Chapter 150. Transfer Offer
Chapter 150. Transfer Offer
The next morning, soft sunlight filtered through the window.
Lying beneath the blanket, Laila breathed quietly and slowly opened her eyes.
"Haaaah..."
Naturally, her gaze turned to the side.
There lay her boyfriend, Song Hoon, who had worn himself out the night before and fallen fast asleep.
His face, serene in sleep.
A gentle smile spread across her face.
"...How cute."
Whispering, Laila brushed a fingertip lightly across his cheek, then quietly sat up.
Slipping out from under the blanket, she walked to the living room in her white silk slip.
Step by step.
Traces of last night's heartfelt reconciliation(?) lay scattered here and there.
"Fufu... I always feel this, but... we really are a good match, Hoon."
I've heard that some couples break up over sexual compatibility.
Naturally, her compatibility with Song Hoon was the best there could be.
There was no need to know about any other man, and she didn't want to.
Because her first and last would always be Song Hoon.
"Really... last night was so intense..."
She cupped her cheeks in her hands, blushed a little, and murmured shyly.
But that expression lasted only a moment; her face immediately hardened.
"Still... I need to have a word."
She picked up her smartphone with a serious look and pressed a number.
After two rings, the other person answered.
- Laila Hunter... What is this early call about...
A familiar voice, yet thick with tension.
It sounded nothing like the way he usually talked to her boyfriend.
"Yes, it's been a while."
Laila smiled thinly, but her tone carried an icy edge.
"Her name is Rachel. Pretty face and a cunning mind. That little girl tried to seduce my Hero yesterday, didn't she?"
- ...
There was a moment of silence.
The man on the other end was so tense that the sound of him swallowing was audible.
"Of course... if it were just a normal relationship, that would be one thing... but brazenly, she was trying to lure the Hero under someone's orders."
- ...Wh-What? Who on earth would do such a thing...!?
"That... you'll have to find out for yourself, won't you?"
Calm yet unmistakable pressure.
Her voice remained kind, but an unyielding firmness bled through her words.
- Then that woman...
"Don't worry. I found a same-day plane ticket and sent her off."
At her words, the man on the other end let out a small breath.
- I will handle this thoroughly. Definitively...!
"Good~"
- I'll make sure this never happens again!
"Fufu, I'm counting on you."
She added one last remark and hung up.
A brief silence.
At that moment, the man who had answered muttered to himself.
"...As I thought, the scariest among the Unknown Hunters... isn't Song Hoon... it's..."
Meanwhile, the expression on her face as she hung up and headed to the kitchen was utterly unwavering.
Because protecting the person she loved was the most natural thing to her.
---
"Haaah..."
He looked around, but Laila was already gone.
But that was nothing new.
Whenever they shared a passionate night together, Laila always woke up first.
"Is she in the living room?"
He got out of bed, put on some clothes, and headed to the living room, where he heard the clatter of kitchenware.
Following the sound, he found Laila bustling about in the kitchen.
"Hoon, you're awake?"
He had gotten up, but...
Something else had gotten up as well.
'Ahem...'
Laila walked over to him with quick, light steps.
Then she stood on tiptoe and carefully gave him a short kiss on the lips.
"Hoon~ could you pick up just these things for me?"
She said cutely, holding out a small note.
It wasn't really a request.
'Was there any man, unless he were gay, who could refuse a request from a woman like this...?'
Chuckling to himself, he nodded and quickly changed into training clothes.
Just as he reached the front door, Laila's voice drifted from the kitchen again.
"The food's almost ready~ so come back right away, okay?"
Laila even waved her hand.
At the sight, the corners of his mouth rose into an uncontrollable grin.
Then a meme he'd seen in online communities popped into his head.
- Just don't do it, you fucking bastard.
'If just dating was this wonderful, why did a meme about not getting married even exist...?'
The world just seemed happy.
Perhaps because it was morning, he ran into other neighbors going out to exercise.
Riding that upbeat mood, he greeted them all with a bright smile.
Just as he was walking with that contented expression, he spotted an unfamiliar luxury car and men in suits in front of his house.
They approached him as soon as they saw him.
"Song Hoon, could we have a moment of your time...?"
"Hmm... I don't recall making any appointment?"
"Ah, my apologies... we had no way to contact you... so we had no choice but to come directly and commit this discourtesy..."
They were polite, but the scent of business was unmistakable.
This wasn't the first time, and he didn't mind it much.
"Please contact the Seonghwa Foundation later to make an appointment. Right now is personal time."
They bowed repeatedly and stepped back.
He took the business cards they handed over and slipped them straight into his pocket without even glancing at them.
—Beep beep beep beep!
After stopping by a nearby store, he returned home.
But when he punched in the front door's passcode, the door remained locked.
—Click clack
"Huh?"
Thinking he might have pressed wrong, he tried again, but the door still wouldn't open.
Just as he was about to contact Laila, the door slid open.
"...La-Laila!?"
Startled, he quickly looked around.
Fortunately, theirs was the only apartment on this floor.
Still, he couldn't help being shocked.
"A kni-knit...?"
"Why are you staring like that? It's just an ordinary knit top~"
A white knit top that revealed her shoulders and had side slits.
"Come in quickly~ it's cold outside."
She took the bag from his hand and grinned.
"Hmm... it's cold, but if I wore long sleeves I might sweat... so that's why I'm wearing something short?"
A whisper echoed in his head: 'You see this and still hold back?'
He thought he couldn't possibly get another erection, but his body was honest.
"It'll be ready soon, so please sit and wait~"
Laila said from the kitchen with a bright smile.
He poured himself a glass of water and sat at the table as she suggested.
Every now and then, the aroma of soup drifted over, along with the clatter of utensils and the sight of her bustling back in the kitchen.
'I didn’t know who would end up as her husband someday... but this was wonderful...'
"Hmm... my hair is long and bothersome, you know?"
She then carefully gathered her hair up as if to tie it back.
In that moment, her slender nape and the pale curve of her back were fully exposed.
'...'
Laila glanced his way and gave a captivating smile.
He instinctively tried to turn his head away, but...
Not easy.
"Laila... are you seducing me right now?"
"Why? I just tied my hair back because it was long?"
Her voice was innocent, but her eyes were unmistakable.
That playful smile seemed to say, 'Are you really going to hold back?'
Something had already stiffened.
He strode over and stood in front of Laila.
As he closed the distance and their eyes met, she playfully took a step back and said.
"But I'm in the middle of making lunch..."
"I'll eat you first."
"Kyaa~"
Laila let out an exaggerated squeal on purpose.
Ah, he just couldn't hold back anymore.
---
"Hoon~ the soup and side dishes have all gone cold~"
"Who was the one doing the seducing..."
"Oh my, I just tied my hair back?"
"..."
After finishing the meal, we changed clothes and headed to the parking lot for class.
We drove through the campus gate, parked at the lecture hall, and headed to the classroom.
"Oh, hello!"
"Big bro, good morning!"
"Hunter! How do you do!"
Students bowing politely or waving shyly.
Bombarded by the sudden wave of greetings, he awkwardly nodded and walked past, but Laila met each and every one's eyes and returned their greetings.
"Someone you know?"
"Nope~"
"Huh...?"
"This is all image management. Little things like this add up and shape people's impressions!"
He didn't quite get it himself, but if Laila said so, it must be true.
We entered the lecture hall and made our way to our seats, far more accustomed to the routine now.
Surprisingly, the seats we always occupied were empty.
'This was comfortable...'
The usual boring lecture time.
During the break, he stepped out into the hallway.
In the hallway, as he pressed the vending machine button for a drink, he habitually checked his smartphone.
"What the...? Did something happen?"
The screen showed a list of numerous missed calls.
[ Lee Chae-hyun - 4 missed calls ]
[ Legal Director - 3 missed calls ]
[ CEO - 6 missed calls ]
Wondering if some big issue had come up, he immediately called the CEO.
"Yes, I saw you called earlier. I was in class, so I couldn't answer."
"Ah, Chairman. The thing is... I contacted you urgently regarding a meeting request."
"What kind of meeting?"
"Actually, we refused because it was about a transfer, but this morning they said they had spoken with you, Chairman... and requested to schedule an official meeting."
Those men he had run into this morning.
He hadn't checked carefully because he had stuffed the business cards into his pocket.
"Hmm?"
Then, one word from what the CEO said suddenly stuck in his mind.
"Transfer? What transfer? I'm not even in a guild..."
The CEO spoke cautiously.
"Well... it's a transfer to a different streaming platform."
"...What?"
Confusion crept in.
Not a guild, but a streaming platform transfer?
"Yes, not 'Pajijik'... another internet streaming platform requested an exclusive partner contract with you, Chairman. And the terms were very good."
"But I never even considered moving?"
"The Legal Director glanced over the contract briefly, and it was the best treatment in the industry... no, it was practically throwing money at you."
"...?"
"And aside from this, they said they'd meet almost all conditions."
From the start, money and conditions weren't what mattered.
If money was important, he'd just smash through every gate that appeared...
Why would he bother going to school and streaming?
'I just do it because it's fun...'
He hadn't seen the other party's contract himself yet, so he didn't know the details...
Pajijik was already treating him excessively well.
"Still, I told them to make an appointment... it would be awkward not to meet, wouldn't it...?"
"Yes, it might affect your authority..."
"Tch... Alright. Meeting and talking isn't that difficult."
Honestly, he was also kind of curious about what they'd say.