Chapter 67: Beyond the Contract

“You and I are in different positions. I’ll be raising a child, but you…”

“What exactly is different?”

Yoonwoo was never the type to obsess over romance or marriage. He had long abandoned any expectations of dating others for various reasons or pursuing a typical relationship.

Nevertheless, his conviction remained: there was no need for Yeon-chae, who was only twenty-one, to be tied down by this marriage, which was practically a contract marriage even without a signed agreement.

Although they had unexpectedly reached the point of preparing for a wedding, Yoonwoo believed he would eventually have to let Yeon-chae go.

“Later, you’ll surely find someone you like, and then we’ll have to end things between us. It would be better after the baby is grown, but it’s fine even if it’s not. I won’t hold you back when that time comes.”

“What…?”

“So, considering all that, I had been deliberating whether it would be better to keep it quiet from those around us, if at all possible.”

Such were Yoonwoo’s honest feelings, yet he wondered how long they could keep it a secret when they were getting married, his belly would soon swell, and a child would be born before long.

Perhaps it would be better to announce it now rather than face whispers and rumors later. Yoonwoo truly couldn’t discern the right path, and after agonizing over the wedding invitations for a long time, he had fallen into self-reproach.

“…What did you say?”

However, Yoonwoo’s explanation seemed to fall flat. Yeon-chae’s voice, already strained, dropped even lower, his rough tone heavy with bewilderment.

“Do you call that a ‘thing to say’ right now?”

“Huh? Why, why…”

Yeon-chae’s intensity was so unsettling that Yoonwoo found himself stammering involuntarily. He couldn’t even turn his head away from Yeon-chae’s eyes, which were piercing him, now almost glaring.

They remained frozen, locked in a silent standoff for a long moment. Just as Yoonwoo began to feel as though he was being choked, Yeon-chae squeezed his eyes shut then opened them.

The light brown irises revealed beneath his eyelids seemed to lack focus.

“Just tell everyone around us.”

His voice sounded resigned, as if he had reached a state of enlightenment. Though only three minutes had passed, it felt as if all vitality had drained from him.

Yeon-chae’s face looked parched, like a thin mask. Yoonwoo stammered, “Oh, oh,” retreating slightly.

“Is that… alright?”

“The baby will be born soon; it’s ridiculous to keep hiding it.”

“Right, I did think that too.”

“And…”

“Huh?”

Yeon-chae hesitated for a moment, then bit down on his lower lip. His red lips quickly developed a raw mark.

Yoonwoo, startled, gently brushed Yeon-chae’s lip with his thumb.

“What’s wrong? Don’t do that, you’re bleeding.”

A drop of blood, formed on his rough lip, clung to Yoonwoo’s fingertip. ‘See?’ Yoonwoo chided softly, wiping away the bloodstain, and was about to pull his hand away.

He would have, had Yeon-chae not grasped his hand.

“What you’re thinking, hyung, won’t happen. What kind of person do you take me for? Why would we ‘end things’?”

His voice was half-exhausted, half-resigned. Yet, a faint heat emanating from somewhere within that dispirited tone sent an inexplicable warmth surging through Yoonwoo’s neck.

He fumbled, trying to cool the sudden heat that had risen.

“Hey, you might say that now, but… later, when you really fall for someone, you’ll regret not having signed a contract with me.”

“Then let’s write a contract.”

“Huh? Really?”

“I’m saying I’ll sign a contract that I won’t divorce you and won’t look at anyone else, ever.”

The conversation had veered wildly off course. Yoonwoo, momentarily unsure which part of the declaration was more confounding, found himself reacting to the final word that had lodged itself in his ear.

“Wha— ‘ever’?”

“You don’t trust me, do you? So let’s get it notarized and write a contract. But then…”

‘That’s not the contract I meant!’ Yoonwoo screamed silently. It was as if he had proposed a quasi-contract marriage, only to receive a marriage vow in return.

“Hyung has to sign it too. You know that, right?”

Yeon-chae pulled up the corners of his lips, letting out a sharp chuckle.

“…Me?”

‘Why would I suddenly be signing a marriage vow?’

He felt lost, having tried to follow Yeon-chae’s conversation. This time, it was Yoonwoo who felt utterly bewildered, leaning his forehead against Yeon-chae’s shoulder with a petulant murmur.

“Why are you so extreme, kid…”

“We’re already doing a marriage registration, so why write a notarized contract? He’s really a funny kid.”

Yoonwoo recounted the whole story to Seowoo, only to be met with ridicule. He couldn’t bring himself to explain that the discussion about a contract marriage had led to this conclusion.

However, he couldn’t keep Yeon-chae’s all-day insistence on writing a vow never to divorce or stray to himself. So, Yoonwoo had rushed to Seowoo’s newlywed home, and after a long chat, that was the first thing he heard.

Yoonwoo bristled, raising his voice. “No, that’s cute, why is it funny?”

“Cute? What part of it is cute?”

“Ugh, seriously. Never mind.”

The moment he had to explain *why* it was cute, the conversation was doomed. In truth, Yoonwoo himself couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was cute about it.

So, he simply clammed up, looking glum. Seowoo, who had been glancing at Yoonwoo with a ‘what’s wrong with him?’ expression, then asked if he had decided to write the contract.

“If you need a lawyer to notarize it, I can introduce you to Sihyung’s friend.”

Despite his earlier ridicule, Seowoo’s face was quite serious now. Yoonwoo shook his head, feigning disgust.

“Ah, it was just a joke, what contract? How could I do something so embarrassing? Don’t you have any shame, hyung?”

“…”

Only after the words left his mouth did Yoonwoo recall the time Seowoo had caused a ruckus when he started dating, even writing a quasi-love contract and getting it notarized.

Before he could evade, Yoonwoo received a smack on his back from Seowoo.

“So, have you decided to send out wedding invitations to your friends?”

Just as his back felt like it was on fire, Seowoo withdrew his hand. Yoonwoo reached behind him, rubbing his burning skin with his palm, his face contorted into a pout.

A grumbling complaint escaped him automatically.

“What, what does it matter?”

“Want another smack?”

“No, sir. We’ve decided to send out wedding invitations.”

“Good, you did well.”

Since they had decided on a small wedding with only family, they couldn’t invite friends. Instead, they would send out invitations to announce the marriage and have separate meals with a few friends.

When Yoonwoo subtly broached the subject with Yeon-chae, asking, ‘Shall we invite your friends too?’ it seemed Yeon-chae didn’t have any friends he particularly wanted to invite.

‘Then I’ll just invite a few of my friends, and we’ll have a meal together.’

When Yoonwoo tried to settle it that way, Yeon-chae insisted on attending the gathering.

‘You’re leaving me out? Of course, I have to go. It’s a place to give out wedding invitations.’

‘You won’t invite your friends, but you want to join my friends’ gathering?’

Yoonwoo burst out laughing, unable to understand Yeon-chae’s logic.

‘The groom is supposed to be there when wedding invitations are handed out.’

Yeon-chae’s unexpectedly mature reply, delivered in a tone that implied Yoonwoo knew nothing, made Yoonwoo’s laughter grow even louder.

“What are you thinking, smiling to yourself like that?”

Seowoo’s voice brought him back to reality. Yoonwoo, unable to hide the smile on his lips, turned towards Seowoo.

“No, it’s just, you know, he said earlier…”

As Yoonwoo recounted the scene he had just recalled, Seowoo gazed intently at him with a strange expression. However, Yoonwoo was once again engrossed in his own memory, too busy chattering to notice Seowoo’s reaction.

For a while, Yoonwoo had been frantically busy finishing group projects and assignments, then immediately taking final exams. It wasn’t until summer vacation began that he finally had time to breathe.

By then, the wedding was already just around the corner, so Yoonwoo hastily made plans with his friends.

As he met friends to hand out wedding invitations, almost like clearing stages in a game, it was Myeong-tae and Woo-jae’s turn.

He entrusted Yeon-chae, who had stubbornly insisted on attending this time too, with making the restaurant reservation. However, Yeon-chae had unexpectedly booked a bar instead of a restaurant.

It was the same place where the previous ‘meeting’ incident had occurred.

“Why did you book there…?”

His intention was transparent. Yoonwoo groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. Yeon-chae, however, feigned innocence with a composed face.

“I thought it was nice there. Good atmosphere, delicious food. It’s the best place near school, isn’t it?”

‘How would he know the food was delicious when he didn’t even touch it?’ Yoonwoo grumbled internally.

But he didn’t feel compelled to change the reservation, so he let it be. It was true that places offering such an atmosphere and food near the school were rare, just as Yeon-chae had said.

Yeon-chae said he would be a little late. When Yoonwoo arrived at the bar alone, Myeong-tae and Woo-jae were already seated, looking uncomfortable.

It seemed they had arrived early and were waiting. Such uncharacteristic behavior puzzled Yoonwoo, and he asked with a curious expression.

“Why are you so early? It’s not time yet.”

“Uh… you’re here.”

Woo-jae opened his mouth, his expression uneasy. Yoonwoo tilted his head, asking, “What’s wrong? Why are you like that?”

“Well…”

When Woo-jae struggled to speak, Myeong-tae interjected with an embarrassed look.

“You said… you were giving out wedding invitations.”

“Ah.”

‘So that’s why they were acting so awkward.’ Yoonwoo finally understood their sullen expressions and chuckled.

Woo-jae grumbled with a displeased face. “Hey, what the heck. You should’ve told us earlier. We ended up looking like jerks for dragging a guy preparing for marriage to a blind date.”

“Oh, really? Is that my fault?”

When Yoonwoo playfully retorted, Woo-jae shut his mouth. Myeong-tae sighed deeply beside him.

When asked, “How did you know?”, Myeong-tae replied that the rumor of Yoonwoo handing out wedding invitations had already spread.

“Sorry. We really messed up last time…”

“How were we supposed to know? But did you get caught, Yoonwoo hyung? If you get scolded for going on a blind date, tell us, we’ll be your witnesses.”

“But did Yoonwoo hyung get into trouble? Why are you getting married so early? You haven’t even graduated yet…”

Faced with their rapid-fire questions, Yoonwoo found himself speechless.