Chapter 14……………………………………………..
The desk Dowoon had brought was made of antique mahogany. When the matching chair was placed beside it, the room finally looked like a place someone actually lived in.
“Have a seat.”
At Dowoon’s words, Chohui carefully sat down. The desk was a little large for her small frame, but since she had never owned a desk of her own, she found it fascinating.
“Wow… my goodness. This desk is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“But if you brought it from your room, what will you do, Mr. Dowoon?”
“I can just use the desk in the study, so don’t worry about it.”
At his offhand reply, Chohui nodded.
Come to think of it, after observing him closely for the past week, she had noticed that he was unusually attached to his study.
He hardly ever left it.
Early morning or late at night, if you were looking for him, all you had to do was go to the study.
“Now that I think about it, it seems like you even sleep in the study. Isn’t that uncomfortable?”
It was a casual question, but for some reason, Dowoon’s expression stiffened slightly.
“I don’t sleep in the study every night.”
“Hm. Really? I guess I must have been mistaken.”
Chohui murmured to herself. She was sure she had never once seen him enter his own bedroom…
Sensing that Dowoon didn’t want to talk about it further, Chohui quickly changed the subject.
“I’m planning to go out for a bit today.”
“Go out? Where are you going?”
“I need to meet someone briefly.”
At her words, Dowoon frowned as if displeased.
“Meet someone? Do you even know anyone here besides me?”
“It’s someone I met after coming here. It’s been over a week since I stopped by the inn where I used to stay. I’m supposed to meet my older brother there.”
“Ah…”
Dowoon trailed off. He looked like he had more to say, so she waited, but he kept his mouth tightly shut.
“I understand. Then take a rickshaw.”
“Thank you. I’ll be back before nightfall.”
Chohui gave him a grateful look and climbed into the rickshaw he had called for her.
The rickshaw stopped in the old district of Sinuiju.
Unlike the flashy, Japanese-style streets of the new district where Obok Store was located, the old district was a shabby maze of alleys filled with Koreans.
But Chohui felt far more at ease here. Rather than being surrounded by suffocating bourgeois types, she preferred a place where familiar Korean words filled the air.
She got off in front of the inn and opened the door with practiced ease.
“Miss from Gyeongseong!”
“Bok-i!”
Bok-i was at the counter, greeting her warmly.
Beaming with joy at the sight of Chohui, Bok-i welcomed her enthusiastically.
“It’s been so long! Have you been well?”
“I was worried since I hadn’t heard from you. I kept thinking, what if that fellow turned out to be a strange one?”
“Don’t worry. I’m doing very well with my work as a private tutor.”
Her contract with Dowoon was kept strictly secret. Bok-i believed she had gone to work as an English tutor in a private household, so Chohui had to stick to that story.
“By the way… have you heard anything about my brother?”
After exchanging pleasantries, Chohui cautiously got to the point. She asked with hopeful eyes, but Bok-i slowly shook her head.
“There’s still no word. It may be rude to say this, but…”
“It’s okay, Bok-i. Go ahead.”
“Are you sure your brother is really coming here?”
At the careful question, Chohui felt her heart sink.
So she thinks my brother abandoned me.
But that couldn’t be true. Even if everyone in the world turned their backs on her, her brother never would.
Chohui forced a smile.
“Of course, Bok-i. Something must have come up in Gyeongseong, so he’s just late. My brother is someone who always keeps his promises.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Her lips trembled, but she held on to her smile.
“And also, miss—while you’re staying at that house, you must be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“That neighborhood is where rich people live. Isn’t it unsettling for a Korean to be living there?”
“Well, Mr. Dowoon is a businessman. He must have made a lot of money, that’s why he lives there.”
At her reply, Bok-i leaned forward over the counter. As Chohui leaned in as well, Bok-i lowered her voice and whispered in her ear.
“I don’t know how Gyeongseong was, but Sinuiju is a dangerous place. Don’t trust that man too much. Especially Koreans who are rich—there’s always something dirty behind it.”
“Something dirty?”
“People who sold out the country.”
At Bok-i’s words, chills ran up the back of Chohui’s neck.
It wasn’t as if she had never considered that possibility.
Dowoon certainly looked like a textbook pro-Japanese collaborator.
Close with Japanese businessmen, desperate to get into their circles.
From the start, the very fact that a Korean could successfully run a business was suspicious.
But if that were really the case, wouldn’t he have reported me when he found out my brother was involved in the Jongno Police Station bombing?
The fact that no police had come knocking suggested that he had only used that information to threaten her, not to expose it.
Was he simply someone obsessed with business—or was he truly a bad man?
She couldn’t tell.
Or maybe… she didn’t want to believe he was truly bad.
“He’s not that kind of person.”
“Still…”
“If he were, I’d leave that house immediately. So don’t worry, Bok-i.”
“…All right. Please be careful.”
Chohui reassured Bok-i, but her own heart was in turmoil.
She needed certainty—that he truly wasn’t a bad person.
After Chohui left, Dowoon settled into his study to catch up on the work he had neglected. Over the past week, matters concerning Chohui had taken priority, leaving most of his tasks unfinished.
He had stayed up late dealing with urgent matters, but piles of minor work still remained.
“Hoo…”
Even though he needed to focus and work quickly, strange thoughts kept intruding whenever he tried to concentrate.
For instance, imagining Chohui sitting on the sofa…
It felt as if she might be there, reading a book, only to suddenly ask him a question.
Or else, an image formed in his mind of her—dressed formally—sitting atop his desk.
Absurd, yet persistent.
Her pale neckline and slender, fragile-looking waist. Lips as red as her blouse, flushed cheeks glowing faintly…
“Damn it.”
Dowoon jumped to his feet. Letting out a sigh, he turned his gaze toward the window. Outside, servants were tending to the trees in the garden.
“I really haven’t been sleeping enough lately.”
He let out a hollow laugh at his own ridiculous fantasies.
“…But was this place always this quiet?”
After spending an entire week with Chohui, it felt as though her voice still echoed in his ears.
When they were together, she talked endlessly—so much that it was hard to get a moment of peace.
Whenever Dowoon said one thing, Chohui always had at least two opinions of her own.
He had thought it would finally be quiet now.
And yet, this silence felt strangely uncomfortable.
Even though he had always been alone in this study before.
“Have I… gotten used to it?”
To her presence.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Dowoon shook his head.
There was no way he could get used to someone. No—he must not.
To clear his head, he abruptly stood up and headed to the washroom.
Whoosh—
A strong stream of water hit the basin, splashing droplets onto his sleeves. The sound of rushing water pierced his ears.
After standing there for a long while, he washed his face with cold water until his skin turned pale, then tightly shut the faucet.
Water dripped from his wet bangs, trailing down along his Adam’s apple.
He slowly lifted his gaze to the mirror. Contrary to his fears, there were no illusions—only his own soaked face staring back at him.
“Hoo…”
He exhaled deeply. The cold water seemed to clear his mind.
“That’s right. There’s no way I’d get used to someone in just a week.”
Resolved to finish his work quickly, he returned to the study.
When Chohui returned in the evening, she sensed that Dowoon’s attitude was subtly different.
Without looking at her, he continued speaking.
“Now that you’ve built up some knowledge about life in Britain, I’ll teach you how to gather information.”
“Is there some way to pry information out of ladies?”
“It’s not about prying. I’ll tell you four principles. Remember these, and gathering information will become much easier.”
Ways to gather information—this was perfect timing. For Chohui, it was a golden opportunity to find out whether he was truly a bad man.
Outwardly calm, she listened intently, her ears perked and her guard up. Unaware of her tension, Dowoon spoke in his usual low voice.
“First principle: emphasize a sense of commonality with the other person. You need to open their heart.”
“Commonality? But what if you don’t have anything in common?”
“That’s where the second principle comes in—constantly asking questions.”
“But if you keep asking questions, won’t it be obvious that you’re trying to extract information?”
“Not at all. People love talking about themselves. It makes them feel like the protagonist.”
“So the kind of questions you ask matters.”
“Exactly. You must make them believe they’re receiving ‘interest,’ not being ‘interrogated.’”
Chohui tilted her head, looking a little overwhelmed.
Interest, not interrogation—it sounded like a delicate balance.
“The third principle is to review everything, no matter how trivial. There’s no such thing as useless information. Even the most insignificant detail can become a crucial piece of the puzzle.”
“Remembering everything sounds tough. What’s the last principle?”
“The last is to block suspicion. Sometimes, people begin to wonder if they’ve talked too much. To prevent that, you must always end the conversation by smoothly shifting to a different topic.”
Chohui counted off the four principles on her fingers, memorizing them again.
But gathering information from this man won’t be easy at all. What should I do…?
As she pondered deeply, a sudden idea struck her.
How did I not think of this before?
Suppressing a triumphant grin, Chohui smiled at Dowoon.
“Mr. Dowoon, would you like to have a drink together?”
