At exactly three in the afternoon, Yuna was once again in Noah's office, clutching the contract folder tightly against her chest. Anxiety was plain on her face, and her fingers kept tightening around the edge of the folder. All she could do was wait for the man to finish his meeting.
A few minutes later, the office door opened from the outside.
Noah stepped in calmly and walked straight toward Yuna, who was still sitting on the sofa.
“So? What’s your decision?” he asked without wasting any time.
Gulp!
Yuna swallowed. Her fingers tightened around the folder in her lap. She drew a slow breath, trying to gather the courage to make a decision that was not only difficult but capable of changing her entire life.
“Um... before that, can I ask you one question?” Yuna asked cautiously.
Noah gave a small nod.
“Go ahead.”
“Roughly speaking... if I have to pay for the damage to your car, how much would it be...?”
Before Yuna could finish, Noah raised one hand and spread all five fingers.
“Fifty million won,” he said simply.
At the figure, Yuna felt as if lightning had struck her. Her face turned deathly pale, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
Cold sweat began to bead at her temples. She quickly wiped it away, swallowing with difficulty.
‘Fifty million won? That’s insane! Even if I worked my whole life, I might not be able to pay it...’ she complained inwardly.
Noticing the change in Yuna’s expression, Noah merely curved his lips into a mocking smile. He calmly walked over to his executive chair and settled into it comfortably, as though the amount he had just named meant absolutely nothing to him.
The world seemed to stop for a moment. Fifty million won. The number echoed through her mind again and again. Yuna could only remain silent, as if every possible way out had been sealed off in front of her.
Yuna’s phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence that filled the office. She glanced at the screen.
‘Mom.’
“Give me a second. I need to answer this.”
Noah merely gave a small nod without taking his eyes off the documents on the desk.
“Hello... Mom,” Yuna greeted her after sliding the green answer button.
“Yuna, can you transfer me some money? Mina wants to buy a new dress.”
As usual.
There was no greeting. Her mother did not even ask how she was doing.
Asking for money was always the first thing to come out of her mother’s mouth.
Yuna closed her eyes for a moment. Her jaw tightened as she tried to hold back the anger and disappointment churning in her chest.
“Mom... I don’t have any money.”
“What do you mean?” her mother’s voice rose from the other end of the line.
Yuna pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment before letting out a slow breath.
“I wrecked someone’s car, and now I have to pay compensation. If you need money, just use your savings. Besides, Mina’s old enough now. If she wants to wear nice clothes and live like a rich kid...”
Yuna paused. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Tell her to get a job herself.”
“Yuna! Don’t be such an ungrateful daughter!”
Yuna pressed her lips together. She was far too tired to keep arguing.
Without saying anything else, she ended the call herself and put her phone back in her handbag.
Only then did she turn toward Noah.
“Sorry,” she said briefly.
Noah responded with nothing more than a small nod.
Yuna gripped the contract folder tightly before lifting her face to look at him.
“All right... I accept your offer,” she finally said.
For the first time, Noah’s attention was completely diverted. The handsome man with the perpetually cold expression raised his head and stared straight at Yuna.
“Sure?” he asked curtly.
Yuna gave a small nod.
“Yes,” she answered in a calmer voice.
“Good. Then we can sign the contract now,” Noah said, gesturing for Yuna to sit across from his desk.
Without asking any further questions, Yuna complied. She pulled out the chair and sat down, then began signing the contract page by page, her heart still conflicted.
When she finished, Noah took the folder back. He examined each page carefully before giving a small, satisfied nod.
Then he handed Yuna a blank sheet of paper.
“Write down your home address, phone number, and work address.”
Yuna blinked several times, clearly confused.
“What for?” she asked.
“So I can find you easily if something urgent comes up,” Noah replied casually.
Yuna nodded slowly. The reason sounded reasonable, so she took a pen and began writing down the requested information.
“Can I leave now?” Yuna asked.
Noah did not answer at all. Instead, he simply raised one hand and waved it slowly, signaling for Yuna to leave at once.
Yuna pouted in annoyance.
‘What an ice block.’
She took a deep breath before talking herself through it.
‘It’s okay, Yuna. Just six months. In the blink of an eye... the contract will be over. After that, you and him will have nothing to do with each other anymore.’