Chapter 10
Before she knew it, it was already 6 p.m., and the midsummer sun still hung bright in the sky, showing no sign of setting. Tired of sitting idly in the detached studio, Yeo-eun headed to the kitchen.
Her hand had almost fully healed, so she wanted to help Yeongsuk and Jeongwon with their work. The two tried to shoo her away like before, but after some persuasion, Yeo-eun managed to stay and settled herself in the kitchen.
Just as Jeongwon was transferring the well-seasoned, vibrant vegetables onto a plate—while Yeo-eun secretly swallowed her saliva at the appetizing sight—Jeongwon cautiously asked,
“Are your memories coming back at all?”
“…Ah, yes. They’re coming back little by little, but it’s still…”
“I see. Don’t rush yourself. You’re already doing well as you are.”
A sharp pang of guilt pricked Yeo-eun’s conscience, but she forced a smile to brush it off.
“To be honest, I like how you are now much better, Ms. Yuen. Back then, you always looked so gloomy that it drained me too, and—ah!”
Jeongwon’s elbow landed squarely in Yeongsuk’s side. Yeongsuk continued awkwardly,
“No, I mean… I didn’t mean anything bad. It’s just that you smile more these days, so…”
“Unni, your mouth is always the problem. If you’re going to compliment someone, just compliment them.”
After scolding Yeongsuk, Jeongwon turned back to Yeo-eun.
“I liked the old you too, Ms. Yuen. I really love your artwork.”
Her eyes sparkled as she continued,
“Especially ‘Fairy Tale Playground.’ When I saw that piece at your exhibition, it felt like my breath caught, like I was the only person left in the world…!”
Fairy Tale Playground was one of Yuen’s representative works. Despite its hopeful title, it carried a strangely somber and lyrical atmosphere.
Noticing Yeo-eun’s slightly widened eyes, Jeongwon cleared her throat.
“Ahem…! I, well… I’ve actually been to all your exhibitions. You didn’t know, right?”
Only then did Yeo-eun understand the reason behind Jeongwon’s kindness. When she spoke about Yuen’s art, she looked genuinely thrilled.
“Of course, I’m not saying this to pressure you. I just really wanted to tell you that I’m always cheering for you.”
Wow, I finally said it! Jeongwon looked relieved. The feeling of her conscience being pricked like by needles made Yeo-eun’s voice grow quieter.
“…Thank you. Truly.”
It would have been nice if Yuen herself could hear Jeongwon’s warm encouragement… Yeo-eun made a mental note to pass it on someday.
“If you ever need help, just tell me anytime. Even if I can’t do much, sometimes just talking about things can help.”
“That’s right. I’ve learned that enduring everything isn’t always the answer.”
Aside from the most important fact—that Yeo-eun was not actually Yuen—the atmosphere remained warm and peaceful.
As Yeo-eun nodded along to Jeongwon and Yeongsuk’s life advice, a commotion suddenly rose near the door.
“Why is it so noisy? Did something happen?”
“I’ll go check.”
Just as Yeo-eun set down the tongs and walked toward the door, it burst open and Jeonju-daek entered.
“…What is it?”
“Ms. Chae Yuen, Madam is calling for you.”
“…Pardon?”
“Come out.”
Cutting off Yeo-eun mid-sentence, Jeonju-daek turned around without hesitation.
“Follow me. Quickly.”
Startled, Yeo-eun hesitated for a moment, but Jeonju-daek urged her on.
If “Madam” meant Mrs. Jung, then this couldn’t possibly be anything good.
“…Do you happen to know what this is about?”
“Well, you’ll have to hear it yourself.”
Jeonju-daek’s curt response made Yeo-eun certain that something was wrong.
“Ms. Chae Yuen has arrived.”
The moment Yeo-eun stepped into the main house living room, she knew something was seriously off. The atmosphere was icy, as if cold water had been poured over everything.
The entire Cha Seokjae family—except for Do-gyeong—had gathered. Chairman Cha sat at the head, radiating a menacing aura. The tension was far worse than she had expected, and just as Yeo-eun slightly shrank back—
Smack!
As if she had been waiting for this moment, Mrs. Jung sprang to her feet and struck Yeo-eun hard across the cheek.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Ah…!”
The sudden pain made her vision flash white. What on earth was going on?
Without giving her time to process, Mrs. Jung began shouting furiously,
“Do you have any sense at all? What on earth made you do something so horrible? Honestly, I can’t believe this!”
“…Pardon? What did I—”
“Look at you pretending not to know. There’s a limit to how shameless you can be.”
Clutching her throbbing cheek, Yeo-eun looked around.
Mrs. Jung was spewing rage, Chairman Cha’s face was hardened with fury, and the others mirrored his cold expression.
…Wait. Among those stern faces, Junhyuk’s expression stood out. Though he had his head lowered as if troubled, his lips were curled into a smile. Yeo-eun frowned.
“Hey!”
Mrs. Jung shouted sharply. Yeo-eun turned back to face her.
Yeo-eun simply stared at her in silence. Already scowling, Mrs. Jung raised her hand again. Should I just take another hit? she wondered briefly.
“Ah, let’s talk this out first.”
Cha Junhyuk suddenly stepped in and blocked her arm.
“Junhyuk, you—no matter how much you favor her, I can’t overlook this.”
“I know, I know.”
Junhyuk drawled lazily. Yeo-eun began carefully observing their expressions and behavior to understand the situation.
From what they were saying, something terrible had happened—and she was the suspect.
She needed to figure out exactly what had occurred. Calming herself, Yeo-eun spoke as politely as she could.
“…I believe there’s been a misunderstanding. Could you please explain what happened?”
“A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? You really don’t get it, do you? What you did is attempted murder. Attempted murder!”
“…Attempted murder?”
Murder. The gravity of the accusation left her speechless.
“That’s right, murder! Because of you, Executive Director Cha nearly died. What on earth were you thinking, doing something so horrific?”
“…What?”
Yeo-eun couldn’t help but respond blankly. It felt as though she had fallen into a deep swamp.
“…Are you saying something almost happened to the Executive Director?”
“Not ‘almost’—it did happen! He could’ve even missed today’s meeting because of it!”
Seeing Yeo-eun standing there in a daze, Mrs. Jung let out a scoff.
“Pretending not to know won’t help now. There are no other suspects but you, and all the evidence points to you.”
“……”
“How could you do something so—hic—so horrible…!”
Mrs. Jung began sobbing, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Junhyuk glanced at Yeo-eun, who stood as if struck by lightning, and stepped forward.
“Wait. Let me talk to her first. Mother, please rest.”
Turning toward Chairman Cha, he continued with a regretful expression,
“It’s also my fault for not noticing until things got this bad. I’ll take responsibility and uncover the truth.”
“Chae Yuen, what were you thinking, doing something like that?”
After dragging Yeo-eun in front of the detached building, Junhyuk spoke in a casual tone. Gone was his earlier look of regret—now he seemed almost delighted.
“Did you hate Cha Do-gyeong that much? Enough to want him dead? Heh…!”
His lips twisted upward strangely before he let out a crude laugh.
“Be honest with me. What did you hate so much about him, huh? Well, I guess that bastard is pretty annoying.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Yeah, yeah. Of course you’d say that.”
“…I’m telling you, it really wasn’t.”
Yeo-eun spoke with frustration as she studied Junhyuk’s expression.
Why does he look so pleased? Is it because Cha Do-gyeong got hurt?
“Didn’t expect Chae Yuen to be bold enough to pull something like this. I’m seeing you in a new light.”
That alone didn’t explain his tone and behavior—they felt off.
“…What happened to the Executive Director?”
At her question, killing intent flickered in Junhyuk’s eyes.
“Cha Do-gyeong? Unfortunately, he didn’t die. Tough bastard. Would’ve been nice if he’d just dropped dead this time.”
Narrowing his eyes like a snake, Junhyuk muttered lowly,
“Look at today. Because of Cha Do-gyeong, the whole family—ha, no.”
He cut himself off and looked at Yeo-eun. His filthy gaze lingered on her.
“Actually, this might be for the best.”
The corner of his lips curled upward. Meeting his sticky, unpleasant gaze, the suspicion that had been rising within her solidified into certainty.
Cha Junhyuk knows.
He knows that I’m not the culprit.
