The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 9
“Johanna Lucerne?”
They had moved a couple of steps closer. The largest man among them, dressed in a pitch-black suit, called out to Johanna in a flat, business-like voice. Johanna, with Daniel clinging to her side, swallowed dryly and responded.
“Yes, that’s me…”
Meanwhile, her aunt’s family was slowly slipping out of the funeral hall, trying to avoid the loan sharks. Although the issue of her father’s debt was unresolved, it seemed they intended to flee the scene today, all because of these loan sharks.
Johanna wasn’t well-versed in financial matters, especially the underworld dealings like loan sharking. But she was quick-witted and perceptive. Seeing how scared her aunt’s family was, it was clear that these men—or more precisely, the man standing at the back, observing—were a big deal.
“Two months ago, your father borrowed money from us. He used you as a guarantor.”
“…Ha.”
She had hoped it wasn’t true. When the loan sharks had entered the funeral hall, a bad feeling had crossed her mind. But she had tried to deny it, thinking her father wouldn’t be that thoughtless. She hadn’t wanted to believe he would resort to loan sharks.
But now it was undeniable.
Johanna let out a sigh in disbelief. It must have seemed like she was losing her mind because the large man frowned slightly. Just like her aunt had done, he showed Johanna the contract with her seal and said.
“The borrowed amount is 100,000 rubles, and the interest is 900 rubles per month. Currently, one month of interest is overdue… The repayment date is January 20th next year, but we can give you a grace period of about ten days. If you can’t repay the full amount including interest by the due date…”
The large man glanced at Johanna from head to toe with an indifferent look, almost as if he were appraising her value as merchandise.
That ruthless gaze tightened Johanna’s breath.
“You’ll have to pay it back with your body.”
“With my body… what do you mean by that?”
Johanna asked, almost gasping. She had lived a life of poverty, but she had never been treated like a commodity. A mix of shame and fear surged up to her throat.
“That means…”
Just as the large man began to respond, the man with the bored eyes, who had been watching from the back, suddenly stepped forward. He walked slowly, almost lazily, resembling a large feline predator.
The large man quickly stepped aside as soon as he sensed the other man’s approach, bowing deeply, almost excessively. The other subordinates did the same. This display clearly indicated the high status of the man within their ranks.
The man stopped just a step away from Johanna, looking down at her as he took a long drag on his cigarette. In his lazily half-lidded silver-gray eyes, there was a glint of cruel interest. Johanna straightened herself with effort, resisting the urge to shrink back, and met his gaze unflinchingly.
“Haa…”
He exhaled a long breath of cigarette smoke, almost like a sigh. His hair, which he swept aside to reveal his forehead, was the same color as the smoke.
Johanna coughed softly, her eyes watering from the acrid smoke. The man lifted one corner of his mouth slightly, then threw the cigarette on the ground and extinguished it with his boot. He did this without hesitation, despite being in a funeral hall, and even more so in a church.
No one there dared to reprimand him. With a faint smile on his lips, he stared intently at Johanna and spoke.
“What he means is by paying with your body.”
“…”
“It means working in a few places where girls who can’t pay their debts pour drinks and sell their smiles.”
The worst outcome she had feared was confirmed by his answer. Johanna bit her lower lip hard, her face turning pale. It felt as if her heart had stopped and all the blood in her body had turned cold.
Even if she wanted to argue that such things were illegal, her voice wouldn’t come out. The man, despite his smiling face, was exuding an oppressive force that seemed to crush her. That intimidating atmosphere strangled Johanna.
“Well, with a pretty face like yours, there will be plenty of customers. You can pay off the debt in just a year or two. Don’t worry.”
His tone was casual, as if it were no big deal. Johanna realized helplessly that there wasn’t much she could do in this situation.
Even if she protested that it wasn’t her debt and that she had never agreed to be a guarantor, the man before her wouldn’t listen. People from the underworld, who were involved in loan sharking and undoubtedly many other illegal activities, didn’t adhere to common sense.
“But you…”
Suddenly, the man leaned forward and brought his nose close to Johanna’s neck. Startled, Johanna flinched sharply. His seductive voice flowed over her stiff shoulders.
“…said you were a beta? I can’t smell any scent.”
“…!”
