First: Seo Yi-heum dies because of a spy. (Sometime this year!)
Second: Yi-heum's death causes Seo Do-gyeom to step into the underworld far earlier than he should. (Since he meets the female protagonist in his second year, it must happen before then...?)
Third: When second year begins, the female protagonist transfers in, and a series of incidents occur. (Aside from the kidnapping episode, I don't remember the rest.)
"That's everything I can remember for now."
Baek Yi-hae stared blankly at the neatly organized notes she'd written in her notebook.
She was currently in her room after school.
I wanted to organize everything back in the classroom, but Seo Do-gyeom kept staring at me, so I couldn't concentrate.
She'd only made a few jokes, yet afterward he'd looked at her with such strange eyes that it was almost absurd.
Pushing thoughts of Seo Do-gyeom aside, she fixed her gaze on the notebook once more.
This was definitely the game I played right before I transmigrated. So why can I barely remember the story?
Just as she tilted her head, wondering if her memory was simply that terrible, something faint began to materialize in the empty air.
With a burst of static, a familiar status window flickered into existence.
Seo Do-gyeom isn't even here. Why is it appearing now?
Until now, the window had only ever shown itself whenever Seo Do-gyeom was nearby.
This time, however, the brilliantly colored screen displayed a single word:
Quest.
[Side Quest Activated!]
Raise Seo Yi-heum's Affection!
Change the future of the man whose death has already been decided.
Success Rewards:
Seo Yi-heum Affection +10
Seo Do-gyeom Affection +1
Seo Yeol Affection -100
Failure Penalty:
Seo Yi-heum dies.
You become the spy's next assassination target.
"...Wow. You're seriously calling this a reward?"
The penalty was every bit as merciless as she'd expect from the original game.
The rewards, on the other hand, were pitiful.
One measly point of affection from Seo Do-gyeom was laughable enough, but Seo Yeol's affection was actually minus one hundred.
For a second she'd thought she'd misread the sign and rubbed her eyes.
Then she let out a hollow laugh.
"Who the hell would accept a quest like this?!"
She kicked the desk in irritation and leaned back hard in her chair.
The chair creaked as its backrest bent smoothly under her weight.
I'll have to do it anyway because of that ridiculous penalty... damn it! Did I really transmigrate into the game? Me? Of all people?
Grinding her teeth, she let out a long sigh.
As she leaned farther back, her eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
The status window floated upward with her gaze.
She frowned, expecting the same text—
Only to realize it had grown slightly longer.
[Side Quest Activated!]
Raise Seo Yi-heum's Affection!
Change the future of the man whose death has already been decided.
Success Rewards:
Seo Yi-heum Affection +10
Seo Do-gyeom Affection +1
Seo Yeol Affection -100
Unlimited allowance from Seo Yi-heum.
Failure Penalty:
Seo Yi-heum dies.
You become the spy's next assassination target.
"..."
The reward had changed.
Seeing the newly added line—
Unlimited allowance from Seo Yi-heum.
—a smile slowly spread across Baek Yi-hae's face.
"Now that changes things. You should've offered this from the beginning."
Despite her cheerful words, however, her eyes remained calm and calculating.
It changed in real time based on what I said.
Which means... someone's watching me in real time.
Whoever that observer was, there was a high chance it was the mysterious being responsible for bringing her here.
She didn't know what it wanted.
But instinct told her that letting it realize she'd become aware of its presence would only make things worse.
Humming to herself, she stood up as if she were in an excellent mood.
...No. Last time it looked like it could read my thoughts too. Pretending not to notice probably won't fool it.
She was alone in the room.
Even if she talked to herself, no one would think it strange.
After a brief hesitation, she looked directly at the floating status window.
Then she slowly spoke.
"Why did you bring me here? I know you can hear me, so answer me."
The status window flickered.
Success Rewards:
Seo Yi-heum Affection +10
Seo Do-gyeom Affection +1
Seo Yeol Affection -100
Unlimited allowance from Seo Yi-heum
Answer to Baek Yi-hae's question.
"..."
Another reward had been added.
"So that's your answer."
"If I want to know, I have to clear the quest first."
She hadn't really expected a straightforward reply.
Still, the feeling of being toyed with left a bitter taste in her mouth.
The status window vanished, as though it no longer had any reason to continue the conversation.
She stared at the empty air for a moment before curling one corner of her lips upward in a mocking grin.
"You'd better prepare to get squeezed dry, you damned status window."
As a finishing touch, she raised her middle finger toward the empty space.
Even afterward, she spent a long time thinking about what to do.
No matter how much she considered it, no convincing plan came to mind.
I've only been here a short while. There's no way I can gather information this quickly. Even if I tell them there's a spy, they'll only suspect me instead.
Worse, the spy might overhear the conversation and target her immediately.
Acting rashly was out of the question.
Then... maybe I should train Seo Yi-heum so he won't be caught off guard so easily?
The idea was rather presumptuous.
Maybe not full-on training... but I could at least improve his reflexes and make him more alert.
Her eyes lit up.
That's actually not a bad idea.
Knock. Knock.
Just then, someone knocked on her bedroom door.
"Baek Yi-hae. It's dinner."
A low, familiar voice called from outside.
As always, Seo Do-gyeom had come to fetch her.
Sighing softly, she walked over and opened the door.
He stood there with the same expressionless face as ever.
"You don't have to come get me every time. I can make it downstairs by myself."
"You're a guest. It's my responsibility."
"Guest, guest, guest! I've already memorized the way."
"It's dangerous."
Dangerous?
It was just the trip from the third floor to the first.
What exactly was supposed to happen?
Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving before he has a chance to come get me.
Resolving that, she followed him.
Seo Yeol had probably already gone ahead, claiming he didn't want to eat with her.
The two of them stepped into the elevator together.
Silence filled the small space.
"Can I ask you something?"
Unable to bear the awkward quiet, Yi-hae spoke first.
Without answering, Seo Do-gyeom simply turned his gaze toward her.
"Who's the person Uncle trusts the most?"
"...Why do you want to know?"
"If he's the person Uncle trusts most, then he's basically second-in-command, right? I thought I should remember his face and get on his good side."
She smiled casually.
In reality, she was hoping to find a clue related to the quest.
Seo Do-gyeom studied her for a long moment, as though trying to read her intentions.
Eventually, however, he looked away from her smiling face.
Apparently, he still disliked seeing her smile.
"The man who's always beside him. You met him on your first day."
That guy...
She remembered him.
The huge man who'd stood beside Seo Yi-heum during both their introduction and every meal since.
Seo Yi-heum himself was tall and broad-shouldered.
But that man was even bigger.
He looked like a bear.
Judging by appearances, he looks more like the boss than Yi-heum does.
Could he be the traitor?
Someone who stayed by Yi-heum's side at all times certainly had the perfect opportunity.
Resolving to keep a close eye on him, she followed Seo Do-gyeom into the dining room.
Seo Do-gyeom headed toward his seat.
Yi-hae glanced across the room.
Seo Yi-heum sat at the head of the table.
Behind him, standing with his hands clasped behind his back against the wall—
There he was.
That's him.
The scar running above his eyebrow.
The fierce, intimidating face.
He looked exactly like the sort of person who'd end up being the culprit.
As Yi-hae narrowed her eyes and scrutinized him, the man's gaze suddenly met hers.
Whoa... that's terrifying!
It felt like locking eyes with a starving predator.
Her entire body froze.
She quickly looked away and hurried to her seat, rubbing the goosebumps rising on her arms.
Every instinct she had screamed that the man was the spy.
"Cold?"
Seo Yi-heum glanced at her as she rubbed her arms.
His tone wasn't especially concerned.
It sounded more like simple courtesy.
"No. I just remembered something that gave me chills."
"..."
His expressionless face somehow conveyed exactly what he was thinking.
Right before dinner? Seriously?
She had no idea why she was becoming so good at reading his thoughts.
Forcing an awkward smile, she settled down.
"Everyone, eat."
Since the very first day, Seo Yi-heum had always said those words before touching his own utensils.
Sometimes he didn't even begin eating immediately, choosing instead to read reports from his subordinates while the others started.
It was his own quiet way of being considerate.
Thanks to that, Yi-hae comfortably picked up her chopsticks.
As she ate, she watched Seo Yi-heum silently reviewing documents.
The glasses perched on his nose and the long eyelashes lowered over the papers gave him an entirely different atmosphere than usual.
How do I make him stay alert...
She was deep in thought.
Then, right on cue—
The status window appeared.
[Baby Gangster Seo Do-gyeom has completely lost his appetite after seeing a supporting character showing interest in his father.]
Seriously? He's STILL thinking that?
Sure, I admitted Uncle was handsome...
It was ridiculous.
He barely ate to begin with because he naturally had a small appetite, yet somehow he was blaming her for it.
And she hadn't even noticed him looking at her.
When was he even watching me?
Suppressing another sigh, she ignored the notification and addressed Seo Yi-heum instead.
"Uncle, can I ask you a favor?"
"Go ahead."
"If I start acting a little strangely... you won't hit me or kill me, right?"
Her plan was to ambush him from behind every now and then, helping him get used to unexpected attacks.
The problem was...
She was genuinely afraid of how he'd react.
She'd only meant to ease into the topic.
Seo Yi-heum clicked his tongue, lowered the document, and looked up at her.
"...So that's the kind of person you think I am."
"For someone who thinks that, you've certainly been acting awfully cheeky."
"..."
So... does that mean you won't kill me, or does it mean you will?
Instead of answering the actual question, he responded with something completely different.
Yi-hae puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
