Chapter : 49
“A contract?”
Her mind went blank at the sudden remark.
Juhye’s face went pale as she furrowed her brows, and Kangil let out a sigh as if he had expected this reaction.
“Of course, I thought you wouldn’t know. It seems Seodaehyun didn’t tell you until the end. Honestly, such stubbornness…”
“Please explain in more detail. A contract? What do you mean by that?”
Juhye regained her composure and asked cautiously.
Kangil murmured that it was natural she would be confused, then began telling a story she could hardly have imagined.
“I heard that before getting married, President Jinsuha tried to arrange a secret meeting.”
“Secretly…?”
“Quietly, so you wouldn’t find out.”
It meant a contract had been made without the knowledge of the person getting married.
“When they actually went there, Vice President Jinsukyung was also present. Both of them personally drew up the contract and showed it.”
“What exactly is this contract about?”
“I don’t know the precise details, but it was said that there were conditions regarding the marriage. If those conditions weren’t agreed to, marriage would never be permitted.”
Juhye thought her father would never allow that, but Kangil delivered a final blow.
“Moreover, the contract was approved by Chairman Jin himself.”
“That’s impossible.”
Juhye immediately denied his words.
When she first expressed her desire to marry, her father’s reaction had indeed been less than pleased. But when the marriage was finally decided, he had been her greatest supporter. He had encouraged her to pursue the dream of a happy family. There was no way her father could have secretly orchestrated such a thing behind the scenes. The same went for her brothers.
“No matter how disappointed they were with Daehyun… they wouldn’t have done something like that. None of them ever said a word about it to me.”
“It was a contract conducted entirely in secret from you, Juhye.”
“But I’m the one getting married. Why would such a thing be kept secret from me?”
“You may not believe it, but it’s true. I only recently heard about the contract myself.”
Juhye fidgeted with her now-cold teacup, momentarily lost for words. In the meantime, fleeting questions that Jooyoung had once casually raised came back to her mind:
“I know you’re a good person. I know, but… no matter how much they’re family, don’t trust them completely.”
“Huh?”
“Do you think your brothers really only gave Daehyun hints?”
When Jooyoung had said that, her eyes had been filled with certainty. That must have meant that, in her observation, Daehyun had indeed been looked down on on multiple occasions.
“Of course, they wouldn’t have done it in front of you. But you have no idea how much they belittled him elsewhere.”
“My brothers…?”
“Now that you’re getting divorced, I can finally tell you. Ah, I feel so relieved.”
At the time, Juhye had thought it was ridiculous. But hearing Kangil confirm it after Jooyoung, she realized there must have been some truth—something she could not ignore even if she wanted to.
“Still, he wanted to marry you, Juhye. That was the sole reason he went ahead with it.”
Kangil waited for Juhye to collect her thoughts before delivering the most important part—the reason he had hurried to see her today.
“What reason?”
“For you…”
Kangil, who had been speaking smoothly all this time, hesitated briefly before speaking firmly.
“Simply because he loves you.”
At that moment, Juhye’s eyes sharpened. She thought no one could possibly deceive her as Kangil had just said.
“That’s….”
But her expression was so fragile, and the sincerity behind it was palpable.
“…hard to believe.”
She couldn’t bring herself to shout that it was absurd. Even her small response made Kangil smile bitterly.
“Daehyun can be shameless, yes, but I’m sure it was genuine.”
His smile confirmed he agreed with her thinking.
“If it weren’t genuine, why would he have stamped that contract?”
“I heard the premarital contract is kept in President Jinsuha’s office. It’s probably in Vice President Jinsukyung’s office as well.”
Kangil kindly informed her of the contract’s location before leaving quickly. Unable to resist the kindness, Juhye hailed a taxi.
As she hurried to the main office of Jinju Construction, her emotions boiled inside, but she kept a calm exterior. It would be better to confirm with her own eyes whether the contract really existed before letting her anger explode.
“That’s a lie. It can’t be. He’s not stupid—why would he ever stamp a contract like that?”
She knew better than anyone how rational and cold Daehyun could be when it came to logic and profit.
The taxi arrived quickly. By the time she got out, the sun was starting to set. Suha would probably still be in the office unless he had an outside meeting. She considered sending a text first but refrained, worried he might hide the contract.
“Welcome, madam.”
The moment she entered the lobby, a familiar secretary bowed to her. Juhye quickly approached her and whispered.
“Hello, Director. Is Suha oppa in the office now?”
“I’m sorry, he stepped out for a meeting. Shall I contact him immediately?”
Suha was indeed away. Juhye smiled, relieved.
“Yes, please tell him I’ll wait in the office. It’s not urgent, so he can come slowly.”
“Understood.”
After confirming the secretary’s reply, Juhye took the elevator up. Her heart raced as the elevator swiftly ascended to the top floor. Even as she approached the office, the trembling did not subside.
“….”
Bang! She pushed the door open, entering a dark, quiet office.
She didn’t even have time to turn on the lights and went straight to the nearest desk drawer. Her hands trembled as she rifled through the drawers and bookshelves anxiously.
Among the piles of documents, her gaze landed on the safe. She rushed over and entered Suha’s birthday code, and the door clicked open.
“…!”
Amid the important papers, one sheet of paper protruded. In the corner, Daehyun’s signature and stamp were visible.
Her hands shook as she pulled it out, and her body swayed slightly.
“No way… really….”
She examined the document carefully, whispering faintly to herself. On the surface, it looked like a normal contract. But as she read the clauses, her brow furrowed mercilessly.
Premarital Contract
Even the title hinted at its contents. The signatories were Suha, Sukyung, and Daehyun—a total of three people.
The terms matched exactly what Kangil had told her: detailed conditions, some of which were almost like a slave contract.
“No… he said we married for… profit…”
With a contract like this, the idea that he married her solely for profit didn’t make sense. Sacrificing one’s entire life for a fleeting gain was absurd.
Especially the clause stating that if the marriage ended in divorce, he would withdraw without objection. Her fragile composure finally crumbled.
“Then… why did he marry me?”
Juhye thought Daehyun had not loved her, that he only accepted marriage for profit. To him, marriage had been nothing more than a transaction. That explained why he had secretly maintained a relationship with the woman he truly loved… or so she thought. If not, why have an affair?
Her mind grew more tangled as she searched for the answer.
“Juhye!”
Frozen like a statue, she heard the office door open behind her. Turning slowly, she saw Suha in a neat shirt, a bright expression on his face. He must have come up as soon as the secretary told him she was visiting.
“What brings you here without calling? If you wanted to eat, you should’ve contacted me first…”
The moment he saw the contract in Juhye’s hands, the smile quickly disappeared from his face. His voice, once steady, vanished completely.
Standing there in the corner, holding a sheet of paper without turning on the lights, how ridiculous must she have looked?
Juhye forced a self-deprecating smile and deliberately waved the contract.
“Oppa, what is this?”
His eyes glimmered with the need for an explanation.
“Did you… really make him write a contract when you married that person?”
At the blunt question, Suha’s eyes widened in surprise.
