Adjusting the Gangster Male Lead’s Intensity [Novel] Chapter 8

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 8

Chapter Title: No Beatings, No Killings

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Seo I-heum responded to Yi-hae Baek's dissatisfied behavior with a sigh-tinged voice.

"I won't hit you or kill you."

"Really? Swear on your life?"

"As long as the scope of strange behavior doesn't harm my people."

My people probably meant Do-gyeom Seo and Yeol Seo.

Do-gyeom showed no particular reaction, but Yeol's face lit up as if he was thinking the same thing.

It seemed touching to hear even this much affection from a father who never expressed any. Poor kid.

'My people.'

The fact that Yi-hae wasn't inside those boundaries was so obvious that it left a faintly bitter taste.

"Okay, it's a promise. If you break it, give me 100 million."

Seo I-heum's face remained calm, as if he thought it was no big deal.

"And cancel the engagement with Do-gyeom."

This time, his brow furrowed ever so slightly. The engagement cancellation bothered him more than the 100 million!

'What an infuriating father and son.'

Yi-hae seriously contemplated just taking a hit and pocketing the 100 million.

"Do as you please."

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Yi-hae flashed a satisfied smile. Seo I-heum turned his gaze back to his documents, unaware.

He had no idea how much stress his casual permission would bring him later.

Three days.

Merely three days had passed.

"...Are you alright?"

A bear of a man asked Seo I-heum cautiously.

Dark circles hung under Seo I-heum's eyes as he scowled at the documents on the table.

Even so, his handsome features gave off a dangerously alluring vibe.

"You think you'd be fine?"

"No, sir. I'll correct it."

"Correct my ass. Damn it."

Seo I-heum irritably tossed his ballpoint pen and put a cigarette in his mouth. Someone immediately lit it for him.

Gray smoke trailed out long, mirroring the stuffiness of his heart.

"I never knew I'd have to watch my words so carefully. She's giving me all sorts of new experiences."

"I never imagined she'd pull a prank like slapping you on the back of the head and running off."

They knew she wasn't an ordinary girl, but no one could have pictured her pulling an elementary schooler's prank—on Seo I-heum, no less.

On the first day, they had let her approach thinking she was just greeting him. Then she suddenly hopped up and smacked the back of his head.

Not only did Seo I-heum freeze in shock, but O Seo-bang—the bearish man beside him—nearly foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

'How can she brazenly smile it off as a 'mistake' after sensing the boss's intimidating aura?'

O Seo-bang didn't know the details of her relationship with Seo I-heum, but he was wary of Yi-hae Baek.

Despite her young age, she showed no fear, and her inscrutable actions were anything but ordinary.

'No way she's a spy, right?'

They had recently acquired intel about a spy and were quietly investigating.

He knew it was unlikely, but O Seo-bang's gaze toward Yi-hae brimmed with suspicion.

After that first day, whenever Yi-hae saw Seo I-heum, she'd slap his back from behind or poke his side—more strange behavior.

'At least she kept up appearances in front of the young masters and didn't hit him.'

Instead, she'd suddenly wrap him in a back hug from behind, freezing even Do-gyeom in a bizarre scene.

She was remarkable in every way. She seemed oblivious to the rumors circulating among the organization members.

"But thanks to her, you're reacting more sensitively to presences behind you than before!"

O Seo-bang plastered on a fawning smile, trying to lift his mood. Their eyes met.

The air around him was even worse than usual—chillingly so.

"Wipe that smile off. Before I rip your mouth open."

"Yes, sir."

O Seo-bang, who had nearly wet himself from reliving old traumas at his age, let out a secret sigh of relief.

'That girl's something else.'

How could she pull pranks on someone as terrifying as Seo I-heum? It was downright admirable.

With a jerk of his chin telling him to leave, O Seo-bang quietly stepped out and shut the door.

"Whew."

As he exhaled the breath he'd been holding, a woman waiting outside chuckled softly.

"The boss must be in a really bad mood."

The slender woman, whose limbs suggested she never exercised, possessed an innocent beauty.

It was I-ryeong Cha, who handled all their external business.

"Yeah, scary as hell."

She whispered unusually softly for her build, worried the sound might carry inside. Her giggling seemed so pure.

'Ah, this is healing.'

She was quietly popular among the members. Abandoned by her parents and drifting on the streets, Seo I-heum had taken her in, forging her ties to the organization.

He had watched over her since she was young, and she diligently honed her skills to repay his grace.

As they moved to another spot, O Seo-bang asked,

"No new intel yet?"

"No. She's more meticulous than I thought—hard to get a tail on her. Anyway, she seems like a spy planted by enemy forces, so I'm background-checking people who've joined in the last few years."

I-ryeong Cha had been the first to notice the spy and tip them off.

'We'd have been screwed if she hadn't. Need to find them quick and strike back. The boss acts like it doesn't faze him, but he's clearly worried about the young masters getting hurt.'

O Seo-bang vowed to handle it well so as not to irk Seo I-heum.

At the same time, he relied on the one person he could trust: I-ryeong Cha.

"Thanks. Keep telling me anything that comes up, no matter how small."

"Of course. Your safety comes first, after all."

Her clear smile made her look utterly innocent.

'Ah, this could become addictive.'

Yi-hae Baek grinned, oblivious to the evaluations circulating about her among the organization members over the past three days.

Especially yesterday at the restaurant—those back-hug muscles were killer. She chuckled. Seo I-heum's rigidly frozen reaction had been cute, too.

"It's supposed to raise the uncle's vigilance, but it's turning into more for fun."

She hummed as she opened the door. Lately, she'd been leaving her room a bit earlier to avoid Do-gyeom coming to pick her up.

"What vigilance are you referring to?"

She startled at the absentminded mutter. Someone standing right by the door had overheard and asked back.

'No presence at all! She won't think it's weird, will she?'

Yi-hae turned her tense face and gaped blankly at the stunning beauty she met eyes with.

A clean, innocent beauty rare in a yakuza household.

"Wh-who are you? First time seeing you, and you're gorgeous!"

"Thank you, miss. I'm I-ryeong Cha, assisting the boss. Nice to meet you."

I-ryeong. Even her name was pretty!

Yi-hae grinned broadly and bowed back. It was right then.

'Huh, what's this? My scalp's prickling like crazy.'

As if someone was glaring daggers at her.

She quickly looked up, but there was only I-ryeong Cha, smiling innocently.

A hallucination?

"Since we'll be seeing each other often, I took the liberty of coming to greet you personally. Please call on me anytime you need anything, even if it's something small."

"Oh, no discourtesy at all."

"I'm glad to hear that. With so many men around here, things might get uncomfortable. If you rely on me, I'll be thrilled."

Pretty face and a kind heart too!

Yi-hae nodded eagerly. She was about to ask if they could be friends even without needing help when—

'A threat to my life?'

Yi-hae glanced around. No sign of Do-gyeom or anyone else.

The hallway held only her and I-ryeong Cha.

'Found you, spy! But why target me right from the first meeting, you freak?!'

And not even in the dead of night—this was broad morning daylight, making her feel a mortal threat!

Yi-hae's heart pounded so wildly she felt like juggling it.