The Uncrowned King of the Peninsula

Chapter 267 Coffee, Tea, or Me? (Two-in-One)

Looking at Lee Ji-eun in front of him, Bae Yong-joon felt that he should test the soundproofing of the office first.

She rested her hands on the table behind her, her thin red lips holding a faint smile, her long eyelashes fluttering.

The slender heels swayed gently, tapping against the edge of the desk with a faint, indistinct sound.

What do you mean?
Bae Young-joon felt that this wicked woman was trying to seduce him again.

Hmm, this feels really good.

A thought struck him, and his right hand slid up Lee Ji-eun's slender waist, his fingertips caressing her skin through her coat, feeling the smoothness of her skin, which was even more delicate than the finest fabric. He asked softly, "How long can you stay?"

"How long?" Lee Ji-eun glanced at him sideways.

"Hmm, how long?" Bae Young-joon's hand slowly reached towards her little bundle.

"How long..." Lee Ji-eun smiled and slapped his hand away, "It won't last as long as your girlfriend."

Her smile faded, and she said, word by word, "Don't touch me."

Bae Young-joon blinked. "I thought you weren't angry anymore."

“I’ll be happy even if you don’t say anything once you buy Samsung. But for now, forget it.” Lee Ji-eun rolled her eyes at him and pushed him hard. “Let go. Go find your girlfriend if you want to touch me.”

Bae Yong-joon stood up with some regret, watching her jump down from the table.

"What did you say to Nayeon?" he asked.

"Nayeon, Nayeon~" Lee Ji-eun pouted, rolled her eyes, and said in a sour tone, "So affectionate."

Seeing her aggrieved expression, Bae Young-joon couldn't help but laugh.

"Anything you want to ask? You should have gotten everything out of her, right?" He felt that even ten Lim Nayeons wouldn't be enough to beat Lee Ji-eun. "She's pretty easy to fool."

"Oh, what lie? One sentence from me scared her so much that she jumped up and wouldn't even sit down. She told me everything." Lee Ji-eun looked at Bae Young-joon, stretched out her right hand as if she could easily control Lim Na-yeon, "Tell me the truth, what's going on between you and her?"

"President Pei, otherwise President Yu might have heard you badmouthing him behind his back."

Lee Ji-eun squinted her eyes triumphantly, pretending to be fierce. Her innocent little face was tense, making her look cute but fierce.

Bae Young-joon didn't answer. Instead, he took two steps closer, brought his face close to hers, and looked her over carefully from left to right.

"Hey, what are you looking at? It's kind of scary." She felt a little uneasy under his gaze and waved her hand in front of Bae Young-joon's face.

"She's already told you, why are you still asking?" Pei Yongjun looked at the hint of guilt in her eyes, his expression somewhat amused.

Lee Ji-eun seemed unaware of anything beyond her relationship with Lim Na-yeon. Contrary to her promise, she didn't scold Lim Na-yeon; instead, she appeared to have been given the cold shoulder.

However, Nayeon is nowhere near IU's level or experience in the industry, so she definitely can't win an argument with her, unless...

She brought up her soon-to-expire relationship with her boyfriend.

"Is that not okay? Who knows if she's lying to me? Tell me!" Lee Ji-eun poked his calf with the tip of her shoe, but she felt a little guilty.

Lim Nayeon inexplicably became Bae Young-joon's girlfriend. He originally wanted to trick Lim Nayeon and ask her what was going on.

As a result, she was outmaneuvered by Bae Young-joon as soon as she started asking questions, which made Lee Ji-eun so angry that she almost gritted her teeth. That's why she decided to come to Bae Young-joon to ask for clarification.

"Ji-eun, you weren't... bullied by her, were you?" Bae Young-joon's face showed a strange smile.

Sure enough, the image of Lim Nayeon acting like a domineering girlfriend and fiercely lecturing Lee Ji-eun flashed through his mind, and he burst out laughing.

Hey! What are you laughing at!

Looking at the smile on his face, Lee Ji-eun felt both embarrassed and angry, and pinched his arm hard. "Who was bullied by her?"

Bae Yong-joon raised his eyebrows in pain, but he was still smiling.

"Yes Yes Yes"

"Keep laughing to yourself!"

You stinky man, still laughing?

Lee Ji-eun felt a pang of grievance when she remembered that Lim Na-yeon, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, had ridden on her head. She turned to leave, thinking, "Laugh, laugh, laugh until you die!"

Bae Young-joon grabbed her small hand.

"Why are you pulling me?" Lee Ji-eun struggled a couple of times. "Oh no, I'll call for help!"

“You’re so angry,” Bae Yong-joon pulled her into his arms with a little force, stroking her soft, white hands to soothe her emotions, “Were you really bullied?”

"Otherwise what? She's your girlfriend, what am I?" Lee Ji-eun struggled a couple of times, but when she saw that he wouldn't let go, she gave up, stretched out her two slender arms to wrap around him, and angrily bumped her head against his chest.

"Fine, you can bully me then."

She mumbled in a soft, sweet voice, a rare display of grievance that made her all the more endearing.

"Then I'll get revenge for you, okay?" Bae Young-joon lifted her hand and kissed the back of her smooth hand.

"Are you willing to do that?" Lee Ji-eun snorted.

"I'm serious, I'm breaking up with her tonight." Bae Young-joon looked into her eyes, his expression earnest.

"Really?" Lee Ji-eun looked up, realizing that Bae Young-joon wasn't just saying it casually.

“Really.” Bae Young-joon nodded.

"You, you..." Lee Ji-eun was somewhat at a loss for words. "How could you, why?"

"Are you touched that I did this to get revenge for you?" Bae Young-joon said.

"Hey, be serious!" Lee Ji-eun patted his arm in annoyance.

Bae Yong-joon tightened his embrace around her. "Did you see today's news?"

"A report?" Lee Ji-eun paused for a moment, her mind racing as she recalled the news she had seen online, "The one about Lim Na-yeon?"

When she woke up in the morning, she found that there were all kinds of news about Lim Nayeon, and they all said that she was a kind-hearted girl with a pure heart of gold in the entertainment industry.

Yeah, cutting in line to steal a man, so innocent.

Lee Ji-eun hadn't thought much of it, but now that Bae Young-joon had mentioned it, she seemed to understand something. It seemed that Lim Na-yeon, this strange girlfriend, was actually part of this star-making trend.

"Did you spread all this information?" she asked, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The overwhelming amount of news pushed the hashtag "[Rabbit Angel]" to the top of the trending searches, and Lim Nayeon's already considerable popularity increased visibly as a result.

Almost every hour, the number of subscribers to the fan club jumps sharply, and it shows no signs of stopping; in fact, it's increasing at an ever-accelerating pace.

"Yes, mostly." Bae Young-joon looked at her wide-open eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, and nodded.

"You, how, how did you do that?" Lee Ji-eun looked at the man in front of her, her big eyes sparkling with surprise.

"Three exciting news stories, the first entertainment reporter to win the East Asia News Award, the lavish hospitality at Walkerhill, and the newly appointed president title."

Bae Young-joon clasped his hands together, as if the hearts and public opinion in his palms were at his mercy. "That's it."

Lee Ji-eun stared at him blankly.

Unlike the clueless Lim Nayeon, she knew what such public opinion meant.

Such a powerful public opinion offensive is not something that can be easily launched; it requires strength, connections, and timing.

She thought it was JYP, which is usually stingy, that was being generous this time, spending a lot of money to create public opinion and getting in touch with the three major television stations on the peninsula. She was secretly thinking that Lim Nayeon had gotten lucky, but she never expected that it was all Bae Young-joon's doing.

Is he already this amazing after only one day as president?
Her beautiful eyes blinked repeatedly, as if she didn't recognize Bae Young-joon in front of her.

Is it possible that one day he can truly rescue himself and reclaim what is rightfully his from Woo Kyung-ho...?

Without realizing it, Lee Ji-eun lightly bit her lower lip. The sliver of hope that had once seemed so distant now appeared to be drawing ever closer. "What? Are you starting to admire me?" Bae Young-joon asked, looking into her eyes.

“…If I said yes,” Lee Ji-eun murmured to herself, her eyes meeting his, “wouldn’t you be very smug?”

“Of course, you’d be even more pleased if you could say you like it,” Bae Young-joon said.

"Just a little bit more, try a little harder, and I'll fall in love with you." Lee Ji-eun smiled, her eyes sparkling, and the tiny mole on her fair cheek seemed to be winking at him, both alluring and innocent.

She looked up and kissed his cheek. "Go for it, President Pei. I'm waiting for you to buy me home."

Bae Young-joon raised his hand to touch his slightly damp cheek, looked at Lee Ji-eun's somewhat fiery gaze, and blinked, "With a woman like you, I'm afraid I'll be working overtime until I die."

“Then you should balance work and rest, and make sure to get plenty of rest,” Lee Ji-eun winked, her smile undiminished. “Don’t exhaust yourself on your girlfriend.”

"Aren't you angry anymore?" Bae Young-joon asked, looking at her relaxed expression.

"When have I ever been angry?" Lee Ji-eun blinked.

Bae Young-joon laughed.

Lee Ji-eun wasn't angry anymore, but she changed the subject and asked about Lim Na-yeon, "What's going on between you and Lim Na-yeon?"

“I don’t know anyone at JYP. There has to be a reason for us to collaborate,” Bae Young-joon said.

“She did me a favor, but then got into trouble, so this is a perfect opportunity,” he showed Lee Ji-eun his watch, “I only agreed to be her boyfriend 24 hours a day, and then…”

"It's 6:46 p.m., there are still 9 hours left."

"You're bullying her like this? You're such a bad man." Lee Ji-eun chuckled, her eyes crinkling as she scratched his chin. "She's really unlucky to have met you."

“I didn’t bully her at all. She was having a great time…” Bae Young-joon’s mind flashed back to last night, to Lim Na-yeon’s blissful, almost dazed expression, and his heart skipped a beat. “She was having a really good time.”

"Then, I won't bother you any longer." Lee Ji-eun nodded, slid out of his arms, and walked to the handbag on the coffee table.

"There are still 9 hours left, so hurry up and get to work."

She smiled and said, "I've completed my task, so I'll be leaving now."

“Go back and tell Yu Qinghao that you are diligent and hardworking, creating value for him.”

"Thank you." Bae Young-joon nodded.

"Oh, right, he also asked me to bring you a greeting card." Lee Ji-eun took out a postcard-like card from her bag and handed it to him.

Bae Young-joon took it and saw that it was Woo Kyung-ho's increasingly fancy handwriting, congratulating him on becoming the president of Han River Sports.

"...May our friendship last forever, and may our cooperation be fruitful."

He read the words aloud, nodded, and looked at the card over and over again. "It's well written, but President Yu is so wealthy, didn't you prepare any other gifts?"

“The acquisition price went from 10 billion to 30 billion. He was so busy with cash flow that he didn’t even eat for a few days. He wasn’t in the mood to prepare any congratulatory gifts for you,” Lee Ji-eun said.

"Feeling sorry for him?" Bae Young-joon asked with a smile.

"Oh dear, don't let him be unable to even afford to send flowers. All the flowers in my studio are thanks to him." Lee Ji-eun smiled like a fox who had stolen a chick, feeling much better.

As for Lim Na-yeon...

It was just a pretext for collaboration; she'll be my ex-girlfriend soon, and I have no interest in her anymore.

"Then I'll accept it. A greeting card worth 300 billion won is too precious." Bae Young-joon chuckled twice, recalling Woo Kyung-ho writing the greeting card while suppressing his dissatisfaction, and tossed the card onto his desk.

"You want a gift, President Bae?" Lee Ji-eun blinked as she watched his actions.

"You have it?" Bae Young-joon sensed the implication in her words.

"Hmm, as for a gift..." Lee Ji-eun's gaze swept over him, and she said in a somewhat mysterious tone, "I originally prepared one for you, but now it seems unnecessary. Perhaps I should take it back with me."

"What kind of gift is this that's so enticing?" Bae Young-joon looked at Lee Ji-eun's mysterious expression with some curiosity. "Since you brought it, at least let me see it."

What is this woman up to now?
"Do you really want to see it?" Lee Ji-eun asked.

"I want to see it." Bae Young-joon nodded.

"Okay, I'll show you, but you can only look, don't touch it." Lee Ji-eun held up her pinky finger. "Pinky promise~"

"So formal?" Bae Young-joon became even more curious and reached out to tug at her finger.

"Move back a little." Lee Ji-eun pushed him back.

Bae Yong-joon took two steps back, looking at the handbag in her hand, ready to see what she could take out of it.

However, Lee Ji-eun tossed her handbag onto the sofa next to her.

"Not in the bag?" Bae Young-joon looked her up and down.

If the gift isn't in my bag, then it must be on my person, or...?

His gaze slid down her fair and smooth calves, finally lingering on her delicate heels.

Tea, coffee, or me?

Playing this trick?
Bae Young-joon looked at Lee Ji-eun's delicate and innocent face, and his heart stirred.

"Not here." Lee Ji-eun looked at him with a half-smile, raised her slender arm and put it on the ponytail behind her head. "It's a deal, I'll let you see it for a moment, but you're not allowed to move."

She gave another warning.

Then, with a deft movement of her fair hand behind her head, she untied the lace hair tie, and her smooth, wavy long hair cascaded down, filling the air with the fresh scent of her shampoo.

Just like femininity.

The atmosphere in the cool-toned office suddenly became ambiguous.

"How is it?" Lee Ji-eun asked Bae Young-joon.

"What?" Bae Yong-joon inhaled her scent, a fragrance of lavender, like that of a pure young girl, yet before him stood a quintessential woman. "What do you mean, 'how is it'?"

“A gift.” Lee Ji-eun parted her red lips slightly and uttered a single word.

"What gift?" Bae Young-joon asked, his gaze sweeping over her before finally settling on the hair tie she was holding in her small hand.

Hairband?

Gift?

"Is this it? For me?" Bae Young-joon seemed to have sensed something, and his expression became somewhat subtle.

Lee Ji-eun didn't speak. She flicked her right fingertip, and the black lace hair tie spun twice in mid-air before unfolding.

That's not a hair tie.

It's a small black lace item.

A thin black rope was hooked on a fair fingertip, swaying back and forth like a kitten's tail, tickling one's heart.

Well.

They know how to have fun.

Bae Yong-joon's gaze moved from the little thing dangling from her fingertips, across her delicate and innocent face, and then landed on her tight-fitting suit.

If it's on your fingertips, then what's underneath your skirt...?

Lee Ji-eun, is this how you play it?

He should savor this gift.

(End of this chapter)