OTGM 4

Chapter 4

That summer, we couldn’t harvest all the peaches.

Right in the middle of peak harvest season, Chairman Lee’s luxury foreign car came rolling straight into the peach orchard.

Lately, the more we farmed, the more debt piled up. The peaches couldn’t withstand the typhoons or the disease.

Grandma got lung cancer.

Even as I pruned the branches and sorted out the rotten fruit, my head was full of worries—how were we supposed to cover Grandma’s surgery, hospital bills, and caregiving costs?

Money was the enemy.

That was when a savior appeared.
Of course, the “secret of my birth” Chairman Lee brought with him was closer to a curse.

Even so, it opened a way out.

He said he’d pay off the debts, save my grandma, and after one year of marriage, he’d hand over part of the inheritance Chairman Jeon had left behind.

Even if it was only a portion, Yuseon said the inheritance would still be more than enough. Grandma wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

If I trusted this man’s words and broke off the marriage with my own hands, everything could turn into nothing.

“These days, people sign contracts, not marriage certificates. Are you really that out of touch with the world?”

“So I’m askin’ if you can take responsibility for it.”

I pressed him hard. There was no doubt—this woman wasn’t someone to take lightly. She was clearly trying to shove the responsibility squarely onto him.

The problem was my father.
I never knew what kind of spiteful stunt or threat he might pull. He had a talent for turning simple matters into complicated messes.

“You can’t guarantee it, can ya? Then either you break it off, or else—why don’t you just marry me!”

She smiled brightly. Just who was this woman, really?

“And if I don’t want to?”

“Hah. If you say marriage is absolutely out of the question… then there’s that thing, right? The one you see all the time in dramas and movies. Let’s do that. A contract marriage.”

“A contract marriage?”

“C’mon, you see it everywhere in dramas and films. Three months, one year—set a fixed period, stay married just that long, then get a mutual divorce when time’s up. We each get what we want, then say bye-bye. Sounds good, don’t it?”

Another faint smile spread across Gojun’s neat face.

His clean features and long, sharp eyes gave him a cold, aloof impression—but when he smiled, he almost seemed sexy, even gentle.

Enough to make her imagine what his real gentle face might look like.

“Sounds like you’ve watched too many dramas. Can’t tell fiction from reality anymore.”

“Reality can be more dramatic than dramas, you know. Why? Is contract marriage only allowed if the woman’s sexy?”

This conversation really kept veering off course, damn it.

“And if it is?”

“Then… if you want a woman that sexy… how ’bout we try kissing just once? Who knows—you might like it. And if that doesn’t work, well… we’ll think of something else.”

“You sound like you’re just trying to get a kiss out of me. Plenty of women have approached me like that.”

You were the one who said marriage meant wanting to kiss first. How cheap.

She shot him a sly glare and shot back,

“What if I really am flirting? What if I fell for you at first sight?”

Gojun’s pitch-black eyes swept slowly over her face.

Eyes so dark it was impossible to read his thoughts.

Rejection, surely. Just like he’d firmly insisted earlier during the meeting.

His straight nose stood proudly at the center of his face, and beneath it, his full lips parted slowly.

“I might feel like… falling for it.”

Huh? What?

Was that—just now—the first positive thing this man had said?

So… he was going to kiss her? Or agree to the contract marriage?

“Which is it? The kiss? Or the contract marriage?”

“The kiss. And the contract marriage. Everything you suggested. You said to try it and then choose, didn’t you? Let’s do that.”

Was he teasing this unpredictable yet strangely innocent woman?
Or was he, like her, also throwing everything to the wind?

At this point, it didn’t matter who he married anyway.

If there was something to gain, a contract marriage wasn’t such a bad deal.

If it meant preserving the memories he shared with his mother, then a fake marriage for three months—or even a year—might be worth it.

“So then, where should we—”

Bzzz.

Her phone vibrated loudly on the table.

She almost ignored it, but the name on the screen was Grandma—someone she could never ignore.

“Is it okay if I step out to take this call?”

“At a moment like this?”

“This call’s important too. To me.”

“…Go ahead.”

After checking the man’s raised eyebrow, she jumped up and hurried out of the room.

If he found out about Grandma, everything could fall apart.

She rushed to the emergency exit and answered the phone.

She hadn’t been able to visit Grandma much since she’d been hospitalized two months ago—she’d been desperately keeping up with the “bride training” schedule Chairman Lee had forced on her.

“Grandma. How’re you feeling? You okay?”

[Hey, where are you? I dunno why they’re runnin’ so many tests here. I’m goin’ crazy. Can’t I just go home?]

“They said they’ll do your surgery at the best hospital in the country, and let you recover somewhere nice. They said they’ll pay off all our debts too. Just focus on getting better, okay? I’ll come see you soon.”

[I heard you went on a blind date and you’re getting married. Is that true?]

“Who told you that? Chairman Lee said so? I was gonna tell you myself. Don’t worry. I met him a few times… he’s real handsome, got loads of money. I’m gonna live in comfort now, so yeah—I’m getting married.”

A complete lie.
No—half a lie.

The man she met today was undeniably handsome, the son of a chaebol family, someone with overwhelming qualifications.

But living a cushy life by clinging to him through marriage—that was pure fiction.

Once they each got what they wanted, they’d part ways. This wasn’t going to turn into some pink, drama-like romance.

She could guarantee it.
There was no way someone as aloof as Gojun would ever give her his heart.

The way he’d looked at her all day—bored, annoyed, almost disdainful—made that clear.

Which was why his earlier positive response had been so unexpected.

Grandma spoke again, her voice tinged with worry.

[What about Daehong?]

Her best friend—and longtime male friend—Choi Daehong.

Grandma believed there was no such thing as friendship between men and women, and she’d had her eye on Daehong for ages.

Daehong, playing right into her misunderstanding, had acted like a devoted future grandson-in-law. The two of them had been in perfect sync, leaving her completely out of it.

“What’re you talkin’ about? He’s just my buddy. Even if I stripped him naked, I still wouldn’t see him as a man.”

[Hey now, that boy’s been followin’ you around forever sayin’ he likes you. If you get married, he’s gonna be heartbroken. He even called me sayin’ he can’t get a hold of you, asked me to tell you to call him. Says he’s comin’ up to Seoul soon. You should meet him. At least call him.]

She’d ignored Daehong’s missed calls, claiming she was busy. Honestly, she just didn’t want to hear his nagging.

“Got it. Grandma, don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself, okay? I’ll come to the hospital soon.”

[Marriage is a big deal, you know. Think it through properly. It’s not somethin’ you decide overnight.]

“I’m all grown up. I know what I’m doin’. I’m busy right now, so I’ll hang up.”

She couldn’t listen to more nagging. She couldn’t risk Grandma figuring out her plan.

“Whew…”

She took a deep breath, like someone heading into battle.

At least she’d gotten Gojun’s consent—for now.

But every time she stood in front of him, she kept blurting out awkward, nonsensical things.

She couldn’t help being nervous.

He had that effect on people.

Click.