Episode 2
“Is he even capable of rat-like behavior now?”
I couldn’t move a finger in the face of the first taste of death.
It wasn’t hard to understand his behavior in the context of the novel’s setting. Originally, Cha Yeon-byeol was so crazy about Baek Ha-won that she even liked his strange behavior.
To Baek Ha-won, Cha Yeon-byeol was just one of the misfortunes brought on by the woman who took her mother’s place after her death, but the foolish girl coveted his love.
“Boss, there was a commotion. The lady seems to be out of her mind and mistaken. She must have been lucky to find this room.”
If the person in front of me who couldn’t even say a word didn’t stop me, I might have really hit him.
Baek Ha-won, the boss of Baekcheon, was capable of such behavior.
Fortunately, Baek Ha-won didn’t pay any more attention to me and didn’t ask about the commotion. After all, Cha Yeon-byeol’s footsteps were just a small happening compared to yesterday’s big fuss.
Along with his gaze, the gun was put away and I was led out of the room by Jiwoon. The way back to the room was too complicated for me to even think about.
“You’re so pretty. Don’t meet any other guys.”
Even after seeing it several times, my reflection in the mirror looked awkward.
My hair, which fell down to my waist and swayed softly with every movement, shone alluringly as if it was full of the night sky.
Her sharp, cat-like eyes had an atmosphere that caught the gaze of those who met them, and her red, plump lips drew a dizzying line when they moved.
Although she had a look that could seduce any man she wanted if she set her mind to it, I didn’t know why I was so thirsty for someone who didn’t even look at me.
“Ha…….”
As I rubbed my throbbing head, I felt a sense of heat.
It would be so nice if I could just watch and cheer for their love as it progressed according to the novel I loved.
Unfortunately, this body was destined to die soon if it followed the development of the novel I knew.
In the first meeting between Baek Ha-won and Yoo Kyung.
“I can’t die here.”
When he wrapped his cold hand around my cheeks with a loud slap, my mind cleared.
I unfolded the paper I had barely found in the corner of the bookshelf and grabbed a pen. To avoid dying as the novel progressed, a specific plan was needed.
Named the “Make Everyone’s Happy Ending Project!”
The protagonist of the novel, Baek Ha-won and Yoo Kyung, could be called the real-life Romeo and Juliet in one word.
Yoo Kyung was a bastard born between the leader of “Utopia,” which could be considered an enemy of Baekcheon, and a prostitute.
Utopia, which was always overshadowed by Baekcheon, came to Baekcheon’s headquarters to catch even one of Baekcheon’s weaknesses, and stupidly kidnapped Cha Yeon-byeol once they got in.
And fortunately or unfortunately, Baek Ha-won decided to confront Utopia’s arrogant attitude head-on, whether it was a stroke of luck or misfortune.
There, the two meet for the first time.
“I didn’t expect the leader of Baekcheon to come in person.”
Softly curved eyes drawing gentle lines.
Ears filled with sparkling piercings, like white shells habitually touched.
The moment Baek Ha-won first saw Yoo Kyung, he fell for him at first sight. Of course, it took him a long time to realize that fact.
But if I go this far, I’ll die.
And it’ll be at the hands of my favorite, Yoo Kyung.
Baek Ha-won was so obsessed with Yoo Kyung that he didn’t care at all whether Cha Yeon-byeol lived or died, and Cha Yeon-byeol was never mentioned again as if she had never existed.
“You must not be kidnapped.”
I wrote it forcefully under the title.
<Everyone’s Happy Ending Project!>
<1. Do not get kidnapped>
I wrote it so hard that the paper could have torn.
<Everyone’s Happy Ending Project!>
<1. Do not get kidnapped>
<2. Do not get kidnapped>
<3. Do not get kidnapped>
“I’m the most precious… my life is too precious.”
Finally, I felt a bit relieved. I know how the novel progresses, so getting kidnapped should be preventable, right?
It took a while for their first meeting to happen, but anyway, their love was always headed for a sad ending.
In the end, Yoo Kyung gets shot and dies instead of Baek Ha-won. I cried all night at that scene.
I’ll live, my favorite will live—two birds with one stone! Perfect plan!
I folded the paper with the plan, pondering where to put it with a restless heart.
“Huh?”
I made a dull noise as something hit my foot. When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw a key lying in the corner.
I reached for the key. Then my gaze fell on a spot that seemed to fit the key perfectly.
“Is this the drawer key?”
The three drawers from top to bottom were not locked. They just seemed to lack any sort of organization.
Red lipstick, black leather gloves, crumpled letter paper, a transparent bottle filled with white pills, withered rose petals.
Is this a trash can? I tilted my head and pulled the last drawer. It made a creaking sound, but only the last drawer didn’t open.
I inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it stiffly. It opened. However, what was inside was something I never expected.
“A gun?”
A black gun that didn’t fit the room’s decor at all, just like in the picture.
When I held the gun in my hand, I felt a sensation as if the heat that had been swirling in my head had suddenly dissipated.
* * *
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Whew!”
I put down the gun and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I was feeling really hyped up. The man who had reluctantly guided me here had his mouth open in surprise without even realizing it.
“This is a disaster. It’s all over.”
I can’t shoot like this.
I knew that Cha Yeon-byeol had grown up like a precious flower under the protection of Baekcheon.
I had never seen Cha Yeon-byeol shooting a gun in the novel, but I had hoped that there might be a gun in the room. However, even enduring the recoil was overwhelming, so it was natural that all the bullets missed the target, or hit somewhere unknown.
“Sigh…”
I finally let out a deep sigh and slumped down.
If, just if, I were kidnapped to Utopia like in the novel?
In the novel, Baek Ha-won comes to rescue Cha Yeon-byeol, but her safety was always beyond his concern, and he didn’t give it his all, so she died.
In fact, I knew it inside. The best plan to prepare for the current situation of being kidnapped was to have Baek Ha-won do everything he could to rescue me.
“Is he even acting like a rat now?”
But I couldn’t bring myself to try it, as I kept thinking about his cold gaze.
I shook my head vigorously and buried my face in my knees.
Baek Ha-won and Yoo Kyung’s first meeting was on a typical snowy day.
Judging from the weather, there was less than a month left.
Plan 1: Don’t get kidnapped.
And to survive, Plan 2 would have to be “If Baek Ha-won isn’t with me, I’ll die,” but the chances of making it happen within a month were very slim.
“Hello, boss!”
“Boss! What’s going on here? Should we get the boys out?”
Then the sound of gunfire stopped, and the muffled greetings of the gruff voices echoed throughout the shooting range. I looked around in surprise.
“What? Baek Ha-won?”
I murmured quietly and hid behind a pillar, looking towards the direction of the sound.
Unlike the temperature of the sunlight pouring down from the glass ceiling, his face was still like a piece of ice, so it was definitely Baek Ha-won who got hit.
“Everyone, get out for an hour.”
At Min-woo’s words, everyone at the shooting range went outside, and I, who had no intention of setting a new death flag here, also thought the same.
But soon after, my steps came to a halt.
Bang!
A perfect angle, an unwavering posture. The bullet pierced the center of the target in a single shot.
“Wow…”
I quickly hid behind the pillar again. Well, if I’m going to watch and learn, I might as well watch the strongest guy.
I watched intently as Baek Ha-won, who had comfortably taken his position, aimed his gun at the target. Not a single shot missed the center of the target, as if he was the boss himself.
After a few minutes, with another round of gunfire, Baek Ha-won lowered his gun and took a step. It looked like he was changing the gun.
Just when I thought he was walking away, Baek Ha-won turned towards my direction.
In a moment of surprise, I hurriedly tried to hide behind the pillar.
Bang!
The surreal situation unfolded before my eyes in slow motion.
The muzzle was pointed at me, and then the explosive sound of the gunshot rang out, tearing through my eardrums.
“Ahh!”
I screamed and fell to the ground.
My hands covering my ears were shaking. It was an instinctive action that I didn’t intend to do.
As I took a deep breath and slowly lifted my head, I saw a small bullet rolling on the ground in my line of sight.
“A rubber bullet?”
As soon as I confirmed it, something hot and bubbly burst out of my mouth.
It didn’t matter if it was a real bullet or a toy gun.
He looked at me and fired his gun.
As the fact that this absurd sentence was a reality became clear, my mind was dizzy with confusion.
“Oh no.”
The voice that fell over my head was dry, as if a switch had been flipped and all emotions had been erased. My trembling fingertips were numb with the chilling dryness.
“Thought you were a rat.”
Just like when stepping on an ant while passing by, there was no feeling at all.
As our eyes met, my breath shook uncontrollably with the overwhelming emotions.
Baek Ha-won, who had kneeled down in front of me and matched my eye level, reached out his hand and whispered.
“Why, were you surprised?”
His large hand covered mine. The chill of the coldness that remained like flowing water intensified as he took the gun that was clenched in my hand.
“You didn’t come here for this anyway, did you?”
“……”
“Even if I have to do crazy things to get your attention. You like that, don’t you?”
It wasn’t an unfamiliar treatment.
As he said, if I could just get Baek Ha-won’s attention, I would throw away even the most basic human ethics and do things beyond common sense, because that’s who Cha Yeon-byeol was.
But even so, I couldn’t control these emotions right now.
Did I wish for this situation?
The unfairness that fell into this damn situation turned into anger in an instant.
I lifted my head, biting my lip, and grabbed Baek Ha-won’s collar, pulling him towards me, and his body leaned towards me unexpectedly.
“I’ll say it once, so listen up, boss.”
Close enough to feel his breath.
If everyone saw this scene, they would finally think that this young lady in the house had gone crazy, but my mind was clearer than ever.
“My heart has left here.”
As I poked Baek Ha-won’s chest, his brow furrowed. I forcefully spat out each word, suppressing the pounding emotions.
“I’ll be independent by the end of this week, so please prepare a farewell party.”
It might have been impulsive,
No. It was definitely impulsive, but it was a decision filled with desperate sincerity.
“The boss might be surprised too, but make it grand and extravagant. Can you do that?”
Just this once, as always.
Thank you for the chapter!