Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 108: Many Would Be Devastated If Seon Taeyang Were Hurt.

“Ugh, please… please forgive me.”

[Quest Complete! A guaranteed buff reward selection ticket has been granted.]

Nice.

After finishing the necessary lesson using the Swordmaster’s Sense on Ban Seongcheol, I walked over to Oh Yoori, worried if she was hurt anywhere.

“Yoori… sniff.”

“Oh, I’m fine, Eun-byeol unnie. I’m really okay.”

Oh Yoori, a middle schooler, who was patting 20-year-old Seo Eun-byeol, who was crying, with a grandmotherly expression of kindness, saw me approaching. Her old-soul expression turned into a childish one as she yelled at me.

“Team Leader Seon, what were you thinking acting so recklessly like that? What if you got hurt?”

…To be fair, even I have to admit that I acted pretty recklessly.

Faced with that straightforward criticism, I quickly deflated and tried to make a lame excuse.

“Well, I didn’t actually get hurt, so…”

“But the risk was huge! Have you thought about how many people worry about you? How do you think they’d feel if something happened to you?”

“…”

Wait, the more I listen, this doesn’t seem like she’s talking about me alone…

It wasn’t just me. Seo Eun-byeol, who had been crying in Oh Yoori’s arms, also seemed to feel something familiar and looked up at her, staring intently.

“Coming here alone without any backup was the first mistake. How could you come to a dangerous place like this by yourself?”

“…”

“When someone gets captured, you should run or call the police. Sure, maybe it would take too long, or they might not respond. But still, thinking you can solve it all alone is too dangerous!”

“…”

“And what were you thinking when you rushed at someone holding a knife? You could’ve died, seriously!”

“…”

Seo Eun-byeol and I just stared at her in silence.

Oh Yoori glanced at us, noticing our reactions, and then asked,

“…What?”

Since I couldn’t bring myself to respond, Seo Eun-byeol, still staring at Oh Yoori, glanced at me and muttered,

“…Is it contagious?”

I don’t remember spreading anything, though…

Cheon Aram, who had brought various personnel and legal experts from Jinkang, looked at me and screamed,

“Team Leader Seon, what crazy thing did you pull this time?!”

…I’ve heard the word ‘crazy’ a lot today. But given the situation, I guess I can’t really blame them.

I started making lame excuses again.

“I think the results turned out pretty well, don’t you?”

“But the process was a huge problem! If even a little went wrong, it could’ve led to a disaster! That’s why I told you to wait, so we could go in together. Why do you always try to solve everything on your own?”

The situation forced my hand. It’s not like I wanted to do it this way.

“I didn’t want to either, but in that brief moment, I couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen to those two kids in that dangerous place. I couldn’t stand still, so I figured I’d at least try to buy some time.”

“Haa… Honestly, I can understand that. But try to understand how we feel when it feels like you’re burning us up with worry every time.”

“…I have no excuse.”

Cheon Aram, who had been holding her forehead and sighing, soon looked at me with concern and asked,

“So, are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m perfectly fine. Honestly, you should be more worried about Ban Seongcheol over there. I didn’t hold back on him.”

“Who cares about that bastard? Let him rot. He’ll be right where he belongs, groaning in his jail cell.”

Honestly, I felt the same way. If it weren’t for worrying about the consequences, I would’ve half-killed Ban Seongcheol.

“Don’t worry about the aftermath. Soo-yeon, Yeoreum, and I have everything prepared. Whether it’s legal or financial, nothing will affect you negatively. No lawsuits or attempts at revenge either.”

“I hate to say it, but the mess I made isn’t a small one. Are you sure you’ll be alright? You’re not pushing yourself too hard, are you?”

Cheon Aram smiled at me reassuringly and said,

“What’s the point of having connections as the daughter of a chaebol if I can’t use them for stuff like this? If we decide to squeeze those gangsters dry, we won’t lose anything. Don’t worry.”

…Wow, she’s seriously reliable.

“President Cheon, you’re always amazing, but today you’re especially incredible. You’re a true leader of the times. If I were a knight from the medieval era, I’d swear fealty to you.”

Cheon Aram gave a slight laugh at my genuine praise and shook her head as she said,

“I’m not asking for a vow of loyalty. Just try not to end up in the hospital, alright? I know it’s crazy for me to say this to a manager, but given the precedent, it feels like you could seriously end up in danger again.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

“Let’s try to live a little more cautiously, alright? Do you know how worried Gaeul was? I had to stop her from rushing over here. She looked really anxious, so give her a call later to put her mind at ease.”

“I’ll do that right away.”

“Good attitude. I’ll go help Soo-yeon clean things up.”

As Cheon Aram started to walk away, I spoke out loud the thoughts I’d been mulling over.

“President, could you make sure that Seo Eun-byeol doesn’t get caught up in any of the aftermath?”

“Huh? Team Leader, you know that girl, too?”

“Yes, I know her. Quite well, actually.”

It was a one-sided connection from the past, but I didn’t want to deny that we were acquainted.

After all, she and I had been lovers in the past.

Though it didn’t end well, I wanted her to be happy in this round.

…Especially since I had already failed to do that once before.

“Alright, I’ll do my best to make sure she’s not affected. I’ll handle it with Yeoreum.”

I bowed deeply to express my gratitude.

As I bowed politely toward Cheon Aram’s departing figure, I pulled out my phone, which had contacts for my close circle at TwoBear, intending to reassure Gaeul, as I had promised.

“What the…? Why is my battery like this?”

I was sure my battery was around 96% before I left, so why was it nearly drained now?

As I unlocked the screen, I quickly figured out the reason.

I had missed hundreds of calls, messages, and alerts on my messenger app—numbers I had never seen before.

And 90% of them were from Gaeul.

“…”

Oh boy, this is a mess.

I took a deep breath and called Gaeul.

The phone barely rang for two seconds before the call connected.

“Hello, Gaeul…”

“Taeyang oppa!”

“Yeah, it’s me. I’m sorry for making you worry. I’m…”

As I was about to slowly calm her down, Gaeul shot off her words like a machine gun, not giving me a chance to get a word in.

“Are you hurt? Do you have any injuries? Are you somewhere safe right now? When Yeoreum told me how dangerous the situation was and what you were heading into, I was so worried I thought I’d go crazy. I know, I know that you’re not the type of person who can turn your back on someone in danger. I’m grateful for that, too, because it’s thanks to you that I can chase my dreams. But… I have a selfish thought. I wish you’d show that kindness only to me—no, only to our family and the people at TwoBear. You always push yourself for others without a second thought, and there are so many people in danger in this world. If something ever happened to you because of that… If you got hurt… I… I would…”

“Gaeul! Calm down! Please, take a breath!”

It took me thirty minutes of reassuring her that the situation wasn’t as dangerous as it seemed and that I was completely fine, along with making eight separate promises not to worry her like this again, before I finally managed to calm Gaeul down.

“Gaeul, I’ll come see you when I’m done. Just get some rest, okay?”

“Promise me. Please, promise.”

“Yes, I promise.”

Wiping away the nervous sweat after the call with Gaeul, I finally noticed someone standing almost uncomfortably close to me.

“…Whoa, you startled me. Yeoreum, you’re here?”

It was Yeoreum, who had come out with a large team from Jinkang in response to my urgent request for help.

“Thank you for stepping into such a dangerous situation. I wanted to handle it on my own, but I ended up relying on you. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I won’t forget this debt.”

If Yeoreum hadn’t actively supported us, Cheon Aram probably wouldn’t have been so confident in handling the situation. From what we discussed over drinks before, I knew her relationship with her family wasn’t that great. No amount of gratitude would be enough for what she’s done.

But Jin Yeoreum seemed to be ignoring my words, simply staring at me blankly.

What is it? Did I say something strange?

“Yeoreum?”

“…Wound.”

“Huh?”

“You have a cut on your neck.”

“A cut?”

Instinctively, I touched my neck where she was looking.

A sharp pain accompanied the feeling of a lot of blood staining my hand.

“Ow, that stings! It’s really there.”

It seemed I’d been nicked by one of the men who had swung a weapon at me. Now that I realized I had a cut, the pain started to really kick in.

Yeoreum stared blankly at the wound, mumbling to herself.

“…You’re bleeding.”

“Are you worried? Thanks, but it’s fine. It’s just a scratch.”

“Blood… a wound… on you… Team Leader.”

“Yeoreum?”

Yeoreum’s breathing grew heavy as she muttered,

“…How dare they?! How dare those filthy hands touch you! Those worthless scum!”

“…Yeoreum?”

Yeoreum, her trembling eyes now clear and sharp, called out to Seok Hyun-woo in a heated voice.

“Assistant Manager Seok!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Seok Hyun-woo appeared instantly, standing at attention with a slight bow, waiting for Yeoreum’s command.

…Wait, didn’t Seok Hyun-woo quit Jinkang?

His behavior didn’t seem like that of someone who had left the company.

“Lead the legal team at Jinkang and make sure that everyone involved never sees the light of day again. Make sure they know who they’ve messed with and regret it for the rest of their lives.”

Seok Hyun-woo nodded firmly and said,

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll make sure of it. Getting rid of cockroaches like these is no problem. We’ll dig up everything we can to bury them so deep they won’t even be able to breathe.”

“Good. Show them how flimsy the sandcastles these scum have built really are.”

…I’m really glad Yeoreum is on my side.