CHAPTER 77

Kyungrok, as if reluctant to confront the uncomfortable truth, turned his head away in denial.

“Aren’t you curious whose bloodline he comes from if it’s not yours?”

Taegyeom said slowly, with a smirk on his lips. Kyungrok defiantly shook his head in denial and then began to gasp for air. Watching Chairman Kwon struggle to breathe, clutching his chest and gasping for air, Taegyeom, in slow motion, reached out his hand.

He pressed the medical call button next to the bed, and the gasping Chairman Kwon, who had been burying his head downward, suddenly lifted his face. His once bloodshot face was now as pale as a corpse submerged in water.

“You can keep wondering until the day you fall into hell.”

Taegyeom whispered calmly and softly. His indifferent and ruthless expression bore no trace of resentment or curse.

Kyungrok, who had been glaring at Taegyeom as if he wanted to kill him, reached out his trembling hand. He snatched the paper, his gaze dropping downward.

[99.9% chance of paternity]

Wide-eyed, his eyes lingered on the name at the top of the paper for a long time.

[Hwang Incheol.]

Those three name symbols.

I’ll kill this bastard…!

The chairman’s life flashed before his eyes like a lantern. The face of the young woman who shyly confessed to being pregnant with his child, the eyes of his legal wife that opened lifelessly as she listened to his words, advising her to quietly leave for the United States without a hint of emotion, and the image of his young son climbing into the car without looking back after grabbing his mother’s hand.

The overwhelming emotions at the moment Jingyeom was born, which felt like it would be worth giving up everything for, the joyous feeling, and even Incheol’s detestable expression as he congratulated while handing over the genetic test results of the newborn child.

Like a fish unexpectedly pulled out of the water, Kyungrok’s lips twisted. Gasping and choking, only strange, beastly sounds emanated from him. Heat escaped from his fingertips as he scratched at the blanket, and the area around his heart throbbed, causing his vision to blur.

With a loud noise, the sliding door opened, and medical staff in gowns rushed into the room. At that moment, Kyungrok felt something snap inside him, and he slumped to the side.

In his gradually tilting field of vision, the last thing he saw was Taegyeom’s indifferent face, looking down at him.

* * *

“Let’s go grab some food.”

Jieun whispered, gently patting Leeseo’s shoulder. Then, she gestured towards the door, indicating they should leave. Leeseo nodded and closed the book she had spread open.

As evening approached, the library, which had been quite bustling with students, was now half-empty and serene. After roughly organizing the desks, when Leeseo came out, she found Jieun already outside, stretching lazily in front of the door.

“Ugh, I’m hungry. It’s already seven.”

Through the library’s large window, a twilight sky tinted with darkness was visible. Inside the library, enclosed from all sides, made it difficult to gauge the passage of time. Stretching both arms upward and doing a stretch, Jieun complained about the hunger pangs.

“Ah, my back hurts. I really can’t stand being stuck in the library. I shouldn’t have started studying so early. Isn’t this going to come back to bite me in the ass and make me fail my exams?”

Jieun, entering her last semester, had entered full study mode in preparation for the upcoming pharmacist licensing exam in the approaching winter. Most of the people occupying library study desks from the new semester onwards were like Jieun, either graduating students preparing for the national exams or getting ready for job hunting.

In Leeseo’s case, who had to attend two more semesters until graduation, the situation was different, but she, too, spent a lot of time in the library since the beginning of the semester as she geared up for her studies. During her break period, she had lived a lifestyle quite detached from academics, so she felt a sense of urgency. But in reality, she just didn’t want to return to her quiet one-room apartment alone.

Among people burning with academic zeal, she found solace in the fact that the library was filled with people who, like her, were blending into the background and didn’t stand out. 

Even if it was just a self-deception to soothe her own troubled mind, the ordinary air filled in the library seemed to provide comfort. She felt that all the complicated things that happened to her were just passing winds. 

Leeseo responded to Jieun’s grumbling with a soft smile, gently patting her shoulder.

“Stop exaggerating. You’re likely to get a perfect score, anyway.”

“What’s the point of getting a perfect score? I just need to pass.”

Even as she said that, Jieun’s lips quirked up at the corners and she wrapped her arms around Leeseo.

“Let’s go have dinner. How about having tonkatsu after a long time?”

“Sure.”

Although it might be an exaggeration to say it’s been a while since they had tonkatsu, considering they had it last week, Jieun was renowned for her love of tonkatsu. Besides, the tonkatsu place in front of the school, where they usually went, offered a variety of menus, making the choice wide.

Moreover, lately, there wasn’t anything specific she wanted to eat, so it didn’t matter much where they went. Her routine was simple: eat when it was time, get up when the alarm rang, go to school, attend classes, laugh at friends’ jokes, and spend time in the library.

Leeseo followed Jieun down the stairs. As they exited the main gate, her eyes lingered momentarily on the fountain in front of the library.

About two weeks ago, the image of a man who had stood unexpectedly in front of the fountain waiting for her flashed through her mind. The man, dressed impeccably from head to toe, with hair perfectly combed without a strand out of place, emitted an atmosphere that didn’t quite fit with a student that goes to a school library. He drew attention with a presence that didn’t match the surroundings.

Moreover, wearing sunglasses, the man confidently strolled, seemingly unbothered by the curious gazes of the students passing by. Upon spotting Leeseo, he greeted her with an exaggerated wave and a friendly smile, as if they were old acquaintances.

‘How have you been?’

‘…….’

‘You’re a little hard to recognize now.’

Yoo Jinwoo observed Leeseo’s face carefully, tilting his head down as they made their way to the back alley behind the library. Even as she deliberately avoided drawing attention from onlookers, Jinwoo continued to scrutinize her features, and he spoke with a hint of playfulness.

‘Well, looking much healthier than the state of some guy I know. No need to tell who dumped who, I can figure it out.’

She knew exactly who he was talking about. Just hearing those words caused a dull ache in her chest. Even though her expression remained cold, she spoke firmly.

‘What brings you here? It’s quite inconvenient for you to show up like this without any contact in advance.’

Even with her firm demeanor, Jinwoo was completely unaffected.

‘I don’t have your phone number, and you didn’t give me any contact information, so how could I contact you in advance?’

‘…….Well.’

‘I’m not asking for your contact information. Don’t bother getting my number too, or I might have to deal with that jerk’s tantrums. If I need you, I’ll just drop by like this. He knows where you are and what you’re doing anyway.’

With a shrug, Jinwoo removed the sunglasses perched on the tip of his nose and tucked them into the collar of his shirt. His face, revealed after taking off the sunglasses, looked more tired than she remembered. Swollen bags under his eyes and chapped lips. Now that she thought about it, his voice also seemed lower.

After a quick check of his wristwatch as if chasing time, he let out a sigh and inhaled audibly before speaking.

‘Having divided my non-existent time to make an effort to find you, I’m a bit disappointed that my presence isn’t very welcome. But, I also need to go somewhere else quickly. Let’s get to the point. You went to see your Dad, didn’t you?’

Leeseo’s eyes twitched as she looked up at Jinwoo.

Just before the new semester began, Leeseo went to the prison to meet Gyucheol. After parting ways with Taegyeom, the world was abuzz with the scandal at GK Group while she was holed up in a single room with a fever. As the entire country was turned upside down by the shock, she remained alone in her burrow, as if lying like a corpse.

Various news outlets were making a fuss, covering the truth battle over Gyucheol’s claims of a driver switch scam by Chairman Kwon. Just like before, she knew Gyucheol would likely reject her request for a visit, but despite that, she made efforts to go to him.

Perhaps, she wanted to become free after pouring out everything. She wanted to draw lines, shouting and blaming loudly, expressing anger and resentment, and declaring that she would live an everyday life unrelated to him.

With that in mind, she visited the prison, where reporters were camped out. Due to a series of reasons, Gyucheol had been designated as a special protection target, making it impossible for her to even apply for a visit.

It had already been over a month since she returned negatively, having been denied a visitation pass. When she was about to question how he knew about it, she decided to let it go

‘I can’t even get a visitation pass.’

‘I know. It’ll be difficult for you to meet him for a while. Your father is quite hot these days. Anyway, don’t be too disappointed. Now, a gift.’

Squinting with one eye, Jinwoo reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out something. He held out an unmarked white envelope. After Leeseo hesitantly took it, Jinwoo tapped the corner of the letter with his fingertip and said. 

‘Don’t read it now. Read it after I leave. I have an OCD where if a woman cries in front of me, I have to comfort her. That’s just how I am.’

Uttering these perplexing words, Jinwoo handed the letter to Leeseo completely and turned away as if his business was done.