Hee Won fell deep in thought at Kang Woo’s question.

If she refused his proposal, it was obvious her father would sell her off to someone who would benefit the company.

The other person would be different from Kang Woo. Perhaps they wouldn’t be gentlemanly and would only see her as a means of desire, or if she was sold into remarriage with a large age gap, she might have to endure domestic violence for life like the rumors circulating about some group’s madam.

To President Seong, she was just a commodity. He wouldn’t care about his daughter’s unhappy life after marriage.

He was the type to think it was over once he got a good price.

“So let’s not waste each other’s time.”

Though they hadn’t known each other long, in that sense, Kang Woo was someone who made her feel inexplicably at ease.

Moreover, since they had spent a night together, it was fortunate to know his sexual preferences were normal.

She thought it would be okay to share a bed with him during their married life.

“Didn’t Seong Hee Won and I match well in other aspects too? Didn’t you spend that night with me because you liked me quite a bit?”

“Th-that’s.”

And like a lie, Kang Woo was thinking the same thing.

“I think Seong Hee Won and I will match well. I won’t speak at length. Exactly 3 years. When the succession is perfectly complete, my father will retire. I’m looking at that period as 3 years. If I become chairman before 3 years, the contract with Seong Hee Won ends. During that time, you can live freely, away from the existence you wanted to escape. How about it?”

Hee Won somehow couldn’t answer.

The contract marriage Kang Woo spoke of was advantageous to both him and herself.

It would be easy to separate when divorcing, and receiving alimony wasn’t bad for starting a new life.

But it felt strange.

She should be happy about Kang Woo’s proposal giving her a chance to escape that house, but instead she felt disappointed.

Hee Won carefully considered the meaning of this emotion. And she realized the reason for her disappointment was, laughably, because she had felt human warmth for the first time from him after spending just one night together.

But now wasn’t the time for that. As she thought she couldn’t ruin her future swayed by mere emotion, her reason that she had almost lost returned.

Hee Won shook her head vigorously to shake off the remaining distracting thoughts.

The reason she had been able to grow up normally despite living a tumultuous life so far was because she was good at quickly giving up and grasping the situation.

She knew well that this choice would greatly determine the rest of her life.

Whether the future would become hell or heaven or somewhere in between depended on her hands right now.

So what she needed to do now was quickly organize her emotions and think and judge coldly.

As Hee Won organized her thoughts, a brief silence fell between the two.

Kang Woo’s expression darkened at her response. But he didn’t rush her.

And after a moment, Kang Woo spoke.

“May I sit next to you, Hee Won?”

“…Yes?”

Hee Won stared blankly at Kang Woo, unable to answer the sudden proposal.

Seeing her like that, he smiled slightly and spoke once more.

“I have something I want to give you.”

Hee Won then realized Kang Woo’s intention and nodded.

What Kang Woo took out after sitting next to her was a small square sky blue box that fit in one hand.

“…”

Hee Won was just bewildered, as if she didn’t know what Kang Woo was trying to do.

Kang Woo, who had placed the box on the table, silently took Hee Won’s left hand and placed it on his palm. Touching the fourth finger of her left hand, he said:

“If you accept the marriage and don’t find it burdensome, I’d like to put this ring on your finger.”

“…A ring?”

At Kang Woo’s words, Hee Won’s eyes shook roughly.

“Yes. I thought you should receive a ring from the man you’re marrying, even if it’s a contract marriage. Plus, there will be marriage articles, so I prepared it thinking you might not feel good.”

Kang Woo was being considerate and thoughtful of her to the extent of preparing a ring for a loveless contract marriage.

And for someone like him to propose marriage to her was a great fortune for Hee Won. She might have been sold off to a scoundrel and lived like a plaything. So for Hee Won, there was no other choice but to accept this marriage even if Kang Woo had just verbally proposed.

Because marriage to him was the only escape route from her terrible family.

But today was a strange day.

Everything was going as she wanted, but she couldn’t smile at the sight of the sparkling ring from a famous brand she knew was indifferent to the luxury Kang Woo offered.

As thoughts multiplied, she considered the what-ifs. Useless assumptions like who this ring would have gone to if she had refused swirled in her head.

Had he expected she would naturally accept this marriage, or even if she had refused, would this ring not have been put on someone else’s finger – it was because of such unworthy greed.

Who would this ring have gone to if she had refused?

Kang Woo, who had been quietly observing Hee Won’s changing expressions, squeezed her hand and said:

“Don’t think about anything else, let’s just think about what you and I will gain from this married life right now.”

“…”

“How about it? I won’t have to hear any more talk about getting married, and you’ll gain your freedom.”

Kang Woo stopped speaking and met Hee Won’s eyes. Then he nodded slightly and continued.

“That we’re getting married for each other’s freedom, that is.”

At Kang Woo’s words, the distracting thoughts in Hee Won’s mind disappeared and she came to her senses.

There was no choice to be made foolishly.

If Kang Woo had misunderstood her reaction and said to forget about the marriage.

Realizing she had almost missed a golden opportunity because of personal emotions, Hee Won felt dizzy.

The reason for marrying Kang Woo wasn’t for happiness or anything like that.

It was solely to gain freedom.

“I’ll marry you.”

At Hee Won’s confident answer, Kang Woo’s stiff expression finally relaxed completely.

“Thank you for deciding.”

Kang Woo, who had been gazing intently at Hee Won, said:

“We should talk about our married life in advance.”

“Married life?”

“Yes. The conditions under which you and I must live like a real couple.”

“A real couple?”

“Yes. That you and I are a contract couple is a secret only we know. So like a real couple, understand?”

It was a fake couple. Just pretending to be truly in love. But Hee Won, not understanding why they had to live like a real couple, looked at Kang Woo with eyes that said she didn’t know what he meant.

“I won’t force myself on you even if we share a bedroom. On the other hand, if you want me, then…”

“S-stop!”

That’s what Kang Woo meant by a real couple.

“Is it okay to do that in a contract marriage?”

Hee Won asked, pretending not to be flustered even though she was.

“Why not? Didn’t you and I do it without even knowing each other’s names?”

Kang Woo said as he brushed Hee Won’s white cheek with his long fingers.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“…”

“Our married life.”

Was he originally this kind of man?

He seemed very businesslike and blunt.

Certainly, until they spent that one night together, that was her impression of him.

Hee Won stared at Kang Woo’s face. It was difficult to read emotions from his face. His expression was hard to pin down to a single emotion.

Though she had only seen him sober once, she could tell.

One thing was certain. That Cha Kang Woo was neither a scoundrel nor a lecher as rumored.

“Don’t tremble. I’m not the kind of scoundrel who doesn’t care about place.”

A thought quickly flashed through Hee Won’s mind.

‘Perhaps, could this man have spread those rumors?’

She felt like she might forget the fact that it was a contract marriage and fall for Kang Woo.

She had a premonition that she would be like an insect dying without realizing it had fallen into a trap, voluntarily going to an insect-eating plant emitting a sweet honey scent.

Hee Won unconsciously held her breath at the hot breath that touched her ear. Her heart fluttered at the woody scent stimulating her sense of smell. Her heartbeat was particularly loud.

Kang Woo’s large hand completely enveloped her cheek. It was instantaneous. His lips touched and left the corner of her eye.

She couldn’t say or do anything at the sudden contact.

Her mind went blank.

The man before her, Cha Kang Woo, was a dangerous beast.

But even knowing this, she felt she might be enthralled by the dark eyes rippling with intense emotion. It felt as if only Kang Woo and herself existed in this world.

“Let’s each think about the contract terms. The families will quickly set up the meeting of the parents. There’s not much time to think, so just consider the necessary conditions. We can add more as we live together, okay?”

Hee Won nodded instead of answering.

“Let’s talk about the details after the meeting of the parents is over.”

As Kang Woo finished speaking, a staff member carrying food entered as if on cue. He returned to sit in his original seat.

“Let’s eat.”

And so she finished dinner with Kang Woo that day.

[How about it? I won’t have to hear any more talk about getting married, and you’ll gain your freedom.]

She kept thinking of Kang Woo.

The strange thing was, thinking about marriage no longer made her feel suffocated like before.

Though it was a relationship with an end, somehow she even looked forward to the time she would spend with Kang Woo.

[This is the timeline separator]

The day of the meeting of the parents approached.

Perhaps because it had been postponed once, as Kang Woo had said, the meeting of the parents was arranged quickly.

It was originally a marriage that didn’t require the agreement of those involved.

“No one’s here yet.”

President Seong and Hee Won waited for Chairman Cha and his wife and Kang Woo to arrive.