Chapter 15
『―”Do I seem like some pushover? K*ll me, go on. I’m saying, k*ll me.”』
“Cough, cough!”
The voice, distorted by a modulator, sent a chill straight up her spine.
And yet, it sounded disturbingly familiar…
『―”You b*stard! I won’t let this slide! I’ll st*b you with a knife, throw you in a pit of filth, and scatter your ashes… I’ll make you disappear!”』
What the…?
T- That’s my modulated voice!
Her face turned pale. Some parts were clearly the perpetrator’s words, but most of it..most of it…were hers.
Her threats had been masterfully spliced together, creating an entirely new “criminal.” Heeju was shocked beyond comprehension.
『―“The car got scrapped…Let’s settle it for 2 billion. I’m being generous.”』
“…”
『―”Do you want me to get started? Do you want me to k*ll you tomorrow?”』
What on earth… What is happening here? W- Who would do this?
Still clutching a spoon with rice sticking to her lip, Heeju wobbled toward the TV. Her mind blanked out, and her trembling hands could barely keep steady.
Then came the sudden noise— a door sliding open, followed by the heavy thud of it slamming shut.
Someone had entered.
A figure trailing the acrid smell of smoke burst in with rough, unsteady steps. He was a mess— his hair, usually neat, hung over his brows, and his shirt was singed and darkened with soot. His jacket and tie were gone.
As he approached, the burnt smell grew overpowering.
“…!”
A foreboding unease crept over her.
‘N-No way…’
She forced herself to suppress her suspicions. It can’t be!
Suddenly, their gazes locked.
“Mind showing me your thigh?”
“…!”
Heeju blinked rapidly, struggling to process what she had just heard.
D- Did he just say that?
“Should I pull it up, or will you do it yourself?”
His eyes drifted, without shame, down to her legs.
‘No, I didn’t mishear him. Thigh? Why my thigh, of all things?’
“Someone set fire to my office,” he explained.
“…!”
He gestured at the news broadcast playing on TV.
…This can’t be! How?
Sure, that modulated voice is mine, and yes, I’m the one who threatened him, but arson? Absolutely not!
“Got a little too worked up, I guess,” he muttered, brushing his hair back. His smirk twisted like a predator on a hunt.
“There’s no better way to fix a nasty habit,” he added. His eyes were gleaming with dark satisfaction.
It was rare to see Baek Sa-eon smile. But he wasn’t smiling out of amusement. This was the brittle exterior of something far more dangerous.
‘He’s the one…!’
The realization struck like lightning.
‘He’s the one who edited that recording…!’
Everything about this screamed manipulation. This was his way of escalating the situation and regaining control.
‘Why is this spiraling so far out of hand?’
Heeju was on the verge of fainting. But even as she stood frozen, her distorted voice was broadcast over and over again.
“So now,” he said, stepping closer, “we’re going to do a little check. As you’re the only lead I have.”
His gaze grew sharper.
***
Steam filled the bathroom as Baek Sa-eon stood under the shower, letting the hot water strip away the soot clinging to him.
―“I’ll make you regret it!”
The sound of her recorded voice replayed in his mind.
The fire had erupted the moment he screamed that final threat into the phone. The private office he used outside of official duties—not his main one, but one known only to a select few—had been targeted.
Somehow, the culprit had found it.
Baek Sa-eon thought back to the CCTV footage: a figure in a black jumper and baseball cap.
The perpetrator had even tilted their cap up briefly, defiantly meeting the camera’s lens with a smirk before vanishing into the shadows.
His shoulder, where he had sustained a minor burn, caused pain. The running water masked the acrid smell still lingering.
“…Been a while since I let someone get the better of me like this,” he muttered to himself. His lips curled into a humorless grin.
“Well, now it’s my turn.”
Without hesitation, he diverted from the hospital to a secure backup. It had taken less than an hour to splice together the d*mned audio and leaked it to the media.
Manipulating narratives? That was his specialty.
But even he couldn’t let this slide. Not after the fire. Not after the violation of his carefully constructed life.
He tied a towel loosely around his waist, steam swirling in the dim bathroom light.
“I didn’t want to drag her into this,” he murmured, dark eyes narrowing, “but there’s no choice.”
***
“Heeju,” he called from the living room.
She flinched, her body stiffening at the sound.
Surely… Surely not…
“Bring your leg over here.”
He walked toward her as water dripped to the floor. His cloth clung damply to his chest.
“Whoever found my office won’t stop at that,” he said, his tone flat. “This place isn’t safe either.”
“…”
“So, cooperate with me. I need to confirm how much they know.”
He moved faster than she expected and scooped her up before she could retreat.
‘W-What is he doing?!’
“Stay still. Good girls behave,” he said, adjusting her weight in his arms like it was nothing.
‘Good girls?!’
Her face heated up. But he didn’t pause and strode toward his bedroom with deliberate steps.
Theirs had been a marriage of convenience. They had shared a home but never crossed boundaries.
Until now, that is.
He roughly dropped Heeju onto the bed and the mattress bounced slightly under the impact.
“I need to see it with my own eyes.”
Baek Sa-eon’s heavy shadow loomed over her.
As the faint smell of antiseptic from the hospital filled her nostrils and she instinctively recoiled. That’s when she felt the waistband of her pants being tugged.
The elastic band stretched precariously, as though about to snap. Panicking, she grabbed his wrist to stop him.
‘Wait, wait…!’
His dry, piercing gaze flashed briefly with irritation.
Clicking his tongue, he snatched the car key from the nightstand. Without hesitation, he slid open the small utility knife attached to the keyring and brought it to her pants.
‘What are you even..’
In a swift motion, he cut through the fabric near her thigh. Before she could even process what had happened, the right side of her pants lay shredded, revealing her pale, unblemished skin.
‘Well, at least he didn’t pull them off, but somehow this feels even worse…!’
His large hand pressed against her thigh, and his fingers slowly pushed the fabric aside.
The clinical intensity in his expression made her feel less like a person and more like a specimen under observation.
“Ugh…”
Despite the overwhelming embarrassment, a strange prickling sensation spread from where his thumb brushed across her skin. Her heart pounded erratically, and she instinctively curled her toes.
That’s when his thumb ran firmly over a specific spot.
“There it is,” he murmured, his breath hot against her bare skin.
“…It’s real.”
His previously impassive face twisted into a deep frown.
Baek Sa-eon’s eyes locked on her thigh. It was as though he was comparing the distinctive birthmarks on her skin to a photo in his mind.
Three tiny dots in a triangular formation—unique and unmistakable.
Exactly like in the picture.
A dark cloud of displeasure spread across his face. His calmness was slowly evaporating.
“I didn’t think it’d actually be true.”
“…”
“How am I supposed to process this, Hong Heeju?”
Her jaw tightened as she fought to keep her expression neutral.
‘Go ahead, be as annoyed as you want. Let it drive you mad! Because your political career won’t take off until you deal with your troublesome wife!’
“When did that photo even…” he began, only to cut himself off with a shake. “Forget it. That’s not the issue—”
He asked her with an irritated voice, “Bring me your phone.”
“…!”
The unexpected demand made her stiffen. She hesitated, but his sharp intuition didn’t miss a thing. He leaned in closer, and the faint hospital scent she had noticed earlier became prominent.
“I’ll check it for hacking and give it back.”
“…”
“Just bring it.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t press further about the photos themselves. His focus wasn’t on the provocative content but rather on uncovering how the files had been leaked.
‘…He saw the garter belt and still kept that blank expression?’
As absurd as it was, she realized just how difficult it was to rattle Baek Sa-eon. Embarrassment, shame—these emotions didn’t seem to reach him. Whether it was sheer confidence or a lack of interest, he remained frustratingly unshaken.
‘Argh…!’
Her internal grumbling was cut short when his hand suddenly clamped around her thigh. His grip was firm, too firm, leaving her skin stinging.
His breathing was ragged.
Heeju glanced down at her thigh, now marked with a vivid red imprint of his fingers. The sting lingered with a mix of heat and dull ache.
She sat there in stunned silence, her hand brushing absentmindedly over the throbbing mark.
TL/N:
Don’t ask why I added the shirtless image lol. The novel is r-15 btw.
