Chapter 90
“Then you wouldn’t care if I married another man?”
Her head throbbed. Baek I-hae felt her mind go blank.
At the same time, she no longer wanted to consider Seo Do-gyeom’s position.
“…If that’s what you want. At least I’d still be able to see you whenever I missed you.”
Baek I-hae let out an obvious scoff. Seo Do-gyeom flinched and stared at her.
“You seem to be under some delusion, but I suppose there’s no need for me to correct it.”
She gave a hollow laugh, then hardened her expression and glared at him.
“They say misunderstandings come from not talking, but the more we talk, the more hopeless it feels.”
“…”
“You said your trauma comes from your mother dying because she married your father, right? That’s undeniably tragic. But Do-gyeom—”
Baek I-hae called his name gently.
“Your behavior hurts me more.”
Yet there was no affection in it.
“It feels like giving up on me without even trying—like I’m not that precious to you.”
“…That’s not true.”
“Your actions right now are making me miserable.”
Baek I-hae’s hand touched his chest. With the lightest push, Seo Do-gyeom stepped back, looking at her with wavering eyes.
“If you won’t consider me, then I don’t need to consider you either.”
Her gaze as she looked at him was ice-cold.
The same eyes that had warmly called his name that morning, filled with love, felt like a dream.
“I hope seeing me with another man becomes an unforgettable new trauma for you. Something you regret and can’t erase for the rest of your life.”
Baek I-hae knew how deeply those words would wound him. She knew rationally that returning pain for pain was wrong.
‘But how long am I supposed to endure? Even if I hold on, he’ll abandon me and my child anyway.’
She couldn’t bear it any longer. From now on, she would keep resenting him, her heart aching.
At the very least, she wanted him to hurt the same way—to miss her, to regret. Because she no longer had the strength to stay by his side.
“At least you’ll be able to look at the Baek I-hae in your memories as much as you want.”
Baek I-hae gave him one last bright smile. Then, as if severing all lingering attachment, she turned, opened the door, and stepped out.
‘Apologize right now. Beg forgiveness and say you’ll change your mind.’
She slowly pushed the door open and walked through.
Her eyes met Seo-yeol’s as he paced nearby. At the same moment, the door closed gently behind her.
“…”
Until the door fully shut, Seo Do-gyeom never reached for her. It felt like confirmation that everything between them was over, and Baek I-hae silently let the tears fall.
[Prospective gangster Seo Do-gyeom’s favorability has reached Max.]
‘Damn status window. What good is max favorability when he has no will to stay with me?’
A flustered Seo-yeol approached and carefully pulled her into a hug, but the tears didn’t stop easily.
The familiar silent crying filled the hallway.
“What are you going to do now…?”
Seo-yeol had taken her outside to lift her spirits and asked the question cautiously.
With her eyes swollen from crying and his face swollen from bruises, they made quite the comical pair.
“I don’t know. I can’t even stand the sight of Seo Do-gyeom’s face for a while—what should I do?”
Baek I-hae gave a hollow laugh and looked around. She’d already been considering a leave of absence from university, so taking time away somewhere sounded good.
She gazed blankly at the pitch-black sky, as if it mirrored her heart.
“Yeol, I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.”
“No, how is this your fault? Hyung’s just lost it for a bit… Ah, oops. Keep that secret, okay?”
His flustered slip into rough language was cute; Baek I-hae let out a small laugh.
After walking a little further, she stopped. She looked at Seo-yeol, who halted beside her, and spoke.
“Yeol.”
“Yeah?”
“You’d do anything I asked, right?”
“Well… yes, but…”
He dragged out the end of his sentence, sensing unease. She felt bad for burdening him, but Baek I-hae slowly raised her hand.
She unclasped the necklace Seo I-heum had given her and placed it in his palm. Then the watch from Seo Do-gyeom, her phone—everything stacked neatly in his large hand. His eyes wavered.
“…Are you serious?”
He understood what she intended.
“Tell them I’ll be staying at a friend’s for a while. That way he won’t come looking right away.”
“…Dad will know immediately.”
“It’s okay. I believe Uncle will respect my decision.”
“Are you… not planning to come back at all?”
Seo-yeol urgently grabbed her wrist. She wanted to calm him and explain gently, but—
“Yeol, please… help me.”
Her heart wasn’t steady enough for that. She placed her other hand over his.
Her hand trembled pathetically; Seo-yeol pressed his lips together tightly.
Complicated emotions he couldn’t voice surged up his throat—nausea, suffocation.
“I don’t want to stay here anymore. I want to run away.”
At her words, his grip on her belongings tightened until veins bulged, yet he kept his mouth firmly shut.
“I-hae noona.”
When he finally spoke, his voice was steady, though his clenched fist betrayed the emotions he was suppressing.
“I told you—I’m always on your side, no matter what.”
A status window appeared beside Seo-yeol. It was a message she’d glimpsed once before.
[The hidden quest reward for “Raise Seo-yeol’s favorability and turn him into your greatest ally!” has been activated. Reward: One escape chance.]
‘Maybe it knew from the beginning that I’d end up like this.’
Baek I-hae stared at the empty words with hollow eyes, then closed them.
This game world that toyed with its player was, damn it all, her reality.
Baek Yeong was startled by Baek I-hae’s sudden, unannounced arrival.
The faction members who had paid her taxi fare and escorted her lingered, unwilling to leave—her face looked that bad.
But at Baek Yeong’s gesture, they departed, leaving only the two of them in the main building.
“Baek I-hae.”
“Boss… what should I do? Do-gyeom has no intention of marrying me. He says even if there’s a child, he won’t change his mind.”
Tears streamed down her face. She clung to Baek Yeong as if hanging on for dear life, then slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor.
“He doesn’t even know I might be pregnant…”
Her unexpected words made Baek Yeong’s eyes tremble. He didn’t fully grasp her despair, but he understood what she feared.
‘If there’s a child, Seo I-heum would take responsibility and provide support… but that’s not what Baek I-hae wants.’
Anyone who spent even a little time with her could see how fiercely she clung to the idea of family.
‘Family.’
The meaning of family differed for everyone. The woman in front of him proved it—she was nothing like him.
Baek Yeong had no fond memories of his father. A man who abused his family and treated his children like puppets—to Baek Yeong, family was something horrific.
As a powerless minor, home had been nothing but a terrifying prison.
That was why he had sworn never to create a family, never to grow attached to anyone.
He trusted relationships built on money or conditions far more; they were easier on the heart.
“Stop crying.”
Baek Yeong gently wiped beneath her eyes. They were so red from crying that anyone would feel pity.
He thought about his own position.
It wasn’t the first time he’d felt attraction. He was human, after all—he’d harbored light affections before, and ending those relationships had always been simple, entirely on his terms.
But this feeling for Baek I-hae—was it something he could cut away so easily?
His mind filled with questions.
“Boss…”
“You want a family that much? Then I’ll be that family for you.”
What was the point of overthinking? He always acted before finding answers anyway.
Baek I-hae’s eyes widened. She knew enough of his past to be shocked.
That only made it more awkward. This was practically a confession.
It was an unrequited feeling he’d intended to keep hidden.
But what could he do? The person in front of him had defined family as someone who never betrayed it, someone who stayed no matter what.
And that person was silently weeping, longing for family.
It was as if she were screaming without words: stay by my side, see me.
Baek Yeong’s pride wasn’t strong enough to ignore that silent cry.
That was all there was to it.
