Staring at the man seated on the leather couch across from you, you let out a startled laugh. “I’m sorry, I must have heard you wrong. Did you just say, marriage?”

Im Bumsoo, the founding partner of Im & Jones, the biggest law firm in the city, cocked his head to the side, a bemused expression warming his features. “Is marriage such a difficult notion for you to understand?”

“With all due respect, I have no issue understanding the constitution of marriage. As you’re aware, the failure of such unions is what pays my bills.”

“Being one of the best divorce lawyers in this country doesn’t mean you’re against getting married yourself, though, does it?”

You didn’t answer right away. You didn’t see getting married as part of your grand scheme in life. It was no secret that you were great at your job, and because of that, you’d seen through more divorces in your career than you had witnessed happily wedded bliss. You didn’t have some personal traumatic experience with holy matrimony. You were simply jaded and didn’t understand why people went through with joining their lives with another just to end up in your office to sort out the destruction of such vows. But evidently, the old man before you held traditional views still.

That much was clear since he’d spoken of his terms.

“I’m not for or against. It’s not been a priority of mine to get married. Especially when I’m single. When I meet someone worth marrying, I’ll ensure you’re there to see it, Mr Im.”

“Oh, I definitely plan to be there, Y/N,” he agreed, leaning forward in his seat. “That’s the only way you’ll be getting the partnership.”

“This is misogynistic thinking, and you know it. I’m damn good at my job and would make for an excellent senior partner of this firm.”

He nodded with ease. “You’re the best divorce lawyer in this city. That’s why we snapped you up when we did, Y/N. But being a senior partner of this firm is something I’m protective of. Park Jinyoung would make for an excellent partner too.”

“He’s not married,” you pointed out, and Mr Im chuckled.

“No. No, he’s not. But he’s a wonderful candidate.”

“So, you’d want me to marry him?” you remarked, distracted by the anger coursing through you about being a woman in a male-dominated firm. When your secretary had mentioned the open candidacy for the new senior partner of the firm, you had been eager to push your name forward. You had worked hard for the last eight years for Im & Jones. You were no longer that young woman who had her foot in the door thanks to good professor connections after passing the bar. You were formidable in these halls and the courtroom. It wasn’t ego that propelled you to take this opportunity, even if you were damn good at your job and knew it too. It was about time this archaic law firm transitioned into modern society. Women were on the rise and deserved equal chances.

You had been foolish to think the older men within this law firm would readily agree with your proposal, however.

“Good grief, no,” Bumsoo chortled, reaching for the handkerchief in his suit pocket. “You and Jinyoung?! Goodness, Y/N. That’d be the quickest divorce of the century.”

“Then why is marriage a prerequisite for my application, but not his? I thought you were all about equal opportunities, Mr Im.”

“My grandson,” he announced, and even if you had the best poker face from years of experience, your nonchalance failed you then, your mouth falling ajar.

“I-I’m sorry, what?”

“I want you to marry Jaebum. He’s no stranger to you, now, is he?”

“I’ve become acquainted with him over the years,” you replied cautiously, omitting the truth. You were more than acquainted with the hard lines of Jaebum’s body. He was an excellent lover in and out of the sheets. You hoped the flashes of your last hook-up on his kitchen countertop wasn’t apparent within your eyes.

Even if Jaebum was a skilled giver, there was no other connection between you worth pursuing. He merely helped when you were stressed out.

Essentially, he was a gifted personal trainer with the types of cardio workouts he gave you.

“My grandson reminds me of you. Powerful and capable. But he doesn’t want to set down any roots. I want to see my great-grandchildren before I leave this world, and unless I make that happen by giving him a bit of an incentive, I believe Jaebum will remain an eternal bachelor.”

“Which is completely acceptable in this day and age,” you argued, unable to not get your heckles up at Bumsoo’s insinuation. Even if you wanted to get married, children were not something you readily wanted. You didn’t have a maternal bone in your body. The fact that your boss had not only diminished your professionalism by offering this scheme for a career step up, was he assuming you would just happily lay down and allow yourself to be a vessel for his great-grandchildren vision?

Obviously, he was underestimating you a great deal.

He chuckled. “Jaebum would say the same thing. See, you’d get along.”

“I seriously don’t get—”

“One year, Y/N. If you marry Jaebum, the partnership is yours. You can divorce him in a year’s time, though I’d prefer divorce not to be a part of this since I really do want to hear the pitter-patter of little feet again. Humour this old man with his wish to see his grandson married to a beautiful and successful woman.”

Every morally ruled part of you ceased up at this offer. You did not need to prove your worth like this. Absolutely none.

And yet, greed was a wicked thing. It tempted you, reminding you that a partnership in this law firm was a dream you’d held onto for some time now. If marrying Jaebum for a year could get you what you wanted and came with a year’s worth of great , well, it wasn’t the worst bargain you could sell yourself out for.

Still. You should be able to get this on merit alone. Park Jinyoung sure as hell would.

“It’s your turn to make a move, Y/N,” Bumsoo announced, steepling his fingers together. “I’ve laid out my cards. What do you say?”