Chapter 95
“Dad gave his permission, but I’m still worried.”
Seo-yeol’s voice carried a note of concern across the line. He hadn’t heard the full details, but he’d apparently caught wind that Baek I-hae was moving against Baek Yong-jo.
“Noona isn’t exactly traveling light these days.”
She remembered the look on Seo-yeol’s face when he first learned she was pregnant—like the sky had collapsed on him.
‘And then he seriously told me that if I had no intention of going back to Do-gyeom, I should come to him instead.’
The kid was still so young, yet there wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t say. Offering to take responsibility for both her and the child of the girl he’d liked since his school days—with such earnest gravity.
Of course Baek I-hae had laughed at the time, but she’d also been genuinely touched.
Since then, Seo-yeol checked in on her whenever he could. To avoid Seo Do-gyeom finding out, they usually arranged calls through Ye Eun-seol’s or Chai Ryeong’s phones.
“How’s Seo Do-gyeom doing lately?”
After updating him on her own condition and hearing about Seo I-heum, Baek I-hae cautiously slipped in the question that had been weighing on her most.
She tried to sound casual, but she couldn’t quite hide the hesitation in her voice.
“…He’s gone back to how he was before he met you. Barely talks, avoids everyone. I haven’t been able to have much conversation with him either.”
“You two were always close.”
“He looked after me a lot when I was younger, sure. But after you left, I started avoiding him first. I think he noticed and just… stopped reaching out.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. You’re still brothers.”
“Even brothers shouldn’t hurt you.”
“Yeol.”
Baek I-hae called his name gently, as if soothing him. She could picture his sullen face, lips pressed tightly together.
He fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“I heard the situation from Dad. Hyung doesn’t mean it in a bad way—it’s a kind of trauma.”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t really know how much he suffered since I didn’t experience it myself. Still… I wish he hadn’t given up on you so easily.”
“…”
He added quickly that it wasn’t exactly giving up—more like an awkward afterthought.
When Seo Do-gyeom hadn’t stopped her as she turned away in anger, she’d thought he truly intended never to see her again.
Yet the stories Seo-yeol occasionally shared painted a different picture: a man who seemed to have come unscrewed. He rarely asked Seo-yeol or Seo I-heum about her, and only after long hesitation.
“I’m not trying to pressure you to go back. It’s your choice. Dad and I will keep supporting you so you can live comfortably, just like now—no matter what you decide.”
“Thank you. How about you? How’ve you been?”
“Tch, straight to the point. Dad’s been pushing me to study lately, so I’m even getting private tutoring—way behind schedule. I feel bad for the tutor; he practically shakes every time he comes to the house.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought you weren’t planning to follow in Uncle’s footsteps.”
“Right. But just like Do-gyeom hyung suddenly changed his mind about university, Dad says I might too—so he’s broadening my options.”
Perhaps he was simply echoing words Seo I-heum had once said to him. The thought brought a small, strange smile to Baek I-hae’s lips.
“And I’ve shot up in height lately! Soon I’ll be taller than hyung or Dad.”
“Yeah, you’ve been growing scarily fast.”
“Thanks to that, every joint in my body feels like it’s screaming.”
His old-man complaint finally broke her; she burst into laughter, and she could hear him laughing along on the other end.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s true. Anyway, next time we talk, tell me the address where you’re staying now. I want to see your face.”
She wasn’t oblivious to what his hesitant last words truly meant. But since Seo-yeol didn’t want to burden her, she played along and pretended not to notice.
When she said okay, he sounded relieved and added one more thing before hanging up.
“Lately hyung’s been going out a lot. I think he’s looking for you himself.”
“No one’s helping him, though.”
“Yeah. I had some of the guys check a few times—he’s been hanging around near the Baek faction compound. He probably figures that’s where you’re most likely to show up.”
If she’d kept staying at Baek Yeong’s place, she would have run into Seo Do-gyeom eventually.
Baek I-hae felt glad she’d moved into the house Ye Eun-seol had arranged and thanked him for the heads-up.
After ending the call, she stepped into the living room and saw a familiar back hunched over a laptop on the sofa. It was the owner of the phone she’d just used.
“Boss, I heard Seo Do-gyeom’s been wandering around the area lately—why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t feel it was necessary.”
Baek Yeong took the phone she held out to him. They were alone in the house today; she’d borrowed his phone to call Seo-yeol.
He lightly patted the spot beside him—an invitation to sit rather than stand.
Baek I-hae walked over carefully, sat, and then—without warning—laid her head on his lap.
It was bold enough to startle anyone, but Baek Yeong had grown used to it; he merely sighed softly and began stroking her hair.
“If you want, I can arrange for you to meet Seo Do-gyeom.”
“…I’m not sure yet.”
“Take your time thinking about it. There may be misunderstandings between you, but from what I’ve seen, you’d both be happier together.”
Seo-yeol and Baek Yeong both cared for her, yet their approaches were worlds apart.
Seo-yeol clearly wished she’d come to him but never pushed; Baek Yeong set his own feelings aside entirely, focusing only on what he believed would make her happy.
She listened quietly, and he shifted topics while continuing to watch his laptop screen. His fingers threading through her hair remained impossibly gentle.
“Baek Yong-jo is moving exactly as expected. Without Do Ha-jun feeding him ideas, he can’t think very deeply.”
They were deliberately leaking information about Baek I-hae to Baek Yong-jo—her OB-GYN visits, the places she frequented.
Anyone with a shred of sense would wonder why traces of her, previously impossible to find despite all efforts, were suddenly so easy to uncover.
When word spread that Baek Yeong was staying close by her side, the assumption quickly formed that the child was his.
“I’d braced myself a little, thinking a company CEO would be trickier to deal with.”
“Money can hire capable people even if the boss lacks ability.”
Baek I-hae let out a short sound of admiration.
“It’s strange to think someone like that is your father. The mystery of genetics, I guess. I hope our baby turns out smart like you.”
“…Isn’t it about time you dropped that ‘Boss’ nonsense?”
Baek Yeong gave her a rare sulky glance.
“Why? You let Chai Ryeong and everyone else call you that, no matter what you said.”
“I just don’t like hearing it from you.”
“Calling you oppa feels awkward.”
He turned his gaze away without answering. Thinking he was ignoring her, she stared openly—and noticed his ears turning faintly red.
Only then did she realize he was embarrassed; she laughed in disbelief.
“What’s this? You’ve got a surprisingly innocent side. Did you want me to call you oppa?”
“…No. I only thought we should change how you address me to sell the story to Baek Yong-jo.”
“Come on, you’re blushing way too much for that. If it’s your wish, I’ll call you oppa.”
Oh—this was new.
The look he gave her, half exasperated and half embarrassed, was oddly fascinating.
Baek I-hae burst out laughing at his thoroughly displeased expression.
“You know, teasing you is kind of fun.”
“I’d rather not know that. You won’t even let me handle Baek Yong-jo myself like I offered. Yet you dump every task on me anyway.”
He lightly pinched her cheek; she grinned. It was playful teasing she could never have attempted with Seo-yeol.
“There’s a saying that the one who loves more always loses. Looks like you’ll never win against me, Boss.”
“Probably.”
Was it comforting that he never overtly tried to win her heart? Or was some lingering knot from the past still there?
She smiled quietly, then felt the same hand that had pinched her cheek now gently stroking it.
Perhaps, selfishly, she was savoring the reassurance of his affection.
“Pure exploitation.”
Baek I-hae silently agreed with his quiet grumble.
