Chapter 14

Watching as Hyejun slowly woke, Ijun, seated beside the bed, softly called her name.

“Hyejun.”

“… Big brother?”

“Yes, it’s me. I’m sorry I came only now.”

Fresh from sleep, Hyejun blinked blankly, then smiled faintly.

It pained Ijun as if his whole body were covered in thorns, because it was too heartbreaking to see his younger sister, in the most beautiful season of her life, wearing a smile that looked as though it might shatter at any moment.

“Were you in a lot of pain?”

“No, just a little…. just a little. It’s okay, Oppa.”

“No. When it’s too hard to keep trying every single day, you can just let go and rest. But Hyejun, don’t hurt yourself. Alright?”

“But…. what should I do when it hurts too much?”

Her voice, scarcely above a whisper, was like a dry winter wind. Ijun slowly pressed down his throat, trying to force back the painful lump rising there.

“I’m going to get rid of everything that causes you pain.”

“…….”

“So just wait a little, only a very little.”

Hyejun gazed silently at Ijun. There was no expectation or trust at all in that look, and it filled Ijun with despair.

“Can’t you undo this for me?”

“Yes, Hyejun. I’ll speak to the nurse. Shall we at least go for a walk? The weather is bright.”

Whether because of the medication she had been given, or because Ijun had come to see her, the awakened Hyejun at least seemed much calmer.

But Ijun, who had flown there after postponing his schedule, could not stay long. After spending three days with Hyejun and boarding the plane with a heart that felt fit to burst with blood,

Ijun spent the entire flight lost in thought, his eyes bloodshot.

If the ‘Ruhe Report’ were leaked, every kind of media outlet and the entire nation would dig into the case and clamor over it.

Leaving aside the fact that Daejeong would be reduced to ruins because of it, Hyejun, the victim, would never be able to endure such a situation.

No matter how much they cut her off from outside news, something that massive could not be kept secret forever.

Even if they successfully recovered the copy from Jiho, that would not be a perfect end.

The secret had already leaked out.

One copy was not the end of it.

If so, then he had to think of a way to shut Jiho’s mouth and bind his hands and feet.

***

As soon as he arrived in Korea, Ijun went straight to the office and summoned Chief Hyeon.

“Song Jiho.”

“Yes, Executive Director.”

Chief Hyeon looked at his superior with pity, seeing the fatigue and anger on him. He had spent many years with him, so he knew well how much he suffered over matters concerning his younger sibling.

“Forget the confession and all that. That’s enough now. Look into a suitable place overseas and think about sending that kid out. Put enough people on him to watch him twenty-four hours a day so he can’t make contact with anyone here, and if there’s any use we can make of him on our side, then use him. Of course, he’ll have to move under complete surveillance.”

“… Understood, Executive Director.”

Even as he answered, Chief Hyeon was puzzled inwardly. If there really was a copy, who knew what kind of measures Song Jiho might have put in place. A scheduled email, for example. Or something set to leak if anything happened to him. There were many possible methods.

And yet he was being told to send him abroad while completely disregarding every variable. Wasn’t that far too dangerous a decision?

As if he could read Chief Hyeon’s doubts, Ijun added,

“Whatever Song Jiho may have, we’ll have to use a method that makes it impossible for him to act.”

What exactly could that be? In this situation, even the extreme measure of eliminating Song Jiho would be useless. Even if they got rid of him, that would not stop the data from being leaked.

Seeing Chief Hyeon’s face full of questions, Ijun smiled darkly.

It was little different from a gamble.

And yet he also had an inexplicable certainty.

If Song Jiho’s only weakness was Song Seoyun, then he could use Song Seoyun.

Because she was full of weaknesses.

***

When Seoyun received contact from Ijun yet again, fear gripped her immediately.

She had explained everything he had been suspicious about last time. She had thought there was no longer any reason for him to seek her out.

Then why….

The feelings she had once held for him belonged to her alone. Through all those years when even seeing his face once had been difficult, she had carried them quietly by herself and lived on.

So now, just because opportunities to meet him kept arising, she could not simply be happy about it.

“Wasn’t it hard to find the place?”

“With a navigation system? Not really.”

This time, Ijun had come all the way to the neighborhood near her home. Seoyun felt as though she were receiving an honored guest in her shabby house.

She had directed him to the best coffee shop in the neighborhood, or at least the best one there was. But seated here, Ijun looked like a single noble flower blooming in the middle of a pile of trash. That only made her feel all the more apologetic.

“But why did you want to see me……”

“Oh, I was just a little curious.”

Looking at Seoyun, Ijun smiled brightly. Seoyun understood even less. What could there possibly be for him to be curious about when it came to her?

“I kept thinking about you. After all, we’re not complete strangers. And with K-Cell ending up like that, and what happened with President Song too. I just keep finding myself concerned.”

“Ah….”

Seoyun smiled awkwardly. The words that he was concerned about her felt as though they pierced her chest. She did not want to become an object of pity to him. This was the first time her shabby circumstances had ever felt this humiliating.

“Tell me about it. How have you been?”

“There isn’t really much to tell……”

“Do you live around here?”

“Yes. With my younger brother…. the two of us rented a room and live together. I’m looking for a job and working part-time at a few places in the meantime. Since there are only the two of us, we’re getting by somehow.”

The more she spoke, the more pathetic it sounded. Seoyun shrank further and further inward. There was not a single part of her life she could tell him about with any pride.

“You must still have debt left. Ah, maybe this kind of talk is a bit much.”

“Yes…. But I’m paying it back little by little.”

“And your brother is doing well too?”

“Yes. Actually, Jiho is really good with computers. He’s won a lot of international competitions, and people call him a genius. He’s only in his second year even now, but I think the professors at school put him on a project. So he’s become really busy, and even I hardly get to see his face.”

When the subject turned to Jiho, it felt as though her shoulders straightened a little. It was the only topic she could bring up with some genuine pleasure, so a small smile even touched her lips. But she failed to notice the way Ijun’s eyes carefully observed her reaction.

“I see. He sounds like an admirable young man.”

“He has such a good personality too. He’s kind and considerate. He’s not like kids these days at all.”

“Aha, really? What kind of work are you looking for, Seoyun?”

“Just office work, or maybe secretarial work…. I used to work as my father’s secretary, but that doesn’t really seem to count for much as experience.”

At Ijun’s low and gentle voice calling her ‘Seoyun,’ her heart trembled. At first she had felt miserable, but in front of him, as he gave her his attention, her heart gradually softened.

“When’s your day off? Let’s have a meal together sometime.”

“What? With me? Why….”

“I know a place that does sushi really well. You’ll probably like it too.”

It was an answer that lightly brushed aside any question of ‘why.’

There was no way Seoyun could refuse the ‘next time’ he was offering.

***

“Marry me.”

The next time they met.

Seoyun heard something from Ijun so astonishing it nearly left her breathless.

They had eaten their fill of sushi and were drinking the tea that had been served for dessert.

“What? What do you mean by that……”

“Is it really something that shocking?”

Of course it was. If she was not supposed to be shocked by something like this, then what in the world was there to be shocked by?

Tea spilled over from the cup Seoyun nearly dropped onto the table. Ijun handed her a napkin and smiled faintly.

“Do you dislike the idea of me?”

“N-no, that’s not it, but why me…. um, what about Senior Harin?”

“Ah, so you didn’t know. Harin and I broke off the engagement some time ago.”

Seoyun doubted her own ears.

As if this were some misunderstanding, or some delusion.

Seeing Ijun remain perfectly calm after dropping such a bomb made her think so all the more.

Even if he had broken off his engagement to Harin, would that really be a reason to ask her to marry him?

“Even so, I…. I just can’t understand it at all.”

“Yes, I know it’s sudden. But even so, I feel as though I shouldn’t have to explain a reason for words like this.”

“…….”

“First of all, I broke off the engagement with Seo Harin. Seoyun, our meeting was very memorable, wasn’t it? When I opened my eyes that morning, I was rather shocked.”

Ijun continued speaking smoothly, as if he had prepared it all in advance. There was neither excitement nor hesitation in his expression. It was almost strangely dry.

In truth, Seoyun found the present situation even more shocking than that morning. A whirl of impossible emotions was mixing together in confusion and surging through her.