Chapter 07
His heightened senses weren’t the sort to mistake something like that.
There was only one way to know for sure.
To find out whether she was the same woman from back then.
Unlike that time, when she had vanished without leaving so much as a trace, she had now appeared right in front of him. He had never intended to search for her, but now that fate had brought her back, things were different.
Picking up his phone, Taejo started to make a call before changing his mind and opening his messaging app instead.
Executive Director Choi. I need you to find someone. Her name is Kang Su-a. We had dinner at the T Hotel lounge today.
He included the approximate time before crushing his cigarette into the ashtray.
Executive Director Choi was his father’s right-hand man and someone Taejo trusted completely. If necessary, the man would comb through every second of the hotel’s CCTV footage to find her.
A reply came almost instantly.
When do you need the information by?
Taejo smirked.
I’m about to take a shower.
Another reply followed immediately.
I’ll include the time it takes you to dry your hair.
This is exactly why I like you, Director Choi. Live a long life. We should keep working together.
I’d rather decline that honor.
Chuckling at Choi’s joke, Taejo tossed his phone onto the living-room sofa and stripped off the rest of his clothes.
The clothes he had thrown into the trash would be sent straight to the incinerator tomorrow.
Completely naked, he stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Maybe it was because he hadn’t slept properly for days.
Every one of his senses felt sharper than usual.
The sound of the falling water roared in his ears like thunder.
The droplets striking his skin felt like the lashes of a whip.
I’m exhausted.
Pressing beneath his increasingly dark eye circles, Taejo sighed.
It had been so long since he’d enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep that he couldn’t even remember what it felt like.
It wasn’t that he chose not to sleep.
He simply couldn’t.
Even sleeping pills were useless, leaving him to spend countless nights staring into the darkness.
Ever since that day.
The less he slept, the more frayed his nerves became.
The more exhausted he grew, the sharper his senses became.
How much longer is this miserable existence going to continue?
He pumped fragrance-free shampoo into his hand.
Every product he used was unscented.
Artificial fragrances were unbearable to him, so he had searched through products from Korea and overseas before finding ones he could tolerate.
Finishing his shower quickly, Taejo ignored the hair dryer and walked out with his hair still dripping wet.
His overly sensitive hearing couldn’t bear the mechanical roar of the machine.
Carrying his tablet and a bottle of liquor, he sank onto the sofa.
The quiet hours, when everyone else was asleep, were the only time he could work in relative peace.
Just as he was filling a glass—
An email from Executive Director Choi arrived.
“That was fast.”
The moment he opened the attachment, his phone rang.
It was Choi.
After a brief hesitation, Taejo answered on speaker.
Choi knew about his condition.
He wouldn’t have called without a reason.
“Young Master… why are you looking for this woman?”
“Is there some kind of problem—”
Taejo stopped speaking as his eyes narrowed.
Strategic Management Planning Office, Taesan Group
The line on Su-a’s profile immediately explained why Choi had called.
“So she was this close all along.”
“…Pardon?”
His narrowed eyes continued scanning her file.
Top graduate from Korea University, School of Business.
Graduated early with highest honors.
Earned an MBA abroad.
Joined Taesan Group’s Strategic Planning Office.
A textbook elite career.
And yet a woman with credentials like hers had been pushed into the marriage market.
“…Her father is Kang Hak-seon?”
His brow furrowed as he reached the family section.
“The sexual misconduct scandal?”
“Yes.”
“It happened three years ago. During a forum, he made sexually harassing remarks to a young lawyer, who exposed him afterward.”
“The woman happened to be an up-and-coming human rights attorney. I think he simply failed to recognize her because he was drunk. On top of that, she was about to receive a nomination from the opposition party.”
“Hm.”
“The opposition had been waiting for an opportunity. They bundled that incident together with several older sexual misconduct allegations and released everything at once. From what I’ve heard, there are still quite a few incidents that never became public.”
“There are far too many men like that.”
“That’s true.”
Politics and business depended on one another like crocodiles and the birds that cleaned their teeth.
Even so, as someone running a corporation, Taejo couldn’t help despising politicians.
“Anyway, he’s been trying to return to politics ever since. I had no idea his daughter worked at Taesan.”
“Why are you looking into her?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“If it’s necessary.”
After ending the call with the still-puzzled Executive Director Choi, Taejo lightly tapped the photograph on the screen.
“Interesting.”
A proud, elegant daughter.
A father ruined by sexual misconduct scandals.
Quite the fascinating family.
“He must really be desperate.”
Trying to rebuild his political foundation by selling off his own daughter.
Setting the tablet aside, Taejo rested an arm over his forehead.
Soft white LED lights illuminated every corner of the gray-toned apartment.
They never went out.
Not for a single minute.
There was no darkness anywhere in his home.
Because…
He couldn’t endure darkness.
“It’s okay. Breathe.”
“Slowly.”
“Focus on my breathing.”
The woman who had once allowed him to endure the darkness.
Kang Su-a.
If she truly was that woman…
Could she take away this endless exhaustion?
Could she give him back the sleep he had lost?
“Maybe I should see her sooner.”
His foot swayed idly.
It felt as though his stagnant life had suddenly been given an unexpected source of amusement.
* * *
“Assistant Manager Kang, going somewhere today?”
The sound of rolling office chair wheels came from beside her.
“Hm? Why?”
Without taking her eyes off the monitor, Su-a answered.
“You seem to be in a hurry.”
Unlike most office workers, Su-a never minded working overtime.
Seeing her rushing to finish her work was unusual.
“I’m having dinner with my mother tonight.”
“Oh? Going somewhere nice?”
“Yes.”
Smiling faintly, she finished organizing her files and shut down her computer.
“Then I’ll head out first.”
It had been a rare request.
Mi-hyang had asked to have dinner together.
Normally, she never left the house, always worrying about what her husband would think.
For her, simply going out required enormous determination.
After getting out of a taxi, Su-a headed straight to the restaurant Mi-hyang had chosen.
Apparently, it was somewhere she’d always wanted to visit.
“Welcome, ma’am. May I have your name?”
A middle-aged woman dressed in a vivid pink suit greeted her at the entrance.
Member?
Confused, Su-a answered anyway.
“Ah… Kang Su-a. Though it might be reserved under Han Mi-hyang…”
“Kang Su-a.”
The woman smiled while rapidly flipping through the folder in her hands.
“Ah, here you are.”
“Please come this way.”
As Su-a followed her inside, her mouth slowly fell open.
Lavish decorations.
Cheerful music.
Young men and women gathered in small groups, champagne and wine glasses in hand as they chatted.
This was nothing like the atmosphere she had expected.
“This is…”
“Oh my.”
“Didn’t your mother tell you?”
“It’s a private gathering exclusively for the children of VIP families.”
The strap of Su-a’s handbag slipped from her shoulder.
The day after the disastrous blind date with Byun Gi-nam—
“You’re making me go on another blind date?”
“No.”
“I only told your father that as an excuse.”
“Don’t worry.”
Mi-hyang had definitely said that.
“Excuse me.”
Su-a immediately pulled out her phone.
“Hello, Su-a. Have you arrived?”
Before the phone had even rung several times, Mi-hyang answered as though she’d been waiting.
“Mom.”
“What’s going on?”
“My dear, she’s a famous planner who arranges marriages among chaebol families.”
“She worked very hard to secure you a place.”
“Mom.”
Her voice couldn’t hide her irritation.
“Just endure this one time.”
“Your father will stay quiet for a while afterward.”
“You hate blind dates too, don’t you?”
“Young people these days meet this way before getting married.”
“Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone nice.”
“But this is—”
“I’ve already paid.”
“It’s an expensive event.”
“Just enjoy some delicious food and think of it as a new experience.”
“Please?”
“It’s your mother’s wish.”
Mi-hyang deliberately dragged out the last words.
She knew Su-a could never refuse her.
Han Mi-hyang was Su-a’s one and only weakness.
But today…
Su-a couldn’t forgive what her mother had done.
Without another word, she turned to leave.
“Oh my, you’re leaving already?”
“You can’t do that.”
The woman who had been watching stepped in front of her.
“Your mother made me promise not to let you go.”
There was no way she intended to lose Su-a.
Outstanding appearance.
Outstanding credentials.
Her family background was slightly lacking, but even so—
To a matchmaker with thirty years of experience, Su-a was the perfect centerpiece for tonight’s event.
“Don’t feel pressured.”
“Just think of it as coming to enjoy a nice meal.”
“Wait…”
Before Su-a could protest, the woman gently pushed her toward the center of the ballroom.
Looking back, Su-a saw the organizer standing firmly at the entrance like a gatekeeper.
When their eyes met, the woman smiled brightly.
It was obvious she intended to keep watch over her.
Did Mom ask her to do this?
It was absurd.
Still, arguing with her would only be exhausting.
At this point, it would be easier to kill some time and leave later.
Even if she stormed out now, she’d only end up watching Mi-hyang cry in guilt afterward.
Slipping through the crowd, Su-a followed the flower-decorated edge of the venue until she found a quiet dead-end corridor.
Several private rooms lined the hallway.
Walking past the closed doors, she finally noticed one room standing open.
Maybe no one’s inside.
Carefully peeking through the gap—
The room was empty.
Relieved, she stepped inside and quietly closed the door.
“Didn’t I tell you to get out?”
The sharp voice made her flinch.
Her shoulders stiffened.
Where… did that come from?
Looking around for the speaker, she noticed a pair of legs sticking out from beside the table.
Someone had been there all along.
The person had apparently been lying on the sofa, hidden from view.
“I’m sorr—”
She started apologizing and turned to leave.
But at that exact moment—
The owner of those legs suddenly sat upright.
“Huh?”
Su-a’s eyes widened.
“You…”
Forgetting all manners, she pointed at him.
It was him.
The man who had spectacularly ruined her blind date not long ago.
