“We’re here. This is your room.”
Baek Ihae lifted her head at Seo Dogyeom’s words as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Compared to the first floor, there weren’t many rooms on the third floor. But that probably meant each one was ridiculously huge.
When Seo Dogyeom kindly opened the door for her, Baek Ihae peeked inside and gasped in pure admiration.
Should I just forget escaping and settle down here instead?
The room was spacious and luxurious enough to make her reconsider everything. Like a suite in a high-end hotel, it had a small living room, a bathroom, and even a separate bedroom.
While she wandered around with her mouth hanging open, taking everything in, she heard footsteps moving away.
“Wait!”
Baek Ihae hurriedly called out to Seo Dogyeom before he could return to his own room.
She’d half expected him to ignore her, but surprisingly, he stopped and turned back. He didn’t ask what she wanted, but even that much felt worth being grateful for.
“Is there anything I should be careful about while living here? Um… earlier I saw a lot of scary-looking people around. I don’t want to accidentally offend anyone or something.”
“Offend?”
Seo Dogyeom blinked slowly, sounding genuinely confused.
“The people you need to be careful around aren’t those guys.”
“Then who am I supposed to watch out for?”
“The person you just met downstairs.”
“...The handsome mister?”
Seo Dogyeom nodded immediately. There was only one person she could possibly mean, so he seemed to understand at once.
She had figured the man held some kind of high position, but he hadn’t exactly felt dangerous.
Maybe Seo Dogyeom only said that because it was his father. Thinking lightly of it, Baek Ihae grinned.
“Got it! I’ll be careful around Mister. Anything else?”
“Noise.”
“Ah, don’t worry! I won’t blast music or anything.”
“Your voice is high-pitched. It’s irritating.”
…What was she supposed to do about the voice she was born with?
For a brief moment, Baek Ihae seriously considered aiming a knee kick at the handsome philtrum that was far out of her reach.
Of course, it was only possible in her imagination.
“Riiight. I’ll be extra careful. Maybe I’ll reincarnate with a husky voice next time.”
She deliberately lowered her voice as much as possible, making the joke sound even more ridiculous. But if that was the landlord’s son’s preference, she couldn’t exactly get on his nerves.
This is why life sucks for people without power.
“And.”
Baek Ihae’s eyes sparkled, thinking this must be the final warning.
So far, the rules didn’t sound too difficult, and she had started relaxing a little.
“Don’t do anything annoying.”
“...Huh?”
Seo Dogyeom said only what he wanted to say before turning around and walking off. He left so coldly that she didn’t even get the chance to stop him.
Isn’t that way too vague? Exactly how much am I supposed to avoid annoying him?
Baek Ihae blinked blankly. Considering he’d complained about her voice, maybe he simply meant she shouldn’t stand out.
Which honestly suited her just fine anyway.
If they want to give me a nice room and ignore each other, I’m all for it.
The moment she entered the room, she carefully checked the lock before lightly jogging toward the bed and throwing herself onto it.
Since no one had been using the room, it still felt a little empty and barren, but it wasn’t bad.
Nice. I can take my time finding a trustworthy adult. This bed is way more comfortable than I expected.
Grinning to herself, she blinked up at the clean white ceiling—then frowned.
There was a small stain.
What’s that?
Standing on the bed to get a closer look, Baek Ihae realized the mark was dark red, almost like dried blood.
Maybe it was because she’d started thinking that way, but it even looked as though blood had splattered across the ceiling.
Yeah. Let’s escape as soon as possible.
A comfortable life mattered more than a comfortable bed.
There’s too much I need to figure out. First of all, why did I suddenly transmigrate into a game world? And more importantly, how do I get out of it?
She opened her status window.
Just like before, it only displayed information about Baek Ihae herself. No quests. No hints.
Don’t tell me I have to seduce Seo Dogyeom instead of the heroine and reach a happy ending to return home?
Honestly, it sounded possible. Objectively speaking, Baek Ihae was far too pretty to waste on a side character.
Or maybe she was supposed to play the villainess instead?
For now, until I get proper information, it’s probably best to keep things peaceful with Seo Dogyeom.
Since the status window updated whenever she learned something new, maybe gathering information itself was the key.
Just as Baek Ihae was desperately forcing her brain to work—
THUD!
“...?”
She was definitely alone in the room, but she’d clearly heard something strange.
Baek Ihae quickly sat upright and scanned her surroundings. No one was there.
A ghost?
Honestly, she’d rather deal with a ghost than a gangster breaking into her room.
Her face tense, she searched for anything that could be used as a weapon, but the room was practically empty. Though even if she did find a weapon, she doubted she could overpower a grown man.
If I handle this properly from the start, the others won’t get stupid ideas later.
She pulled the elastic band from her hair and stretched it between her fingers like a slingshot, ready to fire at any moment.
Her target was either the intruder’s groin or Adam’s apple.
I swear I’ll kill you, you pervert.
The sound had come from the dressing room.
Keeping her guard up and her footsteps silent, Baek Ihae slowly approached the door. There were no more sounds coming from inside.
The other person was probably staying quiet because they didn’t want to get caught.
Without giving herself time to rethink it, she yanked the door open.
Her eyes widened as she stared straight ahead.
What? There’s nobody here?
Maybe something had just fallen over—
Suddenly, someone stomped hard on the top of her foot.
“Aaagh!”
The step was so vicious she screamed instinctively.
The little monster had deliberately targeted her pinky toe. Startled, Baek Ihae flailed—and at the same time, the elastic band hooked around her fingers snapped forward.
The rubber band sliced through the air and smacked into something almost instantly.
“......”
“......”
Only then did Baek Ihae realize the person hadn’t been above her.
They’d been below.
The boy’s forehead was already turning bright red where the rubber band had hit him.
Tears welled in his eyes as he glared up at her furiously, but she already knew who he was without asking.
He looks exactly like Seo Dogyeom.
Though compared to his older brother, this one had a much wider range of emotional expressions.
Instinctively recognizing him as Seo Dogyeom’s younger brother, Baek Ihae opened and closed her mouth awkwardly.
She had a million questions. Why was he here? Why had he stepped on her foot the second he saw her?
But all she could focus on was the angry red mark on his forehead.
That must hurt like hell. Even if I’m the one who shot the rubber band.
Worried, she reached toward his forehead.
The boy’s mouth immediately fell open, and he lunged at her hand.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Why are you trying to bite me?!”
“I hate you!”
Baek Ihae jerked her hand back in disbelief, only to receive an immediate answer.
The way he glared at her was as if she’d murdered his entire family. She let out a hollow laugh.
What was he, a wild animal? Who tried to bite people’s hands?
“Well, who said I liked you? I hate you too.”
She felt bad about hitting him with the rubber band, sure, but apologizing and liking someone were two completely different things.
Even against a child, Baek Ihae refused to lose when it came to childishness.
The boy looked utterly shocked.
Wait, why are you shocked? You’re the one who said you hated me first. Did you seriously assume I’d automatically like you anyway?
How spoiled did a kid have to be to react like this?
Clicking her tongue, Baek Ihae shut the dressing room door again.
Locked inside instantly, the boy slammed his fists against the door.
“Open this, you thug!”
“Says the gangster’s son. If you liked it in there so much, stay there forever.”
“Who said I liked it?! I was trying to mess with you, you clueless pumpkin!”
Pumpkin, huh.
There was a vanity beside the closed door, and she could see her reflection clearly in the mirror.
Her features weren’t flashy, but she had a soft, innocent prettiness. Objectively speaking, she was cute.
“Sure. I’m clueless, so stay in there forever, pumpkin brat.”
“Pumpkin?! Are your eyes just for decoration? In what world does my face look like a pumpkin?!”
A miniature version of shameless Seo Dogyeom.
Honestly, it was strangely refreshing, so she deliberately dragged things out a little longer just to tease him.
“You—you...! I’m telling Dad everything!”
“Wow. Shit.”
She hadn’t expected him to burst into tears over that.
Huge tears pooled in his eyes as he sniffled miserably.
Startled, Baek Ihae hurriedly opened the door again.
Only then did she realize the dressing room lights immediately flicked back on.
Oh. The lights turn off automatically when the door closes.
This time, it was completely Baek Ihae’s fault.
