Chapter 15
15.
“Are you sure you'll be okay?”
“I told you I'm fine. I can manage with one hand.”
“But….”
It had been a long time since I'd lost control of myself.
Thanks to that, I'd ended up bawling like a child in Seo Geon-woo's house, in the arms of his mother, of all people.
Even now, I was trying to stop Seo Geon-woo, who'd come out with me, insisting on driving me.
“It's fine. I had a good meal. Say hello to your mother for me.”
“Ha-won….”
“You know what I'm like, right? When I say no, I mean no.”
The big lug nodded.
I looked into his concerned eyes, then turned away.
“Go inside.”
Without even looking at Seo Geon-woo, I waved a hand and headed out of the alley.
It was still early summer.
The daytime temperatures were climbing rapidly, but once the sun set, it was still bearable for now.
The sky was clear and I was full... Maybe it was because I'd cried my eyes out for no reason.
I felt refreshed, like I'd had a thorough healing session before leaving.
‘Maybe living as a woman isn't so bad?’
What mattered wasn't gender.
What mattered was what kind of life you lived, and with whom.
Come to think of it, I didn't have any real connections around me.
Apart from Seo Geon-woo, most of my relationships were superficial or tied to my father's company.
There was no one who genuinely tried to understand me. And, conversely, there was no one I wanted to get to know.
“If I had to name someone… maybe Seo Geon-woo.”
Good grief.
The once-mighty Jeong Ha-won was now a loner without a single real friend.
“Huh?”
Just as I was leaving the alley,
I ran into Seo Ha-yoon.
She seemed to be coming back from the gym after working out.
She saw me and her eyes briefly widened in surprise, but soon she began glaring at me sharply.
“Are you just heading in now?”
I asked as if nothing was wrong.
From Ha-yoon's perspective, I might seem shameless, but I didn't particularly want to be on bad terms with her.
She'd said all sorts of nasty things to me, thrown me, and twisted my wrist, but as someone who'd lived a few years longer—and as an adult no longer underage—I could let that much slide.
‘I, Jeong Ha-won, am a magnanimous person who's generous to everyone.’
“None of your business whether I go in or not.”
Crack.
A vein throbbed at my temple.
‘Sigh, kids these days, seriously.’
She tossed that out and walked right past me.
“Ha-yoon.”
As expected, she ignored me.
“Seo Ha-yoon!”
I raised my voice.
Only then did Seo Ha-yoon stop.
Then she spun around.
“What exactly do you want from me? Why do you keep clinging to me?”
“Clinging to you? When did I?”
Seo Ha-yoon's brow furrowed, and her eyes grew even sharper.
“Just because Mom and my brother like you doesn't mean I have to. I don't like you.”
That ‘you,’ huh.
It was a way of referring to someone that put a lot of distance between people.
“Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I changed like this, either. At first, I hated myself so much I even thought about ending it.”
Seo Ha-yoon seemed to be waiting to hear what else I had to say, so she didn't interrupt.
“Something completely unreal happened. But what can I do? There's no way to go back for now. I understand that you find me repulsive. I felt the same way about myself.”
“So what?”
“I never bullied your brother. It may sound like an excuse, but I never led anything like what people call ‘school bullying.’”
Seo Ha-yoon's chest rose and fell deeply.
Even from a little distance away, I could hear her snorting loudly.
“Anyway, what I'm trying to say is… I want to clear up the things you've misunderstood. And since I can't undo what's beyond my control, I'm going to accept it and adapt. Wouldn't it be easier if you thought of the Jeong Ha-won you knew as having simply changed from an older brother into an older sister?”
After listening to everything I had to say, Seo Ha-yoon trudged toward me.
Was this brat going to throw me again? Or try a different attack pattern this time?
I flinched and instinctively assumed a stance.
I had to be ready in case she launched a surprise attack.
When Seo Ha-yoon came right up to me, she cracked her neck from side to side.
‘Is she coming at me? A punch? A kick? Or grappling?’
Even though my body was as frail as could be, if I ran a good simulation based on my experience and techniques so far, maybe I could at least dodge.
I was tense, but then Seo Ha-yoon finally spoke.
“There's nothing I've misunderstood… And I don't care if you were a man or if you used to be a man and became a woman. You're just someone who made life miserable for my brother, and someone I can't stand to look at. You don't need to make excuses to me anymore. Do you understand?”
Seo Ha-yoon's sharp eyes flashed through her bangs, damp with sweat and clumped together like dried squid.
‘Sigh, the great Jeong Ha-won is getting intimidated by a high school kid, and a high school girl at that?’
The pressure she gave off, and the strength and technique I'd felt when she slammed me to the ground.
She seemed like the kind of person most guys at school wouldn't dare stand up to.
Did she work out because she liked it?
Or was there some other reason?
I suddenly wondered, but this didn't seem like the time to ask.
I had no idea what was going on in her head, but we couldn't keep being sworn enemies like this… What the hell was I supposed to do?
She gave me one last hard glare, then abruptly turned and walked away.
‘Even so, giving up like this doesn't suit me, Jeong Ha-won.’
I shouted after Seo Ha-yoon.
“Next time, your big sister will buy you something delicious! Let's go eat! Got it?”
It was a little out of nowhere, but for now, the direct approach was all I had.
I'd just keep going at her.
No tree can withstand ten chops. No, I was going to use the Native American rain-dance approach.
Keep performing the ritual until it rains!
This time Seo Ha-yoon didn't say anything back. She just raised a fist over her shoulder and stuck up her middle finger.
“Sigh, the nerve of that brat… Flipping off an adult?”
That's what I said, but for some reason, I found her cute and laughed.
*
By the time I got home, it was past nine in the evening.
I'd been worried Seong Ji-hoon might be waiting in front of the house, but thankfully, he wasn't there.
“Man, I'm exhausted. Today feels like it was a pretty long day.”
I flung myself onto the sofa and sprawled out.
“……”
I lay there quietly, looking around the spacious house.
The house was far too big for one person to live in.
It was a near-perfect penthouse, equipped with almost every amenity a home could need and made even more luxurious by its modern interior design.
Suddenly, I wondered what the point of having all this was.
A sense of emptiness and futility swept through my chest.
* *
At daybreak, I took Seong Ji-hoon, who'd shown up for work as usual, and went to meet Secretary Shin.
I'd contacted her first and asked to meet.
The chief of the Guwon Group chairman's secretarial office.
Everyone called her Secretary Shin, but her official title was chief of the secretarial office.
Everything about her personal life was kept confidential. Of course, I had no desire to pry, either.
All I knew was that she handled things with incredible speed and precision, had inexplicable combat skills, and wore that robotic expression that gave no clue what she was thinking.
Secretary Shin, seated across from me, had her usual stern expression, like an aloof ice witch.
“What did you want to see me about…?”
“Why don't we have a cup of coffee first?”
I said, pointing at the teacup set in front of her.
Her eyes briefly lowered to it, then returned to me.
‘Could she really be an AI humanoid? She doesn't seem to have any human emotions.’
Secretary Shin spoke mechanically.
“I'm sorry, miss. I have work to attend to, so I don't think I can stay with you for long.”
Put indirectly, it meant, I'm busy, so get to the point and keep it brief.
That was what she was saying.
“All right. Then let's get straight to the point.”
Secretary Shin only stared at me, sitting bolt upright without replying or changing her expression.
Honestly, she was about twenty times more difficult to deal with than my father in a private meeting.
But there were things I absolutely had to know, and things I wanted to ask for, so I had to endure the pressure.
“First, I'd like to ask why you assigned a man named Seong Ji-hoon to me, whether he's actually competent, or if this was an assignment to give a rookie some experience.”
“Please continue. I'll listen to everything and answer all at once.”
I took a sip of coffee.
My lips had gone dry and my throat was parched from the tension.
“Second, I'd like to ask how you keep track of where I am.”
Is she really human? How could she not react at all?
I continued.
“Next, I have a request. I need a proper housekeeper and some people to help find the culprit who did this to me.”
I gave a slight nod to indicate I'd finished, then sipped my coffee.
Secretary Shin paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, then opened her mouth.
“First, Agent Seong Ji-hoon is competent. He's the best among the personnel under my jurisdiction. It's true he doesn't have much experience, but regardless, I judged him to be the best person for you.”
Should I believe that or not?
But Secretary Shin wasn't someone who'd say anything frivolous, so I let the first point pass for now.
“Second, this may make you a little uncomfortable, miss, but I'll tell you honestly.”
Maybe she felt at least a little bad about it, because she paused for a few seconds before continuing.
“On the chairman's orders, we installed GPS trackers in your car and shoes.”
I'd expected it to some extent, but hearing it directly didn't feel great.
That must've been how they'd found me right away when I was kidnapped.
It had saved my life, so I'd let this go too.
It wasn't as though my father or Secretary Shin knowing where I was would cause any harm to my daily life.
If anything, it might even help while I was still unable to protect myself.
‘At least they didn't install CCTV. Sigh.’
As I was thinking that, Secretary Shin spoke again.
“We can provide everything you've requested. If you send me a document detailing the specifics, I'll make arrangements as quickly as possible.”
“Thank you.”
“Is that everything?”
“Yes. For now….”
“Then may I excuse myself?”
“Yes. Sorry to take up your time when you're busy.”
“Not at all.”
As expected, she replied without a hint of emotion, stood up, bowed at the waist, and turned to leave.
“Ah! Secretary Shin.”
“Yes.”
She turned back immediately.
“Did my father say anything else?”
“As far as anything concerning you goes… He didn't say anything in particular.”
“Oh, I see.”
I thought she'd just leave, but Secretary Shin seemed to have something to say, because she spoke again.
“Miss, are you all right with Agent Seong Ji-hoon continuing his assignment? Would you like him replaced?”
“No, I think it's fine to keep him. But as his superior, I'd appreciate it if you told him not to be so rigid and to show a little flexibility.”
“I'll do that.”
After finishing all my business with Secretary Shin, I left the cafe.
I turned to Seong Ji-hoon, who'd been waiting by the door.
For some reason, he looked extremely tense.
“What is it? Worried I went and told your direct superior this and that about you?”
“N-no, ma'am.”
“Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to you.”
Only then did his face relax a little.
Compared to Secretary Shin, his emotional control still had a long way to go.
“Thank you.”
“Anyway, I feel a little bad, too, so I'll buy you one thing you want as an apology.”
“Ah… No! It's all right.”
“It's hard driving, isn't it? Should I ask them to assign you a driver? No, maybe I should get you a new car? Now that I look, your suit seems worn, too. Should we go get you a new suit first?”
I smiled as I watched him fidget, looking utterly flustered.
“Let's go.”
“Y-yes!”
As he got into the car and started the engine, Seong Ji-hoon asked cautiously,
“Miss… no, Ms. Ha-won. Where should I take you?”
“I told you. First, let's get you some new clothes. I know a tailor shop, so let's go there.”
“Ah, Ms. Ha-won, I'm really fine. They aren't that worn yet….”
“Just do as I say.”
“Yes….”
Looks like he doesn't keep stubbornly refusing for long anymore. For some reason, it put me in a good mood.
“And starting today, I'm going to ‘make friends,’ so we'll be going all over the place. Is that all right?”
“Yes, that's fine!”
With a soft engine rumble, the car began to move smoothly.