AOA 45

“Aside from the throbbing in my head, nothing hurts. By the way… could you tell me what happened yesterday? It’s okay if it’s a secret.”

I hadn’t intended to pry, but as I spoke honestly, curiosity suddenly crept in. I looked at Baek Mugyeong and asked cautiously.

In chaebol families, internal matters were usually kept under wraps. It had only been a little over a month since I married Baek Mugyeong, still enough for me to be considered an outsider. That’s why I added the disclaimer that he didn’t have to tell me.

Baek Mugyeong stared at me for a moment before furrowing his brow again. Then he pulled a nearby chair over and sat down.

“The fewer people who know, the better. But since you’re directly involved, Jeong Minchae, you should know. That said, it’d be wise to keep your mouth shut. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes. I won’t tell anyone. As you know, I don’t have any friends, and my relationship with my family is a mess.”

As I tried to assure him, I became painfully aware of how bleak my social life was. Lee Eunho had plenty of friends, but all those ties had been cut when I became Jeong Minchae.

It was frustrating and depressing. Still, I had convinced myself over and over that I could reconnect with people once I was free, so I wasn’t too bothered by it now.

But Baek Mugyeong made an odd expression. I couldn’t tell if he was dumbfounded or telling me to shut up.

“Do I need to know all that?”

I assumed it meant ‘shut up’ and just nodded. Then Baek Mugyeong calmly began explaining what had happened the night before.

They had checked the CCTV and immediately found the pervert hiding in the women’s break room, it was the same bodyguard who had burst into the dining room.

He had apparently been sneaking into an upstairs display room through the window of the women’s break room and stealing Baek Jinseok’s personal collection piece by piece. As chairman of the Daesong Group, Baek Jinseok received many expensive gifts: large and small ceramics, jewels, ornaments, books, paintings, scrolls, and so on.

Some had been regifted to family or associates, but most remained in his possession. The truly valuable ones were kept in a secure vault; others were displayed in a large exhibition room; and the mid-tier items were stored in drawers and cabinets.

The culprit had figured out that the outer wall of the women’s break room and one corner of the display room were blind spots for the CCTV, and took advantage of that.

Apparently, the uproar last night had started because he sensed something was off and tried to flee. On top of that, since he barged into the dining room, the entire security team, including the chief, got chewed out. Once they discovered he had been stealing from Baek Jinseok’s collection, they launched a full investigation.

“Ah…”

My jaw dropped. In the previous timeline, all I knew was that I had been wrongly accused of entering the women’s changing room, and later the real culprit had been found. I’d never imagined something this outrageous had happened.

Stealing from the Daesong Group chairman’s collection was nothing short of insane. Thinking back, I realized this theft had never made it into the news or public conversation. They must have shut it down completely.

In this world, people would use any means to achieve their goals. That included violence. Which explained why the culprit took me hostage and demanded they call the police.

I didn’t ask Baek Mugyeong where the “Brick House” was or what happened to the two missing bodyguards. If I wanted to get out of this marriage safely, it was better not to know. I reminded myself of Baek Mugyeong’s warning and vowed to tell no one about what had happened.

“The chairman values his reputation. Let me say it again, watch what you say, or you might end up in trouble for no reason.”

“Yes. I’ll just say I fell down the stairs.”

The words were polite, but his tone was sharp. I had no intention of playing dumb, so I quickly agreed.

“And yesterday, you were reckless.”

“Excuse me?”

“He was a professional. It’s fortunate it ended with just a mild concussion, but if your luck had been worse, you might not have woken up. Next time, prioritize your safety.”

“But… okay.”

The longer a hostage situation drags on, the more dangerous it becomes. The guy had been on edge and highly agitated. I had figured that even if I got a little hurt, the first priority was getting free. And I had succeeded.

But I had a feeling that reasoning wouldn’t work on Baek Mugyeong. His already sharp gaze was icy cold now, and he wasn’t wrong. People die easily. The doctor had said I needed strict rest because of brain swelling from a supposedly mild concussion. If even one thing had gone wrong, I might not have opened my eyes again.

That thought sent a chill through me, and I nodded obediently. I had fought hard to get this second chance. I didn’t want to throw it away in vain.

“There’s something else I wanted to say, but I’ll save it for later.”

“You can say it now.”

“Have you looked in the mirror?”

“I did.”

After I came to, I’d gone to the bathroom once. While washing my hands, I glanced in the mirror. Aside from my hair being a bit messy, nothing seemed off.

Baek Mugyeong made a complicated expression. It looked like a mix of disappointment and disbelief.

“Did you sleep last night?”

“I slept well.”

I’d had a nightmare, but after blacking out post-dinner and waking up just recently, it was basically over twelve hours of rest.

“Nightmares?”

“Maybe a little…?”

With him staring straight at me, I couldn’t bring myself to lie. But I had woken up quickly, so it wasn’t a big deal.

“Like I said before, you should get counseling.”

“Ah… okay.”

I remembered him saying the same thing on our wedding day. His voice was as sharp as a knife, but there was a clear undercurrent of concern that made it almost funny.

When I chuckled, Baek Mugyeong frowned. Worried he might misunderstand, I quickly clarified.

“I’m not mocking you. And I’m not trying to pick a fight. It’s just… a bit funny. I actually looked up a few counseling options before but forgot about them. Your comment reminded me.”

“No need for excuses. I’ll take my leave.”

Baek Mugyeong stood up, gave a slight bow, and left the room.

Staring blankly after him, I eventually dragged my IV stand to the bathroom and checked the mirror again.

I did look a little paler than before, but nothing seemed seriously wrong. It was hard to believe Baek Mugyeong had something else to say but chose to delay it because of this.

Was it because I hadn’t washed my face?

Frowning as a dull throb hit my head again, I realized I was still in bad shape. Leaving the hospital today really wasn’t realistic.

I stared at the mirror one more time, then washed my face.

I didn’t tell my younger brother or aunt that I was in the hospital. Since we weren’t in frequent contact, I managed to get by with a casual DM reply.

Other than that, there was no one I needed to inform. Since it was Sunday, I’d have to contact my senior at work on Monday about taking medical leave.

I could’ve reached out to my stepmother, but I had zero desire to do that. Just hearing her voice would probably make me feel worse.

I was peacefully passing time watching TV and playing on my phone when an unexpected visitor showed up.

It was Choi Jaeha.

“I’m here.”

Without any warning, Choi Jaeha strolled into the hospital room holding a huge bouquet of flowers. The middle-aged man I’d seen once before during Christmas placed a large fruit basket on the table and left.

Jaeha, wearing a glossy black short puffer jacket, nodded toward the caregiver, prompting her to quietly step out.

“Your face is a mess. An ugly face got even uglier.”

As soon as we were alone, Jaeha threw out his usual insults, then approached the bed and handed me the bouquet.

The extravagant bundle of pink and white roses was classic Choi Jaeha. I stared down at it, then looked up at him.

“How did you know I was in the hospital?”

“Mugyeong hyung’s been visiting the hospital a lot since yesterday, so I got curious and asked around. Turns out you were admitted. So I came to visit.”

“Hey… are you stalking Baek Mugyeong?”

“Yup.”

Baek Mugyeong had once told me Jaeha was stalking him. And the fact that he knew Baek Mugyeong had visited the hospital definitely backed that up. What surprised me more was that Jaeha admitted it so casually.

“That’s a crime, you know.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like I’m showing up at his house or anything. He knows too.”

“I’m pretty sure he told you to stop.”

“That’s why I do it secretly.”

Before the regression, I never thought Jaeha’s behavior was over the line. After the regression, my impression had been that he was surprisingly intense for someone with such a cute face.

But seeing him up close now, I realized, he was far from normal. Even when the person he liked told him to stop, he still clung on like this.

Still, this wasn’t something I could do anything about.

“I’ll keep your secret. Just don’t get caught.”

“He probably already knows. Anyway, I heard you hurt your head. Did you fall or something?”

“How do you know about my head?”

“I have my ways. So what happened? Wait, let’s eat some fruit first. The hallabong is really good.”