Chapter 80
It was only after Baek I-hae pleaded desperately that they shouldn’t gather like this at the hospital that Seo I-heum and Baek Yeong finally dispersed their respective organization members.
Baek I-hae, who had been on edge worrying that someone might report them, let out a sigh of relief only then.
“I’ll go stop Chai Ryeong before she does something excessive.”
Having heard the anxious report from a Baek faction member, Baek Yeong passed by Seo I-heum and spoke to Baek I-hae.
Even though he knew Old Man Oh and the other Seo family members were watching him with strange looks.
“Are you going to kill him?”
“Well. First, I need to check if there are any other hostages beyond what I’ve already identified. If I leave it to Chai Ryeong, she’ll kill him without even verifying, so I have to go stop her.”
“I see. If he’s alive, let me hit him just once later.”
Baek I-hae clenched her fist tightly and raised it. She wanted to fiercely express that she had a lot pent up too, but Baek Yeong only smiled faintly.
His hand gently enveloped Baek I-hae’s fist.
“Focus on recovering your injured body. I’ll make sure to get revenge for your share as well.”
He added that he couldn’t let her do the dirty work, then turned away, saying he’d see her later.
Then, some of the Baek faction members who had followed along teared up as they told Baek I-hae to take good care of herself before leaving.
Once the Baek faction was gone, Old Man Oh opened and closed his mouth for a moment before cautiously asking.
“Just what kind of achievements did you accomplish while away from home…?”
“It’s not really achievements or anything.”
Baek I-hae smiled awkwardly and averted her gaze. Then she looked up at Seo I-heum.
Seeing him after so long, he was looking down at her with warmth.
“I was worried, I-hae. I’m glad you’re safe.”
[Seo I-heum’s favorability has increased by 10.]
She hadn’t done anything, yet just seeing her alive had raised his favorability.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come rescue you sooner. I should have suspected from the moment I happened to hear that there was a man with a watch similar to the one you have.”
“You didn’t know Do Ha-jun’s true identity, so I think it couldn’t be helped.”
Old Man Oh glanced around nervously before speaking, as if recalling the past—seemingly the time when Seo Do-gyeom’s mother was murdered.
“This time, I left our guys behind so we wouldn’t miss him—I’ll go make the call.”
Old Man Oh checked Seo I-heum’s expression for a moment before excusing himself. Only Baek I-hae and Seo I-heum remained in the hospital corridor.
“I-hae.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“If Do Ha-jun was the reason you had to leave us, can you come back now?”
There were no long apologies about not rescuing her from Do Ha-jun sooner, or regrets about not understanding her pain. It was a hesitant statement, as if he’d carefully chosen his words.
Perhaps it was the thing he most wanted to say.
“We need you.”
“…Is it okay for me to come back? Do-gyeom got hurt because of me—because of Do Ha-jun. I… I couldn’t hold back and asked Do-gyeom for help. I told him I was being threatened by Do Ha-jun.”
Baek I-hae swallowed her sobs hard. Even tears felt like a luxury.
“It was so hard, and keeping it from everyone was torture—I just couldn’t endure it. I’m sorry, Uncle. For getting Do-gyeom hurt… I’m truly sorry. For only telling you now, I’m really sorry…!”
Seo I-heum’s large hand rested on Baek I-hae’s head. When she looked up with wide eyes, he smiled bitterly.
“I’m the one who’s sorry—for making you endure it all alone.”
She had been barely holding back her tears.
It was a gentle comfort. She had worried about what to do if he hated her for hurting his own son, Seo Do-gyeom. She had feared what would happen if he abandoned her.
[Seo I-heum’s favorability has increased by 10.]
“I want to go back home.”
When Baek I-hae honestly expressed what she wanted, Seo I-heum nodded.
[Seo I-heum’s favorability has reached Max.]
As if returning to its rightful place, Seo I-heum’s favorability hit the maximum again. It felt like he was genuinely welcoming her return, and Baek I-hae couldn’t help but smile brightly.
***
Starting the very next day, the Seo family visited Baek Yeong’s house to move Baek I-hae’s belongings.
Chai Ryeong watched the two organizations standing side by side with a peculiar look and muttered.
“I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime.”
She had vaguely thought that if they reunited, it would end in a bloody fight. Even though it was due to Do Ha-jun’s threats, Chai Ryeong had committed wrongs against them, so it was a natural worry.
But perhaps because Baek I-hae had explained well, when Seo I-heum met Chai Ryeong again, he didn’t resent or interrogate her. He simply said she’d been through a lot, and that was it.
‘What a strange family.’
She recalled how the plan to assassinate Seo I-heum had failed because of Baek I-hae.
‘If I-hae hadn’t stopped me, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.’
Baek I-hae might think that Chai Ryeong was being kind to her only because of their shared enemy, Do Ha-jun. But in truth, Chai Ryeong had felt fondness for her for a long time.
Instead of repaying the kindness of Seo I-heum, who had taken in and protected her when she was young, she had nearly killed him—and nearly inflicted irreparable wounds on her comrades who trusted her.
The one who had prevented all those misdeeds was Baek I-hae.
“Baby princess, let us carry the heavy stuff like this. How could you try to lift this with your injured body! Those guys have no sense, seriously!”
“No, why are you calling our young miss ‘princess’ on your own! You think she’d like such a cringy title?! And we’re the ones taking the luggage!”
“Then you should’ve grabbed it before I said anything!”
“I was about to, you punk! Your big frame is blocking the view—I couldn’t see what the young miss was doing!”
“Then crawl between my legs and look!”
What snapped Chai Ryeong out of her rare moment of sentiment was the sound of the Baek faction and Seo family subordinates arguing.
Old Man Oh tried to intervene but seemed unable to raise his voice harshly at the Baek faction members, fumbling awkwardly.
‘That uncle is way too mild-mannered for his position.’
Finally unable to stand it, Chai Ryeong took a deep breath and yelled.
“You brats, all of you shut up! Can’t you see I-hae’s uncomfortable?!”
The Baek faction members clamped their mouths shut at the order from Chai Ryeong, who ranked second after Baek Yeong. The Seo family subordinates did the same, out of shock.
And understandably so—back when she worked under Seo I-heum, she never fought or cursed, so seeing her rough side now was bound to surprise them.
Baek I-hae, accustomed to such situations, simply smiled as if resigned and quietly went about her tasks.
Old Man Oh, who had been sneaking glances, approached Chai Ryeong and spoke.
“I didn’t know you had this kind of personality…?”
“I’m a spy, after all—I had to act convincingly. I’m the Baek faction’s action team leader, so I’m good at fighting too. Want to spar sometime?”
“What a horrifying suggestion. Where would I even hit you…?”
Old Man Oh shook his head vigorously. Having once been shy around Chai Ryeong, his expression shifted moment by moment. When she laughed at that, he asked again.
“What about Do Ha-jun?”
“We’ll handle him thoroughly on our side. He held organization members’ families hostage to threaten them, so after extracting all the information, we’ll make him suffer so much he’ll regret being alive.”
She added that he absolutely wouldn’t die easily, and Old Man Oh, who had heard about Chai Ryeong’s circumstances from Baek I-hae, nodded with a somber face.
“I’m sorry about your family. And for resenting you without knowing—I’m sorry.”
“It’s natural to resent me, since your role is to support Seo I-heum. I heard you gave I-hae a location-tracking necklace as a gift? She seemed to remember it later.”
“Yeah. That’s how we knew the young miss was here. I heard from the boss later, but apparently her friend tipped her off that it might be safer by Baek Yeong’s side.”
“Friend?”
“Ye Eun-seol—she’s the heir to the Ye Eun Group.”
“Oh…”
Chai Ryeong let out a genuine sound of admiration.
What kind of connections does she have?
“They seem to have finished investigating us and your Baek faction suckers too.”
“…”
Chai Ryeong almost said that sounded like a threat but clamped her mouth shut. It was terrifying that all of this had happened behind Baek I-hae’s back.
