Chapter 8.2

Chapter 8.2

Jae-heon was no different from any other man. He couldn’t resist something beautiful, even if it were a poisoned apple.

From the moment he entered the event, she was the first to catch his eye. Lee Yi-taek had brought her here, dressed to the nines, even though she was already beautiful with a bare face.

Her attire was too flashy for a charity event. If any other woman had shown up dressed like that, she would have been criticized as vulgar. But with her striking features and fair skin, the extravagant clothes suited her well.

The men at the event subtly glanced at her, unconsciously swallowing their saliva.

Whether she knew this or not, she simply stood by Lee Yi-taek’s side with a blank expression.

‘Did he raise her to use her like this?’

Long ago, Lee Yi-taek’s son had been kidnapped. Lee Goyo was known to have been rescued as a fellow kidnapping victim during that incident.

‘The commotion wasn’t so much about the incident itself but about everything else surrounding it.’

During the process of rescuing Lee Yoon-gun, the kidnapper died from excessive bleeding, leading to accusations of police overreach. The police insisted there was no misconduct during the rescue, but public opinion criticized them for covering up the truth to protect their own.

Whether it was luck or intentional, a single photo leaked to the media, and public sentiment reversed.

In the photo, a skinny and small girl with large eyes was staring at the camera. Standing alone in the chaotic scene, she looked as if she belonged to another world. Her tiny face, with its well-defined features, resembled a meticulously crafted doll more than a human being.

The girl in the photo was pretty.

Seeing such a beautiful child had endured such a horrible ordeal, the public was moved to pity by her ragged and dirty clothes. They directed their anger at the kidnapper, who had already died during the rescue. As the media focused solely on the rescued girl, the issue of police overreach was never properly investigated.

With public interest centered on the girl, the cunning Lee Yi-taek seized the opportunity. He declared that because he had failed to protect her, he would take full responsibility for her, support her for life, and raise her as his own child.

‘He must have been using the media to pave his way into politics.’

As time passed, the incident itself was forgotten. However, Lee Yi-taek was remembered as a benevolent prosecutor who took full responsibility for an innocent victim. He had effortlessly etched his name into the public’s memory.

“You will do it, right?”

Jae-heon urged Goyo, who was staring at him with a blank expression, to answer.

His repeated question left Goyo at a loss. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall what she had supposedly promised.

“…I…”

Goyo glanced at Jae-heon, trying to speak but then closing her mouth.

She felt the weight of Park Jung-hoon’s intense gaze on her, making it difficult to ask about what happened in Cheondo.

“Did Kwon Jae-heon catch you in a bind? Just tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

Park Jung-hoon finally stepped in, trying to play the hero.

Goyo was so attractive that it seemed natural for the seasoned Park Jung-hoon to disregard the stares of others and boldly approach her.

Another petty rumor about Goyo was that she had turned her life around solely because of her pretty face.

Changing one’s life just with looks, despite not being a celebrity, was something Kwon Jae-heon had scoffed at when he first heard it. However, the moment he saw her, he thought it might actually be possible.

“It’s not like that.”

Goyo found herself caught between the two men, unable to make a move. She had been willing to do anything to create a connection with Kwon Jae-heon, but she had never expected it to happen in this way.

‘How far will the rumors spread?’

Caught between a recently divorced man who had been Lee Yi-taek’s nephew-in-law and a man accompanied by the most beautiful woman in South Korea, she wondered how far the rumors would go. At this rate, people might start calling her the greatest gold digger or a witch.

Even without this, Goyo’s recent image was already quite controversial. As she had come of age, Lee Yi-taek had begun to take her to various gatherings and events, prompting whispers that she wasn’t his daughter but rather a trophy wife.

Not knowing that what Lee Yi-taek harbored for her was not lust but greed, people disparaged Goyo with filthy and disgusting words.

“Jae-heon.”

Ji Seo-hyun, who was standing behind Jae-heon, called him anxiously.

“Do we have to wait any longer?”

Ignoring the voice from behind, Jae-heon stared intently at Goyo, his expression indicating he wouldn’t let her off easily unless she answered his question properly.

Finally, Goyo responded.

“Yes.”

“Good. Let’s go straight to the room.”

Ji Seo-hyun, Park Jung-hoon, and the others around them were shocked.

“A room?”

A breath of astonishment escaped Goyo’s lips.

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