Chapter: 05
Confidentiality Agreement
Hyunwoo, who had been fidgeting with his empty glass, cautiously began to speak.
âUmâŚ.â
When he hesitated, Yuri spoke first.
âYour fatherâno⌠Chief Jang. Iâll go see him soon, so please explain things to him properly so that Mr. Hyunwoo wonât be shocked.â
âYuri⌠I was completely in the wrong. I shouldnât have done that to you, but I lost control after drinking andâŚâ
ââŚLetâs stop talking about that. I know you two werenât just a one-night mistake.â
Hyunwoo stared blankly at her, wondering if this was really Jin Yuri, the woman he had known until now. Her voice was calm and completely devoid of emotion.
âFine. I wonât make excuses. But forgive me just this once. You know how scary my father is. Thereâs no way I can tell him myself.â
Hyunwooâs father, Jang Munsu, the chief secretary, was known as a man of steel. He was rumored to be such a perfectionist that he wouldnât tolerate even the smallest mistake at work. That must have been how he had managed to stand firmly beside Chairman Baek for more than thirty years.
âThis is something you caused, so you should deal with it yourself. Iâve already canceled the wedding venue, so donât worry.â
âYuri, you⌠Donât you think youâre going too far without even discussing it with me?â
âIâm not the one who went too far. You are.â
âHa⌠Damn it! I know that, which is why Iâm begging you like this. And have you forgotten that Madam Joo arranged this marriage?â
Until just moments ago, Hyunwoo had been crouching down like a dog with its tail between its legs, acting as though everything was entirely his fault. But suddenly, he became enraged and raised his voice.
Yuri quietly looked at his flushed face before opening her mouth.
âNo. How could I forget that?â
As Yuri answered him, her hands began to tremble, causing the teacup she was holding to shake along with them.
Yuri had never even had the time to meet a man. During her school years, aside from studying and working part-time, she was always busy running errands and taking care of everything for Baek Seola.
After graduating and becoming Seolaâs personal secretary, she had even less time. She could barely find the time to properly meet her one and only friend. Naturally, she had never had the opportunity to meet a man.
With her jade-white skin and elegant beauty, Yuri was undeniably attractive to anyone who saw her. She herself simply didnât know it.
She had received advances from many men over the years, but every time, she firmly rejected them. Having never dated anyone, Yuri had no romantic fantasies about marriage.
Her marriage to Hyunwoo had been entirely Madam Joo Sangheeâs idea. Under the convenient pretext that Seola would soon be getting married as well and that Yuri needed to hurry and find a partner, she had introduced Yuri to Jang Munsuâs son, Hyunwoo.
Since he was Jang Munsuâs son and had come and gone from their household like a member of the family, Yuri had known him since childhood.
She had never been comfortable enough to call Hyunwoo âOppaâ as casually as Seola did because it felt embarrassing, but she wasnât uncomfortable around him either.
As that relationship continued for a long time, a familiar sense of comfort had developed between them. And because Jang Munsu, who had always been particularly fond of Yuri, felt almost like a father to her, she didnât dislike the idea of becoming family.
Yuri had never really understood the emotion called love anyway, so she had thought marriage might not be such a big deal. She had seen couples around her who had once loved each other as though they would die without each other, only to get married and start saying they couldnât stand living together or wanted a divorce, making a huge mess as if they were sworn enemies.
For Yuri, who had always been alone, having a family of her own didnât seem like such a bad thing. So, after dating Hyunwoo for only three months, she had decided to marry him.
The moment Hyunwoo mentioned the name of Joo Sanghee, the person who had arranged this marriage, Yuri felt a surge of emotion and heat rise inside her.
She set down the teacup to hide her trembling and slightly parted her dry lips.
âI regret it. Agreeing to get married. If Madam Joo hadnât arranged it, like you saidâŚ.â
She didnât have to get married in the first place. Why had she agreed to it, only to end up witnessing something this ugly? Since it had been her choice anyway, there was nothing she could do about regretting it.
However, Joo Sanghee still held a place in Yuriâs heart as the benefactor and sponsor she was grateful to for saving her. So breaking away from her protective fence wasnât easy.
Still, Yuri was more afraid that if she didnât take this opportunity, she would never escape Baek Seolaâs shadow for the rest of her life. That fear gave her the courage to act.
Cornered with nowhere else to turn, Hyunwoo had only Joo Sanghee left to rely on. He knew very well that this was Yuriâs one and only weakness.
Hyunwoo suddenly grabbed Yuriâs hands, which she had neatly folded on the table, and said,
âExactly. So letâs not make Madam Joo worry about this too and just settle things between the two of us. Iâll really treat you well after we get married. Okay?â
Yuri ruthlessly shook his hand off and snapped,
âLet go!â
âHey! Jin Yuri.â
Startled by her cold reaction, Hyunwoo could only stare at Yuri as though he had lost his mind.
âYou⌠You werenât like this before, were you? You used to be the kind of person who would at least pretend to die if Madam Joo told you to die. So what the hell is wrong with you? This doesnât suit you at all.â
Yuri struggled to continue speaking through her trembling lips.
ââŚWhat kind of person is naturally like that? I did it because I had no choice. Youâre really cruel. How could you say something like that to meâŚ?â
âWhat? Itâs not like I said something that wasnât true. This is ridiculous.â
Hyunwoo stared at Yuri with an incredulous expression.
âWeâre really over. Iâm never getting married to you, even if I die.â
âYouâre being ridiculous. Youâll end up listening to Madam Joo anyway, so donât waste your energy!â
âYouâre the lowest kind of human being. I have nothing more to say to you, so Iâll leave first.â
âUgh. Seriously!â
Leaving Hyunwoo behind with his face bright red and his body trembling with rage, Yuri opened the cafĂŠ door and walked out without hesitation.
The words both Vice President Park Hushin and Jang Hyunwoo had said to her hurt terribly because they had both said essentially the same thing.
She bitterly regretted the pathetic way she had acted, making it seem as though she would even pretend to die if Baek Seolhee or Joo Sanghee ordered her to.
The cold wind blowing fiercely against her face somehow cooled the turmoil boiling inside her, so she took a deep breath.
It felt as though those menâs perception of her had given her a justification to resolve herself to take revenge on them and prove them wrong.
ďźďźďź
After wandering outside for a long time, Yuri finally returned to her officetel after sorting through her confused thoughts.
Perhaps because she had barely slept for several days, she took off only her coat and collapsed onto the bed as soon as she entered. She had intended to close her eyes for only a moment, but before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
When she opened her eyes, it was already getting dark outside the window.
Yuri sat up and took her phone out of the bag she had tossed onto the floor.
The moment she turned it on, dozens of messages and missed calls appeared.
âHaâŚ. Should I change my number?â
As Yuri checked the names of the callers, her eyes suddenly widened.
Baek Seola, Jang Hyunwoo, the wedding planner, the dress shop, and Park Hushin.
âWhy would the vice presidentâŚ?â
Ignoring the messages from everyone else, Yuri immediately opened Hushinâs message.
[Ms. Jin Yuri, are you busy? Please contact me to let me know if you received the contract.]
âAh⌠right. The contract.â
He had probably contacted her because he was frustrated that she hadnât responded after receiving the contract.
She had received the contract he sent, but she had been too overwhelmed to properly look it over yet.
For now, Yuri sent Hushin a reply.
[Hello, Vice President. I received the contract safely. Iâm reviewing it now, so Iâll contact you as soon as Iâm finished.]
The moment she pressed send, a loud growl came from her stomach.
It seemed as though her stomach, which had been empty all day, was finally crying out for food.
âRight. Letâs eat something first.â
Yuri put her coat back on and went to the pojangmacha-style bar located in front of her officetel. She sometimes bought dinner to take home from there on her way back from work, but this was the first time she had actually eaten at the establishment.
On an empty stomach, Yuri tossed back a shot of soju and quickly polished off an entire bowl of udon.
Perhaps because her hunger had been satisfied, it was amazing how much better she felt after just one meal. The warm broth seemed to fill her empty stomach completely, making her feel comforted and secure.
She drank the roughly half bottle of soju that remained straight from the bottle. The liquid flowing from her throat down into her stomach felt as though it were burning like a fire, but she felt good.
âAhh. Bitter yet sweet.â
She thought the phrase suited this moment perfectly.
As warmth and coolness mingled together, her body lost its strength as though she were floating in water.
Perhaps the alcohol was taking effect, because both her cheeks had turned rosy. Feeling pleasantly tipsy, she found herself giggling without even realizing it.
Yuri took out the clear file she had carefully kept inside her bag. That morning at the office, she had printed the contract along with her resignation letter and put them separately into her bag.
She focused her languid eyes and slowly began reading from the first page. As she continued, her eyes gradually grew wider.
As long as she fulfilled the confidentiality obligation never to disclose anything concerning Hushinâs private affairs, the salary and benefits seemed to be the best in the industry. Of course, she was comparing them against the working conditions of corporate secretaries with seven years of experience that she knew about.
It was twice the salary she had received at the Royal Hotel. Her one and only friend, Naiseo, had talked her ears off about how good the employee benefits at the major corporation PARK FOOD were.
Yuriâs only friend, Naiseo, was currently working as an assistant manager in PARK FOODâs Public Relations Department.
After finishing her review of the contract, Yuri couldnât take her eyes off the final clause for a long time.
[After entering into this contract, Party B may not resign for one year and may not date or marry during that period. If this confidentiality agreement is leaked to an outside party, Party B shall pay Party A a penalty equal to twice Party Bâs annual salary.]
âWhat⌠is this?â
Yuriâs face was filled with bewilderment.
She could understand having to maintain the contract for one year and keep its contents strictly confidential, but why had something as personal as dating or marriage been included in the contract?
She briefly considered calling Hushin and asking him about it immediately, but then decided against it.
Could it be that he was interested in me too? She couldnât be certain, but at that moment, she desperately wanted to cling even to the slightest possibility.
In fact, this might make it easier for her to approach him.
And after what had happened, Yuri had awakened to the reality of her own life and had no intention of getting married or dating anyway, so it wasnât really a problem.
It might simply have been a delusion brought on by the alcohol, but a thrilling thought flashed through her mind.
It might be worth giving it a try.
Someday, if she met Baek Seola again, she wanted to see, just once, the sight of that arrogant face crumpling miserably.
Yuri took a pen from her bag and signed without hesitation.
Immediately afterward, she found Vice President Park Hushinâs number, which she had saved in her phone, and pressed the call button.
