episode_0114

“Is it done now?”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

If it’s over, it’s over. Why are you trailing off? It makes people anxious for no reason.

In confusion, I looked at the woman who was in charge of responding to me, a member of the management team. The woman seemed to hesitate for a moment, but eventually opened her mouth.

“Are you really going to use a card key? A microchip key would be much more convenient than a card key… Also, there is a risk of losing the card key.”

“Please use your card key.”

“···I understand. Then, could you please wait a moment?”

As I left the management office holding the card key that I had obtained from the staff member in such a hurry, the manager immediately stood up from his seat as if he had seen me like that. Judging from the fact that he was holding in his hand the transparent display that he used to sign the contract with me, he must have been taking care of some urgent business while waiting.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah, well…”

First of all, they asked me to get an access key issued first, so I thought it would take about 5 minutes at most, but I never expected that it would take close to 30 minutes to get this small card key. When I thought about it, something seemed a little absurd, so I looked down at the card key I was holding in my hand without realizing it, and Tang Soso’s eyes followed me.

Then, when I saw what was in my hand, I frowned slightly.

“Aren’t you… a purist?”

“Yes? If you’re a purist, isn’t that right? Those guys who reject machines?”

“···Looking at what you’re saying, fortunately, it looks like it’s not that person.”

Are you really saying that I chose a card key instead of having a chip implanted in my body?

“If I really don’t like it, should I go back and exchange it for a chip right now?”

“···That’s it, don’t lose it. If you lose anything, please tell me or the management team right away.”

Since I had already waited for over 30 minutes, I guess I didn’t want to waste more time on something like this. Dang Soso, who had said that, turned back as a cold wind blew. And then he started walking step by step as if he was telling me to follow him.

As I followed Dang So-so with Ha-young, what appeared before my eyes was not an elevator, but a magic circle.

“It’s not uploaded. What are you doing there?”

It must have been the moment when I stood on the magic circle, following Dangsoso as he spoke.

Tang Soso’s hand seemed to touch the golden pillar that stood tall through the middle of the magic circle.

‘···hmm.’

With a slight sense of dizziness, the scenery before my eyes changed completely.

I was clearly inside the building just a moment ago, but before I knew it, the marble ceiling was replaced by a dark blue sky with stars and moon patterns.

“This is…”

“It’s the top floor of the building you were so curious about.”

A mansion built on top of a high-rise building that could easily be over a hundred floors. Could this be the power of science joining hands with magic?

What was interesting was that when the height was this high, it was normal for strong winds to blow, but the surrounding area was quiet without a single wind.

Perhaps that too…is a magical power.

‘It’s magic.’

The more I look at it, the more useful it seems…

While I was thinking this to myself, Dangsoso went and stood in front of the golden gate. It was right after that that the tightly locked door began to open of its own accord with a clanging sound, as if recognizing the presence of its owner.

“Come in. I’ll introduce you to the house.”

It’s not a ‘mansion’, it’s a ‘house’.

I almost laughed bitterly at the difference in position and perception felt in the choice of words, but I held it in and followed Tang Soso into the mansion’s territory. And then they said at the same time.

“Hmm, Tadaima.”

“···?”

“Hmm, isn’t this it?”

“···.”

“I’ve been thereㅡ”

“What are you doing now?”

Really… you don’t know?

The true meaning of the words “I’ve been there” flowed from my mouth.

Well, the contract was signed today.

It may be that the details of the contract have not yet sunk in.

When I see him looking genuinely confused, it seems like he is, so what can I do?

As a prospective husband, I have no choice but to kindly inform you.

“Surely… you’ve already forgotten? What is the content of the contract?”

“Contract, what is it…”

I was contorting my expression as if I didn’t understand, and for a moment, I wonder if something popped into my head. A convulsion appeared on Tang Xiaoxiao’s face.

Without missing the opportunity, he continued speaking immediately.

“I guess you remembered. Thank you.”

At my remark… Dangsoso’s face hardened.

*****

“How… If you’re embarrassed, should I just do it today?”

A smiling face.

As I was watching the unfortunate removal of the top, I felt my hands gaining strength.

The problem was that the more I looked at him, the more annoyed I became, but I couldn’t just ignore the man’s demands.

That’s because the man’s request was justified. That was according to the contract written under the agreement.

If it’s according to what’s written in the contract, that’s true… but still, you have to kiss that man?

And in this situation, with Hayoung watching from the side?

‘···I was complacent.’

I never thought we would start taking action from day one.

If I had known this would happen, I would have quickly left the front door so that the man wouldn’t have time to try something, or at least let Hayoung into the house first.

Because I behaved complacently, I ended up in a situation where I couldn’t do anything.

‘Ignoring that man’s request…’

…It won’t work.

Exactly, it shouldn’t have been that way.

I didn’t do this because I was worried about the penalty I would receive if I violated what was written in the contract.

Rather, it should be said that it is a matter of efficiency.

What was her goal in the first place?

She used a man who knew nothing about the world to overcome the crisis she was currently facing, and furthermore, she used the power of that man and Ha-young, who seemed to be completely obedient to that man, to gain an advantage in the competition for succession.

And for that, it was necessary to establish a relationship of trust to some extent.

But the ink on the contract hasn’t even dried yet, and you’re arbitrarily violating what’s written there?

Instead of building mutual trust, it will only create the image of an ‘untrustworthy person’.

So, I have to do it…

As she did so, Hayoung, who had taken refuge in the bathroom while she was in the middle of reaching an agreement with the man, was extremely concerned about the gaze of Hayoung, who had no way of knowing the details of the contract exchanged between her and the man.

In the first place, this was my first time kissing someone else, and I couldn’t believe I had to do something like that with only a few friends watching.

What kind of… bizarre situation is this?

Those thoughts kept going round and round in my head, but I decided to take it easy.

‘···okay.’

Because it has to be done anyway.

If we drag it out, it will only add to the burden.

So let’s do it.

Just close your eyes and commit it.

Even if you think about it, it was still shameful.

“I went there.”

It was even more so because of the behavior of the man who kept urging me to do this, trying to play a situation that didn’t work, as if he wanted to play house.

If the man hadn’t said anything and just stuck out his lips, I wouldn’t have felt so embarrassed…

Apart from such lamentation, the mouth had already found the most appropriate words to reply to the man’s words.

“I went…I came.”

My face felt hot, as if I had accidentally spilled poison during training and got drenched in it.

Hayoung’s eyes suddenly turned round and looked at me as if she were looking at something unbelievable, further encouraging that feeling.

‘This is just…’

Because it’s just a ‘duty’.

It was something I had no choice but to do to keep what was written in the contract, and there was no other intention or emotion involved at all.

So, I hope Hayoung doesn’t have any strange misunderstandings…

I muttered those words in my mind and took a long stride towards the man.

When I looked up from up close, the man’s figure was much larger than when I saw him from afar.

That’s why I couldn’t bear it anymore and closed my eyes tightly.

I don’t know if it was because the man seemed much bigger than I thought, but I felt strange for some reason.

So, I closed my eyes tightly to prevent that strange feeling from going any further and stretched out my hand towards the man, Yoon Soo-hyun.

I reached out my hand and tightly grabbed the hem of his clothes, then leaned forward and crashed our lips together.

The man’s lips that I finally touched were much warmer than I expected. It felt hot beyond the warm level.

Unlike its rough appearance, it was surprisingly soft.

The sensation of a hot, soft, pleasant feeling pressing down on my lips was so unfamiliar.

Even though it was unfamiliar, it was so unfamiliar that something that had been suppressed at best was trying to be rampant again.

‘···I guess this is enough, right?’

That was the reason why I tried to hastily pull away.

Before she knew it, the man’s two arms reached out and hugged her body.

As if I wasn’t going to let it go like this.