Whisper Chapter 40

 

No matter how many times she bowed her head, it would never be enough. She had thought it was just an easy job. Life was truly unpredictable.  

 

“…You have a good son.”  

 

“Yes, that’s right.”  

 

Just hearing the word “son” made her smile.  

 

Staring quietly at the mountain, Heo Gwiryeon thought for a moment about the son who never brought a smile to her face. She could hardly recall his face. Had she thought that Heewoo’s eyes and ears resembled her son’s?  

 

Perhaps she had.  

 

She had raised him without affection, so there was no reason for him to like his mother. And his mother being a shaman? He abhorred it. The day he abandoned Heewoo and left her behind, Heo Gwiryeon had looked straight into her son’s face for the first time. Was this really the child I gave birth to? she had thought.  

 

– “She turned out like this because of your blood, so you take responsibility.”

 

He had never called her “mother.” Heo Gwiryeon, in turn, had not felt any pain in her heart or anything of the sort.  

 

There was no difference between him and a stranger. As if he couldn’t bear to be in the same space as her, he walked out of the shrine. Watching his retreating figure with emotionless eyes, Heo Gwiryeon turned her head—only to meet the unwavering, jet-black gaze of the child.  

 

She was not yet two years old, sitting still and composed. Heo Gwiryeon’s entire body trembled.  

 

She quickly realized what her son had meant by this state.

 

The child’s spiritual gates were open.  

 

More than her doll-like beauty, Heo Gwiryeon noticed that first. As she let out a sigh, the child captured it within her large, unblinking eyes. That was how she came face-to-face with her own karma.  

 

“I wish you could regain your strength like this every day.”

 

Heo Gwiryeon still barely ate. Even taking a few spoonfuls of porridge was a struggle. Seeing this, Assemblyman Im even ordered herbal medicine for her to drink three times a day.  

 

The servants in the annex whispered, wondering if they would soon have to deal with a corpse.  

 

“If there’s anything you need, I can prepare it for you, elder.”

 

“…I am a dying body. There’s no need to worry.”

 

“Still…”  

 

“There is one child who will grieve when I die.”

 

There was something sorrowful about looking at the elderly woman with her head of white hair. Her frail body, like a dried twig, seemed as if it would crumble at any moment.  

 

“Who? Do you have family?”

 

“…Yes, family. If news reaches them, they will be sad.”

 

“Would you like me to make a call for you?”

 

When the servant glanced around and started to take out a phone, Heo Gwiryeon weakly waved her hand.  

 

“There’s no need. This…” 

 

Her trembling fingers, which had been smoothing out her jeogori, slowly took something out.  

 

She stretched out her twig-like arm, and the servant swiftly received it. It was a folded piece of paper.  

 

“…It’s fine if you throw it away, but if you hold onto it, you might meet its owner someday.” 

 

It was white hanji, the kind used for writing with a brush. The paper had been neatly folded several times. The servant quickly tucked it into their pocket.  

 

“Alright, I’ll keep it safe, elder.” 

 

The servant thought they might have seen the corner of Heo Gwiryeon’s lips curl up slightly. The sun was setting.  

 

***

 

When Cha Gyeol returned home, Lee Heewoo was curled up in front of the living room window, fast asleep.  

 

His long fingers poked her cheek as she lay on the hard floor.  

 

“Mmm… Don’t… do that…” 

 

She mumbled softly in her sleep. Her face was so gentle, delicate, and beautiful.  

 

When she cried beneath him with that face, it was more sensual than any temptress in the world. He had picked her up, and now he was ruined.  

 

The problem wasn’t that he was ruined—it was that he didn’t mind being ruined.  

 

“Sweetie.”

 

His voice was low.  

 

She was eleven years younger than him. The moment he thought of the age gap, reality hit him.  

 

Back when he smoked cigarettes in his school uniform, had he ever given a glance to those kids who barely reached his waist?  

 

“If you sleep like this now, what do you plan to do at night?”

 

He lifted her from the cold floor. Her light body naturally fit into his embrace. Her cool body temperature felt pleasant, and he chuckled.  

 

“Mmm… Where are we going?”

 

“Who do you think you’re talking to so informally?”

 

He nipped the tip of her nose.  

 

A baby scent—sweet like baby lotion—wafted from her.  

 

Her slack body twitched slightly.  

 

“Sir…?”

 

“Who else would it be?”  

 

She slowly blinked her eyes, waking up in his arms.  

 

How could she fit so perfectly against him and do only the most endearing things?  

 

His already scattered rationality drifted even further.  

 

“Are you hurting anywhere?”

 

“…I am.”

 

Isn’t it strange that it isn’t there? Lee Heewoo rested her head on the guest’s shoulder and thought to herself.

 

After opening the bedroom door and stepping inside, they went all the way to the inner dressing room before finally setting Lee Heewoo down on top of the dresser.

 

Seated, Lee Heewoo wrapped her arms around Cha Gyeol’s neck and refused to let go. She didn’t want the warmth to fade away.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Asking was shameless. Leaving her in such a state where it would be faster to count the places that weren’t in pain—when he knew that all too well.

 

“Hmm, the most painful spot is… here.”

 

Perhaps unable to say it outright, she lowered one of the arms draped around his neck and pointed to the area where her nipple was.

 

It would have been better if she had just said it aloud. Cha Gyeol’s eyes darkened.

 

“It stings… When it touches my clothes, it makes me tear up a little.”

 

Right, this is why I came quickly.

 

“I need to take a look. I’ll check the condition and apply some ointment.”

 

He smoothly came up with an excuse.

 

At his natural pretense, Lee Heewoo pursed her lips and mumbled. She stared straight at Cha Gyeol’s face, who had braced his hands on either side of her, leaning in as if trapping her, a look of admiration flickering in his gaze.

 

The man’s face was slender and small. His clean skin, with strands of hair cascading down onto his forehead in a careless mess, framed his features. The thick eyebrows, visible between the strands, were perfectly shaped as if drawn, while his long, monolid eyes with three white irises carried an intimidating sharpness that could make a person flinch just from a glance. His straight, prominent nose completed the perfection of his face.

 

Even his lips, neither too thin nor too thick, had a beautiful color. Her eyes, entranced, wandered over his face, captivated by the transparent brilliance of his gaze.

 

“You like this face, don’t you?”

 

Her unconcealed gaze practically licked his features whenever she had the chance. Yet, there wasn’t the slightest hint of sexual attraction in her admiration—just pure appreciation.

 

Having been the center of attention for his looks since childhood, he was used to such stares, but somehow, Lee Heewoo’s gaze was a little amusing.

 

“Yes.”

 

Her voice, dazed as if she had sold her soul to his face, sounded utterly absentminded, like someone under hypnosis.

 

“Well, it’s not every day you get to stare so openly like this.”

 

“Everyone was looking at you.”

 

“They were?”

 

Lee Heewoo nodded, her gaze shifting to the side. Whether in the company parking lot, inside the elevator, or even at the restaurant, the guest had drawn people’s attention wherever he went. Their expressions were nearly identical every time. That was how she knew people’s reactions were all the same. After all, when she first saw him, she had also been so taken aback by his unreal appearance that she wasn’t sure if he was a person or a ghost.

 

“If it hurts there, why won’t you show me? I told you I’d apply ointment.”

 

Cha Gyeol’s gaze flickered downward, landing precisely on Lee Heewoo’s chest—specifically, her nipple—before returning to her eyes. Since he hadn’t been gentle, her nipple, her groin, and any other skin that had been kissed wouldn’t be in great condition.

 

Who would have thought his persistence would manifest in such a way? At thirty-one years old, he was discovering new sides of himself.

 

“Uh, can we eat first? I slept and woke up starving.”

 

“You little schemer.”

 

Cha Gyeol let out a hollow laugh before lifting Lee Heewoo back into his arms. She giggled at how effortlessly he held her close. He wasn’t one for morality to begin with, but it made her wonder—despite his denial—whether he embraced others this readily as well. So—

 

“Little Lady.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I’m going to gaslight you a bit.”

 

True to his nature, he outright announced his intention to gaslight her.

 

Hearing the unfamiliar word, Lee Heewoo slightly lifted her face and mouthed, “Gaslighting?”

 

“If someone asks you to go with them, should you go or not?”

 

“Who?

 

Walking down the hallway, Cha Gyeol let out a sharp breath. “Ha, what the hell…” he muttered like a curse. Lee Heewoo tilted her head, wondering if such a question even counted as gaslighting.

 

Cha Gyeol set her down on the dining table, crossing his arms as he leaned to one side. Lee Heewoo simply blinked up at him. He might get so worked up trying to gaslight her that he’d abandon their meal altogether.

 

“Anyone. Say there’s an old grandma who says, ‘Come with me, I’m sick,’ or someone says, ‘President Cha told me to bring you,’ or ‘I just have something to discuss for a moment,’ and so on. If anyone approaches you like that—”

 

“I won’t go. I’ll tell you first.”

 

Before he could even finish his sentence, she answered firmly. The serious look on her tiny, endearing face was commendable.

 

“Don’t trust anyone except me.”

 

“…Even my grandma?”

 

“Yes, even your grandma.”

 

“……”