Chapter 71
“……You didn’t even pick up my calls properly, but you’re good at talking.”
Seo-yeol, averting his gaze from Baek I-hae, shot a sidelong glare at Seo Do-gyeom as he spoke.
‘As I thought, he wasn’t answering on purpose. He was avoiding me.’
Baek I-hae looked at Seo Do-gyeom with a slightly hurt expression, and he furrowed his brow. But she could tell that look stemmed from his own flustered state.
“Did you really avoid my calls? Why?”
“Well, I-hae……”
“You told her to call the engagement off with Yeol? Does that mean you’re breaking up with me?”
“No way that’s it!”
Seo Do-gyeom raised his voice, which was rare for him, and Baek I-hae blinked in surprise. At that, Seo-yeol growled and glared at his brother.
“You’re startling I-hae noona—don’t raise your voice!”
“Sorry for raising my voice.”
Seo Do-gyeom immediately admitted his fault.
“It’s not that I dislike you or that I said to call off the engagement with Yeol because I want to break up with you. I miss you…… but I don’t know how to go back to the way things were. That’s why I said that.”
Avoiding her eyes, Seo Do-gyeom slowly revealed his true feelings in a trembling voice. As if pleading with his whole body for her not to misunderstand.
“……You two talk. I’ll check if that woman’s interrupting.”
Seo-yeol scratched the back of his neck, grumbling about how troublesome people were, before heading up the stairs.
It seemed he was giving them space, knowing they hadn’t been able to talk properly because of Jang Seul-gi.
Suddenly alone together, Seo Do-gyeom looked down at Baek I-hae. Holding hands after so long felt unfamiliar.
The way he slowly rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb seemed to reflect his hesitant emotions.
“I thought the moments with you by my side would naturally continue, but every time I realize that’s not the case, it feels so frustrating.”
“You missed me?”
Seo Do-gyeom nodded. Watching him, she cautiously leaned into his embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her in return.
It was a comforting hold.
“I missed you too.”
Seo-yeol, who was close enough to overhear their conversation, might think they were up to no good at school. Still, Baek I-hae pondered, allowing herself a rare moment of indulgence.
‘Jang Seul-gi isn’t here right now, so it should be fine, right?’
Seo Do-gyeom would help her no matter what. Filled with anticipation, Baek I-hae grabbed his collar and pulled him down.
Seeing him obediently bend his upper body in surprise, she whispered softly.
“I’m being threatened right now.”
“……What?”
“Just listen quietly for now. Jang Seul-gi is acting as a watcher, so I haven’t had a chance to tell you. At home, they take my phone away.”
Seo Do-gyeom froze in shock. Soon, his face hardened fiercely, as if he was suppressing his anger.
“There’s a spy in your house too, so I couldn’t tell Uncle. They’re trying to use me to kill him.”
“……Is it Baek Yeong?”
Seo Do-gyeom asked in a low voice, his tone chillingly filled with murderous intent.
Baek I-hae flinched for a brief moment but quickly denied it.
“Do Ha-jun. He’s…… the one who put your mother in danger.”
Perhaps Seo I-heum didn’t even know this name. She felt sorry for bringing up such a painful past to Seo Do-gyeom.
Seo Do-gyeom pulled Baek I-hae into a tight embrace.
“I’ll definitely save you.”
And he promised her.
Baek I-hae’s eyes welled up with tears. It was the first time she’d asked someone for help, and the first time it had been accepted. She murmured a quiet thank you as she pulled away.
It seemed best to head back now before Jang Seul-gi grew suspicious. Seo Do-gyeom asked her to hold on just for today, saying he’d talk to Seo I-heum and come get her.
Baek I-hae nodded with a bright smile.
After returning to the classroom, Jang Seul-gi interrogated her, but it didn’t bother her.
‘I just have to endure today.’
Though hiding her excited mood was a bit tricky.
She was going back to the house with Seo Do-gyeom again. Back to the side of people who cherished her.
That thought alone made her happy, and a smile slipped out even as she walked home side by side with Jang Seul-gi.
“You seem in a good mood today.”
Jang Seul-gi eyed Baek I-hae strangely before escorting her all the way to the building where Baek Yeong’s office was.
Do Ha-jun’s subordinate didn’t interfere with Baek I-hae going to Baek Yeong’s office. Jang Seul-gi seemed displeased by that.
“Well, I don’t know how long this will last anyway.”
Jang Seul-gi giggled, lightly patting Baek I-hae’s back before waving. It meant she’d confirm her entering the building before leaving.
The attitude irked her, but Baek I-hae dismissed it as mere pettiness and headed to Baek Yeong’s office.
‘No umbrella, and the weather looks gloomy.’
Glancing back, the sky was growing darker, making her a bit uneasy.
“Hello.”
As Baek I-hae opened the office door and greeted, Baek Yeong, seated at his desk, responded with a light nod.
Ever since Baek Yeong had called her, she’d been visiting his office after school, doing assistant work like before.
With him buying her dinner and snacks, the office felt like heaven to Baek I-hae.
‘During vacation, I never thought coming here would feel this good.’
Seeing the sandwich placed on her desk today, she smiled contentedly.
A sandwich as a snack. Baek Yeong might be annoying, but he was clearly well-mannered.
And a salmon sandwich at that! Whether he remembered her saying she liked seafood or it was just coincidence, most of the dinners he bought matched her tastes.
Thanks to that, lately she’d been able to fill her stomach satisfactorily like before.
How many hours had passed in silent work?
“It’s raining quite a bit.”
At Baek Yeong’s voice, Baek I-hae turned toward the window. She’d been focused with earphones in and hadn’t noticed the heavy rain.
As she frowned at the stormy weather with thunder rumbling and rain pouring down dramatically, someone burst into the office without knocking.
“Boss, big news!”
It was Chai Ryeong, dressed in a suit. She didn’t seem particularly surprised to see Baek I-hae there, casually waving.
“I told you not to call me boss…… Sigh.”
By now, he could have given up, but Baek Yeong sighed and asked what was up. Chai Ryeong closed the office door, glancing briefly at Baek I-hae before speaking.
“Seo Do-gyeom got into an accident, apparently?”
“What?! What do you mean, an accident with Do-gyeom?”
“A hit-and-run, they say.”
At Chai Ryeong’s words, Baek I-hae’s face turned ashen as she shot up from her seat. Staggering for a moment, she rushed out of the office, prompting Baek Yeong to click his tongue and stand up.
“You’re going after her?”
Chai Ryeong asked as he grabbed an umbrella to follow. Baek Yeong paused briefly before replying calmly.
“You know what Do Ha-jun is after.”
That was it. As he followed Baek I-hae without hesitation, Chai Ryeong hummed a tune.
Surveying the suddenly quiet office, she smiled.
“He knows he’s not the type to mess with Baek I-hae thoughtlessly. Our boss is really sentimental.”
Of course, she hadn’t seen him freely giving that sentiment to others.
Adding that quietly, Chai Ryeong walked to where Baek I-hae had been sitting. And she silently looked down at the laptop.
Meanwhile, Baek I-hae, having dashed out of the office, ran frantically without a care for the rain soaking her.
‘A hit-and-run?’
Why today, of all days? The day she’d asked Seo Do-gyeom for help.
Her heart pounded wildly with anxiety. She nearly tripped over her stumbling feet but didn’t stop.
Her shoes and clothes were muddied by the puddles, but she had no time to care.
‘No way, it can’t be.’
The house of Seo I-heum she rushed to was eerily silent. She stood there blankly in the pouring rain, gasping for breath.
Unable to muster the courage to enter, someone came out. A familiar face.
“……News travels fast.”
The man Do Ha-jun called his brother, the spy infiltrated into Seo I-heum’s organization. The one who’d dragged Baek I-hae to Do Ha-jun.
He closed the door behind him, opened a black umbrella, and stood facing her. Then he said,
“Why did you do something so foolish?”
“……”
As if implying that what had happened was because of Baek I-hae.
It felt like confronting a truth she hadn’t wanted to confirm.
Her eyes shaking as she stared at the man, Baek I-hae’s legs gave way, and she started to collapse—when someone grabbed her arm.
She knew it couldn’t be, but for a split second, foolishly, she thought it might be Seo Do-gyeom.
“It wasn’t foolish—it was an effort.”
While everyone else mocked her as foolish, this man alone affirmed her.
Soaked in the rain, the man tilted his umbrella toward her.
It was Baek Yeong.
