MM 111

As Yu-young walked toward the table, his heart rate automatically started rising when he saw Sun-hyung, dressed in a suit, smiling leisurely at him. Trying to suppress his rapidly pounding heart, Yu-young clenched his fists. With a firm resolution, he walked confidently toward the table.

Sun-hyung, still sitting casually, glanced up at Yu-young and greeted him with a slightly lifted gaze. His arrogant demeanor made Yu-young sit down without pretenses and immediately threw the first punch.

“Why did you call me here?”

“You didn’t even say hello. You must be in quite a rush, huh? Or is this rude attitude just your usual way?”

Despite Yu-young’s directness, he remained unfazed. He raised his hand to call the waiter and ordered a wine for Yu-young without asking his preference.

The waiter quickly brought the wine and placed it in front of Yu-young, but Yu-young didn’t even look at it. Meanwhile, Sun-hyung took a sip of his wine and slowly spoke up.

“Since you’re here, you should at least have a drink.”

“I don’t think this is the kind of time you arranged to waste, is it?”

There was no need to hide his impatience anymore. The fact that he had come this far meant that he had already played into some of Sub-hyung’s plans. But he had come for something far more important than a power struggle.

The life he was building with Do-won was like the most precious thing he had ever had. He couldn’t let Sun-hyung destroy something so important.

Seeing Yu-young’s anxious face, he smiled smugly.

“Right. I called you because I have something to say. And you probably guessed what it was, that’s why you came all the way here.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No idea?”

Sun-hyung scoffed, leaning his chin on his hand as he tilted his head slightly to the side, looking at Yu-young. His posture was relaxed.

“Really don’t know? If not, you wouldn’t have rushed all the way here.”

“Stop assuming things and just say what you want to say.”

“Okay, then.”

Sun-hyung let out a little laugh, clearly mocking Yu-young, and licked his wine-stained lips with his tongue.

“Alright, Yu-young. Let me tell you what I want to say. Are you happy with your married life with Do-won?”

For a moment, Yu-young’s heart sank, but he quickly regained his composure. This was still probably just Sun-hyung grasping at straws. He couldn’t let himself be dragged into this. Yu-young scowled.

“I don’t think I need to answer that kind of question from you.”

“Haha… You’re quite confident, aren’t you?”

Sun-hyung lowered his gaze, chuckling softly. Time seemed to freeze as he gently spun his wine glass. Sweat began to form in Yu-young’s clenched fists under the table.

“Let me rephrase that.”

Sun-hyung, still staring at the wine glass, casually swirled it a few times before looking up at Yu-young again. He had the attitude of a full-bellied lion, with no sense of urgency.

And the next words that left Sun-hyung’s mouth were enough to completely shatter the fragile composure Yu-young had managed to hold onto.

“So, how’s your contract marriage with Do-won going?”

In that instant, Yu-young’s breath stopped. He involuntarily gasped.

“…What…?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I have the evidence.”

Every word that came from Sun-hyung’s mouth felt like it was squeezing his chest. His eyes were trembling with fear. He couldn’t let on that he was falling apart, but despite his efforts to stay calm, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold himself together.

Yu-young had expected him to make vague insinuations and try to catch him off guard. However, he never anticipated that Sun-hyung would know so much about his and Do-won’s relationship. In fact, he had been hoping that Sun-hyung wouldn’t know.

His heart was racing so fast that he couldn’t even speak. He didn’t know how to respond. After a brief moment, Yu-young managed to pull his trembling lips apart.

“…Evidence… What are you talking about?”

“Are you going to keep pretending? This is tiring.”

The sharp tone in Sun-hyung’s voice cut through the tension as he pulled out a small tablet, tapped on it, and placed it on the table.

Soon, a voice began to play from the tablet at a volume loud enough for Yu-young to hear from across the table. The voice was unmistakably his own.

[Team Leader, this seems really sudden… but would it be possible to get a separate place for us to live, while we maintain a separate life for now?]

Yu-young gasped involuntarily, his eyes wide in shock. Listening to the worried and hesitant tone of his own voice, he immediately recognized the source of the conversation. This was the point when the topic of their contract marriage had first come up. It was the conversation he had had with Do-won just before they arranged for the new home.

Before Yu-young could even ask Sun-hyung where he had gotten this from, another familiar voice started playing. It was a voice that, despite sounding dry, now felt warm to Yu-young: Do-won’s.

[It seems like that would be difficult. If we say we won’t register the marriage, won’t have a wedding, and won’t get pregnant, but continue living as de facto spouses, the focus will naturally shift to the new home.]

[Hah… I suppose that’s the case, isn’t it?]

[It’s understandable that you’re feeling burdened, Han. Even so, I believe this is the best solution for now. I don’t mind, but if you’re uncomfortable living together, you can add another clause to the contract.]

[What kind of clause?]

[Well, you could live together for a few months, and when the parents’ attention shifts, you can secretly move into separate places.]

[I’ll think about it slowly. After all, the contract will be over in three years…]

The conversation about the contract continued for a long time. During this time, the words “contract,” “contract marriage,” and other blunt terms were repeatedly used. Listening to the ongoing voices of himself and Do-won, Yu-young held his forehead with one hand, feeling his vision blur.

[But I’m still worried. It might be okay to say we won’t get pregnant and delay the imprinting, but can we really get away with the marriage registration and our parents’ approval?]

[There are so many couples like that these days, so they’ll probably understand.]

The following conversation was even more despairing. As Yu-young listened to the words, feeling as if a nail were being driven into him, he nervously bit down on his trembling lips.

What should he do now? It would be best to call Do-won immediately, right? No, if he does that, Sun-hyung might do something else. What should he do? How would Do-won handle this situation?

Confused and desperate thoughts floated around in his mind like debris in the universe. The feeling of confusion and despair hit him all at once, making it hard to focus. But even in this disarray, a question suddenly popped into his mind. No matter how distracted he was, this was something he had to address.

“…Before that, how did you even get this conversation?”

Yu-young glared at Sun-hyung with disgust in his eyes.

“This sounds like the conversation we had in the team leader’s car… Did you…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He smirked mockingly at Yu-young, who was fuming with anger.

“That’s from the black box in Do-won’s car.”

“What?!”

Yu-young yelled, his anger flaring.

“Like a rat, stealing something like this…!”

“A rat?”

Hearing Yu-young’s outburst, Sun-hyung raised an eyebrow. His face twisted into a cold sneer as he lifted his chin.

“Fine, let’s say I’m a rat who steals black boxes. But what about you? And what about Do-won?”

“…What?”

“You two schemed together, deceiving your parents, and even got married under false pretenses. Can you really say that’s better than what I did?”

Sun-hyung’s actions were clearly theft, and he had no hesitation in committing crimes for his own purposes. Yu-young knew this well, but his words were stuck in his throat. He should have snapped back at him, but for some reason, nothing came out.

“I won’t appeal to your conscience, asking how you could deceive your parents. If you cared about things like that, you wouldn’t have started this in the first place.”

“…”

“Instead, let’s talk about ‘benefits,’” as you kept mentioning earlier,” Sun-hyung continued calmly, despite the sharpness of his words.

“Have you thought about how Do-won’s father would react if he found out about this, and what kind of consequences Do-won would face?”

“That…”

“Do-won’s father is a powerful man, with a strong character. He’s extremely old-fashioned, too.”

Sun-hyung looked at Yu-young without hesitation. As Yu-young opened his mouth to argue, he couldn’t help but fall silent, hearing his words.

“If Do-won’s father finds out about this, the one who will suffer won’t be you, but Do-won. He loves and cares for Do-won deeply, but he raised him with a strict hand. With his fiery personality, if he finds out that his only son has been betrayed so severely, he won’t let Do-won off easily.”

“…!”

“He hates lies and betrayal more than anything. If he finds out that someone close to him has done that, he’s famous for cutting them off without hesitation.”