Chapter 39.1

Chapter 39.1

Goyo’s heart wavered as Jae-heon’s words hung in the air.

His offer was dangerously sweet. Even though she knew it was poisoned, it almost felt like she wanted to bite into it.

Jae-heon was more unpredictable than Lee Yoon-gun. To crush your enemy, you need to make sure they never dare to challenge you again. No matter how much Goyo had struggled in the past, she had never been able to defeat Yoon-gun—yet Jae-heon defeated him in one move.

He wasn’t like Goyo—weak and unsure. If Yoon-gun were to threaten with a cutter knife to his wrist, Jae-heon would egg him on to stab deeper. He wouldn’t just delete text messages; he’d break each finger that typed them.

“His words aren’t lies.”

She knew this in her mind. If she wanted to escape from the Lee family, Jae-heon was the one who could help her.

But she had learned long ago that nothing in this world comes for free. There is no such thing as pure kindness without a price.

And that was what terrified her. What would he want from her in return?

“Well, asking for a favor is a different story, right?”

He grinned mischievously, his teeth showing as he fiddled with the cigarette filter before taking another long drag. The end of the cigarette flared with a small flame as he inhaled.

“Damn, it’s just Lee Yoon-gun.”

His curse, muffled by the smoke, slipped out between clenched teeth. The thick haze made it difficult to read his expression.

“I’ll take care of it. Honestly, I’d like to clean up the mess, but for now, I’ll just make sure he can’t leave the hospital for a while.”

Even as Goyo’s thoughts wandered, Jae-heon’s temptation never stopped. The sweetness that could bind her soul made it impossible to focus.

“You don’t need to worry about anything. Just relax and take it easy.”

Through the hazy view, the glowing ember of the cigarette was the only thing clear. Every deep inhale made it burn brighter.

“Is this how you usually are?”

“What do you mean?”

Jae-heon clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding audibly as he took another drag of his cigarette. His temper was evident, but there was something different about him from Lee Yoon-gun. Though his words could be just as harsh and his brow furrowed with irritation, there was a layer of concern in his tone—something that Goyo could feel beneath the surface.

Despite knowing better, her heart softened with the odd gentleness he seemed to offer, even when wrapped in aggression.

“You’re being kind to me.”

Goyo’s gaze drifted upwards, following the trail of smoke as it curled in the air. She spoke softly, almost to herself, wondering if the kindness was genuine or just another manipulation.

“Do you treat all the women you’ve been with like this?”

As the fear that had gripped her began to loosen, the smoke parted, and Jae-heon’s face became clearer before her eyes.

“Is this kindness? You’ve had a rough life, haven’t you?”

Jae-heon was taken aback. He had acted cruelly, and now she was thanking him for it? The unexpected response irritated him, causing him to snap in frustration.

“There’s no kindness without a reason.”

Her crystal-clear gaze pierced through the smoke, locking onto him. Those eyes of hers were piercing, sharp.

‘Damn those eyes.’

No wonder Park Jeong-hoon had fallen for her at first sight, and no wonder Lee Yoon-gun couldn’t let go. It was those eyes—the way they almost seemed to beckon while staying distant, as though offering something but withholding it at the same time. Her gaze, with its almost foreign lightness, drove people to madness.

“Cut ties with them.”

“Excuse me?”

“You obviously let those guys walk all over you. I can’t let that happen.”

She fell silent, her mind racing with a bitter realization. Jae-heon’s words carried weight, but there was no responsibility attached to his actions. He had slept with countless women, and yet he expected something different from her.

Hadn’t Jae-heon recently thrown away actress Ji Seo-hyun, who was once his? Was she also just another casualty of his cruel treatment?

Jae-heon’s words stung more than Goyo expected, drawing a sharp, painful realization. She wasn’t seen as a person, but as something to be owned, controlled, or discarded, like a product at an auction where the highest bidder wins.

The metaphor felt sickening to Goyo, and it was hard to shake off the weight of it.

“I’ve got a new possesion, so it’s my responsibility to care for it.”

“I’m not an object, Director.”