Even the dark circles under his eyes added to his mysterious aura. His slicked-back hair and the black suit he wore further intensified that dark, enigmatic vibe.
He looked dangerous—anyone could see that—but he was so handsome that ordinary celebrities couldn’t even compare.
He resembled Seo Do-gyeom so much that Baek I-hae wondered if the boy would grow into that same atmosphere once he became an adult.
As she blankly admired him, both the middle-aged man and Seo Do-gyeom turned their gaze toward her. That’s when she realized she hadn’t answered the question he’d asked.
He’d asked if she was Baek I-hae. There was only one possible answer.
“No.”
Handsome or not, she couldn’t afford to get involved with such a dangerous household. She’d rather look into staying at a protective facility.
Seo Do-gyeom stared at her shameless answer. His gaze was so intense it felt like it might pierce her profile.
What? So what if I lie?
“You’re not Baek I-hae?”
The middle-aged man asked again. Baek I-hae nodded with full confidence.
“At the very least, I’d appreciate it if you had the decency to hide your name tag before lying.”
“This? I found it this morning. I’m just wearing it for the memories.”
“What kind of memory?”
“A memory of picking up something useless.”
“……”
The middle-aged man stared at her without a change in expression. But for some reason, she thought she caught a glimpse of confusion in that stoic face.
Baek I-hae glanced at Seo Do-gyeom.
He, too, was staring at her with an unchanged expression—just like his father. Neither of them looked even slightly convinced by her lie.
Well, to be fair, even she had to admit it was a shameless and half-hearted lie.
“Spouting nonsense like that—you’re the spitting image of your father.”
And you’re the spitting image of your son with that expressionless face.
“You look just like your mother, so don’t waste any more time on this nonsense.”
Wow. And here I thought he’d at least appreciate how hard I was working to survive.
“According to your parents’ will, you’re to be under my protection until you come of age.”
“I’m fine. I’m seventeen—I can live on my own just fine.”
“What money do you have? You don’t even have a house.”
“I’ll live in the house where I used to live with my parents!”
Sure, she’d have to start looking for where that even was, but hey—it had to exist somewhere in Korea, right?
Baek I-hae smiled brightly as she rejected him.
‘What would make me stay here?’
She didn’t want to live in a place full of men with questionable morals. Frankly, who knew what they might do to her?
The middle-aged man stared intently at her. But she just smiled right back at him.
That made him let out a short chuckle.
It was disgustingly handsome.
“I sold your house.”
And then he said something absolutely insane with that disgustingly handsome face.
Baek I-hae looked at him with pity.
To be that good-looking and still suffer from delusions—how tragic.
“How could a stranger like you sell my parents’ house without permission? Don’t say ridiculous things.”
At the word “ajusshi” (mister), Seo Do-gyeom visibly flinched. But really, what else was she supposed to call him?
The middle-aged man looked at her with a strange expression. Baek I-hae responded with a smug grin.
I’m not a naive kid who’d fall for lies like that!
[Name: Baek I-hae
Age: 17
Traits: Recently lost her parents in an accident. Was supposed to start living with a friend of her parents starting today.
Additional Info: House sold. No place to stay. Currently homeless.
Personality: Introverted]
Just then, as if mocking her, a status window blinked to life in front of her.
She stared daggers at the section labeled “Additional Info.”
To anyone else, it looked like she was glaring furiously at the middle-aged man.
‘What? Why was my house sold? And I’m homeless? You expect me to just accept this with no explanation?’
F** this. Guess I’ll have to accept it anyway.*
Baek I-hae collapsed to the ground with a thud. Despite her sudden collapse, Seo Do-gyeom didn’t budge an inch.
He didn’t even try to help her up—just stared at her with a curious look.
“But… if my parents’ close friend says so, then I guess it must be true. Please, don’t be angry at the nonsense I spouted earlier and accept me into your home.
Sometimes, I lose my grip on reality and babble nonsense. Woof woof.”
[Young Gangster Seo Do-gyeom finds the supporting character’s nonsense amusing.]
So, he noticed it was nonsense.
Well, at least he found it entertaining.
Baek I-hae couldn’t lie. She wasn’t smart either.
But at least she was quick to accept reality.
She had suddenly possessed a character inside a game, and a mysterious status window had appeared.
There was no way it was just a lie.
Perhaps staying here might be safer than ending up on the streets. Or maybe… is that just another load of nonsense?
Baek I-hae gave up on thinking. No matter how much she thought about it, her brain wasn’t going to come up with a proper answer.
“…Seo Do-gyeom.”
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man called Seo Do-gyeom. At that, Seo Do-gyeom turned his gaze away from her and looked at the man.
“Take her to the room next to yours. She seems like a troubled one, so take good care of her.”
“I will.”
Oh, come on. Damn it.
Baek I-hae had just thought he was the mentally unstable one—and now he was looking at her the same way.
She was about to say something, overwhelmed with irritation, when the man added:
“I’ll inform the others, but you’re responsible for her protection. If anyone tries to lay a hand on her for no reason, you have my permission to kill them.”
“Understood.”
…Excuse me, what? Who’s killing who now?
Her anger vanished in an instant. Just like that, even her high blood pressure was cured. The middle-aged man was full of surprising talents.
Still, the fact that he specifically told someone to protect her gave her a bit of reassurance.
Although… could Seo Do-gyeom really protect her from adults?
“Thank you, uncle!”
Worried that Seo Do-gyeom might grab her by the scruff and drag her away again, she quickly stood up and bowed politely to the middle-aged man.
Her manners were so impeccable that the man flinched in surprise. More precisely, he frowned.
“I don’t like noisy things.”
In other words, shut your mouth.
Baek I-hae was quick on the uptake. She pressed her lips together so tightly that even her teeth didn’t show and nodded fast, which earned her another odd look.
Finally, Seo Do-gyeom opened the door, and she scurried after him.
Once she had left, the large man who had been silently standing beside the middle-aged man spoke.
“She seems to be a student with a rather unusual personality.”
“Unusual? From what I can see, she’s completely out of her mind.”
She called someone even adults were afraid of ajusshi, lied shamelessly without blinking…
And didn’t she glare at him earlier too?
“Tell the guys downstairs: Baek I-hae is a guest of Seo I-heum.”
With that kind of phrasing, the men would know how they needed to treat her.
He owed a debt to her parents, so he’d tolerate a little trouble.
‘It’s only for a little less than three years anyway. Once that’s over, I can throw her out right away.’
In the future, someone would suggest he adopt Baek I-hae as his daughter, but the current him had no idea of that.
‘Is she just thoughtless, or does she have no fear?’
Seo I-heum, Seo Do-gyeom’s father, decided she was the former.
—
“Look, I know I acted weird just now, but I’m not actually crazy. I just spout nonsense sometimes, that’s all.”
“……”
He was so quiet. Even as they went up to the room, Seo Do-gyeom didn’t say a single word.
Despite her having walked in under the fierce stares of countless gruff-looking men, he showed no sign of consideration for her.
‘You jerk. Your house has an elevator, and I even planned a whole conversation around how fascinating that was.’
It was a moment that made all of Baek I-hae’s preparation for small talk feel meaningless.
In the end, she let out a deep sigh and decided to keep her mouth shut. She liked quiet anyway, so it was almost a relief.
‘I was just trying to break the tension because I’m not used to this kind of atmosphere. But come to think of it, Seo Do-gyeom isn’t exactly someone I can rely on either.’
She began to worry—was she going to have to live from now on constantly on guard from all directions?
Even though the handsome man had given an order, she wasn’t convinced Seo Do-gyeom would really protect her.
In fact, she doubted whether he had the strength to do so at all.
‘Still, I’ve got nowhere to go. Running away blindly could just lead to something worse.’
Whether she had any relatives on her mother’s or father’s side, the status window gave no indication.
If she had, things probably wouldn’t have turned out like this in the first place.
She resolved to find out if there were any relatives or trustworthy adults who could help her, and then escape this extremely dangerous household.
At that moment, Seo Do-gyeom suddenly turned around.
Baek I-hae, who had been following closely behind, naturally crashed her nose right into his chest.
“Ow, damn it.”
The curse slipped out by habit. She felt his gaze on her at the sound, but—whatever.
He might be good-looking, but she had no intention of trying to impress the future male lead’s love interest’s boyfriend.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
I love her 🥰