Sponsorship Contract
From the moment Ji-woo stepped off the kindergarten bus and climbed onto the train, his face remained flushed with excitement.
He kept darting glances out the window as if the idea of going to Seoul still felt unbelievable, then finally turned to Yeon-jae.
“Mom, so when we arrive in Seoul, where are we going? The department store we went to last time?”
Yeon-jae smiled at the child’s innocent misunderstanding and ruffled his hair.
“No. Today we’re going to a very big company. One of the top ten most famous companies in our country.”
“A company?”
“Yes. Today Ji-woo is going to sign a contract with the foundation.”
At the word “foundation,” Ji-woo’s eyes grew impossibly wide.
“Then there’ll be an uncle there too?”
Yeon-jae nodded, and Ji-woo’s face lit up like the sun.
“That’s good! I thought I’d never see the uncle again.”
“You were worried about never seeing the uncle?”
Ji-woo gave a tiny nod.
“Ji-woo thinks the uncle is really cool. If I can’t do the foundation thing, I thought I’d have to say goodbye to him.”
This little boy’s worry had been for Je-heon all along.
The fact that he had already become so close to the man made Yeon-jae’s heart ache.
“Mom, I want to become as cool as the uncle too.”
“......Why?”
“Because the uncle is cool!”
The child hesitated, then broke into a bashful smile.
“Cool, and… handsome, and… I don’t know. But he just feels really good.”
Perhaps that day, the moment Je-heon had confessed his feelings, had been inevitable.
One father and one son—two souls bound by blood—could never be separated.
If the piano and Je-heon were Ji-woo’s destiny, Yeon-jae would do everything she could to protect him.
I will protect my child. I will shield him from Pyo Myeong-hee.
'Mommy will keep you safe, Ji-woo.'
No one will ever threaten you again.
“Mom, how long until we reach Seoul?”
“A little over an hour.”
“That’s super fast!”
Until they reached Seoul, Ji-woo chattered nonstop.
When he grew tired, he would stare out the window, fall asleep, then wake up and talk to Yeon-jae again.
When the train finally pulled into Yongsan Station, a figure was already waiting for them.
***
Yeon-jae held Ji-woo’s hand tightly as she followed Oh Bi-seo into the building.
The man who had been waiting at the station greeted them the moment they stepped off the train.
He had known their exact arrival time without being told.
From the moment Ji-woo stepped out of the car and entered the company, his eyes sparkled with wonder.
Even though it was just a parking lot, he kept looking around in curiosity.
Yeon-jae felt her heart race the instant she stepped into the Lance Tower.
Even though she knew no one here would recognize her, once she stepped inside the foundation’s shadow, tension naturally followed.
“I’d like to do the contract somewhere other than the foundation. Please.”
Yeon-jae added her request, and Je-heon had summoned them to his own company instead.
Thankfully, they took the private elevator directly from the parking garage, so little was noticed.
The elevator carrying the two of them and Oh Bi-seo stopped at the very top floor.
Because it was the executive elevator, only the three of them were inside.
“Mom, why is this elevator button only one?”
Ji-woo whispered to Yeon-jae, staring at the single button in wonder.
“It’s the uncle’s private elevator.”
“The uncle’s? Does the uncle have his own elevator?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.”
The child’s pure admiration made Oh Bi-seo chuckle beside them.
The elevator doors opened, and following Oh Bi-seo, they entered the room.
It was a meeting room.
When Yeon-jae opened the door, the man sitting at the center table looked up.
“Uncle!”
Ji-woo ran over the moment he recognized Je-heon.
After greeting the child, he turned to the chair opposite him where Yeon-jae sat.
“You’re as stubborn as ever, just because I sent Bi-seo.”
“You sent Bi-seo to pick us up, didn’t you? Come sit here, Ji-woo.”
“Yay!”
Ji-woo answered cheerfully and plopped down in the chair Yeon-jae had pulled out.
“And the train is faster than taking a car.”
“That’s right. The uncle’s train is super fast.”
Ji-woo nodded along with Yeon-jae, and Je-heon had nothing more to say. He simply gave a signal to Bi-seo.
The secretary stepped forward and placed a folder in front of Yeon-jae.
“This is the contract.”
“......…”
“The parts you requested to be modified in the previous contract have been revised, and additional special clauses have been added.”
As he spoke, he took a pen from inside his suit jacket and placed it on the table in front of her.
When Yeon-jae looked up, Je-heon’s eyes signaled her to read.
She took a deep breath, opened the folder, and saw the familiar stack of papers.
It had been years since she had last seen a contract.
“Sponsorship? What’s mom’s sponsorship?”
“What Ji-woo receives from the foundation after signing the contract and learning is called sponsorship.”
Yeon-jae gave Ji-woo a short, clear explanation.
Even if she had explained it at length, five-year-old Ji-woo would have had trouble understanding the terms.
“Jeong Ji-woo, want to drink some juice?”
“Juice? Like juice?”
“Yes.”
“Ji-woo wants hot chocolate.”
At Je-heon’s words, Ji-woo smiled brightly and ordered hot chocolate.
“Then we’ll have to go to the cafe. Bi-seo, take Ji-woo to the company cafe and back.”
“Yes. I’ll be right back.”
Bi-seo came over to Ji-woo, sensing he was being asked to leave for a moment.
“Ji-woo, you have to behave while you’re out.”
Yeon-jae also noticed Je-heon’s intention and added her own warning.
“What about me?”
“I’m fine. Ji-woo, go drink and come back.”
Only Yeon-jae thought of him.
That thought made her gently stroke the child’s hair.
Ji-woo nodded and took Bi-seo’s hand, then left the room chattering happily.
The meeting room, which had been filled with the child’s voice, fell silent.
“That little one went out and suddenly it got quiet.”
“That’s right. Ji-woo’s age is when he talks the most.”
Yeon-jae spoke without realizing it.
“At first I worried because he talked late, but now I feel at ease.”
“......…”
“If a child’s development is slow, it can be difficult. That’s just how I feel as a mother.”
She spoke smoothly about Ji-woo, then realized belatedly and stopped.
It was an un-Yeon-jae-like action.
“Ah, I talked too much? Understand since it’s from a mother’s perspective.”
“That’s right.”
Je-heon murmured while staring at her.
“It really feels like Jeong Yeon-jae is a mother.”
With his chin resting on his hand, he watched her.
Yeon-jae was the first to look away from his steady gaze.
She lowered her eyes and began reading the contract.
[Sponsorship Contract]
- Article 1, Clause 1
- Article 2, Clause 2
And countless other articles.
Even as a child, Yeon-jae had not understood what the contract meant when she saw it.
She had only cared about what she could receive and enjoy.
And through the contract, she had learned that nothing in the world is free.
Chains filled at the same time as the contract.
And the brand of “sponsoree” had always bound her.
A child receiving the foundation’s sponsorship.
Wherever she went, no matter what she did, the name of the Gu-il Foundation always came first.
At first, it had not mattered.
She had thought it was enough just to play the piano without worrying about money.
But as time passed and the existence of Yeon-jae grew fainter, the emptiness inside her grew larger.
Was I not Jeong Yeon-jae? Did I have to endure and endure everything after receiving sponsorship and learning?
“I… can I not go in?”
“The director called you.”
“But if I go in, then…”
Yeon-jae stood hesitantly in front of Pyo Myeong-hee’s office.
What would happen to her if she entered that room?
It was not only that. Countless verbal humiliations, and sometimes even physical blows.
“I’ll get scolded…”
“That’s because you don’t try hard enough. You’re receiving sponsorship and learning, so how could it be easy? Others are dying to have this opportunity. Come in.”
Since you are a sponsoree, you must endure it naturally.
Yeon-jae’s words, forced out with difficulty, were quickly ignored by the director.
“Mom is sick… Can’t we leave early today?”
“Don’t make excuses. If you had done well before, you would have practiced the rest? Stop making excuses and practice!”
From some point on, her mother had complained of pain and had grown sicker.
Today, she had come out of the house while her mother told her not to go to practice but to stay home.
She had not known that was the last time.
Even the foundation life that had barely been bearable had felt suffocating that day.
After her mother passed away and she was left alone, Yeon-jae had become nothing but good prey.
Pyo Myeong-hee had known better than anyone the situation of a Yeon-jae with no place to return to.
'What else can you do if it’s not the foundation? Eat and live?'
Inside the abuse and gaslighting, Yeon-jae had lost herself.
The only thing that had allowed her to survive in the foundation hell had been Je-heon.
Perhaps it had been a love that began because she needed something to hold onto.
Suddenly, the old memories that had been occupying her mind filled her hands with strength.
Even after years, remembering Pyo Myeong-hee still hurt.
Meeting her would be even more terrifying and frightening.
But she had to endure.
Since Ji-woo had chosen the piano, all Yeon-jae could do was protect the child.
I will not leave my child’s side like a mother.
“Have you checked everything? All the things you mentioned in advance are included.”
Before leaving, Yeon-jae gave Je-heon several warnings before the contract.
The piano lessons would be held in a place unknown to anyone, with only Ji-woo, Yeon-jae, and the teacher present.
Ji-woo and Yeon-jae would not go to the foundation.
And she would make sure Pyo Myeong-hee and Ji-woo never met.
All the special clauses Yeon-jae had requested were included.
“Yes. I’ve checked. I’ll sign the contract.”
Yeon-jae wiped the corners of her eyes that were about to dry and placed the contract on the table.
“One last thing. Please promise me.”
The most important gate remained.
“If anything happens to Ji-woo later, please promise to help him.”