DD Ch 21

Secretary Kim brought the mug on a tray to Taeon. Taeon extended his hand to take the mug and sipped the hot coffee.

A woman who fell into the river twenty years ago while looking for her lost sister’s doll. Around the same time, Park Jisun had come to Chairman Jeong for 500 million won to deal with something related to that sister.

Could this just be a coincidence? Suspicion arose.

She said they reported it immediately. Could that 500 million won have been hush money for a witness to the incident? At that time, that amount of money would have been enough for a cover-up.

“Was it Director Seo who brought up this story to Secretary Kim?”

“Yes, that’s correct. But why suddenly ask about this…?”

“Tell him I want to meet with him tomorrow. Preferably without reporting to the Chairman. He’s someone who doesn’t sleep much, so he should still be reachable.”

“Uh, I’ve been informed that from morning to evening tomorrow, there will be a shamanistic ritual at Yeonghwadang.”

“Is that so? Then the schedule is clear, so it’s the perfect time to go up and come back. Let’s coordinate with my mother too. Tell her there’s an urgent issue or something.”

Taeon cut off Secretary Kim’s words as if such matters were unimportant.

“…Understood. I’ll call him right away.”

Secretary Kim bowed and quickly left the annex. Taeon took another sip of coffee. Despite the strong coffee aroma, a bitter taste lingered on his tongue.

Although her family lived here too, Taeon had never once considered them as Sahee’s family. She lived separately in that old annex, which was strange even for a step-family situation.

Was this just an over-sensitivity from reading too many novels written by Yeon Sahee? However, it made him question why a once-close relationship had now become so estranged that they acted like strangers.

He felt he needed a definitive answer to satisfy his curiosity. But if the two events were connected…

Taeon became lost in thought for a moment.

No. He hoped not. He hoped she hadn’t lived such a lonely, tragic life. He hoped that all the paths she had walked weren’t filled with only bleak resignation and profound sadness.

At that moment, Taeon genuinely wished for that.

* * *

Her head felt like it was splitting from the hangover. Sahee buried her head in the pillow, grimacing. The phone was ringing. She fumbled to reach the nightstand and finally grabbed her phone.

She pressed where she assumed the call button would be and brought the phone to her ear.

“Hello…”

As soon as she answered with her hoarse voice, she heard laughter from the other end of the line. Though it was a brief laugh, it was one that dug deeply into Sahee’s heart.

Stiffening, Sahee checked the name of the caller even though she knew it was Taeon.

It was the early morning, just as dawn broke.

For a moment, Sahee recalled last night’s events. After their conversation, he had stayed with her until she fell asleep, patting her back and giving her a light kiss before leaving. The gentle touch from her half-asleep state was still vivid.

— Are you okay?

“Yes, I’m okay.”

— You sound like you’re dying.

“…I’m alive.”

Cough. As Sahee coughed from her upset stomach, he clicked his tongue on the other end of the line. She knew it was early, but checking the time confirmed it was indeed very early morning.

He must have woken up because of the ritual today. He seemed to have some business, but she wondered if he hadn’t slept enough. Sahee remembered the annex always lit until the early hours.

— I’m going to Seoul for a bit today. I’m about to leave now. It might be very late, so don’t wait up and go to sleep.

“Huh?”

Blink. Surprised by the change in Taeon’s plans, Sahee was momentarily flustered.

“I heard there was a ritual today.”

— Is this more important than that ritual?

“Ah. Yes. Be careful.”

Sahee said, clutching her aching stomach.

Judging by the way things went during the ancestral rites, all preparations at Yeonghwadang seemed of little importance to him or his mother.

People who had prepared might feel a bit deflated, but if one problematic person was absent, it could be a celebration. Especially since the Yeonghwadang folks were particularly bothered by this man, it was highly likely to become a festival.

Hadn’t she felt the same when he had first come down here? She was relieved when he said he wouldn’t be at the ancestral rites, but when he appeared like a ghost, she was startled. When Madam Chun stood up, declaring they wouldn’t see him anymore, she felt relief to the point of exhilaration.

And now…

— We keep not having our date. I feel like I’m letting Ms. Sahee down.

His voice, low and with a hint of laughter, made her heart sway. Though not to the extent of feeling let down by just one day, she found herself scratching the blanket with her fingertips.

Now, they saw each other every day because they were in the same space at Yeonghwadang, but once she went to Seoul, their meetings would become less frequent, if not rarer. It was a weak and funny thing to say.

“…Yesterday felt like a date too.”

— Then that’s good. If you’re too tired, open the door.

“Huh?”

— Why?

“Did you come by?”

— Should I have woken you up?

“…No.”

She didn’t say yes, but she thought it wouldn’t have mattered. She realized fervently, just for a moment, how much she liked this man.

Perhaps sensing her hesitation, she heard Taeon laugh briefly over the phone.

— Next time, I’ll just come in and bother you, so don’t be too disappointed.

“Who’s disappointed?”

— Just me, then.

“…”

— Eat well. I’ll contact you.

The moment the call ended, Sahee got up from her bed and opened the door wide. The fresh morning air rushed into her lungs, and she noticed a shopping bag in her sight.

Approaching and opening the bag, she found an assortment of hangover remedies and several bottles of water inside.

When could this have been? Sahee looked far into the distance, retracing the path he might have taken when he came and left.

* * *

With a light chuckle, Taeon hung up the phone.

If he had known she would show such disappointment, he should have opened the door, stolen a kiss, or buried his head in her scent after she woke up.

It was a crazy thought considering she was moaning softly even in her sleep on the other side of the door. Shaking his head, Taeon opened the back door of the car. As he stretched his long legs into the car, Secretary Kim, who had been waiting in the driver’s seat, turned around.

Last night, Director Seo had hesitated for a while after receiving the discreet message through Secretary Kim’s second phone. For Secretary Kim, meeting a junior might be nothing, but for Taeon, it seemed questionable.

However, a few hours later, the director agreed. It was fortunate at a time when Taeon was considering going to find Park Jisun to make a fuss.

“Director Seo has also left for the meeting place.”

“It’ll be late. Let’s get going.”

“Yes, sir.”

The car started moving. The destination was either a reservoir three hours away from here or the truth he wanted to know.