CHAPTER 56…………………

Wada pretended not to be interested, but pricked up his ears and urged Dowoon to continue.

“So, what do you mean?”

“For the time being, I plan to leave here and stay somewhere out of sight.”

“Oh my, my. Leave? And where would you go?”

“I intend to return to my homeland for a while and calm both my body and mind.”

“Is that so? In this season, a hot spring trip would be nice.”

Wada nodded in agreement.

Dowoon smiled with satisfaction and took a sip of alcohol.

After that, the drinking continued. Wada persistently kept refilling Dowoon’s cup, and the alcohol he had no choice but to accept left his stomach feeling heavy and uncomfortable.

Dowoon had already achieved his purpose; there was no reason for him to remain here any longer.

“Then, Mr. Wada, I suppose I’ll see you again next time.”

Taking advantage of the moment when Wada was crawling into the arms of the courtesan beside him, Dowoon quickly stood up.

At Wada’s casual gesture that seemed to say do as you like, Dowoon got to his feet. Because he had unintentionally drunk far too much, he staggered slightly.

“Oh my, sir, I’ll escort you.”

Seeing this, the courtesan hurried over and took his arm to support him.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“I’ll help you along, so don’t worry.”

The woman’s voice buzzed annoyingly in his ears. He was about to refuse again, but in front of Wada he simply nodded as if agreeing.

The moment they stepped out through the sliding tatami door, Dowoon coldly shook off the courtesan’s hand from his arm.

“…Let go.”

His voice dropped like ice.

“Sir, I’ll at least escort you to your room—”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

It wasn’t only his voice that was cold. Anyone who saw Dowoon’s eyes and expression properly would tremble from the chill.

Only then did the courtesan, Yeonhong, withdraw the hand she had placed on him.

“Are you unwell? Your complexion looks pale—”

But before she could finish, Dowoon had already quickened his pace toward the exit.

“Sir!”

Yeonhong ran after him, calling out, but Dowoon’s mind was already filled with someone else.

Seong Chohui.

He didn’t feel good about having broken his promise.

Even if he had come to meet Wada, if he had known it would sour his mood this much, it might have been better to meet somewhere else.

What is she doing right now? She isn’t crying, is she?

The face of Chohui the last time he saw her appeared in his mind again before he could resist.

He could vividly picture the look of shock on her face when he had said it was a mistake.

I hope she isn’t crying…

Realizing he had once again begun thinking of Chohui, Dowoon shook his head hard.

Not even half a day had passed since he had resolved not to think about her, yet she had already returned to his mind.

No matter how hard he tried, her face kept popping up.

The more he drank, the weaker his resolve seemed to become.

Now it almost felt as if she were standing right in front of him.

Have I really gone mad?

Clutching his throbbing head, Dowoon hurried outside.

The place he staggered toward was, unexpectedly, not the company but Gwanganga. Perhaps because he was drunk, his feet had unconsciously led him there.

Just as he was about to go inside, he stopped himself.

All the effort I took to leave the house would have been wasted.

He had no intention of returning home. The alcohol had clearly clouded his mind.

He should never have drunk.

I need to go as far away as possible.

He had planned to stay at the company for a few days before returning, but at this rate it felt like he might wander back home within a day without even realizing it.

He needed physical distance—somewhere so far away that he couldn’t possibly return home by accident.

With that single thought in mind, Dowoon turned quickly and headed toward Sinuiju Station.

He hadn’t decided on a destination, but for now he had to get away from Sinuiju—

No, away from Chohui.

*

“Come in.”

After Dowoon’s presence had completely disappeared, Wada Ichiro quietly spoke toward the next room.

The sliding door opened, and Yoshihara—who seemed to have been waiting—entered with bloodshot eyes. He saluted Wada respectfully and sat where Dowoon had been sitting.

“Did you hear?”

“Yes, Mr. Wada. That Korean, Lee Dowoon, is soon leaving for his homeland, isn’t he?”

“If you’re trying to find evidence, wouldn’t it be better to ambush him while he’s gone to his homeland?”

“That man is extremely meticulous. He wouldn’t leave anything behind that could serve as evidence.”

“Then what should we do?”

Wada frowned at Yoshihara’s words.

They had to capture Lee Dowoon as soon as possible and remove that man—Count Lee Kangwon—from the Governor-General’s side.

Wada had come to Sinuiju looking for an opportunity and had luckily met Inspector Yoshihara.

Unlike the other policemen who only watched Count Lee Kangwon’s mood, this one was quite useful. Thinking him perfect for catching Dowoon, Wada had provided him with some helpful information.

But so far, there had been no significant results.

“If there’s no evidence, we can simply create some.”

“Create it? How?”

“We’ll induce him to confess himself. Even if we have to threaten him.”

“Threaten him? Would that work on Lee Dowoon?”

Yoshihara lifted one corner of his mouth and chuckled.

He had intended to carry it out at the opera house but had missed the chance due to bad luck.

“I’ve found one of his weaknesses.”

“A weakness?”

“His wife.”

Wada’s eyes narrowed like a snake’s.

“His wife? That was his weakness?”

“Yes, without a doubt. If we harm that woman he calls his wife, he’ll surely have no choice but to do as we say.”

Yoshihara was confident. Others might not have noticed yet, but it was clear that Lee Dowoon cherished that Korean woman—his wife—dearly.

This was his chance for revenge.

I’ll definitely repay the humiliation from the opera house.

Yoshihara ground his teeth.

*

After some thought, Dowoon headed to Pyongyang.

Once the reconnaissance in Yuha County ended, his comrades would gather in Pyongyang. That meant he could at least immerse himself in the mission for a few days.

And as expected, he was able to meet Joseph and the others at the Provisional Government’s Pyongyang branch.

“Michael, what brings you here?”

Joseph welcomed him with surprise at the unexpected encounter.

“I heard you couldn’t join the reconnaissance because you had something to do.”

“I came because I was curious about how the mission turned out.”

“You came all the way to Pyongyang for that? Instead of waiting in Sinuiju?”

Joseph raised an eyebrow. It was a suspiciously impulsive act for the usual Dowoon.

To avoid further suspicion, Dowoon answered calmly.

“I happened to have some time. Am I not allowed to come here?”

“No, it’s not that. I just wondered if something had happened.”

Dowoon forced a smile, though it felt strangely awkward.

It was the same smile he always wore to conceal his true feelings, yet somehow his lips felt like they were curling upward on their own.

Joseph narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

Dowoon quickly changed the subject.

“So, how did the reconnaissance go? Did you gain anything?”

Joseph relaxed his gaze, sighed, and shook his head.

“No. It was a bust. It’s true that Minamoto frequently visited that place, but there was no railway laid there. I suspect he used the excuse of going to Yuha County while secretly visiting the place where the real railway was built.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Your contract wife will have to put in a little more effort.”

At Joseph’s words, Dowoon pressed his lips together tightly.

The information Chohui had obtained from Mrs. Minamoto wasn’t enough. She would have to grow closer to her to get more.

Which meant Dowoon had no choice but to extend his contract with Chohui a little longer.

He let out a faint sigh.

Until just two days ago, hearing this would have pleased him.

Before he had realized his feelings for Chohui, he would have simply felt relieved that he could keep her by his side as his contract wife and continue watching over her.

But now it was different.

Dowoon clenched his teeth so hard his jaw trembled.

His heart kept drifting toward Chohui, and keeping her by his side was not a wise decision.

The longer she remained near him, the clearer his feelings would become.

And the stronger his desire for her would grow.

That cannot happen.

But he couldn’t send her away either.

Joseph was clearly saying that Chohui was needed.

He couldn’t dismiss her just because she was disrupting his composure.

Between Chohui and the mission, the mission came first without question.

For Dowoon, that was an unchanging truth.

Then the answer is obvious.

His mind gradually began to clear.

The attitude he had to take was clear.

Keep Chohui by his side—

But do not love her.

Since his homeland came first, he would use her to extract more information.

As if inputting commands into a machine, Dowoon programmed this mindset into his head.

And the confusion and wounds Chohui might suffer as a result—

He would have to ignore them.

Get a hold of yourself.

So that the feelings he had tried to suppress would never escape again, Dowoon firmly locked his heart shut.

*

After Dowoon left, Chohui visited the inn where Bok-i stayed almost every day.

Only by meeting someone and chatting endlessly could she barely avoid thinking about Dowoon.

“But miss, there’s still no word from your brother.”

“My brother?”

At Bok-i’s words, Chohui looked puzzled—then suddenly her face turned pale.

“That’s right, Brother Chihun.”

The moment she spoke her brother’s name, she felt flustered.

How could I have completely forgotten about my brother?

Her conscience pricked at her.

She had been distracted by finding Mrs. Minamoto’s clothes and the incident at the opera house.

Then treating Dowoon’s gunshot wound, and the letter he left behind—

She had truly forgotten about her brother.

No, that was just an excuse.

Finding her brother should have been her top priority.

You’ve gone crazy, Seong Chohui.

She pressed her lips tightly together.

Her feelings for Dowoon might be love.

But he had no feelings for her.

He said it was a mistake.

Which meant the logical choice was to give up on him. Dowoon didn’t love her, and he wasn’t even her real husband.

Chohui shook her head hard, brushing away thoughts of him.

What mattered was finding her brother as soon as possible.

And once she found him…

Only then could she finally leave this place.

Even if she couldn’t find him, she still had to leave that house.

It was clear now. She could no longer stay there.

“Bok-i. I don’t think I can just keep waiting anymore.”

“Then what will you do?”

“I’ll go find my brother myself.”

“How?”

“I’ll try anything.”

Chohui’s eyes sparkled.

Even if she had no brilliant plan at the moment, a burning determination had ignited within her.