Chapter 8
Seo I-heum responded with a sigh-laced voice to Baek I-hae’s actions, which seemed full of displeasure.
“I won’t hit you or kill you.”
“Really? Swear on your life?”
“As long as the strange behavior doesn’t extend to harming my people.”
By “my people,” he must have meant Seo Do-gyeom and Seo-yeol.
Seo Do-gyeom showed no particular reaction, but Seo-yeol’s face lit up upon hearing those words, as if he shared her thoughts.
It seemed touching to hear even this much of an expression from a father who rarely showed affection. Poor kid.
“My people.”
It was so obviously natural that Baek I-hae wasn’t included in that circle, which made her feel a fresh twinge of bitterness.
“Fine, it’s a promise. If you don’t keep it, you owe me 100 million won.”
Seo I-heum’s face remained serene, as if he were thinking, That’s nothing.
“And cancel the engagement with Seo Do-gyeom.”
This time, he subtly furrowed his brow. The engagement cancellation bothered him more than the 100 million!
“What a filthy rich bastard.”
Inwardly, Baek I-hae seriously considered just taking a hit and getting the 100 million.
“Do as you please.”
Having finally gotten the answer she wanted, Baek I-hae smiled with satisfaction. Seo I-heum shifted his gaze back to the documents, but he had no idea.
That casual permission would later bring him an enormous amount of stress.
Three days.
Only three days had passed.
“…Are you alright?”
A man with a bear-like massive build cautiously asked Seo I-heum.
Seo I-heum, frowning over documents at the table, had dark circles under his eyes.
Even that added a dangerously alluring edge to his handsome face.
“Do I look alright to you?”
“No, sir. I’ll correct it.”
“Correct my ass. Damn it.”
Irritably tossing his ballpoint pen aside, Seo I-heum put a cigarette in his mouth. As if on cue, someone lit it for him.
Gray smoke stretched out long, mirroring his stifled frustration.
“I never knew I had to be this careful with my words. She’s giving me all sorts of new experiences.”
“I never imagined she’d pull a prank like slapping the back of your head and running away.”
They knew she wasn’t an ordinary young lady, but no one could have imagined she’d pull an elementary school-level stunt—and on Seo I-heum, of all people.
On the first day, she approached as if to greet him, and they left her be, only for her to suddenly jump up and smack the back of his head.
Not just the stunned Seo I-heum, but the bear-like man beside him—Uncle Oh—nearly foamed at the mouth and collapsed in shock.
“How could she brazenly smile and brush it off as a mistake after seeing the boss’s murderous aura?”
Uncle Oh didn’t know the exact nature of her relationship with Seo I-heum, but he was wary of Baek I-hae.
Despite her young age, her fearlessness and unpredictable actions were far from ordinary.
“She couldn’t be a spy, could she?”
They’d recently gotten intel about a spy and were secretly investigating.
He knew it was unlikely, but Uncle Oh’s gaze on Baek I-hae was filled with suspicion.
Even after the first day, whenever Baek I-hae saw Seo I-heum, she’d smack his back from behind or poke his side—strange behaviors like that.
“But at least in front of the young masters, she maintained some decorum and didn’t hit him.”
Instead, she’d suddenly hug him from behind, creating a rare scene that left even Seo Do-gyeom stunned and frozen.
She was impressive in many ways. She seemed oblivious to the rumors circulating among the organization members.
“But thanks to her, you seem more sensitive to presences behind you than before!”
Uncle Oh flashed a bright smile, trying to lighten the mood, and their eyes met.
The atmosphere was even more unpleasant than usual, chilling to the bone.
“Wipe that smile off. Before I rip your mouth open.”
“Yes, sir.”
Uncle Oh, who had nearly wet his pants like in his younger days, secretly let out a sigh.
“That young lady is really something.”
To pull pranks like that on someone as terrifying as Seo I-heum—it was almost admirable.
With a chin jerk signaling him to leave, Uncle Oh quietly stepped out and opened the door.
“Hoo.”
As he exhaled the breath he’d been holding, a woman waiting outside smiled softly and said,
“The boss seems in a really bad mood.”
The woman, with slender limbs that suggested she’d never exercised a day in her life, possessed a pure, innocent beauty.
It was Cha I-ryeong, who handled the external business affairs.
“Yeah, scared me half to death.”
Whispering softly in a way that didn’t match his bulk, lest the sound carry into the room, her giggling response made her look utterly naive.
“Ah, that’s healing.”
She was subtly popular among the organization members, having been abandoned by her parents and taken in by Seo I-heum while wandering the streets, thus tying her fate to the group.
In other words, he’d watched over her since she was young, and she was a commendable figure who desperately honed her skills to repay his kindness.
As they moved to another spot, Uncle Oh asked,
“Still no new information?”
“No. They’re more meticulous than I thought; it’s hard to grab a tail. Anyway, it seems like a spy planted by a rival faction, so I’m focusing background checks on people who’ve joined in the last few years.”
It was Cha I-ryeong who had first noticed the spy and tipped them off.
“If we hadn’t known, we’d have been completely caught off guard. We need to find them quick and turn the tables. The boss is pretending not to care, but he’s clearly worried about any harm coming to the young masters.”
Determined to handle it himself so as not to bother Seo I-heum, Uncle Oh resolved to do his best.
At the same time, he relied on Cha I-ryeong, the only one he could truly trust.
“Thanks. If anything comes up, tell me right away. Even if it’s minor.”
“I will. The boss’s safety is my top priority, after all.”
Her clear, smiling face as she replied made her seem purely innocent.
‘Oh, this could get addictive.’ Unaware of the rumors swirling among the organization members about her behavior over the past three days, Baek I-hae grinned mischievously.
Especially when she thought about the back hug at the restaurant yesterday—the feel of those taut muscles was something else, she chuckled heartily to herself.
Seo I-heum’s stiff reaction at the time had been kind of adorable too. “I’m supposed to be doing this to keep them on edge, but it’s starting to feel more like fun.”
Humming a tune, she opened the door to her room.
Lately, she’d been leaving a bit earlier to avoid Seo Do-gyeom coming to fetch her.
“What kind of edge are you talking about?” Baek I-hae jolted in surprise at the casual murmur.
Someone standing right by the door had overheard her muttering and echoed it back.
‘I didn’t even sense anyone! More importantly, they don’t think I’m weird, do they?’ Turning with a tense expression, Baek I-hae froze, her jaw dropping at the sight of the stunning beauty before her.
In a gangster family like this, it was rare to see such a pure, unblemished face.
“W-who are you? We’ve never met, but you’re absolutely gorgeous!”
“Thank you, miss. I’m Chai Ryeong, assistant to the boss. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Chai Ryeong. Even her name is lovely! Baek I-hae grinned broadly and returned the bow.
Just then, she felt something odd.
‘What’s this? It’s like the top of my head is burning.’
It was as if someone were glaring daggers at her.
She quickly lifted her head, but all she saw was Chai Ryeong, still smiling with that innocent expression.
Was it just her imagination?
“I have a feeling we’ll see each other often, but since I haven’t had a chance to formally introduce myself, I took the liberty of coming by. If you ever need help, please don’t hesitate to ask, despite my shortcomings.”
“Oh, it’s not an imposition at all!”
“I’m grateful you feel that way. There are a lot of men around here, so things might get uncomfortable sometimes. I’d be delighted if you felt you could rely on me.”
Not only is her face beautiful, but her heart is too! Baek I-hae nodded eagerly.
She was about to ask if they could be friends even without needing help when—
[!Warning!
You are under a life-threatening danger!]
‘Life-threatening danger?’ Baek I-hae scanned her surroundings.
Seo Do-gyeom was nowhere in sight, nor was anyone else. The hallway held only Baek I-hae and Chai Ryeong.
[!Warning!
If you do not move from this spot within 5 seconds, you will be killed!]
‘Found you, spy! But why the hell are you targeting me from the moment we meet?!’
And to make her feel a life-threatening danger first thing in the morning, not even in the dead of night!
Baek I-hae’s heart was pounding so hard she felt like she could juggle with it.
