Chapter 2.4

Baek-geon, having toured the entire site, immediately took out his work tablet and focused on the screen as soon as he got into the car.

This was a project that had just begun after acquiring a construction company. The company primarily built high-end brand apartments.

The company’s downfall was due to the CEO’s embezzlement. When funds ran short, they sold it cheaply under the condition of preventing bankruptcy and handling existing promissory notes.

To the general public, unaware of the circumstances, it remained a reputable company. Baek-geon also focused on the brand value of such a company.

In this sense, the construction of new city apartments was an excellent opportunity. He actively participated in management and construction, commuting to the construction company daily.

Upon becoming the representative, Baek-geon wielded the power to restructure and revitalize the organization. Despite being a solid company, there were plenty of areas that had been poorly managed due to the former CEO’s long-standing indulgence.

Unlike before, the tightly-knit company was gradually aligning itself with this project as an opportunity.

“Brother.”

Cheong-o, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke in a gentle tone. Perhaps because they were in private, he naturally called him brother, unlike earlier.

“Speak.”

Baek-geon replied briefly without lifting his head, engrossed in manipulating the tablet. Watching him quietly, Cheong-o cautiously began.

“I know it’s because of Yoon-ryeol, but aren’t you being too harsh on Yoon-jae?”

Baek-geon paused from looking at the tablet and lifted his head. A chilling atmosphere swept through, like a sharpened blade cutting the air.

Startled by the gaze, Cheong-o hesitated and bowed his head deeply. He seemed ready to hit his head on the car floor.

“I’m sorry, brother! I misspoke. Please forgive me just this once.”

Baek-geon briefly glanced at Cheong-o before returning his gaze to the screen. However, his busy hands remained still.

He tried not to recall the image. The white face, roughened hands, and the sight of her limping as she mounted the scooter came to mind.

A few months ago, she looked distinctly different from the pale and haggard face he remembered. She hadn’t gained weight, but at least she didn’t look wretched.

Judging by the containers and lunchboxes loaded on the scooter, she was clearly working around the construction site. Baek-geon recalled the nearby cafeteria he saw during his last site inspection and narrowed his eyes.

Yet she avoids him.

Her wide eyes showed how surprised she was. But soon, those eyes revealed clear wariness and disgust.

He was accustomed to people showing hostility. He could skillfully counter or deliver a strong blow.

But it was true that he had no way to deal with instinctive rejection born of fear. It was something that couldn’t happen until the other person opened their heart to him.

Such emotions were unnecessary.

He should be the one feeling disgusted. Whether she graduated from university or attended law school didn’t matter.

Making money through drugs was already akin to being a pathetic parasite clinging to others for survival.

In reality, the woman tried to save her brother’s life by climbing on top of him. He only regretted not punishing her more harshly.

The physical pleasure was intense, but it was accompanied by bitterness and discomfort. He didn’t even want to see the woman anymore.

Yet somehow, his mouth felt bitter. After seeing the woman turn away from him, an inexplicable displeasure engulfed him.

He remained upset afterward. Cheong-o’s presumptuous behavior also continued to annoy him. Though loyal in other matters, his reckless behavior when it came to women was unsightly.

In the midst of it all, seeing the woman left him unsettled. Baek-geon felt a heaviness below and gritted his teeth.

Damn it.

Realizing that his physical desire was still present was not particularly welcome. It was annoying to feel lust for a woman less than a worm.

Yet, in one corner of his mind, the image of the woman kept replaying like a broken film.

He vividly remembered her struggling to mount the scooter, dragging her feet. Her figure, crammed into an ill-fitting helmet and shabby oversized padding, looked pitiful.

Even so.

Baek-geon finally tore his eyes from the tablet and gazed out the window. She was just a trivial woman. Engaging with her would only tire him out.

He had no intention of destroying what he had built because of a woman. He wasn’t that impulsive.

Whether he started from the back alleys or survived by crushing rival organizations didn’t matter. What Baek-geon aimed for now was solely to lead the organization intact.

Both Chairman Han and he had struggled for this. There was no leisure to turn his eyes elsewhere yet.

Especially not for such a woman. Baek-geon frowned at his body’s absurd reaction and crossed his legs.

The mix of negative emotions and primal desires was utterly repulsive. He turned his gaze back to Cheong-o, who still had his head down.

“Look ahead.”

“Uh, Brother. Is it not okay to look for her personally? I have some time after work today, and I think she works at a nearby cafeteria.”

Cheong-o asked sheepishly. Baek-geon, feeling annoyed, waved him off to do as he pleased. Cheong-o’s face lit up, taking it as permission.

“Thank you! I think I should help her find a studio apartment or something. It’s too harsh to let her suffer in this cold winter.”

Baek-geon glared at his subordinate, who was speaking so easily. 

Should I crack his head open to get him back to his senses? 

It seemed he needed to fix his subordinates’ mentality.

“You have a girlfriend, yet you’re already trying to juggle two women. They say old habits die hard, and you’re already thinking of getting her a place?”

“What? No, Brother! If you think that, I’m really wronged.”

Cheong-o looked shocked, then quickly became tearful and shook his head vigorously. He seemed genuinely upset, waving his hands.

Baek-geon sneered, maintaining his mocking tone. Seeing this, Cheong-o pleaded his case, genuinely wronged.

“It’s not like that. I really don’t have any ulterior motives. I told you before, she’s like a sister to me. I’ve known her since she was a kid, so there’s no way I’d have feelings for her. I just want to look out for her until she can live on her own.”

Cheong-o sighed deeply, looking regretful.

“As you saw, Brother, doesn’t she seem pitiful every time you see her? There’s something about her that’s just like that. Even when she was standing quietly as a kid, she seemed so pitiful. When she first rolled into this world, she seemed just as pitiful.”

It would be a lie to say she didn’t look pitiful. Her pale skin and brown eyes, filled with unknown emotions, staring at people, were like that.

Baek-geon suddenly recalled the woman’s white body clinging to him to satisfy his desires. Damn it. The sensation was so vivid it felt like a hallucination.

He ruthlessly erased the lingering image of the woman from his mind. He wasn’t emotional enough to be swayed by cheap sentiments, nor should he be.

“People are all the same. Better to pick up a dog and raise it. It’s not worth taking in a person. If she suddenly changes and clings to you to drain your resources, it’ll only be tiring.”

“Oh, she doesn’t have the wit for that. She’s just endlessly diligent and innocent. You know that, Brother. That day, she was forced to take drugs, but she’s not usually like that.”

Cheong-o subtly defended the woman. Baek-geon smirked. If following orders to take drugs and jump on him was diligent and innocent, then that was stupidity.

“I’ve seen too many lives ruined by being swayed by emotions. You should wise up and just ignore it.”

He warned firmly. Cheong-o pouted, then decided to voice his disappointment.

“Your words were a bit harsh, Brother. Hearing that makes me feel a bit hurt. I’ve never dared to contradict you, but I have my reasons and thoughts for saying this.”

What is it about that woman?

Baek-geon’s smirk widened. As his crooked smile deepened, his eyes grew colder. He spread his hands wide, as if to say, go ahead.

“If she’s bold enough to climb on me, she’s more than just pitiful.”

“Oh, no, Brother!”

Cheong-o panicked and bowed his head again. This time, he hit the center console so hard that the driver flinched.

“I was wrong, Brother. Please forgive me. I have no family, so she feels like a sister to me… I’m sorry.”

“If that’s what you think, then it’s up to you, not me.”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

Cheong-o pleaded tearfully.

“Strangely, every time I see her, she seems so pitiful and pathetic. She has a knack for making me empty my pockets and give her everything.”

Hearing the same thing repeatedly was annoying. Seeing him act helpless despite being warned to stop made him angry.

Why does it keep making him angry? Every time that woman was involved, it irritated him. He hated being reminded of her, despite the disgust and absurdity.

Women like that were everywhere. Even thinking that, the image of her frail body trembling above him was vivid.