Nodding as if nothing was wrong, he quickly put down the mug of herbal tea he had been sipping on the table.

“Wait, what did you just say…?”

His face showed considerable surprise.

It was understandable. Until just moments ago, hadn’t he been making a fuss about repaying the money and signing a contract? And what about in front of the officetel?

Today’s events hadn’t completely changed my mind.

In fact, I may have already been leaning towards it on the day the man made his proposal.

After parting ways with him and returning home, I lay in bed for two days, staring blankly at the ceiling, replaying and mulling over everything he had said countless times.

The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that his proposal might be my last chance.

Eun Jae looked at the man who was giving her a puzzled expression and smirked.

Just as he had once said to me.

“You heard me.”

“No, I didn’t.”

The man seemed to want to hear it one more time. He appeared to want to make absolutely sure.

I managed to muster up the courage to say it once, but twice…

“Then let’s pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Eun Jae raised her eyebrows teasingly and took a sip of her herbal tea. Sun Woo suddenly moved closer, narrowing the distance between them.

“Are you sure you won’t regret those words?”

Caught off guard by the man’s sudden closeness, a flustered Eun Jae brought her legs together and hunched her shoulders. Her tense back straightened involuntarily.

“You can’t change your mind later. No, let’s sign right now before you change your mind.”

“What? I thought you said you didn’t hear.”

Eun Jae avoided meeting the man’s close face by sipping her herbal tea and looking into the mug.

After clearing her throat a couple of times, Eun Jae glanced at the man and asked,

“Are you sure you won’t regret it, sir?”

I have no father, a sick mother, and nothing but a mountain of debt. I’m worthless.

Anyone can see that marrying me would be a losing deal for you.

“First it was ‘mister’, now it’s ‘sir’.”

“…”

“Let’s stick to one. Even I’m getting confused.”

As he finished speaking, an inexplicable light shone on the man’s smiling face. Suddenly feeling her face grow hot, Eun Jae couldn’t respond and lowered her head again.

Why do you keep smiling? It’s not like you’re trying to bewitch me.

“If I thought I’d regret it, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.”

With just one of the man’s casual smiles, all the worries that had been clouding my mind until moments ago were completely erased.

For the first time, I had such a thought.

I’m glad that I’m the only person who can reach you. I’m glad that there’s something I can do for you too.

Because then I might be able to repay the debt of heart I owe you.

Even though it’s probably nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.

“Actually, the reason I came here is…”

I want to accept your proposal. I think I might have missed you a little too.

Eun Jae said to the man with a mischievous smile:

“Have you seen my keychain by any chance?”

“Keychain?”

The man tilted his head as if hearing this for the first time.

“It’s a keychain with a brown bear on it.”

“Ah, that. Don’t tell me you came all this way at this hour just to look for that?”

“Yes, it’s very precious to me.”

The man’s expression clearly showed disappointment at not hearing the answer he wanted.

He trudged towards the kitchen and came back with something from the dining table.

“This?”

“Yes! That’s it.”

As I thought, it was here.

I had tried to throw it away without regret, tried to forget about it, but I don’t know why I suddenly wanted to find it.

If it wasn’t for this keychain, I probably wouldn’t have even had an excuse to face this man again.

As Eun Jae reached out to take the keychain, Sun Woo hid it back in his hand.

“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

He was curious. The woman had been so certain just two days ago.

He wanted to undo his hasty actions from that day. He thought he had hurt the woman. Regardless of whether his intentions were good or not.

“I didn’t change my mind. I just needed time to accept it.”

Snatching the keychain from the man’s hand, Eun Jae put it in her palm and smiled brightly.

Eun Jae’s gaze was fixed on the keychain. The way she fingered the bear doll was as if handling a precious object.

“What was there to think about? It’s an incredibly good deal for me.”

Eun Jae rubbed the bear’s face with her thumb and laughed like a child.

“I was really scared today. While regretting rejecting it in my heart, I also wondered if accepting it was the right thing to do, my mind was constantly conflicted…”

Eun Jae’s clear gaze lifted from the keychain and met Sun Woo’s.

“I don’t want to live like that anymore.”

“…”

“Thank you so much for today, sir.”

As Eun Jae bowed her head respectfully and then met his eyes again, Sun Woo felt a tingling in his chest.

Because the woman’s eyes sparkled more brightly than ever before.

[This is the timeline separator]

Late at night.

Despite Eun Jae’s insistence that she could go alone, Sun Woo accompanied her, determined to see her home.

When they arrived in Eun Jae’s neighborhood, Sun Woo frowned. Standing in front of the shabby building, he was momentarily at a loss for words before letting out a long sigh.

“…Have you been staying here all this time?”

“Ah, yes…”

The woman looked at Sun Woo with an expression that seemed to ask what was wrong with it.

After scanning her innocent face once, he turned his head this way and that, surveying the surroundings with his eyes.

A secluded neighborhood without even a single properly installed streetlight.

He had been in a bad mood from the moment they had to park at the entrance due to lack of space for a car and trudge down the narrow alley.

After walking for quite a while, they arrived at a small motel located at the end of a dark alley.

The neon sign with the motel’s name was barely readable due to burnt-out lights here and there.

The air was a mix of indescribable musty and stuffy odors that made his chest feel tight.

Stepping into the entrance of the rundown motel without an elevator, Sun Woo pushed Eun Jae inside as if telling her to lead the way, and followed behind.

“Which floor?”

“Huh? Why?”

Eun Jae’s cheeks flushed red at the man’s words. As she climbed the stairs, pushed by Sun Woo, she kept looking back at him.

Coming all the way here under the pretext of seeing me home, what are you planning to do inside?

We haven’t even sealed the deal yet, how can you be like this already?

Suddenly, embarrassing thoughts made Eun Jae feel uneasy. Her feet felt as heavy as water-logged cotton as she climbed the stairs.

Just as Eun Jae’s toes reached the top of the stairs.

“Pack what you need and let’s go to my place.”

“What? No!”

Startled by the man’s words, Eun Jae turned around and shouted, but Sun Woo grabbed her wrist.

“I can’t leave you alone here.”

“…”

“Or, let me stay here with you.”

Their gazes intertwined for a moment, tinged with heat.

It felt eerily similar to the look they had shared not long ago when they had faced each other in a state of near undress.

The atmosphere and flow seemed to strangely overlap with that day.

In the insanely quiet corridor, Eun Jae felt like only the sound of her pounding heart could be heard, making it impossible for her to look the man in the eye any longer. She quickly turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

“No. W-why should I let you stay here? When you have a nice house.”

“You always call me ‘mister’ when you’re flustered.”

Sun Woo pushed the stuttering Eun Jae.

“Or when you’re embarrassed.”

Eun Jae glanced at Sun Woo, who was chuckling deflated, and carefully inserted the key into the keyhole.

She remembered the day she had rushed out after receiving Tae Gyu’s call. It seemed like she hadn’t even had time to tidy up.

As Eun Jae slowly opened the door, the man’s voice came from over her shoulder as he peered into the room through the narrow gap.

“Pack your things and come out. We’ll sleep together in a nice house.”

“What?”

“Or should we sleep together here?”

It’s small and nice. As the man casually dropped these embarrassing words, Eun Jae felt him press close behind her. She swallowed hard and frantically waved her arms in front of Sun Woo, flustered.

“No, ah, okay. …Ah, I don’t have much to pack.”

As Eun Jae grumbled and muttered, Sun Woo flung the door wide open, pushing her into the room as if telling her to hurry inside.

“You won’t be coming back here. Don’t cry later saying you forgot something, just pack quickly and come out.”

[This is the timeline separator]

In the end, we returned to the man’s house again.

By the time I had packed a few simple things and come out, the man had already paid the overdue rent.

As soon as we got home, he stood me at the end of the hallway, pulled out a robe and towel from somewhere, and placed them on my arms, saying,

“Stay here. You can use the bathroom across the hall. It’s a guest room, so it should have everything you need.”

He said it was a guest room, but no one had ever stayed there. He added that if I needed anything, I should let him know.

“You’ll be living here after we get married anyway, so make yourself comfortable. Think of it as a rehearsal.”

“…”

“I’ll come to pick you up after work tomorrow evening. We’ll talk about the rest then.”

“Okay.”

It felt like my thoughts had stopped, everything happening so suddenly.

As if caught in a rapid current, I was swept along without time to think, and when I suddenly came to my senses, I had already come this far.

The man, hooking his index finger into his tie knot, said to Eun Jae with a very tired expression,

“I have an important surgery in the morning, so I need to rest.”

“Yes. Please rest.”

“You rest too, Ji Eun Jae.”

Eun Jae watched the man’s back as he twisted off his tie and headed towards the living room. When he disappeared from sight, she moved her feet.

He looked tired.

Well, he must have been exhausted after working all day.

Eun Jae stood in front of the guest room door the man had pointed out. The room she entered after pushing down the gold handle that reflected her face was quite spacious. It looked about twice the size of the motel room she had been staying in.

It smelled much better than that place, and above all, it looked very bright, probably due to the pristine white bedding.

It was a neat space with a bed, a small dresser, and a desk.

Eun Jae picked up the robe and towel he had prepared for her and sat down on the bed for a moment. The goose down comforter sank with a soft sigh.

It was as soft as sitting on a cloud.

The feeling was so cozy and warm that she lay down on her side. The bedding smelled of the fragrance that occasionally brushed her nose when the man came close.

She had only meant to lie down for a bit, but her eyes kept closing.

[This is the timeline separator]

After finishing his shower, Sun Woo, with a well-groomed body wrapped in a bathrobe, brushed his damp bangs up in front of the mirror.

As his straight forehead was revealed, the crease between his brows became visible.

When he heard the woman’s story about not having much to bring when he told her to pack her things, his mouth inexplicably turned bitter.

He felt like he was doing something terrible to a woman who had lived each day so fiercely.

Whatever the reason, it was a marriage the woman didn’t want, a marriage born out of his need.

A loveless marriage, just a shell of a marriage with a predetermined end.

More than anyone, he didn’t want such a marriage, but she was also a woman he couldn’t hold onto without doing this.

“A contract marriage, huh.”

A hollow laugh escaped.

He had thought it was something that only happened in dramas or novels.

Even his search for a woman he could reach out to might have stemmed from the hope that if such a woman appeared before him, he might be able to have a normal married life like others.

Was it greed to hope for that?

Was it greedy to try to live normally despite not being normal?

At times, he found it pathetic how the shape of the marriage kept diverging from what he had initially envisioned, but then he thought that perhaps ending this loveless marriage after going through the motions was only natural.

“Right, it’s just for a year.”

What could possibly happen in that time?

After all, it’s just a one-year contract marriage with a clear purpose.