I 03

Chapter 03

*Thud. Thump.* As he threw down the mouthwash he’d been holding, the woman turned toward the sound with startled, rabbit-like eyes.

Yongcheol flashed a lecherous smile.

*Front view passes too. She’s got an innocent look that’s right up my alley.*

The alcohol fumes that hadn’t yet dissipated made him momentarily forget that this was the funeral of Guseong Group Chairman Gu Daehan.

Dangerously so.

“Hey, miss.”

Chayun looked at the man approaching her. It was clear at a glance that he was still under the influence of alcohol from the previous night, barely able to tell up from down.

There was no need to deal with someone who wouldn’t listen to reason. But drunk people always wanted to engage with everyone in sight.

“What’s a pretty young thing like you doing in a scary place like this? Hm?”

Chayun ignored him and turned away. She needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

But her forearm was grabbed. The heavy pot she’d been carrying clattered to the ground with a dull thud.

“Hey, when someone talks to you, you answer.”

“Let go of me!”

“Ooh? You’re feistier than you look? How cute.”

His lecherous gaze as he chuckled made Chayun’s eyes harden.

“You seem to be a mourner, but you shouldn’t be causing a disturbance.”

“If you come quietly with me, miss, there won’t be a disturbance.”

“I’m part of the Hyeonhamwon family.”

At those words, the man faltered.

“Can’t you tell from the mourning clothes I’m wearing?”

*Ah, I can’t believe I had to say that myself.* She’d wanted so badly to escape that label.

But in this world, there was no better identification than the words “Hyeonhamwon family.” The man’s hesitation proved it.

“If I scream, all the Hyeonhamwon people guarding this place will swarm over, and then you won’t get out of here unscathed. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

She looked like a white rabbit—pale and delicate. He’d expected her to be terrified and trembling, but she was surprisingly bold and resourceful.

“Besides, we’re in the middle of a mourning period. What do you think will happen if you cause a disturbance during the chairman’s final journey?”

Even a mere young girl working at the main house—not Gu Gwangpyo or even a relative of his—held her head so high.

That fact instantly evaporated Yongcheol’s rationality.

“I was trying to be nice because you’ve got a pretty face. But what’s with a brat like you being so high and mighty?”

“Kyaa!”

Fearing someone might come running at the sound, the man quickly covered Chayun’s mouth.

“Be quiet. Or things will get really ugly.”

“Mmph!”

Chayun scratched and pinched the back of the man’s hand that was covering her mouth.

“Aaaagh! You crazy bitch…!”

Yongcheol shoved her, and Chayun tumbled to the ground. Her palms tore as she braced herself against the floor, and her elbows were scraped too.

“Ouch…”

At the sharp pain, tears welled up in Chayun’s eyes despite herself.

“B-blood! You made me bleed! Hey, do you know who I am? Huh?”

“Do you know who *she* is?”

At the low voice from behind, Yongcheol whirled around with a startled expression.

“U-uh…”

The man’s mouth fell open and he froze on the spot.

A group of men in black suits stood looking their way. All of them wore hemp armbands on their left arms.

It meant they belonged to the Guseong Group.

Even though he was seeing him in person for the first time, the man at the front was instantly recognizable.

His face bore a striking resemblance to Chairman Gu Daehan—lying in the coffin—and his only son, Gu Gwangpyo.

“I asked if you knew who she was.”

It was Gu Gyobeom.

As of today, the sole heir and crown prince of the Guseong Group.

Having inherited his grandfather’s and father’s imposing physique, he was like a walking door. At 191 centimeters tall, he had trained in every sport imaginable, and it was well-known that he personally showed up at sites where a precious young master needn’t have appeared, always sweeping away the opposition.

There were even rumors that his body was so solid that a knife thrown at his flank would bounce off without piercing him.

His nickname was said to be Black Tiger.

Not just because of his unusually dark hair and eye color, but because the aura emanating from his gaze and the ferocity and agility he displayed during “practice” were said to resemble a black tiger.

When he’d first heard that nickname, he’d scoffed. He’d assumed it was just flattery from those around the Guseong Group chairman’s son.

But now that he was face to face with him, he understood. It wasn’t flattery.

He could also personally grasp that the terrifying rumors about him were true.

The man’s jaw and knees trembled. As the intoxication faded, fear became all the more vivid, constricting his throat.

“I’m asking you, old man.”

Then Gyobeom’s gaze, which had been fixed on Yongcheol’s face, slid over to Chayun on the ground.

“…”

The moment he saw the red blood staining her torn palms—

In an instant, Gyobeom’s eyes flashed like a beast about to tear into its prey’s throat.

After steadying his breathing, he slowly moved his feet.

“Hic!”

Yongcheol, thinking Gyobeom was coming for him, scrambled backward and tripped over his own feet, tumbling to the ground.

Ignoring Yongcheol entirely, Gyobeom walked past him and approached Chayun, kneeling on one knee to lower himself to her level.

“Hong Chayun.”

At the sound of her name, Chayun’s shoulders flinched. Gyobeom’s sharp eyes scanned her.

“Lift your head.”

Chayun slowly raised her head. Her red-rimmed eyes were brimming with tears, and she was biting her lip hard to endure the pain.

Gyobeom’s pupils darkened. There was not a single trace of light or mercy in them.

“…Pathetic.”

As Gyobeom muttered, the men around him grew even more menacing. It felt as if the very flow of air had stopped.

Chayun, who had heard his voice up close, also froze at the murderous coldness in his gaze.

She was both scared and surprised.

It had been a long time since Gyobeom had acknowledged her, approached her this closely, or even called her name.

The last time her name had been called was when she was twenty-three.

She was twenty-nine now—so it had been a full six years since her name had left Gyobeom’s lips.

She found herself absurd for remembering such things, even disgusted with herself.

If Gyobeom ever found out about this, he might shudder and say it was creepy.

Just like that day.

—

*”What meaning? My father said it. That I need to know how to handle people. So I was just using you as practice.”*

—

Six years ago, behind the massive wall of Hyeonhamwon, Chayun had accidentally overheard Gyobeom speaking to his father, Vice Chairman Gu Gwangpyo.

It was the moment she had clearly understood his true feelings about her.

She should have run away. But frozen in shock, Chayun had sunk to the ground right there. The father and son, sensing her presence, approached—but showed no reaction whatsoever.

Vice Chairman Gu Gwangpyo immediately averted his gaze from Chayun and left. And Gyobeom…

His eyes as he looked down at her were calm and unwavering.

As if nothing had happened.

As if it meant nothing.

Until that very morning, they had been close. At least, that’s what Chayun had believed.

Gyobeom, who never let anyone close, had reached out to her, smiled at her, and even lent her the jacket he cherished—obsessive as he was about his possessions. *Wear it, it’s cold,* he’d said.

All of it… had been an act.

Glancing toward where Chairman Gu Gwangpyo was walking away, Gyobeom had said:

—

“Handle it yourself.”

—

That day, their connection had been severed, and six years had passed until today.

*Pull yourself together, Hong Chayun. Sunbae didn’t help me because he cares about me—it’s because he didn’t want the group’s reputation to be tarnished.*

*Ah, I shouldn’t call him sunbae anymore.* Chayun bit the inside of her lip.

Then she widened her eyes and lifted her head.

Something hot touched her lips. It was Gyobeom’s finger.

“Let go. You’re bleeding.”

His gaze, fixed on her lip, and his low voice made Chayun’s chest tighten.

“Any other injuries?”

“N-no.”

*Ah. Why am I stuttering like an idiot.* The thought was fleeting. Whether she stuttered or not, Gyobeom probably didn’t care anyway.

“I’ll lift you.”

“Huh? W-whoa…!”

Gyobeom slipped his hands under her armpits and lifted her up with ease. It happened in an instant.

Once she was standing, her knees—which had taken the impact of the fall—throbbed.

As Chayun’s body swayed, Gyobeom held her arm gently, careful not to hurt her.

“Th-thank you.”

*Ah, again.* Chayun bit her lip without realizing it.

*This isn’t about caring what sunbae thinks—it’s just my pride. Stuttering looks weird.*

Just as she was rationalizing it to herself, something hot touched her lips once more.

Gyobeom was looking down at her with an even more furrowed brow than before.

“I said don’t bite.”

“Ah…”

“Chief Tae.”

From the group, a man as large and imposing as Gyobeom—with a shaved head and sunglasses—stepped forward and bowed. His movements were surprisingly quick and precise for his bulky frame.

“Yes, Managing Director.”

“Treatment.”

“Understood.”

Chayun made an uneasy face and pressed her lips together.

“Follow him.”

At Gyobeom’s words, she hesitated for a moment, then nodded and left the area with Jinsu.

“…”

Gyobeom watched her retreating figure until she disappeared from sight.

The faint emotion that had flickered in his eyes vanished without a trace the moment he turned around.

“To the storage room.”

As soon as Gyobeom spoke, the men grabbed Yongcheol’s arms from both sides.

“M-Mr. Gu, don’t you remember me? Huh? It’s been a long time, but I was once invited to Hyeonhamwon, your main house.”

Being invited to Hyeonhamwon was proof that Chairman Gu had looked favorably upon him.

Yongcheol struggled, even resorting to lies, but Gyobeom and the men holding his arms didn’t budge.

“I was still drunk and made a mistake, I-I’m sorry. Hm? I’ll beg if I have to…”

“A mistake.”

At that, Gyobeom tilted his head slowly.

“A mistake, you say.”

“Mr. Gu—no, Managing Director Gu, please…”

“That woman you touched by mistake.”

Gyobeom approached Yongcheol, slipped his hands into his pockets, and bent down to whisper lowly in his ear.

“I barely even graze her with a finger. Afraid she might break.”

“….!”

“Cover his mouth.”

One of the subordinates loosened his tie and used it to gag the man from behind.

“Mmph!”

“Whoever you are, you have to pay the price.”

Gyobeom’s eyes flashed.

“For touching my person.”