CHAPTER 6
The moment Seola opened the front door and stepped inside, the stifling, twisted air slammed into her face.
Before she could even take off her shoes, Eunae’s face, horribly contorted with rage, lunged right up to hers.
“You! Are you out of your mind? Have you gone crazy? Are you insane?”
The thug Eunae had pushed forward as Seola’s blind-date match had called Eunae, hurled a barrage of curses at her, and demanded that she return all the money he had given her.
Eunae had been planning to rush straight to the meeting place, grab Seola by the hair if necessary, and hand her over to the man.
If the call had not suddenly been disconnected, Eunae would have gone through with it without hesitation.
“M-Mother.”
Eunae roughly seized Seola by the shoulders, who was trembling with fear.
“Mother? You ungrateful brat, who doesn’t even know the debt you owe for being raised, and you dare call me Mother? Today’s blind date was your last chance to keep this house.”
“And after ruining it, you dare open that filthy mouth?”
“I-I didn’t mean that.”
“That’s enough with your filthy mouth!”
Eunae’s hand rose violently.
Her palm was already cutting through the air, about to come crashing down on Seola’s cheek.
Then, from the darkness beyond the entrance, a low, heavy male voice rang out.
“You’d better lower that hand.”
But Seola lifted her exhausted face, as though she had already given up on everything, and spoke to Ijun.
“I’m…… fine.”
Ijun simply could not understand Yoo Seola.
Even after being treated like an object that could be sold off to anyone without a second thought, she said she was fine.
“This is not something you can simply dismiss by saying you’re fine.”
A slight crease appeared between Ijun’s brows.
A chill settled over his face as his sharp gaze turned toward Eunae.
The color instantly drained from Eunae’s face, which had been gripping Seola like a rat only moments ago, and her lips began to tremble.
His overwhelming presence seemed to stop even her breathing.
Kang Ijun.
The representative of Myeongheon Group.
“W-Who…… who are you……? Y-You’re the representative of Myeongheon Group……?”
Her sharp voice cracked weakly, and desperation was plainly visible on her face.
She desperately bent her waist in a deep bow.
No one could have imagined that Eunae, of all people, would ever show such a submissive side.
Eunae cautiously straightened her back and awkwardly lowered her head, stealing glances at Ijun.
“W-What brings you here? And…… why are you with Seola……?”
Her words trailed off without confidence, growing quieter and quieter.
Eunae’s eyes shook anxiously.
The vicious momentum with which she had been spewing venomous words at Seola only moments ago had completely vanished.
Ijun quietly stared at Eunae’s trembling face.
Because of his expressionless face, there was absolutely no way to tell what he was thinking.
The moment he took another step into the entrance, Eunae, unable to figure out where to look, began biting her nails.
“I merely brought Yoo Seola home.”
Ijun spoke in a low, firm voice before looking directly at Eunae.
“It seemed necessary to make sure she was safely escorted all the way to her front door.”
All the color drained from Eunae’s face.
The arrogance she had shown moments ago disappeared without a trace, and she merely moved her lips like someone whose world had gone dark.
“S-Safety……? What do you mean by that?”
Eunae’s breathing visibly quickened.
At that moment, Jinseong’s complaining voice came from deeper inside the living room, completely unaware of what was happening.
“If Seola’s back, bring her here right now.”
“I’m not letting this slide today.”
Jinseong came stomping out as though he intended to smash the living-room floor, only to discover Ijun.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
“Kang…… Representative Kang Ijun?”
Ijun stared at Jinseong without moving an inch.
His expressionless face somehow felt even more chilling.
Jinseong could not bring himself to meet that gaze properly and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Why is the representative here……? W-What brings you to our house……?”
Ijun glanced back at Seola.
He approached her, looking as though she might collapse at any moment, and naturally stepped in front of her, shielding her from them.
“As of today, Yoo Seola has become my wife candidate.”
Ijun’s low, firm voice echoed through the entrance.
Eunae’s lips went dry, and she could not utter a word.
Her startled shoulders visibly trembled.
“W-What…… what do you mean by that?”
“A wife candidate?”
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“From now on, you will not lay so much as a finger on Yoo Seola.”
Eunae’s face went deathly pale as she finally understood the situation.
She lowered her head like someone nearly overcome with terror and murmured in a tiny voice.
“L-Lay a hand on her?”
“We would never do that.”
“Never.”
Ijun’s icy gaze shifted to Jinseong.
Jinseong flinched and hurriedly bowed at the waist.
It felt as though cold sweat were running down his spine.
He could not even dare meet Ijun’s eyes, staring only at the floor with obvious panic.
“Yes, yes, of course!”
Ijun paused for a moment and stared at them.
His cold, settled gaze showed not the slightest hint of wavering.
“And the man you met today.”
At those words, Jinseong and Eunae’s expressions visibly faltered.
But Ijun paid no attention to their reaction and calmly continued.
“Myeongheon handled him directly.”
“He will not bother you again.”
“What……? You mean you ‘handled’ him?”
Ijun spoke as calmly as though it were nothing worth mentioning.
Jinseong’s face turned deathly white, and his lips visibly trembled.
“Ah…… yes.”
“Yes, Representative.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Thank you…… for such a great favor.”
Eunae and Jinseong repeatedly bowed, practically frantic to show their gratitude.
All the arrogance they had displayed moments ago had vanished without a trace as they desperately tried to avoid falling out of Ijun’s favor.
Ijun looked down at them silently.
Eunae and Jinseong remained bent deeply at the waist, unable even to raise their heads.
Only after their gazes had fallen firmly to the floor did Ijun speak in a low, heavy voice.
“If even the slightest problem happens to Yoo Seola from now on, Myeongheon Group will personally hold the two of you responsible.”
“I am not a man who goes around giving empty warnings.”
“Do not forget my words.”
Cold sweat trickled down the faces of Seola’s adoptive parents.
Jinseong’s face was pale as he frantically nodded.
“Yes…… I’ll keep that in mind.”
Eunae also kept her head lowered and bowed deeply.
Her face, fixed on the floor, was so pale that she looked as though she might collapse at any moment.
“We’ll take very good care of Seola.”
Seola silently watched the entire scene with a stiff expression.
These were the adoptive parents who constantly showered her with blame and abuse whenever they got the chance.
She could not take her eyes off the sight of them being completely transformed by the mere appearance of one man.
Someone who would help her had finally appeared, so why couldn’t she simply feel happy?
Instead of relief, a sense of emptiness washed over her first, while her heart became tangled with emotions she could not explain.
This was neither salvation nor love.
Her life was simply being shaken by one decision made by a man named Kang Ijun.
“Then, I’ll be leaving now.”
Ijun informed them as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Yoo Seola will receive an official call tomorrow.”
The moment he finished speaking, Jinseong and Eunae bowed even deeper.
Their hurried farewells were filled with an obvious desire to please him.
“Th-Thank you, thank you so much, Representative!”
“We’ll make sure you never have to worry about her again.”
“P-Please get home safely!”
Ijun’s gaze lingered on Seola for a moment before slowly moving away.
Then the sound of his footsteps heading toward the entrance spread quietly through the silent space.
Even after the door closed, no one spoke for a long while.
It felt as though Ijun were still standing there.
