Chapter 56
Chai Ryeong began showing up as regularly as clockwork after that.
“Princess, your big sister’s here!”
And with that rather horrifying nickname, no less.
“……If you’ll excuse me, please just go away.”
The moment she arrived, she wrapped her arms around her neck instead of Baek Yeong’s.
Even though Baek I-hae said it with genuine disgust, she only smiled with delight.
“You’re so pathetic, trembling and snapping like that! It’s adorable!”
“……”
Just swear at me already, you bastard.
Chai Ryeong seemed oblivious to Baek I-hae’s rotting expression, marching entirely to the beat of her own drum.
“Where’s the boss?”
“I told you not to call him that. The teacher stepped out for a moment because someone called for him.”
“Teacher, huh? It still sounds so awkward every time I hear it.”
“There’s no other title to use.”
Chai Ryeong grabbed an extra chair from the corner and deliberately plopped down right next to Baek I-hae.
Then, peering at her work results, she let out an admiring sigh.
“You’re still young, but you handle things so crisply. No wonder the boss is pleased.”
The “boss” title persists, I see.
Baek I-hae, half-resigned by now, replied in a voice drained of all energy.
“As I say every time, I’m just average.”
“Really? The kids on our side are all empty-headed muscleheads, total disasters at this kind of work. I’m the same, so it looks impressive to me.”
Saying she’d bought it at a convenience store, Chai Ryeong placed a lollipop on the desk. Baek I-hae didn’t want to eat anything from her, so she left it alone, but Chai Ryeong kindly peeled the wrapper for her.
It was an unnecessary kindness. Pressing the candy firmly against her lips. Baek I-hae sighed, opened her mouth to accept it, and rolled it around as she spoke.
“You could do this much if you learned. From what I see, you just lack the will to try.”
“So biting! But I like that, actually. Anyway, he’s been handling most of it alone until now, and since it’s mostly grunt work, he looked like he could finally breathe a little easier.”
If it was that tough, shouldn’t he have trained someone else sooner? Or are they all just that stupid? Baek I-hae pondered seriously.
“You probably didn’t show your skills while acting under the old man.”
The nuance was that since she hadn’t revealed her abilities, she hadn’t handled other tasks. Chai Ryeong, catching her meaning, wore a slightly surprised expression.
‘Aren’t both Baek Yeong and Chai Ryeong underestimating me too much, treating me like some student?’
From Baek I-hae’s perspective, it felt insulting to be seen as too dumb to even deduce that much. Of course, she didn’t realize Chai Ryeong was genuinely impressed.
“Right. I only did simple tasks that Old Man Oh assigned, mostly errands. I wasn’t even getting paid to begin with.”
“Then how did you get in?”
She’d assumed it was by showing decent skills and infiltrating under the guise of being scouted. Wondering if it was a honey trap instead, she frowned.
It was unpleasant, but the image of the handsome Seo I-heum with the pretty Chai Ryeong beside him did seem picture-perfect.
“She approached from when she was young, so he let his guard down. Even younger than you.”
Chai Ryeong’s gaze turned toward Baek I-hae. It was a relaxed look, but somehow it felt dangerous.
Like having a massive snake coiled nearby. She was eating the candy, but it tasted like nothing at all.
“The previous boss threatened me with my parents’ lives.”
“……”
“I didn’t even know he’d already killed them, so I was desperately playing along in my own way. Cute, right?”
Chai Ryeong laughed lowly. Her eyes, of course, weren’t smiling.
Unsure how to react, Baek I-hae rolled her eyes before giving up on responding altogether. She couldn’t risk showing pity and offending her.
‘Another story about Baek Yeong’s parents.’
At this point, she was curious about these parents of Baek Yeong’s. Just how awful were they to treat human lives so lightly?
“You’re not saying anything? How cold.”
When Baek I-hae showed less reaction than expected, Chai Ryeong made a deflated face. She scanned Baek I-hae slowly before speaking.
“Seo I-heum may be stoic, but he takes good care of those within his boundaries, so you’re in luck.”
“Huh?”
“It means don’t step out of that fence unless you have to.”
It was both a warning and advice. Goodwill she couldn’t easily trust anymore, but Baek I-hae understood.
She moved her lips slightly. She couldn’t muster the courage to ask Chai Ryeong when she’d realized her parents were dead.
The brief silence was broken by Baek Yeong, returning from his errand.
“Why are you here again?”
Like Baek I-hae, he didn’t exactly welcome Chai Ryeong’s presence.
At this rate, it made her doubt if she was really someone he trusted and kept close.
“I’m not here for the boss; I’m here for I-hae. Did the CEO call you?”
“Yeah.”
“Company business? Organization business?”
“Both.”
“Has the old geezer gone senile? He said he’d pull out of the organization, so why’s he meddling again? He said he’d step back from the company too.”
As always, Chai Ryeong casually spilled information that should be between just the two of them, and Baek I-hae pretended not to hear.
Of course, since it seemed related to Baek Yeong’s father, whom she’d been curious about, her ears were wide open.
“Shut your mouth, Chai Ryeong. We’re in the company.”
“Yes, yes. So what did he say? Doesn’t seem like good news.”
“He talked about merging with another organization.”
Baek I-hae hiccupped involuntarily. Then, Baek Yeong and Chai Ryeong’s gazes turned to her simultaneously.
“Ah, sorry. Just ignore me and continue your… hic! …conversation?”
She smiled harmlessly, but her mind was a whirlwind.
‘Whoa, shit, do I pass this info to the old man or not?’
Even to Baek I-hae, who didn’t know the full situation, it was intuitively clear this would be important to Seo I-heum.
‘But if I tell him, he’ll dig into where I heard it.’
“It’s not finalized yet, so telling Seo I-heum wouldn’t be useful anyway.”
As if peeking into her thoughts, Baek Yeong said. Chai Ryeong had already filled a mug with water and was handing it over.
“Which organization?”
“Shin Un-pa.”
“Are you insane?!”
With a loud bang, Chai Ryeong slammed Baek I-hae’s table.
“You know how fucked up those bastards are! It’s the place Do Ha-jun went after the boss kicked him out!”
Baek I-hae instinctively hugged her laptop, hurriedly checking if her work files had been affected.
Fortunately, the files were intact.
“That guy’s so slimy. I hate seeing the senile old geezer move without knowing his schemes. That bastard killed our parents and tried to use me—it’s all bullshit!”
“Calm down. I plan to reject the merger on my end.”
Do Ha-jun?
She rolled the unfamiliar name around in her mouth. She was surprised by Chai Ryeong’s rare serious and agitated demeanor, but the unexpected mention of Seo I-heum was even more shocking.
“And on top of that, smashing what could have been a somewhat amicable relationship with Seo I-heum…!”
That’s when it happened.
“Chai Ryeong!”
Baek Yeong’s raised voice, heard for the first time.
Baek I-hae looked up in surprise to see him crossing his arms, frowning.
“That’s enough.”
“……I’m sorry.”
Baek I-hae quietly gauged their moods. The atmosphere plummeted in an instant.
‘Who is this Do Ha-jun that she’s reacting like this?’
There’s a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend—maybe he’s someone the Baek faction opposes.
Just as she wondered what kind of person he was, Baek Yeong approached her.
“Baek I-hae.”
“Yes?”
“Forget what you just heard.”
Baek I-hae blinked slowly. Was he threatening her not to tell Seo I-heum?
It seemed uncharacteristic of Baek Yeong.
“I won’t tell the old man…”
“It’s not about Seo I-heum. I mean if you mention Shin Un-pa or Do Ha-jun outside and get tangled up wrongly, you could end up in a bad spot.”
Baek Yeong looked down at Baek I-hae with those meaningful words, then let out a low sigh.
“It might already be too late, though.”
“……That guy probably already knows we kidnapped I-hae. Even that Seo I-heum came to rescue her.”
How could people she’d never met know about her? Judging by Baek Yeong’s expression, they seemed dangerous.
It was in that moment, as Baek I-hae anxiously glanced between the two.
[Automatically viewing Baek I-hae’s information.
Fame: 57
Passive: Infinite Stamina (Activates only in escape situations)]
‘Don’t tell me fame means something like this?’
She’d thought at best it was rumors spreading among the Baek faction members about a kid who luckily escaped.
Baek I-hae’s face turned ashen.
The things she’d taken lightly were pushing her forward one by one. As if the path was already set in stone.
