The 7-Day Contract (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
The man who introduced himself as the Executive Managing Director’s Chief Secretary led Da Jung forward as if guiding her down the hallway.
“Executive Managing Director Cha Jung Hyeok wishes to see you.”
There was no room for refusal. Da Jung was here not as an individual, but representing Hanbit Architecture Office.
The elevator exclusive to executives ascended nonstop and halted on the 23rd floor of the East Wing—the highest floor in the building.
After stepping out of the elevator and turning the corner, a long corridor stretched ahead.
The grayish marble floor gleamed like ice, and the large potted plants spaced intermittently along the floor-to-ceiling windows shimmered vividly as their leaves reflected the sunlight.
Director Min, standing before a firmly closed door, knocked carefully and then opened it in one smooth motion—leaving Da Jung no time to mentally prepare.
“Please go in.”
“Oh, yes…”
Pushed almost involuntarily into the unfamiliar space, she found it unnervingly quiet—and he was chillingly composed.
The man slumped slightly before his desk had his eyes tightly shut, seemingly lost in thought.
Da Jung tiptoed cautiously forward until she reached the guest sofa, then bowed deeply at the waist.
“Hello…”
She considered adding “It’s my first time meeting you,” but ultimately decided against it.
At the sound of her hushed, whisper-like voice, the man’s eyelids fluttered open. He straightened his head and slowly turned his neck, scanning Da Jung from head to toe.
After observing her openly for a while, his lips—previously sealed tight like stone—parted slightly.
“Ms. Yoo Da Jung.”
“…Yes.”
Standing stiffly like a scolded child, Da Jung stared fixedly at the legs of the guest sofa.
“Yoo Da Jung.”
“Yes.”
A faint smirk suddenly crept across his lips, which had been pressed in a rigid, straight line. Even his previously indifferent eyes now sparkled playfully.
“So *that’s* the name—Yoo Da Jung.”
Jung Hyeok murmured the name softly, repeating it as though imprinting it on his tongue.
Once again, the image of that charming handwriting in the guest register flickered in his mind—
The full, intact identity behind the truncated “YOO” scrawled at the top: the name of the woman standing before him—Yoo Da Jung.
It felt like a strange mix of satisfaction and relief, akin to finding a single loose thread within a hopelessly tangled skein.
The moment he’d bumped into her at the kindergarten, that long-forgotten, riddle-like curiosity had resurfaced.
Jung Hyeok still didn’t know—what exactly he’d lost that day.
Perhaps he’d simply been trapped all along in that vague, hollow feeling of knowing nothing at all.
Resting his chin lazily in his hand, he let a languid smile slip.
“I asked how old you are, Ms. Yoo Da Jung.”
“Executive Managing Director, I…”
“You never answered me back then.”
She had never replied to that bewildering question he’d abruptly thrown at her in the small auditorium.
Though he’d let it slide then—out of decorum, with all the executives present—he’d now summoned her here with relentless persistence.
Clasping her trembling fingertips tightly, Da Jung spoke calmly.
“Executive Managing Director, questions unbecoming of the situation…”
“How old are you?”
Gentle, yet somehow fierce—just like back then.
The inexplicable tension Da Jung felt then, when her gaze kept drifting toward that strange man, now dried her throat again.
“I’m uncertain whether this question relates to work in any way.”
“And how, exactly, does this sound like a work-related topic to you?”
“If it’s a personal question, I’ll have to decline.”
Jung Hyeok’s brows, previously fixed in mild displeasure, twitched slightly. After five years apart, every encounter with her somehow managed to irk him inexplicably—
When she fled from him at the kindergarten like someone who’d committed a crime; when she ignored his question and walked out of the auditorium; and now, again.
He straightened his back and leaned against the chair at a slight angle. The faint, teasing smile he’d been wearing had already vanished.
“You’ve driven me mad with curiosity for five years—and now you still won’t give me a straight answer.”
A muttered curse followed, spoken almost like a soliloquy.
The suddenly shifted atmosphere heightened Da Jung’s tension further. Despite his refined attire, his fundamentally impolite nature remained unchanged.
After a heavy, prolonged stare, Jung Hyeok’s gaze softened unexpectedly, as if the intensity had deflated on its own.
She was just a woman he’d happened to pass on the street. They’d simply crossed paths again by chance—so why did it make him so sharply alert? He found even himself puzzling over it.
Thinking about it now, his own overly tense demeanor seemed almost ridiculous.
“Never mind. I’ll just find out on my own.”
“Please just state the reason you called me here.”
Da Jung barely managed to suppress her growing discomfort.
“No, I was just curious—about the woman who coaxed me into dating her, then vanished without a trace the very next day. What her name was, how old she was, and… why she did it.”
His languid eyes rose to pierce Da Jung coldly.
“Why *did* you do it?”
“I’m… not sure what you mean.”
“Why did you run away?”
Da Jung bit down hard on the inside of her cheek.
*Ran away.* Yes—it was fear that made her flee. She just hadn’t expected it to look that way to him too.
“I told you—I couldn’t buy it without incurring a loss.”
With a long finger, he smoothed the furrowed ridge of his brow, yet the tension around his eyes remained unrelieved.
“I couldn’t sleep for days out of sheer curiosity. What could this woman have wanted?”
“Executive Managing Director, I must repeat—I genuinely don’t understand what you’re referring to. I am here right now strictly as a representative of Hanbit Architecture Office, so I can only respond to questions that….”
His scoffing laugh cut through her words. Seizing what he deemed a plausible clue, he pressed his doubt.
“This is strange, though?”
“…Yes?”
“Well, isn’t it? Say I run into Ms. Yoo Da Jung again after all this time and greet her warmly—maybe even kiss her. Or sleep with her.”
At his blunt remark, heat surged into Da Jung’s ears.
“I mean, is pretending *this* hard really necessary?”
“…”
“Do you really have something you’re hiding?”
Da Jung’s breath hitched in her throat. Her heart leapt erratically, as if sprung by a coiled spring.
“…There’s nothing like that.”
“Suspicious.”
With a disapproving click of his tongue, he quickly relaxed—and his eyes crinkled into a gentle smile.
“Don’t panic. I’m just curious. Since childhood, I’ve never been good at tolerating unanswered questions. That’s why I excelled terribly in school—you keep digging and digging, and eventually, the answer comes out.”
The unspoken pressure—*if you want to test my persistence, feel free to stay silent*—tightened like a noose around Da Jung’s throat.
Perhaps evasion wasn’t the wisest move. She didn’t want him digging any deeper into her.
Then, the only way to end this quickly was to admit everything plainly and give him the answer he wanted.
Da Jung swiftly changed her mind and bowed her head courteously in apology—adopting the formal demeanor appropriate for a key client relationship.
“I truly apologize for that. I had an urgent personal matter at the time…”
“Oh, right—you must’ve been in a rush. Plenty to do, like getting married and having kids.”
This time his bored, dismissive remark crossed plainly into sarcasm.
Da Jung was starting to wonder whether the man before her was a full-grown adult—or some unpredictable teenage boy stuck in puberty.
Dealing with him was slowly making her own head heat up.
Without time to filter her thoughts, her retort burst out.
“That was a long time ago. Is it really that important for you to push this so far?”
“It is. I suffered a total loss.”
“Executive Managing Director, seriously—!”
“Well, if you’re already married, I can’t very well demand reimbursement. Six days still remained, after all.”
With a face so handsome and an expression so poised he was impossible to look away from, he casually brought up an embarrassing topic as if it were nothing.
“And once you’re married, suing for breach of contract would be awkward, don’t you think, Ms. Yoo Da Jung?”
“Executive Managing Director, that offends me. As you’ve just stated yourself—you know I’m married. Please refrain from such inappropriate remarks in the future. If this happens again, I’ll take formal action.”
Her gentle eyes now held firm resolve—yet she still couldn’t quite bring herself to glare at him directly. Meeting that gaze, Jung Hyeok let out a soft chuckle.
“You haven’t changed at all.”
She was still the same soft, fluffy-dandelion kind of woman.
So ticklish—just made him keep wanting to tease her.
“Fine, let’s leave it at that. You may go now.”
By then his expression had already regained its polished composure; a soft, tranquil smile graced his lips.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Yoo Da Jung.”
★ ★ ★
As Do Jun slowly guided the car onto the driveway, the campus unfolded before him like a panorama.
The cheerful chatter and laughter of clusters of freshmen radiated cheerful energy.
A faint smile touched his lips as he fully lowered the already half-lowered car window.
The crisp, fresh scent of early summer mingled with youthful vitality and wafted toward him.
After parking, Do Jun stepped out and, almost compulsively, hoisted the heavy bag onto his shoulder. He began walking briskly, then suddenly glanced at his wristwatch.
It was well past three o’clock—no message from Da Jung yet, so the briefing must be running long.
He felt a pang of guilt, as if he’d dumped work onto her. Had his father’s sudden, unexpected summons not come, *he* would be the one handling this right now.
Though he himself was swamped with external affairs, Da Jung’s domain of responsibility was no less demanding.
*She’s doing fine.* He wasn’t worried. Whatever the outcome, he trusted Da Jung would handle it well.
Upon reaching the Chancellor’s Office, Do Jun knocked and opened the door—only to pause mid-step. There were already guests inside.
“Oh… Should I come back a little later?”
Though he asked reflexively out of surprise, seeing Hyeong Suk there suggested it wasn’t necessary after all.
Noh Hyeong Suk—Do Jun’s mother.
She concurrently held positions as a professor at Chongmyeong University of Fine Arts and director of Chongmyeong Art Gallery.
Do Jun swallowed a sigh without showing it outwardly.
His father occupied the seat of honor, while his mother, seated beside him, exchanged pleasant conversation with the guests, her smile warm and elegant.
Across from them sat a sophisticated middle-aged woman—who gave off a vibe similar to Hyeong Suk—and a younger woman beside her. Do Jun quickly surmised the situation.
“Oh my, look who’s here—our Do Jun, right on time!”
Hyeong Suk brightened and warmly welcomed her son.
When Do Jun simply stood there blankly, she approached and looped her arm through his, scolding him affectionately in a hushed tone.
“Sweetie, couldn’t you dress a bit more presentably? What’s with this outfit?”
She sighed in mild exasperation, eyeing her son—dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, with a casual shirt thrown carelessly over it.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. She hadn’t warned him beforehand about dressing up—had she told him the nature of the occasion, he likely wouldn’t have shown up at all.
A short while later.
Do Jun sat awkwardly in a café, sipping tea with a stranger.
The moment he’d opened the door to the Chancellor’s Office, he’d had a sinking premonition this would happen. By now, sitting silently with an unfamiliar woman over tea had become rather routine.
The woman, summoned to this setup orchestrated by his parents, was Lee Su Kyeong—mid-to-late twenties, and the youngest daughter of the director of Hangang Hospital.
Apparently, the meeting had been arranged through the introduction of Do Jin, Do Jun’s older brother and a neurosurgery professor at Hangang Hospital.
Just as Do Jun finished his tea and prepared to leave, he spoke up.
“My appearance is rather… informal. I apologize. My line of work is… not exactly tidy.”
He tried signaling he was a disheveled, unremarkable man who worked amid dust and sweat—but Su Kyeong’s reaction was unexpectedly refreshing.
“What’s wrong with that? I think men who work hard and sweat are attractive—and sexier than those who just shuffle papers at a desk.”
Caught off guard by her boldness, Do Jun simply wiped the corner of his eye beneath his horn-rimmed glasses, unsure what to say.
Su Kyeong found his awkward gesture intriguing.
She hadn’t come here willingly either—more like dragged along—and had planned only to kill time.
She’d fully expected some stiff, bookish type to appear, but the man who showed up defied her expectations.
Though her parents seemed more interested in forging a kinship with this family of educators than in the man himself, Su Kyeong found herself drawn to the man before her.
His tall stature, solid build, gentle tone of voice, and kind, soft features all revealed a fundamentally good-natured man—someone clearly on a different level from dull, bookish drones. He surely even smelled different—of honest sweat, not pretentious airs.
“I like you, Kwon Do Jun. How about dating me—with marriage as the goal?”
Faced with this rare, confident, and assertive woman, Do Jun didn’t hesitate in his reply.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Lee Su Kyeong. There’s someone I’ve long held in my heart.”
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
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