The 7-Day Contract (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“It’s a water leakage incident. Re-construction is obviously necessary, but the urgent priority right now is compensation for damages. We’d like Attorney Choi to directly discuss this with the outlet’s representative.”
While Do Jun was on the phone with Hanbit’s legal counsel to resolve the incident, the elevator arrived.
“No. First, we’ll reach a compensation agreement with the outlet, and second, we’ll hold the construction company accountable. Yes, it’s serious.”
Yet as he said this, Do Jun chuckled lightly and didn’t look serious at all. Watching him, Da Jung pressed the floor button in exasperation.
There’s a limit to being kind-hearted. No wonder he can never refuse Director Hwang’s requests.
In truth, the outlet building issue was severe.
Although Mansoo Facilities was the culprit behind the accident, full responsibility lay with Hanbit Architectural Office, which had supervised the construction.
Hanbit now faced having to shoulder the costs of damaged merchandise rendered unusable by flooding, as well as massive losses from halted operations.
Naturally, they would file a damage claim against Mansoo Facilities, but the real problem began there—Director Hwang was unlikely to accept liability willingly.
The company had carried out shoddy work, routinely evaded responsibility, and brazenly shouted demands instead.
Given that they’d inevitably respond with an aggressive, “Go ahead and sue us” attitude, litigation seemed highly probable.
Do Jun, knowing exactly what kind of person Director Hwang was, likely had some inkling of this already.
“We can’t deny our own responsibility either, given our oversight failure in management and supervision.”
*Ding*—the elevator doors opened as it came to a halt. Do Jun, engrossed in his call, raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Expecting to arrive at the basement parking level, B3, the elevator had inexplicably stopped at the 5th floor instead.
Without a word, Da Jung stepped out first and began browsing a sports apparel store.
“Yes, of course. But they must still take responsibility for violating the contract terms.”
Tagging along behind Da Jung, Do Jun continued his phone call.
“Yes, please handle that part as you see fit, Attorney. I’m counting on you. That’s all, then.”
After finishing his roughly ten-minute call and glancing up, Do Jun saw Da Jung already walking toward the store across the way.
She was intently inspecting women’s athletic shoes.
“Looking to buy sneakers?”
Do Jun asked casually, his gaze drifting to Da Jung’s feet—where she wore the sneakers he’d gifted her just a month ago.
They couldn’t possibly be worn out already. Had she simply grown tired of them? Or had she disliked them from the start?
Just as his thoughts deepened, Da Jung selected a pair from the display and slipped her foot in.
“It’s not for me—it’s for Hee Joo. Her heels are completely worn down, and every time I see them, I feel terrible for her.”
Relief softened Do Jun’s expression into a smile.
Of course. Naturally. There was no way Da Jung would do something like buy new sneakers right in front of the person who’d given her the old ones.
Slightly embarrassed for having doubted her even briefly, Do Jun jokingly complained.
“Try thinking a little more kindly of the person who pays your salary.”
“Senior, you really don’t get anything at all. This is all for your sake.”
Da Jung shot back, expression calm yet slightly defiant, after testing the sneakers on the floor.
“You’re buying sneakers for Hee Joo, yet somehow claiming credit with me?”
“What if Hee Joo steps on a nail at the site with those worn-out shoes and gets hurt? I’m doing this to ease your worries—how can you not understand my intentions?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know who the boss is anymore.”
When Do Jun’s grumbling dragged on, Da Jung quickly retorted, irritation sharp in her tone.
“Why do you always pick on your staff? Yet you can’t even raise your voice against Mansoo Facilities.”
Stung by the scolding, Do Jun’s face flushed uncomfortably. She seemed intent on harping on this for at least a full month.
Still, being scolded like this didn’t feel entirely unpleasant. Wondering whether he harbored some masochistic tendencies, Do Jun smiled wryly.
“As long as no one got hurt, that’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, yeah—of course it is.”
Da Jung shook her head as if to say, *What’s the point of even talking?*
Although she vented in frustration, deep down, she knew Do Jun was right.
Issues solvable with money were relatively simple. Had there been any injuries, the situation would have been beyond repair.
Since no one was hurt, that alone was enough.
Though his optimistic, gentle nature could sometimes be frustrating, Da Jung truly liked Do Jun for exactly this reason.
Back at the office, Da Jung gently placed a shopping bag on Hee Joo’s desk.
“Hee Joo, a gift for you.”
“Huh…? A gift? For me?”
Hee Joo’s eyes widened. Just from the box, she guessed the contents, and for a moment, she stood speechless, mouth agape.
“I went to Hanna Outlet last week and thought of you—your sneakers were so worn out.”
“Hwoooah, Team Leeeead…”
“It’s nothing expensive—don’t feel pressured.”
Nothing expensive, indeed. It was a well-known premium-brand pair anyone would recognize.
“If the size doesn’t fit, just let me know—I’ll exchange them.”
“Don’t worry—I’ll shave down my feet if I have to, just to wear them!”
Hee Joo declared resolutely, immediately pulling out the new sneakers and cramming her feet in.
“Wow—it’s a perfect fit!”
“I went one size up from your usual 235 for shoes.”
“Thank you, Team Leader! You even remembered my shoe size—I’m totally touched! *Sniff!*”
Hee Joo suddenly hugged Da Jung tightly and rubbed her head against her like a cat. Smiling faintly, Da Jung patted the affectionate junior’s head.
Do Jun, silently observing the warm scene, also wore a pleased smile.
Though slightly disheartened they hadn’t realized he was the one who’d actually paid for the sneakers, seeing Da Jung smile was enough for him.
Shortly past noon, several black sedans pulled up at Hansong Kindergarten.
Jeong Hyeok, stepping out of the lead car, followed the driveway with his eyes. Another black sedan glided smoothly toward the entrance—Chairwoman Park’s vehicle.
Frowning, Jeong Hyeok scanned the kindergarten grounds with clear dissatisfaction. For such an ordinary institution, summoning an elderly person on such short notice seemed excessive and pretentious.
Today’s schedule had been proposed by Hansong Group—a friendly luncheon to celebrate the soon-to-be-joined families.
Yet Chairwoman Park had stubbornly insisted on adding a kindergarten visit before lunch.
Though she used Hyun Ah as a mere figurehead, it was always Kang Seon Young, lurking behind the scenes, who orchestrated such elaborate, bothersome events.
As the de facto matriarch of Hansong Group, Seon Young only had the foundation under her control, so naturally, that was her sole object of pride and display.
The Hansong Private Kindergarten was her first major achievement after taking over the foundation—which explained her unusual pride and attachment toward it.
Still—even so—using an emblem of innocence like a kindergarten as a backdrop to show off before people who were already deeply mired in corruption felt distinctly inappropriate.
From the slowly rolling sedan that finally came to a stop, Chairwoman Park alighted, assisted by her secretarial staff.
Still watching disapprovingly, Jeong Hyeok’s ears caught an unexpected sound.
Turning his gaze, he saw small figures in gym uniforms shrieking as they burst out of the entrance.
Though small in stature, they resembled uncontrollable wild cubs. Among them, one familiar face stood out.
Even amid the indistinguishable swarm of children, the boy’s clear, delicate features shone distinctly.
He was a child Jeong Hyeok recognized.
“Yoo Si Woo!”
Calling his name was purely impulsive.
Though softly spoken, the name struck Si Woo’s ears instantly. His eyes widened as he turned mid-stride toward the playground.
“Oh! It’s Uncle!”
He screeched to a halt, pivoted, and ran over with delight, bowing deeply.
“Uncle! Hello!”
“Hey.”
Jeong Hyeok raised his hand briefly in greeting.
“Yoo Si Woo.”
“Yes!”
His lips moved again, impulsively.
“Where’s your dad?”
“Dad? Um…”
Si Woo’s large eyes rolled thoughtfully before his mouth opened, beak-like.
“He’s in heaven!”
“…”
Jeong Hyeok slowly regulated his breathing.
*Heaven*—the naive, rootless phrasing of a child. Adults would typically interpret this as “deceased,” “passed away,” or “died young.”
Just then, a gentle voice called out.
“Yoo Si Woo!”
At his teacher’s call, his big eyes swiveled sideways, then snapped back. Si Woo instantly bowed again and shouted cheerfully,
“Uncle! Goodbye!”
Jeong Hyeok quietly watched Si Woo run off to rejoin his friends.
So—the woman he’d promised to marry had died? And she’d raised the child alone? A clichéd, painfully ordinary backstory.
While piecing this together, Chairwoman Park approached. Jeong Hyeok glanced sideways at the old woman, his eyebrows lifting slightly.
Though understandable for her to stare—having met the boy before—he found it odd how her gaze lingered on the child’s back, a stranger to her.
“Why are you staring so intently, old lady?”
He asked offhandedly. Chairwoman Park snorted, clearly exasperated.
“What uncanny resemblance!”
“Who?”
“The boy—must be someone’s son. He looks exactly like you did as a child.”
Too absurd to even laugh at, Jeong Hyeok remained expressionless.
“Have you gone senile?”
“Such impertinence!”
Chairwoman Park snapped at her ill-mannered grandson before clicking her tongue again.
“The old saying’s proven wrong after all—‘You can’t steal lineage,’ yet clearly, here we are.”
“…”
Stunned into silence, Jeong Hyeok momentarily held his breath.
*Stealing.* The strangely familiar word struck his ear—and his mind froze.
“Let’s go inside already.”
Chairwoman Park turned on her heel. At that moment, Seon Young and Hyun Ah rushed out the front door.
“Grandma! Why are you so late?”
Hyun Ah, acting like a childish girl, jumped forward and looped her arm through Chairwoman Park’s, coquettishly.
Seon Young, unusually content, smiled graciously and bowed courteously.
“Was the trip difficult for you, Chairwoman?”
“The car brought me—how could it be difficult?”
Chairwoman Park waved her hand dismissively.
“Please come in quickly. Everyone from the foundation has been waiting for your arrival.”
As Chairwoman Park began moving at Seon Young’s urging, her eyes turned to her grandson. Seeing his oddly vacant expression, she asked curiously,
“What’s wrong with you?”
“…Nothing. Let’s go in.”
Even so, Jeong Hyeok stood rooted to the spot for a long while.
Helplessly, his gaze drifted toward the playground. Finding the boy among the shrieking, unruly cubs was easy.
“Old lady—you’ve got sharp eyes, don’t you.”
His coldly curved lips murmured under his breath.
Now he finally understood—what that woman had stolen from him.
Upon reaching this suspicion—now hardened to conviction—a wave of clarity swept through his mind,
as if he’d wandered in darkness, found the switch, and abruptly turned on the light.
Curiosity ignited fiercely within him, like flame catching dry kindling.
If his current suspicion were true, Yoo Da Jung was utterly out of her mind.
The moment Chairwoman Park fully disappeared inside, Jeong Hyeok’s sharp gaze locked onto Director Min.
“Director Min. There’s something I need you to do.”
Early that morning, Da Jung, bustling with Si Woo’s kindergarten prep, paused in confusion.
Unlike usual, Si Woo’s daily notebook contained a personal note from his teacher.
“Hmm? Si Woo—it says here Teacher noticed our Si Woo’s toothbrush is missing.”
Si Woo, who’d been wriggling into his socks by himself, suddenly remembered something and dashed over to Da Jung.
“Oh, right! Mom—I was told to bring a new ‘Chika’ friend.”
“Strange… Where could our Si Woo’s ‘Chika’ friend have gone?”
Though puzzled, Da Jung brushed it off and went into the bathroom to open the storage cabinet. Fortunately, a spare children’s toothbrush remained.
Placing the new toothbrush into Si Woo’s kindergarten bag, Da Jung instructed,
“Si Woo—once you get to school, give it to your teacher and ask them to write your name on it, okay?”
“Yes!”
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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