CHAPTER 20

*

“With that guy.”

Director Woo clicked his tongue as he shook his head diligently.

What an asshole Taeheon was. Since he went down to Yongin, Director Woo was not sure if Taeheon had already successfully persuaded Han Yeonseo to his side.

[I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say this, but does this have anything to do with the health of Mrs. Kang?]

When Yeonseo suddenly asked such a question during her last visit to the main house, Director Woo had his suspicions. He wondered if she had heard something from Taeheon to ask such a question.

All this time, she hadn’t questioned anything and kept bringing information to him.

Director Woo didn’t completely put aside his suspicions from that day.

“So, does she like you too?”

Seungbin thought for a moment, then laughed out loud.

“Yeonseo is in a lot of debt, Dad.”

“So, are you saying you’ll pay it off?”

He knew that Yeonseo had debts. The debts that belonged to her father who had recently passed away. It was undoubtedly a good opportunity to take advantage of.

“I’ll backed her into a corner, and what can she do? Whether Yeonseo likes me or not, she will end up choosing me.”

True, there’s no way to go down further, and there’s no time to ponder over it.

Even if Taeheon managed to brought Yeonseo over to his side, there’s no reason for him to keep her by his side, especially considering the enormous debt she has.

Money would win out in the end. Money would call the shots.

“Sure, do whatever you want, go ahead.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Seungbin bowed his head politely and expressed his gratitude. His mature demeanor brought a sense of calmness to the situation.

“If I announce my engagement with Yeonseo, I might be able to get another hotel established under my name. Grandmother once casually mentioned if I’d be interested in having a hotel stake under Yeonseo’s name.”

“Is that so?”

If things go as planned, at least one subsidiary company will be set up under Seungbin’s name in the future. It won’t be a loss-making business. He can even go ahead and get married if he wants without being cautious about it.

If he goes on to have great-grandchildren for her, who knows what will happen. Maybe that child will be entitled to a share in the future as well.

Marrying once is nothing, it was no big deal. After Mrs. Kang’s death, they can get a divorce.

With Mrs. Kang’s deteriorating health, it was only a matter of time. After her death, they can shift the blame to Taeheon.

The heavy burden that had been pressing on his mind for the past few days seemed to disappear without a trace. Director Woo had plans to retrieve everything he had lost.

*

The funeral process was more complicated and hectic than she had thought. Yeonseo was in a dazed state throughout the whole process of paying for the funeral and moving to the mortuary.

She hadn’t slept, so she couldn’t understand what people were saying, and she couldn’t even grasp her emotions properly.

Luckily, in the morning, her friend Jiyeong came to her aid. She was a college classmate of hers, and they quickly became best friends.

Jiyeong took over for the distraught Yeonseo and helped her with the rest of the arrangements. After attending the ceremony, she received the urn.

She had no recollection of how she got into Jiyeong’s car and have taken off her mourning clothes. Yeonseo stared blankly at the urn nestled in her lap.

It was a good decision to skip the rest of the formalities and head to the crematorium with Jiyeong alone. It would have been a waste of more money, and she just wanted to send off her father.

A part of her wanted to leave the urn somewhere and run away, but she resisted the urge because she didn’t want to do something she would regret for the rest of her life.

“I’m going to start driving now.”

“Okay.”

After Yeonseo weakly replied to Jiyeong’s words, she looked out of the window on the passenger side. She felt sorry and grateful to Jiyeong, but she was too exhausted to show it.

“Yeonseo, where did you say the ossuary was?”

When Yeonseo didn’t respond to her voice, Jiyeong pressed the navigation system and took the initiative to enter the address of the ossuary where they would place the urn. Then, the car started moving smoothly.

After hesitating for a while, Jiyeong glanced at Yeonseo and finally spoke up.

“Yeonseo.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to try seeing a psychiatrist? I’ve seen one before, and it was quite helpful.”

“A psychiatrist?”

When Yeonseo’s fixed gaze outside the window turned to her, Jiyeong quickly waved her hand, signaling her not to worry or pay attention to her.

“Hey, it’s not something weird. I feel better after counseling, so I thought I’d recommend it to you….”

Yeonseo looked ahead again and nodded her head while observing the rapidly passing scenery outside the window.

“Yeah. If I feel the need, I’ll tell you.”

“Please do. Promise?”

“I promise.”

Seeing Yeonseo smiled weakly, Jiyeong felt a little relieved. Counseling, she thought, was a luxury given Yeonseo’s current situation.

“You used your bereavement leave because of me. You must have been in a tough spot because of that.”

“Mmm, bereavement leave is meant to be used at times like this.”

At Jiyeong’s suggestion to take a short nap, Yeonseo closed her eyes. Her eyes stung, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Rather than sadness, she felt overwhelmed by the uncertainty of how to repay her debts. The suffocating fear was consuming her. She even found herself praying for Moon-sik to fall into hell instead.

He had been selfish and a terrible person until the end. He had become a presence that Yeonseo couldn’t even resent much more. He was truly a despicable father until the very end.

Suddenly, she recalled Taeheon’s mocking face as he asked if it was too difficult to ask for help.

Yeonseo’s phone started ringing. Her weary eyes flickered as she glanced at the screen. It was a call from Mrs. Kang. She composed herself and answered the call, trying to sound as upbeat and cheerful she could manage.

“Hello?”

• Yeonseo, it’s me.

“I’m sorry. I should have called you first…”

• Where would you find the time to call? So, is everything over now?

“Yes. It’s almost all finished now.”

Once she placed the urn and registered the death, everything would truly be over. Even though the last part still had to be done by Yeonseo herself, she felt somewhat relieved that the funeral was almost at an end.

Seeing Jiyeong’s puzzled expression when she asked who it was, Yeonseo replied that it was Mrs. Kang. Jiyeong nodded and focused on driving.

• Yeonseo, you need to rest for a few days. Even though it’s hard to fill the void left by a lost loved one, you still need to take care of yourself, eat well, and get enough sleep.

“I’ll be fine. I can return before dinner.”

• Now that everything’s settled here, take a few days off to rest then come back.”

“But I want to see you, Mrs. Kang. I really want to.”

It seemed like Mrs. Kang was reading Yeonseo’s emotions through the silence. After a moment, she mumbled to herself.

• Oh, what should we do with our Yeonseo? How can I leave this good child alone…

Not wanting to cause further worry, Yeonseo changed the subject, knowing that Mrs. Kang was still in the hospital.

“The test results haven’t come out yet, right?”

• It’s okay, everything is fine here, so don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself and make sure to eat well.

“Okay. I’ll see you later then.”

After ending the call, she felt a hot lump rise in her throat, but she held it back, conscious of Jiyeong sitting next to her.

She couldn’t afford to break down. If she let herself crumble now, it felt like she would endlessly plummet. he was putting in all her strength to hold herself together. If she let even a little go, it felt like everything beneath her would crumble.

“Why? What did she say?”

Curious about Yeonseo’s expression, Jiyeong asked, winding her hands around the steering wheel.

“Nothing. Just worried about me.”

“Yeah, a lot of people worry about our Yeonseo. So, let’s eat properly, okay? What’s with that face?”

“Okay. I will.”

Yeonseo checked the new messages with pale, trembling hands. As she read the lengthy message from Hyeonho, her nose twitched with a sense of heartache.

[I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you. If it’s tough, feel free to contact me anytime.]

She replied with a message, assuring him that it was okay.

Next, there was a message from Secretary Shin.

[Here’s the address and password for the apartment.]

Even during all this time, Yeonseo was steadily slipping in Taeheon’s shadow.

Unintended events kept happening to her, and she had a strong feeling that Taeheon would be waiting for her at the end of it all.

There were a few more messages from the secretary. Yeonseo read the until the last of them.

[The results for the herbal medicine ingredients are out. As expected, trace amounts of shiitake mushrooms were found. According to the staff at the traditional medicine clinic, they made the pills with the ingredients that Director Woo wanted.]

It was a little strange that Secretary Shin contacted her directly, but the following words made her freeze.

[The person who ordered the medicine was Deputy Manager Woo Seungbin.]

“Ha….”

A hot breath escaped her.

[He personally ordered the herbal ingredients.]

As expected, Director Woo and his son were in cahoots. Both the father and the son.

Their intent to harm their blood family was too sharp for Yeonseo to handle. It felt like someone was pricking her whole body with a razor-sharp blade, causing a tingling sensation throughout.

It’s surprising to see that there are so many people like Han Moon-sik in the world.

Now, there was not a single reason left to see Seungbin as a good person. It would be better this way. Without any hint of guilt, she can reject him completely.

As the ossuary came into view, Yeonseo’s breathing grew slower and heavier. The weight of the urn felt like a block of iron.

After sending Moon-sik’s remains away, all that would remain was the overwhelming debts pressing down on her. Perhaps an even worse hell awaited her beyond that.

It felt like she was walking a tightrope. She wondered when would this life-or-death struggle finally come to an end.

Jiyeong parked the car, and got out first. She came around to open the passenger seat door for Yeonseo.

“Give me that. There’s a lot of stairs.”

“I can carry it.”

“Oh, come on, with those arms? Hand it over. I don’t want you to drop it.”

Yeonseo handed over the urn and grabbed her bag. At that moment, her phone screen lit up, and her phone rang.

“Jiyeong , do you mind going ahead? I’ll just take a quick call and catch up.”

“Who’s calling?”

“Employer. Go ahead first. I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay, take your time.”

Jiyeong checked the time and moved to follow the procedures, while Yeonseo headed towards the large tree.

Even in the midst of the disaster, the weather was remarkably beautiful. The sun shone after the rain that made Yeonseo squint her eyes as she answered the phone.

“Hello.”

• Do you have your answer?

The voice on the other end sounded gloomy, just like Woo Taeheon’s voice. Perhaps that was the reason. Just by the tone of the voice, Yeonseo felt her heart being painted black.

“….”

• You know, I’m offering you a hole to crawl out of comfortably without any inconvenience or difficulty.

The following words somehow sounded sweet, and she felt like she had finally fallen off the tightrope she had been barely holding onto.

Thud. It was strange. Her heart raced so fast that it felt like her ribs were hurting.