Chapter : 49
Could he know everything I was doing even with my eyes closed?
“I… I was just checking if you were sleeping well…”
He lay down beside her and tugged the back of Yiseol’s head, pulling her into his arms.
“Uh… why are you doing this?”
His hand slid down her waist and lifted her thigh onto the sofa.
When Yiseol, who had ended up in his arms, tried to push him away, Taesin muttered,
“Let’s just stay like this for a moment.”
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
“Are you seeing someone?”
Her aunt asked.
“What?”
Unable to hide her surprise, Yiseol looked at her aunt, who squinted at her.
“You seem… a little giddy. Your face is flushed too.”
Before leaving for her honeymoon, Yiseol had promised to have breakfast with her aunt, so she had come to the hotel after parting from Taesin.
“Seeing someone? I don’t even have time for that.”
Yiseol avoided her aunt’s eyes and poked at her salad.
“Hmm… is that for real?”
Her uncle, three years younger than her aunt, chimed in. He had a manly yet gentle appearance.
He had always said he’d never get married, but meeting this man and deciding to marry within six months proved that fate has its way.
“So you have no time to date, but it’s not like you don’t have a guy?”
“That’s not it.”
Her aunt grinned and pressed further.
“No? Your face is bright red… Who is it? Spill it. You’re not keeping it secret from me, are you? That would make me sad.”
That morning, Yiseol had been pressed against Taesin’s chest, barely able to breathe.
It wasn’t like she was shivering as she had the first time they had slept together, yet his body felt hot.
All her senses were drawn to the firm pressure of him holding her.
Every time Yiseol shifted, it felt like he was getting tighter around her, though it was only an illusion.
“Stay still. Don’t provoke me.”
Taesin whispered.
Yiseol stopped moving.
Her pounding heart was so loud she worried he might hear it.
“Relax. I won’t do anything.”
He applied a little more pressure with the arm holding her.
“For now.”
“For now?”
Then, someday… when the time comes… he’ll do “something”?
Her thoughts took a strange turn.
What he said about not doing anything was true.
He just held her until they both fell asleep again.
His breathing became steady.
Peeking at his sleeping face, she impulsively pressed a quick kiss to his rough jaw.
She watched him anxiously, fearing he might wake.
His breathing remained even, and the grip of his arms loosened.
Exhaling in relief, Yiseol realized just how comfortable his arms were, as if they were made to fit her perfectly, and closed her eyes.
When she woke from that sweet sleep, Taesin was gone.
He had left a message saying he still had things to do in Seoul.
The place where he had been was still warm.
“Yiseol. Yoon Yiseol.”
Hearing her aunt’s voice, Yiseol lifted her head and noticed the two of them looking at her curiously.
“Uh, what?”
“What are you thinking? You didn’t answer.”
“What did you say?”
“Look at you… completely distracted by that man. You were thinking about your boyfriend, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“No? When will you introduce him then?”
“Aunt, I have something to tell you.”
Changing the subject, Yiseol took a sip of her coffee.
“Okay. What is it?”
“Myung Hyunju has been caught.”
The fork fell from her aunt’s hand with a clatter.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“When? How? Where was she?”
“She changed her face through plastic surgery, changed her identity, and apparently lived in Seoul.”
“Wow…! Crazy! She wrecked an entire family and shamelessly lived here?”
Her aunt went wild.
“Calm down. She’s caught now.”
Her uncle broke into a sweat trying to calm her.
“Tell me the details. It’s been five years, so she must have spent all the money she stole, or hidden some. Where is she now? I need to see her face.”
“Some of the money has been returned. It looks like all debts can be paid off. I’ll return your money too.”
On the spot, Yiseol sent her aunt the 5,000 she had borrowed, plus interest and a wedding gift.
“She wouldn’t voluntarily return the money… how did you get it?”
“Some was returned as a condition for a reduced sentence.”
Yiseol vaguely explained and held her aunt’s hand.
“Aunt, I’m really happy. Now that I think the debt is gone, I feel like I can finally breathe.”
“That’s right, Yiseol. You’ve really been through a lot. Life does bring days like this. The best wedding gift. Thanks to your perseverance.”
“Congrats, sis-in-law.”
Her uncle jokingly called Yiseol “sis-in-law,” treating her like a younger sibling rather than his wife’s niece.
The three hugged and cried.
After parting with her aunt, Yiseol had time before meeting Junpil, so she stopped by a nearby department store.
The new arrivals in the display windows were all showing off their beauty.
She hadn’t been near a department store since leaving Seoul.
Yiseol bought a few outfits, bags, and shoes.
She also bought clothes for her grandmother and a perfume gift for Taesin.
She had considered a wristwatch, but decided against it since his watch was already a rare high-end piece.
When meeting Junpil, Yiseol’s hands were full of shopping bags.
“Shopping? Why so much?”
He carried some of the bags.
“Just indulged a little.”
“Did you win the lottery? How much is all this?”
“Yes, I did.”
Yiseol smiled brightly and nodded, and Junpil, though puzzled, didn’t press further.
“I’ll cover today’s lunch since senior handled transport costs. Let’s eat something expensive.”
“Really? Can we?”
“Yes.”
They had lunch at the department store restaurant before heading out.
“Sir, Yoon Sangwon has repaid all his debts.”
Monday morning.
Director Lee came down to the office basement gambling room to report to Choi Mugwang.
Among the sound of cash in the bill counter, Choi Mugwang sounded confused.
“What do you mean? Yoon Sangwon repaid all his debts?”
“He reportedly paid off the entire loan yesterday. Would you like to go up and check for yourself?”
It sounded impossible.
Yoon Sangwon, struggling to even pay the interest, had supposedly repaid the full loan?
But when they went upstairs to check, Director Lee was correct.
He had repaid over 300 million won in principal plus overdue interest, leaving nothing behind.
The deposit was indeed from Yoon Sangwon, so it wasn’t a mistake.
“Prepare the car.”
“…Yes.”
Director Lee replied reluctantly.
Choi Mugwang immediately went to Yiseol’s grandmother’s snack shop.
The new part-timer wasn’t there, only her grandmother preparing the store.
“Now that she’s paid all the debts, why are you making a fuss?”
“Grandma. How did the money suddenly appear for her to pay off the debt?”
“Just got the money, what else do you need?”
Choi Mugwang stepped closer and said coldly,
“You’ll only talk if I catch your beloved granddaughter and beat her? Huh?”
At this threat, she answered immediately.
“I heard the woman who stole Yiseol’s father’s company money returned it.”
Now she made sense.
“Was she caught?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“When!”
Shouting made the grandmother shrink her shoulders.
“It hasn’t been long! I don’t know the details. It’s true.”
She returned the money just a few days after being caught?
The woman who stole over 10 billion won, five years later, returned it voluntarily?
“How much?”
Grimacing, the grandmother answered reluctantly,
“…1.8 billion.”
Even 1.8 billion.
There had to be someone behind this.
Someone powerful enough to catch the criminal, hand her over to the police, and retrieve the stolen money.
Choi Mugwang grabbed the grandmother’s arm roughly and dragged her upstairs.
