TIOAWN Chapter 38

“Assemblyman Ahn Hyung-geon’s greed is well known in this field. There’s no one who doesn’t know about it.”  

 

“Deliver the gift on my behalf. Make sure it doesn’t seem lacking.”  

 

“I’ll follow your instructions.”  

 

“Don’t be too thorough with the laundering.”  

 

Half-heartedly. That meant to leave enough dirt clinging to it so that it could turn into a bomb at any time if things went wrong.  

 

“Make sure to handle the receipts properly. Keep track of the interest without fail.”  

 

Everyone probably thought the money Moo-geon had given was all bribes, but that was just from their perspective.  

 

In reality, Moo-geon recorded everything meticulously, just as if he were lending private loans. Whether it would become a private loan or political funds—all of it was in his hands.  

 

“Yes. Once your schedule is set, I will relay the available dates for the meeting.”  

 

Kang-heon ended the conversation with ease.  

 

Even as Moo-geon generously provided funds as requested, he never put his face forward like a gilded plaque. The ones who always got impatient were the politicians.  

 

Since he rejected every meeting proposal that came his way, people often sneered that the only way to see Executive Director Cha was to barge into his office. Not that they would actually dare.  

 

“The car is ready. Would you like to depart immediately?”  

 

“How much time is left until the flight?”  

 

“Around 30 minutes.”  

 

Thirty minutes. He slowly turned the number over in his mind. An inexplicable thirst tightened around his throat.  

 

Moo-geon cast his gaze outside the window. The snow that had fallen relentlessly throughout the day had suddenly stopped. It was nothing, just a natural phenomenon, yet his brows furrowed.  

 

Far from quenching his thirst, even his lips felt parched. Damn it. Moo-geon clenched his jaw, biting down on the curse that threatened to escape.  

 

“Should I change your flight to tomorrow morning?”  

 

Kang-heon asked cautiously, watching for his reaction.  

 

“No.”  

 

Let’s leave right away. As Moo-geon turned, Kang-heon draped his coat over his arm and followed behind him.  

 

***

 

Ha-yoon entered Moo-geon’s room as if fleeing and slid down against the door.  

 

She took a deep breath, enough to make her ribcage expand. Only then did warmth return to her fingertips.  

 

Had she already gotten used to it after staying just one night?  

 

Whoo—like air escaping from a balloon, Ha-yoon relaxed her lips and exhaled. She repeated the action several times until her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally calmed.  

 

“Something useful…”  

 

Something she could do.  

 

What was there? What could she do?  

 

Ha-yoon glanced around the room. It was so clean that there wasn’t even a speck of dust. The only thing out of place was the blanket.  

 

Without hesitation, she reached for the large blanket. She spread her palm wide, smoothing out the fabric and patting the edges to remove any wrinkles.  

 

She did it with clumsy hands but with great effort. By the time she was finished, sweat had formed on her forehead.  

 

Ha-yoon exhaled heavily and curled herself into a ball beneath the bed.  

 

“What do I do now…?”  

 

Other than drawing, was there really nothing she knew how to do?  

 

Suddenly, a wave of melancholy washed over her.  

 

No—was she even good at drawing?  

 

“My major…?”  

 

A strange woman’s words pecked at her mind.  

 

She hadn’t even properly attended school. She had never received a diploma, and she didn’t even know what her major would have been.  

 

Did everyone else live like that?  

 

Then what about me…?  

 

What had she done with her life?  

 

The door suddenly burst open, and a woman she didn’t recognize stormed in.  

 

“See? I knew you’d be sprawled out like this.”  

 

Doctor Yang nudged Ha-yoon’s leg with her foot as she sat against the mattress.  

 

“If you’re going to lounge around in someone else’s room, you should at least match the owner’s taste.”  

 

“Taste…?”  

 

Ha-yoon hesitated as she sat up.  

 

Cha Moo-geon’s taste?  

 

“The president likes things subtle. Especially at night.”  

 

You wouldn’t know that, would you? With a sneering chuckle, Doctor Yang yanked open the heavy blackout curtains and replaced them with sheer white ones.  

 

The room, bathed in moonlight, dimmed slightly.  

 

“You didn’t know he hates seeing the moonlight, did you?”  

 

“…No.”  

 

Were they ever in a position to share such details? Ha-yoon stood by the sheer curtains, holding onto them, her gaze drifting outside.  

 

Tonight, the moon was particularly large, and the sky was bright.  

 

“Well, of course, you wouldn’t know. You’re just a freeloader.”  

 

As Doctor Yang turned to leave, she suddenly spun around again.  

 

“Oh, wait. Not even a freeloader.”  

 

“…What?”  

 

“You’re a parasite.”  

 

“…Oh.”  

 

Ha-yoon nodded without resistance. After all, it was true that she was sticking by his side.  

 

Her eyes lowered obediently, acknowledging the insult, and that only made Doctor Yang more irate. Even after saying all that, she wasn’t even a little shaken? Not even a flicker of emotion at my words?  

 

“A freeloader at least provides some benefit. But this… this is just parasitic.”  

 

“Parasitic…?”  

 

Still holding onto the curtain, Ha-yoon repeated the word slowly. She was trying to understand its meaning.  

 

“When two entities live together, and one benefits while the other is harmed—that’s parasitism, isn’t it?”  

 

Doctor Yang looked at her as if she were a bug. She silently mouthed the word “parasite” and then walked out.  

 

One benefits, and the other is harmed? Did that mean she was harming him? Because she was of no help and only burdened him with debt?  

 

It felt like she had sunk into deep water, the depth immeasurable.  

 

1,394,300,000 won.  

 

If she struggled enough, could she ever repay that enormous sum? How could she be of any help to Cha Moo-geon? She had nothing she wanted to do, nothing she was good at, nothing she even did.  

 

The words of the strange woman, who clearly disliked her, weighed heavily on her like a waterlogged sponge.  

 

Ha-yoon pulled back the sheer curtain and gazed up at the clear sky.  

 

Even the deep darkness could not overcome the light, making the clouds appear pale and bright as they floated around the moon.  

 

“…Cha Moo-geon.”  

 

The night scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, yet strangely, an emptiness gnawed at her.  

 

Only when the sky turned so dark that even the moonlight was swallowed up in its depths did it feel like he would come. And yet, the sky was frustratingly clear, as if to announce that he wouldn’t.  

 

Her heart sank for a moment. Had she truly expected him to come?  

 

“…I must have spent the whole day just waiting for him.”  

 

Seated on the bed, she reached out over the blanket. Perhaps her sense of smell had already adapted, as she could no longer catch a trace of his scent.  

 

Lowering her head, Ha-yoon buried her face in the blanket. She pressed her nose against it, rubbing in a way that nearly flattened the tip.  

 

Sleep came and went, never fully arriving.  

 

“Who is that woman?”  

 

What kind of person is she? What is her relationship with Cha Moo-geon?  

 

They even share the same tastes. The thought kept nagging at her.  

 

Are they close? Just how close are they?  

 

Why am I even worrying about this? Do I even have the right to care? That thought never even crossed her mind.  

 

The more she waited for Cha Moo-geon, the more the woman lingering in the living room unsettled her. More precisely, it was the nature of their relationship that weighed on her.  

 

Everything was too ambiguous, too uncertain, leaving her mind in disarray.  

 

Her chest prickled strangely, and a bitter taste rose in her throat. Anxiety coiled through her like smoke, scraping at her insides.  

 

Curling into herself, she stretched out her index finger over the blanket. Eyes shut, she unconsciously moved her hand as she thought of Moo-geon.  

 

An intangible Cha Moo-geon clung to her like a shadow. Feeling her way, Ha-yoon grasped the blanket and hugged it tightly to her chest.  

 

“Cha Moo-geon…”  

 

Her eyelids drooped.  

 

She wished he would come. Right this moment. But then, a sudden worry crept in—what if he told her to leave? Then what? Should she try to do something? Should she offer him some kind of help?  

 

The deeper her thoughts ran, the lonelier she felt. Ha-yoon curled up into a ball.  

 

***  

 

Bang. Before Ha-yoon could even open her eyes, the door swung open.  

 

“The sun’s been up for ages, and you’re still sleeping?”  

 

Dragging her slippers along the floor, Doctor Yang entered and pulled back the blanket.  

 

“Aah—”  

 

The warmth was stolen from her, making her instinctively curl up tighter. Just as she forced her heavy eyelids open, the gritty sensation in her eyes made her wince.  

 

“You’re being dramatic. Antibiotics always hurt this much.”  

 

That’s not true. It wasn’t this bad before. The words hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she pressed them down with the flat of her tongue.  

 

Beyond the antibiotic injections, an IV drip was still connected, swaying slightly. Aside from the soft drip, drip of the fluid, silence filled the room.  

 

“You slept in the bed.”  

 

“…Huh?”  

 

“You made yourself comfortable in an empty room, huh? Got any conscience?”  

 

As if she had any worth to be concerned about.  

 

Doctor Yang stood crookedly, looking down at Ha-yoon as if pointing out that her place wasn’t on the bed, but the floor.  

 

“…Did you stay in the living room all night?”  

 

Why is this woman here? To keep an eye on me? To administer my IV? Or… is she just used to coming and going from this house?  

 

The question popped into her mind.  

 

From the way she handed her room service, to the way she gave orders to the cleaning staff—What exactly is her relationship with Cha Moo-geon?  

 

Is she someone he trusts enough to leave me in her care, like a father entrusting his child to a reliable guardian? Is that why she doesn’t approve of me?  

 

Cha Moo-geon and…  

 

Her thoughts kept circling back to Cha Moo-geon. She didn’t know what lay at the end of this spiral, but no matter how she turned it, it always led to him.  

 

A dull ache made her clench her fists slightly. At first, she thought the pain was in the arm receiving the antibiotics.  

 

But no—it was in her heart, on the left side.