RB - 13

Seo-yeon was plagued by a stubborn case of the Mondays and eventually left work earlier than usual—though it was still past 9 p.m. 

Her small apartment greeted her as always. 

The photos displayed on the shoe rack welcomed her home, most of them taken with Bi-ryu. 

Thud, crash. 

Lost in thought while staring blankly at the rainy window, Seo-yeon sank deep into the couch and reread the text Jung-hyuk had sent her earlier that day. 

—”Miss Han Seo-yeon, come to the café after work. We need to put on a show in front of Frakchi. Pretend we’re about to become lovers.” 

Even after reading it again, the presumptuous tone of the message was absurd. Why did he always decide plans unilaterally and then notify her? Shin Jung-hyuk clearly forgot that their contract was supposed to be mutual. 

Still simmering with anger from the events of a few days ago, Seo-yeon ignored his rude text altogether. 

But even now, sitting comfortably on her couch at home, she couldn’t shake off the lingering discomfort. It was a stark reminder that she was firmly in the “subordinate” position. 

“Haa, Han Seo-yeon’s life. I can’t escape being the ‘beta.’ Where am I headed?” 

Muttering to herself, Seo-yeon lifted her legs onto the couch, hugging her knees tightly as she curled into a ball. 

Plop. Bi-ryu sat down beside her. His small eyes sparkled with joy, and Seo-yeon immediately noticed. 

“Something good happened? My little brother?” 

Instead of answering, Bi-ryu teased her, dragging out the suspense. This uncharacteristic behavior made Seo-yeon burst into laughter. 

“Pfft, why are you acting so awkward? Stop it, you look ridiculous.” 

“Today, something unbelievable happened. Something that would make you jump for joy right where you stand.” 

Seo-yeon adjusted her posture, intrigued, but then suddenly exclaimed, 

“You, you didn’t!” 

She grabbed Bi-ryu’s shoulders. Had he been selected as a Taesung Foundation scholarship recipient? Her heart began pounding like thunder. 

“Why are you reacting like this, Noona? I haven’t said anything yet.” 

“Uh… uh, yeah. I just thought maybe you got into trouble or something.” 

Seo-yeon scrambled for an excuse, flustered. How could such a well-behaved and studious kid like Bi-ryu cause any trouble? 

But what if Bi-ryu found out about her “romantic contract” with Jung-hyuk? 

The mere thought was horrifying. With his upright personality, Bi-ryu would never forgive himself. He’d blame himself for forcing his sister to get entangled with her rotten ex-boyfriend because of him. 

Interrupting her spiraling thoughts was Bi-ryu’s ecstatic voice. 

“I never expected this to happen, but I’ve been chosen as a Taesung Foundation scholar! They said it’s the first time they’ve selected someone from a specialized high school.” 

Bi-ryu looked as though he were walking through a dream, radiating happiness, and Seo-yeon couldn’t help but catch his joy. 

Bi-ryu suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. 

“Noona, you don’t have to pay for my cram school fees anymore. The foundation is covering everything—even private tutoring costs. You’ve worked so hard because of me.” 

In the competitive world of specialized high schools filled with exceptional students, Bi-ryu had struggled to keep up. For every step forward he took by pulling all-nighters, his competitors surged two steps ahead. 

His voice trembled with emotion, and Seo-yeon gently patted his back. 

She made a promise to herself. Tomorrow, she would definitely visit Jung-hyuk’s café and give Frakchi a taste of her acting skills. She would make sure to earn her keep with a convincing performance. 

Drip, drip. Raindrops trickled down the windowpane, framing the siblings’ heartfelt embrace like a painting. 

The next morning, Seo-yeon pushed open the door to Café Le Rêve. 

It was natural to grab a coffee from the café on the first floor before heading up to the office on the higher floors. 

At least, that’s what it would look like to others. 

Seo-yeon quickly scanned the café, silently praying.

Please, let me avoid running into anyone from JB Company. 

But God rarely answers prayers like these. From a distance, Miss Kim from the finance team waved at Seo-yeon. 

“Oh my, Miss Han! Let’s head up together.” 

Ah, damn it. Forcing a smile, Seo-yeon responded and then moved toward the counter. 

There stood the silver-haired fairy—or rather, “Frakchi”—taking orders. His name tag read “Ethan,” and up close, he appeared to be of mixed heritage, perhaps quarter-blood. 

“Would you like to order?” 

“One warm Americano, please.” 

As Ethan reached for the card Seo-yeon handed over, Shin Jung-hyuk suddenly cut in, whispering something to Ethan. 

“Hand it over.” 

Ethan looked flustered, but Jung-hyuk simply smirked and turned to Seo-yeon. 

“Did you get home safely? You must’ve had a terrible hangover—I was worried about you.” 

Seo-yeon was far more startled than Ethan. 

She had planned to fake a budding romance that would develop into a relationship over six months! That was her strategy to get through the contract period. 

But Jung-hyuk wasn’t an easy opponent. Forcing a strained smile, Seo-yeon managed to say: 

“Ah, yes, I managed somehow. Can I have the buzzer?” 

Jung-hyuk grinned wider and handed her the buzzer. 

However, Miss Kim, who had quietly approached, had already overheard everything. She pinched Seo-yeon’s arm and began her interrogation. 

“Spill it right now! Miss Han, did you drink with that man? Huh? Do you know him?” 

“Ah, well, you see… I ran into him by chance at a wine bar near the office. You know how I often meet with reporters. It was just a brief hello.” 

“I don’t buy it. Why would the café owner worry about your hangover?” 

“He must be a man of excellent character, I guess.” 

Despite Seo-yeon’s excuses, Miss Kim didn’t let up. Darkness closed in around Seo-yeon’s vision. Just then, the buzzing sound of the coffee order saved her. 

“I’ll grab the coffee. Miss, gather your things—I have a morning meeting, so I need to head up right away.” 

Even picking up the coffee wasn’t smooth sailing. The silver-haired Frakchi—no, fairy—or rather, Ethan—handed the coffee directly to Seo-yeon and asked: 

“Nuna, do you know our CEO?” 

Nuna? One younger brother, Bi-ryu, was already enough. Calling a customer “Nuna” wasn’t appropriate, and Seo-yeon corrected him. 

“I only met the CEO by chance outside. And I’m not your Nuna.” 

“I’m younger than you. Don’t you like being called Nuna? Everyone else does.” 

Ethan’s bright, innocent smile showed no trace of malice. As Seo-yeon awkwardly turned away— 

“Seo-yeon, you left this at my place.” 

Jung-hyuk handed her a lipstick, delivering the line with the flair of a movie star. 

Miss Kim’s jaw dropped, Ethan scrutinized Seo-yeon with suspicion, Jung-hyuk smiled leisurely, and Seo-yeon felt utterly defeated. 

A wave of embarrassment stronger than the aroma of coffee hit her chest. As expected, her damn ex-boyfriend, Shin Jung-hyuk, mercilessly crushed her ordinary routine. 

By 7 p.m., the chaotic day was drawing to a close. 

Seo-yeon glanced around the empty office. Everyone had either left on time or gone out for dinner. 

She had spent the entire day avoiding Miss Kim. It felt like a full-blown spy mission. 

“Did you sleep together? Did you? Tell me right now!”

Unable to endure Miss Kim’s relentless married-woman gossip, Seo-yeon exercised her right to remain silent. 

Taking her silence as affirmation, Miss Kim’s plump cheeks flushed red like apples. 

Slap! She even smacked Seo-yeon on the back, making crude jokes about how even a quiet cat eventually jumps onto the stove—a thinly veiled sexual innuendo. 

Sighing deeply, Seo-yeon checked her phone. 

—”Han Seo-yeon, I’ll take you home. Come to the café by 7 p.m. Frakchi is getting suspicious, so help me out. Don’t forget the virtue of give and take.” 

The thought of having to work from home tonight made her sigh involuntarily. But with no other choice—stuck in her perpetual “beta” position—Seo-yeon dragged her feet reluctantly toward the café. 

After Seo-yeon, the last person remaining in the office, finally left, an eerie silence enveloped the empty workspace. That is, until the sound of the door opening broke the stillness, and someone entered the office late at night. 

That someone was none other than Shin Jin-hyuk. With calm, deliberate steps, he bypassed his own desk and headed straight for Seo-yeon’s. His movements were relaxed, as if everything had been meticulously planned. 

Casually rifling through her desk drawers, he easily found a document in the bottom compartment. 

“The Romantic Contract Between Han Seo-yeon and Shin Jung-hyuk.” 

Seo-yeon had chosen the office as the safest place to store this explosive document. Her apartment was too risky—her roommate, Kim Bi-ryu, was the type of person who relieved stress by cleaning. 

Every weekend, Bi-ryu would tidy up Seo-yeon’s messy desk, insisting, “You’re going to attract bugs! Clean up and live properly!” No matter how much she protested, there was no stopping him. 

Thus, the office drawer—equipped with CCTV and accessible only by Seo-yeon herself—was deemed the safest option. 

Seo-yeon had been certain that no one would dare snoop through a colleague’s desk. But that certainty crumbled beautifully before her eyes. Jin-hyuk slowly flipped through the contract with his long fingers. 

Rustle. 

Each time the paper turned, a satisfied smile spread across Jin-hyuk’s lips. As he had suspected, his hunch was correct. 

A six-month contractual romance, meticulously detailed across five pages—it was just like her to be so thorough. 

After reviewing the entire document, Jin-hyuk carefully returned it to its original spot. Just as he turned to leave, the door opened, and a group of people entered—the general affairs team, returning from dinner. The youngest member of the team asked Jin-hyuk: 

“Didn’t you eat?” 

“I just finished eating. Looks like the general affairs team is working late tonight.” 

“Oh, we’re having some issues with the internet equipment. There might be a brief outage in about ten minutes. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.” 

“Thank you for letting me know.” 

As Jin-hyuk flashed a polite smile, the youngest member of the general affairs team couldn’t help but think: Even as a man, I’ve never seen someone as impressive as him. If I were a woman, I’d definitely be chasing after Shin Jin-hyuk.