The composed voice had no hesitation.

Kang Jae Kyung’s head tilted askew after being firmly rejected.

Da Hae rolled the ginkgo nuts on her plate while resting her chin on her hand.

“It’s rash to make definitive judgments about the future.”

“Since we’ve already decided to be rash, what’s one more thing?”

“If you end up wanting to be together more than that. Then we’d have to revise it.”

“Thanks for the concern.”

The screen of the phone placed on the table turned black.

Was it because of the ginkgo nut that kept slipping away? Da Hae suddenly felt irritated.

“No, how can you say such things, Kang Jae Kyung?”

Her eyes, which had been curved into crescents, sharpened into points.

Not knowing why, but seeing she was clearly upset, Kang Jae Kyung waited quietly.

“In the end, you’re just using me because of your older woman. Surely your older woman would feel more at ease if there was a set time limit.”

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

“I see.”

I see, he says. He was so nonchalant, as if it were someone else’s business. Da Hae let out a deep sigh, as if to say she shouldn’t have to explain such things.

She didn’t know why the frustration was her burden, but she felt a heat rising inside her, as if she were on fire.

The notepad reappeared on the screen by Jae Kyung’s hand. His eyes, which had been skimming over the four clauses, were half-hidden by his lowered eyelids.

“It seems a bit dull.”

Hmm, let’s see… He trailed off as he pressed the edit button.

His voice held a note of relief, as if he had fortunately discovered something that shouldn’t be missed.

“The birth control clause is missing.”

Well, well.

As if not even surprised by the ideas coming from that head of his, Da Hae responded dryly.

“There’s no reason for birth control, so why have such a clause?”

“Ah.”

There it was again. That monosyllable that invariably appeared just before she lost her temper.

“You’re the adventurous type, I see.”

“What?”

“Well, I’m quite adept at control. I’ll take care of that entirely on my own.”

Da Hae slowly rolled her eyes, wondering what he meant, before letting out a hollow laugh.

“No, that’s not what I meant. There’s no reason…”

“Acknowledged.”

“I’m telling you that’s not it. And I don’t need your acknowledgment.”

“Trust me.”

Does he drink snake soup morning and evening? The true face of the gentlemanly CEO Kang Jae Kyung was that of a brazen snake.

Knowing that adding more words wouldn’t improve the conversation, Da Hae responded with silence.

After a while, Kang Jae Kyung’s hand holding a glass suddenly entered her field of vision.

The slight swaying motion was a request for a toast.

“Let’s do well, Team Leader Kye Da Hae.”

In many ways.

Kang Jae Kyung smiled meaningfully.

“Sure, let’s do that, CEO Kang Jae Kyung.”

A year will pass quickly anyway.

Kye Da Hae smiled artificially.

The two glasses clinked together with a clear sound, announcing the conclusion of the contract.

The sake swirling in the glasses sparkled golden as it caught the light.

And so, the gambling-like contract began.

In other words, the beginning of a relationship of mutual use.

A relationship that was nothing more and nothing less than just that. It had just started its engine.

* * *

The marriage between the two chaebol families was swift.

The ceremony was held a month after the parties expressed their intentions, and there was hardly any interaction during the three months they were legally married.

The absence of the in-laws, who went to England right after their eldest son’s wedding, played a part.

The father-in-law for business, the mother-in-law and young master for education.

There was something peculiar about the atmosphere of the Kang Jae Kyung family.

Although everyone was kind, there was an extremely uncomfortable current flowing when together, as if it was suffocating.

They decided on Kang Jae Kyung’s residence as their newlywed home, but lived separately.

They would enter the residence together as needed, but by dawn, Da Hae would secretly return to her own home.

Her worries about the snake-like man possibly making advances under the pretext of being married were unfounded.

He never contacted her without reason or asked for simple meals. Thanks to this, she was always reminded of their contractual relationship. Sometimes to the point of forgetting she was a married woman.

Of course, it was Kye Da Hae who had insisted on not getting involved personally. Kang Jae Kyung was simply faithfully adhering to that.

She thought he would be incredibly clingy since he was so pushy, but it turned out he was quite obedient.

As winter’s chill subsided, thick coats disappeared.

People’s steps on the streets were as lively as their brightly changed attire.

Cherry blossoms in full bloom, bursting with pale pink buds on every branch, and thin ice had melted into water.

The season when every media outlet promoted regional festivals.

It was full spring, even its name lovely.

For office workers who start work at dawn and only leave in the evening, cherry blossoms were something that could only be appreciated with the help of streetlights.

The scenery that faintly revealed itself under the yellow-tinged light was quite splendid.

The wind gushing through the car window was also pleasant.

Up to that point, it was similar to any ordinary day’s commute home.

– Do you have plans?

“I have plans with myself.”

– That’s good.

It had been nearly a month. Since Kang Jae Kyung had called.

He said he had forgotten about today’s high school alumni meeting and asked for cooperation.

– Are you listening?

“I don’t want to…”

Da Hae answered halfheartedly. A firm voice continued from the car audio connected via Bluetooth.

– Article 2. Cooperate sincerely when needed by each other.

“Article 3. Entirely according to Kye Da Hae’s convenience.”

– You’re not the type of heartless person who prioritizes their own convenience over their partner’s crisis, are you, Team Leader Kye?

What partner?

– Cheongdam E Hotel. Diners Hall. 19:00. No specific dress code, so come in your work clothes.

Even before she had agreed, the man rattled off the place and time.

He added that he was already there for an external meeting, so to contact him when she arrived at the lobby.

Haa. Da Hae, exhausted from consecutive meetings, sighed with every second.

“My wife has a bad cold.”

– Is my wife’s immune system like a newborn’s?

The indifferent tone shot back without hesitation. Well. The health issue was an excuse used too often.

“How about saying I went on an overseas business trip?”

– Why not just say you emigrated?

“Then…”

Wee-woo wee-woo. An ambulance quickly passed by in the opposite lane.

Following it in the side mirror, Da Hae suggested the next alternative in a timid voice.

“A traffic accident…?”

– …

A deep sigh flowed through the quiet audio. That breath carried a faint trace of irritation.

Thinking it might have been a bit extreme, she was about to correct herself when the man’s cold voice ended the silence.

– Let’s go with that.

Click.

“That…!”

As the call ended, the music she had been listening to resumed playing.

Even the song that had been pleasant to listen to for its calmness now felt noisy as her mind was unsettled.

“Aaaargh…”

Annoyed. Groaning, Da Hae completely lowered the audio volume and finally pulled over to the shoulder.

Then she buried her head in the steering wheel. Her legs, freed from the pedals, trembled.

It was barely enough time to get to the meeting place right away. There was no time to stop by home to change clothes.

“…”

After briefly looking down at her clothes, Da Hae unbuttoned her neatly fastened shirt buttons.

Revealing her neckline made it somewhat better.

By now, the car was heading towards the U-turn point. Her fingers, which had been anxiously tapping the steering wheel, pressed the recent call log.

Ringing, ringing…

The tedious dial tone continued for a while before changing to an automated message. Saying the person couldn’t answer right now, so it would connect to voicemail.

Whether he had gotten upset in the meantime, Kang Jae Kyung didn’t answer the phone. After two failed connection attempts, Da Hae leaned her head back in frustration.

“Am I free or something? Why is he throwing a fit?”

Her anger, with no one to hear it, echoed in the empty car.

Anyway, a contract was a contract, so she decided to go.

Not forgetting her vow to exact the same revenge on him someday in the not-too-distant future.

*

Cheongdam E Hotel. Diners Hall. 19:00.

On each of the five or so large round tables, cutlery and glasses of different purposes were set at each seat.

It wasn’t specifically couples only, but married individuals had brought their spouses.

Jae Kyung, who had a meeting in the conference hall of the same hotel, joined without delay.

With his appearance, the venue became quite lively. As if CEO Kang Jae Kyung was the purpose of today’s alumni meeting, people rushed to greet him.

As always, Jae Kyung returned the greetings kindly and sat down in an empty seat, naturally making that table the hot spot.

Just being quick to act didn’t guarantee being able to sit together.

As social rank and the weight of business cards determined the order, naturally those of similar caliber gathered together.

The high school diploma merely served as an entry pass to the alumni meeting.

“The only son in the Young Son Group’s owner family! You’ve become quite rare at gatherings since becoming a married man, haven’t you?”

“Has it been like that?”

The tactless eldest son of W Textiles cheerfully led the atmosphere.

He praised Kang Jae Kyung, saying that after filming a movie at the K-club event, he ended up becoming Kye Da Hae’s man, calling him the winner who got the prize doll.

Although every word he chose irritated him, Jae Kyung didn’t interrupt.

Rather, he listened attentively. As if trying to remember everything that was being said carelessly.

“Jae Kyung. The mobile beta version’s response was no joke. I tried to access the server at the right time but failed. Haha.”

“Server reinforcement is always an issue. We’ll work harder.”

“Huh? Ah, ahaha! That… Yeah. Thanks.”

He had mentioned the recently released game hoping for a word of praise, but contrary to his intention, it turned into something like a meeting between a game company owner and a user.

Soon the topic changed.

“Where’s your wife? Didn’t she come with you?”

The hot potato that was everyone’s interest and mentioned at least once in any gathering. The marriage alliance between Young Son and Sam Myeong.

Due to the private nature of the wedding ceremony, very few had seen the two heavyweight figures side by side.

Jae Kyung raised his long fingers to brush his eyebrow. The light smile he had been wearing briefly faded.

Cold. Business trip. Traffic accident.

As the extreme excuses he had personally suggested came to mind, a sigh or laugh, it was hard to tell which, escaped him.

It had been a month since their last contact. Coming to this alumni meeting he had forgotten about, thinking he wouldn’t attend, was actually just a pretext.

He had thought he might get to see his wife’s face.

What exactly had he expected?