The Gaze through the Screen

‘Should I just pick one at random?’

The impulse was there, but Seohan didn’t want to gamble with a reward he had earned by laboriously raising his synchronization rate. He bit his lip, his face clouded with indecision.

• Um…… Young Master?

Secretary Choi’s cautious voice pulled his attention back. It seemed the call was still connected despite Seohan ignoring him for quite a while to argue with the system. Just as Seohan was about to click his tongue and end the call, he froze.

The word “Secretary Choi” on the screen—specifically the surname “Choi”—caught his eye. Perhaps…… Seohan narrowed his eyes, scanned the reward list once more, and then unmuted the call.

“Secretary Choi.”

• Yes?

“What was your name again?”

• My name? It’s Choi Minwook…….

Since transmigrating, he had only ever called him “Secretary Choi.” He’d never had an interest in the man’s name, and since the contact was saved by his title, he hadn’t felt the need to ask.

Despite the bewilderment in the secretary’s voice, Seohan allowed a small smile to spread across his face. He had found something worth taking from a reward pool he’d initially thought was a bust.

He didn’t hesitate to mute the call again. A pleading voice drifted through the speaker, but he ignored it completely.

“Choi Minwook. Information.”

[Loading…….]

Soon, information about Choi Minwook began to scroll. It was longer than he expected.

[Name: Choi Minwook]

[Description: As the secretary to Baek Seohan, the second son of Baekyoung Group, he served him for a long time. However, he is currently monitoring Seohan under the orders of Baek Jaehyun, the eldest son and current power holder of Baekyoung Group.]

[Observation: He has been observing Baek Seohan’s every move but is recently feeling anxious due to Seohan’s changed behavior. He considers you an ‘annoying brat.’]

[Fact: Baek Seohan knew from the beginning that he was Baek Jaehyun’s man.]

[Would you like to pay 0.5% Synchronization Rate to ‘See More’ about this person?]

“Go away.”

[。･゜･(｡´ﾉω･`)]

‘Don’t try to pull a fast one on me,’ Seohan thought as he sank into contemplation.

The original Baek Seohan knew from the start that Choi Minwook was on Baek Jaehyun’s side. Unless one was a fool, everyone would know that wasn’t for a good reason.

Yet, Baek Seohan had left him there.

‘Why on earth?’

Baek Seohan must have had a purpose for keeping Secretary Choi close. But Seohan couldn’t even begin to deduce what that purpose might be.

• Um…… Young Master?

The frantic voice brought him back to reality. Holding onto questions that only grew larger without being resolved was useless, so Seohan finally let it go.

“I’ll go.”

Only then did Secretary Choi receive an answer to his lonely monologue. Though Seohan’s reply—telling him to have things ready—was heavily tinged with fatigue.

Setting his phone down, Seohan stood up. His body, which had only just laid down, protested loudly, but once a promise was made, he had to follow through.

“I figured I’d have to see him eventually…….”

Apparently, that time was now. Recalling Baek Jaehyun’s face from his brief internet search, Seohan let out a deep sigh.

If you watch enough dramas, there are a few recurring themes. Conflict within a chaebol family is one of them. From fighting over inheritance to deciding who takes over the company……. Watching as a viewer was fun, but being the party involved was another story entirely.

He already felt the stress rising, but Seohan had decided to live as Baek Seohan. This wasn’t something he could avoid forever.

‘I have to face it.’

It was the same logic as cleaning up Baek Seohan’s karma to ensure a peaceful life. If Baek Jaehyun wasn’t going to leave him alone, Seohan was more than willing to remove him from the picture.

[System R is rooting for the User (-‿◦☀)!]

After all, he had a special—if unreliable—friend that no one else had.

“Oh, you’re back again?”

As evening approached, the woman at the orphanage blinked in surprise when she saw Jin Yeon-oh entering again.

“Yes, I left something behind.”

“What does it look like? I’ll help you look for it.”

“You must be busy preparing dinner; I’ll find it myself. Please, go on.”

His soft voice was overflowing with consideration. Leaving with a polite goodbye, the woman thought it was a true blessing that such a man was looking after the orphanage.

‘There’s no other man like him in the world.’

Handsome, kind, good-hearted, wealthy, yet humble. If he had one flaw, was it perhaps that he shook the hearts of everyone he met?

Having once been quite fluttered by his gentlemanly behavior, the woman had decided to give up on her impossible dream after realizing he treated everyone exactly the same way.

‘The youngest staff member still seems full of lingering hope, though…….’

The new hire they’d brought in recently counted down the days until Jin Yeon-oh came to inspect. Today was her day off. If she heard he had come while she was away, she would probably beat the ground in regret. The thought was somewhat amusing.

With a small laugh, the woman remembered her chores and quickly disappeared. And the moment she vanished completely, the gentle smile on Jin Yeon-oh’s face vanished as if it had never existed.

The phrase “like a doll” couldn’t have fit him better. He immediately began walking with an expressionless face.

Since it was mealtime for the children and staff, he encountered no one. His unhesitating steps led to the CCTV room tucked away in a corner of the first floor.

Right before knocking on the gray iron door labeled “No Entry Except Authorized Personnel,” a vibrant expression returned to Jin Yeon-oh’s face. The instantaneous transformation was almost eerie.

“Aigo, it’s been a long time!”

“You’re working hard.”

The guard’s face softened quickly when a small drink—heaven knows when he’d grabbed it—was placed in front of him. It was why he was a beat late in questioning Jin Yeon-oh’s sudden visit.

“But what brings you here……?”

“There’s something I want to check. I lost an item.”

“Ah, for you, Yeon-oh-ssi, you can check as much as you like!”

The man stepped aside without hesitation. Taking his seat naturally, Jin Yeon-oh began to check the CCTV footage with ease.

“This man is…….”

He acted as if he had stumbled upon a man volunteering at the orphanage by pure chance. Jin Yeon-oh’s eyes stared at the screen as if trying to bore a hole through it.

“Ah, that person?”

The guard, happy to have a topic he knew about, began to spill information. Jin Yeon-oh listened intently, his eyes never leaving the man on the screen.

“He’s a new volunteer, and he was incredibly kind. He even packed separate snacks for us, saying there were leftovers. I happened to pass by and saw him teaching the kids. He said he came for academic tutoring?”

“……Is that so?”

On the screen, the man was holding a small chalkboard, explaining something with great focus. It seemed the lesson was going well, as the children could be seen laughing and moving excitedly.

Teaching kids, handing out snacks, playing with a child hanging off his arm. The scene itself wasn’t particularly unusual. But…….

“Baek Seohan…….”

“Pardon?”

“……No, it’s nothing.”

Jin Yeon-oh muttered the name under his breath without realizing it.

Yes. The reason this scene was special was that the man on the screen was none other than Baek Seohan. Jin Yeon-oh’s eyes, which did not turn away from the screen with an almost obsessive intensity, gleamed strangely.

There was a smile on his face, but his gaze was twisted. The only thing emanating from his emotionless, curved eyes was a thick, viscous interest.

“Um…… Yeon-oh-ssi?”

The guard, sensing something odd in his long silence, glanced at his expression and flinched. He felt a momentary chill from the raw desire visible in those eyes.

“Yes? Is something the matter?”

But when Jin Yeon-oh finally turned his head, that expression was nowhere to be found. Not even a trace remained; instead, his eyes looked at the man with such worry that the guard shook his head awkwardly.

I must have seen it wrong because I’m tired. Jin Yeon-oh’s past behavior compelled him to think that way.

After spending a few more minutes in the CCTV room, Jin Yeon-oh left, saying he must have been mistaken. No one could stay angry at someone who bowed as apologetically as he did. The guard even waved him off, telling him it was quite alright.