Chapter 5

Translator and Editor: Gina and Tea

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Chapter 5

It took around ten minutes by car to arrive at the Southern Docks, where there was a colorful cruise ship moored under a fluttering flag bearing the Baekcheon’s pattern. A party onboard a luxurious cruise ship. Upon such a gigantic scale, I was amazed at the exorbitant wealth of Baekcheon once again. I was told to go first, and yet, somehow I found Baek Hawon already standing at the bridge leading to the entrance of the cruise ship. The tall man in a posh suit stood out in the distance. Neatly trimmed black hair and a black tie under his tight shirt. A blue cufflink stood out from the end of his right sleeve covering his wristwatch. The gaze of the man with the burning sunset as a halo behind him was fixed on me. I walked towards him, possessed by the dizzying illusion that I was inside a movie.

“…”

A hand reached out in front of me as soon as his dry gaze collided with mine. ‘Hold it,’ even if his own mouth didn’t move, it was the message in the weight of those eyes on me.

‘An obsessive maniac will be an obsessive maniac~’

I reluctantly held his hand, as cold as his gaze.

Under the sunset, the cruise ship glowed crimson as if it was sailing on a burning fire. Red waves were clearly visible under the transparent bridge I crossed while holding Baek Hawon’s hand and were doubly dizzying, perhaps because of the high heels.

‘Wooaah.’The cruise ship’s entrance was as large and splendid as a hotel lobby. Even the sparkling chandelier and the red carpet under my feet were a sight to behold. The very image of lavish. Anyhow, the experience of walking on a red carpet while holding the hand of the male lead of a novel which I once liked to the point of immersion wasn’t bad.

“Boss.” At that moment, Ji-woon, who was walking a certain distance behind us, whispered something to Baek Hawon inaudibly. Seeing that his forehead narrowed, it didn’t seem to be good news.

“What is it?” When I asked, trying to look calm, Baek Hawon hesitated for a moment. I didn’t expect him to answer me in the first place, but his expression made me even more curious about what was going on.

“Don’t leave Ji-woon’s side.”

What he said was unexpected. I tilted my head.

“Ji-woon only sticks next to the Boss.”

“Today it’ll stick to you.”

What does he mean? I was filled with curiosity at the words I couldn’t understand, but when I saw the faces of two people unwilling to tell me, I shut the mouth I had foolishly opened. There was no need to feel upset by this much.

I will safely finish today’s party and never get involved with Baekcheon and Baek Hawon ever again.

* * *

The water stream drew a beautiful line, and the fountain shimmered in the light. Under the night sky that looked as if black ink had been spilled on it, the deck that was decorated in splendor was filled with people. They were all dressed to the nines, and their excited voices and elegant gestures indicated they were all drunk on wine.

“President, nice to meet you! I’m–”

“President, do you remember me by any chance? We met during the K project.”

[tl/n: small explanation, the word ‘대표’ doesn’t have a correct translation to English, ‘대표이사’ is the head of a company that’s why is translated as president or CEO but they also have higher ranks that also mean president. So it could be confusing]

Endless people were flocking around Baek Hawon, calling him President instead of Boss. The desire to reap some benefits clearly shone brightly on their faces. Baek Hawon’s smile while dealing with them was something I had never witnessed before. Sitting in a corner where not many people would gather and leaning against the railing, I struggled to turn a blind eye toward the subtle gazes aimed at me. Fortunately or not, no one approached me, which also felt a little weird. While thinking that, I swallowed a sip of the wine, and then I heard the clacking of high heels.

“Long time no see.”

A tight black miniskirt that fit neatly and dark red hair that was short enough to reach the ears. A woman with as a strong presence as Cha Yeonbyeol’s smiled, twisting her scarlet lips. ‘Who is this?’ Seeing the hot gaze that had the momentum to turn me into a pile of dust, the other party seemed to know me very well, but I couldn’t know.

“What’s with this unknown face?”

The woman burst into laughter as if dumbfounded, perhaps because my thoughts were too plainly shown on my face. Before I knew it, everyone’s eyes were on us. It felt as if everyone knew why she was acting like that except me.

“I think my head still hurts from when Miss Yeonbyeol ripped out my hair last year.”

What? No wonder people avoided me. There was a specific reason for that, huh? From the way she looked at me, I could see her desire to tear my hair out at any moment. I took a step backward without realizing it and bumped into Ji-woon who had been guarding me from behind all along.

“Should I take care of it?”

At the moment our eyes met, he threw those words so indifferently that made me lose what I was meant to say. It was no joke. The sense that he could really do it permeated those indifferent eyes.

“That’s why you shouldn’t deal with people of unknown origins.”

As soon as I opened my mouth to speak to Ji-woon, the woman’s high-pitched voice cut through the sound of the waves and resonated in my ears. People began to murmur accompanied by the sound of loud chuckles. I turned my head and faced those malicious eyes. I felt nothing.

I’m not Cha Yeonbyeol.

There was no reason to be angry, because I hadn’t had a chance to empathize with Cha Yeonbyeol. However, it was also the same as not having any reason to be angry and hurtful as the woman wanted. I smiled a little at the thought. Is this why Cha Yeonbyeol ripped your hair out last year?’

“Just stay right behind me.”

The corners of my mouth rolled up as I looked toward Ji-woon, my eyes folded in a half-moon as I smiled. Ji-woon’s face hardened. His lips moved slightly as if he was going to say something, but I had already turned completely away from him and was smiling at the woman. Staring at her, I slowly emptied my wine glass; as I parted my lips, the surroundings became quiet.

“Ah, looking at your wine-colored hair I recall it.”

“…”

“I forgot for a second. I have a bad memory these days, so I often forget common things.”

I drew a bright, innocent smile on my face, the face of the woman who had been smiling sarcastically cooled.

“Regardless of your origins, if you were as unique as me, you’d be memorable… but I don’t think that’s the case, right?”

“What did you say?” The woman snapped, her face became contorted. I strode closer to her as she recoiled. Her eyes widened in bewilderment and she trembled anxiously. Seeing her like that, I gave her a cool smile and whispered softly in her ear.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite you this time.”

The woman’s pupils shuddered as she made a dumb expression. I tilted my head and looked at her.

“By the way, this isn’t Oppa’s taste, Unnie.”

As I raised the corners of my mouth and lightly brushed her hair, the woman’s face became quite worth seeing. As predicted, it was probably because she coveted Baek Hawon that Cha Yeonbyeol got on her nerves. If that was the case, there was nothing I could say. How unsightly and weak is the heart that covets what it cannot have.

The woman bit her red lips and trembled. It was the easiest of the scenarios I had predicted, so much so that it was uninteresting. There was no other disturbance, so I could quietly go back to watching the party again. I turned toward Ji-woon with a bright smile. Then I realized that the eyes of the people who had been distracted by the fight were still on me. I rolled my eyes awkwardly. This kind of attention was burdensome. The moment I decided to get out,

Clang~! A waiter came out of nowhere, rushed past me and the woman, and suddenly staggered and pushed me hard. The push was too hard to be considered a mistake, although I would have been unable to realize it myself if I, who lost my balance in the high heels and staggered, hadn’t been caught by Ji-woon. The wine glass in my hand fell to the floor and shattered. The wine bottle the waiter was holding also broke, leaving red stains on my dress.

“Miss, are you all right?” Ji-woon pulled me upright and asked. Holding on to him and balancing my body, I swept my loose hair back and raised my head. All waiters wore white masks that covered half of their faces.

“Ah, I apologize. What should I do?”

The voice that flowed from the mask showed no signs of regret and was discreetly mixed with a sneer. I could see half-folded eyes through the holes of the mask. A hand as white as snow moved to rub his ear covered in expensive accessories that were a little too shiny for a waiter. I felt chilled for an unknown reason. As time suddenly moved in slow motion, hair that seemed to have melted moonlight in it swayed clearly in the breeze.

“Yu-gyeom…?”

I was taken aback by the words that came out of my mouth as a whisper, moved by instinct and intuition, and immediately shook my head. Fortunately, thanks to the classical music that filled the party hall, my muttering was unheard by the people around.

This was a place where one couldn’t even step in without an invitation. In a restricted space where the only way to escape is the dark, cold sea? This can’t be true.

“Miss, I think you should wash your hands. I’ll guide you.”

A hand in a white glove reached out toward me. Even if the dress couldn’t be helped, seeing the sticky hands, I thought I needed to wash. Instead of holding the hand extended to me, I took a handkerchief from Ji-woon and wrapped it around my wet hand.

“Then, please guide me.”

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