The place where Seohee’s footsteps stopped was in front of a passenger car.
An ordinary black passenger car not much different from the other cars parked in the apartment complex. The only noticeable thing was that the windshield was heavily tinted.
Even the streetlight was broken, so the windows were almost black and the inside couldn’t be seen at all. Moreover, it hadn’t moved even once during the ten-plus minutes Seohee and Hyowoo were outside, so it was likely an empty car.
However, Seohee approached the driver’s side, bent his waist, and lightly knocked on the darkened window.
There was no response. Nevertheless, he knocked on the window with his fingertips once more. It was because he was certain someone was inside.
After a moment, the tightly closed window slowly rolled down.
Beyond it, the face of a man who appeared to be in his mid-to-late forties was revealed.
Seohee first greeted the clearly flustered driver with a smile.
“Hello. You’re Reporter Park Isu, right?”
The man also gave a short greeting, saying ‘Hello’ with a reluctant expression.
“You’ve worked hard following me around since early this morning.”
The shoulders of the man called Reporter Park flinched.
He had put his heart and soul into making sure he wouldn’t be caught, but it seemed he never expected to be caught so futilely like this.
In reality, it was such perfect tailing that an ordinary person would never have noticed.
However, Seohee possessed senses far superior to ordinary people.
From yesterday morning when this man first started following him, he had already noticed he was being tailed. And he had immediately identified everything from the fact that he was a reporter from the OO Daily Sports Department to trivial personal information.
Being followed by someone was never a pleasant thing, but it was something he had to accept as a public figure.
Hiding his displeasure, he smiled brightly as usual.
“I understand our side already informed Sports Department Chief Editor Han Byungwook in advance. Did the message perhaps not get through?”
Before entering Korea, Seohee had sent official letters to each media company through his agency and L Group’s PR office requesting restraint in coverage of his private life. He had personally contacted the chief editors of the Sports and Economics departments in particular to ask for special attention.
Despite that, doing this meant not that he didn’t know, but that he knew and ignored it.
‘He must have wanted to secretly follow me and land something big.’
According to his investigation, he was someone who had a history of forcibly molesting a junior Omega in the past, received disciplinary action, and been demoted from his department head position. In short, he was trash.
He probably thought that if he could just break an exclusive like an engagement or dating rumor with the heiress of OO Automobile, he could ignore warnings from above. Furthermore, he probably had the shallow expectation that he could even bury his scandal.
But far from an exclusive, he got caught red-handed by the person in question during the tailing.
And the other party was none other than Lee Seohee. If this just reached the chief editor’s ears, he’d have to be prepared to be fired on the spot.
Watching his expression gradually darken, Seohee spoke.
“Reporter Park must be busy too, so I’ll speak frankly. Would you delete all the photos you took today?”
“Wh… what do you mean…?”
“You took photos, didn’t you?”
Seohee smiled brightly and pointed with his index finger at the camera placed on the passenger seat.
“I don’t mind being photographed, but the person I was with is a civilian. The photos taken here can identify the person and location, so please delete them.”
When the word ‘please’ came out, a nasty smile spread across the man’s face, which had been deathly pale just moments ago.
“Ah, are you dating the person you were with just now?”
What this sly smile meant, and what words this man would say next—the subsequent development was easy to predict.
“Even at a glance, they were a beauty. But no matter how I looked, they seemed like a man—are you dating a male Omega? It’s unexpected that Player Lee Seohee is dating a man?”
If the photos were turned into an article, it was obvious as day that Hyowoo’s personal information would be leaked immediately. It was indirect pressure to respond to the interview if he didn’t want his precious lover’s identity exposed to the world.
He could clearly see the pathetic scheme of trying to exploit Seohee’s desire to protect Hyowoo as a weakness.
The man’s attitude was unpleasant beyond words.
He wanted to contact the president of OO Daily immediately, but thinking of Hyowoo, he didn’t want to make things bigger.
But he also had no intention of obediently answering rude questions, so Seohee spoke politely yet firmly.
“You know well that I don’t answer personal questions, Reporter Park.”
“Don’t be like that and just answer a few questions. I can’t delete what I struggled all day to photograph without any conditions, can I?”
At the man’s words, grinning that he’d write a good article, Seohee’s meticulously built patience crumbled like a sandcastle before waves.
Originally gentle-natured, Seohee was always polite to everyone. Most people returned that kindness as it was. However, there were always one or two troublemakers who mistook Seohee for an ‘easy pushover.’
Not satisfied with secretly tailing him, he even illegally photographed him, yet called it hard work and demanded an interview. Even the slightest bit of consideration he had for letting this pass nicely completely disappeared.
“It seems you didn’t properly understand what I said.”
He needed to accurately inform this troublemaker trash, who was mistaken that he had the upper hand because he’d caught a weakness, of the current situation.
“I don’t negotiate with anyone.”
The moment Seohee finished speaking, the man felt a shiver as if all the hair on his body was standing on end.
Because he was still young and always had a smiling face, people sometimes overlooked one important fact.
That was that Seohee was one of the few ‘Dominant Alphas’ in Korea who could overwhelm his surroundings with just a look in his eyes.
“Even if you take the photos to the newspaper company, the article won’t run. It’ll be the same for other media companies, not just OO Daily.”
It was just one sentence, but the man froze in place.
Without Seohee’s permission, even taking a single breath, even moving a single finger became impossible.
This was the ‘class’ of a Dominant Alpha that ordinary Alphas could never approach.
“If you show them to anyone else, you might never be able to write articles again.”
The man’s face turned pale in an instant.
“Are… are you thr… threatening me right now?”
“Of course not.”
Seohee answered, still wearing a gentle smile.
“As I said before, I’m ‘asking’ you.”
The man glared at Seohee, gritting his teeth. His face was full of wounded pride.
He wasn’t stupid either. He knew better than anyone that Seohee could bring down a mere reporter like him in an instant. Even now, the best choice for himself would be to back down obediently.
However, his pride as a veteran reporter with 20 years of experience wouldn’t allow him to tuck his tail between his legs before the threats of a rich boy in his early thirties who only knew how to kick a ball.
“Ev… even if not an article, there are plenty of ways to make it public.”
The man barely managed to retort with a trembling voice.
“If I upload it to SNS or community portals, people will spread it on their own.”
The last card he pulled out, cornered, was a ‘threat’ to directly distribute it on the internet without going through a media company.
“If it’s Player Lee Seohee’s dating scene, I guarantee it’ll spread in no time.”
Though he didn’t want to agree, it was true.
If photos of Seohee embracing someone were uploaded online, the internet would take care of the rest.
In the face of the uncontrollably spreading speed, even Seohee would be helpless.
By this point, even a third-generation chaebol superstar would bow his head and want to negotiate. Then he’d be able to secure at least one exclusive interview and more—the man was already confident of victory.
However, that elation didn’t last long.
Seohee let out a scoff at him smiling meanly, saying ‘Wouldn’t it be troublesome if your lover’s identity is revealed?’
Really, it was so annoying and ridiculous that he couldn’t listen anymore.
“As you said, taking down a photo once uploaded to the internet is close to impossible.”
Having said that, Seohee paused briefly and looked straight at the man.
“But I can do that impossible thing.”
Only then did the man begin to grasp the situation.
Seohee’s dating rumors first broke last December. Since then, countless photos circulated on the internet, but there wasn’t a single photo that properly showed the other person’s face.
Among reporters, there was much talk that this was an impossible occurrence. Jokes even circulated that ‘Lee Seohee is paying black hat hackers a fortune to delete everything.’
But who would have thought he was personally taking care of it himself?
Fear appeared on the face of the man who had anticipated a come-from-behind victory only to fall into an abyss in an instant.
No matter how popular a player and third-generation chaebol, it would be a loss to antagonize the media—the belated regret for his arrogance, which had made light of it thinking ‘what could he possibly do,’ returned.
“Regrettably, I can no longer cover up your tailing of me today.”
Though his face was still smiling gently, his voice was utterly cold.
“There will be action according to company regulations soon.”
Thinking of him as a docile sheep just because he was smiling innocently was a complete misconception.
The true form of ‘Lee Seohee’ was a predator reigning at the top of the food chain. He had touched someone he shouldn’t have touched.
“Though the tailing was unavoidable, wouldn’t it be better to stop with the rest? If even unnecessary rumors spread, it seems like only troublesome things will happen for both you and me, Reporter.”
This wasn’t a request or a threat.
“In my personal opinion, I think Reporter Park will become far more troubled than me.”
Nor was it a warning.
“I won’t bother confirming you delete them here and now.”
It was an order that absolutely had to be obeyed.
“I trust you’ll erase well from your memory not only the photos but everything that happened here today, and I’ll be going now.”
Having left those final words, Seohee just bowed his head slightly in greeting and walked steadily toward his car.
Only after that retreating figure completely disappeared into the darkness did the man gasp for breath as if his airways had opened up. Hair wet with cold sweat stuck to his forehead. Even his clothes were soaked through.
Having barely caught his breath, he wiped his drenched palms on his pants and frantically picked up the camera. Then he began deleting the photos one by one with trembling hands.
