I had expected it well enough. That bastard would never let go of Eun-sae that easily. He’ll probably explode out of frustration at my silence, lose control of his temper, and finally show his true colors.

Lee Seol-won is a complicated and secretive man by nature, so my predictions about him have often been wrong, but Lee Jae-kwang’s behavior patterns are simple. He should be easier to read than Lee Seol-won.

However, Lee Jae-kwang’s obsessive fixation on Eun-sae went far beyond what could be considered normal.

—You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch. You f*cking b*tch.

I got chills.

—How many times did you f*ck him?
—Was he bigger than me?
—Look at you. You acted like a wh*re, and yet you don’t even say you’re sorry? You’re not going to beg?

He went mad, convinced that I had spent the night with Lee Seol-won.

Some days he would send me messages full of curses and hatred.

Other days, he would suddenly snap and scream without warning.

Eun-sae had really gotten involved with the wrong person.

I finally understood why she never answered anything other than “Yes, okay.”

Even without seeing it for myself, I could vividly imagine how he must have tormented her if she didn’t comply. Like a predator tightening his grip.

There were a few times when I was tempted to provoke him in the same way, just to get even.

But I thought that if I wasn’t careful, the repercussions might reach Lee Seol-won or even the Songun Art Hall, so I ended up deleting the replies I’d written.

In the end, I kept reading his messages but continued to ignore him.

***

“Seo-hae, did you check the newly updated schedule?”

“Yes, I did.”

In every field, including the arts, the end of the year is the peak season.

From the beginning of December, we started having out-of-town performances every weekend.

Every Friday, we would go to the venues in advance, perform on Saturday and Sunday, and return to Seoul on Monday.

When you add in the smaller events that we were booked for separately, it became a grueling schedule with hardly any days off during the holiday season.

But none of my fellow members, who had endured the hardships of obscurity while building this gugak (Korean traditional music) orchestra, showed any signs of complaining.

Because gugak is such a niche and unpopular genre, we had to seize every opportunity to perform.

Especially since we weren’t a government- or city-sponsored orchestra, we couldn’t choose between large and small stages.

In fact, in the early days of the orchestra, thanks to the connections of members’ acquaintances, we even performed at village events in rural towns.

Literally, if we were invited, we went – no questions asked.

“The Gugak Festival really helped us a lot. Many places asked for the same repertoire and said they were impressed by it. Since you’ve been practicing with us, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to participate… I heard that they tried to book Hani’s team as well, but it didn’t work out because Heo Yeonseo has a solo talk show scheduled. Apparently she’s going to talk about her engagement story for the first time on TV. The broadcast is scheduled for the week before Christmas.”

So she’s going on TV.

Well, considering that they officially confirmed their engagement in public, it’s no wonder that the public’s curiosity is at its peak.

“Doesn’t it seem like they were really strategic about the date? Since people are busy making plans for the holidays and New Year’s, they chose the week right before Christmas to get high ratings and capitalize on the romantic mood. Seriously, CEO Lee Seol-won is something else. Since SW also owns a broadcasting company, he doesn’t hold back – he brings his fiancée to every opening show. That’s why every single one of Hani’s shows is sold out these days.”

Lee Seol-won’s name came out of nowhere and my heart sank.

To be shaken just by hearing the name of a man who is now engaged to someone else – there’s no doubt that I’m out of my mind.

I even debated whether or not to delete his number after we broke up.

But after much deliberation, I decided not to.

We’d broken up before I could even take responsibility for the trouble I’d caused, so I thought if he ever contacted me about it, it would be better for me to know it was him.

That way, if he ever called unexpectedly, I’d at least be able to prepare myself emotionally before I answered.

“With all the hype, your popularity is no joke. Honestly, I’m a little jealous. Don’t you think so, Seo-hae?”

Fortunately, my colleague didn’t seem to suspect much despite the sudden stiffness in my expression.

I quickly composed myself and gave a vague, noncommittal answer.

“…Thanks to that, we managed to get a bit of exposure by riding the wave. We just have to keep going at our own pace.”

“Well, that’s true. We managed to get in at the right time, so now we just have to make the most of it. Oh, and we’ve already received some offers for collaborations for next spring and summer, so next year should be even busier than this one. Maybe we’ll finally get some real recognition here?”

Next year… I probably won’t be in the orchestra.

I had already decided to quit.

How could I go on living as if nothing had happened after losing Eun-sae, in a country where SW Company is constantly making headlines on national TV?

Still, I wanted to finish the year properly before I left.

I had worked happily with good people who shared the same values, and it didn’t feel right to just walk away abruptly. That, too, felt like a matter of basic courtesy.

No matter how uncertain my own days had become, it seemed that Lee Seol-won was getting along well with Heo Yeon-seo in his own way.

I thought so. They were people who could directly benefit each other, so of course they’d make excellent partners.

In terms of her career, his business, and maybe even their lives.

I guess I should congratulate him.

Considering his future – how many days he has left to live – objectively speaking, Heo Yeonseo was an excellent choice.

True to his nature as a businessman, he chose the deal that would bring the best and most successful result, and he sincerely committed himself to it.

At the same time, reality began to set in.

This man was now on a completely different path than my sister and I. He was someone I wasn’t supposed to think about anymore.

I understood that well enough in my head.

I had even begun to accept it as a fact, to a certain extent.

And yet, that emptiness… there was no way to fill it.

By comparison, Lee Jae-kwang, who could be dealt with simply by focusing on clear, vengeful hatred, was almost refreshingly straightforward.

When I thought of Lee Seol-won… I couldn’t help but feel a wave of resentment – and then, almost like resignation, came a reluctant understanding.

Followed, without warning, by a deep, aching sadness.

After all, I am Eun-sae’s sister.

His presence felt like indigestion – a pain stuck inside me, too stubborn to swallow, too sharp to vomit.

It just sat there, numbing everything.

I think I’ll have indigestion for the rest of my life.

I’ll suffer from Lee Seol-won like a disease.

It was a dizzying premonition.

***

“So starting from Gyeongju, then Iksan, Hongcheon, Busan… and every Wednesday we also have the ‘Night of Gugak’ program in Suwon. So basically we’re doing out-of-town performances and coming back to Seoul on the tour bus – Monday is the only day off, right?”

“Wow, I don’t think we’ve ever been this busy since the orchestra started! But hey, there’s some good news – our accommodations will be at the Leesh Hotel!”

The Leesh Hotel was a leading domestic hotel brand that had grown into a global name, operating a chain of luxury hotels around the world.

The news that the management team – usually bogged down by budgeting issues due to the orchestra’s limited funds – had approved such a generous expenditure sparked cheers all around.

It was thanks to the substantial income from the Gugak Festival and recent performance bookings.

“Since we’re going out anyway, should we plan some sightseeing? Starting with Gyeongju?”

“With a hotel like Leesh, why would we go anywhere? You wouldn’t even have to go out – just touring the hotel itself wouldn’t be enough!”

“No way. Can you believe it? We finally get to eat and relax on the company’s dime!”

“I hope we get to go overseas next time. Don’t we get offers from overseas?”

“Are you seriously going to take a gayageum on a plane? Ugh, not me. And you know the management team is too cheap to book business class. I heard that even the Leesh Hotel was mostly sponsored.”

“Figures. I thought it was weird that our company was paying for all this. But how did we get sponsored in the first place?”

“You know how corporations set budgets for social contribution programs? That’s probably part of it.”

“Anyway, I wonder if there are any good restaurants in Gyeongju.”

“Wait, don’t you know about Gyeongju bread?”

“It’s a souvenir, not food.”

My colleagues were all excited and busy looking up famous restaurants and tourist spots to visit during our free time before the performance.

The trip to Gyeongju was as usual.

We chartered a tour bus and the entire orchestra traveled together.

Of course, some members occasionally made their own arrangements depending on personal circumstances, but unless there was a special reason, we usually traveled as a group.

With so many people – and most of us carrying large traditional instruments – it was just more convenient.

It was around this time that I began to notice the presence of the SUV lingering around me.