Chapter 16
What was more surprising was that Seo-yeol, following Seo Do-gyeom’s lead, showed up at the hospital room with a gift in hand.
On the first day of her hospital stay, Seo-yeol had bowed deeply to Baek I-hae, apologizing for his mistake.
“I’m sorry that you’ll have a scar because of me… And thank you for helping me.”
Recalling Seo-yeol’s apology, Baek I-hae scratched her cheek.
“I didn’t expect him to apologize so earnestly. He seemed a bit more mature, but I also feel kind of bad for making him feel so guilty.”
The sincere remorse in his eyes had washed away any lingering negative feelings.
That’s why Baek I-hae could smile and say it was okay with genuine warmth.
Though, for some reason, Seo-yeol’s nose had twitched as if he might cry, which had startled her a bit.
“The Seo family guys are all secretly full of unexpected charm,” she muttered to herself.
Well, that’s what makes them so appealing, she thought, when suddenly the hair tie holding her ponytail snapped, letting her long hair spill loose.
She hurriedly gathered her hair, searching for a new tie, when a hand reached out from behind.
“Here you go.”
It was a smooth hand. The fair, delicate skin seemed to proclaim it had never known a day of hard labor.
“Oh, thank you.”
Baek I-hae had thought she was alone in the rooftop garden, so she was surprised but didn’t let it show, offering her thanks instead.
As she glanced at the person’s face, her eyes widened.
“Wow, he’s ridiculously handsome. He could give Seo Do-gyeom a run for his money.”
If Seo Do-gyeom was the cold, unapproachable type of handsome, the man before her was a gentle, captivating beauty.
Yes, beauty. Even though he was a man, that was the word for it.
“Is this what they call pretty-handsome? He’s like an idol. Not exactly feminine, but there’s this delicate, refined quality to him.”
She blinked in wonder, a strange sense of familiarity tugging at her. It felt like she’d seen him somewhere before.
But there’s no way she’d forget a face this striking.
Puzzled by her occasional mental fog, she noticed he was wearing a patient’s gown and asked, “Are you admitted here too? I’m a patient here myself!”
“Yeah. I’m here for some tests.”
“I see. I hope it’s nothing serious.”
At Baek I-hae’s kind words, the man gave a gentle smile that could charm anyone.
“Thank you. Actually, I’ve seen you a few times, and I felt drawn to you, so I wanted to say hi.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes. You seemed around my age, and I thought it’d be nice to get to know you. My name’s Baek Young. May I ask yours?”
Oh, that’s what he meant.
For a moment, Baek I-hae had braced herself, thinking he might ask for her phone number. She gave an awkward smile.
“I’m Baek I-hae, a first-year high school student.”
“I-hae. That’s a pretty name. You’re still a student, huh?”
“Oh, um, Young… are you an adult?”
“You can call me whatever feels comfortable.”
“Then I’ll call you Oppa!”
Baek I-hae, never one to stand on ceremony, eagerly accepted the suggestion and asked again, “How old are you, Oppa?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Oh, older than I thought! You look so young.”
“Thanks.”
“You can talk casually with me too, you know!”
“I’m more comfortable with formal speech, so don’t worry about it.”
Baek Young glanced down at his wristwatch for a moment. His lowered eyelashes, unlike his dark hair, were strikingly light in color.
“I have to go for my next check-up, so I’ll head out now. It was nice meeting you.”
“Aw, that’s too bad. See you next time!”
As he turned to leave, Baek I-hae waved her arm, genuinely reluctant to see him go. He paused mid-step, then turned back with a smile.
“…Sure. Let’s definitely meet again.”
For some reason, his eyes didn’t seem to match his smile, but it was probably just her imagination.
‘By the way, Baek Young? That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?’
Baek I-hae tilted her head, frowning. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t place it.
‘Why’s my memory so bad lately? Even trying to recall the original story feels like wading through fog. But Baek Young… he’s not connected to the game, is he?’
She racked her brain, but nothing came to mind.
Baek I-hae looked up at the sky. Her eyes, momentarily clouded with an odd unease, soon sparkled with life again.
“Must be my imagination!”
It had to be. There was no way the system window could be messing with her mind like that.
Baek I-hae pushed the unease away with effort.
Meanwhile, Baek Young left the rooftop garden, strolling past the organization members at the entrance with an air of nonchalance.
The moment he stepped into the elevator, he answered a call on his phone.
“What.”
“Did you meet her? Isn’t she cute, just like I said?”
“Eh, not worth making a fuss over.”
“Really? I thought her scared little reactions were adorable. Figured she’d be the boss’s type.”
“Cut the useless chatter, Cha I-ryeong.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Baek Young’s words, the woman’s voice on the other end grew serious.
“If she’s as important to Seo I-heum as you say, start preparing for the next step.”
“You’re really going to kidnap her? She made such a big deal out of a little burn this time. If you kill her, it’ll be chaos.”
“Chaos, huh…”
Baek Young gazed into the elevator’s mirror, running a hand through his dark hair. With a sharp tug, he pulled off the wig, revealing slightly longer, light brown hair that brushed the nape of his neck.
He smoothed his hair and muttered, almost to himself, “That might be worth seeing.”
He was smiling, but it was a smile laced with unmistakable danger.
While hospitalized, Baek I-hae had picked up a secret hobby.
“Where’d you go this time? You used to just stay in your room.”
It was sneaking up to the rooftop garden to meet Baek Young.
Today, as usual, she’d returned from the rooftop, only to find Seo-yeol and Seo Do-gyeom already sitting in her hospital room.
At Seo-yeol’s scolding, Baek I-hae flashed a good-natured smile and offered a playful apology.
“Sorry, sorry. I was feeling cooped up, so I took a quick stroll in the rooftop garden.”
“Ugh, seriously. You’re not even fully recovered—why do you keep scampering around like that?”
Seo-yeol scurried over and wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug. Ever since the burn incident, his hostility had completely vanished, replaced by an abundance of clinginess and affection.
‘Who would’ve thought that incident was a hidden quest?’
She’d been caught off guard by Seo-yeol’s sudden surge of excessive fondness, especially when a status window had popped up beside him.
Even if it hadn’t been a quest, she would’ve saved Seo-yeol anyway, but receiving a reward for it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Oblivious to this, Seo-yeol followed her around like she was his real older sister.
“Could you pick one? Either scold me or fawn over me, not both.”
“Hehe.”
When she ruffled his hair, Seo-yeol dropped his prickly expression and beamed with an adorable smile.
‘He’s still young, so I guess he just loves any kind of affection. Makes sense—his dad and Seo Do-gyeom are so stoic.’
The way he lit up at the smallest gestures, as if he owned the world, was both endearing and a little heartbreaking.
She couldn’t lie and say Seo-yeol’s past behavior hadn’t bothered her, but she resolved to genuinely care for him going forward.
“Don’t indulge him so much.”
Whenever she tried to show Seo-yeol affection, there was one person who frequently interrupted—Seo Do-gyeom, who visited her room as regularly as clockwork.
She stared, dumbfounded, as he grabbed Seo-yeol by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back.
“Hey, he’s your little brother! You should be grateful, not jealous.”
“Yeah, I hate you, hyung!”
“Hate, huh? That’s a new one,” Seo Do-gyeom said, brushing it off lightly before turning to Baek I-hae. “Anyway, Seo-yeol’s a middle schooler now, so don’t baby him too much. And don’t give in to all his clinginess.”
“Oh, right, Yeol-i’s in middle school already? I keep forgetting because he’s still so small.”
“That’s mean, noona!”
Seo-yeol’s face fell into a pout, but Seo Do-gyeom ignored him and asked Baek I-hae, “Do you go to the rooftop garden alone? When we’re not here, try not to wander off by yourself.”
“It’s fine. There are always guys waiting at the rooftop entrance. Plus, I’m just walking around—nothing dangerous.”
In truth, she’d been meeting Baek Young for three days straight to chat, but that was her little secret.
‘He asked me to keep it quiet since he’s dodging his checkups. Getting tested every day—maybe he’s really sick?’
Had Seo Do-gyeom noticed her drifting into her thoughts?
He furrowed his brow and waved a hand in front of her face, pulling her attention back to him.
“Huh, what?”
“You’ve been zoning out a lot lately.”
“Have I? Guess I’ve always had a short attention span!”
“…Noona, that’s not something to brag about.”
Seo-yeol pointed it out with an exasperated look before breaking into a wide grin again. “Tomorrow afternoon, you’re finally getting discharged! Dad said he could pick you up in the morning if you wanted.”
“Nah, he’s busy. I’ll just go with you guys in the afternoon.”
“Hmm, if that’s what you want, I guess we have no choice.”
She’d worried he might find it a hassle, but thankfully, Seo-yeol seemed secretly pleased.
So cute.
‘I didn’t get to talk to Young oppa today, so I’ll have to say hi tomorrow.’
As her cheeks faintly flushed while lost in thoughts of Baek Young, only Seo Do-gyeom noticed.
