After the call ended, I was so dumbfounded that I froze for a moment.
I heard something utterly crazy that I could never imagine coming from Seol-guk. What on earth happened to him during his period that led to this situation? My head was in a mess, unable to comprehend.
Dating Muk Ha-neul? I could understand that. At least that fell within the realm of possibility. Both Muk Ha-neul and Seol-guk originally liked each other, and it seemed like Muk Ha-neul still had feelings for Seol-guk.
If Seol-guk was weak against persistent advances, he probably couldn’t brush off Muk Ha-neul’s boldness. Sure, that part was okay. It made sense.
But to break up with Muk Ha-neul in less than a week of dating? That was… not the kind of behavior Seol-guk would engage in.
Thinking back, his cheerful voice sounded unusually exuberant, with a sense of disharmony. While it wasn’t strange for him to be cheerful lately, that dissonance felt as if that cheerfulness was an act.
I had no intention of meddling in Seol-guk’s romantic affairs. So, ultimately, this situation was something I had to leave to him, but the strange signs kept gnawing at my mind.
However, I quickly shook it off. There was nothing I could do at the moment. I would ask later about what had happened, but right now, I needed to focus on the task at hand.
It was a golden opportunity that I could never seize again if I missed it. I had to succeed without fail. I was sorry, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t waste my focus on anything else.
It was a stroke of luck to receive substantial help from someone I never expected, buying me some time. Thanks to that, I could concentrate on my writing.
I mustn’t forget that this was truly the last opportunity.
I had to succeed, no matter what.
But that determination was shattered moments later by a knock on the door.
“Hey, Hwasang! Come out.”
A young but fierce voice called out to me. I sighed and stood up. Outside the door was my half-sister, Kang Seon-hwa, waiting for me. I forced a smile.
“…We have a visitor.”
“…Oh, really? Thanks. Do you know who it is?”
“I don’t know. She’s a tall woman.”
A tall woman… Surely, it couldn’t be Han Su-young? She had a decent figure and a nice face, but her jealousy was too intense, so she was not someone I often met. I was also a bit uncomfortable with how good she was at calculating risks and benefits.
However, no matter how I thought about it, I doubted Han Su-young would come all the way to my house… I wasn’t sure about this.
In any case, I moved past my sister, who seemed displeased with me. But then, Seon-hwa called out to me again.
“Hey, that woman is in the reception room.”
“In the reception room?”
That sounded odd.
Did she let someone in without knowing who they were? Among the women I knew, I had never brought anyone into my house. Seol-guk didn’t even know where I lived, so how could those girls know?
Naturally, the housekeeper and security wouldn’t let someone they didn’t know in. So, the woman in the reception room was someone they either knew or had to let in for some reason. At the very least, she couldn’t be my side chick.
And as soon as I entered the reception room, I could confirm it.
“It’s been a while. What brings you here?”
“Hello….”
In the reception room sat a pale-faced former NIS employee who used to handle Seol-guk. Her expression was as expressionless as before, yet her pale complexion certainly gave an impression of illness.
Was she just an ordinary civil servant now? Of course, civil servants wouldn’t be easily let into the house. However, Ham Yejin was the daughter of a corporate chairman who collaborated with my father’s company. She wasn’t someone who often appeared at parties, but if she worked at my house, I should at least recognize her face.
Honestly, I didn’t know what kind of woman she was, but I had heard stories when I met her a few times because of Seol-guk.
I put on a smile and asked, “Have you been well? You don’t look so good. Is there somewhere you’re not feeling well?”
“I’m fine; there’s no need for you to worry. Thank you for your concern.”
…Hmm, she certainly didn’t look well. It felt like she would collapse if I touched her. Of course, I had no intention of doing anything to Seol-guk’s acquaintance, but it was a habit to pay attention to the changes in her demeanor.
“You have a guest, and it seems you didn’t even offer a cup of tea. Please wait a moment.”
“It’s alright. I refused the tea that was offered to me.”
“Is that so? Then should we skip to the main topic?”
“Yes….”
She seemed like she wanted to say something, but Ham Yejin eventually closed her mouth again, unable to articulate her words. It really appeared that something was wrong.
“It has to do with Seol-guk, right? What happened?”
There was no reason for this person to come looking for me otherwise. We weren’t particularly close, and if it were something related to the company, she would have sought out my father, and she wouldn’t have come here at all. That only left Seol-guk as the reason.
However, Ham Yejin was still struggling to speak. I inwardly sighed. I had to help her somehow.
“Is Seol-guk feeling unwell?”
“No, not at all. It’s just…”
“Is it related to Muk Ha-neul?”
I had definitely heard that Muk Ha-neul was going to help Seol-guk. So, I prodded a little to see if it was connected, and it seemed to hit the mark. The moment Ham Yejin heard Muk Ha-neul’s name, she bit her lip, her expression revealing a strong hatred and anger that was unprecedented.
But soon, she calmed herself and wore a bitter expression. It was… a sense of guilt.
“…I will tell you everything.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m telling you this as a favor….”
“A favor?”
“I can no longer meet Seol-guk. So I thought of you because you are the only one I could rely on.”
“…What kind of favor?”
It seemed like whatever had happened wasn’t something normal.
“Just… please stay by Seol-guk’s side. So that he doesn’t fall apart.”
“He?” Before I could think about her choice of words, Ham Yejin immediately started speaking.
The story was very long. And it was very disgusting.
I could feel my expression rotting away in real-time. This was not at all normal. It was horrifying. I felt nauseous, truly.
Finally, once her entire story was over, I could only say one thing.
“…Crazy bitch.”
“…Yes. I have no rebuttal to that.”
“I get the gist of your story, so get out right now. I don’t want to see your face any longer.”
Ham Yejin replied without words, simply rising from her seat. She bowed her head slightly and delivered a parting message.
“…Please take good care of Seol-guk.”
Her final greeting held a plea. As if wanting to hear my answer, Ham Yejin remained frozen in that position and did not move. Just leave, please. No, I could just go out myself.
At the moment I ignored Ham Yejin and opened the reception room door to leave, my younger half-sister Kang Seon-hwa tumbled toward me as if she had been leaning against the door. Normally, I would have caught her to prevent her from falling, but I wasn’t in the mood for that.
The fact that she had been leaning against the door meant she had intended to eavesdrop. Regardless, there was no way she could have heard anything due to the soundproofing in the room, but it still made me feel dirty.
“Ugh… that hurts.”
Silently, I attempted to leave Seon-hwa behind and head to my room. However, she wouldn’t allow me to do that. And that was a wrong choice.
“Ugh, hey! Hwasang! Why won’t you catch me?!”
“Shut up. I feel sick.”
“Uh, what…?”
That was probably the first time she had ever heard me curse. But the thing was, I didn’t like women or bratty kids. And I especially despised this annoying little half-sister.
“When you’re given a chance to fall, you should just take it quietly. Eavesdropping on other people’s conversations? If the ground is shallow, does that mean the flower bloomed the same? You’re like a thieving bitch.”
“What, what are you saying? Are you cursing mom?! Who do you think you are?!”
“A stupid girl.”
I had no intention of staying silent any longer. I grabbed Seon-hwa and shoved her against the wall, making sure she understood me.
“The only reason I’ve tolerated all your bullshit is out of respect for your mother. Even if she’s a shallow woman trying to climb the social ladder by flirting with much older men, she has been doing her part. I didn’t even spawn you as a boy.”
“O, older brother….”
“Who’s your older brother? Only when it’s convenient for you, huh? This ends today. Do you understand? If you want to keep pushing, you should know when to stop. Are you too ignorant to realize?”
“I-I’m going to tell dad…!”
“Go ahead.”
Seon-hwa, being someone who was terribly cherished, wouldn’t leave me alone easily. But since I was engaged to Yoo Seol-rin, they couldn’t really throw me out anyhow. Do as you please. If I got kicked out, so be it.
“Ugh, waaah!!!”
The sound of a sixth-grade kid crying in despair echoed from behind me. It was none of my concern. I ignored it and headed to my room. My foul mood showed no sign of dissipating.
I tried calling Seol-guk, but he didn’t answer. What on earth was he thinking of doing with Muk Ha-neul? What is he doing?
There was no way I could write something in such a situation. I immediately left the house. On my way out, I saw Seon-hwa being hugged by the housekeeper as she sobbed, but I didn’t spare her a glance.
Outside, the weather was damn nice.
