SACCHARIN
CHAPTER 6

 

02. HELP

I felt anxious. Someone far more terrifying than the man who had crouched earlier to help me with my sneakers was about to arrive.

Without realizing it, I began biting my nails, my entire body drenched in sweat as if I were taking a shower.

“Make sure you’re dressed neatly. The chairman is coming.”

It was my birthday, and I had paid a little more attention to my outfit since I was having dinner with my father at a hotel. I wore black slacks, a thin beige short-sleeved knit top, and a slightly extravagant tweed jacket suited for the in-between seasons.

The man reached out toward my shoulder. He brushed at my jacket as if to remove some invisible dust, running his fingers outward three or four times. Naturally, I twisted my shoulder away to avoid him, signaling with my body that I didn’t like it.

As I frowned and made it clear I disapproved, he smirked, curling the corner of his lips in mockery. Then, as if my retreat had invited him closer, he leaned toward me even further.

Had anyone’s breath ever come this close to my ear? The sensation tickled, and my left shoulder involuntarily jerked upward. That’s when it happened—unexpected contact. Something touched my ear.

“……!”

The moment I felt the warmth and softness of skin touch me, I was so shocked that I couldn’t even scream. Instead, I instinctively clutched my left ear with my hand. He had licked my ear.

The act was so shocking that I froze in place, forgetting to even express my anger. Watching my stunned reaction, he smirked and casually patted my opposite shoulder, brushing it lightly as if nothing had happened.

Then, his lips came so close to my right ear that they seemed to hover on the edge of contact. What happened next was completely unexpected. In a voice so low that only I, standing this close, could hear, he spoke.

“…When the chairman comes, just act like you don’t know anything.”

There were two other people in the room besides him and me, and they must have seen the inappropriate contact that had just occurred.

Humiliated, my face flushed with heat, but I remained frozen in place. Strangely, he didn’t lick my right ear this time. Instead, his lips brushed and pulled away repeatedly, as though he were whispering secrets.

“If you act like you don’t know anything, you’ll survive.”

“…What?”

“And if you really don’t know anything, even better.”

What on earth was he talking about? One moment he was mocking and harassing me, and now he was whispering like he was on my side. All I knew was that my father had told me to bring the passports. Nothing else.

I couldn’t make sense of his sudden shift in demeanor. Just moments ago, he had been taunting me with disdain, going so far as to sexually harass me. Now he acted as though he was giving me life-saving advice. It was suspicious and unsettling.

As I stared at him with clear confusion, his voice lowered even further, almost as if he were performing ventriloquism, wary of being overheard.

“Whatever happens, just deny everything. Say you don’t know.”

“…”

“Don’t forget to beg and plead for your life in front of the chairman if you have to.”

Wait—didn’t he just say, not even a few minutes ago, that he should’ve hit my car harder to threaten me? I couldn’t keep up with his sudden change in demeanor.

Still, his words stirred a faint flicker of hope within me. Could he possibly be on my father’s side?

But it was just a few words, nothing more. I couldn’t afford to trust the man who had hit me with his car and kidnapped me. For all I knew, this could still be part of Pyeon Jae-ho’s trap. I had to stay cautious.

I continued to clutch my left ear, staring at him intently, my eyes silently demanding to know his true intentions. Then I noticed a commotion outside.

“…!”

My heart started pounding wildly, as though I had suddenly gained the ability to predict the future. I didn’t need to see beyond the tightly shut door to know what was happening.

The chairman had arrived.

The faint murmurs and heightened tension of the people stationed outside the room spilled into the atmosphere within. Even the man, who had been acting so ambiguously moments ago, quickly straightened his expression and rose to his feet, his attention fixed on the door.

And then—

“Chairman, you’ve arrived.”

The sound of the door unlocking was followed by its quiet swing open. The chairman entered, and at that moment, everyone in the room simultaneously bowed their heads.

Of course, I scrambled to my feet as well. Though I was trembling with fear and fumbling awkwardly, I didn’t forget to offer a polite greeting to the chairman. The man in the black trench coat didn’t radiate any overt intimidation, yet I instinctively felt compelled to show respect.

Even in this mess, I still had enough sense to try and find a way to survive.

“Hello, Chairman.”

I widened my eyes slightly as I took in the man who had entered the room. So it was true—he really wasn’t in good health.

I bowed deeply once more as I greeted Chairman Pyeon Jae-ho, who was seated in a wheelchair.

“Yes, Wan-yi, it’s been a long time,” he said.

His face showed clear signs of his illness, looking far more haggard than I remembered. Yet even now, it was evident that he had once been considered handsome in his youth. I vaguely recalled seeing this dignified older man a few times when I was a child.

Pyeonjae Trading. Chairman Pyeon Jae-ho.

I had no medical knowledge to describe the scene before me properly, but the chairman wasn’t just in a wheelchair. He also had a nasal cannula supplying oxygen and what seemed like an oxygen tank attached to the back of the wheelchair.

The last time I had seen him, he was youthful and healthy. Now, seeing his face marked by illness and his reliance on the wheelchair and oxygen tank, I couldn’t help but feel a fleeting pang of pity.

But that moment of sympathy quickly vanished when I noticed the sly smile spreading across his face. Despite his frail appearance, his piercing eyes were as sharp as ever. I reminded myself that this wasn’t the time to get lost in sentimentality—I had to stay sharp and face reality.

“Do you remember me, Wan-yi?”

“Yes, of course,” I replied.

“Good. You’ve had a hard time getting here.”

“…Yes.”

Hard time? As if I had come here willingly. They had kidnapped me! The irony made me want to laugh out loud. And the way he spoke, as if these illegal actions were nothing out of the ordinary, only confirmed what I had begun to suspect.

The seemingly ordinary manufacturing company Pyeonjae Trading, and the secrets my father had been hiding—they weren’t separate issues. They were undeniably connected.

“And not just you, but everyone has worked hard,” the chairman continued.

“It’s nothing, Chairman,” someone replied.

“Especially Chief Shin. You’ve had it the hardest. Well done, Chi-woo.”

“It was nothing worth mentioning,” said the man.

“Your words reassure me.”

Chief Shin. Chi-woo.

So that was his name—Shin Chi-woo. Somehow, the name suited him, matching his enigmatic demeanor. The chairman’s voice softened further, warm and affectionate, as if he were an uncle catching up with a niece he hadn’t seen in years.

That only made him more terrifying.

“Wan-yi, you must have a lot of questions. Let’s sit down and talk.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll stand.”

“Take a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”

“I’m fine, Chairman.”

“…Did you not hear me say to sit?”

The subtle pressure in his voice made my heart race. Should I actually sit down? Or should I follow the hint Shin Chi-woo had given me earlier—drop to my knees and beg for mercy immediately?

“…Okay.”

I murmured as I reluctantly lowered myself into a seat.

For reasons I couldn’t fully understand, Chairman Pyeon Jae-ho seemed to be in an extremely emotional state, likely due to my father’s disappearance. This made me wary—at any moment, he could become capricious or nitpick over the smallest things.

As the chairman repeatedly motioned with his hand for me to sit, I found it increasingly difficult to resist. I felt torn. On one hand, complying seemed wise, as defying him might make me appear rebellious. On the other hand, I feared that if I sat too readily, he might see me as presumptuous or disrespectful.

Caught in this turmoil, I subtly glanced at Chief Shin. Shin Chi-woo, as if understanding my silent plea, blinked deliberately. It looked like he was signaling that it was okay to sit.

“…Thank you for your consideration, Chairman,” I said cautiously.

Reluctantly, I lowered myself onto the sofa as instructed, though it was impossible to feel comfortable. The fear stabbing through my body made the seat feel like it was made of needles.

I knew exactly who was at the root of all this from the beginning. The car accident had been caused by Shin Chi-woo, the man they called Chief Shin, but he was merely the chairman’s puppet. The one who orchestrated everything was none other than the man in front of me, Chairman Pyeon Jae-ho.

Terrified, I kept my hands clasped neatly and my gaze fixed on the floor. From the corner of my eye, I saw the gleam of polished shoes. The chairman had rolled his wheelchair closer.

“I remember seeing you when you were just this small,” he said, gesturing with his hand to indicate my height as a child. “When did Seo Director’s little girl grow up into such a fine young lady?”

“That’s true,” I murmured.

“Our Wan-yi… I should live long enough to see you get married, but as you can see, my condition is like this…”

“You’ll recover soon. You’ll get better,” I replied, trying to sound reassuring.

The chairman smiled faintly at me, his expression soft, as though he were reminiscing about old times. He placed his right hand near his waist, as if measuring my childhood height again, a nostalgic look crossing his face.

Watching him, I couldn’t help but recall the words my father had once said.

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