It was just as I suspected – the beginning had probably been a lie.

He must have convinced her with some excuse, saying that there was an event that needed a partner, that they could help each other out, especially since Lee Seol-won would be there. That would have made it sound harmless, even convenient.

Eun-sae, who had only ever met men with decent and straightforward intentions, probably just thought about it and thought that there was no harm in it. From her point of view, even if there was no romantic involvement, it wasn’t strange for two people with the same goals to attend a meeting together.

And if Lee Jae-hyup had shown any interest in her beyond that, she must have thought that she could just turn him down when the time came.

That was the kind of person Eun-sae was. Even if she had a nice day with someone and the atmosphere suggested something more, she would calmly say, “I don’t feel it.” And the men she had dated before would always respond with something like, “I’m sorry – I should have been more considerate. Let me walk you home,” never once pushing her beyond her comfort zone.

On the other hand, Lee Jae-hyup had far more sinister intentions hidden beneath the surface. As Lee Jae-kwang’s brother, he had access to a variety of resources. For example, their household was known to be filled with drugs.

If he had used a date-r*pe drug to render Eun-sae unconscious and then assaulted her, as was often reported in the news… if he had even gone so far as to record it in order to blackmail or control her later, Eun-sae would have had no way to defend herself.

Lee Jae-hyup held a respectable social position, and compared to his brother, he even seemed mild-mannered, making it hard for anyone to suspect him of such a thing.

“What I know is only a small part of the whole story,” he said. “I can only speculate about what might have happened between them – but I’m not sure. That’s why I suspected that Lee Jae-hyup might have taken Hyun Eun-sae to his hideout. And that’s why I brought you with me… but it almost ended in disaster.”

If he hadn’t held me in his arms that day, shielding me and distracting them with drink after drink, I hate to think what would have happened to us.

“…That day I suspected you might be working with them.”

But he wasn’t. He had no idea what was really going on – he grabbed me because he really wanted answers.

“What happened to you? Why do you look like that?”

It wasn’t until much later that I finally learned the truth. I had always wondered why Lee Jae-hyup and Lee Jae-kwang treated him with such contempt – and now I understood.

I finally found the courage to speak. I shared the memory I’d kept buried.

“That day at the villa… a woman died of a drug overdose. I witnessed it. I hid in the bathtub and saw it all. And the scariest thing was – it didn’t even seem like death was unusual there. People looked a little surprised, but no one seemed really shocked or scared.”

The incident didn’t even get a brief news report; it just disappeared. A person was erased from this world without a trace.

I didn’t know the woman’s name, and having only seen her distorted face after death, I couldn’t imagine what she looked like in life.

I also had no idea where the body had ended up. There was no way to prove the murder I had witnessed.

After I finished my brief testimony, I looked at him. He was wearing a rare expression – one of speechlessness.

“I shouldn’t have taken you there. That was my miscalculation. If you think you need psychological help…”

“No. I didn’t even have time to develop a trauma. Seol-won, you were there.”

At least I had someone by my side – someone who shared my sense of camaraderie and stayed with me through the night. But Eun-sae… she had no one. No one she could trust.

“Eun-sae… how much pain must that quiet, shy girl have gone through? If she was pushed that far, she shouldn’t have faced it alone. She should have let it all go and run away – saved herself. Why did she have to be so stupid? No matter how much the Gayageum meant to her, it could never be more important than her life…”

She endured every cruelty that was thrown at her, every vicious blow, until she couldn’t anymore. This silent, unearned patience made everything seem even more unjust.

It was as if I had swallowed fire – anger was burning inside me. And every time I thought of her, my heart broke all over again.

Tears welled up, blurring my vision, threatening to overflow.

‘No, don’t cry, this is no time for tears.’

I forced my eyes open and tried to blink away the tears. My vision wavered, blurred by the rising emotions, but I refused to let the tears fall.

“I have to find out. What exactly happened to Eun-sae, after all she endured, that she ended up crossing borders by plane, only to finally choose death as her escape? I need to know. I must know.”

And to uncover the truth, Lee Jae-hyup would have to lower his guard.

I wasn’t driven by a lofty belief in justice or an idealistic sense of civic duty. I knew better than to expect fairness from the law. Lee Jae-hyup lived with a dangerous sense of entitlement. He believed he was untouchable – that the rules didn’t apply to him. He thought he could do anything and walk away without consequence.

Even the men he sent to kidnap me had the same twisted belief.

“In Lee Jae-hyup’s eyes, I have to appear naive and weak. I want him to think that I’m harmless – that Eun-sae was someone who could never go beyond what was expected of her. If he sees me like that, he won’t be careful around me. Sooner or later, he’ll let his guard down.”

Just as the kidnappers saw me as insignificant and powerless, I wanted my desperate attempt to escape – to seek help through the proper legal channels – to seem ridiculous to him.

“I am just an ordinary person who has always believed that the world should operate under fair and equal rules. That’s how I’ve lived – with faith in the system. But if someone like him can’t be reached by those universal standards, then I have no choice but to approach him differently.”

If I ever found myself alone in a room with Lee Jae-hyup, with something that could be used as a weapon close at hand, I wouldn’t hesitate. I would stab him myself.

“If there is a way to get revenge on Lee Jae-hyup, I will do it – whatever it takes. I’ll do it with my own hands.”

That was the extent of my determination.

“Of course, realistically, the only thing I can do is to approach Lee Jae-hyup as Eun-sae and find evidence of his criminal activities – something that could ruin him completely – and expose it to the media. That’s why I said that Lee Jae-hyup has to let his guard down around me. Fortunately, once I have the evidence, it won’t be too difficult for me to be introduced to a journalist because of my profession.”

“Ordinary evidence won’t be enough.”

“I know. Drugs alone won’t be enough.”

Should I reveal more of what’s on my mind?

After a short hesitation, I collected my thoughts and spoke again. Lee Seol-won wasn’t someone I couldn’t trust. Thanks to past experiences, I had at least come to believe that he wouldn’t hinder me.

“For example, the women who were used as toys and ended up dead. You mentioned that there was probably more than one. I plan to investigate the stories of these dead women.”

There had been murders in that house. If there was more than one victim, it would be considered a serial murder. However, Lee Seol-won seemed to be completely unaware of this. Since he had never attended the parties at the mansion, his knowledge was limited. He couldn’t help me.

“That’s why I don’t want the method you suggested, Seol-won. I know better than anyone else that it’s difficult for you to help me the way I want. And it shouldn’t be your responsibility. I’m someone who wants to strike a blow big enough to ruin your family, while you need to keep SW intact to protect your company and your life.”

“If you go through with this, everything you’ve worked so hard for could fall apart in an instant.”

“I know. If I have to pay the price for my grudge, I’ll gladly accept it. That’s why I’m asking you to step back now, Seol-won. This is a matter between us sisters, and there’s no need for you to suffer unnecessary harm over it.”

If Lee Seol-won were to get involved in this matter carelessly, it would be like an outside stone displacing an embedded one-a clear act of disobedience. This is probably why he suggested taking personal revenge on the kidnappers instead.

While it might be possible to target Lee Jae-hyup’s subordinates, directly confronting Lee Jae-hyup himself carried far greater risks.

I ran my fingers over the hardened surface of my bag, stiffened by the camera inside. Then my lips. The sensation of his-pressed hard, lingering, and seared into memory-remained vivid.

“Don’t waver. I don’t even know why you’re wavering…but you’re not someone who should.”

This was both a plea to him and a vow to myself.

I cannot waver just because this man unsettles me. I cannot be drawn in further. It’s dangerous. I’m not in a place where I can afford to be right now.

My heart is screaming at me– warning me to stay away.