Chapter 37
Although Doshiyu didn’t necessarily respond, he continued speaking to himself.
“Well, I guess a girl like you wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”
“…”
“Was she the child of a prostitute? The atmosphere there doesn’t seem welcoming. Well, I guess, given his background, he’s used to it.”
I wanted to shut Doshiyu’s mouth.
No, more precisely,
‘The child of a prostitute.’
‘Dirty.’
It was a remark I spat out in the thought that I had to completely cut off Yugyeom, but I couldn’t forget the look in his eyes directed at me at that moment.
While reading novels, I used to want to shut up those kids who would say such things to Yugyeom.
Now, the fact that I had become one of them was horrifying.
“Dosh… Doshiyu.”
The voice that came out was barely audible. I looked at Doshiyu with wide eyes.
“Are you calling me by my last name?”
Doshiyu’s smiling face froze in place.
“Are you insulting me by not calling me ‘Doshiyu’?”
His face, flushed with embarrassment, blinked slowly.
His pupils trembled as if his words were stuck. Then, belatedly, he seemed to understand the meaning of my words and hastily opened his mouth.
But before he could say a word, I reached out and covered his mouth.
“Shh.”
“…”
“No need for excuses.”
I smiled brightly at him and removed my hand without hesitation, then walked away without a trace of regret on my face.
Siyu, who followed behind me, grabbed my wrist.
“Ouch.”
He let out a fake groan of pain as I nonchalantly removed his hand.
Instead, he rushed forward and spread his arms in front of me. His face looked awkward, not fitting the situation.
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I really didn’t mean… huh?”
“Just kidding.”
Doshiyu looked flustered as he stepped aside.
Even without turning my head, it was clear that he was hesitating as he followed behind me, but I didn’t pay any more attention to him.
After a few more minutes of walking in an awkward atmosphere,
“Hey, Jibangul. Tell me straight. You got lost, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
I might have said I wasn’t an angel, but it was clear I had messed up the directions. It was my first time going to the shooting range, so I didn’t know the way very well, but even on the same floor, it shouldn’t have taken this long.
Now that I was feeling better physically, I thought I should carefully examine the layout.
It was right after turning the corner.
When I stopped walking and narrowed my eyes at the front of Baekhawon’s office,
“Why is there such a commotion over there?”
The reason was the number of guards standing in front of the door. What used to be two or three guards last time had now increased to ten.
“Indeed, coming next time would be… Hey hey! Yeonbyeol!”
I moved forward without hesitation. The guards who saw me were visibly startled and quickly took a defensive stance.
I smiled to appear harmless and asked, “What’s going on?”
But even as I smiled with narrowed eyes, it seemed to have no effect as the guards’ faces turned pale.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s good if there’s nothing wrong. Can I go in then?”
Before my outstretched hand could reach the door handle, it was blocked.
The guard who blocked my hand visibly showed his discomfort when our eyes met.
“The boss said not to let anyone in…”
“Why can’t I go in if nothing’s wrong?”
“Please turn back, miss. I’ll escort you to your room.”
I felt a knot in my stomach.
There’s no easy way to get past this.
Once again, my outstretched hand was blocked by a large hand, and as that hand brushed mine,
“Ah!”
I groaned in pain, clutching my chest and sinking to the ground.
“Miss!”
“Yeonbyeol!”
Angel and Doshiyu rushed to me. The guards also looked down at me with surprised eyes, frozen in place.
Angel knelt in front of me and supported me. It was an awkward attempt at acting.
I grabbed Angel’s shoulders and pulled him towards me. His widened eyes met mine.
“It hurts so much.”
“…”
“I should tell the boss.”
His irises trembled as he met my gaze. Just as Angel, with his lower lip bitten, was about to stand up with a pale face,
Thud.
The door I aimed for opened. Quite forcefully.
When I raised my surprised gaze, I saw Baek Hawon looking down at me with a stern face. With his large strides, he quickly approached me.
“Are you hurt?”
Bending one knee to match eye level, he momentarily startled me, but I quickly stood up.
“I was in pain just now, but I’m fine now.”
And with that, I briskly entered through the open door, leaving him behind.
“You’re not going to keep them standing here, boss, are you?”
* * *
Without anyone stopping me, I swiftly entered Baek Hawon’s office and sat on the long table directly.
Since there were no chairs inside except for where Baek Hawon would sit, it was the best spot I could choose.
As the door closed behind me, with a strange expression, I looked at Baek Hawon’s back.
As the door closed completely, a different atmosphere, as if from a different world, enveloped the room.
Anywhere in Baekcheon, the sunlight overflowed, but not here. Only a few small lamps illuminated the perfectly closed blinds.
And if one were to draw out the deepest darkness from within this room, without a doubt, everyone would choose that man.
The consistently same taste of having only black shirts filling the wardrobe also played a significant role.
“Why? “
Baek Hawon leaned against the wall opposite me, his voice locked in tension as he spoke.
“Why is Yugyeom here in Baekcheon?”
He didn’t flinch at my words.
He simply turned his head slowly. When his gaze met mine, Jiwoon nodded.
“How did you come here? I thought it was a dream, but it’s real.”
“…”
“You’re not staying in Baekcheon permanently, are you?”
There was no answer. But his fixed gaze on me was enough to convey the message.
Is he really staying in Baekcheon? Yugyeom?
“Boss!”
As I was about to get up from the table, Baek Hawon approached, gripping the table with one hand and leaning towards me.
The shadow of the watch hanging on his wrist shimmered within the shadow cast by his slender hand.
Trapped within his shadow, I involuntarily shrunk my shoulders.
“It seems to be bothering you.”
There was an inexplicable annoyance in his twisted gaze up close.
“What’s that supposed to mean…!”
“I saw quite a scene last time.”
My laughter faltered for a moment at his twisted smile.
“That guy seems to have caught your eye. Seeing him come here on his own two feet.”
Ah, love at the risk of one’s life.
With a voice bordering on a whisper, a clear mockery spread from his lips. The fading laughter left a lingering shadow.
Facing his face up close, my neck shivered.
“If it’s not what you wanted, it’s best to leave quickly.”
His finger, brushing against my cheek, swept away a strand of hair. Despite not making contact, I could feel the heat emanating from it.
“He’s coming this way.”
As if a spell had been broken, I suddenly snapped back to reality at his added words.
Yugyeom’s destination at Square was obvious, why didn’t I think of it? I wanted to avoid a situation where I had to meet Baek Hawon and him together for as long as I could.
In my haste to get off the table, however, my body slipped unexpectedly.
“…!”
In that moment, Baek Hawon, who had his arms around my waist, lifted me up. My instincts kicked in, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up.
My feet didn’t touch the ground. This awkward angle, with Baek Hawon holding me from above, felt quite uncomfortable, and I swallowed dryly.
In a short time, many things became sensitively clear.
The hands tightly around my waist, or the strong arms supporting me beneath my knees.
Things like my hair scattered over his shoulders.
“Doesn’t something feel off?”
I blinked slowly at the sudden remark. His blatant gaze was directed towards my lips.
I could instantly grasp the meaning hidden in his words, so surprising was it.
I burst into a laugh, incredulous.
And since I was already doing it, I stared straight into his eyes with a firm gaze and a thick smile.
“Please put me down, Oppa.”
However, as if mocking my assumption that he would immediately put me down, Baek Hawon moved with me still in his embrace.
I stiffened and grabbed onto Baek Hawon’s shoulders tightly.
When he came to a stop, I reflexively held onto him even tighter as his hand that was wrapped around my waist loosened.
With the sound of the door opening, a bright light flooded in from behind.
The eyes locked in my shadow didn’t waver and remained fixed on me.
“Are you punishing me for forgetting?”
It felt like someone had some kind of fixation. Really fixating on weird things.
“If you act like this, it’s a little childish to call me Oppa.”
Baek Hawon raised the corner of his mouth lazily before finally setting me down. Only then could I feel the ground beneath my feet.
As I straightened my wrinkled clothes and lifted my head, Baek Hawon was still standing in front of me.
It was at that moment that I noticed his gaze wasn’t focused on me.
I slowly turned around.
While it had been bright when I went to the shooting range, the sun had already set. The red light pouring in through the large window was dazzling.
I felt a strange sensation, akin to foreboding.
And when I stepped outside and turned my body, the reason for that foreboding was right in front of me.
My heart plummeted.
“Yugyeom.”
His eyes, faintly smiling, gleamed red as they looked down at me.
Chapter 37
Although Doshiyu didn’t necessarily respond, he continued speaking to himself.
“Well, I guess a girl like you wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”
“…”
“Was she the child of a prostitute? The atmosphere there doesn’t seem welcoming. Well, I guess, given his background, he’s used to it.”
I wanted to shut Doshiyu’s mouth.
No, more precisely,
‘The child of a prostitute.’
‘Dirty.’
It was a remark I spat out in the thought that I had to completely cut off Yugyeom, but I couldn’t forget the look in his eyes directed at me at that moment.
While reading novels, I used to want to shut up those kids who would say such things to Yugyeom.
Now, the fact that I had become one of them was horrifying.
“Dosh… Doshiyu.”
The voice that came out was barely audible. I looked at Doshiyu with wide eyes.
“Are you calling me by my last name?”
Doshiyu’s smiling face froze in place.
“Are you insulting me by not calling me ‘Doshiyu’?”
His face, flushed with embarrassment, blinked slowly.
His pupils trembled as if his words were stuck. Then, belatedly, he seemed to understand the meaning of my words and hastily opened his mouth.
But before he could say a word, I reached out and covered his mouth.
“Shh.”
“…”
“No need for excuses.”
I smiled brightly at him and removed my hand without hesitation, then walked away without a trace of regret on my face.
Siyu, who followed behind me, grabbed my wrist.
“Ouch.”
He let out a fake groan of pain as I nonchalantly removed his hand.
Instead, he rushed forward and spread his arms in front of me. His face looked awkward, not fitting the situation.
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I really didn’t mean… huh?”
“Just kidding.”
Doshiyu looked flustered as he stepped aside.
Even without turning my head, it was clear that he was hesitating as he followed behind me, but I didn’t pay any more attention to him.
After a few more minutes of walking in an awkward atmosphere,
“Hey, Jibangul. Tell me straight. You got lost, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
I might have said I wasn’t an angel, but it was clear I had messed up the directions. It was my first time going to the shooting range, so I didn’t know the way very well, but even on the same floor, it shouldn’t have taken this long.
Now that I was feeling better physically, I thought I should carefully examine the layout.
It was right after turning the corner.
When I stopped walking and narrowed my eyes at the front of Baekhawon’s office,
“Why is there such a commotion over there?”
The reason was the number of guards standing in front of the door. What used to be two or three guards last time had now increased to ten.
“Indeed, coming next time would be… Hey hey! Yeonbyeol!”
I moved forward without hesitation. The guards who saw me were visibly startled and quickly took a defensive stance.
I smiled to appear harmless and asked, “What’s going on?”
But even as I smiled with narrowed eyes, it seemed to have no effect as the guards’ faces turned pale.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s good if there’s nothing wrong. Can I go in then?”
Before my outstretched hand could reach the door handle, it was blocked.
The guard who blocked my hand visibly showed his discomfort when our eyes met.
“The boss said not to let anyone in…”
“Why can’t I go in if nothing’s wrong?”
“Please turn back, miss. I’ll escort you to your room.”
I felt a knot in my stomach.
There’s no easy way to get past this.
Once again, my outstretched hand was blocked by a large hand, and as that hand brushed mine,
“Ah!”
I groaned in pain, clutching my chest and sinking to the ground.
“Miss!”
“Yeonbyeol!”
Angel and Doshiyu rushed to me. The guards also looked down at me with surprised eyes, frozen in place.
Angel knelt in front of me and supported me. It was an awkward attempt at acting.
I grabbed Angel’s shoulders and pulled him towards me. His widened eyes met mine.
“It hurts so much.”
“…”
“I should tell the boss.”
His irises trembled as he met my gaze. Just as Angel, with his lower lip bitten, was about to stand up with a pale face,
Thud.
The door I aimed for opened. Quite forcefully.
When I raised my surprised gaze, I saw Baek Hawon looking down at me with a stern face. With his large strides, he quickly approached me.
“Are you hurt?”
Bending one knee to match eye level, he momentarily startled me, but I quickly stood up.
“I was in pain just now, but I’m fine now.”
And with that, I briskly entered through the open door, leaving him behind.
“You’re not going to keep them standing here, boss, are you?”
* * *
Without anyone stopping me, I swiftly entered Baek Hawon’s office and sat on the long table directly.
Since there were no chairs inside except for where Baek Hawon would sit, it was the best spot I could choose.
As the door closed behind me, with a strange expression, I looked at Baek Hawon’s back.
As the door closed completely, a different atmosphere, as if from a different world, enveloped the room.
Anywhere in Baekcheon, the sunlight overflowed, but not here. Only a few small lamps illuminated the perfectly closed blinds.
And if one were to draw out the deepest darkness from within this room, without a doubt, everyone would choose that man.
The consistently same taste of having only black shirts filling the wardrobe also played a significant role.
“Why? “
Baek Hawon leaned against the wall opposite me, his voice locked in tension as he spoke.
“Why is Yugyeom here in Baekcheon?”
He didn’t flinch at my words.
He simply turned his head slowly. When his gaze met mine, Jiwoon nodded.
“How did you come here? I thought it was a dream, but it’s real.”
“…”
“You’re not staying in Baekcheon permanently, are you?”
There was no answer. But his fixed gaze on me was enough to convey the message.
Is he really staying in Baekcheon? Yugyeom?
“Boss!”
As I was about to get up from the table, Baek Hawon approached, gripping the table with one hand and leaning towards me.
The shadow of the watch hanging on his wrist shimmered within the shadow cast by his slender hand.
Trapped within his shadow, I involuntarily shrunk my shoulders.
“It seems to be bothering you.”
There was an inexplicable annoyance in his twisted gaze up close.
“What’s that supposed to mean…!”
“I saw quite a scene last time.”
My laughter faltered for a moment at his twisted smile.
“That guy seems to have caught your eye. Seeing him come here on his own two feet.”
Ah, love at the risk of one’s life.
With a voice bordering on a whisper, a clear mockery spread from his lips. The fading laughter left a lingering shadow.
Facing his face up close, my neck shivered.
“If it’s not what you wanted, it’s best to leave quickly.”
His finger, brushing against my cheek, swept away a strand of hair. Despite not making contact, I could feel the heat emanating from it.
“He’s coming this way.”
As if a spell had been broken, I suddenly snapped back to reality at his added words.
Yugyeom’s destination at Square was obvious, why didn’t I think of it? I wanted to avoid a situation where I had to meet Baek Hawon and him together for as long as I could.
In my haste to get off the table, however, my body slipped unexpectedly.
“…!”
In that moment, Baek Hawon, who had his arms around my waist, lifted me up. My instincts kicked in, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up.
My feet didn’t touch the ground. This awkward angle, with Baek Hawon holding me from above, felt quite uncomfortable, and I swallowed dryly.
In a short time, many things became sensitively clear.
The hands tightly around my waist, or the strong arms supporting me beneath my knees.
Things like my hair scattered over his shoulders.
“Doesn’t something feel off?”
I blinked slowly at the sudden remark. His blatant gaze was directed towards my lips.
I could instantly grasp the meaning hidden in his words, so surprising was it.
I burst into a laugh, incredulous.
And since I was already doing it, I stared straight into his eyes with a firm gaze and a thick smile.
“Please put me down, Oppa.”
However, as if mocking my assumption that he would immediately put me down, Baek Hawon moved with me still in his embrace.
I stiffened and grabbed onto Baek Hawon’s shoulders tightly.
When he came to a stop, I reflexively held onto him even tighter as his hand that was wrapped around my waist loosened.
With the sound of the door opening, a bright light flooded in from behind.
The eyes locked in my shadow didn’t waver and remained fixed on me.
“Are you punishing me for forgetting?”
It felt like someone had some kind of fixation. Really fixating on weird things.
“If you act like this, it’s a little childish to call me Oppa.”
Baek Hawon raised the corner of his mouth lazily before finally setting me down. Only then could I feel the ground beneath my feet.
As I straightened my wrinkled clothes and lifted my head, Baek Hawon was still standing in front of me.
It was at that moment that I noticed his gaze wasn’t focused on me.
I slowly turned around.
While it had been bright when I went to the shooting range, the sun had already set. The red light pouring in through the large window was dazzling.
I felt a strange sensation, akin to foreboding.
And when I stepped outside and turned my body, the reason for that foreboding was right in front of me.
My heart plummeted.
“Yugyeom.”
His eyes, faintly smiling, gleamed red as they looked down at me.
