Chapter 12
What’s his game?
Iwan narrowed his eyes, staring at the vibrating phone.
He wasn’t some naive fool. After that incident, Han Woo-min hadn’t contacted him—not that he could have.
So, the fact that he reached out first now…
“Did he smell something?”
It wasn’t an unlikely guess.
Iwan had experienced firsthand how sly and despicable Han Woo-min was. The kind of man who would crush morals and decency for his own gain.
“Damn bastard is way too sharp.”
Muttering curses, Iwan pressed the side button on his phone.
“Repaying kindness with betrayal—how dare you! I treasured you despite your lowly, classless blood!”
Just when he had nearly forgotten it, the memories resurfaced again.
Iwan gripped his phone so hard the veins on the back of his hand bulged. He felt disgusted, like he’d been splashed with filth.
With an annoyed sweep of his hand over his neck, he flung the door open and stepped out of the room.
A moment later, Onyu, now ready, paused when she saw Iwan already waiting at the door.
“……”
“……”
They both blinked in surprise, looking back and forth between each other’s outfits and their own. Of all things—they were wearing the same gray tracksuit, from the same brand.
It looked like they were matching on purpose.
Iwan, who glanced once more at their couple-like tracksuits, urged Onyu.
“Let’s go.”
“…Okay.”
Onyu nodded and began walking alongside Iwan.
As they walked, they kept glancing at each other from the corner of their eyes. And every time their eyes met, they both quickly looked away like it was rehearsed.
“Hop on. Let’s get going.”
“You want me… to ride that?”
When Onyu pointed to something leaning against the wall, Iwan stared at it in disbelief. It was a two-seater electric scooter—something she’d gifted her grandmother last year for her birthday.
“Yes,” Onyu said with an innocent smile, handing him a pink helmet.
“Didn’t you say we’d take a drive around the village?”
Instinctively, Iwan took a step back from the helmet. There was one thing scarier than bankruptcy or illness—a profit sheet covered in red lines.
But in this moment, the glittery pink helmet looked more terrifying than that sheet ever had.
“Yes, I did,” he admitted, stumbling for words.
His expression was as if he couldn’t understand what the problem was.
“Let’s just take my car.”
Iwan was determined. He was not going to wear a pink helmet and ride a scooter. He pointed toward his expensive car parked nearby.
“Oh no, we can’t do that. Maybe to my house it’s fine, but a lot of the village paths are narrow dirt roads. It’s tough to drive through with a car. The scooter is perfect for exploring. And your car is way too flashy—it’ll stand out too much.”
Won’t I stand out more with a pink helmet on a scooter, Miss Na Onyu?
Iwan bit his tongue to keep from saying it out loud and tried to reason with her.
“Well… then maybe we could just walk…”
“It’ll take too long if we walk. Our village may not have a big population, but it’s not that small in size.”
Listing all the reasons a scooter was ideal, Onyu pressed him again.
“We don’t have time. We have to get back quickly and make breakfast.”
“Wait, just a second—”
Before he could finish, Onyu pulled his hand, and Iwan was dragged along, landing in the scooter’s rear seat.
He was so baffled by himself for going along with it.
“No need for the helmet,” he said, avoiding the pink one she tried to place on his head.
“It’s too dangerous without it. These country roads are super bumpy. We could end up in a rice paddy.”
Onyu’s insistence on safety was firm.
“Then… let’s switch.”
Iwan dodged again and pointed at the red helmet Onyu was wearing. If he had to choose, red was better than pink.
But even that last hope was crushed.
“Oh, I don’t think that’ll work. My helmet would be too small for you. This one was my grandmother’s, so it should fit you fine.”
Without waiting for more protest, she placed the pink helmet firmly on his head and started the engine.
Everything happened too fast for Iwan to react. As he reached up to take off the helmet—
“Here we go!”
With Onyu’s cheerful cry, the scooter jolted forward.
“Whoa…!”
Caught off guard by the sudden motion, Iwan instinctively grabbed her waist.
“…Unbelievable.”
The absurdity of the situation made Iwan laugh in disbelief.
He, the owner of several luxury supercars and high-end motorcycles, was now on a scooter, wearing a bright pink helmet that demanded attention.
The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. His eyebrows twitched in frustration. And suddenly, he became aware of Onyu’s slim waist in his grasp.
She was so petite he felt like she might snap if he held too tightly.
There were handles at the back, and he knew this was inappropriate, yet… Iwan couldn’t bring himself to let go of her waist.
He told himself he’d let go if she said anything. But she remained completely silent.
That silence bothered him too.
Did she not even see him as a man?
Had that weird music performance from earlier messed with his head? Everything about this felt strange and irritating.
“That’s the village head’s house, the real power in Daebak-ri. And next door is Officer Choi, the village chief’s son.”
As they rode, Onyu explained who lived in each house and what they did.
“Officer?”
“His son works at the town police station.”
“Ah, I see…”
Iwan made notes on his phone as she spoke.
“What about that house?” he asked, pointing to a distant one.
“Which one?”
When Onyu followed his gaze, she let out a small exclamation. It was a two-story Provencal-style villa built on slightly higher ground.
“It’s very different from the others.”
“Right. The mayor uses it as a vacation home.”
“You mean the mayor of Minju City?”
“Yes. His family or relatives occasionally stay there during holidays or weekends.”
As she nodded, Onyu’s eyes lingered on the villa. It held a special memory for her.
She stared at it for a long time, prompting Iwan to look closely at her face.
She looked different now—none of the usual sassiness or cheerful energy. Her gaze, lost in thought, was calm and a little sad.
She seemed like she might turn to stone if left like that.
“Is the current mayor from Minju City?” he asked.
Snapped out of her thoughts, she answered, “Yes. Born and raised here. That’s how he managed to win three terms.”
“So, he’s got local influence.”
“In a negative sense, yes.”
She agreed with Iwan’s cynical wording.
Mayor Jo Sang-hyun’s family had lived in Minju City for generations, owning key properties like the downtown market and commercial buildings. Most of the prime land in Minju was theirs.
Iwan’s eyes sharpened as he absorbed the information.
Even if rural people weren’t as naïve as they used to be, none could match a veteran politician.
“He’s not short on money. So during negotiations, he won’t give in easily. He’ll try to drag it out and squeeze out as much compensation as he can.”
Reading Iwan’s thoughts, Onyu made a practical observation.
No one hated money—but Jo Sang-hyun had an exceptional fondness for it. He was involved in multiple profitable development projects in Minju.
“That’s possible.”
Iwan didn’t deny her point.
But no matter how stubborn the mayor might be, he couldn’t be worse than the Na family hiding a lottery ticket. Plus, the mayor had one fatal weakness.
If used right, Iwan might even get him to sign the contract first.
Having figured out a strategy, Iwan pointed to another house that looked completely neglected.
“No one lives there? Looks abandoned.”
“Yes. After Grandma Gwisoon passed away, it’s been empty.”
Onyu explained about the late Grandma Gwisoon’s house.
Come to think of it… strange noises used to come from there.
She recalled the events that once scared the whole village and her expression darkened.
