Adjusting the Gangster Male Lead’s Intensity [Novel] Chapter 22

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 22

Chapter Title: A Family at Last

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[Player: You have a pretty shameless side to you.]

Yi-hae Baek silently extended her hand again. It was a gesture telling it to stop wasting time with nonsense and just hand over the reward.

As if understanding, the Status Window fell silent for a moment before a new reward notification appeared.

Yi-hae Baek's eyes grew ice-cold. They were choices so pathetic they barely qualified as rewards.

Especially everything except option 1—they were practically penalties.

"Hey."

"Do you have Taunting as a passive skill? You're seriously raising my blood pressure. You call this a reward?"

There was no reply. Instead, a Status Window urging her to choose popped up.

"Stamina! Option 1, Stamina—it's the only choice! Argh, I can't even punch this thing!"

Yi-hae Baek could easily express her current feelings in modern slang.

'This is so infuriating.'

She wasn't sure if it was current slang anymore, but it basically meant she wanted to fold its nonexistent spine in the opposite direction.

"Ah, one more condition. No reading my mind either."

"Answer quick...!"

Her vision was blurring. She instinctively sensed it was trying to send her back to reality.

"Hey, answer me before you send me back!"

Her voice echoed like a reverberation, but no reply came.

Her light brown curly hair swirled like waves, and her memories faded to black.

She came to right after.

Opening her eyes, she blinked at the familiar ceiling of her room before clutching her head from the splitting headache.

"Ugh!"

Someone seemed to be urgently calling her name, but she didn't have the mental capacity to figure out who.

'That damn Status Window. If it hadn't messed with my memories, I wouldn't be going through this. I just ended up being a burden to Uncle and the kids for no reason...'

Yi-hae Baek feared that in the process of rescuing her, the Seo family might have suffered some loss—and if so, whether they resented her for it.

If she'd had her memories intact, she wouldn't have approached Yeong Baek or gotten kidnapped so pointlessly.

And there was that main quest to uncover Yeong Baek's true identity that had progressed without her realizing.

'What the hell is his identity that it has to meddle with my mind like this?'

As Yi-hae Baek's face grew increasingly pale, someone pulled her into an embrace.

A warm heat enveloped her without warning.

"Yi-hae Baek, calm down! You're safe here, so don't be scared and just breathe."

Calm down? What did that even mean?

Yi-hae Baek finally realized the owner of the voice pulling her back to reality was Do-gyeom Seo.

Her eyes turned to him. Not just Do-gyeom, but I-heum Seo and Yeol Seo were also gathered around her bed.

'When did they get here?'

As she slowly took in the people around her, Yi-hae Baek's tension unknowingly eased.

She hadn't even realized her body had been rigid with tension. The three watching her noticed first.

Do-gyeom Seo slowly patted the back of the now-calmer Yi-hae Baek.

"...Why is everyone here? The fight? No one got hurt, right?"

Her face looking up at Do-gyeom Seo was filled with worry.

Do-gyeom Seo silently gazed at her as she wriggled in his arms, peering up at him.

Instead of the silent Do-gyeom Seo, it was Yeol Seo who answered.

"Don't worry. Yakuza these days don't fight that recklessly anyway. It's just a loss of manpower for both sides, and they were putting on a show from the start."

"A show?"

"A threat that they'd hurt you if we didn't give them what they wanted."

It was an odd statement.

Yi-hae Baek blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend, and Yeol Seo tilted his head, wondering if his explanation was lacking.

Yi-hae Baek cautiously spoke up to them.

"I don't get it. I'm not family, so threatening me wouldn't work on anyone."

That's why she hadn't even thought of escaping alone.

She was grateful that I-heum Seo had come to save her, but I-ryeong Cha or Yeong Baek must have misunderstood something.

At her words, Yeol Seo turned serious.

"Sis, what are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

"If you weren't precious to us, we wouldn't have taken turns guarding your bedside while you were out for days."

Days?

Yi-hae Baek's mouth fell open dumbly at Yeol Seo's words.

Days had passed while she conversed with the Status Window? To her, it had felt like mere seconds, less than an hour.

"Yeah, I-ryeong Cha's always been quick on the uptake with a sharp mind."

I-heum Seo sighed as he crossed his legs, adding why he kept her around.

"So she must have figured out to some extent that you're one of mine."

One of mine.

Yi-hae Baek was aware that I-heum Seo treated her well. She knew things had changed from the beginning.

But she'd thought it was just because she'd helped a little during I-ryeong Cha's attack and they'd spent time together, getting used to each other.

"No, what do you...?"

Listening to Yeol Seo and I-heum Seo, it felt like she was some special existence.

Like she was someone deeply cherished and loved.

"It means we're pretty scared of you getting in danger. That's a big deal for us."

Do-gyeom Seo added flatly. Yi-hae Baek's eyes shook as they met his dark ones.

It seemed like she only cried tears in front of them every time.

She could see the three men flustered by her silent crying, but she couldn't stop the tears.

'Family affection.'

Unlike her tears so far, these were ones of joy and gratitude at being accepted as family.

In the past, she'd been an orphan abandoned by her parents. She hadn't even seen their faces, and in this world, she'd lost her parents right upon arrival.

Did she dare deserve to have something she'd never had before—family?

With a trembling voice, Yi-hae Baek asked,

"So... does that mean I'm family to Uncle? That's why you're worried about me getting hurt?"

I-heum Seo poured water from the pitcher nearby into a cup and handed it to her. Despite her sudden question, he replied calmly.

"Yes. You're family under my protection. I won't let anyone make you sad from now on."

Yi-hae Baek pressed her lips together and nodded. Worried by her silent crying, Yeol Seo asked,

"Why do you keep crying? Huh? Your eyes are gonna swell up."

Yeol Seo cautiously reached out and rubbed her under-eye area. His touch was soft, like a child's skin.

His clumsy affection only made more tears flow. Smiling faintly, Yi-hae Baek replied,

"Because I'm happy. I finally have a family. I'm not alone anymore."

"......"

Silence fell at Yi-hae Baek's answer. She didn't know it, but her shoulders trembling as she stifled sobs was heartbreaking.

She must have been hiding her sadness behind a bright facade all this time. Her hardships, her loneliness. Without leaning on anyone.

"Yeah, Yi-hae Baek. You're not alone anymore. You never will be again."

Finally, Do-gyeom Seo stroked her head to soothe her. To ensure she felt no more anxiety, all three watched over Yi-hae Baek.

Most wore blank expressions, but now she could read the worry and fluster hidden within.

"Yeah, thank you."

So Yi-hae Baek smiled brightly. Brighter than ever before.