Chapter 22
When the Contract Ends, We Will Disappear from Each Other’s Side
So-hye entered the room that Soon-sim had shown her.
It was a simple, tidy room with only a bed and no special furniture.
“This will be your room from now on, young lady. The furniture will be brought in as it’s prepared, so please bear with it for a little while,” Soon-sim said.
“That’s fine. There’s no rush,” So-hye replied.
Compared to the place she had lived before, this room was luxurious enough just to lie down warmly and sleep.
“If there’s anything else you need, just let us know anytime. You can tell any of the other servants as well.”
“Yes, thank you,” So-hye said.
Soon-sim approached subtly and smiled warmly.
“Can I call you Miss So-hye from now on?”
“You can just call me So-hye.”
“Oh my, you’re your master’s fiancée, and you let me call you that? This is serious business!”
Judging from her humble attire, she didn’t seem like a rich lady, yet she was still her mistress.
Soon-sim insisted on speaking politely, and they ended up negotiating a compromise.
In the end, they agreed to call each other “Miss So-hye” and “Madam Soon-sim.”
Just as their conversation seemed over and Soon-sim was about to leave,
“Hmm…”
Instead of leaving, Soon-sim cleared her throat softly and glanced at So-hye. Then she lowered her voice and asked discreetly:
“So, how did you meet our young master? He’s always locked up in his lab, hardly ever coming out, so I can’t imagine.”
It was no surprise that So-hye seemed like she had dropped from the sky in Soon-sim’s eyes.
Woo-geon devoted himself day and night to butterfly research, interacting with almost no one outside the school.
It was impossible for her to imagine how So-hye had come to meet him, let alone become his fiancée.
Even the head of the household, Hak-jun, didn’t seem to know, which made Soon-sim even more curious.
But would So-hye herself even know the answer?
Because it was all a lie.
‘For now, I’ll just brush it off. Later, I’ll coordinate with the teacher. There are a few other things we need to settle anyway.’
So-hye simply smiled shyly and gave a vague answer.
“Just… it happened somehow…”
“Oh, it happened somehow…”
Soon-sim’s eyes widened, and she nodded slowly.
Even though it was a vague answer, to her ears, “somehow” sounded incredibly romantic.
A love that had ignited suddenly and intensely!
“Indeed, young people these days are really something else. Hohoho!”
Soon-sim, letting her imagination run wild, was blushing like a teenage girl despite being in her fifties.
So-hye could only smile awkwardly, both understanding and not understanding the reason behind her wriggling.
‘I’m sorry, Madam. I’ll explain properly after I coordinate with the teacher…’
For now, as long as Soon-sim didn’t suspect anything, it didn’t really matter.
So-hye had to have her first meal in this unfamiliar house alone.
Woo-geon had gone out for some work.
Perhaps because of the whirlwind of changes and the recent events, her mouth felt dry and unappetizing. She couldn’t even finish half a bowl before getting up.
Back in her room, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall. The floor was already warm.
“So this is what they call a blessing in disguise,” she murmured.
She had almost been accused unjustly and thought she would die, but miraculously Woo-geon had stepped in to help.
Even pretending that she was his fiancée.
Thanks to that, she got to act as his fiancée, and she even got to stay in a good house.
Just a few days ago, she could never have imagined this.
And yet, she felt a surge of worry.
“Can I really play the role of a partner well…?”
She felt inadequate to be with Woo-geon. She wasn’t from a wealthy family, not even an ordinary daughter from a respectable household.
Moreover, it was only a matter of time before people found out she had been a dancer at a café.
Then, the attention directed at Woo-geon would hardly be favorable.
‘I don’t want to just sit by and cause him trouble.’
She didn’t want rumors to follow him because of her.
She needed to find a way to not be a burden.
As much as he had risked himself to help her, she wanted to be someone who could be helpful in return.
‘Then there’s only one way…’
So she sat on the floor, thinking earnestly.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
“Who’s there?”
She stood and opened the door.
It was Woo-geon, looking as he had before, in the same clothes.
“Were you resting?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Please come in.”
Woo-geon glanced around before stepping in. The sliding door closed softly behind him.
The gentle creak of the wood seemed unusually loud in So-hye’s ears.
Druk… thud.
Finally, with no one else around, it was just the two of them.
The room, once filled only with her breathing, now held his presence.
If his face seemed more alluring, more decadent than before, perhaps it was an illusion of the space… or was it her rising desire?
Her heart pounded and her body felt warm.
“Shall we sit?” he asked.
“Ah… yes.”
So-hye swallowed hard and sat on the floor.
Unlike her, Woo-geon looked calm and composed.
“I think we need a few rules between us,” he said, placing two sheets of paper between them.
Two sheets probably meant they were going to write a contract.
So-hye nodded, relieved they were thinking the same thing.
Since this was a fake relationship, setting rules was necessary.
“We have to appear to others as a proper engaged couple, but that’s only to avoid being watched. It’s just a fake,” he explained.
“….”
“In other words, this is a contract relationship.”
“Contract relationship.” The words felt oddly mismatched, but it was the only way to describe their situation.
“If there are rules you think we need, say them. Better to settle them now than have problems later.”
“Yes,” So-hye answered.
The first clause came from Woo-geon:
“First, don’t reveal this contract to anyone.”
Since this was to avoid Japanese surveillance, they couldn’t risk letting even close people know.
“From now on, you can’t trust anyone but me.”
Even family, even people like him. Words could escape at any moment.
That was why she hadn’t told Soon-sim, who had worked in the household for so long.
“What about our café boss…?”
“I already spoke with the boss. He knows the truth. I took care of it.”
“So you went to see him?”
“Yeah, he’s aware of our true relationship. There were things to clarify.”
If Man-seok demanded money, Woo-geon was ready to pay. This secrecy was literally a matter of life and death.
But unexpectedly, Man-seok demanded nothing. Instead, he requested that So-hye’s safety be the top priority, offering help if needed.
‘So-hye is the daughter of an old friend. As long as she’s safe, I’ll do anything.’
It was an unexpected turn, but a relief for both of them.
“Let’s not fix the contract period. There are too many variables,” Woo-geon said.
“So, when you judge that Japanese surveillance is gone, we can end the contract?”
“Good. Then we’ll terminate it by mutual agreement.”
He recited the second clause:
“Second, allow physical contact if necessary.”
So-hye’s eyes widened in shock.
Physical contact… as in affectionate gestures between a couple?
Her mind raced: holding hands, linking arms, putting an arm around a shoulder, hugs… kisses… and more…
‘Ah! What am I thinking!’
She shook her head violently, trying to clear these lewd thoughts.
Her heart raced, almost leaping from her chest.
Seeing her sudden flustered expression, Woo-geon looked at her strangely.
Realizing her slip, she quickly composed herself.
“Ah, um… physical contact… how far exactly?”
Without knowing what she had imagined, Woo-geon clarified the limit.
“Only hugs, if necessary.”
“Hug…?”
She had panicked before, but now felt relief and a strange disappointment that it was only hugs.
‘If only you’d said hug from the start…’
“If it’s uncomfortable, we can remove this clause. It was just to prevent suspicion, so we can drop it…”
“No! Don’t remove it!”
So-hye waved her hands desperately.
“This… in case of an emergency… it makes sense to include it,” she added, forcing justification for her relief.
Fortunately, the clause stayed.
“Tell me if it’s uncomfortable. I won’t force it.”
“I will.”
Though she had no intention to refuse…
Then a thought stopped her pen.
There was someone they had to consider in this contract.
“But even though we’re engaged… is this really okay with you?”
At her hesitant question, Woo-geon looked up.
“The only way to get you out of that situation was this. They wouldn’t dare harm you.”
“No, not that…”
She hesitated, then whispered a name she had been concerned about.
“That person I saw… I think their name was Yo-hwa.”
Woo-geon frowned. A mix of confusion and disbelief.
“Yo-hwa? Why?”
“They don’t seem to be just ordinary acquaintances,” she explained.
Woo-geon exhaled sharply. It was clearly absurd.
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
He even smirked, looking at her in a peculiar way.
“I don’t know why you worried about that.”
His gaze seemed to ask if she was jealous.
She blushed, biting her lip and trying to explain timidly.
“I just didn’t want our real relationship to break because of me.”
“It won’t. Stop worrying. Yo-hwa is just learning Esperanto from me, nothing else.”
His laugh gently settled in her chest.
So-hye realized there was nothing between him and that person.
Her heart, which had been suffocating, floated back to freedom.
She forced herself to focus on completing the contract.
“Oh, I have a favor to ask,” she said.
“Go ahead.”
She wanted a way to not be a burden while living in his house.
“Please let me work in your lab,” she requested.
She would become his assistant.
“Anything I can do—painting or otherwise—I’ll do. I’ll even learn Esperanto if it helps with your papers.”
“You don’t have to do that to repay me,” he said.
“But… I want to become someone more suitable for you while we’re pretending to be a couple,” she said earnestly.
Even if fake, it would look real to others.
She didn’t want to become a flaw in his eyes.
She also wanted just one more chance to indulge her curiosity and desire to learn and grow.
“I don’t want to just sit idle and do nothing.”
He agreed; having her as an assistant meant more time together, and better for evading surveillance.
“It’s settled then,” he said.
They discussed workdays and pay separately, keeping the contract distinct.
They also set household rules, living spaces, and other necessary conditions.
The rules were simpler than she expected, so she accepted them without objection.
She stretched her neck, feeling stiff, and asked,
“Is it over now?”
“No. One more thing remains.”
Woo-geon looked at the contract silently.
This clause was not for the duration of the contract, but for what would happen afterward.
“When the contract ends…”
His gaze, shadowed in the dim light, fixed on her.
“We will disappear from each other’s side.”
So-hye’s eyes wavered.
When the contract ends… she would have to leave this man’s side.
Not just distance herself, but never see him again.
It felt like walking through a pleasant meadow and suddenly being pushed off a cliff.
Even knowing it was a contract, hearing its end directly made her chest tighten.
“Why…?”
Her trembling voice barely held together.
Until now, she had been more excited than worried while drafting the contract.
Despite the restrictions, she had been happy to act as his partner.
Perhaps unconsciously, she had hoped the dreamlike contract could somehow become reality.
That miracles might bring another miracle.
“Because… if we spend time together after a broken engagement, it would be strange,” he said.
But to Woo-geon, this was a temporary contract—nothing more, nothing less.
“When the contract ends, I’ll find you a better home and work. You won’t struggle even after leaving my house.”
His deep eyes betrayed no trace of the turbulence she felt.
She realized anew that she was not a significant presence to him.
“You must forget me entirely.”
But she did not know that Woo-geon’s heart was not as light as his words suggested.
“Because the reason our engagement ends is that you, unable to withstand your father’s opposition, will leave me.”
He was forcing himself to suppress his feelings, to spare her future pain.
As a member of the Han-Yeol Dan, her future was uncertain.
Even though he was currently a leader, planning operations, he was ready to risk his life against Japan if necessary.
So when the time comes,
Woo-geon must choose a complete farewell.
To leave no trace of himself in her life.
“Think of this as a clause to protect each other,” he added.
The final clause was entirely for So-hye.
