Chapter 12
A brief hesitation crossed her mind. Of course—people would definitely find it strange.
“Uh, uh… just say you came in your uncle’s car.”
“Uncle?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, that uncle. Right. You said I have an uncle too, didn’t you?”
Seeing Yerim beam at the mention of an uncle made Hye-yeon’s chest ache. Yerim had grown up believing her father was her uncle and had never even properly seen his face. She felt sorry for the child. At the same time, resentment toward Pilmo welled up. He had abandoned a newborn at her doorstep and kept causing trouble until, in the end, he had dragged his own daughter into danger.
A sigh escaped her, but she didn’t want to plant bad memories in the child’s mind.
“Uh, yeah. Right. Just say it was your uncle’s car.”
“Okay!”
Yerim smiled brightly and returned to her drawing. Hye-yeon, however, remained lost in thought.
Her mind was filled with one thing—getting hold of a phone. She was thinking of a way to contact Young-sook without anyone noticing when someone suddenly came to mind.
“Keep coloring for a bit, okay?”
“Okay.”
Hye-yeon immediately left the room and knocked on the door at the end of the hallway. At the sound of the knock, Mina came out wearing her pajamas.
“Could I borrow your phone for a moment?”
“But you have a phone too, don’t you, Hye-yeon?”
“Well….”
Mina obviously knew she had a phone, but Hye-yeon struggled to come up with an excuse.
She could say that Seok-woo was monitoring her, but that was a rule only the two of them had agreed on. She couldn’t reveal it in front of the people in this house. After all, Pilmo’s life—not Seok-woo’s—was at stake.
“Oh! Your bill must have been cut off!”
“Ah, yes, yes. Something like that.”
Perhaps because Hye-yeon had been sold off to repay debts, Mina seemed to assume that her phone service had been suspended due to unpaid bills.
“I understand situations like that. Here, use mine.”
Mina held out her phone.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. If you ever need it, you can borrow my phone anytime. Go ahead and talk comfortably. I’ll go get a glass of water.”
“Then… just a moment.”
As soon as Mina stepped away, Hye-yeon quickly entered her room and called Young-sook.
—Hello… who is this?
“Aunt, it’s me.”
—Ah, Hye-yeon! Are you okay? But this number…
“I borrowed the phone from someone I work with here for a moment. I can’t make regular calls anymore.”
—So you got caught back then? I thought something sounded off when you were talking before…
“It’s become troublesome. But how’s my brother? Is his body okay? Has he recovered?”
—No. He still hasn’t regained consciousness.
The strength drained from her body. He had to regain consciousness for them to find the items, but there had been no progress.
Hye-yeon bit her nails anxiously, deep in thought. If Pilmo ended up dying like this, everything would be over.
“What should we do? Shouldn’t he be moved to a hospital? If he dies like this…”
—If we take him to a hospital, records will remain and our location will be discovered right away. We can’t. If things get really bad, I’ll try to find another way. Maybe ask acquaintances who work at hospitals.
“Thank you, Aunt.”
—You’re really okay, right? They’re not doing anything to you there, are they? I’m so worried.
“Yes, thankfully I’m fine. But please don’t call unless it’s urgent.”
—Alright.
Hye-yeon quickly hung up and deleted Young-sook’s number from the call log. A heavy sigh slipped out.
She couldn’t even begin to figure out where or how to untangle this mess.
Just then, Mina returned after drinking some water. Hye-yeon handed the phone back to her.
After thanking her for letting her use it, she returned straight to her room. Watching Yerim still happily coloring, it felt as though her head might burst.
At that same time, Mina checked her phone. Although Hye-yeon had deleted the number, the audio record had automatically been saved in the cloud. She immediately pressed the playback button.
“What’s this about? Her brother? They’re looking for something?”
Listening to their conversation, Mina nodded.
“So her brother borrowed money and ran away? That’s why she got caught and brought here? Hmm… I thought it didn’t seem like she personally owed the debt.”
Although Mina had acted gentle and friendly in front of Hye-yeon, her purpose for entering this house was different from the others.
Just then, her phone rang. The caller was someone she was glad to hear from. Mina cleared her throat and answered. As she listened to the man’s commanding voice on the other end, her face lit up.
“Yes, it’s me. Of course! I’ll go.”
After hanging up, Mina opened her wardrobe and took out a red dress. Wearing the short dress and heavy makeup, she stepped out of the room looking completely different from her usual self. It was a late-night outing that no one noticed.
Becoming Seok-woo’s personal keeper meant there was no such thing as finishing work.
After Yerim fell asleep, a message arrived on Hye-yeon’s phone.
Bring some snacks for drinking.
When she checked the clock, it was already past eleven. Since coming here, she hadn’t had a single comfortable night’s sleep. And being summoned this late at night made her even more conscious of the others.
Still, it was late enough that everyone should be asleep. Hye-yeon quietly started preparing some snacks. She placed baked brie, vegetable sticks, and cheese sauce on a plate, then carried it upstairs.
The mansion was eerily quiet under the bright moon, but her own footsteps echoed loudly.
Her throat tightened with tension.
Just being alone in a room with the intimidating Seok-woo made all her senses tense.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
When she opened the door, a chill pierced her skin. Then a sweet wine scent drifted toward her.
Seeing Seok-woo sitting on the sofa drinking, her mouth went dry.
Looking at the wine bottle, it was already half empty. Had he been drinking without any snacks? Worrying about him ruining his stomach felt ridiculous.
Hye-yeon placed the snacks on the table. At that moment, his gaze fixed on her cheek. For some reason, her face felt like it was burning. He had only glanced briefly, but the sticky, persistent gaze felt like it was devouring her.
What’s wrong with him?
He was merely staring at her, yet something about it felt strange.
Even though he had asked her to bring snacks, Seok-woo didn’t touch them, only pouring himself more wine.
“Wait here. If the snacks run out, go get more.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t just stand there. Sit.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s uncomfortable.”
“……”
Standing felt far more comfortable right now.
He glanced at her and jerked his chin.
What should she do?
She had no desire whatsoever to sit across from him and keep him company while he drank. She was afraid he might notice that she was deceiving him.
“What are you doing? Want me to seat you myself?”
“N-no.”
She thought it would be bad to irritate him unnecessarily. Instead of sitting directly across from him, she perched awkwardly on the edge of the sofa. The cold leather brushed against her, sending a chill through her body.
It was June. Still some time before summer, yet the air conditioner was running. Only now did she realize the chill she felt when she first entered the room was from the air conditioner.
A brief silence followed. But that silence only heightened her anxiety.
Thump, thump.
She glanced at him as he drank.
His tie was loosened and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. His forearms were thick. The muscular arms revealed beneath the well-fitted shirt looked too large for the sleeves to contain.
At a glance, it was clear he worked out a lot.
Well, he held a position comparable to a mob boss. JM Capital was practically a company backed by gangsters. That meant a man like Kang Seok-woo stood as the second-in-command among the dark forces behind the capital.
Thump, thump.
Her heart pounded.
It was only pounding from tension, yet some strange warmth seemed to be creeping through her.
He held out his glass.
“Want a drink?”
“No.”
Hye-yeon waved her hand.
“You probably want one.”
“…Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re frustrated. With So Pilmo disappearing like that.”
“That’s…”
Hye-yeon couldn’t answer.
“Though you seem awfully relaxed about it. Almost like you’ve got something up your sleeve.”
His eyes fixed on her face.
Her heart trembled under his piercing gaze, as if it could chill her to the bone.
The heavy atmosphere pressed down on her. She wondered if trying too hard to remain calm had only made him more suspicious. But Hye-yeon behaved just as composedly as when she had first arrived at this house.
“Should I be anxious?”
“Usually people are.”
“I don’t know what ‘usual’ means, but I’m simply accepting the situation.”
“Calmly like that?”
“There’s no other way.”
Hye-yeon looked straight into Seok-woo’s eyes. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.
For some reason, that smile seemed to pass slowly through her mind in slow motion.
“You should find a way.”
