For Free? (2)
Lately, Yoona found herself boiling with frustration more days than not.
She had finally discovered a toy that suited her tastes perfectly—no, a pet—and yet she still couldn't properly savor him even though he was right there in front of her.
Tsk... I want to go see my little puppy so badly, but I just can't find the time. All because of that damn bastard.
The culprit was her worthless older brother, the one competing with her for the succession of the Gangsan Group.
He had been pulling every petty, ridiculous stunt imaginable lately, forcing Yoona to clean up after him and leaving her with no room to spare a thought for Sihyun.
Haa... I'm going crazy wanting to see my little puppy.
Not long ago she had carved out a rare free moment and gone to Luminous, the café where Sihyun worked, only to find he wasn't there.
After forcing herself to wait, the sight that finally greeted her was Sihyun standing awkwardly between those two lunatics, Yuri and Seonye, looking thoroughly cornered.
How dare he laugh it up with other bitches when he already has me!?
Rage had surged all the way to the top of her head, but the way he startled and trembled the moment he spotted her only stoked her sadistic side even harder.
He looked exactly like a tiny, terrified dog.
That's right—my little puppy knows exactly who his real owner is! Hehe... He's so cute I want to devour him whole♡
So she had settled for that and left for the day—but she hadn't left empty-handed.
Beneath an out-of-the-way café table, Yoona had secretly planted a miniature listening device.
I really wanted to clip it onto my little puppy's body, but...
Yuri and Seonye stuck to him like leeches; the risk of discovery was far too high.
Instead she had built tracking and eavesdropping functions into the "gift" (the collar) she had handed him that day, yet whether he was simply naïve or sharp enough to notice, Sihyun showed zero intention of ever wearing it.
I put real effort into picking something that would look good on my little puppy, too. A little disappointing.
In the end she had to content herself with the café bug.
Most of what came through was just Yuri and Seonye snarling at each other like they couldn't wait to tear each other apart, which only grated on her nerves.
Noisy bitches... At least leave my little puppy alone.
Then something interesting finally snagged on the wire.
A girl named Lee Suhyeon—someone Yoona had never heard of—had shown up and caused a scene at the café, followed by the conversation Sihyun, Yuri, and Seonye had afterward.
The sudden collapse of Jinmyeong Construction came up in their talk.
Yoona vaguely remembered skimming past it in recent economic news.
Hmm~? So Han Yuri was the one behind it?
She immediately activated her private information network and started digging.
Everything she uncovered lined up perfectly with what the bug had caught.
A cruel yet delighted smile curved Yoona's lips.
She now had the perfect pretext to approach Sihyun.
My little puppy's gotten himself tangled up in something very interesting, hasn't he?
With her bastard brother's mess finally handled and some free time on her hands, Yoona decided to take the information she had gathered and make her move.
And so, right now.
The moment Yoona finally extended her offer to Sihyun had arrived.
"Everything my little puppy wants to know... I can tell you all of it, you know?"
"...!?"
At Yoona's sweet yet chilling whisper, Sihyun's breath caught for an instant.
He had a rough idea of what she was talking about.
She's a chaebol too, so...
But he couldn't accept her proposal lightly.
It was blindingly obvious what kind of price this woman would demand in return.
Maybe she would make him put on that dog collar currently buried in his locker and take him for a walk. Or something even more horrific.
So Sihyun carefully composed his expression and asked back as calmly as he could manage.
"What I want to know... what exactly do you mean by that?"
Yoona smiled seductively, as if finding his reaction adorable, and slowly ran her tongue over her crimson lips.
"Oh my~ You already know, don't you~ Why play dumb, my little puppy♡ Han Yuri—that bitch is giving you all sorts of headaches, isn't she?"
"..."
Of course.
Sihyun let out a deep sigh inwardly. Whether it was out of worry for him or for some other reason, every time he asked Yuri or Seonye...
You just focus on being my bodyguard. I'll handle everything else.
Sihyun, don't dig too deep. You're already doing more than enough of your job.
...they would dodge or brush him off like that, never telling him the full story or what he should actually do.
But he couldn't just sit still forever.
The thought that Yuri might be in danger because of him left him deeply unsettled.
Somehow it felt like every disaster started with him.
Ah... damn it. Guess I have no choice.
Sihyun opened his mouth reluctantly.
"I'm working right now, so it's difficult. I'll make time after my shift ends."
"Hehe, perfect♡ Then this master of yours will come pick you up right on time~"
Yoona answered cheerfully, a thoroughly satisfied smile on her face.
"..."
That smile looked exactly like a predator's facing its prey, and Sihyun felt an involuntary chill run down his spine.
At the sight of it—
Ah! This is seriously dangerous♡
Yoona was seized by the urge to flip the counter over and pounce on him right then and there, but she barely held herself back, turned on her heel, and walked out of the café.
When Sihyun finished his café shift and stepped outside, a black limousine was waiting for him.
The rear window slid down smoothly, and Yoona lowered her flashy sunglasses just enough to smile at him.
"Hop in, puppy."
"......"
Sihyun hesitated for a moment.
The second he got into that car, who knew what annoying and dangerous mess he would get dragged into.
But if he wanted information on Yuri, he had no other choice.
Yuri was definitely hiding something from him, and Seonye was the same.
He was grateful they worried about him, yet sometimes that concern felt more like smothering frustration.
Getting the truth from this crazy woman, if nothing else, seemed better.
She's definitely going to lecture me to death for coming home late...
He could already picture it perfectly.
Not even Seonye—some other bitch. And of all people, spending time with Yoona? She would lose it completely and yell at him for even thinking something so insane.
"Haa..."
Sihyun let out a small sigh and climbed into the back seat of the limousine.
The plushness of the top-grade leather seats and a faint perfume scent enveloped him, yet his heart felt anything but at ease.
It felt like he was walking into a tiger's den of his own free will.
No—the tiger was already sitting right next to him.
"Puppy~ Come a little closer to me♡"
No—make that a completely unhinged bitch.
The limousine stopped in front of a building on the quiet outskirts of Seoul—an antique structure that somehow radiated an oppressive air.
There wasn't even a proper signboard; it looked more like a secret hideout.
Huge bodyguards stood motionless at the entrance.
"You can get out here~ Puppy♡"
Yoona stepped out first and beckoned to him.
Sihyun reluctantly climbed out and looked around.
Places like this exist in Korea...?
Dark, luxurious interiors, sculptures whose meaning he couldn't begin to guess, and a strange atmosphere that hung over everything.
At a glance, this was clearly not a normal establishment.
"...What the hell kind of place is this?"
Open wariness and open disgust both showed on Sihyun's face.
That expression only made Yoona's smile more satisfied.
"Hehe, look at my little puppy's reaction~ So cute I could die♡ It's just a private lounge I use sometimes. Perfect for a quiet chat, don't you think?"
Yoona casually took Sihyun's arm and led him inside.
The interior was even more lavish and decadent.
Deep-colored velvet sofas, metal ornaments, and abstract yet intense paintings lining the walls.
Once they entered the private room at the very back, Yoona sank deeply into the sofa and sent him a seductive look.
"Now then, shall we enjoy some quality time just for the two of us? Puppy♡"
"Haa... Enough of that. Just tell me already."
Sihyun cut her off flatly.
He had zero intention of playing along with her games.
"Oh my, the way you play hard to get is just too adorable~"
Yoona laughed with a little shiver of delight, then quickly changed her expression and spoke seriously.
"Fine. Where should I start? With the story of Korea's chaebol families?"
"Cheonryong, Hanbit, Mujin, Seorim, Gangsan... There are more, of course, but those five are the biggest."
Yoona listed the names of Korea's top chaebol houses and briefly sketched their traits.
"Among them, Cheonryong is especially noisy whenever succession comes up. Becoming the head of Cheonryong is the same as standing at the absolute peak of Korea. You already know Cheonryong is the number-one group in the country, right, puppy?"
"...Yes."
No matter how clueless Sihyun might be about the world, there was no way he wouldn't know the Cheonryong Group.
Even the manufacturer logo on the phone he was using right now belonged to them.
Yoona smirked and continued.
"Han Yuri—that bitch is the youngest daughter, but her talent stood out from a very early age."
When she spoke of Yuri's gifts, a complicated mix of bitterness and jealousy flickered across Yoona's face.
"Even among the chaebol families she was called a prodigy. Before she even became an adult, everything she touched—management or otherwise—produced results."
Listening to her, Sihyun felt a quiet sense of awe.
Yuri acted so recklessly that he had never imagined she was this capable.
He had no idea she was that impressive.
Surprised, Sihyun fell silent for a moment before voicing his doubt.
"As far as I know, Miss Employer said she has no interest in the chairman's seat at all."
"Yeah, that's right. Everyone knows that."
Yoona nodded lightly.
If Yuri ever properly finished her heir training, graduated university, and threw herself into management for real, people genuinely believed Cheonryong might end up monopolizing everything.
Other chaebol groups were already watching her warily and keeping close tabs.
That was why even the Kang family of the Gangsan Group never stopped that delinquent Kang Jinwoo whenever he tried something with Yuri.
If they could somehow pull her in, it might give Gangsan a foothold to check Cheonryong.
"...But is the heir position really important enough that they have to target Miss Employer that hard?"
Sihyun asked, unable to understand.
Yoona smiled as if she found the question entertaining.
She pretended to gaze out the window and sink into thought for a moment, then turned back to face him.
"It might be hard for a puppy to understand, but have you ever heard the saying 'the ones who already have more want even more'?"
"That's exactly what we chaebol types are. The more we get, the greedier we become."
"Especially since that old Cheonryong chairman dotes on her so much—how much of a thorn in the side do you think she is to his other kids?"
"......"
Even after Yoona's long explanation, Sihyun still couldn't grasp it.
These were people who would eat well and live well even without that position.
But that wasn't the important part right now.
"...So who exactly is targeting Miss Employer?"
He went straight for the core.
At those words Yoona's expression turned faintly strange for a second, then she spoke in a voice laced with jealousy.
"Oh my. I've never once been jealous of Han Yuri before... but this? This I actually envy. My little puppy fretting over her like that."
"Stop changing the subject. You know what I really want."
Sihyun refused to back down and stared straight into Yoona's eyes.
At his firm attitude, Yoona's brows twitched slightly.
"Hmm~... My little puppy... is getting a bit cheeky, isn't he?"
She made a face as if she might get angry, but Sihyun didn't flinch in the slightest.
On the contrary, that boldness sent a thrilling shiver racing through Yoona's entire body.
Whoa... This is seriously... dangerous!... Ah... ah...!
She licked her lips again and barely suppressed the rush of excitement.
No way, is this crazy woman actually insane...
Sihyun recoiled inwardly at the sight, but kept his outward composure.
"I don't know exactly who it is either."
Yoona finally spoke.
"What?"
Disappointment flickered across Sihyun's face.
"But..."
Yoona added with a meaningful smile.
"I can at least tell you how to grab the end of that tail."
"...And what would that be?"
Sihyun narrowed his eyes and asked.
Yoona leaned forward and whispered right against his ear.
"For free?"
"...W-what do you want?"
Sihyun had no choice but to swallow dryly.
The moment he had been bracing for had finally arrived.
Yoona smiled in satisfaction and gently brushed her fingers up along his chin.
His body flinched at the touch.
Then, once more, Yoona whispered slowly into his ear in that honey-sweet voice.
"Hmm~ So you'll do anything for me, right?"
Her eyes glittered with excitement and anticipation as she ran her crimson tongue over her lips once more.
"My little puppy♡"