Chapter 3.5

Yoon Hae-soo and Baek In-wook in love? Of all people? Ridiculous, truly. 

She had never heard such nonsense in her life. In-ah believed that firmly. But then… 

“It’s not a lie. I don’t think I can live without In-wook anymore.” 

“I couldn’t live without you either.”

In-wook and Hae-soo gazed at each other affectionately, then, as if to show off, pulled each other into a tight embrace. 

Their outrageous display did not end there. In-wook looked down at Hae-soo with an expression she had never seen before. His eyes were so sweet it was almost sickening, as if honey would drip from them at any moment. 

If it were the Hae-soo In-ah knew, she would have recoiled at Baek In-wook’s unbelievable gaze. But what was happening? Hae-soo, acting out of character, snuggled into In-wook’s arms with uncharacteristic cuteness. 

“Are… are you both out of your minds?!” 

“We’re really sorry for not telling you sooner. It didn’t feel right to keep it from you, and we didn’t feel comfortable about it either. So, even if it’s late, please give us your blessing, In-ah.” 

“I’ll make sure to give you more allowance. So if you have anything to say, just say it to me. Don’t make our Hae-soo suffer.” 

Our Hae-soo…? Give my blessing…? 

In-ah could not close her gaping mouth. She was so shocked she felt nauseous. 

She simply could not accept what was happening. Yoon Hae-soo and Baek In-wook dating? In-ah had spent a long time with the two of them, but even in her imagination, she had never pictured such a pairing. 

And now they wanted her blessing? 

It was absolutely impossible. There was no way she could hand Hae-soo over to Baek In-wook, who, more than anyone, lacked even an ounce of humanity. 

She was about to jump up with that thought when, all of a sudden, something unknown seemed to wrap around her ankle from below, then in an instant, it coiled around her whole body. 

A surge of fear overwhelmed her, and In-ah instinctively reached out toward Hae-soo and In-wook. But the two only looked at her with pity, never once grabbing her desperately outstretched hand. 

She felt a curse rising to the tip of her tongue, but before she could utter a word, she began to fall into a deep abyss. 

There was no end in sight. It felt as if this dangerous plunge would continue forever. But not long after, with an unexpected jolt of pain, her eyelids flew open. 

What she saw through her dazed, sleep-blurred eyes was the soft rug spread beneath her bed. Only then did In-ah realize that the dreadful love confession between Yoon Hae-soo and Baek In-wook had been a dream. 

“It was a dream. Definitely just a dream.” 

But why did she feel so unsettled? 

“No, it makes sense to feel unsettled. Baek In-wook is in Hallstatt right now, and after dreaming something like that, wouldn’t it be strange not to feel uneasy?” 

In-ah sat up abruptly. Even though he was her only sibling, it had been days since she had last heard news of In-wook. 

She had heard the story in question when the family, except for In-wook, was having refreshments together after dinner. 

“By the way, I haven’t seen my brother lately. Dad, is Baek In-wook really busy?” 

“Oh, come on. Your brother is on a business trip.” 

“Business trip?” 

She had asked her father, but it was her mother, Hwa-young, who answered. The unexpected news made In-ah instinctively ask Hwa-young again, and Hwa-young delivered a rather shocking piece of information. 

“In-wook went on a business trip about five days ago, to Hallstatt. Right before he left, the key to the second house that your dad kept in the safe went missing, so there was quite a fuss looking for it. You really didn’t know?” 

“Oh, really? I just thought I kept missing him because of bad timing. But it’s already been five days… Wait, where did you say he went?” 

“Hallstatt. You know, the pretty village in Austria where we used to go once a year when you were little. Where we have the second house.” 

“Oh, damn it!” 

She swore without thinking, forgetting she was in front of her parents. Startled, Hwa-young stammered, and her father, Do-kyung, stared at her in shock, unable to chew the apple in his mouth. But In-ah had no time to pay attention to either of them. 

All that echoed in her mind were the last words she’d exchanged with Hae-soo on the phone. 

－So, you really took the key without your father knowing? 

－Ha, why would you go that far? I told you to just ask your father about it.

－Okay, I get it. I’m really grateful for your thoughtfulness. But I feel bad because it seems like I’ve put you in an awkward position. It doesn’t sit right with me.

－Got it. But just in case your father finds out the key is missing before I return, tell him I begged you so earnestly that you had no choice. Okay?

Hae-soo’s voice had sounded gloomy the whole time. Back then, In-ah had simply thought her overly kind friend was just feeling guilty about causing trouble. 

But now, knowing everything, she was sure that wasn’t the real reason. 

It wasn’t because she felt sorry for In-ah, but because she couldn’t bring herself to confess that she had run into Baek In-wook. 

Looking back, it was strange from the very start that Hae-soo had suddenly asked about how she had managed to secure the key to the Hallstatt second house. 

Surely, she must have run into Baek In-wook. If he had gone to Hallstatt on business, of course he would have been using the second house, and seeing Hae-soo suddenly appear, he would naturally have connected her to In-ah. 

She didn’t want to admit it, but with that sharp mind of his, he probably figured out right away that the missing key from their father’s safe was related. 

“Haa…….”

In-ah let out a heavy sigh and tugged at her hair. She was certain she had done it all for Hae-soo, but now she could not help but wonder what kind of mess she had gotten herself into.

“Ha, it must still be early morning over there.”

Thinking of Hae-soo, who kept flickering before her eyes, she instinctively checked the time. It was not an appropriate hour for a call.

She wanted nothing more than to ignore all of that and contact her right away. But she had already been in constant touch with Hae-soo since she’d arrived in Hallstatt.

Even if she disturbed her friend’s sightseeing in a faraway country for the sake of reassurance, she did not want to interrupt the sleep that would determine the quality of her day.

“This is driving me crazy. They said his business trip schedule wasn’t even certain….”

In-ah bit down hard on her lower lip. If only she knew In-wook’s exact return date, her heart might not feel this heavy.

But according to what Hwa-young had told her, he had left for something extremely important, so there was no fixed schedule at all.

“What should I do about our Hae-soo?”

She was truly at her wit’s end. Muttering softly, In-ah buried her face in the blanket.

How much time had passed like that?

Suddenly, In-ah lifted her flushed face and hurriedly climbed down from the bed. Then, at a frightening speed, she rushed to her vanity and began opening every single drawer.

“Found it!”

Her expression, which had been stiff as if she might bite someone, softened the moment she held a blue, square notebook in her hand.

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

With a determined expression, In-ah murmured to herself and looked at the laptop on her desk. Then she glanced again at the notebook in her hand.

What was reflected in her eyes, now gleaming with a hint of madness, was none other than her passport.

* * *

One week into the business trip.

It had already been a week since he had been in Hallstatt, but In-wook’s days were still frantically busy.

After finishing a string of afternoon appointments, he stopped by a café for a short break, but there was still one last item left on his schedule.

Meanwhile, there were more than a few emails he needed to check. All of them were messages from Korea.

In the end, he had to postpone his departure and sit at the table. After staring at his tablet for quite a while, In-wook suddenly looked up.

“Chief Kim, how is the matter I mentioned yesterday going?”

“Do you mean the additional movements of Henry’s family?”

“Yes.”

In-wook gave a small nod. At that, Chief Kim’s face was tinged with a trace of discomfort.

“There was nothing significantly different from what I reported before. However, lately they have been visiting the Korean market every evening. With Stella, too.”

“They’ve been going to the Korean market every day?”

“Yes.”

In-wook’s brow furrowed. According to previous information, the family did not particularly enjoy Korean food.

“Have you figured out why they’re going to the Korean market?”

“Not yet…”

Chief Kim trailed off, looking uneasy. Even so, In-wook nodded readily.

“That’s fine. I understand it would be difficult to even find out what they’re shopping for.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Again, Chief Kim hesitated. At this uncharacteristic behavior, In-wook’s dark eyebrows twitched.