Bound by a Ruthless Contract - Chapter 109

Man-su’s face had turned ashen.

“What’s happened?” Ga-eun asked.

Silently contemplating something, Man-su slowly shook his head.

“The executive found out that a child was in the car.”

“Is that a serious problem?”

“The executive dislikes children. That’s all I can say,” he responded, closing his mouth apologetically.

Ga-eun recalled Han Yu-ae’s words.

“Of course… he would never want a child.”

What could have happened in the past?

That the mere fact of a child being in the car would drain the color from the chief secretary’s face so completely.

The answer could only come from Kwon Si-heon himself.

She quietly wrapped her throbbing wrist, gazing out the car window. They were approaching home. In her line of sight, Si-heon’s work sedan was parked in front of the gate. Her white sedan stopped behind it.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Man-su seemed about to say something but ultimately kept silent.

After Ga-eun entered the house, Man-su approached Si-heon’s running black sedan. Kim Jun-min, who had been sitting in the driver’s seat, stepped out and bowed his head.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m waiting on the executive’s instructions. He said he’s returning to the company.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Wasn’t there a meeting with the Hong Kong side in Gangnam today?”

Jun-min nodded.

“The contract proceeded more smoothly than expected. Then suddenly, Chairman Rung said he wanted to take a train to Gangwon Province to scout casino locations.”

Ah, so that’s why he was at Seoul Station…

Despair twisted Man-su ‘s expression.

“The executive… he’s very angry, isn’t he?”

Jun-min exhaled deeply.

“It’s the worst.”

***

Knock, knock.

As she opened the door to the study, Si-heon stood with his hands in his pockets, gazing out the window.

His broad, expansive back appeared more solid than ever, like an impenetrable fortress—suffocating in its presence.

“Orphanage volunteer work,” he spoke, his deep, low voice resonating heavily through the entire space.

“Good. A proper step for social leaders contributing to society. A warm heart.”

He slowly turned around.

“You should have stopped right there.”

Si-heon’s eyes, darkened and sunken, were piercingly sharp.

Ga-eun barely managed to open her trembling lips. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand?”

“I simply gave a ride to a child going in the same direction. I don’t know why Kwon Si-heon is angry.”

Kwon Si-heon.

The familiar words irritated her today like never before.

Her eyes, lips, and shoulders trembled subtly.

“Why isn’t that included in a proper step and a warm heart?”

“No.”

Si-heon cut her off sharply.

“No, Ga-eun.”

He tilted his head slightly, still staring directly into her eyes.

“How could you and that child be going the same way?”

The pressure from his mere movement was so intense that Ga-eun couldn’t move an inch.

“Inside the orphanage, they must be made to believe. ‘This person and I aren’t so different. Perhaps our paths might be the same'”

“…”

“The better you are at making them believe that, the more advantageous it is, inside those walls.”

Si-heon slowly approached her.

“But once outside, you must make them understand.”

One step.

“Thoroughly and ruthlessly.”

Another step.

“How different you and I are. How different the worlds we live in are, how completely our paths never intersect.”

Finally, his solid, massive body was right in front of her face.

“That’s precisely why people like us go down there to volunteer.”

A soft rustle. Si-heon’s gaze dropped downward.

“It is the duty of an elder to reveal how intricately divided the worlds we inhabit truly are.”

Though she had received the report, seeing the white cast wrapped around her wrist with her own eyes made everything suddenly feel overwhelming.

“What’s wrong,” he said.

“…Pardon?”

“Your wrist.”

Those brief moments of his approaching felt like an eternity, stretched beyond comprehension.

Ga-eun, who had momentarily held her breath, slowly tried to restore her composure with deep breaths.

“Oh… I just sprained it. Misjudged the floor. It’s nothing.”

Anger burned within him. His eyes simmered with intensity.

He was furious that Ga-eun was injured. More infuriatingly, he was angry at himself for not understanding his own emotions, and the sight of Ga-eun hanging her head only intensified his internal turmoil.