The CEO’s Clumsy Contract: My fake Fiancé

The glass-and-steel skyscraper of Jeon Enterprises pierced the Seoul skyline like a needle. Inside, the floors smelled of expensive espresso and high-stakes ambition. For most, it was a dreamland. For Min Luna, it was a daily survival course. Luna adjusted her oversized blazer, which kept sliding off her shoulders. She was currently balancing three iced americanos, a stack of reports, and her own dignity. "Don't trip, Luna. Don't trip, Luna," she whispered to herself. She wasn't just working here for the prestige. Every month, the hospital bills for her mother’s heart treatment arrived like a heavy weight. She couldn’t afford to lose this job—even if her boss was the most terrifying man in South Korea. THE ICE KING’S THRONE Jeon Taewhun sat in his top-floor office, the city sprawl visible behind him. He was perfection in a charcoal suit. His eyes, however, were cold. To the world, Taewhun was a genius. To himself, he was a man who had learned the hard way that emotions are liabilities. Years ago, a woman named Park Minyeong had shattered his trust, using his secrets to boost her own family’s rival firm before disappearing. Since then, Taewhun had replaced his heart with a calculator. A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts. Before he could say "Enter," the door swung open—too fast. CRASH. Taewhun didn't move as a brown liquid puddle began to spread across his white marble floor. He slowly looked up. Luna was on her knees, her face flushed bright red, desperately trying to soak up iced coffee with... a handful of cheap napkins. "I am so, so, so sorry, Mr. Jeon! The floor... it was just so shiny, and my heel caught, and—" "Min Luna," Taewhun’s voice was like velvet dipped in ice. "This is the third time this week." "I know! I’ll pay for the cleaning! Or I’ll scrub it myself!" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and sparkling with a mix of fear and that stubborn energy he couldn't quite understand. Taewhun leaned forward. "You are careless. You are childish. Why do I keep you here?" Luna flinched. She couldn't tell him she loved the way his brows furrowed when he was thinking. She couldn't tell him that she watched him from the breakroom just to see if he ever smiled. "Because I'm the only one who isn't afraid to tell you your ties are boring?" she blurted out. The silence in the room was deafening. THE SISTER’S WARNING Later that afternoon, a stylish woman walked past the frantic Luna and straight into Taewhun’s office. This was Sora, Taewhun’s younger sister and the only person who dared to laugh at him. "You're scaring the staff again, Big Brother," Sora said, dropping her designer bag on his desk. "Specifically that cute girl, Luna. I saw her crying over a broken stapler in the hallway." "She’s incompetent," Taewhun muttered, not looking up from his tablet. "She’s human," Sora countered. "I know why you're like this. You think every woman is Minyeong. But Mom and Dad are calling from America every day asking if you’ve found someone. You can't stay frozen forever." "I don't need 'someone.' I need a company that runs without coffee being spilled on the blueprints." Sora leaned in, her eyes dancing. "You keep firing people for less, Taewhun. Yet, Luna is still here. Why is that?" Taewhun opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He didn't have an answer. THE BREAKING POINT By 8:00 PM, the office was a ghost town. Luna remained at her desk, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She had stayed late to redo the reports she’d ruined with coffee. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. It was the hospital. "Ms. Min? We're calling regarding your mother's upcoming surgery deposit. If the balance isn't cleared by tomorrow morning, we'll have to postpone." Luna’s heart sank. She was short by two million won. Her eyes filled with tears, blurring the screen. She felt small, stubborn, and completely defeated. She didn't notice the office door open. She didn't notice Taewhun standing there, watching her small frame shake with silent sobs. He had intended to tell her to go home, but the sight of her—the girl who was always bubbly and loud—looking so broken, caused a strange, forgotten tug in his chest. "Luna?" She jumped, nearly knocking over her chair. She scrambled to wipe her eyes, but a stray tear escaped. "Mr. Jeon! I'm almost done, I swear. I’ll have the files on your desk by—" "Forget the files," he said, walking closer until he was standing right over her. He reached out, his hand hovering near her face before he caught himself and pulled back. "Why are you crying?" "It's nothing. Just... a clumsy girl being dramatic," she tried to joke, but her voice cracked. Taewhun looked at her desk. He saw the hospital bill peeking out from under a folder. His eyes narrowed. He knew that hospital; it was the most expensive one in the city. "Is this why you've been working double shifts? Why you've been eating instant ramen in the breakroom?" Luna looked down at her lap, her stubbornness finally fading. "I have to take care of her. She's all I have." Taewhun felt a wall inside him c***k. He hated emotions. He hated "love." But as he looked at Luna—this girl who loved someone so much she was willing to work herself to the bone for a boss who treated her like ice—he felt something dangerous. "Come with me," he said suddenly. "What? Where?" "I’m going to make you a deal, Luna," Taewhun said, his voice regaining its cold, professional edge, though his eyes were fixed on hers. "A deal that will pay for your mother’s surgery in full tonight." Luna’s heart raced. "What kind of deal?" Taewhun leaned down, his face inches from hers. "My parents are coming home from America for a gala next week. They won't stop pestering me until I have a fiancée. You need money. I need a shield." Luna gasped. "You want me to... pretend to be your fiancée?" "I want you to be the woman who finally makes everyone believe I’m capable of love," he whispered. "Even if we both know it's a lie." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. Inside was a diamond so bright it felt like it could light up the dark office. "If you say yes, the hospital bill is gone. If you say no, you go back to being a clumsy assistant." Luna looked at the ring, then at the man she had secretly loved for two years. She knew he didn't believe in love. She knew she was just a business transaction to him. But as she reached for the ring, the office lights flickered and died, leaving them in total darkness, save for the glow of the city lights behind them. "Taewhun..." she breathed. Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of the office door locking echoed through the room. A shadow moved in the hallway—someone was watching them. Was it Sora? Or was the past, in the form of Park Minyeong, finally catching up to the Ice King?