episode_0053

The setting was a shabby warehouse, yet the girl and the man continued their conversation without pause.

Though their relationship wasn’t long-standing, in this world, these two formed a unique bond where topics to discuss were overflowing.

At first, Darien showed signs of tension, but as time passed, it quickly dissipated. This was due to Lucas’s exceptional conversational skills.

“Taekwang Group!?”

As the conversation deepened, Darien was taken aback by Lucas’s bombshell revelation.

Realizing that Lucas was the grandson of the chairman of Taekwang Group, a conglomerate with vast business operations ranging from automobiles, semiconductors, computers, food, department stores, to chemicals.

To put the scale of this group simply, its market capitalization exceeded 60 trillion. It was undoubtedly a top-tier conglomerate in South Korea and globally recognized as a behemoth corporation.

Therefore, Darien’s astonishment at this moment surpassed meeting a famous celebrity.

“Ma, Ma Hyuk Phil? No, is it Mr. Ma Hyuk Phil?”

“Haha, I was called that in my past life.”

“Gasp…!”

– Clap, clap, clap.

Unconsciously, the girl began clapping her hands. When emotions took over, Darien often repeated such actions.

– Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

“Wow, wow…”

But this time, her surprise seemed quite intense. Unable to close her mouth, her hands kept clapping incessantly.

However, in a way, it was understandable. If it was Taekwang Group, it was equivalent to the lord of her husband in the present day, the Northern Duke.

“Ahem, you can stop now.”

“Oh! I’m sorry. Was it inappropriate?”

“…Not at all.”

“But still… I feel like I was too giddy in front of a conglomerate as a commoner.”

“Oh, no, a commoner? Haha…”

Lucas burst into laughter at Darien’s innocent behavior. He found her unfiltered remarks surprisingly modest rather than impolite.

“Mr. Hyuk Phil, I’ve seen you occasionally on TV and YouTube. You had a very competent and gentle image. Seeing you here is incredibly fascinating.”

Encouraged by the girl’s admiration, Lucas’s lips curved uncontrollably.

Given the size of the group, they often skirted the boundaries of the law behind the scenes, engaging in many cunning deeds. However, externally, their image was immaculate, which was fortunate.

“I never felt envious. Did I seem like a completely different being compared to me?”

Because Darien viewed her so favorably.

The girl nervously bit her lip, slightly narrowing her eyes, seeming to believe without suspicion.

“Um, did you lie to me? I’m not good at distinguishing those things…”

“Haha, no. Actually, it’s strange to believe right away.”

To dispel Darien’s misunderstandings, Lucas divulged corporate secrets that were no longer valuable in this world. He effortlessly answered her intermittent questions.

Naturally, the hero’s innocence was quickly proven. Darien’s admiring gaze intensified even further.

Darien chatted happily with Lucas, occasionally displaying a surprised expression.

“But the image I had in mind is a bit different.”

“Oh?”

“On TV, you had a very polite and clean image, but here, rumors suggest you’re quite unruly.”

“Ahaha…”

Lucas appeared puzzled, scratching his head.

I am originally someone who doesn’t need to care about others’ opinions. There was no reason to hear such remarks. There was no need to be ashamed. Somehow, being scolded by this woman made me feel inadequate.

Noble gentlemen envied me for choosing beautiful women as I pleased. Most women, except for a few princess-like beauties, were eager to spend a night with me.

But Darin reproached such facts.

Having the sensibilities of a modern person like me, it was a statement that could be brought up.

“I am ultimately human too… Since Darin is someone with similar inclinations as me, I’ll be honest. When restrictions disappear, you end up doing everything you want.”

“Hmm…”

The girl raised her eyebrows with a look that seemed to question, “Is that really so? Aren’t you originally like that?”

Lucas blushed as if he had shown disgrace to the only noble companion to the maiden.

“W-Well, I might appear a bit unruly to Darin, but men and women are somewhat different, aren’t they?”

“Well, that’s true. Honestly, I can be quite conservative at times.”

Darin nodded as if understanding without exchanging many words.

‘Who do I think I am, acting all high and mighty? What right do I have to give Lucas a hard time…’

How moral and lawful can a person be without the constraint of power? It would be almost impossible for someone without an obsession for kindness.

“Since I haven’t put myself in Hyukphil’s shoes, it’s not right to criticize recklessly. We’re not even family, just strangers.”

“Strangers? Why would you say that?”

“What?”

The hero responded with a slightly offended tone. To Lucas, Darin and I were meant to be together by fate.

Of course, he might try to assert dominance in the relationship. If she entered my harem, I would treat her more sincerely than any other member, yet she answered so regretfully.

“How can we be strangers? And please don’t call me Hyukphil, call me Lucas.”

“T-Thank you, but Lucas, your background is so different from mine, isn’t it? At first, I thought we were comrades, but calling you that seems rather disrespectful…”

“Background?”

In response to the man’s question seeking a definite answer, Darin continued softly, lowering her head.

“So… Lucas was a diamond spoon even in his past life, and here, he’s the strongest in the world, right? I feel completely different from him. I thought he was just an ordinary person in his past life, but that wasn’t the case…”

Indeed, Darin was starting to find Lucas a bit intimidating. Her tone suddenly became polite.

Even though she died as a middle school student, she knew how high-ranking Ma Hyukphil was in her past life.

She was someone who couldn’t even meet eyes with such a remarkable person in her past life. She was a mediocre middle school student who died while choking on a tangerine, quite pathetic in many ways.

“Hehehe.”

Lucas briefly made a puzzled expression, then burst into laughter. He understood what Darin was talking about.

But does it really matter?

No matter how great a person may be, desire still runs deep. And if she is as beautiful, young, and perfect in character and temperament as her, there would be even fewer men who would dislike her.

Ah, she may be young for someone in their mid-twenties. Still, judging by the occasional glimpse of her skin, the texture surpassed even that of teenagers.

Yet, asserting dominance in a romantic relationship was crucial. So, there was nothing wrong with her looking up to me.

“I understand the meaning, but you don’t have to be too formal. After all, even businesspeople are just ordinary people in the end.”

“Hmm, really…? But still…”

“Of course. I want to get closer to Darin quickly.”

“Um… Are you saying you want to become closer as friends?”

“…I’m not sure?”

While it may not have been the case in reality, if Lucas had known Darin in his past life, he seemed inclined to consider a serious relationship. Despite the significant age gap as a middle school student, molding and devouring someone according to his tastes might not be a bad idea.

Lucas, whether in his past life or present, was a person with a tremendous sense of superiority. To him, commoners were nothing more than cogs turning for the sake of the company.

“Oh, this is driving me crazy…”

The fact that such a man harbored such thoughts meant he had fallen deeply for Darin. As Lucas gazed into her sparkling pumpkin-colored eyes with excitement, he also felt a sense of self-reproach.

“Was I the type to easily fall for a woman like this?”

Having sincerely shared emotions across past and present lives, this moment truly marked the first time he felt such genuine emotions, leading to a mix of confusing feelings.

“Why are you acting like this, Lucas?”

“It’s nothing, Darin, but…”

Lucas shook his head slightly, trying to regain his composure. While spending quality time with her was part of the reason he visited today, the most crucial matter lay elsewhere.

The man slowly scanned the figure of the redhead girl before him. Despite wearing a shabby dress, her petite stature, alluringly protruding breasts, and exposed hips captivated his attention. His throat gulped, his male instincts stirring fiercely. He wanted to devour her right now, but he had to restrain himself. Judging by her delicate nature, he needed to treat her as gently as when she was a virgin.

“But…?”

Why was this man pausing instead of continuing the conversation? The girl blinked her round eyes, staring at Lucas curiously. It was a bonus that she was questioning him back.

“Asking directly if she’s a virgin would be rude…”

In his own way of showing respect, Lucas was racking his brain. If she were another woman, he could simply scrutinize and confirm by force, but since the other party was Darin, it wasn’t that simple.

Of course, he was 99.9% certain she was a virgin.

But there was a slim 0.01% chance she might not be.

“Darin, I have a question. If it’s not impolite, may I ask?”

It seemed like it wasn’t just Lucas who felt the sudden closeness between them.

“Sure.”

Darin playfully smiled and nodded eagerly.

“If it’s something I can answer, I’ll do my best to respond.”