The Heiress in Blue (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Five minutes ago.
“Team Leader Ko flatters the team leader because she doesn’t understand Jeong Yeoreum’s personality. She said, ‘How can you let things get this out of hand just because you couldn’t manipulate some naive country girl who doesn’t know how the world works? Let her experience it herself—I’ve never seen anyone with a personality like that before. She’s pure fire!’”
Team Leader Yang’s car passed through the main gate of Blue House.
Streetlights illuminated the wide, tranquil garden.
“Ah, the more I think about it, the angrier I get.”
Attorney Jo, seated in the passenger seat, exploded again.
“Calm down. Hasn’t Team Leader Ko acted like this plenty of times before?”
“That’s exactly why it’s so infuriating! She’s far junior to the team leader in seniority, yet she acts like they’re equals and constantly flatters her. She probably thinks she’ll become Legal Affairs Director just because she’s following Kang In Pyo around. Lately, she’s been walking around joking to employees, ‘You know, I’ll fire you myself!’”
“If Team Leader Ko becomes Legal Affairs Director, I’ll be the first one she fires, won’t I?”
“Probably! Remember last time? Team Leader Ko got demoted after the team leader exposed her attempt to take a bribe from a vendor and cover up the case.”
Seeing Attorney Jo’s worried face, Team Leader Yang said,
“If I do get fired, I’ll just use my severance pay to open a small office. No big deal.”
“You’ll invite me, right?”
“You should stay in PR.”
“Wow, that’s so unfair! Are you seriously dumping me? Aren’t we a team?”
“You need to get married, Jo. And a PR legal team attorney looks better for your future than some lawyer from an obscure firm, doesn’t it?”
“Looks be damned. All I’ve been doing is cleaning up the messes Kang Ha Eun makes.”
Attorney Jo grumbled and looked out the window.
Blue House’s main building was drawing near.
“…Hey, what’s that?”
Attorney Jo suddenly shouted.
Team Leader Yang followed where his finger pointed.
A white object was dangling precariously from a second-floor window.
“What on earth is that?”
Team Leader Yang narrowed his eyes, trying to focus.
“It looks like a person, doesn’t it? Right?”
Both attorneys were dumbfounded by the bizarre sight.
Meanwhile, the white figure continued moving cautiously—
Indeed, it was a person.
Judging by the long hair, it appeared to be a woman.
She reached out toward the balcony.
“Oh no!”
Attorney Jo cried out in alarm.
It seemed she intended to move onto the balcony.
Team Leader Yang pressed the accelerator, his mind racing.
He didn’t know what exactly was going on—but what if she fell?
A fatal fall inside Blue House!
The thought made his head spin.
Yet the woman in white stretched her hand once more toward the balcony and, with determination, pulled herself across.
She briefly stood on the balcony railing,
then turned around as if gauging the height.
Both attorneys shouted at once:
“Jeong Yeoreum!”
There was no doubt—it was Jeong Yeoreum gripping the iron railing of the second-floor balcony.
“Why is Jeong Yeoreum up there?”
“How should I know!”
“You don’t think… she’s planning to jump, do you?”
But almost immediately, both attorneys seemed to understand what Yeoreum would do next.
“No!”
They screamed in unison.
Startled, Team Leader Yang slammed on the brakes.
Jeong Yeoreum lowered both legs over the railing and, without hesitation, let go.
Their hearts dropped into their stomachs.
For a moment, silence filled the car.
“…Uh, uh!”
Attorney Jo urgently called out to Team Leader Yang.
Jeong Yeoreum, who had landed on the ground, sprang right back up.
She lifted each leg alternately to check herself over, then tightened the knot of her gown firmly.
Watching Yeoreum stride determinedly toward the main building, Attorney Jo said fearfully,
“Team Leader… I think someone… really pushed Jeong Yeoreum’s buttons this time…”
*
Chief Cook, anxiously pacing the first-floor lobby, spun around at the sound of the front door opening.
“Young lady!”
He jumped in surprise when Yeoreum entered—completely unexpected.
“What… how did this happen? How did you get out of there?”
Yeoreum gave a wry smile.
“…Don’t tell me…”
“I couldn’t just freeze to death, could I?”
He bowed deeply, his expression filled with remorse.
“I’m so sorry. Truly, deeply sorry.”
“What do you have to apologize for? But this incident—was it Pyo Jeong Ran’s doing?”
“…Yes.”
“Where is she now?”
“In the central living room on the second floor.”
As Yeoreum headed for the stairs, Chief Cook stepped in front of her.
“I’ve already called the butler. Please let her handle this.”
“No. I have to do it myself.”
“Miss Ha Eun is home right now.”
“Kang Ha Eun came back?”
“Yes.”
“Does Kang Ha Eun know I was locked in the bathroom?”
His expression grew even more regretful as he answered,
“…Yes.”
“And she didn’t say a word about getting me out, did she?”
His head sank limply.
“Wow, I really almost froze to death in there today.”
Chief Cook stepped in front of Yeoreum again as she moved toward the stairs.
“Miss Ha Eun sided with Team Leader Pyo. She’ll defend her again. Nobody in this household will take your side right now. I’m truly sorry, but the staff can’t afford to get involved—it’s our livelihoods at stake.”
Yeoreum replied,
“I understand. And I don’t blame any of the staff. How could you act so easily when your families’ livelihoods are on the line?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“I told you, there’s no need.”
“Please leave it to the butler. I’ve already contacted her, and she’ll be here soon. Even Miss Ha Eun won’t be able to defy her.”
“No. The butler won’t help either. And I’m the one directly involved in this matter. I’ll handle it my own way. But I do have a favor to ask of you, Chief Cook.”
Yeoreum leaned close and whispered into his ear.
“Why would you…?”
“If you’re going to do it, go big.”
Without further explanation, Yeoreum climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Chief Cook, looking puzzled, quickly headed into the kitchen.
“…Team Leader?”
The two attorneys had overheard Yeoreum’s entire conversation with Chief Cook from the entrance.
Attorney Jo, frantic, called out to Team Leader Yang,
“Shouldn’t we go inside right away?”
“What would we even do there?”
“What do you mean? We have to help Jeong Yeoreum!”
“Do you really think it’s possible?”
Kang Ha Eun was in the house right now—
And she’d already backed Pyo Jeong Ran’s actions, hadn’t she?
“Let’s go back.”
“…Team Leader!”
“We don’t need to get tangled up in unnecessary trouble.”
“But still! Someone almost died!”
“No. We know nothing about this. We didn’t see anything.”
“…Team Leader!”
Team Leader Yang grabbed Attorney Jo’s resisting arm and firmly pulled him out the front door.
*
Team Leader Pyo sat elegantly on the sofa in the second-floor living room, sipping black tea.
Staff members stood lined up before her.
To be a proper butler, one had to instill discipline in the staff—this was only right.
Beside her, Hye Suk gracefully refilled Team Leader Pyo’s empty teacup.
“…Hey, hey!”
Hye Suk suddenly froze mid-pour, flustered.
Team Leader Pyo, who had turned absentmindedly, was equally startled.
So were all the Blue House staff.
It was Yeoreum.
“You—how did you get out? Did Chief Cook let you out?”
Team Leader Pyo shot up from the sofa and shouted at Yeoreum.
“No. I walked out myself.”
“What?”
Yeoreum stepped forward and stood directly in front of Team Leader Pyo.
“Are you really that stupid? If you’re going to lock someone in, do it properly. Why leave the window open? I climbed right out through it.”
“That’s impossible! How could you possibly get out that way?”
“Why impossible? Don’t you know how flexible I am?”
Team Leader Pyo sneered, scanning Yeoreum’s body.
“Flexible? Yeah, right.”
In that instant, Yeoreum slapped Team Leader Pyo across the cheek.
Pyo flew backward and collapsed onto the floor.
The staff gasped in shock—
But none more so than Team Leader Pyo herself.
Stunned for a moment by the slap, she quickly scrambled up and screamed,
“…How dare you—how dare you hit me?”
“‘How dare I?’”
Yeoreum slapped her again—
This time, Pyo’s sizable body seemed to momentarily levitate.
She shrieked and toppled backward.
The staff’s eyes widened even further in disbelief.
Hye Suk, frozen in place until now, slowly backed away and then bolted toward Ha Eun’s room.
Yeoreum approached the dazed Team Leader Pyo and said,
“Get up. I’m still not done being angry.”
Her low voice sent chills down their spines.
Moreover, Yeoreum was lightly rotating both wrists.
Team Leader Pyo’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently, then began trembling uncontrollably.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached.
“What are you doing!”
At Ha Eun’s arrival, Team Leader Pyo, momentarily frozen, quickly jumped up and cried out,
“Miss! She—she just hit me!”
Her face flushed with anger, Pyo clung to Ha Eun’s side and wildly pointed at Yeoreum.
“Are you some kind of thug? Why are you hitting people?”
“Team Leader Pyo locked me in that bathroom and tried to freeze me to death. And you think I can’t even slap you?”
“Oh my, just listen to you! What did our Team Leader Pyo ever do to you?”
“That’s right! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Team Leader Pyo feigned innocence,
shooting the staff a fierce glare as if warning them to keep quiet.
“You’re saying you didn’t trap me in there to kill me? The sofa was blocking the bathroom entrance, the air conditioner was blasting full blast in this season—and still you deny it?”
“I didn’t! Why would I? I have no feelings against Jeong Yeoreum whatsoever!”
She brazenly denied it.
“So you’re saying this was all my imagination?”
“Did you perhaps dream it? Are you getting dementia at such a young age?”
Seeing her openly mocking tone, Yeoreum took a step closer.
Instinctively, she nearly stepped back—but with Ha Eun beside her, she steeled herself and stood firm.
“Seriously, you’re saying this wasn’t your doing?”
“I already told you—it wasn’t!”
At that moment, Yeoreum’s right hand rose.
Pyo reflexively raised her arm to shield her face—
But Yeoreum’s hand slipped instead into the pocket of Pyo’s jacket.
“Then why is my phone—which I left carefully in the bathroom—now in this pocket?”
Before the flustered Pyo could make an excuse, Yeoreum’s left hand, which had tucked the phone into her own gown pocket, grabbed Pyo’s hair.
Her right hand began relentlessly slapping Pyo’s face.
Pyo screamed but couldn’t move an inch under Yeoreum’s grip.
“…Hey, stop it!”
Ha Eun shouted.
“Stop right now!”
After briefly watching the pitiful state of Team Leader Pyo, Yeoreum abruptly let go.
Pyo collapsed to the floor, utterly wrecked.
“Go ahead—call me a thug again this time. You accomplice to attempted murder.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You knew I could’ve frozen to death in that bathroom—and you let it slide anyway.”
“But you didn’t die! So it’s fine!”
“Is that seriously what you’re saying?”
“Well, as long as you didn’t die, that’s what matters. So stop causing a scene and just drop it. Everyone, disperse!”
Yeoreum spoke up,
“On whose authority?”
“What?”
“You tried to kill someone—on whose authority do you think you can just sweep this under the rug?”
“So what? Are you going to report us to the police? Do you really think that’ll change anything? Seriously, do you think either me or Team Leader Pyo would end up in a holding cell?”
“Of course not.”
“But!”
Yeoreum’s hand struck Ha Eun’s cheek with full force.
Her slight body instantly tumbled over like a toppled doll.
Looking down at Ha Eun and Team Leader Pyo, both now collapsed side by side, Yeoreum said,
“At the very least, I’m going to fix that rotten attitude of yours—the attitude of someone who’d kill another person.”
“…What?”
“Consider yourselves lucky. I’m saving both your lives—from becoming murderers.”
Yeoreum walked toward Chief Cook, who had by now come up to the second-floor living room,
took the bottle he was holding, and returned.
She unscrewed the cap.
Immediately, a strong, fishy stench filled the room.
The label on the plastic bottle read: “100% Domestically Sourced Fermented Yellow Croaker.”
“…No, don’t!”
Ha Eun shook her head frantically.
But the aged yellow croaker was poured all at once over both Ha Eun and Team Leader Pyo’s heads.
Ha Eun screamed.
Team Leader Pyo was equally at a loss.
Yeoreum shook out even the last bit clinging to the container.
Finally, Ha Eun burst into tears.
“Fix the boiler within thirty minutes.”
Team Leader Pyo, dazed, slowly lifted her head to look at Yeoreum.
“Of course, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. But just so you know—the kitchen has not only this, but also fire, oil, and plenty of other useful things.”
Seeing Yeoreum’s faint smile, Team Leader Pyo’s face twisted in horror.
Yeoreum hurled the now-empty jar of fermented fish at Team Leader Pyo with all her strength and said,
“Try pulling something like this again. But next time, come ready to die. Understood?”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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