A Bad, Bad Act (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15

Could it be because of the tie color?

For a moment, she thought she saw a faint green shimmer in his black eyes.

Cold and sharp.

Yet endlessly languid, as if the very air around him were melting.

Just with a single glance, he could crush his opponent—Cha Do Ha was a far more intimidating presence than she’d imagined.

“So what I meant was…”

Desperate to escape the suffocating pressure, Yeo Eun hurriedly continued.

But once again, her words caught in her throat.

Because Cha Do Ha had just thrown out a completely unexpected question.

“Why didn’t you answer my call?”

“Huh?”

Surprised, Yeo Eun’s eyes widened.

“You didn’t pick up. My call.”

Did he call her? Cha Do Ha?

She couldn’t recall receiving any such call.

“When… did you call?”

“Yesterday. Right after I arrived in Korea.”

Ah.

Last night—she’d ignored a call, assuming it was Son Gyu Won.

She’d even blocked it decisively, so of course it never went through.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was you, Director.”

She should’ve at least bowed her head, but her gaze remained locked onto his dark eyes.

Those mysterious eyes, tinged faintly green, seemed ready to swallow her whole.

Slowly stepping closer, Cha Do Ha let his icy voice drift toward her.

“If you came here despite missing my call, I suppose you’ve been communicating just fine with Cha Hyun, the director.”

The last day of September.

Though it wasn’t yet cold enough to feel the chill, his voice sent another shiver through her.

“At this point, don’t you think it’s time for you to make a choice, Ms. Seo Yeo Eun?”

“…?”

“Depending on your answer, I’ll decide whether or not to swing the axe for the fifth time.”

His gaze shifted abruptly after tossing out that cryptic remark.

“Who will you make the contract with?”

The razor-sharp menace vanished, replaced instead by arrogant confidence.

“Cha Hyun? Or me?”

Though Yeo Eun often felt like a fool whenever standing before Cha Do Ha, she wasn’t so dumb that she couldn’t grasp his meaning now.

“I received the deposit from Director Cha Hyun.”

“So you intend to keep serving Cha Hyun?”

Cha Do Ha was offering her another choice.

“After daring to use me as a mere pawn on your chessboard?”

He leaned in until he was nearly touching her, tilting his head slightly as he looked down at her with overwhelming dominance.

“You’d even carry out Cha Hyun’s orders if they went directly against my wishes?”

“…”

“Don’t you think that’s laughable?”

“Yes, it is laughable.”

Yeo Eun didn’t avert her eyes from Cha Do Ha’s as she clenched her trembling fingertips and continued.

“But the reason I agreed to this ridiculous contract…”

Though she couldn’t hide the quiver in her voice.

“…was because I had no other option.”

There was no way to quietly send Cha Do Ha off to the blind date venue.

None whatsoever.

“There are far more complicated interests tangled up here than you realize, Director.”

She had no way of gaining the upper hand against him.

It came down to just two choices: accept the option he offered, or give up entirely.

“Far more complicated interests tangled up…?”

Cha Do Ha slowly repeated her words, then let out a soft, mocking laugh.

“Sounds like you’re being blackmailed.”

She didn’t answer.

But Cha Do Ha already seemed to know the truth.

His deep, dark eyes gleamed sharply as he gave a cold, knowing smirk.

“Do you think there’s something my aunt can do that I can’t?”

In the end, Cha Do Ha layered another threat atop Cha Hyun’s.

“If anything, I’d go even further—not hold back. Playing with someone’s weaknesses, you know?”

It was a truly cruel moment, yet his expression was so mesmerizingly captivating it left her hollow.

Maybe Cha Do Ha really was a demon.

A demon sent to upend her entire life.

Lowering her head, Yeo Eun let out a quiet sigh.

Then she lifted her gaze once more to meet Cha Do Ha’s eyes.

“What do you want?”

Her voice no longer trembled.

Quick to judge, quick to surrender.

She was perceptive, and she knew her limits well.

That was precisely why Cha Hyun had said she liked her.

Because life was messy. Because she had too much to protect.

Because she carried just enough weakness to keep from being bewitched by Cha Do Ha, no matter how captivating he was.

But she had no intention of groveling either.

Lifting her chin high, Yeo Eun met his gaze with eyes of matching intensity and continued.

“All I need is for you to attend today’s blind date willingly, Director. Then I… can at least protect one person of mine.”

At the very least, she could stop the first promissory note demanding payment upon her return to Persona.

That way, Ji Soo would be safe.

She’d figure out what to do about her mother later.

“So tell me what you want.”

Yeo Eun clenched her molars and waited for Cha Do Ha’s reply.

Barely a handspan apart—

close enough to feel each other’s body heat—they stood facing one another.

Cha Do Ha loomed large, cold, and threatening.

Just minutes ago, her heart had raced at his gaze.

Now, she felt only fear.

Because he held the power over her life and death.

Cha Do Ha slowly tilted his head the other way.

“How about… we make a deal?”

His eyes glinted with a sharp, gleeful spark.

Though her heart went cold, Yeo Eun gave a composed retort without showing it.

“You must want that too, Director. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have called me.”

There was no other reason Cha Do Ha would ever bother calling her.

For an instant, the corners of his lips curved into a mesmerizing arc.

“They say you’re smart—and you’ve got style, too, Ms. Seo Yeo Eun.”

His smile, now free of its earlier sharpness, even felt refreshingly pleasant.

“Fine. Let’s make a deal.”

His sharp eyes carefully scanned Yeo Eun’s expression before he calmly added,

“I’ll go to the blind date willingly, so you’ll sit with me. That’s my only condition.”

* * *

Attending the blind date together.

It was an absurd demand—but she couldn’t refuse.

At five minutes to five,

Yeo Eun stepped into the restroom briefly and called Cha Hyun to give a quick update.

She expected her to blow up, but Cha Hyun’s reaction was completely different from what she’d anticipated.

[Do Ha isn’t easy to handle. He’s nothing like anyone you’ve dealt with so far. Unpredictable—and sometimes cruel. And he never, ever shows his true feelings to anyone.] [Is he really… like that?] [Just remember one thing: no matter the reason or situation, you must tame Cha Do Ha. So don’t hold back—use whatever means necessary. The blind date? Go ahead and accompany him. Just be smart about how you carry yourself.]

Those final words—“be smart about how you carry yourself”—still echoed in her ears.

As Yeo Eun followed Cha Do Ha into the VIP lounge at HJ Hotel, she realized something was wrong.

The entire VIP lounge was empty except for a single table.

And seated at that table was an elegantly dressed woman.

Jin Yu Hee—the daughter of Chairman Jin Man Jae of ST Group.

The only woman in the world who dared claim Cha Do Ha as hers.

Yeo Eun had planned to let Cha Do Ha go smoothly to that woman and quietly take a seat several tables away—but her plan had just fallen apart.

She never expected him to clear the entire lounge just for this blind date.

“Director?”

She called softly to Cha Do Ha, who was walking ahead. He turned to look back.

“I’ll wait by the entrance. Have a nice time, the two of you.”

For Yeo Eun, mindful of how she should “carry herself,” it was the best choice.

But Cha Do Ha clearly didn’t see it that way.

He raised one eyebrow sharply and slowly approached her.

“That wasn’t part of my condition.”

Then he gently took her hand.

Startled, Yeo Eun tried to pull away—but it was no use.

He tightened his grip and gave her a crooked smile.

“If you really want to protect your person, Ms. Seo Yeo Eun, you’ll come along quietly.”

Her mind went blank.

* * *

Yu Hee wasn’t in a good mood.

This mood had persisted for six straight months now.

The reason, if one had to name it, was that her marriage partner had been decided around that time.

Born as the eldest daughter of Jin Man Jae, chairman of ST Group—ranked tenth among Korea’s conglomerates—she’d always known her marriage would be arranged for strategic reasons.

That’s simply how things worked in their world.

Still, someone of her standing deserved Cha In Woo, heir to Hanju Group, as her match.

But Cha In Woo had gone and gotten engaged to Yoon So Ra of Raon Soft, leaving her out in the cold like yesterday’s news—a humiliating afterthought.

It was the first time in her life she’d ever felt such bitter defeat.

Once was more than enough; she never wanted to taste that humiliation again, so she’d been carefully considering her next match.

Yet apparently one defeat wasn’t sufficient—her father had now proposed Cha Do Ha, Cha In Woo’s cousin, as her new fiancé.

Cha Do Ha.

The only son of Cha Kang, second son of Hanju Group Chairman Cha Ji Seop.

After his father’s sudden death in an accident six years ago, he’d naturally faded from the succession picture—a nobody.

An outcast of the business world who’d been exiled to the U.S., never once appearing in high society.

People called him nothing but a pretty face with no substance—a gilded but hollow tangerine.

At least, that was true until six months ago.

Everything changed when he was summoned back by Chairman Cha Ji Seop and joined Hanju Group’s Strategic Planning Headquarters.

In just six short months, his business acumen proved astonishingly brilliant.

He pinpointed Hanju’s outdated elements with surgical precision, ruthlessly cutting them out and replacing them with new ones.

He made no distinction—whether people or projects, all were fair game.

His interview with the company newsletter, where he openly voiced these views, also resonated well among Hanju’s younger employees.

Her father, Chairman Jin Man Jae, seemed to hold him in high regard as well.

[Outdated and conservative Hanju Group will be completely reborn under Director Cha Do Ha’s fingertips. He’s a remarkable man—an enviable talent.]

That’s what her father had said after meeting Cha Do Ha at a business federation seminar.

[And his looks—why are they so perfect? The Cha family might be blessed with good looks, but his mother’s side must’ve contributed heavily too. He’s truly outstanding. You’ll be stunned when you see him yourself. He’s incomparable to CEO Cha In Woo.]

She wasn’t marrying his face, and for the first time, she found herself displeased with her father—praising a man rumored to be a reckless playboy as the top bachelor.

Then she saw Cha Do Ha’s face on the news.

If even Cha In Woo—the “prince of high society”—was said to be incomparable, Cha Do Ha truly was breathtakingly beautiful, impossible to look away from.

Perhaps that’s why her interest was piqued.

She’d watched him closely for about two months.

They say a handsome face brings fortune—and Cha Do Ha proved that old saying true.

He was spotted partying wildly with his known close friend Kwon Yi Han, youngest heir of LI Group, and had even been caught in a scandal with actress Kim Hae Ri.

In the end, it really was birds of a feather.

But now, a marriage proposal with such a man would diminish her own value—and as if that weren’t enough, Cha Do Ha had shown up at the blind date… with a woman.

With—a—woman.

Yu Hee’s gaze fixed on the woman standing beside Cha Do Ha.