Yeo Reum’s brows furrowed.

Song Jeong Mi spoke, forcefully crossing her fleshy legs.

“First, take away her phone.”

At those words, a man approached and searched Yeo Reum’s pants pockets, taking her phone.

Only then did the four women smile widely, seemingly relieved.

Song Jeong Mi spoke with an even more relaxed attitude.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but elder brother has gone on a business trip to Singapore for a week. My husband went with him. The employees were given a big vacation tomorrow for the weekend. So look forward to today. We’ll properly fix that bad attitude of yours.”

The three women sitting on the shabby sofa cackled, mocking Yeo Reum.

Kang Ha Eun stepped forward.

“Hey, what are you doing? You should quickly get on your knees and beg us to save your life.”

“Why should I?”

“What do you mean why? You’re like a mouse in a trap now. So while I’m still being nice, hurry up and get on your knees and beg us to save you. Then I’ll at least tell them to beat you gently. If not, you’ll get a proper education from those men over there.”

The men thumped their baseball bats on the floor.

That threatening sound made Yeo Reum’s heart race.

‘…No. Don’t be afraid. Yeo Reum, get a hold of yourself.’

Yeo Reum encouraged herself as she felt intimidated by the brutal atmosphere.

‘They say even if you enter a tiger’s lair, you can survive if you keep your wits about you. And I’m friends with tigers, aren’t I? Yeo Reum, you can’t be cowed!’

After taking a short breath, Yeo Reum spoke with a relaxed smile instead.

“Is this the best you three could come up with? It’s really pathetic.”

“What?”

“Do you think you’ll be safe if something happens to me?”

Song Jeong Mi chuckled and said:

“Don’t worry about that. We have it all planned out.”

“A plan?”

“Yes, these gentlemen kidnapped and confined you to extort money, but accidentally let you go. Then, stricken with guilt, they eventually turned themselves in. Pretty good, right?”

“You put some thought into it, I see?”

Kang Ha Eun suddenly stood up from the sofa and approached with a triumphant expression.

“So you should behave. How dare you hold your head up high like that?”

“You’re such a blockhead.”

“What?”

“One way or another, I’m going to die, so if you were me, would you want to kneel?”

“You, do you never back down even a single word?”

Kang Ha Eun’s hand rose threateningly as she came closer.

But Yeo Reum grabbed that hand and twisted it in an instant.

“Aagh!”

Kang Ha Eun screamed in pain, not knowing what to do.

Yeo Reum pushed Kang Ha Eun towards the sofa.

Song Jeong Mi, enraged, jumped up and shouted:

“This [expletive] really! What are you all standing around for? Finish her off right now! Now!”

The men approached Yeo Reum, dragging their baseball bats on the cement floor.

“Just a moment, sirs.”

Yeo Reum raised one hand.

Then she spoke to the man who seemed to be the leader, standing at the front of the group.

“Sir, how much did you get paid for this?”

“What?”

“How much did that lady pay you to get rid of me?”

The tall, muscular man sneered and said:

“Why, are you going to pay more?”

“No. I don’t have that kind of money right now.”

“Then?”

“I’m just curious how much those ladies think I’m worth. So tell me. Even if I die, let me at least know that much.”

The man stared at Yeo Reum intently and said:

“We got 300 million to crush you.”

“Ah, I’m really pissed off!”

“What?”

“Hey, grandma. Is my body worth only 300 million? Even 3 trillion wouldn’t be enough!”

“What nonsense is she spouting now? And what are you all standing around for? I told you to take care of her right now!”

Song Jeong Mi pointed at Yeo Reum and gestured wildly.

Yeo Reum raised one hand again in a stop signal to the approaching men.

“Sir, you do know I’m the heiress to the PR Group, right?”

He answered:

“I know.”

“You also know you’ll go to prison if I die, right?”

“We’re prepared for that. A few of my brothers have agreed to take the fall.”

He thumped his baseball bat on the floor threateningly.

“How many of your brothers agreed to go?”

“Five.”

“That many?”

“We need that many to overwhelm with numbers. But even so, they’ll be out soon. The laws in Korea are weak. And that madam over there said she’d take care of us for sure.”

Song Jeong Mi nodded as if it were obvious.

“You believe that?”

“What?”

“From someone whose eyes are bloodshot with the desire to kill even her own granddaughter?”

“You’re not that madam’s real granddaughter, are you?”

“That’s true, but.”

He smirked at Yeo Reum’s quick agreement.

“Hey, don’t try to be clever. No matter what, you’re going to die by our hands today.”

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?”

“You must not know, but we’re the Cheongnyangni Polar Bear Gang. We never let go of what we’ve caught.”

The men standing nearby snickered.

“Actually, I wasn’t going to say this, but you guys are working way too cheap.”

“What did you say?”

“The assets I’ll inherit later are at least in the trillions. Do you really want to accept just 300 million? To put it bluntly, you guys will go to prison for murder, while those ladies will receive that enormous fortune without lifting a finger. You think that’s all? If you kill me, not just five, but all of you will go to prison, and you’ll never get out of that prison.”

He said incredulously:

“What is this young lady saying now?”

“Ah, this is so frustrating.”

“What?”

Yeo Reum moved right up close to him and said:

“You’ve gotten involved in a power struggle in a chaebol family. Do you think those ladies will let you live when you know their dirty secrets? They’ll probably send you straight to prison after you deal with me, and then try to silence you all there?”

Yeo Reum’s words caused a stir among them.

“Hey, are you writing a novel now? And what are you all standing around for? I said take care of her right now!”

Song Jeong Mi and Kang Ha Eun shouted angrily.

Yeo Reum looked straight at him and said:

“I understand you guys.”

“Understand what?”

“Unlike those greedy ladies who want to take my fortune even though they’re already living comfortably, I understand you’re doing this to make a living. So even if I die and become a ghost, I won’t resent you guys. And I’ll turn your 300 million into 900 million for you poor guys. I’ll also teach you how to survive for sure.”

He stared at Yeo Reum and said:

“You’re really a funny kid.”

“Sir, tell those ladies to send 300 million each right now.”

Yeo Reum pointed at Kang Ha Eun and Sophia.

When he looked at her as if asking what she meant, Yeo Reum pointed at Song Jeong Mi and said:

“I bet that lady didn’t send money to her own account. She’s planning to play dumb later if anything happens.”

He looked at Song Jeong Mi.

“So you should get some solid insurance too.”

“Insurance?”

“Yes. Tell that lady’s daughter and daughter-in-law to send 300 million each. That’s the only way to ensure those ladies won’t change their story later. And that’s the only way to guarantee your lives for sure.”

He stared intently at Yeo Reum, then soon spoke to Kang Ha Eun and Sophia.

“You ladies over there, send me 300 million each right now.”

Song Jeong Mi shouted angrily:

“What nonsense are you talking about? I already gave you money!”

“Now that I think about it, our pay is definitely too low. And you ladies might stab us in the back later. So send 300 million each right now. If not, we’re just going to leave.”

“How can you do this!”

“Shut up. Hurry up and decide whether to send it or not.”

As they all stared with their arms crossed, the three women were flustered.

But things had already gone too far, and they couldn’t stop here.

In the end, Kang Ha Eun and Sophia each transferred 300 million to him.

He looked down at the amount on his phone and smirked.

“Now that you’ve sent the money, take care of her right away!”

The three women shouted simultaneously.

He put his phone in his pants pocket and said:

“Thanks to you, miss, we made some money. I’m grateful. But you know, we’re people who keep our word. I’ll make it as painless as possible and finish you in one go.”

He threw away the baseball bat and started rolling up his sleeves instead.

“Wait a moment.”

“What now?”

Yeo Reum gestured for him to stop rolling up his sleeves.

“Ah, hurry up. I’m not someone who makes you guys lose out, right?”

They all looked dumbfounded.

In a way, it was a critical moment.

Yet this young woman didn’t even blink and said everything she wanted to say.

He stopped rolling up his sleeves and asked:

“What else? What do you want to say?”

To be honest, she had just made them 600 million in the blink of an eye and gotten them solid collateral.

And above all, he was curious what this gutsy young woman had to say.

Yeo Reum spoke towards the three women:

“Tell these men to quietly leave now, while you still can.”

“What?”

“Then I’ll cover up everything you’ve done to me so far.”

“What nonsense is she talking again? Why, are you finally scared now that you think you’re going to die? I guess you would be.”

The three women were even more arrogant instead.

“I feel sorry for you. And this is the last chance I’m giving you.”

“Hey, stop talking nonsense.”

“I warned you clearly. It’s your fault for missing the opportunity.”

Kang Ha Eun sneered:

“Hey, is that your last wish?”

“Not a last wish, a warning. Have you never once thought about why I act so boldly since coming to Blue House?”

“What?”

“It’s because I have something to rely on. I have an incredibly terrifying backer behind me.”

The three women laughed incredulously.

Kang Ha Eun went further:

“Hey, you who only ever thought about teaching, you have a backer?”

“Of course. That person would probably kill everyone here if something happened to me.”

“Crazy.”

“It’s true. If you touch me, not just you Kang Ha Eun, but I’m sorry, all you men will die too.”

The burly men snickered with incredulous expressions.

Except for the man called the leader.

“I’m serious. It’s actually time for me to call my elder brother. But I’m not doing it, right? If I don’t, my elder brother will immediately report to the police and track you guys down to the ends of the earth.”

Kang Ha Eun, her brow furrowed, asked:

“Did you just say elder brother?”

“Yeah. My terrifying elder brother who dotes on me.”

“Is that elder brother CEO Kim Jung Rok by any chance?”

“Maybe.”

Enraged by the ambiguous answer, Kang Ha Eun shouted:

“Is it or not?”

“Maybe.”

“Miss, don’t fall for it. It’s all Jung Yeo Reum’s trick.”

It was Sophia.

She glared at Yeo Reum and said:

“You’re trying to provoke our young lady into making a call, right? So you can report to the police? You think I don’t know what you’re up to?”

Yeo Reum spoke to the man standing in front of her:

“Sir, why don’t you check it out later so you don’t regret it? Who’s behind me? I’m really saying this for your sake.”

He stared intently at Yeo Reum.

A gaze clearly filled with killing intent.

But Yeo Reum didn’t avoid it.

Soon he said:

“Call that elder brother.”

“What are you saying now! What if she reports to the police!”

The three women buzzed angrily like a swarm of bees.

“Hey, ladies. I’ll make that judgment myself.”

“What?”

He said to Yeo Reum:

“But if you try anything funny, I won’t kill you nicely.”

“You’re wise, sir. Good decision.”

At his gesture, the confiscated phone came forward again.

Holding out the phone to Yeo Reum, he said:

“Put it on speakerphone. Let’s hear the voice of this great elder brother of yours.”

“Sure, why not.”

Yeo Reum pressed speed dial number 1.

‘Call if there’s an emergency. Only when it’s really urgent.’

She had talked big, but honestly, she wasn’t sure if he would answer.

And even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have any good solution to this situation.

But this was the only option now.

And if it unavoidably became the last time, she wanted to hear his voice.

The phone rang several times, but San Ha didn’t answer.

The corners of the three women’s lips curled up sharply, and Yeo Reum’s heart started racing urgently.

Just then, there was a sign of movement.

Yeo Reum quickly said:

“Elder brother, it’s me.”

Soon, a deep, low voice flowed through the speakerphone.

―I know. My cutie, my princess.

For a moment, Yeo Reum’s face turned red, forgetting even the dangerous situation she was in.