Chapter 72
“Get up, Baek I-hae.”
Baek Yeong urged her as if telling her to stand on her own strength. It was a completely different attitude from how he treated the Seo brothers, including Seo I-heum.
She barely managed to support herself on trembling legs, and the man who had been watching her bowed his head to Baek Yeong.
It was surprisingly polite, enough to make her wonder.
“It’s been a while, boss.”
“I’m not your boss anymore. Are you going to report what happened today to Do Ha-jun?”
The man hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head. It could be a lie, but Baek Yeong nodded as if he believed him and started walking, leading Baek I-hae along.
Startled by his actions, she stopped in her tracks.
“I-I have to go to Do-gyeom. They said Do-gyeom was in an accident. I need to get to the hospital right away.”
“Don’t go. Do Ha-jun will be there.”
“But…!”
“If you want to see Seo I-heum’s funeral today, I won’t stop you.”
Baek I-hae’s steps, which had been turning to leave, came to an abrupt halt. She looked at Baek Yeong with shaking eyes, then burst into tears, letting them fall drop by drop.
Even seeing the resentment in her gaze toward him, Baek Yeong just looked down at her head before continuing to walk.
“Follow me.”
Baek I-hae bit her lip tightly and started moving. Amid the chaos in her mind, she heard the man’s voice calling her from behind.
It was so quiet that she wouldn’t have heard it if she hadn’t strained her ears.
“Miss, it’d be best to throw away the doll that Jang Seul-gi gave you.”
Being called “miss” irritated her. Baek I-hae angrily yanked the phone charm off and threw it to the ground, and Baek Yeong’s gaze flicked toward the doll.
The doll, soaked in the rain, quickly turned muddy and sagged limply.
***
The place Baek Yeong took her to wasn’t an office. It was a large building that looked like an old hanok.
The structure was unusual, with the entrance leading deep inside before the interior appeared. As she followed him silently, a strange scene unfolded.
“Boss, you’re here!”
“What are you doing out here in the rain?”
“Just checking if our little ones are getting a good drink of water!”
There was a burly middle-aged man standing in front of the garden, wearing a fluorescent raincoat with a satisfied expression.
“Ack, no, boss! You’re wearing an umbrella, so why are you drenched! I told you to wear that expensive outfit nicely!”
“The washing machine will handle it.”
“That’s hand-wash only, damn it! More work for me!”
Another man with a rough-looking face, wearing an apron, took Baek Yeong’s coat with a look of despair.
“Boss, those lunatics were playing baseball inside again and broke a few windows, so I noted it in the ledger.”
“…The ledger never gets a chance to gather dust.”
A man dressed somewhat neatly scratched his butt and handed Baek Yeong a notebook. It was filled densely with handwriting.
“But what’s that tiny thing behind you? Smaller than Captain Cha. Oh, if you’re gonna eat it, should I boil some water?”
Baek I-hae’s face turned pale as she hurriedly grabbed the hem of Baek Yeong’s clothes tightly. The gang members, who had been secretly watching her trembling body, stifled their laughter with a snort.
“All of you, go back to your nonsense.”
Baek Yeong, as if accustomed to their antics, waved his hand with a weary expression. Then, they let out shrieks and scattered, not exactly fleeing in terror.
“….”
It was a shocking sight, enough to make her worries about Seo Do-gyeom vanish for a brief moment.
Baek Yeong seemed to know it too, as he avoided her eyes and moved further inside. He looked somehow embarrassed.
“First, change your clothes and come out. Use the shower in that room. It’s Chai Ryeong’s room, so feel free to use it.”
She told her to grab whatever clothes from the closet to change into. With such fantastical hospitality, Baek I-hae couldn’t figure out where to even start complaining, so she just nodded for now.
‘I have so many questions, so let’s not waste time here.’
A commotion erupted outside once more. It was more bewildering than frightening.
“The vibe here is totally different from the uncles’ place.”
At least Old Man Oh seemed to chat casually with Seo I-heum, but he kept work and personal separate.
‘This must be where the Baek faction lives.’
She belatedly realized she might have walked into a dangerous place without thinking, but.
“That’s too much, boss! If they broke the window, just make them pay for the window! Why add interest?”
“If anyone’s got complaints, they don’t have to pay—just leave.”
“Ah, why say such heartless things! Where would we go if not by your side, boss!”
“Sigh….”
Hearing Baek Yeong’s sigh, it didn’t seem like a particularly dangerous place after all.
Baek I-hae hurried to wash up.
A short while later, when she came out wearing something suitable from Chai Ryeong’s clothes, Baek Yeong and Chai Ryeong were sitting together outside.
“Our I-hae, seeing you in my clothes feels weird. Is this what it feels like to see your girlfriend in your boyfriend’s shirt?”
“Did you know that Do Ha-jun was watching me?”
Ignoring Chai Ryeong lightly, Baek I-hae approached Baek Yeong and asked directly. It was the first question she’d pondered over while showering.
Baek Yeong, who had looked up at her briefly, nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Are you on his side or something? That guy earlier is Do Ha-jun’s subordinate, so why does he listen to you?”
“I-hae. First, calm down and sit—Seo Do-gyeom’s surgery went well, they said.”
“Surgery….”
Chai Ryeong interjected, calming Baek I-hae down. At those words, Baek I-hae finally slumped into a nearby chair.
It was truly a stroke of luck in misfortune.
“That guy you saw earlier used to be under me. He’s under Father now, so he follows Do Ha-jun’s orders, but he’s not the type to lie to me.”
“…How can you believe that?”
“He’s indebted to me, and he’s got a rigid personality. That doll you threw away probably had a GPS in it.”
Baek I-hae’s body stiffened. To think the rabbit doll Jang Seul-gi gave her had a GPS installed. So that’s why they hadn’t put surveillance on her even when she was at Baek Yeong’s office.
“Then, do they not know I’m here?”
“They’ll know. They already know you came to my office after school.”
She asked in a trembling voice, trying to stay calm, but the response was nonchalant. Annoyingly so.
Baek I-hae glared at him, meaning why did he bring her here, and he said,
“If you’re here, he won’t touch you right away. Even though we split into the Shinun faction, the representative thinks of this place as his own property, so he hates it when Do Ha-jun messes with it.”
“What a shameless old geezer. When he left, he acted all generous like he was handing everything over to the boss.”
Chai Ryeong grumbled as she continued.
“Little guest, have this while you talk.”
At that moment, a hot chocolate was placed in front of Baek I-hae.
She looked at it with a dazed expression, and it was the middle-aged man from the garden earlier. When their eyes met, he grinned widely and disappeared.
The fact that he didn’t even bring water for Baek Yeong and Chai Ryeong made him impressive in many ways.
“…Strangely, those guys are being nice to you. They’re simpletons, but they usually shy away from strangers.”
They didn’t look like the type to be shy.
Still, grateful for his kindness, she fiddled with the cup and grumbled for no reason.
“How would I know? It’s not my fault.”
[Reward: The minimum favorability of Baek faction members has increased by 20 each.]
A status window popped up as if to snap her out of it. It was even a message she’d seen before.
“…Maybe it is my fault.”
Baek I-hae quickly corrected herself.
Baek Yeong advised her to stay there for the time being. Most of her things were at Jang Seul-gi’s house, but Baek I-hae readily agreed.
She didn’t want to be near the suspect who had put Seo Do-gyeom in danger.
“When do you think Do-gyeom will be discharged?”
Baek I-hae hesitated before asking Chai Ryeong. Even if she couldn’t visit the hospital, she’d see him at school and could check on him then.
But Chai Ryeong avoided her gaze. That action filled Baek I-hae with anxiety.
“Probably not for a while. …I heard he’s in a coma right now.”
The anxiety became reality, plunging Baek I-hae into the abyss of despair.
