A Light Contract (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“How do I look?”
“That kind of look probably did seem nice. Our Yura really is cool when she’s working. But I’m casting one vote saying there’s no affection in it.”
“Ugh.”
Still, Yoo Gun’s words amused him—he’d always prided himself on knowing Lee Hyun well, given their long friendship.
Lee Hyun himself couldn’t precisely define his feelings toward Jin Yoo Ra.
It wasn’t the kind of resolved emotion like ‘liking’ or ‘loving’ her. He’d simply noticed her because she was his friend’s younger sister, and ended up getting to know her unintentionally through Yoo Gun’s over-the-top behavior. That was definitely how it started.
It was also true that he paid more attention to her because she had a personality similar to his own, so he’d watched over her discreetly and offered appropriate kindness to maintain their relationship.
That relationship began to shift the moment he saw Jin Yoo Ra start dating a man named Oh Se Jin.
Right around the time his thoughts about Yura grew deeper, Yoo Gun asked him curiously,
“But seriously, what exactly made you decide to get married?”
Lee Hyun had only a limited answer to give Yoo Gun, who seemed to expect some profound definition of this marriage.
He kept getting bothered by this unfamiliar side of Jin Yoo Ra. Though he wasn’t particularly interested in marriage, he’d thought that if he ever had to marry someday, Jin Yoo Ra wouldn’t be a bad choice.
Then Oh Se Jin appeared, becoming the spark—and Lee Hyun needed a convenient excuse to continue this ‘not-bad’ arrangement. So he chose a very light, contractual agreement.
It might seem superficially casual, but Lee Hyun himself hadn’t yet decided whether the ending of this arrangement would be equally light. Therefore, the only answer he could give Yoo Gun was a simple one:
“I have to get married sometime too.”
“Are you using Yura?”
Lee Hyun wanted to applaud Yoo Gun for his newfound perceptiveness. He’d always been clueless—especially about his sister—but this time his intuition was dead-on.
“Using” someone required each party to have a clear purpose. In this contract, the person with a definite objective was probably Jin Yoo Ra.
She needed to get rid of Oh Se Jin, and marrying Yura seemed like the most logical solution to avoid Jin Kang Soo’s marriage pressure—so she must have proposed it.
“If anyone’s doing the ‘using,’ it’s Jin Yoo Ra.”
“That makes sense.”
Yoo Gun was completely baffled by Baek Lee Hyun’s true intentions. He wasn’t someone in a hurry to marry, nor had he ever shown any interest in it. Yet, Yoo Gun couldn’t shake the feeling that Baek Lee Hyun was sacrificing himself for Yura’s sake—and that left an uneasy feeling.
Baek Lee Hyun was absolutely not the type to sacrifice himself for someone else.
There had to be a clear reason why he needed this marriage to happen, but since Yoo Gun couldn’t figure out what it was, he was frustrated. Of course, if that reason ultimately made Yura happy, he could probably turn a blind eye.
Moreover, having known Baek Lee Hyun for so long, he knew the man wasn’t the type to gain advantage by harming others—so he decided to tolerate this mysterious motive. Unless, of course, it led to Yura’s unhappiness—then things would be different.
“Baek Lee Hyun.”
“What?”
“Even though you’re cold and seem emotionally distant, I think you’re a decent guy. Honestly, you’re probably a better match for her than just any random guy. But just in case—”
Compared to the eldest son of Dongho Industry, whom Kang Soo had in mind, Baek Lee Hyun actually seemed more human—so he genuinely thought Yura was better off with him.
“If you ever make Jin Yoo Ra cry, I’ll kill you myself.”
Yoo Gun couldn’t possibly tolerate anyone who made Yura unhappy.
Yura was beautiful and intelligent—she’d always had her parents’ love and support—but she was undoubtedly more capable of steering the family legacy than he was. Yet, because their parents only ever focused on their son, she’d lived her entire life feeling suppressed.
All he could do for her was stand firmly on her side, protect her, and appropriately shield her from their parents’ criticism. That’s why he wished more than anything for her to find happiness once she stepped out of this household.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’m not joking.”
“Since when did Jin Yoo Ra become the type of woman who cries over someone?”
Yoo Gun couldn’t easily answer Lee Hyun’s question.
Just because she rarely cried didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt. Because she never showed her wounds, they might be festering even more deeply inside. All he truly believed in was Yura’s resilient spirit—her ability to withstand any injury without easily showing pain.
“…No.”
So perhaps Jin Yoo Ra would never cry because of someone else.
[This is the timeline separator]After arriving at work, Yura had been completely immersed in her tasks—until just now, when her focus started slipping. All wedding preparations had wrapped up smoothly, and with the ceremony fast approaching, Yura realized she could no longer delay.
She’d been told by Lee Hyun that the wedding would be strictly private, and that her name or photos wouldn’t appear in any news articles.
So for now, rumors about her wouldn’t spread through the office. Still, she’d have to take a honeymoon trip after the wedding, and she needed to clearly inform her team about this upcoming absence.
Just a few days away wouldn’t paralyze the planning team. Yura managed everything openly with her team, ensuring work could continue smoothly even if someone was absent.
If anyone needed to step away for personal reasons, their colleagues could fill in without difficulty. Of course, one person’s absence inevitably meant the rest would shoulder slightly heavier workloads.
Therefore, while Yura was away on her honeymoon, her coworkers would need to review and manage additional tasks—and stay alert in case anything unexpected happened.
Keeping that in mind, Yura decided to make an official announcement before it got any later.
As lunchtime approached, Yura stepped out of her office and cleared her throat while glancing at her busy employees. All eyes instantly turned toward her.
“You’ve all been extremely busy lately, right?”
“Well, when have we ever not been busy?”
Team Leader Jung chuckled, as if it were obvious. Yura took a small breath and spoke carefully.
“I think our team, at least, should know.”
Seeing Yura’s unusually flushed expression, Sung Hoon voiced his concern first—and soon everyone else followed.
“Did something go wrong with the performance?”
“Did someone back out?”
“Please don’t tell me we have to redo the whole plan?”
Faced with their anxious questions, Yura offered an awkward smile.
“It’s just that… I’m getting married soon.”
“Oh—wait, what? Married… really?”
Team Leader Jung, who’d initially sighed in relief that it wasn’t about the performance, suddenly squeaked in shock. Instantly, the team’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Team Leader… you’re getting married?”
“No way—you were dating someone? When? How could we not know?”
Watching her team marvel less at her engagement and more at the fact that she’d been secretly dating at all, Yura scratched her head sheepishly.
She’d long been labeled a workaholic, so their stunned reaction was understandable. But she didn’t feel like explaining that there hadn’t been any romance leading to this marriage.
She didn’t want to reveal personal details like who she was dating or when—it felt more accurate to say she couldn’t reveal them.
After all, sharing that would be like announcing upfront that they’d divorce two years after marrying. It was that deeply private.
She didn’t want to lie to her loyal team, but she also had no intention of discussing her private life.
Since the only relevant issue was the temporary absence caused by her marriage, she chose to state just that and stay silent on everything else.
“Haha… well, it just worked out that way. The wedding—”
“Please all come to celebrate with me. Oh, and don’t worry about congratulatory money—I won’t be accepting any.”
Just as Yura began speaking about the wedding with an awkward smile, the planning office door swung open. A familiar voice cut her off—and dropped a bombshell. Or rather, the mere presence of the person was the bombshell.
“D-Deputy Director!”
The team members leaped to their feet in shock at Lee Hyun’s sudden arrival. Yura frowned as she watched him walk casually toward her.
This appearance hadn’t been discussed beforehand—not the timing, not the words. She was deeply displeased that he’d so freely announced her personal affair like this. She never intended to reveal her spouse’s identity or her family background to her team.
Lee Hyun approached naturally and, as if it were perfectly normal, took the seat beside her, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. Yura narrowed her eyes at the gesture.
“Please don’t just do whatever you want.”
“They’ve been your colleagues for a long time—they deserve to congratulate you.”
Yura glanced at her dazed team and gave a small bow.
“Excuse me for just a moment.”
She quickly grabbed Lee Hyun and disappeared into the team leader’s office—leaving the planning team in stunned silence for a while. Soon after, Eun Young’s exclamation broke the quiet, and the team gathered in small groups.
“Whoa, whoa—this is insane!”
“I’ve never seen Deputy Director Baek Lee Hyun in person before—only on the news. Wow, I’m freaking out.”
“Right? That face—ugh, my heart’s racing!”
As Eun Young and Ji Hye gushed over Lee Hyun’s looks, Sung Hoon joined in.
“It’s not just his face—his charisma is unreal.”
“You think just anyone can become CH’s Deputy Director?”
“So our Team Leader must be from some super prestigious family.”
With Baek Lee Hyun’s appearance confirming Yura’s fiancé, her true identity suddenly became crystal clear.
“Makes sense—you really think CH would let her marry just anybody?”
“Oh—so it’s an arranged marriage?”
“Probably. But then again, looking at Deputy Director Baek’s face… maybe not entirely arranged?”
When Eun Young emphasized the arranged aspect, Team Leader Jung voiced doubt, drawing everyone’s attention.
“The few times I went to CH about the performance issue, his gaze was so icy it made it hard to breathe. People even said he never smiled—always sharp as a blade.”
“Really? Wow, why waste that face like that?”
“But did you see how he looked at our Team Leader just now?”
“Yeah, I saw! Total honey-dripping eyes!”
“Exactly.”
The team subtly glanced toward the team leader’s office. Though the dark gray blinds blocked the view completely, it felt as if they could clearly see the two inside.
“Our Team Leader never gave off that kind of vibe—when on earth did they even start dating?”
“Must’ve been a secret relationship. Since Songrim is a CH subsidiary, if anyone found out, it would’ve caused talk.”
“So that’s why our Team Leader never cowered in front of the CEO!”
“Exactly.”
The team nodded in realization, finally understanding the source of Yura’s confident attitude toward the CEO all this time.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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