A Light Contract - Chapter 25
“Do you have something on your mind?”
Manager Jung asked with a concerned face.
“Pardon?”
“You didn’t respond when I called, and you were staring intently at those characters.”
Yu Ra blushed as she looked at the two characters written in her notebook. For a moment, her mind went blank as if the lights had gone out.
Manager Jung had come to Yu Ra with reports on several matters. While listening to various updates, her complicated thoughts had drifted elsewhere.
The night before, Baek Yi Hyun had persistently pursued her again, and Yu Ra had helplessly fallen into his arms, sobbing.
Although they had clearly added a ‘consent’ clause, it was meaningless since it meant different things to each of them. She had been so confident when signing the contract, but now her pride was hurt, feeling like she had fallen in just a few days after marriage.
Even during the busy morning preparations for work, Yu Ra firmly requested a change in the contract terms to avoid Yi Hyun’s clingy advances. He casually tossed out a response.
‘Date or frequency? Which do you prefer?’
That suddenly thrown question was now causing Yu Ra a headache.
Feeling a tingling sensation on her scalp, Yu Ra hastily made up an excuse.
“Ah, this is… about dividing household chores.”
“Household chores?”
Yu Ra was quite satisfied with her hastily concocted excuse. After all, it could be considered household work in a sense.
“Yes. You know, simple things like dishwashing. Whether to set it by date or by frequency, something like that.”
“I think frequency would be better.”
At the end of Yu Ra’s lengthy explanation, Manager Jung delivered his verdict in a monotone voice. Yu Ra unconsciously widened her eyes.
Manager Jung had married a few years ago after a lengthy 10-year relationship. Unfortunately, they divorced after just 10 months.
Though it was a short marriage, Yu Ra thought his solution might be of some help to this seemingly unsolvable dilemma, so she had hastily shared her thoughts.
“Frequency?”
Yu Ra reconfirmed Manager Jung’s answer, which came without hesitation.
“Yes, some days you might wash dishes once, other days three times. And on days you eat out, you might not do it at all.”
Yu Ra blinked repeatedly, focusing intently as if she had just realized some profound truth in Manager Jung’s words.
“If you do it that way, the unfortunate situation of one person doing more and the other less can be avoided. Of course, you can make exceptions considering various factors, but all sorts of things happen in life. So it’s better to go by frequency. At least it’s fairer than dates.”
Yu Ra’s eyes quickly filled with admiration. This must be true expertise born from experience. She tried to smile as nonchalantly as possible.
“Ah, I see. Thank you, Manager Jung.”
“It’s nothing.”
“I’ll request YM to reconsider once more.”
“Yes, please do.”
As Manager Jung bowed his head and left the office, Yu Ra once again glared at her notebook.
“Right, not dates but frequency. That day too… phew.”
Yesterday, he had backed down at Yu Ra’s protests about having to go to work. Conversely, who knows what might have happened if she didn’t have to go to work. Yu Ra shook her head, trying to shake off the thoughts.
The first day of their honeymoon was gentle and cautious, with the reason being it was their ‘first time’.
Thinking about that day, setting dates didn’t seem like a bad choice. However, that conclusion was limited only to the first day. The consideration ended after just one day.
From the next day on, Baek Yi Hyun drove her crazy with his beast-like stamina and skills.
She couldn’t remember clearly how many times they did it in one night as she had fallen into a deep sleep, but she knew it was definitely more than five times. Seeing that record, it was clear that frequency, not dates, should be the focus.
Just as Yu Ra was gazing at the word ‘frequency’ written in her notebook with a satisfied smile, her phone vibrated briefly with a text message. It was from CEO Baek Jin Ho.
[Starting today, observe pianist Oh Se Jin’s practice. Sorry.]Yu Ra calmly took in the last word, which felt more like mere courtesy given how matter-of-fact the rest of the message was.
“Tsk, I didn’t expect anything anyway.”
From the beginning, Baek Jin Ho had cited ‘for the time being’ as a reason. So this kind of instruction was unavoidable. Of course, she had harbored some vague hopes, but expectations were more often disappointed than not.
Oh Se Jin, who pushed forward relentlessly, hadn’t wavered in his resolve even at the news of her marriage.
But that was only before the wedding, and she thought things might change afterward. She thought he might back down when his unrealistic desires lost their feasibility.
However, judging by Baek Jin Ho’s text message, it seemed that was Yu Ra’s wishful thinking alone.
Yu Ra still couldn’t understand Oh Se Jin’s behavior. If he had come running back wanting to make things work again, he should have given up now that Yu Ra was married, as would be normal.
Yet his persistent clinging made her uneasy. It felt like there was something more to his intentions than just getting back together. What could it be?
No sooner had Yu Ra put down her phone than it rang again. Her face darkened rapidly as she checked the screen.
“He’s no gentleman.”
The caller was none other than Ko Jin Woo, Oh Se Jin’s manager. Seeing how he rushed to contact her the moment he got the CEO’s permission, it seemed he had been quite pressured.
Ko Jin Woo, whom Yu Ra had come to know through several encounters, was someone helplessly pushed around by Oh Se Jin.
So there was no point in scolding him. Well, she wasn’t really in a position to scold him anyway, so she calmly answered the phone as usual.
“Hello, this is Jin Yu Ra.”
−This is Ko Jin Woo. Our pianist wishes to go to the practice room at 1 o’clock today.
“Understood. Please let him know I’ll go to the hotel at that time.”
After finishing the brief call, Yu Ra looked at the clock on her phone screen. It seemed like today, as always, she would have to skip lunch to finish her work.
“I’d better wrap this up quickly.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Haaah!”
Hye Rim exhaled roughly. After catching her breath for a while, she picked up the cigarette placed on the small table beside the bed. Before she could even light it, a disapproving comment came from behind her.
“Quit smoking.”
“It’s a preference, a preference I tell you.”
At Hye Rim’s words, Song Min Woo shook his head and got up. As he slipped his arms into the robe draped over a chair by the window, he added:
“Be grateful this isn’t Korea.”
“Yeah, I’m grateful.”
Min Woo gave up scolding as Hye Rim’s casual response and mischievous smile looked cute again. As he moved towards the bathroom to wash off the sticky sweat covering his body, Min Woo turned back to Hye Rim. Something had just occurred to him.
“Oh, I saw Baek Yi Hyun.”
“Baek Fox? Where?”
Hye Rim’s reference to Baek Yi Hyun as ‘Baek Fox’ made Min Woo recall Yi Hyun again.
Judging by appearance alone, Yi Hyun might be fox-like, but the Baek Yi Hyun that Song Min Woo saw was more like an angry tiger. Moreover, if Min Woo had seen correctly, he also glimpsed the intimidating aura of a perfect predator and a fierce possessiveness towards his wife, Jin Yu Ra.
Thinking that calling Yi Hyun a fox was purely based on his looks, Min Woo picked up the water bottle from the table. He wanted to quench his burning thirst before washing up. After taking a sip of water, Song Min Woo said:
“When I went to see my aunt at that resort.”
“Ah, she was at Illusion. But Baek Fox was there?”
Sensing that the conversation might drag on, Song Min Woo sat down in the chair and opened the window. As the dry wind rushed in, it scattered the acrid smoke Hye Rim had exhaled throughout the room.
“Yeah, he was there on his honeymoon.”
“Ah, right, he got married. Is she pretty?”
“The bride?”
“Yeah.”
Min Woo recalled Yu Ra’s bright smile.
Jin Yu Ra, whom he had met by chance, was even more beautiful than the glimpse he had caught before.
He hadn’t known there was another woman as pretty as Hye Rim with her bare face, looking at him with wide eyes. Seeing Hye Rim’s face full of curiosity, Min Woo said something he didn’t really mean.
“Prettier than you.”
“Oh, look at this guy. This is why they say Song Min Woo is a player.”
Min Woo burst out laughing as Hye Rim immediately turned serious and clicked her tongue. He hadn’t expected jealousy from Hye Rim in the first place; he was just curious about her reaction.
“Heh, that’s an objective view. Subjectively, you’re the prettiest in the world.”
“That’s even worse.”
As Hye Rim cast a coy sidelong glance, Min Woo recalled Jin Yu Ra’s sparkling eyes.
The way her gaze, which had been demurely appraising him, suddenly changed when he revealed his name was quite impressive. It was interesting how she tried to confirm work-related matters regardless of the place.
“She was a woman with remarkable passion.”
Hye Rim, who had been sprawled on the bed, agreed with Min Woo’s words as she got up and put on her robe.
“I’ll admit that. She single-handedly elevated the unremarkable Songlim to that position. Well, it wasn’t just her ability alone. But still, CEO Baek Jin Ho could never have done it by himself, so I acknowledge her skills.”
“That’s why I’m thinking of accepting this offer.”
At Min Woo’s words, Hye Rim sat on his lap and kissed him.
“You’re going to contract with Songlim?”
“IF contracted too, so there’s no reason I can’t.”
As Min Woo, who had been deeply sharing breaths, slipped his hand between the folds of her robe, Hye Rim’s lips moved away with an excited breath.
“Haa, so who is it?”
“Violinist Yun Ga Eun.”
Min Woo answered flatly as he caressed Hye Rim’s delicate skin. Feeling the heat rising in her body, Hye Rim licked her lips.
“Ah, the sensual performer. I was going to sign her, but you beat me to it, I guess.”
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
“Ah, I want to go to Korea.”
Min Woo, who had been burying his face in Hye Rim’s chest, looked up.
“Suddenly?”
“Yeah, I suddenly want to eat home-style Korean meals.”
Min Woo had immigrated to the United States at the age of 10. Since then, he had never visited Korea personally.
So he didn’t know exactly what Hye Rim meant by home-style Korean meals. On the other hand, Hye Rim had come to study abroad after turning 20, and she visited Korea regularly for various reasons, both personal and professional.
In recent years, she had been unable to go to Korea due to busy work and expressed her nostalgia by mentioning all sorts of Korean foods.
She would list off familiar dishes like samgyeopsal, bibimbap, or even common ramyeon, expressing her homesickness. Every time, they would seek out Korean restaurants, but each time she would complain that it wasn’t quite the same taste.
Min Woo, having immigrated at a young age, preferred local American food to Korean cuisine. But it seemed Hye Rim was different. Min Woo chuckled, thinking she must really miss Korean food.
“What’s with that randomness?”
“If you can’t reach me, assume I’ve gone to Korea.”
Smack. Hye Rim’s brief kiss that touched and left was excessively sweet. Min Woo gently bit Hye Rim’s softly curved lips.
“To eat home-style Korean meals?”
“Maybe?”
Hye Rim’s giggling laughter soon turned into heated breaths. The movements, unchanged from their intense entanglement earlier, continued by the darkened window, oblivious to the passing of time.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
