“Why?”

Confused, I turned my head to see him sweeping up the pile of jewelry I’d carelessly left on the bathroom shelf.

“Take it.”

He offered awkwardly. His thoughtful gesture confused me. Why does this man always seem to pay so much attention to the things I leave behind?

The things I’d bought yesterday with the intention of leaving at least a small dent in his fortune had become an annoying jumble after the chaotic events of today.

Instead of feeling attached to them as my own, I felt indebted to them. I even regretted buying so many on impulse.

“Since I didn’t buy them with my own money, I will return them. I’ve also kept the cases and certificates.”

“But you have carefully chosen things that suit you. Why bother?”

“Pardon?”

“Think of them as compensation.”

Compensation? Compensation for what exactly?

I didn’t understand the direction of this conversation at all.

“Your hand.”

He spoke briefly as he walked past me. Without thinking, I held out my hand, but quickly curled my fingers back. My index finger was still raw and red, the fingerprint worn away from plucking the gayageum strings with softened fingers.

If he asked me how I hurt my hand this time, what excuse would I give?

But contrary to the restless worries swirling in my head, Lee Seol-won didn’t ask me anything. Instead, he poured the jewelry, still warm from his touch, into my palm.

A handful of weight settled in my hand. I stared at the fleeting sparkle for a moment before finally closing my fingers around it.

By the time I headed downstairs, dawn had already broken. Bracing myself mentally for the chaotic aftermath of last night’s frenzy, I was surprised to find the common areas unexpectedly tidy, as if the staff had been diligently sweeping and cleaning throughout the night. However, I deliberately chose not to imagine the condition of the guests who had retreated to their individual rooms.

I heard that Lee Jae-kwang, the host of the party, had to leave the mansion last night due to a personal matter. So I was able to leave the mansion without any trouble.

I also picked up my coat and Eun-sae’s cell phone from the staff. Perhaps because it was an older model, its battery had been completely drained overnight. Hoping for a miracle, I pressed the power button, but the pitch-black screen remained lifeless, refusing to flicker back to life.

I fiddled with Eun-sae’s keepsake for a moment before slipping it into my pocket. The phone clearly clinked against the necklace, producing a bright ringing sound.

The jewelry, once carefully handled by department store clerks wearing white gloves to avoid even the slightest scratch, now floated loosely in my bag without even a case to protect it.

“Take Ms. Hyun Eun-sae home first and then drop me off at the art hall.”

Lee Seol-won instructed.

I had been listening absent-mindedly, but now I was startled out of my daze. Had he lost his mind? After suffering all night without proper rest, he was seriously considering going back to work?

Of course, as someone who was responsible for running a business, it was understandable that he was constantly in the office, day and night. But surely he deserved to rest today at least. Last night had seemed impossibly long – even more so for this man.

It showed clearly in his face. His already sharp features had become even more pronounced overnight; his jawline seemed sharper, his eyes colder and more intense.

“What are you talking about? You need to go to the hospital. Who knows what kind of after-effects you might have?”

“And what would I tell them in the hospital?”

“Well…”

“Do you want to report it?”

Lee Seol-won, who had quietly closed his eyes, curled his lips into a slight smile.

“Don’t be so naive. With dozens of people making such a racket, do you really think no one reported it? Even if someone did, it’s meaningless if the authorities decide not to investigate.”

I knew exactly what he meant.

They probably had enough high-level connections scattered here and there to quietly cover up most of the incidents. Aside from people like me, who attended as someone’s partner, those who joined through their connections to Lee Jae-kwang often subtly flaunted their confidence in their backgrounds. There was no guarantee that the group didn’t include members of the legal, medical, or high-ranking official circles.

Hadn’t Eun-sae herself said something similar? She had mentioned that the seemingly most normal, educated, and wealthy international students were often the most extreme.

Having tasted enough of wealth and power, these people no longer felt pleasure from ordinary stimulation. Instead, like moths drawn dangerously close to flames, they recklessly threw themselves at stronger thrills, chasing after more intense dopamine rushes.

As I pondered these thoughts, the car drove quickly through the early morning and soon arrived at my home. It smoothly entered the villa complex and turned left at the fork in the road. Although I’d never specified which building it was, the sharp-eyed driver remembered exactly which entrance I’d emerged from yesterday, even though the villas all looked almost identical.

The driver stopped the car and got out. After opening the back door, he began to retrieve the pile of belongings stacked in the trunk.

“Take these bags up to Ms. Hyun Eun-sae’s apartment.”

“Yes, understood.”

I thought Lee Seol-won had his eyes closed the whole time, so I wondered when he’d noticed my belongings.

Following his instructions, the driver started to collect all the bags and shopping bags at once.

“No, that’s okay,” I quickly stopped him. “I can carry them myself.”

The largest item, my padded coat, was bulky but not heavy. Besides, many of the shopping bags were empty, containing only cases and warranty cards, and could easily be thrown away.

I quickly stacked and roughly organized the shopping bags. Although I’d insisted that I could do it myself, the driver persistently helped me, and the tidying up was done in no time. Just as I was about to get up with the much lighter bags, he stopped me.

“Wait a moment, please. Take this.”

The driver pulled a small box from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He handed it to me abruptly, and I accepted it without thinking, feeling momentarily confused. Inside were ointments for treating wounds, cream for bruises, and adhesive bandages.

“What’s all this?”

I was about to ask, but found my answer. The driver’s gaze was fixed on my knees, visible under the crumpled dress.

Yesterday I fell while getting out of the bathtub and bruised my arms and legs. I hadn’t paid much attention, falling asleep and forgetting about it, but after a night’s sleep the bruises had spread into dark, blotchy marks.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It was the CEO who told me to take care of you.”

I looked at Lee Seol-won a bit startled.

When had this man, who was busy enough dealing with his own illness, noticed the injuries on my limbs?

It was an awkward kind of kindness. Uncomfortable with approaching him just to express formal gratitude, I held my belongings close to my chest and offered a brief nod instead.

I was about to turn around when ….

“Hyun Eun-sae.”

Lee Seol-won called to me again. I looked back at the man who was sitting with his long legs loosely crossed.

“Forget everything you saw and experienced yesterday.”

What…?

“And go back to America and never come back.”

He gave no further explanation. Before I could ask what he meant, Lee Seol-won had already left, leaving me standing there, stunned.

I stared blankly at the back of the departing car, completely confused.

Go back to America and never come back?

Why would I do that?

He was always a man who made me question “why,” but this time his intentions were even harder to fathom.

Was he suggesting that we settle our sordid history here and end things between us?

Had his earlier talk of jewelry and compensation been part of that intention?

In truth, the most confusing thing was the relationship between Lee Seol-won and Eun-sae. Sometimes it seemed as if they had a deep connection, but at other times I wondered if I had misunderstood everything.

My initial suspicion of Lee Seol-won was simple: Eun-sae herself had told me that she was going to meet him. Until now, I had never doubted anything Eun-sae said.

But now everything felt so strange. The way events were unfolding just didn’t add up. Especially the things I’d seen at the mansion – every trace Lee Seol-won left was full of incomprehensible contradictions.

“What kind of secret could there be…?”

She could have at least left a note. But this girl disappeared without a word. It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand her desire to leave nothing behind, not even fragments of a painful and exhausting life. But as someone left behind trying to retrace her steps, I couldn’t help but feel bitter about Eun-sae’s decision to disappear so completely.

I stood there in the cold winter wind for a long time before I finally went back inside. I plugged Eun-sae’s cell phone into the charger and turned it on.

The previously dead screen finally flickered to life.

“Huh?”

What number is this?

At first, I thought I misread it. Or maybe there was something wrong with the phone itself.

Because otherwise…

“76…?”

Did it make sense that a phone that had always been silent suddenly had 76 missed calls overnight?

Maybe the number had been accidentally leaked on social media. I’d heard that could happen when a phone number is mistaken for a celebrity or popular influencer.

But the recorded calls were all from the same number. Plus, the sequence of digits was unfamiliar.

It was a number I’d never seen before.