Taerim looked down at Taehyeok with eyes that went beyond coldness to contain murderous intent.
“Kyung Taehyeok, did you really think I was leaving you alone because I don’t know anything?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I wonder if the Chairman doesn’t know either? That you embezzled money from distribution?”
At those words, Taehyeok’s expression instantly turned ashen. Taerim continued impassively.
“The reason you were even given construction to manage was because we’re family with mixed blood after all. At least the Chairman would think so.”
Soon, Taerim grabbed Taehyeok by the collar.
“But I might not leave you alone. I know more than what the Chairman knows.”
Taehyeok, who had been flustered for a moment, quickly changed his attitude and raised his voice instead.
“Shut up! Do you think I’ll die alone if you do that? You bastard, you have a problem with your sense of smell, right? You can’t smell! Do you think Grandfather will put a defective bastard like you in the Chairman position of HS Group?”
How did he know? He doesn’t think I told him, does he?
As the shocked Wonyoung looked at Taerim, Taerim laughed contemptuously.
“Well, in the end, the one the Chairman chose was me, wasn’t it?”
“If I tell Grandfather that fact, you’re finished! Got it?”
“Ah, right. But will I be finished alone? Really?”
Taerim pulled Taehyeok’s collar and growled low.
“Even if I fall, I can stand on my own strength, but what about you?”
“…….”
At that moment, fear dwelt in Taehyeok’s eyes.
Imagining himself having lost the name HS, his vision went dark. Kyung Taehyeok had neither the courage nor the talent to stake everything he had. The fact that he knew this was fortunate if it could be called fortunate for him.
“Don’t ever touch Narae again. Don’t even meet him. I’ve warned you.”
With a thud, Taerim released Taehyeok, turned around, took Wonyoung’s hand and left the president’s office. As Wonyoung was dragged out in bewilderment, he sneakily raised his middle finger toward Taehyeok. He got one warning, but so what!
“Narae-ssi, what exactly are you?”
However, as soon as they left the president’s office, Taerim pressed him, making Wonyoung shrink his shoulders. Facing Wonyoung’s face still brimming with tears, Taerim averted his gaze and said.
“Why are you so reckless? Are you determined to drive people crazy?”
Though his tone had softened considerably, his speech was still cold. Wonyoung answered with a sullen face.
“I’m sorry……. I just, in my own way, tried to somehow handle the situation.”
“So why are you the one handling it?”
“That’s…….”
All sorts of words came to mind, but nothing actually came out of his mouth. Why can’t you speak in front of Kyung Taerim when you even slapped him in front of Kyung Taehyeok?
Despite his resentful inner thoughts, as Wonyoung couldn’t say anything, Taerim sighed.
“Don’t ever meet Kyung Taehyeok again. Understand?”
“……I won’t. I returned the money too…….”
At Wonyoung’s mumbled answer, Taerim’s eyebrow rose crookedly.
“You returned the money? Where does Narae-ssi get money to return as much as 100 million won?”
Wonyoung shrank his shoulders even more and said haltingly.
“I took out a loan…….”
“What? Are you in your right mind?!”
“But…….”
“Why are you acting so stupidly! Or…….”
Taerim hurriedly stopped speaking, but Wonyoung, who guessed the rest of his words, asked in a trembling voice.
“Or what? Were you going to say this is also a tactic to divert attention?”
“……No, Narae-ssi. That’s not what I…….”
How much pain was I in? How sorry was I? It wasn’t even my fault in the first place!
Wonyoung’s anger began to slowly rise again.
“Whether I take out a loan or sell my organs, it’s my choice! Why do you keep telling me what to do?! You’re not interested in me anymore anyway! You said let’s never see each other until we die!”
“When did I ever…….”
Taerim tried to make excuses in his fluster, but Wonyoung, who was thoroughly sulking, had no intention of listening to him.
“Ah, forget it! Yes, I deceived you, Director. I betrayed you too. I sold your weaknesses as well. Are you satisfied now?”
“Narae-ssi!”
“What! We’re finished anyway! Now stop caring about my business and live well on your own!”
With those final words, Wonyoung turned around sharply. He briefly had the foolish hope that Taerim might chase after him, but that didn’t happen.
That bastard Kyung Taerim.
Wonyoung muttered that and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
* * *
Between resigning and fighting with the Kyung family people, Wonyoung returned home completely exhausted and turned on the light in the dark room with a click.
“Aaah!”
As the silhouette sitting in the middle of the room was revealed, Wonyoung shrieked and backed away. Fortunately, it was Heegang, not a ghost or a thief.
“Why are you here?”
When Wonyoung, who had calmed his startled heart, asked, Heegang instead asked seriously.
“Rae-ya, why did you do such a thing?”
“……Huh?”
“Come here.”
While detecting an ominous premonition somehow, Wonyoung approached gropingly and sat across from him, and Heegang pulled Wonyoung into an embrace.
Soon, Heegang whispered low in Wonyoung’s ear while holding him in his arms.
“Why did you rashly borrow money again?”
“H-how did you…….”
At Wonyoung’s flustered voice, Heegang replied as if pleased.
“Rae-ya. There’s nothing I don’t know about you. Haven’t you accepted that fact yet? You can’t do anything while deceiving me.”
“…….”
[Could there be such obsession? Rae’s status has become ‘Fear.’ Trembling makes it hard to speak easily.]
[Status: Scared o(><；)oo]
It was truly 100% pure horror. Wonyoung said with a face pale as a sheet, trembling.
“W-well, you see, I had some problems…….”
“Yeah, so you wrote a body forfeiture agreement?”
“That’s, well…….”
What could he do when the mission told him to? If he didn’t, they wouldn’t lend him the 100 million.
Wonyoung didn’t know how many times he hit the System’s head over that matter. But the only unhelpful answer that came back was that Narae was originally a pushover. But he couldn’t say such things out loud.
“Rae-ya. Why do you give your body to just anyone? Hm?”
This is too scary. Please, can’t someone get rid of this guy?
“If you’re going to give it to just anyone, you should obviously give it to me.”
“Uh……?”
“So I bought it.”
Heegang released Wonyoung and said that while pulling something out from his chest. It was a strangely familiar document. Wonyoung looked at Heegang, thinking ‘no way.’
“W-wait a minute. This is…….”
“Yeah, your body forfeiture agreement.”
Wonyoung looked at the agreement he wrote with his own hands with shaking eyes, then asked.
“Don’t tell me you buried those people……?”
“What? Hahahaha!”
Heegang laughed out loud. Wonyoung, who had been somewhat relieved by that sound, turned pale at the following statement.
“I didn’t kill them.”
“Hey!”
“They’re trash lives anyway, so isn’t it enough if their lifeline is just attached? I also properly paid money to get this.”
“What?”
To Wonyoung who asked back in confusion, Heegang said calmly.
“The 100 million you borrowed, I repaid it instead. They petty added interest in the meantime? So it was 105 million.”
“What?! Why did you……!”
His heart was already uncomfortable over the matter with Kyung Taerim, and now Baek Heegang was causing trouble too. Wonyoung’s head began to throb. Heegang gently stroked Rae’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Rae-ya. I know you’d hate it.”
“If you know, why……!”
“I’m not just giving it to you. Pay me back, the 100 million.”
At the unexpected story, as Wonyoung lost his words, Heegang spoke kindly.
“Rather than borrowing from strange guys and even writing a body forfeiture agreement, wouldn’t it be better for you to borrow from me? At least I won’t gouge you with interest.”
“B-but…….”
“It’s fine if you can’t repay it. Your body will become my possession.”
Then Heegang pretended to think, going ‘Hmm……’ before smiling brilliantly.
“Actually, I hope you can’t repay it.”
Looking at Heegang’s unnecessarily dazzling smile, Wonyoung covered his face.
He’s decided to openly go crazy now…….
‘I shouldn’t have taken his side back then.’
Now that even the past was all exposed, this guy had nothing to fear even if he revealed his true nature.
What’s so great about that affection, I shot myself in the foot…….
‘I borrowed 100 million, but in front of Kyung Taehyeok I just got help from Kyung Taerim, and then I had a huge fight with that Kyung Taerim. On top of that, now my body is mortgaged to Baek Heegang?’
Wonyoung wished all of this was a dream instead. Wasn’t this too unlucky!
As Wonyoung remained silent with his face buried in both hands, Heegang asked with a sweet smile.
“Rae-ya, are you crying?”
“……What?”
“It’s okay to cry, for me.”
His soft voice rang out chillingly. Looking at Heegang who was like a scene from a drama, Wonyoung was truly dazed.
‘He’s crazy.’
I brought a crazy bastard into my life with my own hands.
Was it thanks to that? Even the gloomy mood from meeting with Taerim lifted a bit. Whether he should be grateful for this or not.
Still, laughter somehow came out, so Wonyoung laughed softly. It was absurd, but it was just funny.
“Haha…….”
Then Heegang paused for a moment, then laughed along.
“As expected, you’re pretty when you smile.”
While saying that, hearts burst forth around Heegang. Wonyoung made a firm resolution to laugh more often even just to survive.
“Then the term is 5 years. If you repay the principal within that time, I’ll consider there’s no interest.”
“What? That long? And I only need to repay the principal…….”
“I like you, Rae-ya.”
At the sudden confession, as Wonyoung hesitated, Heegang smiled brightly.
“But before that, we’re friends. We know each other better than anyone.”
“…….”
“Can’t you do this much between friends?”
At those words, Wonyoung, who hadn’t been able to say anything, barely managed to spit out one sentence.
