When I Reach You (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Eun Jae, having finished her shower, entered the room with her soaking-wet hair tightly wrapped in a towel.
Suddenly, the contract she’d left on the bed caught her eye. Quietly approaching, she sat on the edge of the bed and carefully picked up the contract lying beside her.
With her still-damp hand, she gently rubbed the spot where the man’s and her own signatures were inscribed.
His signature resembled an elegant, flowing drawing, while hers—written clearly and deliberately beside it—now felt embarrassingly plain in comparison. Had she known this would happen, she should’ve practiced beforehand at least once.
“Though it’s unlikely, let’s not mix personal feelings into this.”
“After all, this is strictly a contractual arrangement.”
She’d reminded herself not to burden this time-limited marriage with unnecessary personal motives—and added, in closing, that they should both be cautious to avoid putting each other in awkward situations later.
“I wasn’t planning to, anyway.”
Now safely away from the man, she let her previously suppressed displeasure fully show on her face as she slowly read through the contract’s contents—things she hadn’t properly examined earlier.
……§……
Marriage Contract
Wife Ji Eun Jae (hereafter referred to as “Party A”) and husband Yoon Seon Woo (hereafter referred to as “Party B”) hereby agree to the following terms and pledge to uphold this contract in good faith and sincerity.
Article 1
Upon signing this agreement with Party A, Party B shall fully settle Party A’s debts and provide continuous and generous financial support as needed by Party A thereafter.
Article 2
Party A shall maintain a harmonious spousal relationship until Party B receives the hospital as a gift, and during the duration of the marriage, must diligently fulfill the roles of wife and husband respectively. Neither party shall disclose any details related to this marriage contract to any third party.
Article 3
If Party B incurs damages due to Party A’s fault, Party B may demand reimbursement of all expenses incurred, and Party A shall repay double that amount.
Article 4
Even after the contract expires, Party B shall actively support Party A in establishing independent financial livelihood (including support for opening a franchise café), and shall file for annulment of the marriage immediately upon expiration. All costs incurred in doing so shall be borne by Party B.
Article 5
This contract becomes effective upon Party A affixing her seal, and remains valid for one year from the date of acceptance.
Article 6
Any additional matters not covered herein may be added or modified by mutual agreement.
……§……
So what if the contract labels her “Party A”? In the end, he still does whatever he wants.
Still, curiosity had gotten the better of her—and she’d asked. To her question, the man had answered simply:
“It’s something only you, Ji Eun Jae, can do.”
The image of his smiling face as he’d said that resurfaced in her mind.
Realizing too late that her own lips had unconsciously curved upward, Eun Jae quickly smoothed her expression and slipped the contract carefully back into its envelope.
“Can I… really do this well?”
The deal was already sealed. There was no turning back now.
Each time she felt tempted to back out, she steeled herself by recalling Article 3 .
The penalty was a staggering double repayment. It wasn’t outright blackmail—but how was this really any different from what *they* would do?
Tsk. Eun Jae clicked her tongue, yet her expression remained oddly bright.
She felt a sense of liberation, as if finally freed from debts that once seemed endless—and a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could return to an ordinary life again.
My life’s Act 1 was truly dull—if only Act 2 turns out a little better.
A hollow chuckle slipped through Eun Jae’s teeth as this train of thought wandered aimlessly.
But in truth—it was only a one-year, time-limited contract marriage.
It was just past 10 p.m.
Outside the window, where darkness fell early due to the short daylight, everything lay as still and quiet as the deep sea. Soft moonlight streamed into the dim living room, reaching all the way to the kitchen.
At the far end of that silvery glow stood a man, lazily leaning against the table, lightly gripping the stem of a wineglass and slowly swirling its crimson contents.
He stood dressed in deep-blue silk pajama bottoms and a matching night robe.
The loosely tied robe revealed his firm physique, faintly illuminated by the moonlight filtering through.
Startled by the unexpected sight, Eun Jae froze mid-step. Sensing her presence, Seon Woo slowly straightened his posture.
“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”
His eyes half-lidded, Seon Woo looked at her and gave a light smile.
Caught completely off guard by running into him, Eun Jae rolled her eyes once before quickly lowering her gaze to the floor.
“No… I just came to get a glass of water.”
As he gently set the wineglass down on the table and stood upright, Seon Woo deliberately tied the sash of his robe with unhurried hands—his eyes locked on hers the whole time. Though it lasted less than five seconds, her breath caught tight in her throat.
“If you don’t mind, sit down for a bit.”
His voice—low, deep, and lightly laced with alcohol—melted sweetly into her ears.
“I have something I couldn’t tell you earlier.”
Almost spellbound, Eun Jae nodded and walked toward the seat opposite where Seon Woo had been standing.
He reached out and switched on the small overhead light above the table—a soft, moonlight-like illumination now bathed the tabletop.
Eun Jae watched as he stretched toward a high cabinet to retrieve a glass.
In that brief moment, she noticed how the deep-blue robe cascaded elegantly over his form, complementing his fair skin remarkably well.
Then again—with his looks—what *wouldn’t* suit him?
As the robe slipped down to his elbows with each subtle motion, his flexing forearms caught her eye, and her gaze naturally drifted lower to his chest.
Spotting the delicate embroidery on the robe, she realized it was from the same brand as her own sleepwear.
She’d been mildly surprised earlier when she found these pajamas among the mountain of clothes the shopper had delivered—struck by how unexpectedly thoughtful he was.
It wasn’t just clothing. Shoes, bags, accessories, even underwear…
Ah.
By the time that thought hit her, it was already too late. Her cheeks were already burning hot.
Cooling her flushed face with her now-chilled hands, she watched as he placed a glass of water in front of her.
She’d completely forgotten her original purpose for coming out—the water.
“Drink up. Warm water is better for boosting immunity than cold.”
*This* kind of thoughtfulness.
It bordered on excessive concern—kindness easily misinterpreted, though clearly not meant that way.
“I’ll drink it carefully.”
With both hands, Eun Jae accepted the cup he offered. A pleasant warmth seeped into her palms.
As he reached once more for his wineglass, his robe parted slightly again—briefly revealing the well-defined ridges of his pectorals.
The memory of their first meeting at the front door flashed through her mind: his delicate features contrasted by a robust, powerfully built frame.
Just as her face had begun to cool, it flared up again. Flustered, Eun Jae quickly took a gulp of water.
It felt as if a lust demon had possessed her—no matter how hard she tried to forget, that image kept resurfacing, haunting her relentlessly.
After rinsing his throat with a sip of wine, the man spoke first.
“Next week, let’s visit my family to pay our respects and submit the marriage registration right away.”
“Yes.”
Seon Woo, watching her as she quietly replied, paused briefly before continuing.
“Kwon Seung Cheol dropped by this morning.”
“Oh…”
While she searched for words, she sensed his gaze fixed on her. Still smiling faintly, he took another slow sip of wine.
“He suggested you get some fresh air and relax outside—you probably haven’t done that in a while.”
He never flaunted it outright. This was just his indirect way of saying he’d given money to Kwon Seung Cheol.
“But don’t go too far.”
Smiling again as he added this, he looked at her.
Stop smiling so much—it’s confusing me.
“I’ll pay you back, one day.”
“This is part of fulfilling the contract.”
Money she didn’t actually need to repay. With those words, he gently reset the boundaries between them—realigning her wavering heart back to its proper place.
He kept reminding her: *It’s just a contract—no personal feelings.* Yet his kindness far exceeded what the contract required. Even knowing it was all contractual, a bitter taste lingered in her mouth.
She couldn’t yet name what she was feeling—but she *was* undeniably bothered by him, drawn to him at times. And she knew all too well she must neither nurture nor reveal that feeling.
With effort, Eun Jae tore her gaze away from him.
Right. All I need to do is focus on my own part.
“What time do you usually leave for work?”
“Why? Planning to start playing the wife already?”
Their eyes met—his lips curved in amusement as he drank his wine—and despite her earlier resolve, Eun Jae’s face flushed again.
He was the one drinking wine, yet *she* was the one whose cheeks burned and whose mind grew hazy.
“No, not like that… I just thought I should at least see you off.”
“I prefer being alone—it’s what I’m used to.”
Ah. She sighed softly and nodded, deliberately interpreting the unsaid meaning behind his words:
*It’s only a contract marriage, ending in a year—so don’t cross the line.*
“You don’t need to make that kind of effort.”
Right. Wake up, Ji Eun Jae.
Early morning.
Eun Jae rubbed her dry, tired eyes—staying up late searching for part-time jobs—and shuffled into the living room.
Skimming the man’s message (“Don’t skip breakfast”) with bleary eyes, she entered the kitchen.
She knew it was likely just a formality—yet her head and heart stubbornly interpreted it their own ways.
“You don’t need to make that kind of effort.”
While brewing coffee, she deliberately recalled what he’d said last night—a phrase she’d replayed in her head countless times upon returning to her room—yet it still pricked at her heart.
“I won’t do it, either.”
Frowning, Eun Jae glared at the chair where he usually sat.
It must have started exactly then.
The day he’d suddenly appeared—like a hero—rescuing her.
That day, an inexplicable light had seemed to radiate from him.
“Why aren’t you picking up? Honey.”
She’d always known he was handsome—but suddenly, he’d started looking *even better*, and her heart would race madly whenever she saw him.
Lately, whenever their eyes met, her pulse would quicken, and she’d be swept up in strange emotions.
Just days ago, his tender voice calling her “honey,” as if they were truly lovers, still rang vividly in her ears.
Why did he have to say such meaningless things?
Well—what *couldn’t* he do, when soon a huge hospital would belong entirely to him? After all, this was the same man who proposed a contract marriage like this.
Right. It’s all for the hospital. *That’s* why he’s acting this way.
“Honey.”
His sweet voice echoed once more in her head.
“Enough, enough!”
Stop calling me that.
My head feels like it’s about to explode.
Again and again, his lingering voice filled her mind. Desperate, Eun Jae clapped her hands over her ears and shook her head vigorously—hoping, somehow, the phantom voice swirling around her would finally fade.
After a while, having barely regained her composure, Eun Jae took a deep breath and pulled the lunchbox on the dining table closer to herself.
A small note attached to the lunchbox caught her eye.
—Let’s have dinner together tonight.
Her gaze shifted to the black credit card beside the note. She slowly read aloud the message written on the card:
“Keep it—you can use it to buy anything you need.”
Does this man have *no* sense of caution around me? Does he even know who I am?
“It’s confusing.”
The emotional boundary she erected toward him collapsed and rebuilt itself several times a day.
Does he know?
That the offhand kindness he casually tosses my way is shaking me to my core.
Having eaten heartily, Eun Jae finished preparing to leave.
The lunchbox was lavish—multigrain rice with no fewer than nine side dishes. She felt as if she’d just enjoyed a full-course Korean banquet.
She planned to stop by the hospital where her mother was staying—it had already been over a month since she last saw her. She needed to settle the overdue hospital bills and check on her mother’s progress.
Glancing at her wristwatch, Eun Jae calculated the time—she’d need to return home before his workday ended. If time allowed, she’d also visit the part-time job she’d scoped out earlier.
How long had it been since she last went out? The unfamiliar yet exhilarating feeling thrilled her.
Taking a deep breath, Eun Jae slung her bag over her shoulder.
Just as she slipped one foot into her sneaker—
She halted, hearing the familiar door chime from beyond the front door. Turning, she watched as the door opened—and made eye contact with a middle-aged woman who’d just stepped in, unsuspecting.
“Oh my! You startled me!”
The golden bundles in the woman’s hands tumbled to the floor. Her face paled, and in a trembling voice, she shouted at Eun Jae:
“W-Who are you?!”
Flustered, Eun Jae stood frozen—unable to speak, blinking helplessly.
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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