Chapter 15
It was a gaze filled not with suspicion, but with unmistakable certainty. Baek Tae-ju's eyes settled on Ha-jin, but after a brief exchange of glances with him, she turned back to Joo-heon as if nothing were amiss. Right now, every moment was being live-streamed beyond her ear. It felt like walking on thin ice.
Ha-jin forced a troubled smile and opened her mouth.
"You must have me mistaken for someone else. I've been in the States most of the time and only just got back to Korea recently."
"Ah, the States."
Baek Joo-heon let out a short, mocking chuckle, as if he found it absurd, and lifted his water glass. Whether his throat was parched or something was burning inside him, he downed the water from the glass in one clean gulp. When his eyes met Ha-jin's over the rim of the cup, they narrowed again.
"There are a lot of people who look alike in this world. It could happen."
Joo-heon slowly ran his tongue over his lips, as if intrigued.
"Hmm, but I doubt it's easy to find someone who looks this much like her."
Joo-heon's gaze slithered stickily over Ha-jin's face. It was as if that look alone could strip away the layers of her false facade.
"Baek Joo-heon. What business do you have staring at Ha-jin?"
...Ha-jin.
It was a fond nickname she never imagined hearing from Baek Tae-ju's lips. Ha-jin involuntarily turned to look at him. He was acting as if Joo-heon's obsessive attention on her was blatantly irritating—like they were really lovers or something...
"This is a dinner table. Mind your manners."
When Baek Tae-ju lightly set his silver chopsticks down on the table, a sharp clang pierced her eardrums. Startled by the sound, Min Yeong-ju tried to rein Joo-heon in.
"Don't make Miss Ha-jin uncomfortable. She's finally home after so long—let her eat."
Joo-heon, who had been devouring Ha-jin with his eyes, shrugged and reluctantly looked away.
"My apologies. Must've been a mistake on my part."
This was a disaster. Even if she admitted to having met him first, it wouldn't cause much trouble, but there was no benefit in revealing that she'd been frequenting a casino filled with cigarette smoke and decadent vibes.
But Baek Joo-heon—that man clearly knew everything... And knowing that whoever was monitoring—whether it was Yoo Soo-hee's watcher or Yoo Soo-hee herself—was listening to all this through the bug made her head throb.
That night, heading to the casino had been a kind of rebellion. Yoo Soo-hee had provided more perks than expected as compensation for Ha-jin playing the long game, including enough funds to splurge leisurely. She usually shared her schedule with Yoo Soo-hee and gave advance notice for big expenses, but that night had been an exception. She'd gone there without telling a soul.
The first time Yoo Soo-hee had taken Ha-jin to the casino was to teach her about psychological warfare and reading people, while exposing her to how the upper crust played. She'd gotten hooked on the skills she'd picked up there bit by bit, which was why she'd occasionally indulged in such escapades...
A more urgent problem than hiding her true identity from Chairman Baek and Director Min had now reared its head. It seemed that man intended to use their encounter as an excuse to needle her relentlessly.
Feeling her mouth go dry, Ha-jin forced down some greens. The noble fragrance wafting from the agarwood table now felt like smoke choking her throat.
"Miss Ha-jin, eat up. Why are you barely touching anything?"
Chairman Baek smiled kindly and urged food on her.
"No, it's all so deliciously prepared that I'm just having trouble deciding where to start."
Chairman Baek burst into hearty laughter at Ha-jin's response.
"Good, good. Ji-san Daek really knows how to make it all so tasty. Here, try some of the soy-marinated crab too. The roe is plump, and the sauce is excellent. Yoo Soo-hee used to love the crab, didn't she?"
It was already mouthwatering from the smell alone, but as Ha-jin moved her chopsticks toward it absentmindedly, her expression hardened, and she looked at Chairman Baek. He was still wearing that affable smile, but it sent chills down her spine.
...This is a test.
Ha-jin nearly smirked but composed her face and replied.
"Thank you, Chairman. But I think there's a little misunderstanding."
To avoid seeming rude or back-talking, Ha-jin furrowed her brow slightly as if embarrassed and continued.
"My aunt has a shellfish allergy, so she can't eat crab or shrimp."
His eyes were those of a man gazing lovingly at his prospective daughter-in-law, on the verge of becoming family. A person who could wear such a fabricated expression and casually toss a stabbing knife onto the table.
"Oh dear, my mistake. It's been a while since I interacted with Yoo Soo-hee."
"......"
Across from her, Baek Tae-ju gently swirled his wine glass, his face detached as if it were someone else's business. But his ears were undoubtedly wide open to the exchange between Chairman Baek and Ha-jin. Just as Yoo Soo-hee was grasping every detail through the bug in Ha-jin's earlobe.
Chairman Baek casually sipped his wine and peered at Ha-jin over the rim.
"As I recall, Miss Ha-jin majored in economics at NYU."
Right on cue—credentials check. It was the first weak point anyone suspicious would target. As expected, Ha-jin replied calmly.
"Yes, Chairman. My aunt is really passionate about education."
Chairman Baek gave a meaningful smile and set his glass down.
"While you were in New York, you attended a charity gala hosted by the Hamilton family, didn't you? Emily, the organizer there, is quite picky, but I heard she took a real liking to you."
The air at the table subtly froze. Ha-jin quietly gripped the hem of her skirt under the table as well.
It was a story from a time she didn't know. She was starting to get confused about where her own history ended and where the fabrications he'd thrown in to test her began. Amid the sea of information she'd memorized like a dictionary—repeating it endlessly—she had to pinpoint the period Chairman Baek had mentioned.
Cold sweat threatened to break out. Her clenched fists were already starting to grow slick.
Chairman Baek stared at Ha-jin impassively and asked without blinking.
"What? Don't you remember?"
The chilling question made her want to bite her tongue. Desperate not to show her tension, Ha-jin pulled up the info she'd finally recalled and spat it out.
"No, of course I do. It wasn't so much that she favored me... I think it was because I matched her taste in vintage brooches. For her birthday, I'd picked up an amethyst one on my aunt's errand, and she really liked it."
Please. Please let this be right. She was feigning composure, but it felt like someone was holding an auto-da-fé in her gut. Her stomach was on the verge of twisting itself into knots.
And finally...
After eyeing Ha-jin as if measuring her up for a long moment, a satisfied smile spread across Chairman Baek's lips. It was a detailed answer piercing through academics, connections, and their exclusive tastes. Ha-jin had deftly dodged the chairman's probing stab and, fortunately, proven she was indeed Yoo Soo-hee's niece.
But no sooner had she exhaled, thinking she'd bought a moment's respite after enduring that razor-sharp ordeal, than another attack came from elsewhere.
A knife-like gaze fixed on her face.
Joo-heon hadn't taken his eyes off Ha-jin for a second, dissecting her piece by piece. Impeccable etiquette, delicate white hands so well-maintained there wasn't a single wrinkle on the knuckles, nail art, lustrous, resilient hair that screamed she'd never known hardship.
She was definitely the woman he'd seen that day, and as he'd guessed, the pampered offspring of some massive heavyweight.
But...
Why did he keep glimpsing the version of her from that night at poker? Joo-heon, a master at keenly observing and reading people, had noted several of her habits from the time they'd sat across from each other that night.