Chapter 11

She thought he would say no.

She expected him to say, 'What are we to each other that I would worry about you?'

Yet, here he was, saying he was worried, saying he had her on his mind.

Looking at him standing under the streetlight, Bo Bae’s heart fluttered. It was a different kind of thumping than when she had been pinned beneath him on the hospital bed a few days ago. Back then, her whole body felt flushed as if scorched by fire, but now, she felt a dizzying sway, like floating on the ocean. It was a pleasant tremor.

When Bo Bae blinked her large eyes at the unexpected answer, he spoke in a dry voice.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"...?"

"You're my portable charger."

"....!"

"So of course I have no choice but to worry. If something happens to you, it means something happens to me too, doesn't it?"

He was right. Dead right, infuriatingly so.

Na Yeon had told her that 'honey was dripping' from his eyes when he looked at her, so Bo Bae had allowed herself to hope that maybe, just maybe, this man had a slight interest in her.

Even if she denied it in words, it was true that she had been swayed by him since the moment they first met. But reality was always bitter. Her 'maybe' was met with a 'just as I thought' kind of answer, and her excitement was stained with disappointment.

"Of course. I’m the fool for expecting anything."

"Expecting? Expecting what? Don't tell me you expected that I was worried about you as a man?"

"Forget it! If you're recharged enough, you should leave now!"

Her pride wounded, Bo Bae marched up the stairs without looking back. Embarrassment and humiliation flushed her face a deep red, making it impossible to look him in the eye. She just wanted to hide inside her dark rooftop room as quickly as possible.

"Go? Where would I go? I'm not even fully charged yet."

Ugh. That clueless jerk.

Ho Rang called out to her, oblivious to her feelings, but Bo Bae kept going without a backward glance. Right now, soothing her bruised ego was far more important than his charging status.

"This stupid building... the power always goes out. It’s so old and crappy, it just ruins my mood!"

Bo Bae kicked the air as she entered the dark building. As soon as she stepped inside, the lights that had been out flickered on brightly, as if they were motion sensors.

Once she reached the rooftop, Bo Bae collapsed onto the wooden platform. No matter how much she thought about it, she felt so humiliated that she wanted to die.

What was she thinking, expecting something from a man who had coldly rejected her proposal for a contract relationship even while his life was at risk? Was she living life too naively, was she foolish, or was she just an idiot?

Even for a wallflower who had never dated or held a man's hand, how could a romance writer know so little about a man's heart?

"You idiot, why is your heart racing over that?"

Muttering to the sky, Bo Bae suddenly bolted upright.

"Wait. Don't tell me I'm actually serious about that jerk?"

Her cheeks were still hot, her heart was pounding like crazy, and she felt a world-ending disappointment at Ho Rang’s cold reaction.

"No way, it can't be."

Even as she said it, she wanted to see him.

"No, surely not."

Even as she said it, she found herself looking forward to tomorrow.

"No! There's no way I have feelings for that rude jerk. It's just because he's the first man whose hand I've held. It was my first skinship, my first kiss... that's why I'm just a bit confused. How could someone that ill-mannered enter my heart? No! Absolutely not!"

While Bo Bae was trying to get a grip on her feelings, Ho Rang was scanning the area around the rooftop room.

He really didn't like it. He was displeased by how old the building was, but he hated the fact that the surrounding area was filled with bars even more. He especially disliked that the people passing by were all drunks. If it stayed like this...

"That woman is in too much danger."

He hated that the house was on a slope that looked like a carved-out mountain, he hated that it was far from the café, and he hated the broken glass bottles scattered in front of the house. Regardless of anything else, Bo Bae being in danger was of no benefit to him.

"Should I get her an officetel?"

No. Knowing her personality, she wouldn't just obediently move in.

"Should I just buy up the whole area and build a new building?"

As he was lost in thought, he spotted the flasher from earlier wandering around as if scouting for a new target.

Ho Rang approached him without hesitation.

"Hey, pervert."

When a well-built man called out to him, the flasher froze, clutching the front of his coat in surprise.

"Did... did... did you call me a pervert? I-I-I'm not a pervert!"

The flasher was paralyzed with fear under Ho Rang's blade-sharp gaze, his voice stuttering. He looked like a weasel trapped in front of a fierce tiger.

"People usually call someone who goes around showing their pathetic junk to random women for their own satisfaction a pervert."

Since it wasn't a lie, the flasher kept his mouth shut and looked up at Ho Rang.

"I don't care what your tastes are...actually, I don't even want to know."

"....."

"But if anything happens to that woman because of you, consider yourself dead by my hands."

"Gasp...!"

For a moment, the flasher felt a murderous intent in Ho Rang's eyes. No, it wasn't just his eyes, a bone-chilling, terrifying aura was radiating from his entire body.

"I... I... I won't do it again."

"Get lost."

Crushed by a single look from Ho Rang, the flasher bowed repeatedly, promising never to come near the area again, and disappeared.

Once the man was gone, Ho Rang’s gaze turned back toward Bo Bae’s rooftop room. The lights in her room went out, signaling she was ready for bed. It seemed like it was finally time to head back.

Ho Rang began to walk away, his steps heavy.

~~~~

The next day.

Ho Rang went to work with hollow, sunken eyes. Last night, he ultimately couldn't return home and spent the entire night guarding Bo Bae’s house.

Just as he was about to leave, a group of drunken men had swarmed into Bo Bae’s rooftop apartment building. Even though they lived in the building, seeing them in such a state made Ho Rang feel uneasy, leading him to keep a long vigil in front of the house.

In the end, he only managed to take a quick shower after seeing the sunrise before heading to the office.

"You’ve arrived, sir."

"Get me a coffee. Make it very strong."

He ordered the coffee to chase away his drowsiness and was about to enter his office when Secretary Yoon called out to him.

"Excuse me, sir."

"What is it?"

"The Chairman is inside waiting for you."

At the mention of the Chairman, tension settled over Ho Rang’s face. Chairman Baek Man Seok, the only person in the world who could make Ho Rang feel this on edge.

Still maintaining his guarded stance, Ho Rang asked.

"When did he arrive?"

"He arrived just a moments ago."

"Right. Got it."

Ho Rang straightened his clothes and composed his expression. Then, with a perfectly disciplined demeanor, he stepped inside.

As the door opened, Chairman Baek was visible, seated in the seat of honor. Even at over seventy years old, he boasted a large, sturdy physique that exuded an unapproachable charisma.

Famous as a legendary businessman who rose from a destitute home to build the current Tae Seong Group through sheer tenacity and effort, he was a formidable figure ranked among the wealthiest people not only in Korea but in the world.

"You’ve come, Chairman."

Ho Rang bowed deeply to Man Seok. Despite being his biological grandfather, he was a man who had never once permitted the title of 'Grandfather.' He was notorious for being cold-blooded towards his children and grandchildren alike.

"Relax. I just stopped by on my way elsewhere."

"Yes."

Though the Chairman told him to relax, Ho Rang did not let his guard down. Behind such words, there was always something lurking that would catch him off guard.

"Are there any setbacks in the preparations for the shopping center opening?"

"No. Preparations are nearly complete. We are currently filming a drama, and the segments filmed at our department store are scheduled to air in time for the opening day."

"Hmph. If the drama does well, it might draw some attention."

"I am looking forward to it."

"I am looking forward to it as well."

Chairman Baek set down his teacup and looked at Ho Rang. His gaze was sharp, but Ho Rang did not flinch, meeting his grandfather’s eyes. The two of them shared the exact same piercing gaze.

"Everyone around me is making a fuss. They're saying that from now on, it won't be Tae Seong Construction but the shopping center that feeds Tae Seong."

Tae Seong Group, which started with construction and automobiles, had expanded into hotels and resorts worldwide, and this was their first time opening a shopping center. It was a project personally planned by Ho Rang, who had been in charge of the resort business, and there was nothing that hadn't passed through his hands from start to finish.

Because Ho Rang was the one leading the first business expansion allowed by Chairman Baek in decades, there were eyes filled with expectation, concerns, and jealousy both inside and outside the Tae Seong Group.

"You are aware that this was a project everyone opposed, aren't you?"

"I am well aware."

"I will judge based on the first year's sales whether you are a useful fellow or a useless one."

"Yes."

"Show me that my choice was not wrong."

"Do not worry. I will prove to you, as I did then and as I do now, that the Chairman's choice was not wrong."

"Indeed. Yes, you should. Hahahaha."

Accompanied by Chairman Baek's laughter, Ho Rang’s memory drifted back to twenty years ago.

.

.

.

On a night when the rain poured down as if the sky had been punctured, Ho Rang lost his parents.

The family of three had gone out together and were on their way back home. A terrifying typhoon swallowed the car carrying Ho Rang’s family, and his mother passed away without even being able to release the two hands she had used to hold him tight.

Before he could even overcome the grief of losing his parents, Ho Rang had to fear for his own life. Ho Rang hadn't known then that his grandfather was incredibly wealthy, or that there was a massive inheritance his wealthy grandfather had passed down to his father.

However, there were things he did come to learn. He learned that he had a very beautiful aunt and a cousin of the same age, and that his aunt and her husband were greedy for his father’s fortune. He also realized that he was a major obstacle in their way.

"I want to live with Grandfather! Please, let me live with Grandfather. I’ll only eat a little. I’ll do everything you tell me to."

As he said those words, Ho Rang was trembling. The reason he said he would live with his grandfather, who looked scarier than an ogre, was because of a strong conviction that his grandfather at least wouldn't kill him.

"Do you truly wish to live with me?"

"Yes. I’ll live with Grandfather. I want to live with Grandfather."

Man Seok stroked the head of the terrified Ho Rang and said.

"Very well. Then from now on, call me Chairman."

That was the first and last time he ever called Baek Man Seok 'Grandfather.'