Chapter 4

Translator and Editor: Gina and Tea

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Chapter 4

“Cha Yeonbyeol.”

Baek Hawon is an obsessive maniac chaebol.

[tl/n: South Korea’s chaebol are large family-owned businesses conglomerates]

“Because you keep doing things you have never done before,”

Freaking obsessive,

“I think I know…”

A person who can hold and sway both power and money in just one hand.

In his eyes, there are only two kinds of radical outcomes. One is the same death knell for everyone, and the other is reserved only for Yu-gyeom.

“But then it seems I don’t.”

The moment I saw my own reflection in his eye, I felt it. I was doomed. Since I couldn’t be Yu-gyeom, my outcome contained in that intense gaze was pretty obvious.

I couldn’t come to my senses at the chill that ran from the starting point up to his cold, large fingers touching me. By innate nature, he possessed an atmosphere that oppressed people at once, suffocating them.

“Boss, it’s the doctor.”

Just at that moment, my ears welcomed the pleasing sound of a voice breaking the suffocating silence, and finally, Baek Hawon’s gaze fell from me. Fortunately, I was liberated.

It was, however, only a temporary measure.

* * *

“Shall I tie your hair up or leave it untied?”

“Umm, please leave it untied.”

A party really took place just a week later. During those seven days, I had locked myself in my room and searched for a way to live. A woman who introduced herself as Jane walked in and out of my bedroom for a week, picking out dresses, necklaces, and things like that, and whenever she did it I always hastily tried to find the most casual and simple of all. The things prepared according to Cha Yeonbyeol’s tastes were glamorous and (harmfully) eye-catching beyond imagination.

“Let’s try on a dress.”

As I held the soft flowing dress in my hand, I realized that today was the party. After today’s party, I’ll be leaving Baekcheon as soon as possible.

‘But how in the world do I wear this?’

At first glance, I thought it was just a simple basic design, but the design was a bit difficult to figure out where to put the legs. As soon as I managed to put my body in it and came out, Jane ran up to me and arranged my outfit.

“You are so beautiful, Miss!”

I almost screamed at my reflection in the mirror. Layers of pure white silk were sewn upon layers to create a light yet meticulously designed dress that sparkled with small jewels embedded in it. And even the parts that could have been plain stood out thanks to the fresh flowers that adorned the waist and chest. I thought it was an unexposed garment, but that was only when viewed from the front. In the back, a deep ‘V’ neckline went down from the nape to the flowers decorating the waist, which was quite inconvenient for me, who was unused to exposing so much.

“Is something the matter?”

I considered changing, but I shook my head as I remembered the other dresses that had been nominated. The gap was obscured by my long, wavy hair anyway, which would make it difficult for anyone to see anything. Overall, today I — no, Cha Yeonbyeol was dazzlingly beautiful. The white, shiny jewelry that complemented the dress sparkled even more prettily in contrast with the black hair.

Knock, knock- With an unexpected knock, a familiar face appeared through the opened door.

“The Boss is looking for you.”

Ji-woon came to deliver Hawon’s order.

“Alright.”

I smiled brightly at Ji-woon, but his expression did not change a bit.

“There’s still something left to prepare, are you coming with me?”

“I’ll be waiting outside.”

Ji-woon left, and Jane sat me in front of the mirror and started to compare which ornament matched the best.

“Everyone will be surprised when they see you, Miss,” she said as she placed a white lace ribbon studded with tiny jewels on the braided side, similar to the dress.

“Is that so?”

“Because Miss’ atmosphere is very different from usual. Not only your style but also your behavior has changed a lot.”

Jane curved the corner of her mouth into a smile. I also agreed with her. Cha Yeonbyeol was far from innocent or pure. Always thirsty for affection, she adorned herself flashily and dressed up even more splendidly just for everyone to look at her. Therefore, since I went to the completely opposite side with my attire today, everyone would notice the difference.

“Because you keep doing things you have never done before” Baek Hawon’s observation caught my mind for a second, the most crucial thing, though, was to alter the original plot. ‘If I live as Yeonbyeol has always done, I will become villainess no.1 who dies in the main characters’ first meeting. I can’t help but do what she has never done before.’

“He is waiting for you in the first floor office.”

As I nodded lightly at Ji-woon’s words, he took the lead. Following him, I took a slow, deep breath.

I can do it.

I can live.

As I went down the curved stairs around the lobby of The Square, I noticed a huge white bird-shaped sculpture in the center. Baekcheon’s symbol. At the end of the hallway with the sculpture, a door reflected the bright sunlight and dazzled me from afar. As soon as they saw me, the men guarding the door opened it.

“…”

Wearing a formal suit, Baek Hawon was focusing on some documents and paused as soon as he saw me. He looked at me up and down for a moment, then got up from his chair and walked toward me. In that dazzling black suit, with his hair carefully combed up and back, he looked like a prince rather than his usual appearance. I was stunned until his hand reached out to me and I came back to my senses.

“Will you escort me now?”

“Because there will be many eyes around.”

‘You don’t care about reputation, though?’ Well, I think there was no reason to create any worry about family affairs. Anyone could be an enemy in this place, and even small rumors could be a weakness. That was the reason why, like an organization of idiots, Utopia kidnapped Cha Yeonbyeol and took her as a hostage. Even if it wasn’t because of the rumors, it was clear that Yeonbyeol would have died joyfully at Hawon’s hand. She was destined to die so lonely, coveting things beyond her reach. So I decided to act differently.

“Thank you, Boss.”

Instead of calling him Oppa as always, I addressed him as Boss.

“But there is someone who agreed to escort me.”

I won’t die.

I will not die and I will survive.

“Who is it?”

“Do Siyoo promised me to do it. He needed a partner too.”

And my new rope to survival was called Do Siyoo. It took a while to get some information since he was a ‘new face,’ but at least, he wasn’t a villain in《The Boss’ Man》so that was enough conditions to submit to.

‘So, you two meet and love yourselves a lot on your own!’ Without changing my expression, I looked up at Hawon’s cold face and spoke with my eyes. The first meeting with Yu-gyeom will go wrong, but if the two are destined to meet, they will meet somehow and fall in love. I sincerely cheered for their love. Above all, I wished my bias, Yu-gyeom would be happy. However, contrary to my expectation and prediction that the outstretched hand would drop, Hawon moved in a direction I had never anticipated.

“I don’t allow that.”

Slowly, one step closer, he reached out and took my hand.

“Even if things are like this, what you don’t know is that they think of you as my only little sibling.”

He gave off a fishy smile. It wasn’t out of goodwill.

“Wouldn’t it be disgraceful if I left your hand to the heir of the Do family?”

An immovable force was wrapped around my hand. The whispered low voice had stronger coercion than the hand wrapped around mine. As expected, it was my fortune not to have carried out plan no. 2〈I can’t survive without Baek Hawon〉. There was no good emotion in his eyes, to the extent that my momentary hope that these two siblings had gotten along better than I thought because of the escorting or whatever were shredded. It was just his mess of obsession and possessiveness with ‘Baekcheon.’ And I am a person who falls under ‘Baekcheon.’ It was nothing more and nothing less.

“Go down first. Ji-woon, stay, and you, guide the Miss.”

I closed my mouth and clenched the hem of my dress.

Yeah getting out of this freakish island is the priority. It’s not something to be stubborn about and make the relationship worse.

I turned around and strengthened my determination.

‘Even if I leave when I leave, I will surely create hella trouble for you in my wake!’

* * *

Cha Yeonbyeol left, and as he tied his cravat, Baek Hawon thought of her. Despite the light coming in from the large window, shadows were cast on him. He pulled at the necktie roughly. Those eyes looking at him, the habit of biting her lips, and the warmth felt from the hands held together. The sparkling decorations on the pure white dress created the illusion of a being shining prettily in the dark. With an expression indicating she didn’t know what she had done wrong whenever she did something, Hawon thought she would flee at any moment.

“You seem concerned about the Miss.”

Baek Hawon paused at Ji-woon’s comment. He couldn’t deny it. Literally, his nerves reacted. Chasing after what had changed, the customs that had been carefully set up long ago were shaking. It wasn’t that he hated her in the first place.

“Yeonbyeol, say hello.”

“Jewow!”

Brought in by his father, the Baekcheon’s former head, after his beloved wife passed away, a woman who resembled his deceased wife,

And that woman’s daughter.

Every time he saw them occupying the place of his dearly loved mother, he couldn’t control his rising emotions. He wanted to erase everything that unfolded before his eyes. Even if he was punished by heaven, he would rather kill them. He knew in his head that it was not her fault that her biological mother had brought Cha Yeonbyeol, who knew nothing. That’s why he tried his best to turn a blind eye to it. However, on a day when thunder and lightning struck and a storm raged as if it devoured the island. The moment when Cha Yeonbyeol grabbed him with blood-stained hands that had been scratched by a rose plucked off randomly from his mother’s cherished garden.

“What the heck should I do for you to not hate me?”

When he read the heart contained in the gaze looking up at him, his hatred became solely directed at her. Realizing the bottomless antipathy that even he himself could not fathom, Baek Hawon chose to erase his emotions altogether. Because he knew that the countless lives of Baekcheon were in his hands. The feeling of being a loose cannon was no longer necessary.

[tl/n: loose cannon: a person whose reckless behavior endangers the efforts or welfare of others.]

Eight years had passed like that, and it was when he was able to think only of the path for ‘Baekcheon’ without caring whether or not the level of hatred flared every time he saw Cha Yeonbyeol.

“I’ll say it once, so listen carefully, Boss.”

Something became strange enough to overturn the deep emotions that had been suppressed for the past eight years. Rather, he wanted to make an expression of ‘what the hell? All of a sudden.’ He recalled her face as he looked at the rose as it shattered and scattered in his hands. The woman who plucked roses until she destroyed her own hands.

“Didn’t the Boss want me to disappear, too?”

She spat out words that were not even funny with a face he had never seen before. The way she looked at him changed. Her glance, her gesture, all of it was enough to say she had changed completely, to the point she could draw a smile. As if she was a different person.

“I can’t help but keep my eyes on you.”

In the end, unknown emotions swelled after overturning all of the hatred and love-hate. Small, ambiguous feelings that couldn’t be called Like or Interest. These little emotions sprouted small changes.

“Attach a person to her. A skilled guy.”

“What shall I instruct him?”

“Report everything he sees and hears to me.”

“Then how will the Miss become independent…”

Sweeping his hair back out of habit, Baek Hawon paused and narrowed his forehead. And, out of frustration, he loosened his tie and spoke in a languid tone to Ji-woon.

“Put it on hold for the moment.”

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