A Light Contract - Chapter 38

It was well past dinner time when Lee Hyun finally returned home. He searched for traces of Yu Ra on his parents’ faces as they stood in front of the entrance.

“Where’s Yu Ra?”

“In your room on the second floor. How did it go?”

In response to Mi Hee’s worried question, Lee Hyun spoke as if it were obvious.

“It’s a false report.”

“I know that. Yu Ra’s not the type to do such a thing.”

“Yes, she’s definitely not that kind of person.”

That’s right, Yu Ra is definitely not that kind of person. At the very least, he knew what her true feelings were towards Oh Se Jin.

That fake article wasn’t the problem. He was worried that Yu Ra might get hurt by people’s stares because of that article.

“The article has already spread as much as it can, is there a way to fix this?”

“We’re working on taking down the article for now, but since it’s already spread, there’s a lot of talk.”

Lee Hyun felt frustrated that he couldn’t give a satisfying answer to his father’s question.

“So if things stay like this, Yu Ra will get hurt.”

Mi Hee chimed in with a worried face.

No matter how strong Yu Ra was, she couldn’t be strong to her core. Lee Hyun was having trouble containing his boiling anger.

But how much worse must it be for the person involved? He was so furious he wanted to drown Se Jin somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

It was only because Yu Ra’s words to live morally remained like a conviction that he didn’t actually carry it out. So he planned to make him pay in his own way.

Timing is crucial with scandals like this. Quickly publishing a rebuttal article and taking legal action is the common method.

However, articles asserting completely different stances are a shortcut to a mud-slinging fight. Regardless of the outcome, the process could leave even more devastating scars on Yu Ra.

So Lee Hyun devised a completely different strategy. He had been busy all day for the perfect scenario, and the desired results would soon come.

To subdue the struggles of a dirty beast, you must trap it in a tightly woven cage from which it can never escape. So there was no need to act rashly and ruin things.

“It will be resolved soon. Don’t worry too much, both of you.”

“Alright, go on up then.”

He could tell from their expressions and eyes alone the unwavering trust his parents had in him.

His parents were people who could view Yu Ra, whom he had chosen, with the same heart. So he hoped Jin Yu Ra could find some stability under these gazes and protection.

The utter silence on his way to the second floor made Lee Hyun uneasy.

She wasn’t the type to be easily shaken or broken, so he wasn’t too worried. Still, she couldn’t be indifferent to such a scandal, and he was quite concerned that she might be crying alone.

After hesitating for a while in front of the door, Lee Hyun knocked twice and opened it. Yu Ra, who had been curled up on the bed, raised her head with a somewhat dazed look.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

Yu Ra’s blank stare into space was unfamiliar. She had always been confident in any situation, shining like sunlight. It was unpleasant and disgusting that someone like Oh Se Jin was trying to take away that light.

“Did you get some sleep?”

“Sleep is for nighttime.”

Yu Ra chuckled at the out-of-place sleep talk and sat up. Lee Hyun was thinking whether he should get her some clothes when he suddenly grabbed her chin and met her eyes.

Startled, Yu Ra backed away and asked.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“You……”

Yu Ra flinched at Lee Hyun’s sharp tone. Unable to keep up with Lee Hyun’s sudden change in mood, she blinked her clear eyes, causing deep wrinkles to form between his brows.

“What happened to your face?”

“My face?”

“Who did this?”

Yu Ra quickly removed Lee Hyun’s hand at the chilling and threatening question.

She had used an ice pack and thought Mi Hee hadn’t noticed, but it was a mistake. She belatedly regretted that she should have done something instead of being absentmindedly lost in thought.

“It’s nothing.”

“I asked who did it.”

Yu Ra tried to change the subject, acting as if it wasn’t a big deal, to divert Lee Hyun’s persistent inquiries. But it didn’t work on him.

“It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, the arti-!”

“It was your father, wasn’t it?”

“Huh?”

Yu Ra’s eyes widened at Lee Hyun’s resolute statement. How much did he know? The treatment she usually received, the parts she didn’t want him to see – perhaps Lee Hyun knew it all.

Before Yu Ra’s ominous feeling could fully emerge, Lee Hyun turned to leave. Yu Ra urgently grabbed his arm.

“Wh-where are you going!”

A gloomy darkness had settled on Lee Hyun’s face as he turned his head. Yu Ra felt anxious, as if something terrible was about to happen.

If Lee Hyun confronted her father now, the words he would hear would be ‘adulteress’. Whether Lee Hyun thought the same or not, she didn’t know, but at least she didn’t want him to hear those words from her parents. She wanted to prevent that at all costs.

“Don’t. Don’t do it, elder brother.”

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

Yu Ra couldn’t gauge what Lee Hyun would do. What mattered to Yu Ra now wasn’t what he would do, but what her father would say.

She didn’t want him to know how those damn parents viewed her. Maybe she was afraid of hearing from Lee Hyun that he had expected as much.

“I dropped a bomb. The house will be in chaos now.”

“What kind of bomb?”

“Just something.”

Yu Ra couldn’t bring herself to say she had cut ties. It felt like if she did, she would have to explain why such words had to be said. In the end, it was back to square one. So keeping her mouth shut till the end was the best option.

Lee Hyun remained silent for a long time, as if waiting for an answer. Yu Ra also kept her mouth tightly shut, and a quiet stillness settled in the bedroom.

After a while, Lee Hyun spoke first with a long sigh.

“You’re going to keep your mouth shut till the end, right? You won’t say anything no matter what I say, right?”

Yu Ra just clung to Lee Hyun’s clothes, unable to even lift her head. What could she say? She wished no one knew about everything that happened today. Especially Lee Hyun – she hoped he would never know, even until death, no, even after death.

“Can’t you just pretend you don’t know and let it go? Please.”

Lee Hyun felt like his patience was about to snap at Yu Ra’s tearful voice.

‘If that were possible, I wouldn’t have assigned someone to you.’

When Lee Hyun received a call from the bodyguard he had assigned to Yu Ra saying she was heading to her family home, he immediately contacted Yu Gun.

He wanted to rush over right away, but he had to stabilize the atmosphere at the company, which was in turmoil due to the article. And he was busy preparing countermeasures. So he asked to bring Yu Ra to his family home when she arrived.

If he had known her face would end up like that, he would have gone himself instead of making such a request. He felt deep self-reproach for his misjudgment.

To Jin Kang Su, Jin Yu Ra was just a useless girl. He was a man steeped in son preference ideology and to the bone a patriarchal man. The treatment Yu Ra would have received from such a father was obvious without seeing it.

There had been no physical violence until now, but the thought that he had finally hit rock bottom made his insides twist. Lee Hyun suppressed his emotions, unable to press Yu Ra further as she endured everything.

“Alright.”

Yu Ra felt relieved at the reluctant-sounding answer.

“What happened with the article?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”

How could she not worry when it was about her? Following Lee Hyun as he headed to the dressing room, Yu Ra spoke in a very cowed voice.

“How can I not worry? This happened because of me.”

Lee Hyun was taking off his clothes without any response.

Yu Ra cautiously mentioned something she had been thinking about in Lee Hyun’s bedroom.

“Since the controversy arose because of me, I’ll compensate for the damages.”

Yu Ra stood quietly, as if waiting for Lee Hyun’s decision. When they made the contract, the matter of Oh Se Jin was discussed, but separately, they had agreed that if problems arose with another man, she would compensate for the resulting damages.

She had boldly agreed because she had no intention of creating another man in her life. Even though it was a marriage by contract, she wasn’t unethical enough to commit such an immoral act.

Whether it was an obligation or a contract, she clearly knew that having an affair after getting married was not right behavior. She just didn’t expect such an unfortunate incident to happen with Oh Se Jin, whom she had considered separate.

“Right, do it. Compensate for the damages.”

Somehow Yu Ra felt like there was a hint of amusement in Lee Hyun’s voice, but she thought it was just her imagination. This wasn’t something to be amused about right now. Maybe it was mockery. She didn’t want to confirm which it was.

Yu Ra, remembering that she hadn’t discussed the details of compensation at the time, wanted to confirm the requirements.

“What should I do?”

As she raised her head to have this important conversation face-to-face, Yu Ra’s eyes lost their way and wandered.

Lee Hyun, who had taken off even his dress shirt, had angry muscles quivering on his shoulder blades. Moreover, the nail marks she had left during their recent passionate act were still there, which startled her.

Why was she conscious of those traces even in this atmosphere? Yu Ra lowered her head again to hide her flushing face.

“Let’s settle this matter first. And then I’ll receive it. Properly.”

“Okay.”

As Yu Ra was leaving the dressing room almost like she was fleeing, he quietly asked.

“Dinner?”

“I’ve already eaten.”

“I’ll take a shower and come out.”

“Okay.”

As Lee Hyun entered the bathroom adjoining the dressing room, Yu Ra took a seat on the sofa by the window.

Solar garden lights placed throughout the garden were pushing back the darkness with their light. Yu Ra stared at a secluded spot where that light didn’t reach.

Somehow, that darkness felt like her place, to the point where her self-esteem was hitting rock bottom.

Lee Hyun’s cold and chilling face seemed to represent all emotions. Really, did he believe that article too? The truth she was too scared to ask was making Yu Ra’s head spin.

Moreover, the firmly uttered mention of compensation made Yu Ra even more bitter.

“Divorce… I guess.”

She considered it the natural course of action. However, divorcing in this situation would be like admitting to the article, which would damage the group’s image. So Lee Hyun would probably say to do it after resolving this issue.

Yu Ra’s mind was already imagining life after divorce. Since she had declared she would cut ties with her father, she couldn’t return to her family home. No, she had no intention of going back in the first place.

She was thinking about looking for ways to go abroad while proceeding with the divorce when she remembered something she had forgotten.

“Ah, alimony.”

Lee Hyun had said he would provide a hefty alimony when they divorced in two years. But Yu Ra didn’t like it because it made her seem like she married just for money. If that were the case, she thought it would be better to help Yu Gun and receive those benefits without such a label attached.

However, in a situation where she was responsible for the divorce, she was in a position to pay alimony rather than receive it.

“I have to pay it.”

Yu Ra recalled the funds she currently had.

“Savings account, security deposit, and what else?”

The savings account she had been steadily contributing to was about to mature. And when she set up her newlywed home in Lee Hyun’s house, she had withdrawn the security deposit from the officetel where she used to live.

Other than that, the only thing that could be a substantial sum was the severance pay from her five years of hard work. She guessed it was quite a large sum, but again felt at a loss.

“Will I… be able to keep working at the company?”

She wondered what would happen to the company with this disaster. She could certainly continue working there proudly, but if rumors spread that she had a scandal with the artist she was in charge of, it might become difficult for Yu Ra to propose performances.

Then would it be possible to find employment abroad? It felt like the past five years of steady success were crumbling in an instant. Everything seemed hopeless, as if trapped in a dark maze with no exit.

“Haah……”