CHAPTER 81
'Shit... how the hell did they see me? I didn't spot a single person in the halls.'
Yeonho knew lying at this point would only make things worse. He was already caught red-handed.
"Fine, I admit it. I know you're talking about Gyeongjae, Min-Hyuk, and Seungjo. So what's your problem? Just spit it out."
Figuring out Dongjun's underlying angle was the only thing that mattered right now. Once he knew what Dongjun wanted, he could choose his words carefully.
A slow grin spread across Dongjun's face, the grin of a man who already won.
"One, your debt. Pay back what you stole from me."
Yeonho clenched his fingers into his lap, keeping his voice steady. "You're filthy rich, but I'll pay back every single cent I took from you."
"You talk like you actually have that kind of money."
"I can get it. What's next?"
"Two, you put your hands on Hana."
"I had a reason for that. Hana drugged you and every other guys."
"I'm aware. Which is why I'm being generous enough not to dispose of you right here. In return, you're going to act as my pawn."
'Is he out of his mind? He knows he got drugged and he's acting like it's no big deal?'
Lee Dongjun was genuinely unhinged—completely blinded by his obsession with Hana.
Honestly, every single male lead in this place had a missing screw, deranged in their own way but none of them operated quite like Dongjun.
Now that Yeonho saw the board, though, he realized Dongjun's obsession gave him something to plan.
Terrified as he was, he could still maneuver through this.
"You want me to play the rat," he said. "You want me to feed you every piece of dirt on Seungjo and the others so you can tear them down. Which means I have to keep my current identity intact and keep doing what I've been doing. You want Hana all to yourself, and you're willing to use me to make it happen—even knowing how much she'd hate it if she found out."
He scoffed and shook his head.
"Keeping tabs on her wasn't enough for you, so now you're using me to watch them. That threat about telling her I'm here... was that a joke?"
Dongjun went quiet for a beat, a flicker of dark intrigue crossing his face at how quickly Yeonho had put the pieces together.
"You've changed. You're sharp now. Quick on the intake. But I don't make jokes when it comes to Hana. You'd do well to remember that. I'm simply holding back because you happen to be useful right now. Now that you understand where this is heading, I suggest you listen and keep your mouth shut. Don't force me to use violence, Yeonho. We both know what I'm capable of."
Yeonho took a slow breath. "Fine. Go on. I'm listening."
Dongjun leaned forward, and said,
"No other man goes near her."
It was a completely one-sided deal.
Because Yeonho was pinned down by a massive debt and a dangerous threat, Dongjun expected him to act as his eyes and ears.
He wanted secret details, private conversations, and anything he could use to systematically ruin the other men and remove them from Hana's life one by one.
In exchange, Dongjun wouldn't expose Yeonho's identity as Hana's stylist or burn his cover. In fact, having Yeonho positioned right beside her worked directly in Dongjun's favor.
He wanted a complete, total lockdown. Total control over her circle.
Yeonho nodded along, agreeing to the terms on the surface—but he had zero intention of actually following through.
He was terrified that Dongjun might try to put a bullet in him at any second, but he wasn't about to become anyone's obedient dog.
The main birthday banquet was only two days away.
Once that event hit, he was done hiding in the shadows.
The disguise would be gone for good.
He was never going to live as the weak, pathetic version of Choi Yeonho from the original story ever again.
Which meant this entire deal with Dongjun would become completely worthless in forty-eight hours anyway.
He was returning as the villain, and he refused to be pushed around.
Playing along for two short days was easy enough—especially when he held a card Dongjun didn't even know about yet.
"I already agreed," Yeonho said, gesturing toward the corner of the room. "Now let them go. Let everyone out of this room. I have one last thing to say to you."
Dongjun glanced at his guards.
"Release them and get them off the property. All of you, out."
The security guards unfastened the ties and ripped the cloth gags from their mouths.
"Mistress..." Carl rasped, his voice thick and rough from the beating he had taken. Blood was still dripping from his nose.
"Just go," Yeonho ordered firmly, refusing to meet his eyes. "Don't wait up for me."
Yeonho didn't want to watch any of them get hurt because of him again.
When the room was clear, silence stretched for a full minute and Yeonho began smiling.
Dongjun didn't flinch. In his mind, Yeonho had always been a loose cannon. But standing here now, he had to admit this wasn't the same desperate brat he remembered from years ago.
Yeonho stood up from the couch, grabbed his bag off the mattress, and sat back down across from Dongjun. He reached into his pocket, tapped a quick text on his phone screen, and pressed send.
PING!
The sharp notification chime echoed from the bedside table. Dongjun turned his head toward the sound, reaching over to pick up his device before settling back into the leather armchair.
He glanced at the screen. An encrypted message had just come through from an unlisted number.
"Works every time..." Yeonho muttered under his breath.
Narrowing his eyes at Yeonho's quiet confidence, Dongjun tapped the notification.
[ Surprise! ]
Directly beneath the text was an audio file. Yeonho's quiet habit of recording every tense interaction had saved his skin more times than he could count.
He now had solid weapon against Dongjun—but he wasn't relying on just the recording. He had already set his primary move in motion minutes ago.
"What is this?" Dongjun asked, his voice laced with disdain. "Another one of your petty little games?"
"Maybe, maybe not," Yeonho said smoothly. "Though you probably shouldn't have laid all your cards out so loudly. He heard every single word you just said, Lee Dongjun."
Dongjun's eyes narrowed into slits.
BANG!
The heavy double doors swung open, and Baek Seungjo stepped into the room.
Seungjo had been listening to the live audio feed through the receiver linked to Yeonho's smartwatch the moment the distress signal pinged.
The silent alarm and tracker warnings had gone straight to Seungjo's phone the second Yeonho's vitals spiked.
Yeonho had known he was in deep trouble, but he also knew he needed heavy leverage to walk out intact—and Seungjo was the only person with enough authority to step between him and Dongjun.
The moment Seungjo walked in, the cold knot of terror in Yeonho's chest finally loosened.
'I was actually terrified... thank God he actually came.'
Seungjo caught the brief flash of relief in Yeonho's eyes before the younger man quickly pulled his arrogant, unbothered mask back over his face.
Pretending he wasn't shaken was useless, though. The biometric readings on Seungjo's phone had shown extreme heart rate spikes just moments ago.
One look at Yeonho's pale face told Seungjo everything he needed to know about how dangerous the situation had been.
"I don't recall inviting you into my quarters," Dongjun said flatly, not even bothering to turn his head as he kept his eyes locked on Yeonho.
Seungjo ignored him completely, walked past the couch where Dongjun sat and stopped beside Yeonho.
"What are you doing here?" Yeonho asked, looking up at Seungjo. "Are you alright now? Has the drug cleared out?"
"Not entirely but my head is clear enough."
"Then why are you up?" Yeonho asked, a genuine note of worry slipping through his voice. "You should be resting."
"You're coming with me. We have work to discuss."
"He's not going anywhere," Dongjun interrupted calmly. He already knew who sent that message and who it pointed to.
Dongjun flicked his eyes toward the door. "Leave."
Seungjo ignore him. He reached down, his hand clamping firmly around Yeonho's wrist.
"Get up. We're leaving."
'Why does this feel like I'm some damsel getting rescued...?' Yeonho thought, letting himself be pulled off the couch.
As they reached the doorway, Dongjun's heavy voice called out behind them.
They both stopped. Yeonho looked back and found him standing, a cigarette dangling between his fingers, the picture of lazy menace.
"Remember what i said," Dongjun said, his tone chillingly casual.
"I know," Yeonho replied without turning around.
"Contact me the second you have something worth reporting. Don't make me wait. I don't care if he know, he's listening or not—you're still doing what you were told."
It was an open threat, but Seungjo—who had no intention of letting Dongjun use Yeonho as a tool against him—stepped slightly in front of Yeonho, his tone turning razor-sharp.
"Don't push me, Dongjun. Trying to use him against me isn't going to work."
"Let's just see who he listens to in the end," Dongjun smirked, blowing a thin trail of smoke into the air.
"It's much more entertaining that way. Isn't it?"
"Suit yourself."
Seungjo took Yeonho to his own room and locked the door behind them so nobody could interrupt.
"Thank you," Yeonho said quietly.
He sat down on the edge of the large bed while Seungjo stood towering in front of him, unbuttoning his collar slightly to cool his skin.
"So... what about that work? Did something happen?"
"I lied. There's nothing to discuss."
Yeonho stared at him for a second, then suddenly burst out laughing. He fell back onto the mattress, his shoulders shaking as Seungjo simply stood there, watching him in silence.
"What's so funny?"
Yeonho caught his breath, looking up from the bed. "I just never thought I'd see the great Baek Seungjo lie—and for my sake, no less."
He wipes his eyes. "Thanks again. I guess you're not as cold as i thought."
Seungjo was confused by his own actions. He had lied to pull Yeonho out of Dongjun's territory. He could have easily ignored the ping and stayed out of it, but hearing Dongjun openly discuss using Yeonho to tear him down had forced his hand.
The rivalry between them was bitter enough, and both of them were positioning themselves around Hana.
But what bothered him most was the casual way Dongjun had threatened to end Yeonho's life.
Men like Lee Dongjun didn't make empty threats. When Dongjun talked about killing someone, he meant it.
To Seungjo's rational mind, letting Dongjun eliminate Yeonho would be a waste—Yeonho was still a key asset and a top model for his company.
Yet deep down, he knew that wasn't the only reason. He kept remembering the sheer terror on Yeonho's face back at the restaurant. The image of this cocky, manipulative brat looking like he was about to break... it had stuck in his mind.
Maybe it was just another surge of pity that had driven him to barge into Dongjun's room.
His thoughts were a chaotic mess, and every single thread tied right back to the boy lying on his bed.
Noticing the distant look in Seungjo's eyes, Yeonho called his name a couple of times.
'He's completely spaced out... Is the drug still messing with his head?'
Smirking, Yeonho decided to snap him out of his head. He reached up, grabbed Seungjo's forearm, and gave it a sudden yank.
Caught off guard, Seungjo lost his balance, falling forward onto the bed right above Yeonho.
"What are you thinking so hard that you can't even hear me?" Yeonho teased, looking up at him.
Seungjo stared down at him for a long, silent moment.
"You..."
Yeonho's heart jumped.
'What the hell...'
Heat flooded his cheeks.
That low, husky voice, deep and strangely gentle, ran a shiver down his spine, and the intensity of Seungjo's gaze was unlike anything he ever saw from him.
Seungjo's eyes flicked down, noticing the bright flush spreading across Yeonho's cheeks and reaching the tips of his ears.
"Why are you red?"
Yeonho's eyes widened. He had no idea what was happening to his own face.
'Shit! I didn't even realize my face was red! Why the hell am I blushing right now?!'
"I... I'm just hot," Yeonho stammered, his usual sharp tongue failing him as he pushed against Seungjo's chest.
"I need to go wash my face."
He shoved at Seungjo's shoulder, but Seungjo caught both wrists and pinned them above his head.
"You just washed your face before you left earlier."
"Then... I need to wash it again!" Yeonho huffed, twisting his wrists. "There's leftover makeup or something... Just let me go so I can wash it!"
Yeonho squirmed, desperate to escape the unfamiliar, overwhelming flutter inside him.
He was supposed to be the one playing the game here—seducing Seungjo, keeping him wrapped around his finger, and manipulating the situation.
Yet for the very first time, he was the one getting completely flustered by a male lead, and he couldn't handle it.
After trying to pull free for a few more seconds without success, Yeonho finally gave up, turning his head to the side to avoid Seungjo's intense gaze.
Seungjo felt Yeonho's resistance fade and slowly released his wrists.
The cocky, confident Yeonho he knew was gone, and what remained was a flustered, embarrassed face unlike anything he ever saw on him.
It was endearing, and he couldn't look away.
It felt like taming a stray cat that hissed at every touch, and Seungjo found it fascinating.
Sensing that the small cat had finally stopped scratching, Seungjo slowly released his grip on Yeonho's wrists.
.
.
.
.