* * *
The moment I saw the amount written on the contract, I made up my mind.
CEO Han offered to double the payment by adding a clause for a sex partner to the modeling job.
With that money, I could pay off about a third of my current debt in one go.
If I could reduce the principal, the interest would also decrease, making it manageable. Moreover, the contract period was only six months.
It was much shorter than eight years, not even a full year—an insignificant amount of time.
Thanks to the faint light seeping in from outside, I could clearly see CEO Han’s silhouette.
While it was difficult to gauge his expression, I could still make out his lips, glistening slightly from lip balm.
“So, you have to give up on one thing. If you can’t let go…”
“…”
“Do your best.”
The tenth rule of being a secretary: Do not harbor special feelings for your boss. They are just your superior, nothing more.
It was a silent vow to not let my feelings sway in any direction.
CEO Han’s lips, obscured in the darkness, curved into a subtle smile.
I watched him quietly, trying to discern the meaning behind his smile, but until the silence weighed heavily on my shoulders, I received no answer.
The secretariat staff were already sprawled out, drunk, in a noisy bar.
It wasn’t even 8 PM yet, but how much had they drunk to end up like this?
I quickly estimated the amount of alcohol and snacks they had consumed.
After calculating the total in my head, I concluded that it was an amount I could afford.
As I was checking on each staff member, I suddenly realized that Assistant Yoon was nowhere to be seen.
Worried, I stepped outside and wandered around near the bar until I found myself in an empty alley nearby.
A clear trail of cigarette smoke was visible in the air.
Under the streetlight, Assistant Yoon was crouched down, smoking.
“What are you doing here?”
“Just…”
“Let’s go back inside. It’s a bit dirty here.”
“Want to Jo Yeonjaein me for a smoke?”
I lightly waved off the offer as Assistant Yoon pulled out a fresh cigarette and shook it in my direction.
With a shrug, she put the cigarette back into the pack.
“Have you ever smoked?”
“It’s been about four years since I quit.”
As I moved closer, I noticed there was no smell of alcohol on her.
Her gaze and voice were clear. Perhaps noticing my curiosity, Assistant Yoon smiled.
“I can’t drink because I might end up calling that bastard.”
“…”
“It’s ridiculous, right? What’s so good about the guy who dumped me that I’m still hung up on him?”
“…”
“When I first saw the wedding invitation, I didn’t want to believe it. But even after it was confirmed, I still held onto some hope, thinking maybe, just maybe, he’d reach out. I thought at least he’d apologize. But there was nothing. It’s so humiliating and infuriating, yet I can’t let go. I’m so foolish.”
Assistant Yoon looked utterly defeated as she spoke. After a moment, she tossed the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out.
“It seems the heart doesn’t work the way we want it to. Whether it’s liking someone, disliking them… or forgetting them. He’s a bad guy. If he had just acted a bit more cruelly at the end, forgetting him would’ve been easier… But he just had to say a few kind words to keep up his nice guy act. And now, those words keep holding me back. Why is that?”
“…Even if I asked if you’re okay, I suppose it wouldn’t help?”
“Could you go with me this Saturday around lunchtime? I’d really appreciate it… I’m grateful for the drink you bought me last time, too… I hope I’m not asking for too much. I can’t even talk to my friends about this. It’s too embarrassing, and I feel so pathetic.”
“Ms. Sanghye.”
“So, please be careful if you ever find someone you might genuinely care about. I never thought I’d end up like this.”
She forced a smile, barely managing to lift the corners of her mouth, and adjusted her clothes as she suggested we head back inside.
I quietly followed behind her.
The human heart. Isn’t it just a matter of mindset?
I wondered if it was really worth suffering so much over something like this…
But I continued to gaze at the weary figure of Assistant Yoon before finally following her into the bar.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll really do my best. I’ll dress up nicely, and we’ll go together, Ms. Sanghye.”
When I made a firm promise, Assistant Yoon sat down with a faint, awkward smile.
“Thank you…”
She said in passing before joining the other secretariat staff, who were already deep into their drunken conversations.
As I looked at her flushed face, memories of the long, intense night from the past suddenly resurfaced. His voice, whispering endlessly how beautiful I was, came back to me unexpectedly.
I couldn’t understand why.
To suppress the surge of emotions, I kept drinking cold water.
While the other secretariat staff continued to drink heavily, I stayed in my seat, not touching any alcohol.
Was it possible to feel this drunk without having a single sip? All I had drunk was some cola, cider, and a few glasses of water.
When I got home, I collapsed onto the floor and pounded it with my fists.
Why did he keep coming to mind just when I was about to forget him?
When I was focused on work or surrounded by people, he never crossed my mind, but as soon as it got quiet, he would peek into my thoughts. It was driving me insane.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Your body is even more beautiful.”
“You crazy bastard!”
I pounded the floor furiously and then rolled around. I felt like I was losing my mind.
It was so intense that I almost believed it would be better if I just lost it completely.
My face burned as I pulled out a cold water bottle from the fridge and pressed it against my cheeks, neck, and anywhere I could reach.
As I was screaming my head off, Cha Chiyeon’s door clicked open.
“What’s wrong with you since yesterday? Acting like some brat who just lost their virginity.”
Cha Chiyeon, who had come out of her room, scratched her belly as she saw me sitting by the fridge and gestured for me to get out of the way.
Crawling on my knees to move aside, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and looked at me with indifference.
“Did you really lose it?”
“…Hey!”
“Then never mind. Why are you throwing a fit like that?”
She took a sip of beer, then squatted down and grabbed my chin, inspecting my face.
“You look fine.”
“Let go. It’s not what you think.”
“What about the contract? Did you sign it? Or are you going to? Actually, just tell me what happened that day. You didn’t even explain it properly.”
Cha Chiyeon sat down in front of me, showing no intention of moving until I answered.
Watching her drink beer, I leaned back on my arms, moving away from her lips.
Lips. Yes, those lips.
Those lips had kissed every part of my body.
The sound of those kisses still seemed to echo in my ears. I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my flushing face.
Damn it, why am I like this?
“Are you going to throw up? Did you drink?”
“No, no… That’s not it…”
“Then just tell me about the contract. Are you going to do it? Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”
I bit my lip lightly, wondering why she kept pushing for me to go through with it.
After taking several deep breaths, I finally managed to calm down.
It’s fine. I have to be fine. It was just an accident, so it shouldn’t bother me.
“What are you going to do?”
Cha Chiyeon asked casually, but it seemed like she already knew my answer. In fact, there wasn’t much to consider.
The gracious and powerful landlord had offered an unimaginable amount, and CEO Han had finalized the numbers in the document.
On top of that, he had doubled it by adding a clause for being a sex partner.
No more, no less, just double.
Paying off the debt comes first. I need to get rid of that damn debt and stop dealing with those predatory loan sharks.
In the early years, they used to harass me almost daily, but now, after seeing me pay consistently, they didn’t even contact me on due dates anymore.
Once you experience peace, it becomes addictive. I didn’t want to give up this life.
After all, I couldn’t stay in this secretarial position forever… I sighed deeply as I thought it over.
The sex partner clause was fairly simple:
1.Meet once a week as an obligation.
- Do not take the suppressant.
-
You must dine together as per CEO Gap’s request.
-
The location will be provided by Gap.
-
If there are unavoidable circumstances, notify at least one day in advance.
Those were the only five conditions. Of those, I had to follow three.
They weren’t difficult, but the one that was awkward was number 2, regarding the suppressant.
I reconsidered the contract and cautiously mentioned it to Cha Chiyeon.
This was due to the model-related work aside from being a sex partner.
“But it says not to do other work aside from the model job… It’s a bit problematic. Your shop’s new product launch is right around the corner…”
“Uh… really?”
The original contract Cha Chiyeon sent didn’t include that stipulation.
However, the contract I received later, which had the clause about being a sex partner added, included this new restriction.
I was puzzled, but I couldn’t meet the person I needed to ask right away, so I had kept this concern to myself until now.
“It wasn’t there in the initial part you sent. But when I went to sign the contract…”
Actually, I couldn’t even sign it. I was too busy fidgeting.
I took a deep breath and bent over, covering my face with my hands, lowering myself close to the floor. I couldn’t even open my eyes.
It felt like I was suffocating.
So embarrassing. My face turned red again. I straightened up, fanned my face, and stumbled over my words.
“Anyway, is that okay? Actually, I don’t think the CEO noticed. The model you created seems to have been quite good. Maybe because it covered half of the face or something.”
“Uh… I’m fine, right? And for big contracts, it’s common to have exclusive agreements. You know… model exclusivity and all?”
The way the answer was phrased sounded like a question. I looked at Cha Chiyeon for a moment and then slapped my own cheek with the back of my hand.
It was because I was getting hot-headed.
* * *
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Is something gonna happen? Hehe
And I oop-
Thanks
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