Our Contract Marriage

A Gifted Locket

Soo-Yun was sitting at the edge of the pool while her feet were in the water. She was staring into nothing with a blank expression on her face; she had been like that for hours. It was midnight when she decided to come here. She has been here for the past five hours and it seemed like her brain had lost all its capacity as she continued looking ahead without noticing anything else. Jun-Sang was sleeping peacefully in their room. She looked back at Jun-Sang who was moving a little but Soo-Yun was unbothered. After about thirty minutes of silence, Soo's mind started working again as if someone was slowly pulling the strings of her brain as she thought about her father's case and Mr. Kim's son's case, and how they could relate. Her hands went running through the long strands of brown hair on her head as she began to think harder. The more she thinks she got more frustrated, so she closed her eyes as she kept repeating in her head what happened.

Soo-Yun was so lost that suddenly someone touched her shoulder causing her to flinch a little. "Why are you here?" Jun-Sang asked in a deep raspy voice.

"I just... I need to clear my head," she said as her eyes were still closed. She was trying to calm herself down as she heard Jun-Sang say that she also needed to clear her head so she opened her eyes slowly.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked as he sat next to her on the edge of the pool.

She nodded not knowing how to reply as her hands gripped tightly into the edges of the pool. Jun-Sang noticed it and gently took her hands from the edge, rubbing his fingers together in small circles on hers making her sigh. "It's not your business, I have told you many times before." She said as she jerked his hand a little.

"Why are you stubborn?" He replied giving Soo-Yun a look, he knew better than anyone how stubborn this girl is.

He sighed as he leaned in closer to her. "Just tell me why are you here, we are friends, right? Friends know when one is having a problem and talk about it." He said as he tried to make her open up.

"You were the one who broke our friendship over a girl." Soo pointed out glaring at him.

Jun scoffed, "And you were the one who made me break up with her."

They both sat silent for a few seconds as their eyes focused on each other, Jun-Sang didn't say another word, Soo-Yun did not want to admit how much pain she felt from those words but he was right. "I am going to sleep, don't disturb me," Soo-Yun said with a poker face and went to sleep leaving him all alone.

Jun-Sang sighed at his words which he had said in a heated argument. That wasn't the way he wanted the conversation to go but he didn't really understand the whole situation between them. Maybe he should let it go until later, there are some things in life that can't be solved and there will be time to sort them out.

In the darkroom, everyone was standing in a line in front of a man, who had a deep scary gaze. He was disappointed by them.

“So you know why I have gathered you here?” The man with dark eyes spoke up with a voice full of hate and malice.

They all bowed in respect.

The man continued his speech with a loud growl that scared many. “Because you are weak! You all disappointed me." His voice got louder and louder as he said those words. Everyone looked ashamed and guilty until they finally heard the last one. “And because I am going to kill you all." He said with a deep voice. With those two words, every person felt afraid, like their souls leave their bodies.

“What?! What did you say?” Asked someone with a shaky voice.

Everyone looked at him.

They could tell what he was thinking from the fear that filled his eyes. But he wouldn’t cry, no matter how much he wanted to.

"I don't repeat my words. Take them away before I lose my control." His men came and dragged them to the other room. They kept talking about their punishment but no one listened to them. Their minds are too busy thinking about how they should escape. If they get out of this place alive they would be killed. There were many people that wanted to kill them and they knew they couldn’t go back to being ordinary humans.

‘No matter how long we try there is no way we can escape. It’s impossible. Not even if the Gods themselves wanted us to escape.’

When the door closed behind them a man that sat on the chair looked at the three people in front of him.

He has long hair and piercing red eyes. He always wore black or some dark color. He always has an arrogant smile on his face, which makes him look very intimidating. When he talked to people he would talk with a low tone but you never really feel threatened by him.

The first one that stood in front of him, "Young Master, I have talked to Mr. Leon, she said her husband never involved her in his business." He said while bowing at him. "So, you are telling me that you have failed?"

His question made everyone flinch. They lowered their head trying not to look his face in the eye. No one dared to look him straight in the eye for a few seconds, just like when you’re in trouble.

He laughed, but this time it didn’t sound like a laugh. It sounded more like... a growl. "You also disappoint me, but I am not in the mood to kill you. So, luckily you have a chance to prove yourself." He said in a deep calm voice. "I want that file in any condition and Mr. Leon was the man who had that." He sighed, "but unfortunately when I killed him, he didn't have the file with him." He said looking at a clock on the wall, "It's already half-past ten so I have to leave. I will see all of you tomorrow morning!" And he left the room without sparing another glance in their direction.

The three men let out a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Leon was placing her things in her closet. She also took Soo-Yun things with her before shifting the house. The man threatened her to leave the house. Mrs. Leon sat on the edge of the bed before opening the box which was full of Soo-Yun's things. A small smile appeared on her lips as the past memories were recalled. In one of the boxes, she found something she never thought possible and it made her tear up a bit. When she had taken care of Soo-Yun from birth, Mrs. Leon kept a photo album. Mrs. Leon caressed the picture of her family remembering everything about the past and she let out a sigh. Mrs. Leon placed the album back in the box then her eyes fell on a locket. She frowned a little and took it into her hand. "It's Soo-Yun, her father gifted her a day before he died." Mrs. Leon smiled when tears streamed down her face as she remembered the day. "I should give it back to her after she comes back." Mrs. Leon placed the locket inside the box and continued her work.