Chapter 60
“……Did it show?”
“Enough for Chai Ryeong to notice.”
Damn.
Baek I-hae muttered curses to herself inwardly. Just as she was pondering what to do, a status window popped up.
[Main Quest has been extended!
Duration: Summer vacation period → Until graduation]
Until graduation was undeniably a generous perk. There was no grounds for refusal.
With a reluctant expression on her face, she nodded, and Baek Yeong nodded back as if he had anticipated it.
“I’ll contact you later.”
She could see him tapping the screen of his phone with his fingertip. Baek I-hae now knew that this was one of Baek Yeong’s habits when he was focusing.
An unpleasant memory from the past flickered briefly in her mind, but she deliberately pushed it aside.
Still, she thought it was fortunate that the main quest had been resolved without a hitch.
[Based on the results so far, the Main Quest is only half successful. Rewards and penalties will be assigned randomly!]
‘What? But it said the duration was extended?!’
Without even waiting for her flustered reaction, the status window continued to reveal itself.
[Reward: The minimum favorability of Baek faction members increases by 20 each.
Penalty: Seo I-heum’s favorability decreases by 50.]
The reward was something utterly useless, to say the least. More than that, Baek I-hae’s face stiffened at the penalty.
She had been hoping for an option where Seo-yeol’s favorability dropped a little instead.
‘Uncle’s favorability……. But it was maxed out to begin with, so this much should be okay, right?’
Baek I-hae bit her nails with anxious eyes. Somehow, an ominous feeling washed over her.
‘No, calm down. At least I’ve bought some time. It’s fine. I can raise the favorability again.’
She pulled the bitten nail away from her mouth and finished packing up her things. Now it was truly time to leave.
It had been a period that felt long in some ways and short in others, spent alongside someone who had once been like an enemy. By now, she had grown quite accustomed to it.
“Thank you for everything.”
At Baek I-hae’s farewell, Baek Yeong wore an odd expression.
“We’re going to meet again soon anyway.”
“Formally, our current relationship is ending now, so this is just out of courtesy. Oh, and please make sure to guarantee my safety the next time we meet.”
Since he had asked her to help with work for the organization, they might end up working together in places crowded with members.
The thought made her briefly regret accepting the proposal, but Baek Yeong spoke as if to reassure her.
“I’ll give them a heads-up beforehand, and I’ll assign Chai Ryeong to stay by your side, so don’t worry.”
That makes me even more uneasy.
She couldn’t bring herself to say that out loud and nodded in a daze. If it weren’t for the quest, she would have refused on the spot!
“Baek I-hae.”
“Yes?”
“Seo Do-gyeom is coming to pick you up on the way home, right?”
Wondering how he knew that, but figuring that someone like Baek Yeong would have investigated her thoroughly, and since it wasn’t something worth hiding anyway, she nodded. Baek Yeong approached her slowly.
Then, a hand came to rest atop her head. It was always Seo I-heum who patted her like this, so Baek Yeong’s touch felt profoundly awkward.
“Be careful on the night streets.”
What is this? Is he giving me a preemptive warning that he’s going to target me, so I should watch out?
Baek I-hae nodded reluctantly, her face a mask of confusion. Then she left the office and began walking.
Seo Do-gyeom had said he’d be waiting outside, so she quickened her pace, only for someone to brush past her.
It was an older man, his back so ramrod straight that he exuded an aura that made him seem utterly unapproachable.
‘He must be someone important.’
From his attire as well, Baek I-hae unconsciously lowered her gaze and averted her eyes. His sharp, piercing stare didn’t seem at all like that of a typical company employee.
Behind the man, someone was following in an assistive role, but with her head bowed, Baek I-hae couldn’t see the face.
“Ha-jun.”
She only caught the elderly man addressing the one behind him with that name. The words that followed were lost as the distance between them grew.
‘On my last day, I couldn’t even bump into Ye Eun-seol by chance in the end.’
Baek I-hae glanced down at her phone. Today, too, he must have been busy, as there was an apologetic text from Ye Eun-seol.
This whole thing had started so she could have more casual conversations with Ye Eun-seol, but he turned out to be busier than expected, and she hadn’t seen him often.
She recalled how Ye Eun-seol had described the CEO here as more vicious than imagined, the kind who ground people down.
‘And when I told him that CEO was Baek Yeong’s father, the way he freaked out was quite a sight.’
He’d said it gave him the creeps and he wanted to quit right away, but realistically, that wasn’t feasible.
With their fathers being business partners, he couldn’t sabotage the job over his own unexplained feelings.
In the end, Ye Eun-seol grumbled but learned the work diligently. Feeling a bit sorry for him as she thought of it, she continued walking, and there ahead was Seo Do-gyeom’s figure.
“Seo Do-gyeom!”
“I figured you’d be coming out around now.”
Baek I-hae approached with a bright smile, and Seo Do-gyeom smiled back as he took her hand.
Ah, it had been so long since she’d held Seo Do-gyeom’s hand. Baek I-hae felt her mood lift and grinned widely as she asked.
“Uncle actually allowed just you to come out here?”
“Since it’s the last day, he gave his permission.”
I see.
She’d wondered what had gotten into Seo I-heum, but it was a good thing for the two of them. For the first time in a while, they walked hand in hand.
Just that simple act filled something deep within her heart with satisfaction.
“Oh, right—by the way, try not to hold hands with Yeol if you can help it.”
“Huh?”
“He’s a guy, after all.”
He probably hadn’t picked up on the fact that Seo-yeol had romantic feelings for Baek I-hae. Was it some instinctual sense, or just plain jealousy?
Baek I-hae found it endearing and nodded as if to say she understood.
“Don’t you have anything you want?”
“From you to me?”
“Yeah. It always feels like I’m the only one wanting things. Since we like each other, I want to accommodate you too.”
The way he, who was usually so quiet, would draw out his words to express his feelings; the way he never forced his own desires on her.
Beyond that, there were so many things Seo Do-gyeom did for Baek I-hae. And yet, he wore that apologetic expression as if he wasn’t doing anything for her.
‘Does he not even realize it?’
Just how deeply was he trying to make her fall for him?
Baek I-hae pretended to mull it over on purpose. The fact that Seo Do-gyeom’s tense face as he watched her was utterly adorable was a secret she kept to herself.
“Then, I want to get matching couple items with you.”
“You mean coordinating items as a couple?”
“Yeah. Clothes would be fine, but I think something we can carry with us every day would be better. Rings might be a bit much to wear to school, so how about watches?”
Baek I-hae pointed to the watch that Seo Do-gyeom had given her as a gift. Its simple yet distinctive design was something she had come to love.
“You said you designed this, right? It feels special, like it’s something only the two of us have.”
“Strictly speaking, I didn’t design it myself.”
“Then?”
“……I remembered the watch my late mother always wore and had something similar made.”
At those unexpected words, Baek I-hae’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I have memories of treasuring it dearly as my grandmother’s keepsake. ……If it makes you feel uneasy, I’m sorry.”
“No! What’s there to feel uneasy about? I was just worried whether it was okay for me to like it so much, that’s all.”
Sensing from Baek I-hae’s peculiar expression that he might have said something wrong, Seo Do-gyeom carefully gauged her reaction. Seeing that, Baek I-hae hurriedly waved her hands to clarify that it was a misunderstanding.
‘So that’s it—the design is similar to the watch that Do-gyeom’s mother cherished.’
Seo Do-gyeom agreed to her request, saying he’d get a new wristwatch made to match.
She nodded, but then suddenly recalled the man she had encountered at the supermarket.
The design of his wristwatch, which had been remarkably similar to hers.
‘Was it a trendy design back in the day?’
That must be why it looked so alike.
Baek I-hae couldn’t bring herself to tell Seo Do-gyeom that she had seen a watch with a similar design and simply responded to his words instead.
Meanwhile, in the study where Seo I-heum was, it wasn’t Old Man Oh standing before him, but another member of the organization.
Glancing at the paper the member had presented, Seo I-heum fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“So, this person is claiming to be I-hae’s uncle?”
“Yes. He sent the DNA test results as well.”
“How did he find out that I-hae is here?”
“He said he was worried about how the young miss was doing at school, so he kept an eye on her and saw her entering this place with the young masters a few times.”
“Worried, huh. That’s a nice way to put it, but in the end, it’s tailing.”
Seo I-heum tapped the document lightly. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have given such nonsense a second glance.
Even if there was a blood relation, since the person wasn’t her parent, it was only natural that he couldn’t just hand Baek I-hae over.
But why was this happening?
“……For now, maybe I should at least meet him and see what kind of person he is. It might be good for I-hae to meet her real family.”
A faint thought crossed Seo I-heum’s mind—why did he have to go this far?—but the words had already left his mouth. His rational mind was denying it, yet it felt like a strangely compelling sensation.
The member replied that he understood and headed toward the door to leave.
As he gripped the doorknob, the sleeve of his hand rolled up, revealing the mark of a round scar.
