The Prenuptial Contract

Shock stole the breath from her lungs.

Wow. He really didn't look the type.

Before she knew it, Do-yeon was painting a vivid picture of the face on the other side of the wall. Neat, dense eyebrows; coolly elongated eyes and a high, straight nose; lips that curved in a soft arc even when he wasn't smiling. When his expression went blank, the man radiated an impression that went beyond cold—something almost fastidiously pure.

At least eight times a month? He's that confident?

Heat flooded her face whether she wanted it to or not. Even so, Do-yeon rapidly ran the calculations in her head.

Every marriage came with obligations. Couples might differ in lifestyle or the shape of their relationship, but one of the particularly critical points in her marriage to Executive Director Kang Sang-jun had been "having a child."

Honorary Chairman Kang Il-taek still had not a single great-grandchild. Three years earlier the eldest grandson, Vice President Kang Hyeong-jun of Muyoung Distribution, had started a family, yet good news had yet to arrive.

"Do-yeon, start preparing your body from now on. The chairman is so desperate for a great-grandchild—how happy would he be if one appeared before the wedding?"

"Honestly, first thing in the morning…"

They hadn't even held the ceremony yet, and Ju-ran was already carrying on like that. She didn't seem the least bit embarrassed doing it in front of her husband and son.

Separate from how distasteful Do-yeon found it, the woman's arithmetic was perfectly accurate.

If a child were born between CEO Kang Mo-jun and herself—especially if it were the first great-grandchild—Chairman Kang would pour boundless affection onto that child. That affection would naturally include shares in the Muyoung Group as well.

So it made sense that the prospective groom had spelled out such an explicit clause in the prenuptial agreement. What she herself stood to gain from this marriage was equally clear; the demand felt a little burdensome, yet it stirred no real revulsion.

It's something we'd have to do once we were married anyway. Setting a monthly number isn't going to kill anyone.

The more her thoughts settled, the faster the color returned to Do-yeon's face. The hand that had paused resumed turning pages as if nothing had happened.

A short while later, after reviewing every last page of the supplementary contract with superhuman focus, Do-yeon stepped back into the sitting room.

"Finished reviewing?"

"…Yes."

It had been nothing more than a contract review; there was nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to feel awkward about. Even so, she somehow couldn't meet his eyes, so Do-yeon fixed her gaze on Mo-jun's lips.

Seriously, what kind of man has lips that pretty?

The sudden appreciation made her feel guilty; she hastily shifted her eyes to the tip of his nose, but that proved no better choice either.

A sharp nasal bridge was the very symbol of masculinity, the mark of someone whose testosterone ran high and…

"You don't have to sign today. If you need more time, I'll wait."

Apparently uncomfortable under her staring, Mo-jun rose from his seat.

Did eyes obey gravity too? Against her will, Do-yeon's gaze kept drifting lower, toward his lower body.

Baek Do-yeon, have you completely lost it? This is sexual harassment…

"I'll do it now."

Appalled by her own lewdness, Do-yeon answered at once. She felt the lawyer standing behind her flinch at the sheer speed of the reply.

"Prepare another copy of the contract."

At Mo-jun's summons Secretary Kim entered the suite, and the tangled mess inside Do-yeon's head rapidly settled.

Both parties signed on the spot and each took a copy; with that, Mo-jun and Do-yeon boarded the same boat.

"I'll contact Hanbit on Monday. Today's contract stays confidential, so don't worry."

"Understood."

All four of them rose almost simultaneously. True to his thorough nature, Mo-jun did not forget the words Do-yeon wanted to hear, right to the end.

"I look forward to working with you, Ms. Baek Do-yeon."

Mo-jun offered his hand.

"Likewise."

As she clasped it, Do-yeon met his eyes. The hand was large and hot enough to feel almost alien.

"They say even if the sky falls there's a hole to crawl out of."

Monday evening. Exactly one week after the marriage deal had collapsed, a far more impressive son-in-law had walked of his own free will into the pit of despair.

A golden rope had dropped right in front of them.

The middle-aged couple's faces were flushed with unconcealable joy. At a glance they looked like people who had just won the lottery.

"Muyoung really is a major conglomerate. You can tell by the way they insist on taking full responsibility to the end."

"Exactly."

Whatever contact had come from the other side, by the time Do-yeon arrived home the entire household was already in festival mode. Being summoned to her father's study before she could even set down her bag was simply an extension of that mood.

"They must have hated the thought of letting a talent like our Do-yeon slip away."

Seung-pil looked more animated than he had in ages. He kept casting affectionate glances her way and even managed the awkward endearment "my daughter."

His conditional paternal love was not welcome to Do-yeon. It was precisely why Ju-ran always radiated pure resentment with her whole body whenever Father praised her in front of Jin-woo.

"Do-yeon, from now on serve your in-laws well and live obediently. Don't go sticking your neck out the way you do at home."

Wearing a spotless white apron, Ju-ran set a steaming bowl of soup in front of Do-yeon and blocked the line of sight between father and daughter. Even though a servant stood ready nearby, the fact that she insisted on doing it herself made her intentions plain enough.

From now on, I'm your mother.

The day Father announced his remarriage, Ju-ran had marched straight into the house and sought Do-yeon out first. Then she had said something that absurd.

No. I already have a mother.

Naturally, nineteen-year-old Do-yeon had not been young enough to nod along to such words.

Director Lee is my father's wife and Lee Jin-woo's mother. Ah—should I call him Baek Jin-woo now?

Whether they remarried or not was their business, but she had not the slightest intention of accepting the woman as her mother. She had delivered that meaning with perfect clarity as well.

From that day on, Ju-ran seized every chance to play the mother role toward Do-yeon—especially whenever Seung-pil or Jin-woo was present.

You went out looking like that? You're not some bar girl, putting your cleavage on full display. Honestly.

Since Do-yeon was already practically an adult, there was nothing left to teach; instead Ju-ran delivered her own brand of lectures, mostly by nitpicking clothes.

She always behaved as if she had time-slipped straight out of the Joseon era, so Do-yeon found it hard not to mock her. The woman herself had never even experienced life under a mother-in-law, thanks to parents-in-law who had died young.

"Mom, why bring up unnecessary things?"

Perceptive Jin-woo tried to stop his mother, but Ju-ran ignored him and kept talking.

"This child? I'm just teaching her in advance so she won't get scolded by the elders after marriage. Once a woman marries, she becomes that family's member until she dies. Don't go running home every time something happens and make your father uncomfortable—handle yourself properly in the middle. You have to hold onto Mr. Kang tightly…"

Do-yeon looked back and forth between the soup bowl in front of Jin-woo and her own with an expression of pure disgust. The sudden thought that spit might fly made her stomach turn.

"A press release will go out around next week. It shouldn't happen, but if the media tries to contact you, hand it over to Chief Choi."

Letting her father's admonition go in one ear and out the other, Do-yeon answered with a short "Yes." The rounded tip of her spoon slowly pushed across the fluffy surface of the rice.

"Mr. Kang is even putting out a press release? What for?"

"Because you run your mouth at every gathering the second you get the chance."

"When did I ever?"

"Then who do you think spread the story that we almost became in-laws with that junkie?"

Ju-ran's deliberate picking of a fight turned the dinner atmosphere vicious in an instant.

"This is the only way to make it as if it never happened. Mr. Kang specifically asked, so for God's sake keep your mouth shut. If you stick your nose into a done deal this time, I won't let it slide."

Watching the situation, Do-yeon quietly left her seat. The couple was too busy bickering to spare her even a glance.

The moment she reached her room, a mail-arrival chime sounded from her laptop speakers. She was about to save the file the lawyer had sent when a duplicate confirmation window popped up on the screen.

Only then did she remember. Last month, through Chief Choi, she had received the prenuptial agreement with her former fiancé.

The document had reached her hands, yet it was her father and his lawyer who had actually reviewed it; she had merely provided a nominal signature.

Blink. Blink. The cursor that had paused settled over the first option.

Roughly one month until the wedding. Without hesitation, Do-yeon chose Overwrite.

The main flower in the bouquets gradually shifted from freesia to ranunculus, tulips, and anemones. Do-yeon knew with her fingertips that late winter had passed and full spring had arrived.

Thanks to Mo-jun's consideration, Do-yeon spent the day before the ceremony resting thoroughly at Muyoung Hotel. As a result, even though she had been fussing with makeup and dress fittings since early morning on the wedding day itself, she did not feel particularly tired.

For about an hour she sat like a doll in the bride's waiting room, receiving greetings from guests whose faces she did not know.

A low hum of noise from outside suggested the event had already begun. With a faintly weary expression Do-yeon looked around. White flowers she had never requested were dotted among the large blooms.

"What is this?"

Jasmine was small in size yet flaunted its presence with an intense fragrance. That was why it was rarely used in enclosed spaces like this. Supply itself was difficult because it wilted quickly if conditions were not right.

The fact that a flower never once mentioned across two floral meetings had been added to the decorations without the bride's knowledge meant…

As if cutting off her question, the closed door opened and a staff member appeared.

"Five minutes until entrance. Bride, we'll move you to the banquet-hall entrance now."

"All right."

After the long wait, the wedding was finally about to begin. Supported by those around her, Do-yeon rose and began walking slowly.

All the way to the banquet-hall entrance her gaze stayed fixed downward. The trailing hem of the dress was so long she kept worrying she might step on it and fall.

Perhaps that posture was read as shyness or trembling.

"Nervous?"

A soft low voice asked, sounding concerned. Only at the sound of that voice did Mo-jun enter Do-yeon's field of vision.

Light seemed to shine from his smooth face, as if someone had switched on a spotlight. The phalaenopsis boutonniere pinned to his chest registered a beat later.

"No. The dress is just uncomfortable."

"Then we'd better finish quickly."

At her honest answer Mo-jun gave a quiet snort of laughter. The way he treated her, as if soothing a child, made the fingers holding the bouquet twitch for an instant.

Why?

"Groom and bride, enter!"

Before she could even wonder why her fingertips had grown ticklish, the closed doors of the banquet hall swung wide open.

"Shall we?"

Lights and applause burst forth together as Mo-jun offered Do-yeon his arm.