BRF Chapter 20

She prided herself on having good instincts as a reporter, but she was starting to get confused about Jung Woojin.

“Could you let go of me?”

Heat was rising in her ears as she met his purple-tinged eyes.

“Shouldn’t you thank me first?”

He asked coolly, setting Eunseong back on the stairs.

“What should I thank you for? For suddenly popping out of nowhere at the bottom of the stairs?”

She snapped back, flicking her fingers as if they were springs.

“For catching you when you were about to fall.”

He scanned her up and down, as if dealing with an ungrateful, shameless person. An inexplicable weariness emanated from his gaze. Anyone watching would think he was some kind of hero tired who, as casually as eating a meal, saved people until he eventually grew tired of it.

“Even though you look like a psychopathic villain.”

He didn’t seem like the type to be a hero living as a social misfit, hiding immense power beneath a red and blue suit. Rather, Jung Woojin fits the image of a psychopathic villain, hiding dangerous desires behind a sensual appearance.

A man like a villain, who would captivate everyone with a perfect smile and extraordinary abilities, and then plunge the world into danger. Eunseong narrowed her eyes and looked up at him. Even though Woojin was standing a step below her, his gaze was higher than hers.

“What, a psychopathic villain?”

He scowled, scoffing in disbelief. As expected, even when annoyed, handsome guys still looked handsome. It was a necessary condition for an attractive villain. Anyway, she had meant to keep the “psychopathic villain” comment to herself, but it seemed to have slipped out.

Well, it couldn’t be helped now.

“Watch your tone. How old are you to speak so informally to me?”

The sharp tingle of the makgeolli (Korea rice wine) started to slur her words. But it wasn’t just the alcohol talking. Jung Woojin looked a year or two younger than her.

Sometimes, people would speak informally to her without hesitation when she was out reporting.

He didn’t seem like that kind of rude person, but they weren’t close enough for him to drop formalities, were they?

“I think I’m quite a bit older than you, Kang Eunseong.”

“Show me your ID.”

Eunseong held out her hand and tilted her head. Just tilting her head made her whole body sway to the side. Woojin quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulder. As she’d noticed when she first met him, his movements were remarkably agile.

“Get a grip. How much did you drink?”

“If you’re older than me, show me your ID.”

“Do you check everyone’s ID to confirm their age?”

Eunseong shook her head.

“No. It’s just that I find you very suspicious, Mr. Jung Woojin. You say you’ll give me information, but you haven’t said a word, and you keep showing up wherever I am, surprising me.”

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, his shoulders shaking. A warm heat started to gather on her shoulder where his hand rested. His face, as if lost in thought, exuded an almost untouchable air of decadent charm.

“How do you know where I am?”

Eunseong asked, tilting her chin down slightly and widening her eyes.

“Your phone.”

He answered curtly.

“My phone? Are you tracking my location or something?”

“No, your phone is ringing.”

Eunseong lifted her left hand, which was clutching her phone. The name on the screen was Cheon Sarang. She suddenly sobered up and quickly answered before the call ended.

“Hey, it’s me, Eunseong.”

– Sorry. I had a lot of work tonight. They told me you called. I’m so late, aren’t I?

Sarang’s apologetic voice overflowed with warmth.

“No, you’re not late. You must be very busy.”

– Yeah, I have a lot to deal with, so I’m a bit out of it. So, what’s up?

Eunseong glanced at the hardened face of the man standing before her. He was staring at her phone as if he wanted to devour it, clearly displeased with the call.

“We couldn’t have dinner the other day. I’m calling to reschedule.”

Eunseong answered, turning her head slightly as if shielding her phone from the man’s sharp gaze. Sarang couldn’t possibly not know why she had called.

– Isn’t it because of the Goryeo Annals?

“I can’t say it’s not because of that.”

A pleasant laugh came from the other end of the phone. Sarang laughed her characteristic laugh.

– Geongon Law Firm.

“Geongon?”

The moment she repeated the name, her eyes met Jung Woojin’s. They said that working as a reporter for a long time turned you into a half-physiognomist, but she couldn’t read his intentions at all. She couldn’t understand the meaning hidden in his deep, well-like eyes.

Come to think of it, Jung Woojin had also mentioned Geongon as his legal representative. But it seemed excessive to glare just because a law firm related to him was mentioned and his gaze had been sharp from the beginning.

– The information came from Geongon. I can’t tell you anything more than that.

The wall was higher than she thought. Recently, there had been news from the legal team about Seocheon Media signing an agreement with Geongon Law Firm for legal advice and due diligence.

It seemed information had been exchanged during that process.

“I see. Let’s have dinner together sometime.”

– I’ll contact you when I have time. It’s not easy to free up time for dinner right now.

Sarang apologized repeatedly before hanging up. The stairwell was silent, only the faint sound of music from a distant bar reaching her ears.

What were we talking about before the call?

Standing on the stairs facing this man felt somewhat surreal. And the alcohol, which had vanished during Sarang’s call, came rushing back.

“Why Geongon?”

He gestured towards her phone with his chin. Eunseong frowned, displeased that he was abruptly questioning her about the content of her call.

Oh, right. We were talking about age.

The sudden appearance of this man, with his weary and flippant attitude, fueled both Eunseong’s intoxication and her stubbornness.

“Show me your ID first.”

The shorter Jung Woojin’s sentences became, the shorter hers became as well. He exhaled sharply and pulled a thin card holder from his inner coat pocket.

The age on his ID was much older than she had expected.

“That can’t be right.”

Eunseong muttered to herself, tilting her head in disbelief. He quickly snatched the ID back from her hand.

He was legally seven years older than her. He looked way too young for his age. She was curious to know which dermatologist he went to, or what his secret was. It was a purely professional question, stemming from her reporter’s instinct.

“That’s possible, Reporter Kang Eunseong. Why Geongon Law Firm?”

His tone had become noticeably polite.

“Just because.”

She couldn’t tell him that she’d heard the information about the Goryeo Annals had come from Geongon Law Firm.

“Who was on the phone just now?”

The man who had appeared out of nowhere was now interrogating her about the person she’d been talking to.

“Why do you need to know?”

“Don’t meet that person.”

The man muttered in a low voice, his well-defined eyebrows furrowed. Eunseong’s mind went blank for a moment at his smooth voice.

Is he really a crazy stalker?

A sudden jolt of fear washed over her, mixed with a subtle annoyance. But why did she feel a slight flutter of excitement?

“That person harbors a great deal of animosity towards you, Kang Eunseong.”

A cold sweat ran down her spine. She instinctively pressed herself against the wall of the stairwell.

Perhaps this was the meaning behind his deep, mysterious, purple-tinged eyes.

“Can you see my future?”

“To some extent.”

He nodded, not denying it.

“Are you like a shaman¹, then? Is that how you can find me?”

“A shaman?”

She had asked seriously, but the man repeated the word with a disbelieving tone.

“If not, how can you see my future? How do you find me?”

“How do you find your phone when it rings inside your house, Kang Eunseong?”

Eunseong replied, looking off into the distance.

“I go towards where the phone is ringing.”

“It’s similar to that.”

He must be crazy. 

Thinking it would be best for her safety to just let him go, Eunseong nodded along.

“I see. So I must be ringing loudly like a phone?”

He nodded seriously.

“You only ring when you’re in danger.”

Why does a crazy person have to be so handsome? 

It was a shame, such a waste of a good-looking face.

“Ah, so I ring when I’m in danger? Anyway, thank you for saving me. I almost tumbled down the stairs.”

When she smiled and expressed her gratitude, he stared at her blankly for a moment, then quickly averted his gaze. She noticed his sharp jawline hardening.

Perhaps because she saw this crazy man looking flustered, Eunseong’s heart also began to race wildly.

“It’s nothing. It wasn’t exactly a grand rescue.”

The man’s earlobes were bright red as he muttered, seemingly embarrassed. Strangely, the crazy man seemed to be shy.

“Well, this is the second time you’ve saved my life.”

“It’s more than twice.”

And he insisted it was more than twice.

“So, will you come find me every time I’m in danger?”

The man, who had been staring into the darkness of the stairwell, slowly turned his head. His eyes pierced through her.

“As long as you…”

His gaze fixed on her left chest.

“…keep ringing.”

A shiver ran down her spine. His downward gaze moved back to her face. Her cheeks burned. She thought she must be crazy too, to be thrilled by a crazy man’s promise to come to her rescue whenever she was in danger.

“Well, my colleagues are waiting, so I should go back inside. Goodbye! I’ll see you next time I’m in danger!”

Eunseong uttering words she couldn’t believe she’d just said, dashed up the stairs as if running away. Her heart pounded in her chest.