IMRMH :07

CHAPTER :07

“How’s that? Resonates a bit more, doesn’t it?”

Nearly nodding in agreement, he massaged his temples.

*Damn it…* How did the words this brat just made up hit closer to home than some famous quote by an ancient Roman emperor?

“Kwon Soo-hyuk. You can’t get what you want without lifting a finger.”

At the kid trying so earnestly to teach him a lesson, Soo-hyuk let out a dry chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Just… it suddenly hit me again. That you really are Chairman Shin’s daughter.”

“…Either way. If you want to drag someone down into the gutter, your own hands are bound to get dirty.”

“So. You’re ready to roll in the mud? Just to get revenge on Kwon Hyuk-joon?”

“Yes, exactly. And I want you to dive into the dumpster with me. You, Kwon Soo-hyuk.”

She looked straight at Soo-hyuk with unwavering eyes.

“Because I’m ready to get dirty.”

It was her final nail in the coffin.

But he remained silent for a long moment.

“…Hmm.”

He simply stared at Yoo-sung, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of her words.

“I don’t care if you’re dirty, Kwon Soo-hyuk.”

At Yoo-sung’s anxious addition, one of Soo-hyuk’s eyebrows arched.

“Look at you, saying such things to a guy who literally just got out of the shower.”

“…What?”

“Do I look dirty to you? I highly doubt it.”

…What was that? Was he joking, or was he serious?

Seeing Yoo-sung freeze, unsure of how to react, Soo-hyuk chuckled.

“Relax, Shin Yoo-sung.”

She was still a kid, her baby fat not even fully gone.

Yet here she was, talking about getting dirty and seeking revenge.

Seeing her make resolutions so unbefitting of her age sent a suffocating pang of pain through his chest.

“I am absolutely going to drag those people down with my own hands.”

Because it was like looking at his own childhood self.

Those beasts in human clothing must have tormented this tiny thing relentlessly, desperate to break her.

Not because Yoo-sung had done anything wrong, or because there was any logical reason.

Simply because some people viewed the ruin of others as entertainment.

For such pathetic reasons, they would have tormented someone to the brink of death.

Hadn’t his own mother driven herself to death after suffering the exact same torment?

At that point, Soo-hyuk’s emotions had died.

Since then, not a single speck of light remained in his eyes.

Yes, that was only natural.

‘Shin Yoo-sung, why are you still the same?’

Looking into her eyes—still so clear and fiercely strong—a chaotic mix of emotions surged within him.

“The revenge you couldn’t finish, I’ll do it for you.”

How did she still have eyes like that?

Why hadn’t she broken?

“So please, become my husband, Kwon Soo-hyuk.”

He became insanely curious.

About this woman named Shin Yoo-sung.

“Ah… this is driving me nuts.”

“…Excuse me?”

How long had it been since someone could look straight into his eyes for this long?

She was probably the first since Chairman Shin.

Most people looked away in a hurry the moment they met his gaze.

“Marry me. You won’t regret it.”

Yet, far from avoiding his gaze, Shin Yoo-sung was confidently proposing to him.

“Let’s make a bet on a game of baduk. If I win, I want to be your daughter, Mister. I’ve decided to choose my own parents.”

There must have been a reason why Byung-oh had adopted an unplanned daughter all those years ago.

And now, I’m getting an unplanned wife.

With Soo-hyuk keeping his mouth shut in sheer disbelief, Yoo-sung tried to act composed, but she was dying of anxiety inside.

In this situation, she was the one at a disadvantage.

There was absolutely no reason for this man, who was living a perfectly fine life, to barge into Gwonsung and reveal his identity.

But.

‘Still, I have to do this. He’s my only option.’

No matter what, she had to convince him—convince Kwon Soo-hyuk.

Just as she was desperately searching for another angle.

“Fine, what the hell. Let’s do it. Shin Yoo-sung’s husband.”

“!”

“But on one condition: a contract marriage.”

Soo-hyuk’s knock-out declaration rang out.

“We’ll write up our own contract privately.”

A smile slowly spread across Yoo-sung’s lips.

“I’ll roll with you in the mud, just like you wanted.”

He slowly pushed back his disheveled bangs, keeping his eyes on her.

‘Look at her, absolutely thrilled.’

Seeing Yoo-sung unable to hide her joy, his head throbbed once more.

Without a doubt, she was the most baffling, mind-boggling woman he had ever met in his life.

“Once the revenge is over, the contract ends. We go our separate ways. Any objections?”

“None!”

“But there’s a catch.”

In an instant, his eyes gleamed sharply.

“Just as I’m cooperating with your plan, you need to prove yourself to be an equally useful partner.”

“You mean I have to show my worth to you?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm…” Yoo-sung rolled her eyes, lost in thought, before asking hesitantly.

“Does that worth… include *that* kind of thing?”

Soo-hyuk twitched an eyebrow, silently asking what she meant.

Yoo-sung squared her shoulders and spoke up boldly.

“Marital relations.”

“Are you planning on making a baby with me?”

His calm yet shocking words made Yoo-sung’s eyes widen so much they felt like they might pop out.

“I-I was just… a bit worried if that was part of the deal.”

Having zero experience with men made her anxious, and she was still deeply reluctant to show her scar-covered naked body to anyone.

Staring at her quietly, Soo-hyuk leaned down to lock eyes with her.

“Aren’t you a cheeky one.”

*Flick.* He lightly flicked her forehead in the blink of an eye.

“Ow!”

“How could I sleep with a kid eight years younger than me? I’m not that shameless of a bastard.”

“You’re eight years older than me?”

Yoo-sung’s eyes went round.

She had figured he was only three or four years older at most.

“Proposing left and right without even knowing how old your future husband is. You really are something else.”

“Am I really in any position to be picky about that right now?”

Yoo-sung rubbed her forehead and stole a glance at him.

‘But that’s a bit unexpected.’

…He definitely looked like the type who wouldn’t care about manners or rules.

With his looks, he seemed like the type of man who would naturally head up to a hotel room with a woman he just met, like the opening scene of some romance novel.

Yes, he had the perfect vibe of someone who preferred ‘sex first, relationship later.’

And yet…

‘He won’t touch a woman with a big age gap?’

His surprisingly conservative side, so contrary to his appearance, gave her a strange expression.

Kwon Soo-hyuk had the kind of handsome face and stellar physique that no woman would ever turn down.

A face that transcended anyone’s personal taste.

Well, with a man like him, women would be lining up.

‘Why would he ever bother with me?’

He is just my employer.

Thinking of it that way eased her mind.

This was nothing more than a contract marriage. A loveless contract marriage.

“I won’t interfere in your private life at all, so don’t worry.”

At her icy words, Soo-hyuk let out a dry, incredulous laugh.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have a habit of sleeping with just anyone.”

Then, he leaned in abruptly and whispered in her ear.

“I’ve kept my pants zipped quite well, thanks to a certain someone.”

Startled, Yoo-sung shut her mouth.

He kept his pants zipped…?

Wait, so he’s a virgin…?

Her eyes naturally drifted downward.

“Hey, kid. Where are you looking?”

“W-What?”

Watching Yoo-sung’s ears flush red, Soo-hyuk let out a sigh.

He began to worry that if he stayed with this kid any longer, he might end up bedridden like Chairman Shin.

“Kwon Soo-hyuk, what exactly do you do…”

Just as Yoo-sung, with a serious look, was about to ask her new husband’s true identity.

Rrrrrrrr—

Her phone vibrated violently.

The caller ID showed her uncle.

— Shin Yoo-sung, get your butt back to the main house right now!

It was a summons from her uncle, who sounded absolutely furious for some reason.

.

.

.

*Thud.*

Getting out of the car near the Shinyang residence, Yoo-sung let out a long breath.

The time she had just spent with Soo-hyuk felt hazy, blurring the line between reality and a dream.

To think a man she had only met twice was going to be her husband.

Even though they hadn’t written up the contract yet, her mind was in a flurry.

“Forget it, don’t think about it. No looking back. Just move forward. Forward.”

Steeling her resolve, she stared at her silent phone with a puzzled look.

“No reply means something must have really happened.”

She had texted Soo-chul to ask what was going on at the main estate, but his reply was unusually delayed.

Normally, Chief of Security Soo-chul would respond like clockwork within a minute.

‘What kind of havoc are they wreaking this time?’

Anxious, she quickened her pace.

The second task she had to accomplish.

Severing ties with her aunt and uncle, and bringing them down.

Stepping into the garden of the main estate, Yoo-sung sensed a strange atmosphere.

‘…What is this?’

Today of all days, every single one of the burly men in black suits was avoiding her gaze.

Even though they clearly saw her walking in, there wasn’t a single booming cry of, “Welcome back, Young Lady!”

Frowning in confusion, Yoo-sung walked into the main house.

***

Meanwhile.

Soo-hyuk’s eyes narrowed as he stared blankly at the spot Yoo-sung had just occupied.

As a memory naturally resurfaced.

“Still the same. Rabbit.”

He smiled, picturing the girl who had always been so full of venomous grit.

Vicious bunny.

How could he ever forget that kid, who was once the talk of the orphanage?