A Light Contract - Chapter 46

Lee Hyun, who left work earlier than usual, felt a strange excitement when he saw his mother and Yu Ra welcoming him at the front door. The thought briefly crossed his mind that this feeling wasn’t so bad.

His mother was quite talkative. She was also good at subtly making assumptions and scratching people’s nerves, so conversations with her often ended up twisting one’s mood for no reason.

Still, because she was his mother, he couldn’t particularly scold her or treat her cynically. The reason he moved out of the family home was because he felt he didn’t match with his mother, to the extent that her influence accounted for 80% of his decision.

The sight of Yu Ra welcoming him along with such a mother seemed so natural, as if it had been that way for a long time.

It was a scene he had glimpsed occasionally at his family home, but Yu Ra smiled and conversed well with his mother. He felt that with Yu Ra, he might be able to listen to his mother’s stories.

“You’re home?”

“What brings you back so early?”

“You told me to come early.”

Yu Ra held back a laugh as she listened to the calm conversation between mother and son. They were two people who resembled each other a lot, even if it didn’t seem so.

Even as they spoke indifferently, there was a hint of affection in their eyes. Yu Ra wondered if the warmth Lee Hyun occasionally showed might have originated from his mother.

The sight of Mi Hee, with an atmosphere different from her own mother, tickled a corner of her heart more and more as she watched.

Baek Lee Hyun was already so good, and now the thought of liking her in-laws as well was disconcerting. She didn’t know that the fact it couldn’t be forever would gnaw at a person’s heart like this.

“Go change your clothes. Dinner is almost ready.”

As she watched Lee Hyun, who lightly bowed his head and headed to the second floor, Mi Hee nudged Yu Ra’s back from the side.

“He came home early to see you. Go follow him.”

“No, I should help with dinner.”

“The lady and I will do it. Go on.”

At Mi Hee’s urging, Yu Ra reluctantly followed Lee Hyun.

When she opened the door, she saw Lee Hyun loosening his tie. Yu Ra naturally took the tie he had undone.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Just, feeling awkward.”

Lee Hyun chuckled and asked as he unbuttoned his shirt.

“Isn’t it inconvenient being cramped? With only one bathroom and dressing room.”

Yu Ra shrugged, thinking he was fussing over nothing. When they first set up their newlywed home, she felt like going crazy from the awkwardness, beyond embarrassment, of changing clothes or being seen by Lee Hyun after showering.

Even though it was a space Lee Hyun decided on, she was so grateful for the separate bathrooms and dressing rooms.

But after staying at the family home for a few days, she didn’t feel any particular inconvenience using the single bathroom and dressing room. This was because Lee Hyun would wake up before Yu Ra and finish all his preparations.

Moreover, he moved as if it was natural to avoid her by going downstairs when she woke up and started moving, thinking it would be uncomfortable for her. So if anyone was inconvenienced, it would be Lee Hyun rather than herself.

“It’s not me who’s inconvenienced, but you, elder brother. Waking up early every day and finishing all your preparations.”

“That’s my usual wake-up time. You just didn’t know.”

Thinking about it, even in their newlywed home, Lee Hyun was always either up first and finished with his work preparations, or already gone.

Things she had dismissed as unimportant, thinking he must really like his work, now seemed like they might have been considerations for her.

Yu Ra chuckled, thinking ‘delusion is a disease too’ as she took his suit jacket and headed to the dressing room.

After organizing his clothes, Yu Ra hurried to the kitchen, leaving a message for him to come down quickly. Her steps quickened at the thought that she should help his mother soon.

A moment later, the four family members sat facing each other at the table filled with food.

Mi Hee pushed forward the things Yu Ra liked, insisting she eat a lot. Watching this scene, Hyun Tae asked Lee Hyun in a worried voice.

“What’s going to happen to that pianist now?”

“She won’t survive in this industry anymore.”

Yu Ra, picking up some bulgogi that showcased the perfect balance of sweet and salty, was reminded of the unsettling Ju Hye Rim she had read about in the news. She asked Lee Hyun about what she had learned.

“It seems IF Management has been cleaning up everything so far, but won’t it just fizzle out again?”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t blow it up so carelessly.”

In less than a day, the endlessly emerging news was not something that could be hushed up with money or power. And the ripple effects seemed to be gradually reaching IF Management as well.

It was inevitable, with testimonies coming out that they had instigated disadvantages in the industry and silenced people with money, art centers were quickly distancing themselves.

Of course, Song Rim had boasted that they would terminate the contract, but that remained to be seen.

“Right, you would have handled it well.”

At Hyun Tae’s words expressing strong faith in Lee Hyun, Yu Ra decided to set aside her worries too. As the meal resumed busily, a plate of braised ribs was gently pushed towards Yu Ra.

“Sweetie, there were no problems at the company, right?”

Yu Ra’s nose tingled at Hyun Tae’s affectionate question.

“No, there were no problems at all.”

“Good. As long as you’re okay, everything’s fine.”

“I’m sorry for causing worry.”

“There you go again. Come on, let’s eat.”

It was concern and comfort she had never heard from her own father. Yu Ra felt she would have to try hard to rein in her heart that kept growing greedy.

Yu Ra regretted getting married for the first time as she forced herself to eat.

Does Baek Lee Hyun know? If she had known his parents were such warm and affectionate people, she wouldn’t have agreed to this contract marriage. How could she not give her heart to such people, how could she part without lingering attachment?

More than her love for Baek Lee Hyun, she worried about two years from now, unable to forget this warmth.

After finishing dinner, Yu Ra came up to the second floor and stared blankly out the window.

Apart from gauging her separation from Baek Lee Hyun, Oh Se Jin’s matter kept bothering her. Although it was said to be difficult to easily overturn the flow of the situation, Ju Hye Rim’s appearance was unsettling.

What did Lee Hyun talk about with Ju Hye Rim? Why did Hye Rim come to Lee Hyun instead of Oh Se Jin? Questions kept piling up, making Yu Ra’s head spin.

“What’s wrong?”

Along with Lee Hyun’s low voice, a warm hand touched Yu Ra’s shoulder.

“Just wondering if this is really the end.”

“It is. There’s nothing more that can be done.”

“Then that’s good.”

There were other things she wanted to ask, but Yu Ra couldn’t bring herself to. She felt he would harshly shut her down, saying she didn’t need to know, that it wasn’t her business. It wasn’t Lee Hyun’s silence she feared, but facing his cold, cynical gaze.

As her feelings kept deepening, even Lee Hyun’s usual demeanor started to sting her heart.

Although he was naturally composed and unemotional, lately she couldn’t help feeling hurt by it. She wondered if he couldn’t be a little more affectionate, and disliked herself for trying to attach meaning to his sudden shows of concern and care, even knowing they were just for show.

“I’ll be late for a while due to work.”

“Well, you were always busy anyway.”

“That’s true.”

It was things like this that confused her. He wasn’t someone who used to tell her when he’d be late, so why was he suddenly saying such things? Lee Hyun’s unexpected kindness unsettled her heart.

As she repeatedly told herself not to foolishly pine by attaching unnecessary meaning, Lee Hyun made an unexpected suggestion.

“When things settle down a bit, shall we go on a trip?”

At Lee Hyun’s mention of a trip, Yu Ra was reminded of their recent honeymoon destination. Though barely two weeks had passed, it felt as distant as if several months had gone by.

The breaking sunlight and Baek Lee Hyun’s bright smile felt like a dream. She wished she had looked more closely then without grumbling, wished she had at least asked him to smile more. That sight, which she might never see again, created a deep longing.

Yu Ra wanted to go back there right away to see that Lee Hyun again, but she knew it was just greed.

Not only was he busier with Oh Se Jin’s matter, but he had always been a busy person. She didn’t want to force him to make time unnecessarily, and it was clear that Yu Ra’s work would also increase immediately, leaving no room for a break.

“What trip? With Oh Se Jin’s performance falling through, I’ll be busy replacing it with other performances from now on.”

“Oh dear.”

As Lee Hyun sighed, they really were in a crisis. At this rate, there would be problems with the second half of the year’s performances.

Oh Se Jin’s performance was planned as a long-term series spanning several months, with performances by a few other artists interspersed during the gaps.

Not only was it impossible to find an artist capable of long-term performances right away, but they also couldn’t find artists for the year-end performances. Time was already rushing towards the end of April, but there was little progress on what had been planned.

As she sighed deeply under the pressure of the incoming performances, Lee Hyun gently gripped her nape and nuzzled her cheek. Yu Ra raised her head, wondering what was wrong, and was startled.

Lee Hyun’s eyes, tinged with heat, had grown darker. A danger signal immediately went off in Yu Ra’s head.

“What, what’s wrong?”

“Compensation.”

“What?”

“I didn’t get it all.”

Yu Ra blinked in disbelief. The intense heat that had occurred in the private space of the office came to mind, making her face flush.

Unconsciously, she avoided Lee Hyun’s sticky gaze. And this place felt more embarrassing and shameful than the office. What an outrageous act this was, not being alone but at her in-laws’ house.

“Are you crazy? Your parents are downstairs.”

This really felt like doing something bad behind the parents’ backs. Even though they were strictly adults and even married, so no one could interfere, a sense of guilt washed over her for no reason.

Yu Ra shook her head vigorously, strongly expressing that it wasn’t okay. However, Lee Hyun didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

His arm, hard as stone, wrapped around Yu Ra’s waist and pulled her close, leaving no gap between them. As Yu Ra gasped in shock, Lee Hyun’s mischievous whisper penetrated her ear.

“Yes, so you’ll have to be quiet.”

Then Lee Hyun bit down on her nape in one swift motion.

A short scream burst out involuntarily.

“Ah!”

“Shh.”

Lee Hyun raised his index finger and pressed it firmly on Yu Ra’s lips. Then he gently stroked her heavily heaving shoulders. Yu Ra bit her lip and glared at Lee Hyun.

“Really, you damn fox.”

“Kuk.”

Lee Hyun’s low, playful laughter tickled her ears. There was no way to beat Baek Lee Hyun, who was so provocative and wicked it gave her goosebumps.

Even though Yu Ra felt it was dangerous, it also felt stimulating, so she couldn’t push Lee Hyun away. As she grabbed his collar with trembling hands, Lee Hyun devoured her lips in one breath.

Yu Ra’s legs wobbled at the threatening force that seemed to say he had held back a lot.

Lee Hyun wrapped her waist even more tightly and persistently savored her lips. Along with a faint mint scent, his breath filled her, and an intense heat rose.

Yu Ra decided to focus on feeling Lee Hyun while she could. She didn’t want to miss out on this happiness and excitement because of anxiety about when it might end.

At least for now, Lee Hyun clearly wanted her, so she wished to hold onto at least that much.