Bound by a Ruthless Contract - Chapter 39
At Noh Man-su ‘s polite words, a long leg emerged first.
As the high-quality leather shoe touched the ground, Si-heon appeared, dressed in a navy three-piece suit.
He was holding a large bouquet in his arms.
“Wasn’t our Ga-eun’s car a white sedan?”
“Yes, according to our information.”
“But it’s not here.”
One silver sedan. One each of gray and black mid-size cars. One forsythia-colored compact car.
The white sedan was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps she went out for lunch.
He hadn’t tracked her movements, assuming she’d naturally be at the gallery.
From what he’d learned, she was quite diligent and dependable.
Not only had she never been late, she’d never even taken a half day off. Even when working outside the office, she’d never gotten distracted or neglected her work with excuses about feeling unwell.
She hadn’t even taken time off for severe menstrual cramps, which she was known to suffer from.
He was quite satisfied, as it seemed highly likely she would fulfill their contract just as diligently and faithfully.
“Let’s go in anyway.”
“Should we contact the madam first?”
Si-heon’s red lips curved upward in an arc.
“Why do you say that, Director?”
“That title sounds good.”
He quite liked how it seemed to mark her as his.
It would reduce the number of men approaching her if they knew she had an owner.
“Then I’ll wait in the car-“
“Chief Noh, come with me.”
“Me too?”
“You’ll have to meet her anyway. You’re the person closest to me.”
The person closest to me.
At those words, Noh Man-su pushed up his sunglasses to hide his eyes.
“…Again?”
“Ah, no, not at all!”
“What do you mean ‘no’? Noh Man-su , you’re number one at fighting, number one at crying, and number one at staying up all night reading romance novels.”
“O-only the first one is true!”
“You said you fell asleep at dawn today. Something about having to read what was it – a side story? I heard you were sobbing into your hands while reading it.”
Noh Man-su gritted his teeth and trembled with rage.
‘Kim Jun-min, you bastard, I’ll just…!’
“What even is a side story?”
His anger subsided momentarily.
“What is it that gets you so worked up every time?”
Excited that Si-heon seemed interested in his hobby, Noh Man-su eagerly answered.
“Ah, well, it shows how they’re living happily after the happy ending. It usually deals with PCR.”
“PCR? What’s that?”
Noh Man-su held up his index finger matter-of-factly.
“PCR stands for Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Rearing. It’s about confirming that the main characters are perfectly matched and will continue living happily ever after.”
“Team Leader Kim who had twins recently said that the intensity of warfare increases in order from pregnancy to childbirth to child-rearing.”
Ahem. Clearly, I’m one level above in this field.
Noh Man-su subtly raised his nose, speaking in a kind tone as if teaching an elementary school student.
“You see, what readers want isn’t reality but fantasy. They remove all the difficult and exhausting scenes from reality and get vicarious satisfaction from watching happy, bright, and sweet moments.”
Ah, today’s side story was so sweet too. Noh Man-su smiled contentedly.
Si-heon raised an eyebrow with a “hmm.”
“Wouldn’t it make you angry to see others enjoying something you can’t experience?”
The Director doesn’t understand this mechanism.
Feeling smug with this thought, Noh Man-su immediately cowered and lowered his head upon meeting Si-heon’s sharp gaze.
“Th-that’s because readers identify with the protagonist, so they don’t get angry when the protagonist becomes happy.”
“Identify.”
After quietly muttering this, he checked the time on his wrist and started walking.
“Let’s go. Lunch hour will be over if we dawdle.”
Ah, there was still so much to say.
Like his personal criteria for choosing romance novels, or which works absolutely required reading the side stories.
Harboring these regrets, Noh Man-su followed his iron wall of a boss.
Meanwhile, Si-heon thought of Ga-eun while looking at the bouquet in his arms.
The fragrance seemed similar.
Though it couldn’t match even half of the real thing.
He wanted to hurry and hold Ga-eun in his arms, deeply inhaling her unique scent.
