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I Fell For My Contract Partner

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Chapter 2.1 Sean : Family's struggle

My breath came out ragged the moment I reached the front door of the house.

“DAD!”

My voice thundered through the crowd instantly.

Everyone gathered inside turned toward me at once.

With trembling legs, I rushed toward the chair in the living room while praying desperately in my heart.

Please... please let nothing happen to Dad.

Several people surrounding the chair quickly stepped aside to make room for me.

“Dad...”

I immediately dropped to my knees beside him, staring at his pale face and closed eyes.

Fear hit me instantly.

“Dad, what happened to you? Open your eyes, Dad...” My lips trembled as I tightly held onto his weak hand.

Pat...!

Someone suddenly tapped my shoulder from behind.

“Don’t worry. Your father just fell asleep...”

I turned around and found a man around his thirties giving me a faint smile.

He was one of my neighbors. If I remembered correctly, his house was only a few doors away from ours.

People usually called him Mister Sam.

“Can you explain what happened to my father?”

The man fell silent for a moment before glancing around. “Come with me for a second...”

He led me into a quieter room.

More precisely, the kitchen—far from the noisy crowd of neighbors.

“Your father collapsed earlier and was found by Aunt Maria. He lost consciousness for a short while... that’s why we called a doctor to your house,” he explained, slowly telling me everything that had happened.

My chest felt unbearably heavy after hearing that.

I wasn’t there when he needed me the most.

Anything could’ve happened.

“Then... why does Dad look like that right now...?” I asked with a heavy breath.

For a brief moment, I glanced toward the living room only a few meters away from the kitchen.

“Ah, that’s because he was just given medicine and an injection. He experienced mild shock earlier...” he explained with a smile. “Relax, your father is fine...” His hand gently patted and rubbed my shoulder.

There was something strange about this man.

Something I couldn’t explain.

But... forget it.

My father’s condition mattered more right now.

“Thank you for your concern, Mister Sam...” I replied while glancing at his hand, which still hadn’t left my shoulder.

How long was he planning to keep touching me?

“Oh right, how much was the doctor’s fee? I’ll transfer the money immediately...” I said while subtly moving away from his touch.

“Ah, no need to pay us back. We’re neighbors. Helping each other is only natural....”

Even though he sounded friendly, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something.

“Oh...” I answered quietly.

“Sean, how are yo—”

His sentence suddenly stopped halfway when the sound of coughing came from the living room.

“Sean? Cough... cough...!”

Without thinking, I immediately left Mister Sam behind and rushed back toward my father.

“Dad...!”

In the living room, I saw Dad already sitting up while looking around at the neighbors surrounding him.

“Are you feeling better now?” A middle-aged woman approached him and spoke with a sympathetic tone.

“Why are there so many people here...?” Dad asked in confusion.

“Dad...” I called softly as I walked closer.

He immediately turned around. His expression changed, becoming much calmer the moment he saw me.

“Do you want me to get you some water, Dad?”

“No, no... there’s no need. I can get it myself later....” He shook his head and immediately refused.

Hah...

He had always been like that.

Never wanting to trouble anyone, not even his own son.

“It seems like you’re really alright now... in that case, we should get going, Sir...,” the woman said after feeling reassured by Dad’s condition.

Then she looked at me for a moment before speaking again.

“Take good care of your father, Sean. Don’t leave him alone at home too often, and if anything happens, come to my house....”

Her words touched me deeply.

I suddenly felt like crying because this was the first time someone had shown concern for my family.

Even if they were only words, they still meant a lot to me.

For once, I didn’t feel alone in the middle of all this....

“We’re heading home too, Sean. Auntie’s house is nearby, right? Don’t hesitate to come by.” The woman who had called me earlier also said her goodbye.

One by one, the neighbors began leaving the house.

Quite a few of them even offered help in case Dad and I needed anything.

“Thank you...,” I said to all of them.

Before long, the room became quiet again.

Only the sound of Dad’s soft coughing remained.

“Dad... how did you even fall in the bathroom...? Were you feeling sick or something?” I asked while sitting beside him as he continued coughing lightly.

“Cough... no, I wasn’t feeling sick or anything...,” he replied while looking at me.

“Are you sure? If something hurts, just tell me. I still have some savings if we need to go to the hospital,” I said more insistently.

“Don’t. Save your money for something else,” he answered quickly. “I’m really fine, it’s just....”

His sentence trailed off.

His gaze lowered slightly.

“What is it, Dad...?” Without realizing it, I tightened my grip around his wrinkled hand. Despite the wrinkles, it still felt sturdy... and warm.

“The bank called....”

He took a heavy breath before falling silent for a moment.

Just by looking at him, I could already feel the burden weighing down on his mind.

“They said the remaining one billion has to start being paid in installments today... and the first payment is one hundred million....”

God...

One hundred million?

Where were we supposed to get that kind of money?

There were only a few tens of millions left in our savings.

“Dad, can’t they negotiate or something? Why is this so sudden...?”

“A-actually... they already informed me about this around two weeks ago....”

My eyes widened instantly as I stared sharply at my own father.

“They gave us twenty-four hours. Otherwise... they’ll take this matter to court....”

Why were problems like this always hidden from me?

“So they already informed you? Then why didn’t you tell me?” I immediately pulled my hand away from his.

Sadness mixed with frustration.

“Ck... if you had told me earlier, maybe I could’ve thought of a solution instead of this...!”

My voice gradually rose.

For a moment, I forgot that he was still sick.

“Sean....” He patted my shoulder gently. “Dad never meant to hide this from you....”

“Argh...!” I roughly brushed his hand away. “You always do this! Now what are we supposed to do? One hundred million isn’t a small amount of money, and twenty-four hours is way too short...!”

I stood in the middle of the room while running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

My mind was completely stuck.

“Sean, actually... Dad has a solution....”

Dad slowly stood up from the chair and approached me.

“I was planning to sell this house cheaply so we could get the money quickly....”

“Sell this house?” I repeated sharply as I turned toward him. “You want to sell another house?” My voice was filled with pressure while the emotions in my chest burned uncontrollably.

“Yes... I already talked about it with Mister Sam... h-he’s interested in buying it for one hundred million....” His voice trembled, unable to meet my eyes directly.

“No.” I shook my head immediately. “This house can’t be sold. I don’t want us to lose another home.” My tone turned firm.

“But, Sean... we don’t have another choice...! Mister Sam already agreed, and what if he changes his mind?” Dad kept trying to persuade me.

“I said no, so no.”

Without realizing it, I snapped at him.

Dad immediately fell silent.

What else could I do?

Dad was stubborn, and sometimes I had to be even more stubborn than him.

I wasn’t trying to disrespect him.

I just didn’t want him to fall deeper into trouble and make the wrong decision.

I was sure there had to be another way.

No matter what it was.

“Hah....” I slowly let out a long breath. “For now, don’t say anything else to Mister Sam yet, okay?” I warned him.

I stared at him sharply on purpose so he would understand how serious I was.

“I’ll try to find another solution, and please... this time, listen to me, alright...?” I lowered my voice and spoke more gently, hoping he would understand.

“Alright, Sean... Dad understands....” He nodded slowly.

“I’m going to take a shower first,” I said before walking toward the bathroom.

There was no response.

Dad simply stayed silent while watching me.

“After that, I’m going out again...,” I added while taking off the red shirt from that man’s apartment and hanging it on the clothing hook near the bathroom door.

“You really don’t want to eat with Dad first...?”

“No, I’ll eat outside. You should eat first, don’t wait for me....”

After grabbing a towel, I immediately entered the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

Inside, I deliberately turned on the faucet as loud as possible.

The sound of rushing water echoed through the bathroom while soft sobs slowly escaped from my lips.

A few tears slipped down together with the water dripping from my hair.

After a while, I finally started feeling calmer.

Lighter.

Maybe taking a shower really was the best way to wash away stress and think rationally again.

After leaving the bathroom, I wore the same clothes again.

It wasn’t a big deal.

I was just too lazy to return to my room and grab another outfit when the previous one was still clean enough to wear.

“Dad, I’m leaving now...,” I said while watching him arrange the food on the dining table.

“You really don’t want to eat first? It’s already ten o’clock, and you haven’t had breakfast yet, right?” He looked at me while holding a bowl of warm soup with steam rising from it.

“Just save some for me tonight. I don’t want to waste time,” I replied, forcing myself to reject his offer.

Ah...

Now I felt guilty.

I was sure he had prepared that meal for both of us.

“Alright....” He let out a quiet sigh.

“I’m heading out first, Dad...!”

I turned around, ready to leave, but—

“Sean....”

He called my name softly.

“Yeah...?” I turned back toward him for a moment.

“Be careful... and don’t forget to come home for dinner. Keep Dad company....”

Then he smiled.