Chapter 50
“Your seat, my seat—where do they even exist? By your logic, I’d be the protagonist.”
Ye Eun-seol pointed to himself with the fork he’d been about to use to pick up a piece of cake.
“I hate that fate. That position wasn’t something we decided in the first place.”
“But to me, you, Seo Do-gyeom, and everyone else are just characters in a game.”
“So, is the plot exactly the same as the game you know? It seems like a lot has already changed since you started living as Baek I-hae.”
Baek I-hae flinched at Ye Eun-seol’s sharp observation.
Indeed, the storyline had twisted dramatically from the moment she entered Seo Do-gyeom’s house. Thanks to that, she’d even earned his favor.
“See?”
Having read her inner thoughts from her expression, he grinned and said.
“You know it too. Nothing here is set in stone. The ending can change depending on how we move.”
“Ending…”
“You like Seo Do-gyeom, don’t you? Denying it might be partly because you’re afraid he’ll become a dangerous gangster, but ultimately, it’s because you’re worried he’ll go to another woman?”
Baek I-hae fell silent. Taking that as his answer, Ye Eun-seol continued.
“Nothing in the world is absolute. If I were a woman, maybe it’d be different. But I see meaning in the fact that I became a man.”
“Meaning?”
“It completely eliminates any possibility of getting entangled with Seo Do-gyeom. That way, both he and I can head toward a new future.”
Baek I-hae pressed her lips shut again at his words, spoken with such conviction. Unlike her, his way of following his own beliefs seemed admirable.
Baek I-hae figured she must look pathetic in comparison, but she decided to change the subject.
“Right, Ye Eun-seol. Do you know Baek Yeong?”
Ye Eun-seol, who had been about to comment on the topic shift, paused. Then, with a shocked expression, he looked at Baek I-hae and asked.
“How do you know that guy’s name?”
She hadn’t expected much, given that he’d seen bad endings with Seo Do-gyeom and seemed clueless about Seo-yeol.
Unexpectedly, he knew about Baek Yeong. Could he have a history of being kidnapped like her?
“I got kidnapped by him once.”
“Whoa, me too. I was used as leverage to blackmail Seo Do-gyeom.”
Baek I-hae leaned her upper body forward. Ye Eun-seol did the same.
Despite the sudden closeness, neither paid it any mind.
“Isn’t he just the worst? He deliberately approached me with his good looks to lower my guard and then kidnapped me.”
“That’s better than what happened to me. I got hit from behind on my way home from work and kidnapped. I even bled from my head?”
Ye Eun-seol ground his teeth. While he seemed eager to avoid Seo Do-gyeom out of disgust, with Baek Yeong, it looked like he wanted revenge.
As he spoke, Ye Eun-seol suddenly remembered something and mentioned it.
“Come to think of it, I heard there’s a spy in Seo Do-gyeom’s house. Don’t you need to be careful?”
He must mean Chai Ryeong. Baek I-hae nodded and replied.
“Didn’t I tell you last time? The reason the old man’s favor increased was because I helped out.”
“Ah, so that was the incident. I wasn’t really interested in anything except Seo Do-gyeom, so I didn’t know.”
That’s a bit of a dangerous statement.
Realizing it himself, he glared at her as if to say not to get any weird ideas.
“Anyway, why ask about him out of the blue?”
“The person I’m supposed to assist with work is that guy.”
“Crazy. I’ll call right now and get your assignment changed.”
As he hurriedly pulled out his phone, Baek I-hae grabbed his wrist.
“…Just leave it. I have no choice.”
Baek I-hae sighed and explained the main quest’s content. Ye Eun-seol, who at first listened with confusion, quickly shifted to a look of pity.
“You really… you have it even harder than I do.”
“Even if I give up the reward, I can’t skip it because of the penalty. If my favor drops and the old man kicks me out, I’ll have nowhere to go.”
“Then I’ll get you a place to stay.”
Oh, that was kind of heart-fluttering just now.
But Ye Eun-seol, oblivious to how he’d stirred her feelings, furrowed his brow and muttered.
“…It’d be troublesome for me too if Seo Do-gyeom’s favor drops.”
Now caught in a situation where he couldn’t give up either, Ye Eun-seol wore a serious expression.
“I have a plan, so don’t worry. It seems like doing the job well raises Baek Yeong’s favor.”
“Hmm. As a boss, he might like someone who works well. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Ye Eun-seol looked at Baek I-hae with an approving gaze. At the same time, a status window popped up beside him.
[Ye Eun-seol’s trust increases by 10.]
In a way, Ye Eun-seol was easy to understand too. He steadily raised trust without increasing affection.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just thinking. You’re pretty straightforward too.”
“Don’t tell me my affection just went up? Don’t get the wrong idea—it’s absolutely not romantic.”
This jerk.
Baek I-hae made a sulky face.
But that was only for a moment, and they began sharing information they knew or chatting about trivial things they couldn’t discuss before because of Seo Do-gyeom’s watchful eyes.
Before they knew it, an hour had passed since they arrived at the cafe, and Baek I-hae glanced at her phone.
A text from Seo Do-gyeom had arrived, asking where she was.
“I think I should head out soon. Do-gyeom texted me.”
“Yeah? He’s so attentive.”
Ye Eun-seol smiled contentedly. Baek I-hae found that smile absurd, but as she was gathering her bag, he spoke.
“Baek I-hae.”
“Yeah?”
“I know the status window puts a lot of restrictions on your actions, but still, do what you want.”
What Baek I-hae wanted.
She wondered what his intention was. But before she could ask, Ye Eun-seol stood up from his seat.
He looked at her as if to say, what are you doing not clearing the glasses, so Baek I-hae hurried to follow.
“My driver’s coming to pick me up, so you go first. If Seo Do-gyeom comes to get you and we run into each other, it’ll cause a misunderstanding.”
Ye Eun-seol, standing at the entrance, waved goodbye. After staring at him blankly, Baek I-hae nodded.
She knew what he meant without asking. He was probably referring to her hesitation toward Seo Do-gyeom.
Just as it was obvious that Seo Do-gyeom had feelings for Baek I-hae, it must have been clear that she had feelings for him too.
As Baek I-hae started walking, she saw Seo Do-gyeom standing there.
Sensing her presence, Seo Do-gyeom looked up at Baek I-hae. Then, he slowly took her in with his eyes and formed a smile.
He might not realize it himself, but it was a gaze filled with affection. Tickled by that look, Baek I-hae walked toward him.
“Good work.”
The way he naturally reached out to hold her hand felt normal now. His fingers intertwined with hers.
Not painfully, but as if he wouldn’t let go.
“If you’d told me earlier, I would’ve come out sooner.”
“It’s fine. You were working, right?”
Since the cafe was in the company building, he seemed to think she’d finished work late.
Her conscience pricked a bit, but Baek I-hae just smiled. Still, she liked that he’d waited for her like this.
Maybe that’s why.
Baek I-hae hugged his arm and linked hers with it. As she leaned her head against his forearm and acted cute, she felt his surprised body stiffen.
“This is the first time someone’s come to pick me up. It feels really good.”
It was only natural, since she had few memories from her time as Baek I-hae and mostly those from being an orphan.
‘It feels like being loved.’
A life where she was so precious that the other person revolved entirely around her.
So this is what it feels like to be loved.
‘If I date Seo Do-gyeom, this kind of life would become normal.’
They were going to get engaged soon anyway. Ye Eun-seol had said he’d support it, so there wouldn’t be any obstacles.
Even if a new woman appeared, would Seo Do-gyeom really open his heart to her?
“Do-gyeom, want to walk a bit before we go? The weather’s nice.”
Despite her unusually different behavior, Seo Do-gyeom nodded.
They walked down the street. It was an ordinary street. People were milling about, and noisy car horns blared.
But the street she walked hand-in-hand with Seo Do-gyeom felt unusually quiet to her.
Her heart pounded heavily.
Lately, just touching Seo Do-gyeom made her feel this fluttering.
‘Do what you want.’
She recalled Ye Eun-seol’s words.
What Baek I-hae wanted. A family as a fence, someone to be with her so she wouldn’t feel lonely.
And.
“I think I like you too.”
Seo Do-gyeom’s steps halted. Their hands were still clasped.
When he stopped, Baek I-hae stopped too. For a moment, only their hands connected the slight distance between them.
“…What do you mean.”
For the first time, Seo Do-gyeom wore a flustered expression. He seemed unsure what face to make, as if he knew it himself.
At that sight, Baek I-hae let out a deflated chuckle, puffing air.
“Let me correct that. It’s not ‘I think I like you.’ I like you too.”
“…….”
She slowly approached him. She let go of the hand that had been their only connection.
Yet, she wasn’t anxious.
“Want to date me?”
Having come right up to him, she tilted her head and smiled playfully. The confusion in his gaze gradually faded as their eyes met.
Then, his face turned red. These were reactions hard to believe from Seo Do-gyeom.
“If you don’t want to, fine.”
So, feeling mischievous, she started to step back, but in that moment, Seo Do-gyeom pulled her into an embrace.
Like when he interlaced their fingers, he held her tightly, as if to bind her so she could never leave.
But now, even seeing that possessiveness didn’t make her purely uneasy.
“There’s no way I wouldn’t want to.”
Seo Do-gyeom’s voice came out small, mumbling. With his face buried in her shoulder, he fell silent for a moment before slowly lifting his head.
His eyes were red and bloodshot.
His anxious pupils, as if about to shed tears any second, scanned Baek I-hae. As if confirming if this was really reality.
“I’ll.”
He seemed to clear his throat, not wanting to reveal the wetness in his voice. But his face already looked like he’d cry if someone so much as tapped him.
She wondered how Seo I-heum would react if he saw this—it piqued her curiosity.
“I’ll… be kind to you.”
“…….”
She’d expected him to just say thank you or that he was happy.
But she couldn’t help being surprised by words that seemed so unlikely to come from Seo Do-gyeom’s mouth.
A person indifferent to others’ emotions, easily exposed to violence in a gangster environment.
How much had he mulled over Baek I-hae’s words about hating scary things?
How much had he resolved in his heart?
A surge of tears welled up in Baek I-hae. The flustered hand wiping under her eyes was trembling pathetically.
“You’re already kind, you idiot. That’s why I ended up liking you.”
Now, she had no choice but to admit it.
What Baek I-hae wanted most right now was Seo Do-gyeom.
