Chapter 3
The moment she grabbed it without knowing what it was, she blacked out. Hannah felt as if she knew who the owner of this clothing was.
It belonged to the person who had arranged her kidnapping. She threw the suit jacket to the floor, shivering as though it was something she didn’t even want to touch.
Then she imagined the moment her husband or the housekeeper might discover it. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. She hastily picked up the jacket, opened the wardrobe, and grabbed a random paper bag to shove the garment inside. She even retrieved the other jacket she had planned to discard from her bag and stuffed it into the bag as well.
Still, she hesitated to carry it out. But having no other choice, Hannah placed the bag at the door and began fixing her hair.
When she finished getting ready, bag and shopping bag in hand, and opened the door to go downstairs, she spotted the housekeeper cleaning the second-floor living room.
“Are you heading out now? I was worried because you slept in so late.”
The housekeeper smiled brightly at her. Hannah forced a smile too, but it barely lifted the corners of her lips, as if her facial muscles were paralyzed. In the end, instead of smiling, she offered a slight nod and went down the stairs.
“Do you even realize what time it is?”
As soon as she stepped onto the lower floor, Mrs. Hong, her mother-in-law, sitting on the massive leather sofa in the living room, glared at her sharply. Mrs. Hong looked as if she were about to attend some formal gathering—perfectly groomed from head to toe.
“It’s just past ten. What brings you here today?”
Hannah let out a short sigh and went straight into the kitchen. Mrs. Hong followed, her face flushed with anger.
Hannah started the coffee machine and popped bread into the toaster. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had a relaxed breakfast. With Mrs. Hong constantly moving from the main house to the back, her headaches had become almost daily.
“Hey! You completely ignore what your mother-in-law says, don’t you?”
“Mother.”
Hannah turned to face her sternly. Mrs. Hong flinched and stepped back a pace. Seeing this uncharacteristic reaction, Hannah narrowed her eyes.
“What… what is this?”
“There are employees around. You should watch your words.”
With that, Hannah poured the warm coffee into a tumbler, grabbed a plastic bag, and placed the toasted bread inside.
“As you said, mother, I’m running very late. If there’s anything you need to say, please do it tonight. I should be going now.”
“What time did you come home yesterday?”
Mrs. Hong grabbed the back of Hannah’s neck as she tried to leave. Hannah paused for a moment, but quickly turned to face her mother-in-law with the usual expressionless mask.
“Suddenly curious, are we?”
Hannah could see Mrs. Hong’s face harden. Something about it felt suspicious, but she knew her mother-in-law couldn’t possibly know anything. If she did, that alone would have been enough to scold her.
“If you’re really curious, you should ask Seong-tae. He would know the exact time I came home.”
“What are you talking about?”
Mrs. Hong seemed completely unaware of what her son, Park Seong-tae, had done. Hannah met her gaze squarely.
“Ask him the reason too—whether I’ll keep quiet or blabber. I haven’t decided yet.”
Without changing her expression, Hannah walked toward the front door. She ignored her mother-in-law’s voice calling after her.
Stepping outside, the cold wind slapped her face. She hurried to the garage. Thankfully, her Mini Cooper was parked neatly inside. Approaching the driver’s seat, she glanced around without realizing it.
“Is something wrong, ma’am?”
The elderly security guard, Mr. Park, approached.
“No, I was just looking around.”
“Take care on your way.”
As Mr. Park raised his broom to leave, Hannah called after him.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
“It’s nothing. You have a good day too.”
“Ah, thank you, ma’am. You’re the only one who cares about me.”
Hannah smiled faintly and got into her car. She started the engine and placed her bag in the passenger seat before fastening her seatbelt.
Driving out to the main road, she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, trying in vain to recall yesterday’s events. No matter how hard she tried, nothing came to mind. She gave up.
She parked at the public parking lot near her office. Normally, she would have used the office’s underground parking, but after yesterday, the thought of leaving her car there was terrifying.
Looking at her low-heeled shoes, she chuckled. Wearing these, she wouldn’t have been able to escape quickly even if she wanted to. The choice seemed laughably impractical.
Reaching for her bag, she noticed the paper bag and instinctively recoiled.
‘Where do I throw this?’
She scanned the brightly lit parking lot. A large trash bin sat in the corner, but it had no lid. If she discarded the bag there, someone would surely see it. She didn’t like that.
After a moment’s thought, she decided to take it to the office and dispose of it in a black trash bag.
Even so, carrying the paper bag required courage. It had seemed no problem when she left her room and got into the car, but now it felt daunting.
‘Focus, Hannah. This isn’t the time to falter.’
Her hands trembled even while driving. She kept gripping the wheel tightly, wishing she could just abandon the car. But she had a task to complete—she desperately needed the money.
Resolutely deciding to erase yesterday’s nightmare from her mind, Hannah grabbed the bag and her purse together.
Exiting the car, she noticed her fingers trembling. She clasped her wrist with the other hand and let go.
“It’s okay. Everything’s fine. Nothing will happen.”
After several deep breaths, she quickly left the public parking lot. The walk to the office was only a few minutes, but she kept glancing back, her anxiety spiking.
Once inside the office building, she pressed the elevator’s close button the moment she stepped in. Watching the floor numbers ascend, her body trembled, and she bit her lip hard.
Arriving at her office, she locked the door multiple times and surveyed the room. Nothing seemed out of place. She took the toast and tumbler from her bag, placed them on the table, and sank into the long couch.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. After a while, she stood and paced the office. She felt she couldn’t do anything if she remained still.
Yet, after an hour of inaction, Hannah packed her bag and left. The black trash bag with the suit jacket and torn clothing remained in the corner, untouched.
She stepped off the elevator into the underground parking lot and froze. Her knees wobbled; she couldn’t stand properly. Yesterday’s events were vivid and sharp in her mind. Her heart pounded wildly, and her vision went white.
She remembered only a few things, one of which was being silenced and forced into a car here.
Startled by a distant car horn, she gasped and hurried out of the parking lot. She got into her car in the public lot and drove home frantically.
She couldn’t recall driving—she moved with green lights, stopped at reds—mechanically, almost on autopilot. Pulling back into her garage, the security guard looked at her curiously, but said nothing.
She rushed from the garage to the back house. Opening the front door suddenly, the housekeepers froze in the living room, startled.
“At… at this hour…?”
One housekeeper stammered, staring at Hannah as though she’d seen a ghost.
“I wasn’t feeling well. But why are you standing there?”
It was only then that Hannah realized something was off with the housekeepers.
“Well… um…”
They glanced at each other, hesitant. Hannah sensed they wanted to say something and stepped closer.
Then, a strange sound reached her ears—an eerie noise that could have been a moan or a scream.
