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Chapter 17
“Join the company.”
“Are you crazy? I might not even pass, and it’ll take years.”
My head would probably roll off before then.
I let out a long sigh that seemed to sink into the ground. After a brief silence, Yeon Jaehyun spoke.
“…I could make you something like an affiliate.”
“What?”
I shot up to my feet. Yeon Jaehyun ran a hand through his bangs, looking troubled.
“What does that mean? You can get me in?”
“…Yeah.”
He dragged out the answer strangely.
Frustrated, I moved closer to him, sat right next to him, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him.
“Hey, what is it? Just tell me already.”
“I told you this morning, stop sticking to me.”
He leaned back slightly and pushed me away. Total déjà vu from this morning.
Thanks to that, I lost my balance and fell backward without resistance. Like a roly-poly toy, I sprang back up and shouted.
“What is it?!”
If you don’t like it, just say so!
I was about to explode from frustration.
“…Ha.”
Yeon Jaehyun looked at me and asked,
“Is this really that important to you?”
“It’s the most important thing in my life.”
He stared at me with a subtle expression, then suddenly stood up.
“What? Where are you going?”
“Follow me.”
“Where?”
“The Association.”
…Huh?
Yeon Jaehyun immediately hailed a taxi.
After about forty minutes, we arrived at the Korean headquarters of the White Killer Association.
The building was so grand it stood out even in the busy city center. I felt intimidated for no reason.
“We’re really going in?”
“If you don’t need it, say so now. I’m not thrilled either.”
“No! No…”
I answered hurriedly. After giving me a quick glance, Yeon Jaehyun rudely walked into the building first.
Afraid he’d leave me behind, I rushed after him.
He tapped his card at the entry gate and went inside. I followed him into the elevator. He tapped his card again and pressed the top floor.
This isn’t a hotel, so why does he keep swiping that thing? Just how important is this place?
“Seriously, where are we going?”
“The Association President’s office.”
“What?!”
It really was somewhere important.
The President of the White Killer Association? The kind of person you only see on the news? And we’re meeting him just like that?
It seemed Yeon Jaehyun was planning to get me in through connections.
I was grateful, but it felt insane.
Is he crazy?
‘I know they’re close in the original story, but… the President is scary. What if he says something to me?’
Ding.
The elevator stopped, and Yeon Jaehyun stepped out without hesitation.
“What brings you—… Oh.”
The desk employee bowed upon seeing him.
At the employee’s signal, a guard opened the door to the President’s office.
‘…That easily?’
“What are you doing? Come in.”
“Huh? Oh…”
The President’s office I entered absentmindedly was wide and imposing.
Behind a large desk sat a man I had only ever seen on a screen.
‘He doesn’t even feel like a novel character. More like seeing a real celebrity.’
I had lived here for 17 years now.
This place was simply reality to me, so that feeling made sense.
President Sung Taewoo. His name was engraved clearly on the neat nameplate.
President of the White Killer Association Korea. A figure on the level of a president.
As Yeon Jaehyun and I approached the desk, Sung Taewoo leaned back in his chair and looked up at us.
He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, young in looks, but he carried an indescribable pressure.
“Jaehyun. And behind you…?”
“Keep your promise.”
“Well, well. Look at this rude brat. Greetings come first. You barge in without even calling.”
“Then at least serve us some tea…”
Sung Taewoo burst into laughter at Yeon Jaehyun’s lazy tone.
“Alright. Let’s talk slowly. Sit.”
‘What even is this situation…?’
The development was so sudden it threw all logic out the window, but I obediently sat on the sofa.
Seeing the President casually serve tea brewed with a teabag in a paper cup felt surreal, like a hologram.
“Here, drink comfortably.”
“Th-thank you.”
When I greeted him awkwardly, Sung Taewoo, sitting across from us, laughed heartily again.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Don’t ask when you already know. It’s annoying.”
Yeon Jaehyun leaned crookedly against the sofa.
‘Unbelievably rude.’
Of course, I already knew.
In the original story, Yeon Jaehyun built walls against almost every character, without discrimination.
Whether someone knew his identity or not, he generally lacked basic manners when dealing with people.
Maybe that’s what happens when you self-study your own upbringing.
‘Still, he’s old enough to be your uncle…’
Yet Sung Taewoo looked completely unbothered.
After glancing between the two of us, the man slowly widened his eyes.
“Don’t tell me… For real? Jaehyun, you?”
“Yeah.”
“……?”
I couldn’t follow the flow of the conversation at all.
As I looked around blankly, Sung Taewoo grinned.
“Sorry, I’m just surprised. What’s your name?”
“Kim Seyoon.”
“Oh my, even your name is pretty.”
“Are you crazy?”
Yeon Jaehyun looked at Sung Taewoo like he was actually insane.
Sung Taewoo waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s a compliment. Don’t take it badly. So, how long have you been dating our Jaehyun?”
“…What?”
“You’re Jaehyun’s girlfriend, right?”
What nonsense is that? I immediately turned to Yeon Jaehyun with a stiff expression.
He lowered the paper cup slightly and mouthed silently.
Affiliate.
“…!”
From Sung Taewoo’s angle, the cup blocked his view.
I didn’t catch everything, but I got the gist.
‘So… if I pretend to be Yeon Jaehyun’s girlfriend, then I can become, like… affiliated with the Association?’
It looked like the peak of employment corruption, but I had no reason to refuse.
We wouldn’t actually be dating—just pretending. And in return, the Association’s information would come to me.
Information that flowed directly from the top, through Yeon Jaehyun!
Then I wouldn’t have to tremble in anxiety and blame myself anymore.
If I became affiliated with the Association, I could firmly pull the protagonist’s side to my side as well. No more struggling with an uncertain future.
I answered quickly before more time passed.
“Y-Yes…!”
“Judging by your uniform, you go to the same school. How did you meet? At school, Jaehyun probably looks… kind of funny.”
“I fell for him at first sight, so I…”
“You fell for him at first sight?”
“……”
At school, Yeon Jaehyun definitely wasn’t someone you’d fall for at first glance. When I shut my mouth, Sung Taewoo turned to Yeon Jaehyun.
“And you—weren’t you making a huge fuss in the board about keeping your identity hidden? It hasn’t even been long since you enrolled, and you’ve already revealed everything? What if you get caught? You must be completely smitten with Miss Seyoon?”
“Yeah.”
“…Hmm. Still suspicious.”
I looked at Sung Taewoo nervously.
He didn’t get to that high position at a young age for nothing.
His gentle eyes felt sharper and more dangerous than any predator.
“You two aren’t actually dating, are you?”
“……!”
He hit the nail on the head.
If we got caught, what would happen? Would my affiliation be gone?
Would I have to go back to not knowing anything, drowning in that insane anxiety?
‘I hate that so damn much!’
I couldn’t miss this chance.
“We are dating, so why the hell—”
Thump.
“……!”
“Oh.”
After Sung Taewoo’s short exclamation, the room fell silent in an instant.
Why?
Because I had just done something insane.
I squeezed my eyes shut and suddenly hugged Yeon Jaehyun, who had been muttering irritably. I had to show physically that we were dating.
From his sweatshirt, I could smell the familiar scent from his officetel.
‘You freaking idiot….’
That was fifty years’ worth of future blanket-kicking reserved.
I lifted my face from his chest and looked at Sung Taewoo.
“I-If this isn’t dating, then what is…?”
“Seems like dating to me.”
I didn’t even have to look in a mirror to know my face was bright red.
Once I got his acknowledgment, I quickly stepped away from Yeon Jaehyun. Lately, I’d been hugging quite a variety of men.
‘If this counts, then are Seo-jin hyung and I married?’
Even Sung Taewoo’s softness deserved to be mocked internally.
“Well then, I suppose there’s no helping it… Miss Seyoon.”
“Yes.”
At his ominous tone, I answered solemnly.
The moment for my tearful act to pay off had arrived.
“Can you hold hands too?”
“…What?”
A stupid voice slipped out of me.
Isn’t hugging more intimate than holding hands? What is this? My brain was a mess.
Still, it wasn’t difficult.
“Y-Yes… sure.”
I grabbed Yeon Jaehyun’s large hand resting on the sofa and held it tightly, even shaking it slightly as if to show off.
But Sung Taewoo observed Yeon Jaehyun more closely than our joined hands.
“Is it real…?”
At his muttering, irritation slowly rose in me.
What more does he want? Doubting even this was ridiculous.
“Should we kiss too?”
I spoke irritably, even though the President of the White Killer Association sat right in front of me.
I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth.
‘Ah, I really need to fix my temper….’
Jung Sumin’s voice echoed in my ears: You’ll get seriously hurt one day like that.
Sung Taewoo’s eyes widened in surprise, then he burst out laughing.
