Chapter 96
This time, Baek Yeong accompanied her to her regular OB-GYN appointment. Thinking of Baek Yong-jo possibly watching from somewhere, she linked arms with him as they walked.
Even without that pretext, her stomach had been unsettled lately; leaning on someone felt necessary.
“You okay?”
Morning sickness had kept her from eating properly—she mostly threw up whatever little she managed. Baek Yeong’s face was etched with worry.
“No… I think I’m going to be sick again.”
“You barely ate anything. Ask today if they can prescribe something for the nausea.”
“Okay.”
Baek I-hae nodded, face pale, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Even nodding threatened to bring on another wave.
‘I have new respect for every mother on earth. Some women go through this for months.’
She couldn’t stomach meat or rice anymore—foods she’d once loved—and survived on occasional fruit. She’d lost noticeable weight. If Seo-yeol saw her now, he’d probably freak out.
“I really think I should go into the exam room with you.”
“It’s fine—oppa, wait outside.”
She pushed at his back, the title now rolling off her tongue more naturally. Caught off guard, he glanced back with concern, but she waved him off reassuringly and headed inside.
She needed moments alone to give Baek Yong-jo an opening.
Sighing, she walked toward the elevator and instinctively glanced outside. Baek Yeong’s back was visible on a bench.
Not far away, hidden Baek faction members and people Ye Eun-seol had planted were surely watching over her.
‘They probably aren’t wandering around in obvious suits—more like plainclothes detectives from a movie.’
Rolling her eyes to scan the area, Baek I-hae suddenly widened them.
Someone stood in the parking lot nearby.
Her heart began pounding wildly.
‘…Seo Do-gyeom?’
It was him—the owner of the gaze she’d accidentally met.
Without thinking, she whipped her head away and fled into the elevator as if escaping.
‘Why is Seo Do-gyeom here?’
Ye Eun-seol’s people were supposed to track his location in real time and prevent even accidental encounters.
Had something happened to the watchers? The question arose, but she couldn’t shake the image of his startled face upon seeing her.
‘He looked thinner.’
It hadn’t been that long, yet in the months apart he’d grown gaunt. His once-cut bangs had grown out again, partially covering his eyes, giving him a different feel from his high school days.
‘Strange. I thought I never wanted to see that face again.’
After all the disappointment and anger.
Baek I-hae pressed her lips together and stroked her belly. He’d seen her at an OB-GYN—he might have realized the child was his.
She hadn’t intended to keep it secret forever, but this wasn’t how she’d wanted him to find out.
She worried over what to say if they met outside, but when she finished her appointment and stepped out, no one was there.
Even when she rejoined Baek Yeong, Seo Do-gyeom didn’t appear.
‘Why?’
She’d assumed he would demand to know whose child it was—whether it was truly his. If not that, at least cling and say he’d missed her.
“What’s wrong? Was the result bad?”
Unaware Seo Do-gyeom had been there, Baek Yeong asked with worry at her darkened expression.
She considered mentioning it, then shook her head and said it was nothing.
Right now, Baek Yong-jo took priority over Seo Do-gyeom.
“No. Anything else happen?”
“There were some Shinun faction guys watching the place. Even in plain clothes, big guys loitering around stand out—anyone would find them suspicious.”
“Probably scared the other patients.”
“Some actually called the police, from what I heard.”
Baek Yeong sighed deeply, as if embarrassed on their behalf.
“He still can’t shake old organization habits. Thinks everything can be settled with money or threats.”
“I heard he runs a company—surprising. I expected someone trickier, like Do Ha-jun who exploits weaknesses.”
“He’s been reaching for a bowl far too big for him from the start.”
His cold assessment felt almost unbelievable coming from a son evaluating his own father.
“His face is too well-known to handle quietly like Do Ha-jun. Seo I-heum and I would be fine, but if it gets out, it’ll damage that Ye Eun-seol guy.”
“Right. So we need to catch the exact moment he targets me, spread it publicly—and release the other dirt we’ve prepared so he can’t slither away.”
She meant the evidence of Baek Yong-jo’s corruption that Ye Eun-seol had dug up. Baek Yeong listened to her thoughts and nodded quietly in agreement.
Chai Ryeong had precise intel on the Shinun faction forces, and Seo I-heum had men ready for any contingency.
Everything was moving forward because they’d all willingly stepped up when she asked for help.
‘Before, I tried handling everything alone so I wouldn’t burden anyone. Having people to rely on is nice—especially when they’re this capable.’
Baek Yeong walked to the car and opened the passenger door for her. As she settled in, she stared at the status window floating in front of her.
It was the new quest that had appeared that morning.
[Scenario #6 Quest Triggered! “Actively survive Baek Yong-jo’s threat.”
Success: Seo Do-gyeom overcomes trauma, game ends. Failure: Baek I-hae’s death.] [However, surviving solely through others’ help limits success reward to “game end” only.]
‘Game end… Does that mean Baek I-hae’s actions would no longer be constrained by the player?’
Leaning back in the smoothly moving car, Baek I-hae closed her eyes and thought.
‘This could be the final quest.’
It might become the most dangerous moment yet for Baek I-hae—especially if the player truly intended to pair Seo Do-gyeom with another heroine.
There’d be no reason to keep an obsessed, pregnant Baek I-hae alive.
‘But if they kill me, would Seo Do-gyeom really give his heart to someone else so easily?’
Even after she’d walked away herself, no replacement heroine had appeared at his side.
That alone suggested the player couldn’t fully control Seo Do-gyeom’s heart—she could only speculate.
“The doctor asked today why the husband didn’t come along.”
To break the silence for Baek Yeong as he drove, Baek I-hae spoke up. He scowled.
“Even as a joke, don’t ask me to play husband.”
“Mean.”
“You never think about how I’d get trashed by everyone? Anyone seeing us would assume I got a barely-adult girl pregnant—I’d be the only villain.”
Fair point.
It was almost funny hearing common-sense concerns from someone who usually seemed indifferent to public opinion.
“I wonder who it was that fell for such a young girl.”
“…That wasn’t my choice.”
Still, he didn’t deny liking her.
Finding amusement in teasing him, Baek I-hae began humming. Outside, heavy clouds gathered as if rain might pour any second.
‘I hope he got home okay.’
He hadn’t seemed to have an umbrella. She hoped Seo Do-gyeom had made it back safely.
Lingering affection, regret, or something she still couldn’t let go—she wasn’t sure.
[Player: It won’t be long now.]
She didn’t ask what that meant. The player wouldn’t tell her anyway.
Raindrops began tapping the window, one by one. Soon the downpour streaked the glass as she watched and wondered.
‘If the game really ends, what happens to the baby inside me?’
If she returned to reality, she’d go back to her original body. Would the child simply vanish?
Success or failure—neither felt something she could dare wish for.
‘Seo Do-gyeom. In a situation like this, what would you want?’
She knew he couldn’t answer, yet she couldn’t stop thinking about what he might feel.
