CLAUSE 27

PROLOGUE

Third Person Pov

The rain tapped against the tall glass windows, faint but persistent, like a warning Jeon Jungkook refused to hear. The air was thick with aged whiskey and sharper intentions. The atmosphere was almost melancholic.

The CEO sat at his study desk, the corners of the room swallowed in shadow. A single lamp threw its harsh light across the heavy stack of papers before him, the contract. His pen rested idle between his fingers.

He didn’t want this. This wasn’t love. This wasn’t choice. This was a damage control.

He dragged a hand through his hair, eyes narrowing at the name on the first page.

Kim Taehyung.

A janitor. A father. A nobody.

But soon, a contractual spouse.

Why Taehyung? Because he was silent. Invisible. No wealth, no status, no connections. Just a single father hanging on by threads. He wouldn’t fight back.

Parties Involved:

Jeon Jungkook

Kim Taehyung

1] Taehyung must always appear as Mr. Jeon’s partner in public.

2] He and his sick child must reside in the mansion.

3] Confidentiality is absolute.

4] Romance or emotional attachment is forbidden.

5] Intimacy is permitted only at Mr. Jeon’s discretion.

6] All final decisions concerning the child belong to Mr. Jeon.

7] Taehyung must obey house rules without protest.

8]Child’s medical care is covered, but Taehyung’s pay remains fixed.

And then there was the one clause Jungkook had underlined, circled, and branded into the pages.

The pen moved in one sharp stroke. His signature cut across the page.

No love. No chaos. Only control. Even if it meant breaking another life to keep his own untarnished.

.

.

.

The elevator chimed, and the doors opened to bright lights and shiny marble floors.

Taehyung walked out slowly. He was tired.... deep, bone-deep tired but he kept moving. Life had made him worn, but not empty. He held an old leather briefcase in his hand. It was scratched, old, and used for years. Inside was the money he had worked so hard to save for his son.

The receptionist gave him a quick look and pointed him toward the study.

Inside, Jungkook’s lawyer sat at the CEO’s clean, perfect desk. The man looked up at Taehyung with cold eyes, as if Taehyung was trouble he didn’t want.

“Mr. Kim,” he said, “the CEO will not meet you today. These are his direct orders.”

Taehyung didn’t answer. He wasn’t surprised. Someone like Jungkook wouldn’t want to meet a janitor.

He placed his old briefcase on the desk gently. The sound echoed in the quiet room. The lawyer pushed a thick folder toward him.

“Read everything. Once you sign, you can’t break any of the rules.”

Taehyung opened the file. Every page felt heavy. The rules were strict. Cold. They didn’t care about him, they only protected the CEO.

“Your son’s treatment will be paid for as long as this contract lasts,” the lawyer said in a flat voice. “Your payment will be given right after you sign.”

Taehyung swallowed hard. His hands were steady. He had survived sleepless nights in the hospital, hunger, fear, and begging for help. This contract was just another weight he had to carry.

He picked up the pen and signed his name. No hesitation.

The lawyer pushed the briefcase back to him. “Remember: this is not a real marriage. Clause 27 says you cannot fall in love or show emotional attachment. If you do, the whole contract ends. You lose everything.”

Taehyung looked up. “Why is Clause 27 so important?”

“It protects Mr. Jeon,” the lawyer said simply. “It is the most important rule.”

Taehyung closed the contract and folded it slowly. The paper felt thin, but it weighed on his heart like a stone. He put it inside his old jacket, close to his chest, where nobody could see how much it hurt.

He turned toward the door.... but then he froze.

Through the glass wall inside other cabin.... Jeon Jungkook stood watching him.

Cold light shone behind him. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move. His eyes were sharp and cold, cutting straight through Taehyung.

Taehyung felt his shoulders drop with tiredness, but he kept his head up. He was worn out, yes... but not defeated.

Jungkook could have the contract, the power, the money.

But Taehyung still had his strength.

If this was the beginning of a fight, he would face it. And he would face it his way.