Chapter 67
‘They probably won’t know if I send a text.’
Baek I-hae lay on her bed, fiddling with her phone.
Hadn’t Do Ha-jun said it himself—that facing Seo I-heum’s forces head-on would be overwhelming, so he wanted to lure him out alone?
But why had he so blatantly revealed his weakness? The reason was simple: the penalty she had seen in the status window.
‘He must know exactly how to plunge me into guilt, that’s why.’
Could she inform Seo I-heum of the current situation and have him attack Do Ha-jun? Especially with another spy in their midst.
Even if it succeeded, what if the spy, tipped off by Do Ha-jun, targeted Seo-yeol’s life? Jang Seul-gi and her uncle would probably be killed immediately.
But she couldn’t let Seo I-heum die either.
‘What should I do?’
If there was a spy here, she needed to seek help elsewhere. Ye Eun-seol was still just an heir, so it might be hard for him to provide direct assistance.
Moreover, since Do Ha-jun knew about Ye Eun-seol’s existence, he might have prepared countermeasures.
Then, what about asking Baek Yeong for help?
‘There’s no way he’d help me.’
For now, she had to pretend to follow Do Ha-jun’s orders to buy time. She could figure out a solution later.
Baek I-hae touched her head, which ached but fortunately wasn’t bleeding, and frowned. Having changed clothes and lain down early, her face was shadowed with gloom.
‘How do I tell Uncle tomorrow?’
Just yesterday, she had said she wanted to stay here, but if she announced the next day that she’d go with her uncle, it would surely raise suspicions.
No, since his favorability hadn’t hit MAX yet, he might let her go easily.
“……That might make me a bit sad.”
Just imagining leaving this house made Baek I-hae curl up and sniffle.
***
Dawn broke.
Baek I-hae rose earlier than usual and moved before Seo Do-gyeom and Seo-yeol woke. As she quietly descended the stairs, an organization member on the first floor glanced her way.
It was the spy who had taken her to Do Ha-jun yesterday. Baek I-hae hesitated for a moment, but he smiled.
“If you’re looking for the boss, he’s in the study.”
His demeanor suggested he knew exactly why Baek I-hae had come down.
It felt like he was pushing her to hurry and follow Do Ha-jun’s will, so she clenched her fists tightly. Not that it changed anything.
Baek I-hae walked to the study and knocked. At the permission to enter, she opened the door, and Seo I-heum wore a slightly surprised expression.
“What brings you here so early?”
“I have something I want to say to you, Uncle.”
Seo I-heum gazed at her with eyes full of questions. Baek I-hae swallowed dryly for a moment before slowly speaking.
“I talked with Seul-gi yesterday……. And I think it’s best for me to go to my uncle’s place after all.”
“But yesterday, you said you wanted to stay with us.”
Baek I-hae took a deep breath, as if resolved. She was about to utter the biggest lie of her life.
“I don’t need a family like this anymore. We’re not even blood-related.”
Her impassive expression appeared convincingly sincere.
All those silent sobs in the bathroom at dawn, practicing, had paid off.
“My family is my uncle and Seul-gi. I realized it while talking yesterday. I think I’ll be happy by my real family’s side.”
No, it wasn’t. Inside, she wanted to scream that it wasn’t true. The place where she had truly felt happiness was here.
Baek I-hae’s true feelings weren’t this; she wanted to shout that. But it was a cry that must never reach Seo I-heum.
“So.”
Seo I-heum, who had been listening quietly to Baek I-hae’s words, soon responded calmly.
He didn’t try to hold her back or even properly ask for reasons, and Baek I-hae’s eyes trembled faintly. But with a blink, the tremor vanished.
Watching her silently like that, Seo I-heum continued.
“But I need you now, Uncle does.”
No, it was Seo I-heum pretending to be calm who said it. Baek I-hae nearly burst into tears without realizing it.
She could feel the sincerity in that short sentence from Seo I-heum.
“……You said you’d respect my opinion. I want to go to my uncle’s.”
Baek I-hae enunciated each word carefully, trying her best not to let her voice tremble.
Seo I-heum, who had been listening calmly, soon nodded slowly. It was a sign of permission, respecting her wishes.
Everything was over. It felt like releasing a held rope.
“Thank you……. I’ll pack my things after school today. Please let me tell Do-gyeom and Yeol myself.”
Offering thanks she didn’t mean, Baek I-hae bowed. Then she hurried out of the study.
Staying any longer would have made her burst into tears. She glared at the organization member still guarding the stairs before rushing into her room.
‘It’s all over.’
Now, she couldn’t even play that beloved family game anymore. She should keep her distance from Seo Do-gyeom too.
Tears streamed down Baek I-hae’s eyes. Covering her mouth, she sobbed silently once more.
From now on, with no one to console her, it was pain she’d have to bear alone.
***
“Hey, what’s wrong with your face? Have you been crying?”
On the way to school, she hadn’t said a word to Seo Do-gyeom. She’d claimed she wasn’t feeling well and walked with her head down, probably worrying him a lot.
Just like Ye Eun-seol now.
He freaked out the moment he saw Baek I-hae’s face.
“Jang Seul-gi came in looking like she’d been hit by someone too. Did you two meet again yesterday and get into a fight or something?”
Baek I-hae shook her head at Ye Eun-seol’s quiet question. When he asked what was really going on, a presence approached from behind.
It was Jang Seul-gi.
“We didn’t fight. There was a misunderstanding with I-hae, but we cleared it up, and now we’ve decided to live together.”
“……What? What are you talking about, Baek I-hae?”
At Ye Eun-seol’s gaze, as if asking if she was serious, Baek I-hae slowly nodded.
Do Ha-jun had said Jang Seul-gi would handle surveillance at school, and indeed, she acted like she had no intention of leaving Baek I-hae’s side.
She clung tenaciously, even when going to the bathroom or the cafeteria.
It got to the point where Ye Eun-seol texted her, urging her to tell the truth since they could talk that way.
Baek I-hae hesitated briefly before exercising her right to remain silent, saying she’d explain later. Ye Eun-seol still looked conflicted but wore an expression suggesting he’d wait, assuming there were circumstances.
She didn’t know what Jang Seul-gi was thinking at school. Baek I-hae hated how she brazenly linked arms and clung, saying thanks.
It was frustrating to feel Ye Eun-seol growing uncomfortable and distancing himself bit by bit. And the situation where she ignored Seo Do-gyeom when he came during break, burying her face in her desk.
“What the hell is going on with you?”
Seo Do-gyeom finally exploded on the way home from school, unable to hold back his frustration any longer.
As they walked side by side, Seo Do-gyeom stopped and stared at Baek I-hae.
“If something hurts, tell me; if you have worries, share them. I told you, even if I’m not your boyfriend, I’ll listen to everything you say.”
When had she last seen Seo Do-gyeom talk this much?
Baek I-hae stared at him with empty eyes. Gazing blankly, she realized she’d forgotten something.
“Oh, right—I had something to tell you but forgot. Starting today, I’ve decided to go to my uncle’s place.”
“What?”
“I’ll be staying there from now on, and I plan to pack my things and leave today. But we’ll still see each other at school, so it’s fine, right?”
“Wait, Baek I-hae. What are you saying?”
Seo Do-gyeom’s hand gripped Baek I-hae’s wrist. Unlike usual, it was forceful.
Somehow, it seemed to convey that Seo Do-gyeom was anxious.
“You clearly said you wanted to stay at our house. That you didn’t want to go there.”
“My mind changed.”
“Why did it change? You don’t look okay at all right now.”
At Seo Do-gyeom’s words, Baek I-hae pressed her lips shut. Then she forced a smile.
“No, it’s not that. Now I have a family too, so of course I’m happy. And since there’s a girl my age living there, it’s reassuring.”
“Your family is us.”
Without responding, Baek I-hae tried to pull her arm free from Seo Do-gyeom’s grasp. Normally, he would have let go immediately, but he held on tight, unmoving.
Her wrist started to ache a little.
“Let go.”
“Don’t go.”
Seo Do-gyeom’s command came as an irrelevant response to Baek I-hae’s words.
No, was this a command? A request? A plea…….
“Don’t go, I-hae. If something’s uncomfortable, tell me—we’ll fix it all.”
Even though he’d accommodated her without asking for anything in return.
Baek I-hae bit her lip hard. Then, with a trembling voice, she lowered her head deeply and said.
“Let go.”
The thought of telling him the truth echoed in her mind. But she couldn’t, because of the anxiety that somewhere, a spy might be watching them right now.
“It hurts.”
Only then did Seo Do-gyeom release her arm. As she rubbed her tingling wrist, tears welling up, the flustered Seo Do-gyeom apologized.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Don’t cry, okay?”
She shouldn’t cry in front of Seo Do-gyeom. That thought dominated her mind, but stopping the tears was hard.
Making the lame excuse that she was crying because her wrist hurt unavoidably, she leaned against his shoulder and wept.
