Bound by a Ruthless Contract - Chapter 127

Ga-eun hurriedly stepped out of the study, her movements deliberate yet uncertain.

Just as she was passing through the dining room and descending the stairs, the front door suddenly opened. Si-heon appeared, filling the doorway with his presence.

He was still the same—enormous, solid, overwhelming—her husband whom she hadn’t seen in two weeks. She nearly let out a sardonic laugh, even after discovering how he truly perceived her. Somehow, seeing him face to face felt more profound than merely hearing his voice. And yes, she was certain now.

Love.

She had fallen in love with Kwon Si-heon.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he approached her stationary figure, who stood staring at him in a daze.

“Oh… nothing. I didn’t expect you so soon. You should have messaged me,”
she responded, running her fingers through her hair in a nervous gesture, attempting to conceal the tumult within her heart.

“I’m home around this time,” he stated matter-of-factly.

Ga-eun bit the soft inner flesh of her lip. Having stopped by the Jungshimwon, he was timing his arrival precisely to match her return home. A gesture that simultaneously irritated and moved her.

She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her churning emotions. Suddenly, his big hand reached out, cupping her cheek.

“…Kwon Si-heon?”

“You don’t look well. You seem thinner,” he observed, his touch surprisingly gentle.

Her heart fluttered—a traitor revealing emotions she wished to suppress.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure not to damage the group’s image,”
Something shifted in Si-heon. A moment of indescribable, bitter complexity passed between them.

Before he could respond, Ga-eun slowly raised her head, meeting his gaze directly.

“Welcome home,”
She whispered, her eyes softening, her delicate lips curving into a smile. Her voice trembled slightly—vulnerable, tender.

“You must have been exhausted from your long business trip.”

The image of his wife, welcoming him with such warmth, etched itself deeply into his heart—a moment of unexpected intimacy that would alter everything.

No one could ever extract this secret—not even if they tried. Not this deep.

Her eyes burned, filled with an intense, almost visceral emotion. Her gaze was a rich, amber-brown, her eyelashes trembling softly. When she noticed her own blatant stare causing a gentle blush to spread across her cheeks, she became utterly defenseless.

Si-heon could not resist. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

“Oh, Kwon Si-heon,” she breathed.

“I have a meeting tomorrow,” he murmured, his fingers methodically unbuttoning her blouse.

“In the afternoon.”

Another button.
“Ah.”`

“A couples’ event.”

His eyes locked with hers, continuing his deliberate undressing.

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

For Ga-eun, there was only one choice.

“We have to go,” she whispered.

“We can skip it. Instead…” His voice trailed, promising something unspoken.

She couldn’t ask what he meant. His gaze traveling over her body was too explicit, his intentions too crystal clear.

Hesitating, she carefully reached out and gripped his shoulder.

Si-heon always selected meetings beneficial to him. This time would be no different, and as his wife, Ga-eun felt obligated to facilitate his desires.

More honestly? She simply wanted to be held in his embrace.

Right now.

He had cured her insomnia, and who knew how many days remained for them?

“I’ll go to the meeting,”
Silence.

“And hold me… as if the total time of that meeting has condensed into this moment.”

Ah.

His eyes darkened intensely. A sound like rational thought shattering echoed—audible only to him.

Si-heon pulled Ga-eun close, his lips meeting hers with an intense passion that instantly stole her breath away.

“Oh… ah…”

Their lips reconnected almost immediately after briefly parting. Unlike her usual demeanor, Ga-eun responded actively, rising on her tiptoes and clinging to his neck with an unexpected urgency.