DDB Ch 20

Doesn’t he see me as a woman?

‘Will he prevent me from smelling him in the future then?’

But since it’s already done, there’s no way to take it back.

While she was pondering, Myungja’s next question intruded abruptly.

— So, did you sleep with him?

“Huh?”

— Did you have sex with that guy who smells good?

Suddenly?

“N-no?”

Jiwoon quickly answered, shaking her head.

— What about kissing?

“…No.”

— Did you hold hands?

“That’s…?”

Baek Ishin had held her hand to put gloves on her, but that couldn’t be considered skinship…

So what did you do?

At Myungja’s now indifferent question, Jiwoon took her time to retrace her steps.

The fact that she first met Baek Ishin in a warehouse on Belvedere Hill a fortnight ago was to remain a secret. She had been cautioned by Ishin several times.

So, she had to take the kidnapping three days ago as the starting point.

So… what did she do with that man?

“…I just smelled him.”

An eerie silence came from the other end of the phone, followed by a loud shout.

— Are you a dog? Huh?

A dog would do such a thing.

Jiwoon grimaced at the sudden scolding and moved the phone away from her ear.

— Just wait. I’m coming there.

“…Huh?”

— I’m at the airport now because I was worried sick about you. I’m coming to Korea.

Myungja coming to Korea… That was unexpected.

— We’ll talk when I get there.

Although the progression was strange, Jiwoon was satisfied with the outcome, and her lips curved into a gentle smile.

“Okay, I’ll wait.”

Then she hung up the phone.

Jiwoon, who had been staring at the mansion all this while, slowly stood up from the bench. Even as she tucked her phone into her pocket, her eyes remained fixed on the mansion.

“So, <Guinevere> is supposedly… somewhere here.”

She had been scanning the mansion and creating a mental map.

Man, painting.

Baek Ishin and <Guinevere>.

Now, neither could be neglected or abandoned by Jiwoon.

She didn’t know what had happened to her eight years ago, but it resulted in memory issues and various complex disorders.

What’s funny is that the more she tries to remember, the blurrier the memories become, and the more complicated her disorders get, as if she’s under some sort of curse.

Trying to fix something broken only makes the damage worse.

If she were a machine, it would be like a data box with a self-destruct mechanism. Open it, and it blows up… something like that.

<Guinevere> had been her only solace during those eight years.

A noble yet abandoned picture, discarded, disrespected, damaged, and forgotten.

It was like her, so she cherished it from the first encounter.

And Baek Ishin…

He would be like salvation to Jiwoon. Like finding a safe zone in front of an unstable self-destruct device that might blow any moment.

As Myungja said, it was a stroke of luck found only ten days after coming to Korea, so she needed to be cautious, but first, she should seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She already had the man. Now, all that was left was the painting…

Just waiting because she was told to wait wasn’t in her nature.

“Shouldn’t I at least check if <Guinevere> is really here?”

Jiwoon, brushing off the snow from her behind, smiled and spoke to herself.

“Now that I’ve got the layout of the place figured out… I might be able to find it within a week?”

She then turned to look at the lake.

The path around the oval-shaped lake was blocked by dense trees, but it seemed to continue on the other side.

From the looks of it, the area beyond the lake also seemed to be part of Baek Ishin’s domain.

“…Do I need to search there too?”

To see what lies at the end of the path. Maybe <Guinevere> isn’t in the mansion but beyond the lake.

Jiwoon, roughly estimating the width of the lake, swung her arms as if she were swimming.

I’m the one who once crossed the Arno River in midwinter without any gear. I’m the one who climbed the cathedral bell tower barefoot.

“So if I really put my mind to it, I could cross a river or scale the mansion walls.”

With that, she turned back with a much lighter heart.

🐬🌊🐳

“What is that child doing?”

At Ishin’s question, Shanti made a long “um…” sound before finally answering.

— She’s on a call.

“A call?”

— Yes, she seemed frustrated so she went out into the garden, and now she’s on a call.

A call with whom?

Ishin flicked his finger to call Sangdu over. Then, covering his phone with his hand, he quietly ordered:

“Check Seo Jiwoon’s call line.”

Sangdu nodded, immediately tapping on his tablet to trace Jiwoon’s phone line.

Yesterday afternoon, while Jiwoon was asleep, Ishin went to Myungja’s apartment to retrieve Jiwoon’s belongings.

He took her phone, which was carelessly left on the table, and installed a hacking program.

It was an unavoidable measure since Jiwoon was under the protection of the National Intelligence Service’s monitoring program. From now on, every move of Seo Jiwoon would be observed and recorded.

“It’s connected.”

As soon as Sangdu spoke, Jiwoon’s voice came through the tablet.

— …N-no?

Someone began to press her with a voice full of discouragement.

— No, you already did, didn’t you? So, did you sleep with him?

Ishin’s brows furrowed.

— Huh?

It was definitely Myungja, that woman.

— Did you have sex with that guy who smells good?

For a moment, Sangdu coughed, looking at Ishin with a start. He knew that the “guy who smells good” Myungja was referring to was Ishin.

— N-no?

— What about kissing?

— …No.

— Did you hold hands?

— That’s…?

—So what did you do?

— …I just smelled him.

— Are you a dog? Huh? A dog would do such a thing.

Strangely, his throat felt stiff.

“Turn it off.”

His voice was hoarse, sounding rough due to the discomfort in his mouth.

“Huh?”

— Just wait. I’m coming there.

— …Huh?

“I said turn off the audio.”

With his cold voice sinking low, the flustered Sangdu scrambled to find the button.

Because I was worried sick about you not contacting me, I’m already at the airport…

Click, the sound cut off.

The phone hacking had begun just yesterday afternoon.

“…This was her first call with Myungja?”

Ishin’s voice was low with a sharp edge at the end.

It felt like his neck was being squeezed, causing Sangdu to swallow dryly.

“Yes, she was mostly sleeping yesterday…”

At Sangdu’s reply, Ishin clenched his fist tightly.

“And how does Manager Jo…”

His black eyes, now icy cold, seemed to want to devour Sangdu.

“…know who Seo Jiwoon is referring to as the ‘guy who smells good’?”

“…Huh?”