VSSSP 02

Chapter 2

“Ah….”

Lee-hyun wiped the corners of her eyes with a slightly awkward smile.

“It’s just… the garden was really beautiful.”

At her answer, one of the man’s eyebrows twitched.

It was only natural that he would find it hard to understand—there was nothing particularly beautiful about the winter garden.

Lee-hyun then remembered that the homeowner was supposed to arrive soon.

She bowed politely to the butler again.

“Thank you for allowing me to look at the garden. Please convey my gratitude to the owner.”

She waited for a response, but then her phone vibrated in her hand. Lee-hyun gave a small nod and turned away. Clutching her phone tightly, she walked across the garden toward the gate.

She could feel the man’s gaze following her, but she assumed it was only because he was watching to see a guest leave the premises.

He really does seem like a meticulous person, just as his expression suggested.

Lee-hyun tried to erase the lingering image of the man from her mind and brought the phone to her ear.

“Yes, Min-seong.”

Mu-geong frowned slightly as he watched the woman’s back.

A report followed from the secretary, explaining that a visitor had arrived.

“Lee Da-hee, 27 years old. She is studying robotics at Korea University’s graduate school. Both parents are teachers. She was born at Jeil Obstetrics and Gynecology in Seoul, and she is the eldest of one son and two daughters.”

Hearing the information, Mu-geong’s expression remained unreadable.

The woman had introduced herself as a garden designer.

He watched as she spoke on the phone.

“If you’re busy, we can postpone the date—oh, you’re already here?”

A clear voice mixed with the sound of the wind and the chimes.

“No, I’m finished. I’ll head out right away… what? With Sua unnie?”

Lee-hyun’s voice rose slightly.

“…Unnie?”

[Hey! How much longer are you going to take? We’ve been waiting with Min-seong for a while!]

A complaining, irritated voice spilled through the phone and reached Mu-geong’s ears. His brow twitched ever so slightly.

“With Min-seong? Why is unnie with Min-seong…?”

Her tone sounded flustered as it blended with the breeze and the chimes.

“Dinner together? All three of us? Suddenly?”

Unintentionally, he overheard the conversation. The woman quickened her steps down the stairs leading to the gate.

She disappeared from Mu-geong’s sight, then reappeared as she waited for the gate to open.

Mu-geong stared at the closed gate.

As he watched it, he heard footsteps from behind.

“Good afternoon, Director.”

Mu-geong turned around. A gray-haired man leaning on a crutch approached—Choi Dong-min, the facility manager who had taken care of the house for a long time.

Mu-geong glanced at the man’s right leg and asked, “Did you get injured?”

“Oh, that… I was taking down the wind chimes, and the ladder tipped over. That’s how it happened.”

The fact that the manager had been injured had not yet been reported by the secretary.

Even though he hadn’t known about it, Mu-geong naturally continued the conversation.

“Did you receive proper treatment?”

“Yes, of course. Secretary Kim even covered the hospital expenses. I’m sorry for worrying you, Director.”

Hearing about the hospital expenses, it seemed the secretary had handled things properly.

Mu-geong could guess why Secretary Kim was not standing in front of him.

Since they had to prepare for the move and the manager had been injured, things must have gotten complicated. Even so, the secretary was probably rushing around, handling matters without bothering him.

He was an excellent worker, so he would finish soon.

Mu-geong offered a polite smile and said to the manager,

“The company should cover all expenses since you were injured while working.”

“Thank you for saying that—and I’m truly sorry.”

The manager bowed repeatedly, his back curved with age.

Mu-geong naturally walked toward the house. The manager followed slowly behind on his crutch and continued speaking.

“I will hire someone else and remove the wind chimes by today.”

That had been Mu-geong’s order.

He had instructed that the noisy wind chimes in the garden be removed—every last one of them.

Mu-geong stopped walking and looked toward the spot where the woman had stood earlier.

He recalled her white face, eyes closed in a gentle smile. When her long hair had swayed in the breeze, he had even imagined a faint, sweet floral scent.

Or had it really been coming from her?

It had grown stronger when he approached her, so perhaps it was not an illusion.

Mu-geong hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Leave them.”

“Pardon?”

“The wind chimes. Just leave them. As long as there’s no strong wind, they’re quiet. I think I can tolerate it.”

It was an impulsive remark. Moreover, it was unusual for him to reverse a decision—something he had never done before.

The manager, however, nodded as if understanding.

“I was starting to feel a bit reluctant to remove them anyway.”

The manager looked at the rose tunnel where the wind chimes hung and continued,

“The late madam really liked them. On windy days, she would stay in the garden for a long time just to listen to the sound.”

His words carried a quiet sigh, tinged with longing.

Anything about his mother—or small matters related to the house—were things the manager often knew more about than Mu-geong.

There was a bond between the manager and his mother that went beyond employer and employee.

The manager’s gaze lingered on various parts of the garden, as though reminiscing.

Yet the words Mu-geong had been waiting for did not come.

Though he had already suspected it, he decided to ask directly about the woman he had seen in the garden.

“Did someone come by?”

“Pardon?”

“Earlier, I saw a stranger leaving the house.”

The manager nodded, as if suddenly remembering.

“Oh, yes. The garden designer visited earlier. Young Master Jun-yeong said you had given permission… that it was fine for her to look at the garden for a moment. She must have finished and left already.”

The manager, appearing slightly regretful, looked toward the gate and did not notice Mu-geong’s brow tightening.

So it really had been Jun-yeong’s doing.

Mu-geong detested people entering his personal space without permission. Jun-yeong, knowing this, had sent someone to the house without asking.

He had even lied to the manager, claiming that Mu-geong had granted permission.

But he could not blame the manager for what his cousin had done.

“Oh, Jun-yeong.”

Mu-geong murmured lowly, as if recalling the matter.

“I heard about it today. The garden.”

Just then, a metallic click came from the gate. The heavy door opened, and the person who appeared was Mu-geong’s secretary.

Seeing Mu-geong, Secretary Kim hurried over.

“Director.”

The secretary caught his breath for a moment.

“The furniture we ordered won’t be delivered until the day after tomorrow.”

Mu-geong said nothing.

He had announced his decision to move to the Seongbuk-dong house only an hour ago.

The secretary stood calmly in front of him, but sweat beaded on his forehead. It was easy to imagine how frantically he must have been working.

The manager, standing beside them, carefully added,

“Director, why not come tomorrow or in a few days? The house still needs some organization. And because of my injury….”

The manager couldn’t finish his sentence. He seemed troubled that his injury had delayed preparations.

Mu-geong nodded toward him.

“Very well.”

After hearing Mu-geong’s response, the manager went inside the house, and Mu-geong turned toward the parking area.

At that moment, Secretary Kim took a white medicine bottle from his briefcase and handed it over.

“Director, this is the headache medicine you requested.”

He also handed over a bottle of water.

Among the many tasks Mu-geong had assigned, fetching his usual headache medicine had been one of them. His throbbing head now felt completely clear.

Mu-geong replied indifferently,

“I don’t need it.”

“Pardon?”

“I feel better.”

He walked toward the parking area and instructed the secretary,

“Take care of the manager’s injury properly. Make sure he rests until he heals, and don’t forget to cover the hospital expenses.”

“Yes, Director.”

Hearing the reply, Mu-geong continued toward the parking lot with his usual steady steps. The secretary followed and asked,

“Director, are you going to the officetel?”

Mu-geong paused and considered. He had been staying at the officetel for the past few days.

But returning there made him think of his father, Chairman Han.

It would be better if the chairman did not know his whereabouts for the time being.

After thinking it over, Mu-geong shook his head.

“No. I’ll go to the hotel. Keep my location confidential for now.”

“Yes, understood.”

The capable secretary grasped the meaning behind his words.

There was a useful card to play in situations like this. Since he also intended to make someone pay for their mistake, he decided to head to the hotel where Jun-yeong was staying.

Mu-geong walked toward the parking lot but then glanced once more at the place where the woman had stood.

A spring breeze passed by. The music it played echoed through the garden.