Deal Breaker - Chapter 81
“Do you think I’m stupid? This wasn’t something I had to lie well about, it was something I had to lie about, period. You and I both know it was a lie, but you were supposed to quietly play along and pretend to be fooled, matching each other’s steps. That’s what you wanted, so I played along. Then why are you the one missing the beat on your own?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said that even if I got pregnant, whether I give birth or not is up to me, and told me not to just talk about it.”
“When did I ever say that?”
Hyeji sprang up and went around the desk to stand in front of the monitor. She searched the server for the guiding contract between the two of them and opened it, and beside her she heard a sound like a stone cracking.
[ If Party A (Guide) becomes pregnant due to negligence in contraception, the contract is immediately terminated once Party B (Esper) becomes aware of the pregnancy. ]
“Hyeji-ya, this isn’t it.”
What do you mean it isn’t.
Kanghyeon grabbed Hyeji’s hand and tried to pull her, but she planted her feet firmly on the floor and resisted, so he asked as if coaxing her.
“Did you hide it because you were afraid the contract would be terminated?”
As if that was the only thing she was afraid of. Hyeji’s hand pointed to the clause right below.
[ All costs incurred by Party A due to an unintended pregnancy, including child support, shall be claimed by Party A filing a lawsuit against Party B. Party B may claim damages from Party A for violation of this article. ]
Kanghyeon’s face went pale.
“Why would I claim damages from you, Hyeji-ya. This clause is invalid. We need to rewrite the contract.”
“Aren’t you deciding everything based on your mood, Director?”
“The original clauses can be changed by mutual agreement.”
“Mutual agreement? Then I don’t want to change it.”
“Why?”
“A contract written when you were one hundred percent rational is your true intention. Right now, you went through something hard and you’re confused, so you’re just shaken for a moment.”
He would soon return to the original Han Kanghyeon, the one who believed marriage and children were socio-economic disasters, and that dating or marrying a Guide was even more impossible.
“You’ll regret the decision you’re making now, once some time passes.”
You should not make important decisions when you are desperate. It is the same when you are hungry. You order too much, then once you are full, you regret not knowing what to do with the leftovers. You either throw them away, or force yourself to eat food you do not want. Either way, it hurts the person who carefully made that dish.
“You think I didn’t suspect that too?”
That maybe he had mistaken it for love because he needed something to rely on, anxious about an uncertain future. While he was still denying his feelings, Kanghyeon had suspected that himself.
“But I don’t doubt it anymore. I went through my own ruminations and finished verifying it, and I’m sure, so I’m telling you.”
Even though Hyeji said she would remain his dedicated Guide, he felt as if he had been abandoned. That was because this feeling wasn’t possessiveness toward a Guide.
“Noh Hyeji.”
Kanghyeon stood up and met Hyeji’s eyes. Just like in that suggestion, Hyeji stared at him with a stiff face. This time, Kanghyeon couldn’t smile.
“I love you.”
Her brown eyes wavered in confusion. Hyeji suddenly turned her away and bent toward the monitor. She grabbed the mouse and scrolled up, and as she dragged one clause, his question was answered.
[ Party A shall not make a confession of feelings of a romantic nature to Party B, nor request a romantic relationship between the parties, nor propose marriage. ]
“You violated the contract.”
He had braced himself for being rejected once, but who rejects a confession of love by saying it is a contract violation.
In the middle of his shock, hope slowly raised its head.
I don’t see you as a man. I only see you as a source of money.
This isn’t a rejection coming from her heart, but one using the contract as an excuse? He got the sense that she didn’t have no feelings for him.
“Hyeji-ya, look closely.”
Kanghyeon pointed to the first part of the clause.
Party A to Party B.
In other words, if Party B, Kanghyeon, confessed to Party A, Hyeji, it wasn’t a contract violation.
“Ah, what is this. This is a toxic clause. Why didn’t the lawyer catch this? I’m getting a refund.”
“How is this toxic.”
Kanghyeon looked down at Hyeji, who was glaring at the monitor with a sulky expression, then rested the tip of his chin on the crown of her head and asked.
“So do you dislike me?”
Hyeji took a deep breath, trying to suppress her irritation.
Confessing, changing the contract, why is everything so easy for this man? For Hyeji, none of it was easy.
“I’m Party A under the contract, so why is everything done however you want, Director?”
Now she understood why he had seemed so irritating from the moment he started pressing her about the baby. He was doing everything he had told her not to do. Without hesitation.
“You told me not to like you. I finally forced myself to give up, and now you say you love me. That’s annoying.”
The fact that she had once agonized and strictly kept the contract began to feel unfair and infuriating, belatedly turning into resentment.
“…Did you like me before?”
“Not anymore.”
“Oh.”
As expected, love is all about timing.
