FVN Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Baek Ihyeon.
The guy who used to stick to Lee Suin like glue during high school.
The same guy who once made Suin the center of a scandal.
“Are Suin and Baek Ihyeon dating? They’re always together.”
“They’re close, even though he’s an executive. Maybe they’re secretly seeing each other.”
The guy who drove Jaehee mad with jealousy, leaving him fuming, "Why him and not me?"
And now, here he was again, standing with Suin.
“Suin!”
Calling her name without even attaching her title.
And worse, Suin greeted him with a warm smile as he approached her.
“Why...”
She never smiled at him like that.
Jaehee stood frozen, as though his very functions had been shut down.
His mind went blank, his lungs ceased to work, and he couldn’t even swallow his saliva.
A flood of emotions and thoughts surged through him all at once, overloading his system.
“Director?”
It was Kwon Jongin’s voice that brought him back to reality.
In the few seconds it took for him to snap out of it, Jaehee felt an intense heat wash over him, as if a power outage had been restored, surging electricity back into his veins.
His blood reversed course.
And as soon as his body came back to life, he moved.
“Director!”
Jongin called after him, startled by his sudden sprint.
Though he tried to follow, it was impossible to catch up to Jaehee, who was already accelerating with single-minded purpose.
“Director, wait...!”
But Jaehee didn’t stop.
Like a jaguar honing in on its prey, he ran with fierce determination.
His target?
Lee Suin.
Or rather...
"Baek Ihyeon."
As he whispered the name through gritted teeth, his molars ached.
In a few strides, Jaehee reached the lobby via the staircase, his polished shoes echoing against the marble floor.
The security staff, noticing him, bowed in unison, but he had no time to acknowledge them.
His jacket and tie flapped behind him as his hurried footsteps reverberated.
By the time he made it outside, Suin and Baek Ihyeon were nowhere to be seen.
His frustration didn’t matter.
He just kept running.
Driven by the relentless persistence born of jealousy, his mind was a blank slate, filtered of all but one thing:
“Lee Suin...”
He circled the outdoor parking lot before sprinting toward the subway station on the opposite side.
When he finally reached the turnstiles, he stopped, realization dawning.
He had lost them.
Both Suin and Baek Ihyeon.
“Ha...”
Breathing heavily, Jaehee ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair, pushing it back.
His lungs burned, his capacity for air nearing its limit, but he didn’t allow himself a moment of rest.
Instead, he pulled out his phone.
[Director! Where are you?]
Jongin’s voice sounded tense when he answered.
“...Lee Suin.”
His throat felt like it had been scraped raw from the lack of oxygen.
Lips dry and cracked, he forced the words out in a hoarse, determined whisper.
Finally, she answered.
“Yes, Executive Director?”
[Where are you?]
His voice was sharp and piercing, like the tip of an arrow.
Her heart jolted, and she swallowed nervously. She was about to respond when—
[Never mind.]
He hung up abruptly.
A black sedan pulled into the alley, its tires screeching slightly as it came to a halt.
“Ah.”
Suin immediately recognized it.
It was one of the vehicles assigned to the Hyesung Group’s executives, specifically for Seo Jaehee.
The rear door opened, and Jaehee stepped out.
There was nothing overtly threatening about his movements, but his presence alone was enough to make her feel cornered.
“Lee Suin.”
His deep voice carried a menacing growl.
‘Why my house...? How does he even know where I live?’
His strides were purposeful, exuding the aura of someone ready for a confrontation.
Suin’s nerves flared, but her expression remained neutral.
She planted her feet firmly on the concrete.
If it came to it, she would hold her ground.
“Executive Director, what brings you here so late at night?”
“Is the rumor true?”
As soon as he reached her, he shot his question at her, his tone accusatory.
The absurdity of his inquiry left her momentarily speechless.
“You came all this way for that?”
“Answer me. Is it true?”
His sharp retort brought them closer, his gaze heavy with obsession.
‘Wait.’
A sudden thought struck her.
‘He got out of the back seat. Then who’s driving?’
In the morning, Hyesung Group’s driver usually handled transport, and in the afternoon, his secretary, Kwon Jongin, would accompany him.
Surely not...
Her eyes darted past Jaehee’s arm toward the driver’s seat, where a familiar face was peeking nervously through the window.
Her gaze met Jongin’s.
“Ugh.”
Caught, Jongin ducked back inside the car like a clam retreating into the sand.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Suin let out an exasperated sigh.
Throwing a sharp glare at the man towering over her, she hissed under her breath.
“Why would you bring Jongin here? What kind of wild ideas do you think he’ll get now?”
“Who is it?”
Jaehee ignored her protest, relentless in his pursuit of answers.
Then, he dropped a name out of nowhere.
“Baek Ihyeon. Is it him?”
“What?”
Suin nearly turned to glance back at the café but caught herself just in time.
Though she managed to avoid an immediate crisis, she couldn’t escape the intense glare from the man in front of her.
“Is Baek Ihyeon the one you’re involved with?”
His eyes burned with unchecked jealousy.
Without saying a word, Suin subtly shifted her position to block Jaehee’s view of the café’s glass window, where Baek Ihyeon’s reflection could still be seen.
Her intention wasn’t to protect Ihyeon but rather to prevent Jaehee from doing something rash that might make him a murderer.