Chapter 20

It was a dry voice devoid of any emotion.

Jiho looked up at Ijun with a face that plainly said he had no idea what this was about.

“I said call your sister.”

Was it because he had asked the security team leader last time to let him contact his sister?

No, the atmosphere Jiho felt from this man now told him it was not kindness of that sort.

There was no reason for him to show Jiho that kind of consideration.

Jiho hesitantly accepted the phone Ijun was holding out to him.

Still standing there, Ijun looked down at Jiho and jerked his chin as if urging him on.

Now?

Right this second?

He showed no sign whatsoever of stepping out to give him privacy.

As though he intended to watch Jiho and Seoyun’s conversation, Ijun pulled over the desk chair and sat down in front of him in full view.

Crushed under some irresistible force, Jiho pressed the buttons on the phone as though under a spell.

The call had not even rung many times before Seoyun answered immediately.

As if she had been waiting for Jiho’s call alone.

―Jiho. Jiho, is that really you?

“… Noona. Have you been well?”

―Jiho, how have you been? Are you eating properly? Are you sleeping at all? Do you not even have time to stop by home for a moment? When does the project end?

The quiet greeting he had offered while watching Ijun’s reaction was swallowed by the flood of words pouring out from Seoyun.

―Jiho. How much longer can’t you come home? Once a week, no, even once every two weeks…. Can’t you stop by, even just for a moment?

“Well, that’s hard….”

―I have something important to tell you. And I miss you so much too.

“Something to tell me? What is it?”

Jiho missed Seoyun just as much.

Even while being trapped here, he had been going out of his mind worrying about her.

But more than that right now, the words something important to tell you dug into his mind.

It felt ominous.

―Well…. Jiho. I need to tell you in person, but since I don’t know when you’ll come home….

“Tell me now.”

Jiho pressed Seoyun, who seemed to be hesitating.

―I…. Jiho. I’m getting married.

“What, getting what? Married?”

―You’re shocked, right? It was all so sudden. Not that I’m saying it’ll happen immediately. We’ll have to prepare little by little, of course. But anyway, I’m going to get married.

“F*ck, are you marrying that bastard Go Changseok?”

Jiho forgot that Ijun was sitting right in front of him and shouted without realizing it.

―Jiho…. H-how do you know that….

“Just try telling me you’re marrying that bastard. I’ll get out of here right now and stab that filthy son of a b*tch to death myself.”

Watching Jiho lose all reason and rage like that, Ijun slightly lifted his brows as though pretending to be surprised.

Then he looked at Jiho with an interested gleam in his eyes.

Perhaps because she had never heard Jiho use such rough words before, Seoyun fell silent in confusion.

“F*ck. Why would some old bastard with two d*mn kids already be eyeing you? What, did he say he’d pay off the debt if you married him? Cover my tuition or something?”

―N-no, Jiho. No. I’m not marrying Department Head Go.

“Then who is it? What kind of bastard is it this time?”

―It’s…. someone who was my senior at school, and we happened to meet again by chance. He’s a good…. person. He works at a good company too, and he’s fairly well-off. He’ll probably treat me well too.

“Does he know about Father’s debt? And knowing that, he still says he’ll marry you? Is his job really real? You’re not being tricked, are you, noona?”

Trying to calm Jiho, who was still breathing hard with anger, Seoyun hurriedly denied it.

At Seoyun’s explanation, Jiho eased a little.

But he was still suspicious.

Was a man who would readily agree to marry Seoyun even after knowing her circumstances really so common?

Up to now, there had never been any sign that his sister was seeing anyone.

That meant she had not known this man for very long.

―No, Jiho. He knows. He knows everything, and he still says he wants to marry me. And…. he’s also someone I’ve liked for a long time. I should introduce him to you too, but only if you ever get some time.

At Seoyun’s last words, Jiho went blank.

As the company declined and Jeonghun’s health worsened, Seoyun had been forced to give everything she had just to keep the family from collapsing.

After Jeonghun died and left behind an enormous debt, Seoyun would not have had the room to think about anything else.

He had never once imagined that his sister might have someone she had liked for such a long time.

His mouth opened and closed as he struggled to think of what to say, when Ijun, seated before him, snapped his fingers right in front of Jiho’s eyes.

Jiho looked at him reflexively, and Ijun raised his palm and motioned with his hand.

It was a signal to hand over the phone.

“Uh, Noona. I have to hang up now.”

―Already? Jiho, call me whenever you get the chance. Even in the middle of the night or at dawn is fine. I’ll always be waiting.

“Yeah, Noona. Eat properly, make sure you lock the door, and take care of yourself. I’ll… I’ll contact you again.”

Jiho’s voice had gone half hoarse.

He had thought he was holding up well enough, but hearing Seoyun’s voice made it feel as though all the walls he had carefully built up over that time were collapsing.

For a brief moment, he thought of simply handing over the copy, but he quickly reminded himself why he had endured until now.

Even if he gave it back, it was not as though they would let him go peacefully.

He needed to keep at least one final weapon for himself.

Ijun took the phone back while indifferently watching Jiho’s tightly pressed lips tremble faintly.

“What? Is your sister getting married or something?”

“I need to go see my sister. I don’t care if someone comes with me, just please let me go for even a little while.”

“Why?”

“I think… I think she may have been deceived by some rotten bastard. I need to see who it is myself. It’ll only take a moment.”

Ijun gave a short laugh.

He had expected as much, but it seemed Seoyun had not gone so far as to tell him who the groom was.

Well, of course.

She was probably worried her brother would be too shocked if she suddenly told him some drama-like story about how his older sister, who had been drowning in debt, was now marrying into a chaebol family.

Besides, Seoyun had no idea what Jiho had done, and would only think of him as her sweet, innocent little brother.

Still, the name ‘Go Changseok’ bothered him.

It seemed someone else had also tried to use the excuse of paying off Seoyun’s debt to propose marriage to her.

And it was some bastard who already had two children at that.

It left a thoroughly foul taste in his mouth.

“Well…. Your sister’s an adult too, and in her current situation, wouldn’t it be better if she got married and had someone to rely on?”

“……”

“It’s not as if your sister is some fool who can’t tell one thing from another, and she wouldn’t make a major decision like marriage carelessly, would she?”

Jiho glared at Ijun with resentful eyes.

If he found out that Ijun himself was the groom, how would that look in his eyes change?

A rather ugly curiosity stirred in Ijun.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get to go to the wedding.”

Which meant that before then, he had no intention of letting him go.

Seeing the darkness seeping into Jiho’s gaze, Ijun felt a small measure of satisfaction.

Even so, could it compare to the despair and burden he felt toward Hyejun?

How dare he seize hold of the most painful and miserable secret of their family and refuse to let go?

Mercilessly, Ijun added,

“And the moment your sister gets married, you’re leaving for America. I’ll cover your tuition, living expenses, everything. So don’t entertain any foolish ideas and just focus on studying.”

“Is that what you call support?”

“Think of it as two sides of the same coin. One side is the support you’ll be able to enjoy in abundance. And the other side, well, you and I can build that little by little from now on.”

Ijun was about to turn away from Jiho when he suddenly paused, as though something had just occurred to him, then held out the phone once more.

“How about sending Song Seoyun a message at least? Something like congratulations on your marriage. She’s your only family, after all.”

Staring at Ijun, Jiho accepted the phone.

After hesitating for a moment, he carefully pressed the buttons one by one.

Noona, I’m really sorry. I should be by your side at a time like this, but I don’t think I’ll be able to come see you right now. Please prepare well for the wedding. I’ll definitely go when the wedding day comes. And congratulations on your marriage.

Looking down at the screen, Ijun smiled.

***

Time passed in a hazy, dreamlike blur.

As if everything had been meticulously planned by Ijun, every procedure moved swiftly and smoothly into place.

Seoyun felt as though she were being swept along by a massive wave.

First of all, she quit all of her part-time jobs.

Before she knew it, the debts Seoyun had taken on had all been cleanly settled as well.

And then Ijun handed her a bank account loaded with a considerable amount of cash, along with a credit card.

“Use this to get whatever you need ready. There must be things you’ll need for the wedding.”

To Seoyun, who hesitated to accept them so readily, Ijun spoke with easy composure.

But in truth, there was nothing Seoyun needed to spend money on herself.

Everything necessary for the wedding was prepared by professional staff hired by Ijun.

He did not even ask for formal wedding gifts.

Of course, there was no way anything Seoyun prepared could possibly satisfy Ijun’s family anyway.

He even sent so many clothes for her to wear, as well as bags and accessories for her to use, that her rooftop room felt cramped.

The soft chiffon dress Seoyun was wearing now, the bracelet dangling lightly at her wrist, even the handbag set neatly beside her.

All of them had been sent by Ijun through a department store personal shopper.

A private room in a membership lounge where outside visitors were strictly prohibited.

Seoyun’s face, taut with nerves, was pale.