Chapter 18.1

As Woo-jin’s words washed over her, Hae-gang’s embarrassment dissipated, replaced with a sense of intrigue.

“I see,” she murmured, her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt as she took in the serene beauty of the river.

Sensing her change in demeanor, Woo-jin began to fill her in on the details of their fictional relationship. The cliche of their meet-cute—a coffee spill on her clothes—brought a small smile to her lips as she imagined the scene playing out in her mind.

“It’s like something straight out of a romance novel,” she commented, her eyes shining with amusement.

“Let’s just be prepared for any questions that may come up,” Woo-jin said, his voice low and serious. “And for now, let’s practice our kissing. Just in case. It will lessen the talk when we are in public.”

Hae-gang felt her heart flutter at the thought, her nerves were suddenly replaced with a sense of excitement.

Hae-gang couldn’t help but be intrigued by the large envelope on the table next to her ID card. It was sealed and did not indicate where it had been sent from.

“What is this?” she asked, her eyes flitting between the envelope and Woo-jin.

Without hesitation, Woo-jin opened the envelope, pulling out a thick stack of papers.

“It’s a marriage declaration form and our marriage contract,” he explained, glancing at Hae-gang before flipping through the pages.

Hae-gang’s curiosity got the better of her, and she began to read through the contract carefully. But as she read, her mouth fell open in surprise at the contents of the agreement with Woo-jin, specifically, the section on alimony.

“What is this…,” she stammered, her mind reeling from what was written in the document. The money wasn’t a surprise; something else caught her attention.

“What kind of crazy alimony is this?” Hae-gang exclaimed, her eyes wide as she read over the document.

“Oh, that,” Woo-jin said nonchalantly. “Didn’t I mention it?”

“It’s too much!” Hae-gang exclaimed, still in shock.

Woo-jin had written down one of his buildings in the posh neighborhood of Cheongdam as alimony. And not just any building, but one that was sure to appreciate as the area continued to grow in the coming years.

Hae-gang looked at Woo-jin with a flabbergasted expression.

“I can’t do anything beneficial for Charlie Company, even if I’m your wife,” she pointed out. She knows that many chaebol wives are known for their philanthropic projects and use their positions to benefit society and businesses.

Woo-jin seemed to understand her point and replied with a regretful tone.

“I regret that. If you had done that, you could have taken Charlie’s share without regret,” he said.

“I don’t need it!” Hae-gang exclaimed. “Charlie’s shares are too much, even this building. And above all, I intend to be as far away from Seoul as possible when the marriage ends. I don’t think Seoul’s infrastructure is a waste. I hadn’t even enjoyed the infrastructure for two years in the first place.”

Hae-gang seemed overwhelmed by the expectation of being a wife of a rich and powerful man, and the idea of being tied to a building in a city she wanted to be far away from was not something that appealed to her.

Hae-gang couldn’t understand why Woo-jin was so insistent on including such extravagant alimony in their contract, especially since she had been perfectly content living a simple life in a small space, free from the trappings of Seoul’s flashy infrastructure.

But Woo-jin seemed focused on mapping out their plans, unaware of her feelings.

“Let’s say you don’t appear in public because of a big scar on your face,” he suggested. “We’ll explain that you covered your face hard in the last picture.”

Hae-gang couldn’t even respond, her mind was still reeling from the shock of the alimony clause.

“After signing the marriage document, I will go and submit it,” Woo-jin continued. “Let’s skip the wedding, as you say. It’s good that you don’t spend time.”

But Hae-gang still couldn’t comprehend why he wanted to go through with all this when a divorce would leave her with more than enough to live a comfortable life. Woo-jin seemed to notice her lack of response and called her name firmly.

“Are you listening to me?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Feeling guilty for not paying attention, Hae-gang could only offer an apology. She didn’t know how to reject this overwhelming alimony, but she was sure she would not accept it.

“What? I’m sorry, I was thinking about something else. What did you say?” Hae-gang asked, trying to shake off the confusion clouding her mind.

“I told you that you can tell me if you change your mind. For example, if you want to extend the period,” Woo-jin said calmly.

“No, it won’t happen,” Hae-gang said quickly, not wanting to be in any more debt than she already was.

“I see,” Woo-jin said with a small smile, getting up from his seat.

Hae-gang followed suit, still not understanding the meaning of the hand Woo-jin was holding out in front of her.

“Then I look forward to working with you for three years, Ms. Han Dawn,” he said politely.

Hae-gang hesitantly took his hand, hoping the next three years would pass safely. She had a lot of mixed feelings, but she knew she had to see this through, and she was looking forward to it.

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