The 7-Day Contract (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 6
“Leave the kimchi outside for a day or so before putting it in the fridge.”
Suk Hee snapped the lid back on with characteristic brusqueness, after letting only the pungent, saliva-inducing aroma escape.
“I also brought stir-fried anchovies and braised soy-marinated beef—make sure Si Woo gets some.”
Suk Hee, who habitually rattled off such reminders, suddenly narrowed her eyes into sharp triangles and glared.
“Only serve yourself what you’ll actually eat. Don’t dip your eating spoon back in and spoil the whole batch like last time. Understood?”
“Oh, *yes*, I got it!”
Da Jung replied absentmindedly, plucking a piece of cubed radish kimchi and popping it into her mouth. The crisp, refreshing crunch sent shivers down her spine.
“Mmm! Oh no—it’s *too* delicious!”
“You little rascal! Use your chopsticks!”
*Thwack!*
The moment the slap landed on her back, Da Jung writhed like a grilled squid. Suk Hee’s famously firm hand was just as renowned for its sting.
As Suk Hee neatly stacked the side-dish containers, her gaze drifted pointedly toward the front door.
“So our Si Woo isn’t coming yet?”
“He *is* coming.”
Seizing the brief lapse in surveillance, Da Jung deftly fished a quail egg from the soy-braised beef and popped it into her mouth.
“Oh my! I told you to serve yourself first!”
*Thwack! Thwack!*
Suk Hee undoubtedly had eyes in the back of her head.
While tidying up, Da Jung caught the sound of the door lock disengaging. Hardly a moment passed before the front door opened and light footsteps followed.
Soon, a small figure appeared—abruptly halting its charge, its tiny, guileless face and wide, innocent eyes rapidly taking in the scene.
“Grandma Kkot Boon Yi!”
Five-year-old Si Woo beamed and dashed straight into Suk Hee’s arms.
“Oh my goodness, my little puppy! My sweet, sweet puppy!”
Suk Hee smothered Si Woo’s cheeks with kisses, smacking loudly. Sol Yi, trailing behind with Si Woo’s kindergarten bag, narrowed her eyes.
“Ms. Kkot Boon, I keep telling you—no more kissing Si Woo like that.”
The woman affectionately called Ms. Kkot Boon was none other than Choi Suk Hee, Sol Yi’s mother.
Annoyed by the nagging, Suk Hee seized her overly self-assured daughter’s head and gave it a firm shove.
“Ow! Why’d you hit me?!”
“Even after biting, sucking, and raising you lot myself, not one of you ever caught so much as a cold—I raised you just fine, you brat! And *you*, who’s never even had a child, dare lecture me about wrinkles in front of a pupa?!”
Madam Suk Hee was, without question, unbeatable.
Having given birth to four children and raising them all robustly, healthily, and without serious illness, her veteran status was undeniable.
Feeling shortchanged, Sol Yi rubbed her thumped head and grumbled.
“Stop hitting my head! It’s because of you I couldn’t study properly!”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! What would you have done without *that* excuse?”
Watching the bickering mother and daughter, Da Jung burst into giggles. Though a frequent sight, it never grew tiresome.
Unnoticed, Si Woo had crept closer and now tugged insistently at Da Jung’s sleeve, demanding attention.
When she glanced down at his pleading hand, she found two star-bright, sparkling eyes eagerly waiting. She smiled warmly—and Si Woo instantly mirrored her, beaming.
With both hands clasped over his belly, Si Woo bent his small body in half.
“Mommy! Si Woo came home safely from kindergarten!”
Si Woo offered this polite greeting to his mother, who—unusually—had taken the day off to welcome him home. Though only five, the little boy displayed manners so refined no one had explicitly taught him.
“My wonderful son—you did so well today, coming all the way home from kindergarten.”
Da Jung, her smile meltingly tender, gently kneaded Si Woo’s soft, glutinous-rice-cake-like cheeks.
Five years ago, that fateful night—acted upon as if under a spell—had landed upon her like a bomb from the sky, utterly shattering her world.
Though stunned, she also felt oddly dazed by the realization that she was gaining a family. There’d even been a flicker of excitement, a touch of nervous thrill.
Growing up lonely, Da Jung had always envied Sol Yi’s lively, bustling household. Once, she’d even idly mused about having many children of her own someday.
Of course, marriage had no place in her life plans, so it remained a vague fantasy. Yet, as life often does, fate veered unexpectedly—and Si Woo arrived, like a precious gift.
She knew this wasn’t a situation for unbridled joy. Fear and dread surged instantly. Yet not once did she consider giving the child up.
Whatever the circumstances, the life that had chosen her deserved nothing less than absolute devotion.
Still, worry lingered.
Could she really do this? Would she truly be able to make this child happy?
And so, she became a mother.
Though some might point fingers, Da Jung never viewed her decision to raise a child alone as irresponsible.
She had the financial means to support him, and caring for him had ignited a newfound drive to work even harder.
Moreover, countless people loved Si Woo enough to cover for any absence of a father—making their days profoundly peaceful and joyful.
She leaned her cheek against Si Woo’s small head. Each brush of his fine hair released a lovely, comforting scent.
This was the scent of her child—her family—whom she’d carried within herself for ten months and brought into the world.
Meanwhile, the mother-daughter quarrel raged on.
“So when *exactly* do you plan to get married and have children?”
“Ugh—I don’t *know*!”
“Planning to grow old and die alone, then?”
At Suk Hee’s habitual nagging, Sol Yi’s eyes widened in exasperation.
“What do you mean ‘alone’? Si Woo’s here! I raised him half myself—once he grows up, he’s legally obligated to support me!”
“If you’ve got a mouth, at least *use* it properly.”
“Then fine—I’ll just have a kid myself!”
“Oh dear—*please*, if you’ve got the talent, go right ahead!”
Suk Hee’s sharp palm flew repeatedly toward her daughter.
Perched on his mother’s lap, Si Woo—who’d been observing the scene with wide-eyed curiosity—arched his neck backward.
“Uh… Mommy… fighting makes you a *bad* kid…”
His pure eyes brimmed with innocent concern, as if wondering how to possibly fix the situation.
“That’s not *fighting*—that’s how they *show love*.”
“But Mommy and Si Woo love each other too—and Mommy never hits Si Woo.”
Da Jung grimaced, then chuckled.
It felt like only yesterday she’d been sleepless, feeding him every two hours—and yet here he was, so big already, articulating his thoughts so clearly. Endlessly astonishing.
“Everyone expresses love differently. Grandma loves Auntie *that* way, and Mommy loves Si Woo *this* way.”
*“Kyurk!”*
Tickled mercilessly, Si Woo writhed and squealed like a dolphin.
Three months earlier, Da Jung had moved to a newly built apartment complex in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province. Though the area’s housing prices were steep, she’d stretched herself thin—taking out a loan—for Si Woo’s education.
Sticky Sol Yi and her mother followed suit, relocating alongside Da Jung. Having provided full, unpaid co-parenting support for five years, they evidently didn’t trust the two to manage alone.
Three years ago, after her husband passed away following a prolonged illness, Sol Yi’s mother sold their Cheongju home and moved up to live with Sol Yi.
Of Suk Hee’s four children, only Sol Yi remained nearby—the rest had married and scattered across the country, all doing well.
Sol Yi relocated her café to a mixed-use building adjacent to the Techno Valley, while Suk Hee opened a small side-dish shop near the apartment complex.
Da Jung first met Sol Yi around the time she entered middle school—they’d been classmates and neighbors, living just two houses apart.
With a bond forged over so many years, Da Jung was practically another daughter to Suk Hee.
“Si Woo’s mom—his grandmother is coming the day after tomorrow, right?”
At Suk Hee’s question, Da Jung’s expression darkened.
“I’m not sure. I did mention it to her on the phone a few days ago…”
Si Woo’s birthday fell on the coming weekend.
To celebrate his kindergarten enrollment, Da Jung planned to host a dinner for close friends and acquaintances.
These were the people who’d supported her tirelessly—emotionally and practically—since Si Woo’s birth.
She’d also contacted her own mother. Last year, she’d been flatly told not to wait; this time, the reply was vague: “I’m not sure.”
“Just call her once more. After all, she’s Si Woo’s *only* grandmother.”
“But she doesn’t even see Si Woo as her grandson.”
Da Jung’s tone instantly turned sullen—resentment flaring toward the mother who’d never once held Si Woo.
Nam Jung Ae, Da Jung’s mother, lived alone in Cheongju, tending her farm.
Though freed seven years ago by the death of her second husband, she showed no desire to escape her grueling labor.
When that second husband died, Jung Ae cursed him vehemently, saying she’d “fed a dog with rice porridge”—and lamented bitterly, as though she’d endured decades of hardship solely for the sake of walking her daughter down the aisle.
For such a woman, Da Jung’s pregnancy must have felt like a bolt from the blue.
Unlike Sol Yi and her family, who supported Da Jung’s choice, Jung Ae had beaten her pregnant daughter relentlessly.
Da Jung understood her mother’s pain—but five years on, her mother’s continued coldness toward Si Woo remained deeply painful.
Still, when labor began, her mother had been the one she longed for most.
Though Jung Ae had previously acted as if she’d never see her daughter again, upon hearing the news, she raced over and clasped Da Jung’s hand tightly.
It was then—seeing her mother’s mismatched shoes—that Da Jung broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her mother had come so frantically she hadn’t even noticed she was wearing two different shoes—leaving Da Jung heartbroken, guilty, and unable to stop crying, even amid the contractions.
Just as Da Jung hoped their rift might finally be healing, Jung Ae—upon seeing newborn Si Woo—turned and fled back to Cheongju without a backward glance.
The look in her mother’s eyes as she glared at the helpless infant—as though he were the enemy who’d ruined her daughter’s life—remained seared into Da Jung’s memory.
“Still, a mother’s heart isn’t truly like that. *I* understand, having only a step removed—but if Sol Yi raised a child alone like you, without a father, even *I’d* wonder why not do the same.”
Suk Hee lowered her voice to a whisper, careful not to let Si Woo overhear.
“Just call her again—and insist she come, okay?”
“Fine—I’ll handle it.”
Da Jung reluctantly agreed, though her heart felt heavy and conflicted.
The older Si Woo grew, the more she yearned for her mother—and yet her mother still looked upon Si Woo with clear disapproval.
The milk was already spilled. It was exhausting—how much longer would this same battle repeat?
✦ ✦ ✦
“The matter you’ve raised hasn’t been implemented under the current management system before, so—”
Before he could finish, Director Min flinched and averted his gaze under the new executive’s curt, sharp glare.
Though Director Min had spent eight years in the executive secretariat dealing with numerous mid-level managers, this new Executive Managing Director was no pushover.
At first, rumors flew—that he was a parachuted-in outsider, a spoiled dilettante who’d idled abroad under the guise of overseas study. Unverified whispers and speculation abounded.
Yet in practice, he proved otherwise: cautious, meticulous, and exacting far beyond his years.
His temperament was difficult, his demeanor prickly—so much so that only those with considerable nerve could look him directly in the eye and hold a conversation comfortably.
“You’ve truly run things *this* way until now? Must’ve been too busy lazing about and stuffing your face.”
He expressed displeasure freely and excelled at sarcasm.
Though people whispered behind his back about his arrogance and recklessness, they all tread carefully—terrified of falling out of his favor.
Cha Jung Hyeok.
Promoted to Managing Director of Myeonghan Electronics six months ago, he’d since been appointed Executive Managing Director of Myeonghan Distribution, the group’s holding company.
With the CEO position currently held by a figurehead, Jung Hyeok was, in effect, the ultimate decision-maker.
Rumors claimed he’d smoothly completed Ivy League master’s programs in both business and political science—but his apparent lack of empathy rendered him ill-suited for the interpersonal demands of corporate life.
Then again, born into privilege—never needing to lower himself to anyone—he’d likely never felt the need to cultivate such traits in the first place.
“Gather all management accounting reports and performance records for managers and above from the past five years. You have twenty minutes.”
“You want… *all* of that?”
Jung Hyeok’s gaze toward Director Min held no emotion—just silent, scathing reproach.
“Nineteen minutes and forty-five seconds left. Still not running?”
“…What? Yes!”
Like a soldier under strict command, Director Min bolted out, tail between his legs.
Watching him go, Jung Hyeok exhaled heavily. A full month into his tenure, and still—nothing pleased him.
Just then, as if passing a baton, a man entered through the still-ajar door.
“Wow—Executive Managing Director Cha’s office is nice.”
The man began ambling through the spacious room.
With his plump hand, he brushed the leather sofa, then lightly tapped the crystal nameplate centered on the desk.
After wandering aimlessly about, his hand finally landed with a thump on Jung Hyeok’s shoulder.
“Looks like our Jung Hyeok’s swamped, huh?”
Ji Seung Hoon.
Managing Director of Myeonghan Distribution—and Jung Hyeok’s sixth-degree cousin.
When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“How dare you!”
“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?
“I will never accept that.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”
This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
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