The Forced Contract
Han Yeoryeon had been in a great mood lately.
Her life was going perfectly, overflowing with reasons to be happy, but at the center of it all was Kang Yuchan.
Is he in the shower?
Staring blankly at her phone with no reply, Yeoryeon sent a message saying she'd bring his favorite snacks before pocketing it.
He'll love it, right?
The thought of being showered with love after so long made her lower belly tingle on its own.
Heehee. It's almost over now.
Yeoryeon suddenly imagined herself walking into the wedding hall with Yuchan and let out a giggle.
Truth be told, she hadn't initially planned on marrying him.
No, marriage itself had always felt distant from someone like her.
Born into hardship, her childhood views on marriage had been shattered early on.
She'd even vowed never to marry when she grew up.
But then.
Yuchan appeared, and everything changed.
It started as simple curiosity at first.
The kind where seeing him one day made her want to see him the next.
As their time together grew, so did her feelings, swelling bigger and bigger.
By the time she snapped out of it, she was already head over heels.
So, like any other guy, she tried desperately to stand out to him and fought to deepen their bond.
There was a brief mishap when his crazy girlfriend interfered and pushed them apart.
But she never gave up, biding her time in the shadows until her "golden opportunities" came one after another.
In the end, persistence paid off for the one who waited and schemed relentlessly.
She should've just died there.
Yeoryeon swallowed a pang of regret as she recalled the story of Ma Yeonseo's near-death that her uncle had casually mentioned long ago.
If she'd died then, there'd have been no need to worry about pointless interference.
Well, everything had worked out in the end anyway.
In a way, she owed Ma Yeonseo for learning how to "use" Kang Yuchan without spilling a drop of blood.
Hadn't they easily promised marriage? Sure, it stung that Yeonseo had taken all his firsts just because she met him earlier.
But Yeoryeon was willing to forgive her if she spent the rest of her life stewing in jealousy over those memories.
"I'm here!"
Arriving at Yuchan's house, Yeoryeon set down her bags and called out loudly.
"Honey, I'm home."
But.
"……?"
For some reason, the house was eerily quiet.
As if no one was there.
"...Where'd he go?"
Not in the bedroom, not in the bathroom.
Confirming Yuchan wasn't home, Yeoryeon tilted her head and tried calling him.
Then.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
A faint vibration came from the master bedroom.
...He left his phone behind?
His phone was on the desk in the master bedroom.
The spot he always habitually placed it when he was home.
"What the...?"
Assuming Yuchan had just stepped out briefly, Yeoryeon decided to wait quietly.
In life, a crisis is bound to hit you eventually.
The kind that sends cold sweat down your spine and blanks your mind.
And that crisis was now right in front of me.
"...Yuchan?"
In a room with luxurious interiors, I froze mid-motion, half-undressed and awkward, utterly flustered by the girl who appeared before me.
"Y-Yeonseo..."
Ma Yeonseo. She was standing right there in front of me.
W-what the hell is going on here?
The sudden change in surroundings and Yeonseo's unexpected appearance.
I blinked dumbly, unable to process it, when.
She glanced down at my lower body.
"!"
Only then remembering I was half-naked, I hurriedly covered myself and asked her.
"H-hey. Can you explain what's going on...?"
She looked at me with a slightly surprised face, then suddenly wore a look of realization.
"...So that's what it was."
Whoosh. Black flames erupted over her hand as she gripped something tightly.
What the hell is that?
In her hand was a stamp seal.
A torture-brand-like seal with the tip glowing red-hot.
"H-hey! What the hell is that...!"
Swish. Startled by her quietly approaching, I instinctively backed away.
"……."
But she offered no explanation.
She just thrust the glowing red seal toward me and declared.
"If you get caught, you contract with me."
Contract. The unholy word sent chills down my spine.
I didn't know what it was, but I had to run first.
"Uwaaaack!!"
To escape her, I bolted toward the distant door.
Fuck, what is this shit!
Unfortunately, I didn't get far.
"Catch him."
A voice from behind my head, and something unknown wrapped around my limbs.
"What?!"
Whirling around in shock, thick tentacles rising from a floating magic circle in the air had seized my arms and legs.
T-this is...!
It was Siglu's Hand, the summon that made Ma Yeonseo an S-rank awakener.
"M-Ma Yeonseo! What the fuck are you doing all of a sudden!!!"
Thinking I'd been attacked, I screamed desperately in protest.
She approached slowly, waved her hand, and new tentacles emerged, wrapping my head and forcing my mouth open.
"Mmph...!"
Now I couldn't even resist.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmmphhh!!!"
"Yuchan, I think there's a misunderstanding. I didn't call you—you came to me."
Yeonseo spouted something incomprehensible as she strode forward.
She shoved her face right up to mine, peering at my terrified expression for a long moment.
"...You're cute."
She gently brushed back my fallen hair and thrust the glowing seal in front of my eyes.
C-crazy bitch!
Cold sweat poured down like a waterfall.
"Mmmph! Mmmphhh!!!"
"This is the seal for contracting summons. It might hurt a bit."
"Mmmph!!! Mmmph!!!!!"
"...I don't want to hurt you, but I have to do what needs doing."
"Mmmphhhh!!!!!"
Summon, seal—unintelligible words drilled into my ears.
"Just bear with it a little?"
Yeonseo gave a faint smile as if to reassure me and moved the seal to my chest.
It did not reassure me.
"Mmmph!!!!"
Swish. Swish. I felt her soft hand gliding over my chest, searching for position.
"Mmmphhhh!!!!!"
As I thrashed helplessly, veins bulging in my neck from screaming.
Thud! She stamped it down.
"!!!!!"
An intense pain exploded into my chest, blinding me.
Not physical agony, but something on another level I'd never experienced.
Like... a scar on my soul.
"Hahk...! Hahk...!"
With a short, brutal stab of pain, the restraints finally released me. I collapsed to the floor, gasping raggedly.
"...Did it hurt a lot?"
Even now, Yeonseo stroked my head with a worried look.
What the fuck just happened...!
Still dazed, I glanced up at her for an explanation.
"You're my summon now."
"W-what...? What do you mean...?"
Her old explanation of summons flashed in my mind.
A summon was a being that contracted and responded to its master's call, aiding them.
In other words, human me had become Ma Yeonseo's summon.
"N-no way. How...? Why?"
Even understanding it, the questions deepened.
I'd heard summoners couldn't choose their targets.
So it was pure coincidence I got summoned?
Wait, could humans even be summons in the first place?
"...Beats me?"
Yeonseo shrugged genuinely clueless, then stood to get me clothes since I'd be cold.
...Oh. Yeoryeon.
Remembering late that Han Yeoryeon was coming over, I demanded she send me home now.
"Forget clothes—just send me home!!"
But.
"What home?"
"Huh?"
She brought a bathrobe but ignored my plea.
"Your home is here now."
My head spun.
"What the hell do you mean? Don't mess around! I need to get home now!"
"Why?"
"Why?! Obviously...!"
To meet Han Yeoryeon—the words rose to my throat and sank back.
"This isn't my home!"
"It is now."
"Ma Yeonseo!!"
"...Getting mad at your master on day one."
"You really...!"
Yeonseo stared blankly at my fuming self, sighed softly as if helpless, and extended her hand.
Seemed like she'd finally send me back.
About time!
I glared daggers, waiting to return home.
Flash—!
A magic circle appeared underfoot like before, intense light engulfing me.
...Did it work?
I cautiously opened my squeezed-shut eyes.
"……."
"What...?"
But Yeonseo was still right there.
I, who should've gone home, stood in the exact same spot.
I hadn't returned home.
"Hey! Are you screwing with me?!"
Thinking she'd done it on purpose, I scowled and yelled.
She used reverse summon again with a blank face.
Flash—!
H-huh...?
No change again.
N-no way...?
Cold sweat dripped.
"I told you, your home is here now."
Her indifferent words made my heart sink.
"N-no, that's impossible."
The world crumbling beneath me, I slumped down and frantically racked my brain for solutions.
What do I tell Yeoryeon? The company? Contact her first...
Then I remembered no phone and begged Yeonseo earnestly.
"Y-Yeonseo, sorry, but can I at least borrow your phone...?"
"Why should I?"
"Please, just once...!"
"Figure it out yourself."
Firm rejection.
"Y-Yeonseooo...!"
I approached again, pleading desperately.
She softened a bit, then...
"...If you meet me again, I'll think about it."
"What...?"
Absurd refusal.
"I'm serious."
Her intensely sincere gaze hit me, and I finally realized her true feelings.
That she'd liked me all this time, from then until now.
...She's insane...
Shaking it off, I shot up, threw on the robe she'd brought, and declared boldly.
"Fine! I'll go myself!"
"How?"
"Obviously, walk out... Uh..."
And it didn't take long to realize that was impossible.
"Ah."
I'd been summoned back to Yeonseo's location.
She was in America.
In short, I was naked on the opposite side of the planet.
F-fuck, I'm screwed.
Unable to accept reality, my legs gave out and I collapsed.
Yeonseo crouched in front of me, smiling faintly as she spoke casually.
"Let's get along from now on, Yuchan."
"……."
And just like that, I became Ma Yeonseo's summon.