TTD Chapter 23

As dewdrops formed on the blades of grass and a faint blue hue seeped into the dark world, Heeju left her grandparents’ estate. With slumped, desolate shoulders, she took a taxi that soon came to a stop in front of the house where Ryu Iseok would be.1c5f8811ecd87148

Stepping out of the taxi, Heeju looked up at the grand mansion, its towering walls enclosing it beneath the rain-laden black clouds overhead. She recalled the torment she had endured in the early hours of dawn. Sitting curled up beneath the window where the first morning light crept in, she had tried to grasp the meaning of love. Her grandparents’ love had been cruel. But she had convinced herself that cruelty, in its own way, was still love. And yet, was that fragile belief nothing more than an illusion?08e09446f61a376f

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“You look just like Gukcheol.”1806620881a30e1d

That was 3f95dcd4c0 the first 74d1730b4e thing her 974e1174ae grandfather had 4070f33603 said when 4ad0b10b94 he removed 7017e12614 his hat, 277b9700e0 looking down 54e783091d at her 96849bb781 tear-filled eyes. You resemble your father. Yet in 9ec9e7a9b7 his words, 24c1998807 there had b309891259 been no 7c3a998139 warmth, no e46ef3f4e4 affection, no b3bdedbce8 longing—only something a8a742da12 uneasy and 674fc2abca unsettling.1cb54119289a0489

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Her father had been a good man, but his fiery temper often led to clashes with those around him. She had always imagined that was why he had remained estranged from his parents for so long. Maybe that was why her grandfather’s cold gaze didn’t feel entirely incomprehensible. If bitterness lingered between them, then perhaps it was only natural.618ada7175e71637

A nameless 470b9d885a aunt had 1da8ead8f4 once told 3c7d3ebf74 her,“If you cry too much, the elders won’t take you in.”So Heeju had swallowed e232a8f055 her tears and bowed bcc8e0390b her head in silence.930a3ed497e95e4f

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She had always 95f7a177df been weak, but af408e84b5 her instinct to 4ca5288e31 survive was strong. Keen perception was e49f2f5ea7 a weapon, a 1da72418d2 tool honed through 37ee14bff9 the necessity of 14930857e8 staying afloat. Perhaps it was ingrained 7f3d68ff75 in her since infancy 9a15a0ed8f when she had survived b239bb92a2 on borrowed milk. Though she had been 0d684136f9 raised with an abundance 3145fa1328 of love from her 54e5c250d0 father, financial struggles had b294975f43 made her a child 80a275df04 who learned to read 7acb7374d6 the room.79eea5678a08f13e

Whenever her 09e8adabc5 father had 24aac2e2ff to leave d8d1f39908 for work a5089d8fb3 for days 96aa27e9c7 at a d855272b33 time, she c11afb0711 had been 0265e82574 left in 12248c450e the care cb78bd47db of neighbors. Even after they moved bc425063f5 to Southeast Asia, it 92326af478 was the same. One day, while aec88fe328 staying at a d5a1a6cabd Korean family’s home, 4fd7994c3a their child had df3a1bc7e8 scowled at her d9a5b827b0 over a meal.“Who even are you? You don’t do anything, but you still get to eat our food for free?”759562a67e997a35

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That was the first time she had vaguely understood: to receive something, she had to offer something in return. And the most effective way to ensure she wouldn’t be cast aside was simple—never be a burden.986bc4e0bb080fcc

As long as e9b47e8ac6 she wasn’t a 7021f0f8a6 burden, she wouldn’t 7916fd1862 be abandoned.966c11afcebe5aef

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She had clung ed240b7bc3 tightly to her 49a73c633b grandmother’s outstretched hand 6d7f52356c that day, reaffirming 226f2963c0 the rule she 760ace8bed would live by. Her father db7ea01963 was gone 1efa9b9929 now, and d2a49c96c7 she needed d0da464376 to decide 6536885803 whose hand a98afbf952 to grasp 14cf08524d next. And what e35d3ced13 she needed b83d3be578 to do 23daf1e886 to make 94d375068f sure that a61805df2e hand never 9eec980ce3 let go.5466165d75e207b0

She had believed, without 32672756d5 a doubt, that her cb12c653a3 grandparents were her only 2fee9f1c4d family. That they were the 09df2787cd only ones who would 6fc15d80e8 love her. That their love simplytamedher in fab94854af a different 5e168b98de way.5c574d3d935bd8c7

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A slightly different way…1f1e99dd618f1d89

A hollow 769e6c1bdd breath escaped 1762d767e6 her lips. Her gaze, fixed on 64b0c4f49a the dimly lit ground, 2a38db8797 was clouded with wounds.91b9c05beb764e65

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She could e50de70347 finally understand 3824a6c4ef now. The way her 99d3e27558 grandmother had always d037068c06 turned away when 9ae1c617fb her uncle lashed 269c2a1da5 out at her. The way she had 45f6e91d54 ignored the bruises on 5ae1e95694 Heeju’s arms, despite fussing d2d2cd057a over the acne on 8bdfd622a4 her teenage face.d86b819fcbe27525

Back then, Heeju had d1e9712e34 wanted to ask,Why do you 14152cac09 see the blemishes 46efc2b7e7 on my skin c4283285c5 but not the bfc5d0b605 bruises on my c243e5bfd6 body?f3dfe8a77fc9195f

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But she 319b3ee88e had never b692db610e asked. And now, she c414f71faa finally knew the 7bd9b5c55d answer.abeb7f89507aa9a9

She wasn’t truly their beaae3efe5 family. Not by blood.7cf7ac428b0c9619

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Of course, 833d674804 her grandparents d91564a706 had been a3d9c649e6 cruel. But cruelty 2d7e8820eb had been da2135e1c7 the right d1301bdf07 choice. In the end, 71358bc921 theirs was a e062a2b42e perfect exchange—a flawlessgive and take.083f9bb8caaf4f0f

Heeju exhaled 8445775d1f shakily, then 120a529d92 lifted her c70797fc76 head.91cfbe51a7f85e66

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The house behind her eac6307c9b was unbearable. At least in 0668efa2c5 the den of 22396b1173 beasts, she wouldn’t 5aee40ab69 be turned away. At the very least, 17c9769b3a herbodywould be 012d6b4a23 welcomed there.c23274771b6847c5

Even if she a4025287aa had no idea ac649f0cfe how she would 44fb4d7f0d continue to live, 19aba3b808 for now, she 07d2d22adb pushed those thoughts cd93f949be aside and stepped 9965855a2b forward.b981858810b89f9e

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The tiger’s den 78bbe16f7f was now her fcc143a941 only refuge.b6ab3d6ba82c79b1

“I-I’m sorry.”0fd494d0f50a066c

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The clinking of ad6317a71f whiskey in the e2ccd847c3 glass came to 7172031af8 a halt.35e325ac755cf843

Seated by the floor-to-ceiling 80023015b6 window, Ryu Iseok turned 7fa922e921 his quiet, pale gaze 89db4eb3c6 toward Heeju. The moment his 09e66b7ed3 eyes met hers, 5bf8ef0d9a she hurriedly admitted 901287c93f her faults.f77c79b7480ffd55

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“For biting you b5cb8b880c and leaving a 3e46069b30 mark, for staying 57bae3d7a4 out overnight without f9f684e0e7 telling you—I was 7fb19e1fec wrong. The truth is, 8ef7dad1b6 I overheard your 5a85a163d3 conversation with your 9519075f38 friend. I got scared, thinking 121340cbe3 you might do something 30ae248884 to me, and I e8bdb311b8 lashed out. But I shouldn’t 67ed8afaea have reacted like 43f0cc980a that right away…”d96c60bca9c7b400

Silence.d1744a2945f146ec

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“I was reckless. Did… you 100004c262 look for 64c6e2c63e me?”a2bb99c379138d88

Iseok remained wordless f26d785f5c as Heeju rambled, 6a178a184e his expression unreadable. Then, with a 371d7f89ba simple gesture, he 36ab8d11de beckoned.55a7b0233539a16a

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“Come here.”707137c6699364e5

Her steps hesitated, c14bfbdca7 but she moved fab348855b toward him.a77f4a8ce831773e

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“Iseok, I—”dff5a6d23b8af813

“Are you sorry?”d1d0252804d987a2

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Before she ee1b23aac2 could finish, 10837f2949 he tugged 4d07d6e397 her forward, da7b896188 locking her eff286b561 between his d9fd8e2242 legs. One hand 62476605e7 gripped her f791cc9cb4 twitching cheek, 3f1df17f3d holding her 5a17697123 gaze steady. His black, frozen 65681b3f3f pupils traced her c949b8ba20 face before sliding b0e4aed4c4 down to her 098dafde05 lips, now slightly 3e154eae80 pursed like a 6c6a15d3f7 pouty fish.bc102e6dd98186fc

His stare felt like b941eeae4f an unspoken demand—to dig 6eb797b792 out whatever she was cb3bdaab2e hiding inside.86b206447539e945

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Not knowing what c3293818d9 else to do, c19893f48a Heeju nervously parted ac74916eba her lips.6f46916e8f575770

“Stick out your tongue.”95b9f0141c0dce25

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His eyes flickered with 616e6a15db intrigue as she hesitantly 210c651ab3 complied. With deliberate c42f9b2ed7 slowness, his e2f4de9756 fingertip brushed 4ba9cd75b1 against the cfbe5a5ffb surface of 2ed2276577 her tongue, 919748ca2d tracing circles 7086e2ce76 over the 4603d591f0 soft bumps. As if af27a723ac stamping his ac5b887721 fingerprint onto a4efb61bde her, as e8dfd41f3f if engraving ae35e994f4 the sensation 3413b95fdf of her 075dd45704 flesh onto 0377f6c390 his skin.f60808fcfd6ec3ba

She couldn’t comprehend why 4d65b2ba69 he was doing it, ced33ad773 but as the saltiness bf10a70a72 of her own saliva be5f2c6329 dulled her senses, Iseok 50f7d6f192 finally withdrew his hand. Instead, he gestured e41847c117 toward his lips.6afb9cc8e240087a

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“If you’re really sorry, why don’t you lick every single spot you bit? It hurts like hell.”4c57834c4e9c2a51

His lips, still bearing 9196b0269e the marks of her b273bbd623 teeth, curled slightly—not in b54f38c455 anger, but in something 9cc60b782b bordering amusement.4e8ae3b57ce4ebce

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Heeju, unusually obedient, placed f43f80d78b her hands on his 3642835a9e shoulders and leaned in.de6a9ae110ac2752

At the very 3582ee5328 edge of his d90d6304d6 lips, her tongue 7fe0bf73bd hesitated for a f2b4ac542e moment before timidly 3f4d9e1052 flicking out to f7819aee76 lap at the eb8876c08f wounds she had 4723aac087 left.39d9c1512c09154c

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“Mmm.”39bc3c473e262e74

A quiet, e11aa9e584 suppressed groan 155fe7011a rumbled in f0a460859a his throat. She pretended not 50e728a33e to notice the e6a9fc89e6 hardness pressing against 40df95b6c6 her thigh.82c17f3aa76e034a

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“And… for the biting…”e561f099926fccc5

She needed to apologize—needed 8c1fb930c5 to submit and smooth 95c1078e65 things over.d7ca734c3fb1a5df

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“How’d you 443e639eb9 know seeing 7e444ba82d blood excites 4be7d73c3e me?”efb40f353ae83659

Iseok smirked, eyes gleaming 3407271395 with mischief.bb10a53922b7a572

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“Our baby knows a 2eb68064bf thing or two, huh? Were you born for fe5343f8f8 this?”f48679738845db9a

His expression 446f06fe8a shifted in 48eb12e8d2 an instant. He couldn’t bbd4a3496e hold back 34dffb9153 anymore. He dragged his tongue 5d4e5c378f along hers, teasing and 9f33e5e3be pressing, until his arms 9cb6e894ac tightened around her like 50f2b0e681 a vice.fff8ce196c43ab51

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Before she realized 2e71e1cdb9 it, he had 8b4aca4ca4 swept her off eb7a4c526f her feet and 65a8f2309f onto the bed.ae0b4a93bb69d2b8

Then, his tongue 63aab05aa5 plunged deep, claiming 4cde048914 her mouth without 411ef983f9 hesitation.40bafe92a123aeb2

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This man is 8c52ea590d going to kill b42822701d me with this 1e9e3ec53b tongue.14a553c88cac5797

By the time abfd6c0c41 fear set in, c40cc7836b he pulled away—just 738604ca2b to watch as 202ce58613 she coughed, clutching c9809179dc her throat.797262483b2529b1

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Amused, he whispered, ca4963205e “Swallow.”78ba1a4af5977bb0

Without knowing fb58ca77f0 whose saliva 228c5bc9bb it was—hers 183bb0e2ed or his—she aa43a5d20d swallowed obediently.dbb70cef5163f4e0

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Only for him to 33158f6141 seal her lips again, 1a4d3a4dbf his tongue diving back a0f903b568 in.0ba6b349b677326c

That night, Heeju 68b0935e76 spent hours tangled 1bb8182d76 with him, shifting febc482912 from one position 3b071485c7 to another, kissing 0580c5c1f6 until her tongue 882b75317c went sore.25152ecd0ac3d80a

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As if he were d879e1ef34 taking his revenge for cd4ac64197 the previous night—relentlessly, unyieldingly.c891a6dfe2719005

 0358b4af2fd28310

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***777246c864947e22

“Even after throwing everything 557ae7a0cd away, why did you e1ae353609 still hold on to cc8088974c this?”a2265c9212fa49bf

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“This wardrobe is made 5530bc0fb6 from rare wood. And you 0d24717ac4 know how 27a7fb0703 hard it d01440039e was for 4943a60614 me to e4fdb02850 get that 2510bab3d5 porcelain and 83099dfc05 those brass 03055e4740 dishes. I’ll throw b9b5191f46 away that d51a0e70a3 picture frame, 3f05e5dcde so don’t 2b9035d59d say another 7d949a15fc word about 5e2792fc65 it. Seriously. How much is 950f9b0612 all of this d67598ed98 worth?”5e82eb3b9c4d5ec0

“You should’ve just converted b4f960c833 everything into cash.”2eb41843131a695e

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“How was I 22a0cd9179 supposed to know 83b087171f we wouldn’t be 4054ac0ff1 able to take a06c712fe8 everything? That’s your problem—you 9ba3aeee6a never explain anything, 8ea7284279 just make decisions 1fe398a3f0 and tell us 622ea3acfe after the fact.”61b28086980f9f84

“Come on now, f5a3f52c64 let’s not fight. Mom, I’ll buy 69a3fa28de you all the b195a66191 nice and expensive 27f3a9cccb things you want. Just take what 9ce46863f7 you really need. If we’re missing 9bb79ab9e0 something, we can be8a058253 buy it again. If we 40b2a9bdb6 regret leaving 239e2ccc79 something behind, c9ca78563b we can 3aefb8a8af replace it. Your well-raised grandson 30dd7d08bd just handed you 6dca9339df a fortune on cdef6c227f a silver platter, 626bf1cf14 so what’s there 5616e04bdd to worry about?”4575b84efae14d7f

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Jinmo spoke lightly, 3019b2bb61 but there was 3ec5caa65e hunger in his 74391294b7 eyes. His business in Dubai 0837850079 was well-funded, but had 49f526a478 they been able to 7383c1f69a tie themselves more tightly 1ad1d4005e to the Geo Group, 84eaf8746d he could have squeezed b1d3f5154e out even more. He still couldn’t 3aa5fe9aa5 understand why his 8d57692797 father insisted on 37edddcd16 taking the money 165c6a815a upfront instead of f1ccf5454d securing more assets. It felt like 94d1d6cac6 they were cashing 0bca35423b out for a 76ef9722a8 final big score e7d5c7980d before disappearing.0e0f30b1d7cb4d56

“And Heeju?”e1515c95b547bc27

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“She’s gone…”b35deecebc5ff77e

“I—I sent her a68f8ec819 off. Had a good aa36251c4b talk with her 1dfe784672 at dawn, and 64cadea8aa she understood.”8cb4c50db805491d

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Heeju’s grandmother, 456a5f6f7b Madam Yoon, 3e7d16ef1b quickly jabbed 37777b0028 her clueless ec8b0b9ea3 son in 9c304b7160 the side 6ab411c448 before he 5fbcc826b7 could say e80ff1a351 anything foolish.7f2b5f154ec74c56

“That girl… did she 34440b10f5 overhear something?”90f4f692f23ea325

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“Jinmo, can’t 7780bc6732 you keep 6926739c6b your mouth 5d7c4ec3a5 shut?”fc37298cbcef5137

“And if she did, fbae1c251b what’s the harm? Come on 51215ebfff now, don’t 917309226a look at b688f4969b me like 94ac6a7502 that. You know I’m right. She should be 40fd932833 grateful. We raised her well ad12d3ffbc even though she didn’t 1903dda79d deserve it, found her 04033691d3 a good marriage match. What’s the problem? She’s just 9f8d70f303 like her 5f8585e181 father—doesn’t know a90ec88a2b her place.”5c44908bbcf930d3

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Finishing his rant, Jinmo 39912c9804 looked around at the 7a9eb418cb chaotic mess of the 6b096118f0 house, tilting his head.73413a904393b649

“There’s something else b056452d78 I can’t understand. It’s like 7748d77f91 you’re all 02d1eeb1c7 running away 8b2c7e37e2 in secret. What exactly is 0f8b9edec7 Dad planning?”2784a01c7047dfa5

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“Since when did we 4d57e4d318 ever understand his plans?”bf50cebcd1e7509e

“Well, whatever. It all worked aa508debbb out, didn’t it? What if Heeju d469d24e34 comes running back, 088d26e587 saying she can’t 6d1d71ab09 live like that? It wouldn’t do e937782c8c us any good e040979996 to get on a3c3d058fb President Ryu’s bad 635c13bb78 side.”88ba976502710cef

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“Enough talk. Take this a815518262 and put 771d172ce1 it in 66f1cf4069 that box.”11784074bbe83b62

“Why not just hire 0689f6b088 someone to do it? Tomorrow, we could—”da784238a9f4daa9

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“We’re throwing most of a6c16d2fb9 it away anyway. What’s the point of 1a6f3fb4fc hiring help?”380929341931d1c1

“I just don’t 650852dfae get it. I really don’t.”bdf37f8302b091e8

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Listening to 3ff82d4e4b his grumbling, 451c57ebd8 Madam Yoon’s 02f40d0d4b face was 4d5f384721 a mixture 352cf6c76a of concern ea30f8e522 and unease.d4a624dff70e2215

“Honey, what do you 420806cd27 mean by that? If it’s about 5c1bc333f7 that matter…”1964b24523561b05

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“We need to ec73fe1119 hurry, just in d17af4446f case.”3fcf86b86b4c86e8

“My God… You 87e1b733c8 really…”21f6c7726d5b0bdb

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“You just keep your 5393809733 mouth shut. And especially make 921b971d51 sure Jinmo doesn’t 28c4766a61 catch wind of 22b5202e19 anything. Why are 6e020b71f0 you staring 2c91b91ad2 at me e26ab56e0e like that? There’s no one 1241cf64d9 who’d benefit from 7dafdb38e2 spreading this around. Don’t worry.”3cf48d9cba27cd4d

“Mom, let’s throw fbbd68f3be this out too.”09284ac847d57fc4

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“……”89d8536f1b78865e

“Mom? Madam Yoon?”1fccea91bef20459

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Madam Yoon 903115079b turned her 7d06cfa4d8 head at d057cae639 the urging, fce4c83fff but her dcb3ebaa9c gaze lingered 0303a51124 on the 0cc9fe8fce room where 616f4190c1 Heeju had 0ca6f3ba0c stayed. A deep, dfae383de6 unshakable anxiety cb51b349f3 was written f3bc23f63c all over a4ee23d12e her face.e356af7ff565caaa

 46f0c460cdd3ae41

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