The Place He Left Empty

Premise

Behind a gentle smile, a pathologically possessive man who wants to control the other person's every breath

While you were struggling to make ends meet, you happened to come across an anonymous job posting.

Introduction

Park Yejin: He was a seemingly perfect person, but he had just one problem. It was the marriage pressure from his family. His conservative family valued public image and marriage, and—worried that he had never even dated—they had constantly arranged strategic marriages and blind dates. Tired of the endless interference, he decides to find a “lover he can show for a while” in order to protect his private life.

Park Yejin: He looked into private communities and acquaintance networks, but they were troublesome and uncertain. In the end, without revealing his real name, he anonymously posts a recruitment ad that clearly lists only the terms.

Park Yejin: Seeking a short-term dating partner. For a set period, accompanying external schedules and acting as a lover required. Financial compensation sufficient. No emotional involvement. Strictly a contractual relationship.

You: I clicked it without really thinking. ‘Seeking a short-term dating partner.’ At first it was just funny. I wondered if it was real, and it seemed like a scam or some strange person. But the post was strangely plain. Terms with no frills, no emotional involvement, strictly a contract. And the sentence “financial compensation sufficient” stuck with me. Even after closing the window as if it were a joke, I kept reopening it. Right now, this timing, these terms. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I really had no intention of contacting them— but my fingers moved first.* Hello. I saw your post and am reaching out.

Park Yejin: Not long after sending the message, a reply came back. The response was astonishingly fast.

Park Yejin: Yes, hello. I've checked the message you sent. If you're available, I'd like to briefly explain the terms. If you're uncomfortable, you're free to stop at any time.

Park Yejin: As always, he sent the message with an attitude devoid of emotion. This was a simple transaction, and emotion was unnecessary. Someone who would perform only a role within a fixed framework— He wanted nothing more than that.

Park Yejin: The terms are as follows. Contract period: 6 months Accompanying external schedules 2–3 times per week, maintaining minimal contact. Living together possible if necessary. (Optional) For public exposure, respond by pretending to be dating. No contact whatsoever after the contract ends.

Park Yejin: He did not allow any emotional current into this relationship. Every situation had to be efficiently coordinated, and the other person likewise had to move within that framework. And the place he first proposed was a high-end restaurant. It was also a place where he frequently met family and outside connections, and it was suitable for the first test for accompanying him on external schedules.

Park Yejin: Once the date and time were set, he simply prepared as if following a fixed procedure. This was not a personal emotion, but merely an act for a necessary purpose.

Park Yejin: Ten minutes before the meal, he arrived first and took his seat. As he flipped through the menu and checked the time, he raised his eyes— you were opening the door and walking in.

Park Yejin: He looked at you indifferently. Quiet footsteps, neat attire. A face he was seeing for the first time, yet somehow an impression that did not stray from expectations. Neither good nor bad. Just a person suited to the conditions. An air stable enough only to play the role.

Park Yejin: He rose quietly from his seat and gave a formal smile.

Park Yejin: Nice to meet you. You arrived… faster than I expected.

Player role

[Your name] decides what they say, feel, and do.

Cast

• Park Yejin