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Chapter 11
The man had dark, tanned skin, sharp eyes, dyed red hair, and a torn lip that gave him a vicious impression.
The piercing on his ear and the gold watch glittering on his wrist sparkled in the sunlight as if to certify they were luxury brands. At a glance, he looked like a man wrapped head to toe in money.
“Director Cha.”
Seok-woo’s words made Hee-yeon flinch. If it was Director Cha, then he must be the very person Min-ah had mentioned.
The only son of Chairman Cha Myunghwan, the owner of this mansion.
Tension dried out her lips.
“Director Cha? Shouldn’t you be calling me ‘young master’ at home?”
Cha Ki-heon’s gaze slid down to Hee-yeon’s chest. The way he looked at her—almost licking her with his eyes—was deeply unpleasant. The one who should’ve been tense was Seok-woo, yet she felt humiliated instead. As if to shield her, Seok-woo stepped slightly forward.
“The only person I serve is the Chairman. Are you that desperate to hear me call you ‘young master’?”
“You think being doted on as someone’s pet makes you human?”
“Heh.”
“You’re laughing?”
He let out a short, mocking chuckle.
“Of course I’m laughing. It’s funny—seeing a rat covered in filth criticizing me.”
“You bastard. Nothing gets to you, does it? Don’t you have any pride?”
“As you can see, I’ve rolled around in the dirt long enough. Nothing really hurts anymore.”
“I’d like to see how long you keep acting so confident. When that old man steps down this time, the company will be handed to me. Then you can forget about strutting around. With that pretty face of yours, you’ll end up groveling to rich men just to make a living.”
Hee-yeon’s hands trembled. An invisible tension crackled between the two men.
There was clearly history between them.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“You should be. There must be plenty of people lining up for you. Men who’d bring stacks of cash just to see that face.”
“Maybe. But I’m expensive. I don’t entertain just anyone.”
“Try falling into the gutter. You know how that world ends—everyone eventually strips.”
Hee-yeon tilted her head.
What was he talking about?
By “that world”… did he mean the nightlife industry? Cha Ki-heon spat out the offensive words without hesitation. Yet Seok-woo seemed barely affected. If anything, he squared his shoulders even more. The muscles in his back shifted beneath his skin, and the black tiger tattooed there looked as if it might leap out at any moment.
She swallowed hard.
“I’ll earn money with my brain, not my body. Unlike someone.”
“You insolent bastard. Are you taking a jab at me?”
Finally losing his temper, Cha Ki-heon grabbed something and hurled it. It didn’t reach Seok-woo, splashing uselessly into the water instead.
“Did it sound that way?”
“Just you wait. And you—pretty girl. I’ll see you again.”
Hee-yeon shrank back. When the sound of Cha Ki-heon’s footsteps faded, Seok-woo turned around.
He raked his wet hair back irritably.
“Be careful around him.”
“I heard from someone who works here. They said the Chairman’s son treats women badly. For now, I’m registered as someone sold here to pay off a debt…”
“Even so, he won’t lay a hand on you. You’re my exclusive keeper.”
“Pardon?”
“He’ll assume I’ve already taken you to bed.”
“O-oh… r-right.”
Most people believed that being Kang Seok-woo’s exclusive keeper included sharing his bed.
Whether true or not, it meant he chose the woman he liked best to serve as his keeper.
Right now, the person Hee-yeon needed to be most careful around wasn’t Cha Ki-heon—
It was Kang Seok-woo.
From the atmosphere alone, the two men were clearly enemies. If the secret she and someone else were hiding reached his ears, it would mean serious trouble.
“I guess swimming’s over. That lunatic showed up earlier than I expected.”
“I’ll get you a towel.”
“You’re the one who needs it.”
As Seok-woo stepped out of the water, his gaze lingered on Hee-yeon’s blouse.
She hadn’t realized, but it was soaked through. Her underwear was clearly visible beneath it. Heat rushed to her face in embarrassment.
She didn’t notice the brief, unfamiliar glint in Seok-woo’s eyes.
“Ah…”
“……”
“Then I’ll go change and help you get ready to go out.”
She hurried out of the water, wrapping a towel around herself and running off. Though Seok-woo’s eyes followed her, she didn’t dare look back.
While running, she nearly collided with someone.
“Hee-yeon.”
“Ah, Min-ah.”
“Oh my, that was close.”
“Did you see?”
“I was bringing drinks. I was so nervous. I was worried the two of them might actually start fighting.”
“They don’t seem to get along.”
“They don’t. The Chairman trusts our CEO more than his own son.”
“I thought so…”
Her guess had been correct. From the way they eyed each other, it was clearly a power struggle. In any organization, people fight to become number one. Especially between a boss’s son and the man the boss trusts most.
“They’re sworn enemies. So always be careful. Even if you’re the CEO’s exclusive keeper.”
“Thank you.”
Hee-yeon smiled at Min-ah’s kindness.
“We have to help each other.”
“Yes. I’ll go change.”
She quickly headed into the building.
An invisible black aura seemed to swirl around Seok-woo.
Chief Joo and the rest of his close aides were visibly tense. Cha Ki-heon, who had been traveling the world, had returned to Korea much sooner than expected.
“He came back earlier than scheduled.”
“So it seems.”
“Could news about our failed plan have leaked…?”
“Don’t you trust our men?”
At Seok-woo’s words, Chief Joo shook his head.
“I-I trust them. Of course I do. But after getting stabbed in the back once…”
“Either way, we need to be careful. We can’t let him take an interest in this side.”
“Yes.”
“More importantly—where did So Pil-mo disappear to?”
“That’s the problem. We searched the mountains thoroughly. If he’s not there, he must have left the area.”
It was maddening. After leaving behind his final trace, So Pil-mo had vanished completely.
A human being needs food and water to survive, yet there wasn’t even a sign he’d died in the forest.
“How many nearby villages are there?”
“…There’s a larger village not far off, but it would take time to get there. It’s rural, so most places don’t have CCTV like in the city.”
“One month. We have one month. Find him within that time, no matter what.”
“Yes, I’ll tell them to move faster.”
Chief Joo carefully closed the door behind him.
Outside, the search team looked exhausted. But this wasn’t the time to worry about their fatigue. Cha Ki-heon’s return to Korea was a major threat.
His focus was entirely on Kang Seok-woo. He was obsessed with bringing him down.
The search would have to be even more discreet.
Too many lives depended on it.
That evening—
Putting aside the confrontation she’d witnessed earlier, Hee-yeon had worries of her own.
This wasn’t the time to worry about Seok-woo.
‘Why am I worrying about him?’
As a hostage in all but name, she could only wait and hope that Pil-mo would come to his senses soon.
Beside her, Yerim, who had been coloring, looked up.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“It’s nice here, isn’t it?”
“Is it?”
The mansion was large, and even the staff enjoyed good benefits. Every piece of furniture was high-quality wood that suited the house. Though their room was technically semi-basement, it was spacious enough for Yerim to play comfortably.
Through the window, she could see a blooming garden. The flower trees stretched out like a painting, their fragrant scent drifting inside.
“Yes, it’s really, really nice. My friends always ask when they see me getting picked up in a fancy car… what should I tell them?”
