The 7-Day Contract (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
In the midst of deep concentration on her work, a sharp sensation triggered pain.
Da Jung stopped what she was doing and tightly gripped her wrist. It had quieted down for a while, but her wrist was acting up again.
Since her job involved prolonged computer use and drafting blueprints, wrist pain had become a chronic issue.
The only way for it to improve was to stop using her wrist entirely—but as the saying went, “What you learn is how you steal to survive,” so she had little choice if she wanted to make a living.
After firmly squeezing her throbbing wrist, she opened the desk drawer. Finding a pain-relief patch, she applied it and then wrapped a compression bandage around her wrist once—she finally felt a bit better.
Just as Da Jung was about to resume working, she sighed deeply and shook her head.
Once her rhythm was broken, she found it impossible to focus on anything.
Her mind was filled with distractions—or rather, not distractions per se, since the object of her thoughts was far too clearly defined.
Cha Jung Hyeok. That man simply refused to leave her thoughts.
Recalling how persistently he’d behaved—like he was about to bite down relentlessly—she suddenly felt a wave of concern.
What if they kept running into each other?
She was afraid—not of him, but of him discovering Si Woo’s existence.
If that ever happened, she had a strong premonition it wouldn’t end well.
Encounters at work were avoidable; the real problem was the kindergarten.
Should she transfer Si Woo to a different one?
That wasn’t an easy decision. Graduating from Hansong Private Kindergarten guaranteed admission to the private elementary, middle, and high schools run by the same foundation—all prestigious institutions, no question about it.
It had been a hard-won opportunity, secured with a recommendation letter. She couldn’t selfishly sacrifice Si Woo’s future just for her own peace of mind.
Practical concerns were also impossible to ignore.
She’d even taken out a loan to buy the apartment near the kindergarten. Given current market fluctuations, bearing a financial loss wasn’t feasible.
Then there was Sol Yi and Sol Yi’s mother to consider.
They’d followed Da Jung here, relocating their café nearby and even opening a side-dish shop—she couldn’t keep burdening them like this.
A chaotic flood of noisy problems tumbled through her mind like pebbles rolling downhill.
Setting aside all these external issues, the true reason Da Jung stubbornly held her ground was something else entirely.
She didn’t know why she *should* run and hide from him. There was no reason to flee—she’d done nothing wrong, so why would she?
It had been a foolish, one-night mistake—and then came the pregnancy. Da Jung had been left with only two choices:
Give birth to the child, or turn away from that life.
What was “right” was ultimately a matter of personal judgment.
For Da Jung, the decision had neither been difficult nor complicated. Even if she went back to that moment, she’d still believe her choice had been the right one.
So far, life had gone smoothly without any real issues—and she fully expected it to remain that way. That was, until *he* showed up and ruined everything.
On one hand, anxiety made her want to flee; on the other, a sense of having nothing to be ashamed of clashed relentlessly within her, leaving no moment of rest.
She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. The aftermath of this mental turmoil descended upon her as a vicious headache.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d stayed like that—until a cool palm gently touched her feverish forehead.
The cool relief against her warm skin felt soothing. Da Jung opened her eyes slightly and smiled faintly.
“Senior, when did you get here?”
“You’re running a fever. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Do Jun pressed his own forehead against hers, concern clear in his voice. Da Jung shook her head.
“It’s just a headache—something’s been on my mind. I feel a bit dazed.”
“No wonder. I felt like bringing you something.”
Sighing helplessly, Do Jun placed a takeaway coffee cup into Da Jung’s hand.
Da Jung smiled gratefully—when her head ached like this, nothing beat coffee.
“Thank you, Senior.”
“If you feel worse, head home early.”
“No, I still need to visit the construction site later.”
“What’s wrong with you wage-slaves working harder than the boss himself?”
“I have to work hard, or I’ll get fired. And if you fire me, what will happen to Si Woo?”
With each increasingly cheeky remark, Do Jun finally chuckled and shook his head.
“You leave me no escape when you threaten me using Si Woo as an excuse.”
“That’s why you can’t fail, Senior. Si Woo’s future—and mine—depends entirely on you.”
“You’re going to kill me with the pressure.”
Murmuring that like a sigh, he set a large shopping bag down on Da Jung’s desk.
Da Jung’s eyes widened.
“What’s this?”
“A gift for Si Woo—the newly released LEGO series.”
After a brief moment of surprise, guilt quickly crossed Da Jung’s expression.
“How can I keep accepting gifts like this? You should hurry up and get married and have a baby of your own—then I can finally repay my debt to you.”
She teased him again, unapologetically cheeky—and as Do Jun watched her, a soft, wistful glimmer entered his eyes.
“Yeah—I wonder when I’ll ever get it back.”
Brushing it off with a faint smile, he returned to his seat and gazed calmly at his monitor.
Yet not long after, his gaze—previously dull—brightened again as he glanced back at the toy box and smiled innocently.
He’d first seen that smile at the freshman welcome party.
It had been ages since they’d worn their school uniforms—and while most of the freshmen, decked out in flashy outfits and imitating adults, bustled about eagerly, her simple and composed presence stood out instead.
She was cheerful, spirited, kind, diligent—and always quick to smile. When she blinked those youthful, innocent eyes, she looked so adorably puppy-like.
He must’ve fallen for her at first sight—if the fact that he couldn’t take his eyes off her was any indication.
By the time Da Jung graduated, he’d already set his goal: to open his own architectural firm.
He rented a small office, named it “Hanbit Architecture” after the club they’d once belonged to together, and hung up the sign.
He set up a desk by the sunlit window, placed her nameplate prominently, and had business cards printed.
Everything had been prepared for her.
He’d planned to ask her to become his capable employee—to build strong, beautiful homes together for the rest of their lives. That was how he’d intended to confess.
Clutching a bouquet of flowers, his heart had nearly burst multiple times on the way to meet her.
When they finally met, Da Jung smiled shyly—still the same gentle smile he’d first seen at the freshman welcome party.
The only difference was the unmistakable roundness of her belly, visible beneath her dress, gently swaying in a light breeze.
“It ended up like this, Senior. I look silly with this big belly, don’t I?”
He still remembered how delicately she’d tucked her hair behind her ear with slender fingers, smiling awkwardly as she spoke.
“Senior… What are these flowers for? Surely they’re not for me?”
Helplessly, Do Jun had burst into laughter.
“Of course they are—I bought them for exactly this reason.”
“Huh?”
“Congratulations on your pregnancy.”
Even now, Do Jun still didn’t understand.
Where had things gone wrong?
If only he’d confessed a little sooner, if only he’d made her *his* a little sooner—
Would the future belonging to *you* and *me*—to *us*—have turned out differently?
Even as he smoothly guided the steering wheel, Jeong Hyeok’s furrowed brow refused to ease.
“Hyung has to pick me up—it’s unavoidable.”
Apparently, her car—perfectly functional just earlier—suddenly refused to start. A transparent ploy to lure him over. The audacity.
Though fully aware it was a flimsy trick, Jeong Hyeok still drove toward the kindergarten.
At the kindergarten gate, ten minutes before 3 p.m., the scene was no different from last time.
Soon enough, just as expected, a noisy stream of children poured out the front door, scampering around to spot their mothers.
Among them, one little boy suddenly veered off course and sprinted toward an odd direction—then bowed deeply, hands clasped over his belly button.
“Mister! Hello!”
The child was almost excessively polite.
Jeong Hyeok simply lowered his eyes to look at the boy, who was craning his neck upward.
Yoo Si Woo—the son of that woman, Yoo Da Jung.
Instinctively, his eyes swept the surroundings—but the boy’s mother was nowhere in sight. His gaze returned downward. Large, black eyes stared back, clear and sparkling.
Though the boy had only seen him once, he greeted him as if they were old acquaintances—and out of politeness, Jeong Hyeok was about to lift his hand from his pocket to wave back when—
“Si Woo-ya!”
Sol Yi came trotting quickly over, surprise flickering across her face.
She’d been waiting by the entrance when Si Woo suddenly dashed off in the opposite direction, leaving her baffled and chasing after him.
Kneeling down, Sol Yi gripped Si Woo’s shoulders.
“Why’d you run off instead of coming to Auntie? I was worried!”
“I wanted to greet the mister!”
“The mister?”
Sol Yi’s eyes lifted toward the man standing in the sunlight. Seeing the rare, pleased expression on his face, she slowly straightened her knees.
“Si Woo-ya—who is this person?”
“The mister!”
Si Woo cheered, raising both arms. A tender smile touched Sol Yi’s lips.
“Hello. Are you a parent? Looks like you and Si Woo already know each other.”
“Oh—just passing by, really.”
A flash of exhaustion crossed Jeong Hyeok’s face—when suddenly, a soprano voice rang out.
“Oppa!”
Hyun Ah leapt forward and cheerfully linked arms with Jeong Hyeok—until she spotted Sol Yi and Si Woo, her expression swiftly turning cold.
“So Mom didn’t come today?”
“No, I’m Si Woo’s aunt. But Director—why do you look even more beautiful today? I saw you at the entrance ceremony, yet you’ve somehow grown even lovelier since then!”
“Huh? Oh… well…”
“Goodness—your skin is as smooth as a peeled egg! Absolutely radiant!”
True to her saleswoman instincts, Sol Yi flattered with practiced ease. Even the irritation previously dominating Hyun Ah’s face had entirely melted away.
Her eyes swiftly assessed the couple standing arm-in-arm.
“So—you two know each other?”
“He’s the one I’m going to marry.”
As if she’d been waiting for this exact question, Hyun Ah’s face lit up with proud satisfaction.
“Ah—I see.”
Just as I suspected. Sol Yi nodded thoughtfully—then, almost imperceptibly, her expression began to stiffen.
Her rigid gaze shifted from Jeong Hyeok’s face downward—to Si Woo’s—then snapped back up to Jeong Hyeok’s face.
Swallowing a startled breath, Sol Yi clapped her hands abruptly.
“Oh dear! Look at me—I completely lost track of time. I’ve left the shop unattended for far too long. We’ll meet again soon! Si Woo, say goodbye.”
“Teacher, have a nice day! Bye-bye, Mister!”
Quickly turning Si Woo around, Sol Yi hurried off as if fleeing—her lips dry, her throat burning.
Good heavens!
That man! *That* man!
A humming tune floated through the quiet car interior.
Elated by the praise, Hyun Ah couldn’t put down her compact mirror.
“Oppa—is Hyun Ah really like a peeled egg?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes never left the road as he answered indifferently.
Even though his reply clearly stemmed from disinterest or annoyance, hearing it still pleased Hyun Ah—her lips curved upward in quiet satisfaction.
While Hyun Ah remained lost in self-admiration, Jeong Hyeok—staring fixedly ahead as if deep in thought—suddenly spoke.
“About that boy earlier…”
“Who? Yoo Si Woo?”
Once inside the car, Jeong Hyeok’s gaze finally turned to Hyun Ah for the first time.
“Yoo… Si Woo?”
“Yeah—why?”
“Nothing.”
Shaking his head, Jeong Hyeok gently turned the steering wheel.
Yoo Da Jung—and Yoo Si Woo.
The child shared his mother’s surname. The number of plausible explanations wasn’t large.
Unconsciously, Jeong Hyeok’s lips parted again.
“That boy’s mother…”
“Yoo Da Jung?”
Surprised, Jeong Hyeok looked at Hyun Ah once more.
“You memorize all the parents’ names by heart?”
“Why?”
“Nothing—just seems like you have strong professional dedication.”
At his near-muttered remark, Hyun Ah felt a surge of pride—Jeong Hyeok’s gaze upon her now felt strangely different somehow.
She finally understood why Seon Young had stressed the importance of maintaining a professional image.
Snapping shut the compact she’d held the entire time, Hyun Ah shoved it into her handbag.
“She entered through the special admissions track. You know our kindergarten isn’t open to just anyone, right, Oppa?”
*Click-click.* The turn signal softly punctuated the car’s silence.
“The boy’s mother is an architect. Her firm even participated in designing the kindergarten. Apparently, she was heavily pregnant while working on the project—so she says she designed it ‘with a mother’s heart.’”
Hyun Ah sighed heavily at the end.
“You know how soft-hearted our mother is—seeing a woman in her third trimester like that, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and wrote the recommendation letter herself. ‘Enroll the child once he’s born,’ she said. Later, she deeply regretted it.”
Jeong Hyeok’s eyes turned to Hyun Ah once again—and at this point, Hyun Ah no longer bothered hiding her irritation.
“She totally blindsided us. If we’d known the child was illegitimate, do you think she’d have been crazy enough to write that recommendation?”
“Illegitimate?”
“The father’s not in the picture. She’s an unwed mother.”
Jeong Hyeok exhaled sharply.
An unwed mother.
She’d claimed she was married—boasted even about having a husband—and even *that* had been a lie.
Was there ever any truth in her words, from beginning to end?
Suddenly, an absurd thought flickered through Jeong Hyeok’s mind.
It couldn’t be *just* because she was unmarried. Her suspicious behavior and guarded attitude toward him had compounded, stirring this doubt.
Surely not.
It had been an unexpected night—the mood intensified, instincts flared beyond control.
But even then—he wasn’t so reckless or foolish as to blindly act on impulse, no matter how overwhelmed he’d been.
Of course, the commonly used method had a 15% failure rate, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Yet far more unlikely was the possibility that *she*—of all people—would pull off such an outrageous scheme.
She wouldn’t make that choice over a one-night stand. Not unless she’d completely lost her mind.
Jeong Hyeok chuckled softly, shaking his head.
Ridiculous. Just ridiculous.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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