Deal Breaker - Chapter 53
“It must be spring fatigue. As for the weight gain, I’ve just been eating well lately.”
“Doesn’t even seem like you’ve gained much. Secretary Noh, you’re too skinny, so you could stand to gain more. Focus on your health before dieting. This is a job that takes a lot of energy—”
“Yes. Anyway, they said there’s nothing wrong with my thyroid.”
As soon as Kanghyeon walked away, Hyeji pulled back up the PDF file she had minimized.
It was Hyeji’s contract.
In the event of an unplanned pregnancy, Party A is to file a lawsuit against Party B to receive child support and related costs. Party B may claim damages for breach of contract.
The clauses she had firmly believed would have nothing to do with her—and had left in despite knowing they put her at a disadvantage—were now holding her back.
Past Noh Hyeji, I resent you.
It’s her fault, so she had no intention of shamelessly taking child support or anything like that, but she should have at least removed the contract termination clause. Better yet, she should have cut out the damages clause too. Unless she planned to starve to death on the streets with her baby and grandma.
What’s the best thing to do?
Hyeji glanced sidelong toward the Director’s office. The door was still wide open, and beyond it, Kanghyeon was engrossed in a phone call. Now’s my chance. She swiftly grabbed a scrap piece of paper and began scribbling out her options.
Sell the house ;ㅁ; –> Get sued for damages… end up broke, starving on the streets with the baby and grandma (sob) –> How cold is the Han River?
Even if it didn’t come to the ‘broke and starving on the streets’ ending, being fired and having to sell her home were basically guaranteed. She’d have to give up her Han River-view apartment, but she could at least live off the money from the sale. Not bad.
But if she got sued for damages, that’d make things worse…
Her thoughts drooped gloomily, but then her brows perked up.
‘Wait a second, don’t I have thirty Espers?’
Of course, if she excluded those who didn’t meet contract standards or had deal-breaking conditions, the number she could actually rely on was small enough to count on one hand. Still.
New job ^^)b –> Don’t have to sell house (good) –> If sued;;;; just pay up, haha;;; –> Happy family of three!
It seemed like a decent option, but it didn’t feel right.
Having relations with another man wasn’t the problem. Today’s Hyeji wasn’t some inexperienced twenty-year-old anymore. She wasn’t married to her current Esper, and she was under no obligation to remain faithful for life. It wasn’t like she had to sleep with only one man forever. And above all, this was just guiding.
But what if her new Esper wasn’t her type? Six years ago, they weren’t like that, but what if in the meantime he’d grown a belly or gone bald but sprouted a thick chest full of hair instead? Given that many candidates were foreigners, it wasn’t unlikely.
‘Ugh, I have preferences too.’
Hyeji sneaked a glance at the Esper who was still exactly her type even after six years, then turned her eyes back to her desk.
‘It’s not the Director, but his looks I like. That’s all.’
Besides, no one pays better than him.
Her list of reasons for rejecting this option grew longer and longer. No matter how she phrased it, the conclusion was the same. She didn’t want to leave. And so she came up with a final plan that fit that conclusion.
Stay perfectly stuck in this sweet job –> Don’t have to sell house –> No lawsuits (perfect) –> Everyone Happy!
It truly was the option where everyone could be happy.
From the start, announcing her pregnancy would be an invitation to unhappiness and hardship for all parties involved. If word got out in the industry that she was a Guide careless with contraception, she’d become someone nobody wanted to contract.
And for Kanghyeon, it would be like repaying kindness with betrayal. She’d gotten pregnant with a child he never asked for.
He might even rant about environmental destruction. After all, he’d unintentionally contributed half of the 60 metric tons of carbon emissions per year that came with bringing a new human into the world. It’d be shocking for him.
Sorry. But was he ever that zealous about environmental protection? Whatever.
All she could imagine from the moment she told him she was pregnant was him turning cold and distant. But there was another possibility, equally likely.
Because he was a good person. Because he couldn’t stand to watch someone fall off a cliff, he might step up to take responsibility for Hyeji and the baby.
That would be just as troublesome. She didn’t want to force him down a path he didn’t want.
After all, the one who’d made this mistake was Hyeji, not him.
