Chapter 55
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At this point, it was basically telling her to fend for herself and survive on her own.
Baek I-hae ignored the options and looked up at Chai Ryeong. The atmosphere was completely different from what she’d seen at Seo I-heum’s house.
Back then, she had given off the vibe of an innocent goddess, but now she seemed like a charismatic career woman.
‘Don’t get scared. No matter what, she can’t just kill me right here in such an open place.’
Even if it was just for a moment, that was fine. She could run to the bathroom or somewhere with lots of people and call Seo I-heum.
And if she asked Ye Eun-seol for help too, since he had plenty of money, he might find some way to handle it.
But contrary to her resolve, Chai Ryeong, who had been staring at her as she trembled pathetically, soon turned her head away.
[Notification!
The threat to your life is decreasing.]
At the same time, the door to a nearby office opened.
A unfamiliar employee emerged, yawning, and lightly greeted the two in the break room upon seeing them.
“I-ling, long time no see.”
“Hello.”
“Are you acquainted with the part-time student?”
The employee, who had walked all the way to the break room, seemed completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere.
As he leisurely approached, grabbing snacks and instant coffee, he asked the question, and Chai Ryeong smiled as she responded.
“The student part-timer? You mean Baek I-hae?”
“I didn’t know her name, but it looks like you two know each other. I heard she’s assisting the CEO’s son. Right?”
The last question was directed at Baek I-hae. With two pairs of eyes fixed on her, Baek I-hae nodded in confusion.
At that, Chai Ryeong’s eyes narrowed. It was a gaze that was hard to read, impossible to guess what she was thinking.
“Well, I’ll head back in then. Next time we have a company dinner, you should join us, I-ling.”
“Sure, if my schedule allows, I’ll participate.”
Chai Ryeong smiled at the employee heading back to the office, acting like a perfectly normal person.
The more she did, the stiffer Baek I-hae’s face became.
‘No, Chai Ryeong is surprising enough, but the CEO’s son? Does that mean Baek Yeong?’
Ye Eun-seol had seemed unaware. Who would have thought that Ye Eun-seol and Baek Yeong’s father had business connections?
No, even more shocking was the implication that a chaebol heir was involved in organized crime.
‘The CEO of this company is Baek Yeong’s father? It can’t be that I was placed with Baek Yeong on that person’s orders, right?’
That would be a leap in logic. After all, it was Ye Eun-seol who had recommended this place, so it had to be a simple coincidence.
It had to be.
“Whether Seo I-heum knew and sent you here or if it’s just a coincidence, I don’t know.”
Just like Baek I-hae, Chai Ryeong seemed suspicious too. As she approached, the clicking of her heels felt unusually loud, echoing through the air.
“Our I-hae seems to have heard too much information. What should your unnie do about that?”
Somehow, she looked like she was enjoying this—it wasn’t just an illusion.
‘Unnie, my ass!’
Chai Ryeong reached out her hand. Then, she grabbed Baek I-hae by the back of the neck and dragged her along.
It was like someone apprehending a thieving cat. The place she headed to next was the office where Baek Yeong was.
‘He’s the CEO’s son, so why doesn’t he use a better office? Thanks to that, I didn’t even suspect!’
She opened the door with such force that it slammed with a bang.
But Baek Yeong, who was inside the office, merely let out a low sigh. He seemed accustomed to situations like this.
“Chai Ryeong, you should’ve contacted me before I came… What’s that now?”
Referring to a person as ‘that.’
Ignoring it, Chai Ryeong closed the door and brought Baek I-hae over to Baek Yeong.
“What do you mean ‘what’? It’s the princess the boss has been hiding.”
Princess, yeah right.
Chai Ryeong lightly patted Baek I-hae’s back. Reflexively catching her as she lost her balance was Baek Yeong.
As the two of them froze at the same time, Chai Ryeong looked down at them with an amused expression and perched on the edge of the table.
“I’m a bit hurt, boss. How could you keep her by your side and not say a word to me?”
His body felt surprisingly solid against her palm. Baek I-hae rolled her eyes around wildly.
She must have been quite flustered, because even though their fingertips were touching, Baek Yeong’s favorability, which usually dropped at the slightest contact, showed no reaction now. Instead, he was frowning at Chai Ryeong, looking displeased.
“I told you not to call me that outside.”
“Oh my, is the title the issue right now? Anyway, it’s just the two of us here.”
‘So now I’m not even considered a person?’
She blinked and tried to subtly stand up. Being stuck between a man and woman acting like they were in a lovers’ quarrel made her feel awkward.
But Baek Yeong didn’t let go of her wrist. Surprised, she looked up, but his gaze wasn’t on her.
His eyes were fixed on Chai Ryeong.
“Are you worried I’ll harm her or something? I’m not that reckless. I have enough sense to know that bloodshed here would only cause trouble for us.”
It would be nice if she realized that the one in the most trouble would be Baek I-hae, bleeding out in that imagined scenario.
For now, Baek I-hae quietly listened to their conversation.
“More importantly, why aren’t you answering my question?”
Chai Ryeong lowered her head, and her breathing could be heard right up close.
“Does Seo I-heum know she’s here? Given your personality, boss, you wouldn’t keep her by your side without any precautions.”
In Baek I-hae’s judgment, Baek Yeong was a cautious and diligent person. He had approached her quite methodically as well.
“If he knew, he wouldn’t have sent her here in the first place.”
“Then….”
“It was you who sent Baek I-hae here, Chai Ryeong.”
“What? Me?”
Chai Ryeong blinked innocently. Her face showed genuine confusion.
“I said I needed some help, so send over any suitable member from the organization.”
“You did say that. But you know full well there aren’t any guys suited for office assistance.”
That’s why she had asked to find someone suitable for short-term use, she added.
Then, tilting her head, she wrapped her arms around Baek I-hae’s waist.
“Does that mean our princess here got picked?”
“Yeah.”
“Even so, sending a mere student to assist the CEO’s son? They must be looking down on us—should I rough them up a bit?”
“You told me to send anyone who could be useful starting tomorrow.”
Baek Yeong pressed his forehead as if he had a headache.
“When I asked, the staff said a part-timer was coming in just then, and you approved sending her.”
“Oh.”
At Chai Ryeong’s dazed response, Baek Yeong sighed as if he’d expected as much.
At the same time, the arm holding Baek I-hae’s wrist released. Suddenly finding herself in Chai Ryeong’s embrace this time, Baek I-hae blinked.
From the situation, it seemed Baek I-hae had ended up here because of Chai Ryeong’s handling of the matter. Astonishingly, under the name of coincidence.
‘No wonder he said he doesn’t entrust tasks to Chai Ryeong—I think I get it now.’
There was a reason Baek Yeong had increased his favorability toward Baek I-hae’s ordinary work handling.
“Our I-hae must be shocked.”
Chai Ryeong shamelessly grinned widely, then hugged Baek I-hae tightly and whispered. Her brazen demeanor made even Baek I-hae want to sigh.
“But if word gets to Seo I-heum’s side, it’ll be trouble, so did you make sure to keep her mouth shut?”
Baek I-hae’s body stiffened. It was the weight of the word “mouth shut.”
Enjoying her reaction, Chai Ryeong poked Baek I-hae’s cheek repeatedly.
“Stop bullying the kid already. And from the look of it, she doesn’t seem inclined to talk.”
“That’s an uncharacteristically unplanned statement for you, boss.”
This time, Chai Ryeong’s fingers stretched Baek I-hae’s soft cheek without hurting her.
The more she did, the narrower Baek I-hae’s eyes became, quietly filled with discontent, until Baek Yeong lowered his head.
Before he did, she caught a small twitch at the corner of his mouth. He was definitely smirking because the current situation looked ridiculous.
Baek I-hae’s expression turned sulky.
“I’ll just sit over there for now, so why don’t you two handle this yourselves? Don’t drag an innocent person into your lovers’ quarrel.”
Though it was a sight she’d grown somewhat accustomed to, it irritated her, so she said it while brushing off Chai Ryeong’s hand.
Then, their gazes fixed on her simultaneously.
Baek I-hae tried to pry off Chai Ryeong’s arm wrapped around her waist, but it wouldn’t budge.
Struggling with a grunt, Baek I-hae belatedly noticed their stares and tilted her head.
A brief silence hung in the air.
“A lovers’ quarrel, she says—crazy. Even her cluelessness is damn cute.”
Chai Ryeong released her hand from Baek I-hae’s waist and covered her own mouth. As if she’d spouted nonsense.
[The favorability of Chai Ryeong, the action captain of the Baek faction, increases by 20.]
In an instant, surpassing Baek Yeong’s favorability, Chai Ryeong stretched Baek I-hae’s cheeks from side to side again.
Her giggling smile seemed genuinely fond, which made Baek I-hae feel uncomfortable.
