Chapter 09
After Jang Jae Geun and his group left, silence settled over the hallway.
Only Sa Hyeok, Seo Bin, and Yoo In Ha remained in the hall, and the stillness was almost oppressive.
It was Yoo In Ha who broke it first.
“It’s been a while, Bae Seo Hyun’s little sister.”
Smiling brightly, Yoo In Ha walked toward Seo Bin.
“It’s been so long, so why do you look like that? You’re hurting my feelings. Have you been well?”
“…”
Seo Bin’s gaze remained cold as she looked at him.
When she didn’t answer, Yoo In Ha continued approaching her, wearing the innocent smile of someone greeting a friend he had genuinely missed.
Disgusting.
For a moment, Seo Bin wanted nothing more than to smash his face beyond recognition.
But she suppressed the impulse.
If I’m going to destroy you, I’ll do it properly.
This is only the beginning.
I have plenty of time.
Instead of backing away, Seo Bin stared directly into his eyes.
Before she realized it, the two of them were standing close enough to touch.
The silence between them grew heavy with tension.
“That’s enough for today. I still have something to discuss with Reporter Bae.”
It was Sa Hyeok’s low, icy voice that shattered the silence.
Stepping in front of Seo Bin, he blocked Yoo In Ha’s path.
Yoo In Ha let out a mocking chuckle.
“Reporter? Executive Director Kim seems to have plenty of free time. Going to parties with reporters now?”
His tone dripped with sarcasm.
Sa Hyeok answered without a hint of emotion.
“She’s our company’s assigned reporter. Naturally, we should treat her well. Don’t you think?”
“Wow. That’s exactly what I’d expect from Noble’s heir. No wonder the Chairman already handed you an executive director’s position.”
Yoo In Ha slowly applauded with a smile.
It was the same warm, radiant smile that had charmed countless people—bright as spring itself.
“Since Executive Director Kim is asking, I’ll leave it at that for today.”
His eyes returned to Seo Bin.
“As for Reporter Bae…”
For some reason, the back of her neck—where Jang Jae Geun had grabbed her earlier—throbbed painfully.
Keeping her expression as composed as possible, Seo Bin met his gaze.
Tilting his head slightly, Yoo In Ha extended his hand for a handshake.
“I’ll see you again.”
“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
Seo Bin quietly stared at the outstretched hand.
The corner of her lips slowly curved upward.
She had absolutely no desire to take it.
Instead, she found herself wondering whether these very hands had killed her sister…
Whether they looked like the hands of a murderer.
The fact that she was analyzing something like that struck her as almost absurd.
When Seo Bin made no move to shake his hand, Yoo In Ha awkwardly raised an eyebrow before withdrawing it.
He gave a casual wave and walked away as leisurely as he had arrived.
At that very moment, Sa Hyeok grabbed Seo Bin by the wrist.
“Come with me.”
* * *
Standing with his back to Seo Bin, Sa Hyeok faced the floor-to-ceiling windows of the reception room.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Even with one hand tucked casually into his pocket, simply gazing out the window, he radiated overwhelming pressure.
Suppressing the turmoil inside her, Seo Bin finally spoke.
“I didn’t intend for things to get this out of hand. I’m sorry.”
“It won’t happen again.”
Her voice remained calm, though the urgency in her breathing betrayed her.
“Next time… I was thinking of covering the Sarim Foundation instead. I’ve already looked into—”
That was when Sa Hyeok turned around.
“Why would you go there?”
Still rambling in her attempt to prove her usefulness after today’s mistake, Seo Bin blankly watched his tall figure approach.
In just a few strides, he stood directly before her.
Looking down at her with emotionless eyes, he repeated coldly,
“Why…”
“…would you go there?”
“…Considering what happened today… and since our original objective was investigating the funding connected to Yoo In Ha…”
Under Sa Hyeok’s icy stare, Seo Bin desperately tried to prove she still had value.
Fear welled inside her.
He’s going to abandon me.
As expected, the words she dreaded came.
“Let’s pretend I never made that offer.”
“W-What do you mean…”
Before she could even finish speaking, Seo Bin shook her head frantically.
“No.”
She refused without hesitation.
Ignoring her entirely, Sa Hyeok turned and started walking toward the hallway leading to the bedroom.
Seo Bin hurried after him and grabbed him.
“Today was a mistake.”
“I never expected to run into Jang Jae Geun.”
“I thought… maybe he’d let something useful slip while he was drunk.”
“I got greedy.”
“It won’t happen again.”
“So… please.”
“Give me another chance.”
As though he were the only thing she had left to hold onto, Seo Bin clutched tightly at Sa Hyeok’s shirt and looked up at him with desperate eyes.
Sa Hyeok lowered his gaze to the hand gripping him.
“A mistake.”
He slowly repeated the word, as though trying to understand a concept he’d never encountered before.
His eyes drifted to Seo Bin’s collarbone.
The marks left by rough hands on her pale neck came into view.
“A mistake.”
“Do people usually gamble with their lives over a mistake?”
The corner of Sa Hyeok’s lips tilted.
It was an expression somewhere between pity and ridicule.
Suddenly, Seo Bin’s eyes stung with tears.
The pain she had momentarily forgotten returned all at once.
Her bruises throbbed.
After pushing herself through an impossible schedule and becoming caught in a fight, her entire body felt as though it were sinking into the ground.
But if she collapsed now…
Everything would be over.
Forcing her emotions back under control, she steadied her breathing before speaking with difficulty.
“Then…”
“What should I have done?”
“Tell me.”
“…What is it that you wanted me to do?”
Sa Hyeok slowly turned to face her completely.
His breathing had become slightly rougher, and his body tensed ever so slightly.
Seo Bin never noticed.
She only stared blankly as his shirt slowly slipped from her fingers while he moved.
“You should’ve called me.”
Standing beneath the chandelier with the light behind him, Sa Hyeok spoke in a low voice.
Seo Bin raised her head to meet his shadowed face.
“I did call…”
“You didn’t answer.”
“Then you should’ve kept calling.”
His voice suddenly hardened.
“Until I answered.”
“Until I got there.”
“Before that bastard laid a hand on you…”
“You should’ve looked for me first.”
Seo Bin was caught completely off guard.
She had expected him to say she should’ve avoided the situation.
Or handled it more carefully.
Instead…
He said she should’ve found him.
Who are you…?
Why…?
For a brief moment, confusion filled her mind.
But nothing changed.
The coldness in his eyes still made it abundantly clear how foolish he thought she was.
Avoiding any further argument seemed like the wiser choice.
“I’m sorry.”
Seo Bin apologized again quietly.
She didn’t mean it from the bottom of her heart.
But her sincerity in appearance was convincing enough.
She no longer had the strength to remain standing.
Drawing shallow breaths, she gathered the last of her strength.
“I was careless.”
To stay beside Kim Sa Hyeok.
“I won’t do anything that causes trouble for you again, Executive Director.”
To uncover the truth behind my sister’s death…
And destroy the murderer—and everyone who stood by and protected them.
“So…”
“Please let me stay by your side.”
Even if the end of this partnership leads only to my own destruction.
“I’ll do anything.”
“Whatever it takes to satisfy you, Executive Director.”
Knowing the truth and falling into hell…
…is better than living forever in a paradise built on lies.
“Anything?”
Sa Hyeok asked.
Even as her consciousness faded, Seo Bin nodded without hesitation.
“Anything.”
As though he had heard something interesting, Sa Hyeok slowly ran his tongue across the inside of his cheek before speaking.
“Then…”
“Pretend to be my…”
“The compensation is…”
His voice became distant.
Like echoes drifting from far away.
The world spun violently around Seo Bin.
Darkness swallowed her vision.
* * *
“Bae Seo Bin. Didn’t you get anything?”
The sudden question from Gong Soo Pyo snapped Seo Bin back to reality.
She had been staring blankly at her monitor, absentmindedly moving her mouse.
“…Huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean Noble. They’re not just going to sit back, are they? They’re the biggest sponsor in the history of the Economic Forum.”
“Ah…”
Seo Bin trailed off.
As she wondered how to answer, Reporter Jang beside her couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer.
“Come on, you didn’t get anything either? Last time it looked like Noble even sent a car to pick you up.”
Each sponsor of the Economic Forum had its own way of managing the reporters assigned to cover them.
Usually, they’d slip reporters an amount equivalent to a month’s salary whenever a favorable promotional article was published.
For those who felt uncomfortable accepting cash out of conscience, they’d instead lend them company vehicles or introduce valuable professional connections that could help with future career moves.
Seo Bin remembered her final conversation with Sa Hyeok.
She almost laughed.
Thinking about the man who treated her like a hired employee he could pay and discard at will made irritation rise inside her.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Now you’ve got me curious!”
“What was it?”
“Did they give you something really amazing?”
