*
“Ah… yeah. It’s fine, Noona. Then I’ll stop by in the evening after I finish my business today and pick it up. No, I said it’s fine. Yeah, I’ll hang up.”
The word “Noona” appeared on the phone screen after the call ended. The screen turned black and a troubled expression was reflected on it. Seungyeon shoved the phone into his pocket.
“Of all times, why now…”
He let out a deep sigh. He’d never once felt like the world turned the way he wanted it to, but the things happening lately were severe. Starting from the fact that he’d possessed someone’s body was unrealistic, but wasn’t this too much for someone who’d come to their senses and was trying to live diligently?
Seungyeon bit his lip and forcibly swallowed the sighs that habitually burst out.
“What do I do now?”
The moment he’d decided to break up with Jung Sanho, he’d met Yoon Taerim, and his conversation with him had been just yesterday. In exchange for receiving 100 million won, he was to bid farewell to Jung Sanho—at that deal, Seungyeon had boldly called it. If he finished this matter well, both of them would be goodbye from Seungyeon’s life. When he was even giving money, there was no need to refuse it, right?
Yoon Taerim had laid down one condition to him.
‘There will be a party tomorrow. Of course, Sanho will come there too, and I’ll go as well. What Baek Seungyeon-ssi needs to do is act as vulgar and promiscuous as possible there. So that Sanho will be disgusted enough to run away from you.’
“Really, what do they take me for…”
Seungyeon ground his teeth. Promiscuous, vulgar—was that something to say in front of someone? What hurt his pride the most in the midst of being annoyed and pissed off was that he couldn’t refute those words. Honestly, even in his own eyes, the past Baek Seungyeon had been thoroughly promiscuous and vulgar. That’s why he was hearing such words to his face.
Moreover, Seungyeon had readily accepted that absurd condition at the words of giving 100 million won. The real Baek Seungyeon who’d played dirty to extort money, and himself who’d firmly resolved to be vulgar and promiscuous at the words of giving money—they were essentially the same. Seungyeon rubbed his brow with a gloomy face.
Still, this was a problem that would end if he just closed his eyes tight and was embarrassed once. Whether it was Jung Sanho or Yoon Taerim, he could think of them as connections that no longer existed and cleanly decorate the ending and leave.
As for his reputation, it already seemed to be rumored here and there as a vulgar and promiscuous person, so was there a need to preserve himself now? There probably wasn’t any reputation left to fall further. Well, he wasn’t sure exactly how vulgarly he had to act to satisfy them, but he roughly understood what he was supposed to do. The point was to act shocking enough that Jung Sanho would be shocked, wasn’t it?
“Since it’s come to this anyway, I’ll make all his feelings completely fall away.”
He just had to act in a way no one had ever seen or heard of, right? There was nothing he couldn’t do. He felt sorry for Jung Sanho, but what could he do when there was no other method? And strictly speaking, the most pitiful and regrettable person here was Seungyeon himself.
He’d decided of his own will to become Baek Seungyeon, but he hadn’t known Baek Seungyeon was entangled in this much dirty rumors and gossip. Of course, even if he had known, the conclusion wouldn’t have changed…
“The penalty nullification is a shame though…”
If he cut ties with two of the three specific individuals, only one person would remain. When he recalled Go Won’s face, his heart naturally became solemn. Either way, it wasn’t an easy path. But if he just stayed still, Baek Sehee’s future weighed on his mind.
Just the contact from earlier was like that. The moment he heard Baek Sehee’s contact asking him to come home and run an errand, he had a premonition of what would happen. Just like in the original work, signs showed that the so-called “sweet potato frustration section” would begin in earnest.
The start of it was Tae Mujin’s wife’s miscarriage. With that incident as a catalyst, Baek Sehee’s position would shake tremendously. She’d be falsely accused, have her weakness caught, be mistreated here and there, and the reason she’d called Seungyeon home was probably related to that too. Those beggar-like bastards of the Tae family household would be working Baek Sehee terribly hard right about now.
As Seungyeon remembered, on the day he stopped by that household on his sister’s errand, one incident would break out. The accident created by Baek Seungyeon’s rashness and the malice of the Tae family members would become Baek Sehee’s hardship as is.
In the original work, Baek Seungyeon stops by that house and steals a watch. Whether he could call it “stole,” he honestly wasn’t sure. “Picked up what was thrown away” would be more accurate.
While gathering things on his sister’s errand, Baek Seungyeon discovers the discarded watch. Since it was sitting alone in the trash can, it must have been thrown away. That was definitely the case, but the problem became complicated when the owner of the watch who had thrown it away changed their mind.
Like that, while her younger brother was under the false accusation of being a thief, Baek Sehee was literally humiliated by her mother-in-law, the watch’s owner. In that process, including Tae Muhyuk, no one helped her. In the meantime, Baek Seungyeon sold off the watch completely, and Baek Sehee received help from the male lead Tae Jeyoung in finding the same watch…
“If I don’t take the watch, Tae Jeyoung and Noona won’t be connected, so could their relationship fall apart?”
Why is it so complicated? Seungyeon clutched his head and groaned. Reading the flow was good, but it wasn’t easy to gauge how far he should help either. In the midst of that, he had to think about the penalty, had to safely break up with the specific individuals, incidents kept arising but nothing was properly concluded.
Maybe that’s why, but whenever he did something, he felt like he was sprinting full force down the wrong path. He didn’t know if it was the right direction, didn’t know where the brakes were attached, but the speed kept getting faster. Like this, if a wall appeared before his eyes, twisting the steering wheel with all his might kept repeating.
If he kept living like this, it seemed like something really big would happen. Seungyeon took a deep breath and gathered his heart. First, he’d put a period to the matters before his eyes one by one. Next, help his sister. And when he had some breathing room, from then he’d seriously think about what to do to make a living. Wouldn’t that work?
“At least I’ve secured 100 million won as seed money.”
He’d already received 50 million as a down payment from Yoon Taerim, and was supposed to receive the rest as soon as today’s matter ended. With that much money, couldn’t he clear the remaining debt too? Then he wouldn’t have to ask his sister or mother for help, and if he just found a job well, he could live normally like others.
Thinking that way, he suddenly felt at ease. There was a reason for the saying that generosity comes from the storehouse.
In front of the hotel entrance he’d arrived at before he knew it, Seungyeon slowly stopped walking. Baek Sehee’s matter wouldn’t be too late to think about after safely finishing this party. Ruminating on the meeting place, Seungyeon calmly moved his steps.
With a tense face, he headed to the counter. He gave his name to the staff and received a key card. With a complicated face, he took the elevator and arrived at the guest room, then tagged the card to the door handle.
With a beeping sound, the door opened. There was no one inside. Seungyeon, who’d been worried Yoon Taerim might be there, let out a sigh of relief. With a clearly more comfortable face, he headed inside the guest room.
The interior was clean and luxurious. Seungyeon, who’d been looking around, stopped walking in front of the bed. A black suitcase and a note were visible on the white sheets. He reached out and picked up the paper.
[Change your clothes and come up to the penthouse :)]
Under the note was a black card that appeared to be the penthouse room key. Seungyeon checked the card and glanced at the suitcase.
“What, he even prepared clothes…”
Making a person feel creeped out. With a face that said he really didn’t want to, he opened the suitcase. Fortunately, it wasn’t strange clothing—just reasonably neat slacks and a shirt. Not only clothes but also pants and socks, even shoes were prepared, so it seemed he just needed to change.
After pondering for a moment, Seungyeon took off the clothes he was wearing and took out the shirt. He changed from top to bottom in order, including pants and socks, then tidied his appearance. The outfit wasn’t completely formal, but it wasn’t entirely casual either—the feeling wasn’t bad. He neatly folded the clothes he’d taken off and placed them on the bed, then went outside holding only the card key. While passing through the empty corridor, Seungyeon resolved himself once again.
“As vulgar and promiscuous as possible.”
Let’s do something worthy of the name Baek Seungyeon. Seungyeon’s eyes, brimming with spite, glinted strangely.
