Chapter 1162: Side Story – Kidnapping, Rape, Pregnancy (1)

After finishing her work at the site, Do Yehee returned to her lodging.

Due to spending all day at the site consuming magic power, the plush bed embraced her tired body as if pulling her in.

-Thump.

“Hooo…”

Lying her tired body down on the bed, she let out a low sigh.

It wasn’t that the work itself was tiring. She could have easily handled this amount of workload even when she was doing it concurrently with her active Hunter activities.

It was something else. It was the thing consuming her emotions that kept making Do Yehee feel uncomfortable.

“Sihee, really… I told her to be a bit more careful with her choices…”

If only she had waited just a little longer, just a little more, so there wouldn’t be a problem even if something like a premarital pregnancy were discovered.

Starting things halfway was her younger sister’s biggest flaw. Of course, there were quite a few times when she saw results quickly and achieved success because of it, but sometimes it led to situations that were difficult to clean up like this.

It would probably be revealed in less than a month. The fact that Sihee was planning to go into hiding until giving birth while hiding the fact that she was carrying Sung Taekyung’s child.

“At most a month… I have to solve this somehow within a month…”

She had to somehow hide and cover up the fact that her younger sister was pregnant. So that she wouldn’t suddenly drop out of the succession competition with her.

Of course, if it were her mother, there was a high possibility she had already noticed that Sihee was pregnant. She was merely waiting, taking her time until she secured concrete evidence.

It was a situation that couldn’t be prevented anymore with something like an early childbirth using Sung Taekyung’s private dungeon. If so, then ultimately, there was only one solution.

‘She’ herself committing a mistake of the same level as Sihee, thereby lowering Sihee’s mistake to a level of non-existence.

Do Yehee thought that was the only solution for now, but following through with what she thought would probably be impossible.

To commit a mistake of the same level as Sihee’s, she herself would also have to be prepared for a premarital pregnancy, just like Sihee, and Sung Taekyung was the person whose cooperation was essential in that process.

‘It’s not that I particularly dislike the idea of having that person’s child. It’s not that…’

However, she absolutely did not want their relationship to be re-established in ‘this kind of way’. Do Yehee also had her own plan in mind regarding having his child.

Handing over the situation completely to Sihee in the Dokyung Group’s succession competition, and then having his child in a state where no interests remained.

She wanted to develop their relationship after perfectly excluding any transactional elements to the extent that not even one remained in the process of Sung Taekyung taking her as his wife. Because the outcome of relationships involving each other’s interests or conditions wasn’t very good was a fact she had already learned through her own parents.

Therefore, Do Yehee could not choose the easiest path, even though she knew it existed.

…At the thought that her relationship with Sung Taekyung, the first man who was somewhat trustworthy by her standards, might become strained because of this incident, and they might not be able to share their true feelings.

‘Should I at least create a flaw comparable to Sihee’s pregnancy? Like intentionally delaying the construction at the Indonesian site to cause damage to the company, though honestly, I don’t quite like it…’

Do Yehee, conflicted between her pride and the sincerity of love, lay down in the temporary lodging near the construction site to go to sleep.

What woke her from her sleep was the sound of the lodging’s doorbell. And it was the voice of the man Do Yehee herself had been thinking about until just before.

-Ding-dong.

“Do Yehee, are you inside?”

‘…Sung Taekyung-ssi?’

What on earth was the reason for his visit at this hour? Was he perhaps here again to request a local construction commission from Hope City? In the first place, this private lodging was supposed to be unknown to anyone other than the site managers, so how did he know about it?

Various questions arose, but anyway, Do Yehee’s body naturally moved first upon Sung Taekyung’s visit. She tied her hair back up, which she had undone, and went to greet the guest who visited in the middle of the night.

-Click.

“You, what is the matter this late at night?”

“It’s nothing else, I just have something I need to talk about.”

“Couldn’t you have just sent it via KakaoTalk message? Of all times, visiting the moment I was about to go to sleep… I don’t understand the reason. If it’s not urgent, we could just talk tomorrow morning…”

“It’s something that needs to be said face-to-face, and it was urgent enough that it had to be told right now, so I couldn’t help it.”

“…Haah, alright. Come in for now.”

She wasn’t the type to welcome guests visiting late at night, but she would soften considerably if it were her younger sister or Sung Taekyung. Because those two were currently the people Do Yehee felt the most emotional closeness with.

Him, one of those people, visiting and saying it was urgent must mean it truly was urgent. A story that needed to be told face-to-face meant it was that important.

Do Yehee prepared coffee and snacks to shake off the hazy feeling of almost falling into a light sleep, greeting the guest even while tired.

…Normally, she would have ordered her attendant, Seolhwa, but somehow today, she couldn’t feel Seolhwa’s presence within her shadow.

“So, what is it that you have to talk about?”

“I want to have a serious discussion about your future and mine.”

“…About my future and yours?”

“Yes, it’s a serious talk, so listen carefully.”

Visiting suddenly in the middle of the night and then asking her to listen carefully to a serious talk – what kind of situation was this? Nevertheless, Do Yehee listened intently, concentrating on Sung Taekyung’s words for now.

“Do Yehee.”

“…Yes.”

“First, I apologize. For how I’ve spoken about our future to you too jokingly until now, or for the way I’ve proposed things by probing occasionally as I passed by.”

“…What are you talking about, out of the blue?”

“I just belatedly realized. That you, Do Yehee, are thinking more seriously about our relationship than I thought.”

“……?”

Sung Taekyung, who not only visited at a late hour but also flustered her from the introduction with incomprehensible talk. Do Yehee wore such a puzzled expression that question marks seemed to float above her head at his words. Sung Taekyung then began explaining the ‘future’ with himself to her.

“Do Yehee.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you’ve been experiencing some trouble recently due to the incident between Sihee and me, is that right?”

“…Who did you hear that from?”

“Who I heard it from isn’t important, is it? What’s important is whether or not you, Do Yehee, are experiencing trouble because of me.”

“…….”

Had someone from Dokyung Group contacted Sung Taekyung? If so, to what extent had the information been conveyed now? Various anxious thoughts like that flashed through Do Yehee’s mind. Facing her calmly, Sung Taekyung met her eyes and asked again.

“I’ll ask again. I know that you, Do Yehee, became in a difficult situation due to the recent incident between me and Sihee, is that right?”

“…It’s not a problem you need to worry about.”

“At least that means it’s true that there’s a problem.”

“…….”

“There’s no point in insisting on denial. I already know everything you’re worried about, that’s why I came. And I also know the best way to solve your worries.”

The perceptive Do Yehee also grasped at once what Sung Taekyung was saying. From the moment he mentioned her current problem and its solution, she could easily infer the reason he visited at this hour. And Do Yehee had already predicted who the person who delivered that information was. Because Seolhwa’s presence, which she had felt within her shadow until this morning, was somehow being felt from Sung Taekyung now. It was a subtle presence that only Do Yehee, who had much experience feeling her presence up close, could recognize.

“I’ll solve it for you. I’ll get you pregnant, so don’t needlessly suffer over the matter between me and Sihee.”

“…I haven’t particularly suffered, nor have I ever thought that me getting pregnant was the best solution. And I told you it wasn’t a problem you needed to worry about, didn’t I?”

“How can it not be a problem to worry about? If it’s something related to Sihee and you, it’s naturally my business too.”

“…….”

“It’s unnecessary meddling. This is a problem Sihee and I will solve ourselves, so don’t unnecessarily complicate things by interfering. Especially if you truly think seriously about me.”

“…….”

“Because I don’t want to become family with you in this way, nor do I want to have your child. Until the day comes when all the interests entangled between you and me are settled, and becoming each other’s family offers ‘no benefit’ to either party, I have no intention of having your child.”

“…Even if I sincerely ask you, Do Yehee, right here, right now?”

“…….”

“Yes.”

A slightly delayed answer. And an awkward silence flowed between them. Within the silent space where only each other’s breathing echoed quietly, Sung Taekyung’s lips quietly parted.

“…Alright, it can’t be helped.”

“If you understood, please go back. Or else, since it’s late, I don’t particularly mind you sleeping here and leaving later…”

“Seolhwa-ssi, tie her up.”

“Confirmed, Sung Taekyung-nim.”

“…What?”

…Although the last words that came from his mouth were not directed at Do Yehee.