?”

Seong-chan looked up. His dark pupils stared into Su-jeong’s eyes.