Chapter 50
Yeonho hit the ground hard, the impact jarring through his elbow and up his arm.
A dull, ache immediately flared in his joint, and he instinctively curled inward, clutching his arm against his chest.
"That hurts..."
"Since when did you get back to Korea?"
The deep, ice-cold voice made Yeonho freeze instantly. The sound seemed to pin his entire body to the floor, his muscles locking tight.
Keeping his head down, his eyes remained fixed on the pair of expensive, pristine leather shoes standing just inches away.
The man didn't move an inch, yet the sheer, heavy aura radiating from his frame filled the small room.
Even in the dim, shadowed space, the massive silhouette he cast looked completely imposing, blocking out what little light slipped in from the corridor.
"Answer me."
Like a stiff machine, Yeonho slowly forced his chin up to look at the man towering over him.
The undeniable presence, the broad set of his shoulders, the clean blond hair, and those piercing eyes that felt like they could strip away his clothes—it was undeniably him.
"Baek Seungjo…" Yeonho mumbled, a nervous lump forming in his throat as he swallowed hard.
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An hour earlier, Hana was sitting across from Baek Seungjo, finishing up a late lunch.
It was well past the usual hour for a meal, but Hana had childishly insisted on his company, and Seungjo hadn't refused.
They were dining in the exclusive, five-star restaurant owned by the Baek family—the very empire Seungjo was set to inherit.
The establishment was extravagant, a high-end fortress where only the most powerful figures and high-society elite could even secure a reservation.
Seated in the private, second-floor VIP area, Hana shyly picked at her food, enjoying the quiet luxury.
Setting her chopsticks down onto the porcelain rest, Hana delicately wiped the corner of her mouth with a cloth napkin.
"My birthday is coming up soon. You're coming, right, Seungjo? Everyone is going to be there."
Seungjo sat across from her, completely relaxed. He set his water glass down with a soft click and leaned back against the plush leather of his chair before responding.
"Even them?"
He was referring directly to the rest of his rivals. Hana nodded slowly, her expression sweet and innocent.
"Yes. So you'll be there, right?"
"Of course I'll be there," Seungjo replied smoothly, his tone even. "It's your birthday."
Hana smiled warmly at him, her gentle expression taking over her face.
"I knew you would come."
She continued eating, a deep sense of satisfaction settling over her.
Just like all the other guys, Seungjo's attention was locked entirely on her. It felt incredible to have five powerful, wealthy men completely obsessed and chasing after her, giving her every ounce of attention she craved.
It felt especially good now that she had successfully taken care of Seungjo's ex-girlfriend. That woman actually thought she could blackmail her with those photos, but Hana possessed more than enough power to utterly ruin her life and cast.
Even the mystery blond man from Gyeongjae's hotel was no longer an issue.
Jihi had sent a detailed report earlier this morning, confirming that the blond individual was simply Gyeongjae's cousin visiting from New York.
According to Jihi, the cousin was a model just like Min-Hyuk, and Gyeongjae had only helped him out at the hotel because his father had strictly ordered him to do so.
As for Min-Hyuk being there, he helped becay Gyeongjae's cousin had been transferred to the same modeling agency as him.
There was nothing to worry about.
No other girls were stealing Gyeongjae, Min-Hyuk, or the rest of her men away from her.
Everything was in her hands.
She was in complete, absolute control of her life.
Things were so perfect that she almost pitied the very person she had destroyed just to secure her spot at the top.
But there was one crucial thing Hana didn't know.
Yeonho was already back from Russia, moving silently through the dark, and he had already successfully stolen both Gyeongjae and Min-Hyuk right out from under her nose.
Using his skills in bed, and his shameless, dangerous personality. She had no idea, that Yeonho was calculating every move.
As Hana secretly celebrated in her own mind, Seungjo's deep voice suddenly cut through her thoughts.
"Hana, are you listening to me?"
"Yes! I'm sorry," she said quickly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, playing up her pretty, gentle face.
"What was that?"
Seungjo didn't answer right away. He looked down at his phone, his handsome face instantly shifting into a serious, cold expression as he read a message.
"Something happened at work."
He stood up from his seat immediately.
A towering personal bodyguard stepped out from behind him, efficiently holding up Seungjo's tailored suit jacket so he could slide his arms into the sleeves.
Hana's mouth hung open in disbelief, her confusion turning into instant irritation.
"You're leaving? But we're not even done with lunch yet."
Seungjo was already reaching for his glass, draining the last drop of cold water before turning toward the exit.
"This is important. I'll call you another time."
His heavy footsteps clicked sharply against the floor as he strode away without looking back.
Left alone at the table, Hana shook her head in frustration, watching his broad back disappear down the hallway.
"Tsk. We could have spent more time together."
She aggressively grabbed her phone off the table and dialed Sungho, who answered on the very first ring.
"Call Jaehwan," Hana ordered sharply. "Tell him I'm free right now."
[Ms. Hana…] Sungho hesitated over the line.
"What? What is it? Did something happen again?"
[Mr. Shin is busy at the moment. His team was called to investigate regarding a major commotion at a clothing company building.]
"What? First Seungjo, now Jaehwan," Hana complained childishly, her brow furrowing.
"It's always work. I'm starting to hate their jobs. Just wait outside. We're going back to the company."
[Yes, Ms. Hana. I'll be waiting at the entrance.]
The call cut off. Hana stood up from her seat, her chest tight with frustration.
Sure, there were no other women hanging around her five men, but lately, their work had become her biggest enemy.
They kept using work as an excuse to cut dates short, and she was sick of the constant interruptions.
Ten minutes after Seungjo arrived at the Dior campaign building, he ran directly into Jaehwan on one of the upper corridor floors.
Jaehwan was personally involved because his security firm handled the building's entire security system.
Most of the guards and technical staff were supposed to be under his direct management, making the breach a direct hit to his reputation.
The two men stood face-to-face in the wide hallway.
Seungjo was flanked by a single personal bodyguard, while Jaehwan had four large, stone-faced security men standing strictly behind him.
"Don't you think it's your fault for failing to handle the security in this building, Jaehwan?" Seungjo said, his voice flat and cutting as he pressed directly on Jaehwan's failure.
"Calm down, Seungjo-ssi," Jaehwan replied smoothly, completely unbothered by the heavy glare directed at him.
"Everything is fully under control."
Jaehwan adjusted his cuffs and walked right past Seungjo, his men following in a tight formation.
"I'll see you around."
The tension between the two rivals was thick enough as they walked in completely opposite directions.
For now, Seungjo ignored it. He headed straight into a brief, private meeting with Dior's upper management team.
The discussion dragged on for nearly forty minutes, and Seungjo grew more displeased with every detail he heard.
Apparently, a group of stalkers and sasaeng fans had caused the security breach, delaying the entire international shoot.
Some had successfully blended in by pretending to be part of the crew, while another had managed to slip in disguised as a high-level stylist.
Specifically, Min-Hyuk's personal stylist.
Seungjo didn't care about Min-Hyuk's personal issues since he wasn't part of his agency, but he had been forced to intervene because the lead female model who collapsed from exhaustion belonged directly to his company.
But what had truly shocked him—and what he absolutely despised—was the identity of the emergency replacement model.
The moment management muttered that specific name, Seungjo stood up, cut the meeting short, and left the office.
He took the private elevator straight down to the studio level, his footsteps heavy with a dark, deliberate purpose.
At that exact moment, Yeonho was still basking in the success of the shoot, completely oblivious to the fact that the other male leads he was supposed to avoid and meet later were currently roaming the exact same floor.
Seungjo searched the opposite wings of the hallway, but by the time he reached the main studio, the shoot was done, and some crew members was busy packing away the heavy gears.
But as he turned a corner, he caught sight of a lean figure with long, vibrant blond hair walking down the corridor completely alone.
He knew that silhouette instantly.
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Present
Inside the dim, unused room, Yeonho remained seated on the concrete floor, staring up at Seungjo's intimidating frame.
A raw, foreign trace of fear flickered in his chest.
'When did he get here? How? Why is he even in this building?'
The questions shattered instantly when Seungjo reached out and slapped the light switch on the wall.
The moment the light hit the room, Yeonho's initial fear completely vanished, his muscles tensing and his whole body shuddering from Seungjo's visual.
The nervous tension evaporated, replaced by absolute shock and a sudden wave of excitement.
Seeing the man clearly changed everything.
Now that he had a completely unobstructed view, Yeonho realized the novel's descriptions hadn't done Seungjo justice at all.
The man looked unreal. His piercing emerald eyes held a sharp, granite-gray tint whenever the bright light reflected off them, making it almost impossible to look away.
His broad, muscular chest was perfectly mapped beneath the expensive fabric of his tailored suit jacket, the seams straining slightly against his heavy shoulders.
It was a crime for someone to look this gorgeous.
The Seungjo from the original story was always written as quiet, calculating, and highly observant, but beneath that calm exterior lay a fiercely dominant, controlling nature.
He treated Hana like a fragile, pure piece of glass, constantly holding back his dark, possessive urges because he didn't want to break her innocence.
'I need to pull myself together. Focus, Choi Yeonho. Focus...'
Yeonho thought, forcing his breathing to slow down.
'There's no need to act scared...'
He stared at Seungjo.
'But he look so damn sexy... Shit...Get it together, Yeonho...'
The best way to handle a man like Seungjo was to be completely shameless, hiding any fear behind a mask of calm indifference, even if the man decided to get rough.
Besides, having this massive, powerful man look down at him like a piece of garbage was doing something wicked to Yeonho's nerves.
'I need to stop daydreaming...'
"That's rude," Yeonho said, his voice smooth as he deliberately adjusted his posture on the floor.
"Grabbing someone's arm and shoving them on the floor is not the way you say hi, Seungjo."
He carefully smoothed out the dark fabric of his clothes. The tight laces of the modern corset made it hard to draw a full breath while sitting unevenly on the hard ground.
"Help me up. I'm pretty sure my arm is going to bruise."
He tilted his chin up, but Seungjo simply stood there, staring down at him in absolute silence.
'Right… keep staring. I know exactly how I look right now.'
Just as Yeonho calculated, Seungjo's gaze had briefly drifted, clearly caught off guard by Yeonho's altered appearance.
Seungjo had always known Yeonho was striking just like Hana, but Yeonho was even more prettier than Hana, and though his pride would never let him admit it aloud, Yeonho looked far more alluring in this tight, dark outfit than he ever had before.
But Seungjo snapped his focus back, crushing the thought.
The real issue was standing right in front of him. Yeonho was supposed to be in Russia, completely exiled.
"Why are you here? Since when?" Seungjo demanded.
"Can you help me up first? We can talk after I'm off the floor."
"Answer me." Seungjo didn't care about his comfort; he wanted immediate answers.
"Look, Seungjo. If you want me to speak, pull me up first or we can just stay all you want and wait for some magic to happen..."
Yeonho waited, but the tight corset was beginning to grow genuinely painful, restricting his ribs.
If he stayed crumpled on the floor any longer, he was going to lose his breath entirely. The tight material felt incredibly suffocating with every passing second.
With deliberate, stiff movements, Yeonho pushed himself up onto all fours, slowly climbing to his feet while Seungjo simply watched him struggle without moving a finger.
'Wow, so he's really not going to help.'
When he finally stabilized his footing, Yeonho immediately adjusted the fitted panels of the corset, tugging the fabric back into place.
He didn't want the expensive wardrobe getting ruined or creased, since he planned to wear it when he took Min-Hyuk to bed later tonight.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to leave," Yeonho said, stepping forward.
"I have someone waiting for me."
He tried to brush past Seungjo's broad shoulder, but a heavy hand instantly clamped down on his path, stopping him midway.
"You're not going anywhere. I'm getting my answers."
"And you completely refused to help me up," Yeonho snapped, glaring straight into his emerald eyes.
"You like to act like a gentleman, but obviously you're a piece of work. I guess that little bitch Hana is the only exception."
Seungjo's eyes darkened dangerously.
"Watch your mouth."
"Or what? You gonna make me?"
With a sharp twist of his arm, Yeonho forcefully broke away from the grip, reaching out to throw the door open.
But Seungjo was faster, stepping into his space and cutting off the exit for the second time.
"We're not done talking. You're coming with me."
Reaching out with a large, veiny hand, Seungjo seized Yeonho's slender wrist in an iron grip, physically dragging him out of the dark room and into the main corridor.
Seungjo's personal bodyguard was waiting strictly outside the door, his eyes widening in complete shock at the stunning, blond individual his boss was suddenly hauling out of the room.
He didn't recognize Yeonho's face at all through the makeup.
"Chairman Baek, are we heading out now?" the guard asked quickly, following behind.
"Prepare the car. We're leaving right now."
Seungjo ordered, his stride long and powerful as he kept his grip locked on Yeonho.
"Yes, sir!"
The bodyguard immediately broke into a fast run down the long hall, hurrying out toward the building's main exit to pull the vehicle around.
As Seungjo aggressively dragged Yeonho down the bright corridor, staff members from different area and floors walked passed them, their heads turning in intense curiosity.
People were confused, not recognizing Yeonho.
"Are they having a fight?"
"Is that CEO Baek? Who's that person he's holding?"
"Maybe she's a new actor from the chairman's agency."
"Looks like a guy to me"
"Are they dating?"
"They look like they're having a lovers' quarrel."
The hushed whispers echoed off the walls as they strode through the public hallway.
Seungjo clearly heard them, but he kept his eyes locked ahead, completely ignoring the staff.
Inside, however, Yeonho's mind was racing with alarm. He absolutely couldn't afford to be seen being dragged out of a major brand building like a captive.
If some assistant or even a passersby recognized his face, took a quick picture, and posted it online, his entire stealth plan would be ruined.
'I can't be reckless right now. I need to pull back and play along for a second.'
Bracing his boots against the floor, Yeonho yanked his arm back with a sudden surge of force, breaking free of the hold and stumbling a few steps back from the momentum.
"Let go of me," Yeonho breathed, rubbing his reddened skin as the sharp sting began to fade.
"I have my own car here. I don't need to ride with you. I'll follow you, so stop dragging me like an animal. My wrist hurts."
He glanced around, realizing they had stopped directly in front of Min-Hyuk's private dressing room—the exact spot where Carl was currently guarding his belongings.
"Let me rest inside for five minutes, and we can chat right after."
Yeonho said, glancing at Seungjo's cold gaze.
"And why should I listen to you?"
"Whatever. You can either wait out here, or there's no talking at all. Goodbye, Mr. Baek."
In reality, Yeonho wanted to get Seungjo alone to with him.
Figure out exactly how much the man knew, but he couldn't risk a scene in the open.
Furthermore, he knew Seungjo was exactly the type to immediately call Hana or the Choi family to report his return to Korea out of some twisted sense of overprotection.
The dressing room door suddenly clicked open from the inside. Carl looked out, instantly spotting Yeonho, and offered a deep, respectful bow.
"Mistress. Are we heading out yet?"
"Yes, but I need to rest in here for a few minutes first. Let's wait for Min-Hyuk ."
"Yes, mistress."
"...Mistress?" Seungjo mumbled to himself.
Stepping back, Carl cleared the path and held the heavy door open for him.
Yeonho walks inside, but as Carl attempted to shut the door, a heavy leather shoe slammed into the gap, stopping it completely.
"Who—" Carl started, his voice turning sharp, but he couldn't finish the sentence.
Yeonho, who had already dropped heavily onto the couch to relieve the pressure from his corset, blinked in surprise as Seungjo calmly forced his way into the room, stepping past Carl and sitting directly onto the opposite couch.
"Seriously…" Yeonho smirked, leaning his head back against the cushions.
Seungjo sat with absolute authority, his emerald eyes locked onto Yeonho's face as he instantly demanded the truth. But Yeonho flatly refused, lazily using the excuse of being completely exhausted from the sudden modeling work.
If Seungjo had a mountain of questions about his sudden escape from Russia, Yeonho had just as many.
'I need to know why is he here...'
The best play here was a cold exchange of information, because a dominant, stubborn man like Seungjo was never going to leave without getting exactly what he came for.
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