MS Ch 12 part 1

“Nnnnng.”

Euncho folded her fingers together and stretched her arms toward the ceiling. Her body ached, and the muscle pain would not go away. Even though she felt like she should have gotten used to this by now.

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Euncho sighed as she felt all the energy drain out of her. She swept back her disheveled hair and looked around with dazed eyes.

Her fingers moved from her ear to her cheek.

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Was it morning or closer to dawn? Ki Taeju grabbed her while she was still half-asleep and pressed his lips to her cheek before saying something.

‘Eat…?’

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He must have told her to eat something, but she wasn’t sure.

Euncho got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready for work. After taking a shower, she wrapped her dripping hair in a towel and went into the living room. She found a covered platter on the table.

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She lifted the lid and saw a wooden plate filled with neatly arranged fruits.

Strawberries, apples, blueberries, bananas, and more.

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Euncho finally realized what it was that he was telling her to eat. She took the matching wooden fork that was placed next to the plate and picked up a deliciously ripe strawberry. The green stem of the strawberry had already been cut off, and the milky white peaks were begging her to eat them.

Euncho continued to put various fruits into her mouth when she caught sight of an apple slice that wasn’t peeled properly.

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She thought these fruits had been prepared by the room service staff, but she suddenly had a creeping suspicion. She bit down on the apple and dragged the trash bin from behind the sofa. As expected, apple peels were inside, coiled like a snake.

This side of Ki Taeju never failed to surprise her.

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Just like the effort he put into washing the blanket while she was sleeping after they had sex for the first time. She didn’t expect this man to have this kind of side to him, but to her surprise, he was quite detailed in his way of showing consideration.

Euncho got up from the sofa and walked to the window.

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Crunch. The flesh of the apple burst with each bite.

Before she knew it, she had become accustomed to this lifestyle.

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A life where she ate, slept, and lived in the hotel owner’s suite as if it were her own home.

‘I haven’t been home in several days.’

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Time passed so quickly that she hadn’t been able to count the days. She opened the window by turning the handle on top, and a cold breeze rushed inside.

Finding any trace of the summer in the weather was now difficult.

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It was a season where the fall and winter struggled for dominance.

As the days of autumn grew shorter and shorter, winter would arrive in the blink of an eye.

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Spending the summer together, and then fall. Until winter.

Winter… It wasn’t easy to picture what a winter with Ki Taeju would look like.

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Euncho was already full, but she emptied her plate out of consideration for all the effort he had put into it. After cleaning up, she went out to the lounge. She took her cell phone out to send her mother a text in case she was worried about her. However, another message had arrived before she got that chance.

Euncho automatically frowned.

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It was from an unknown number, but it wasn’t hard to guess who it was.

It was Lim Kyujin.

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After that day, Euncho occasionally received messages from Lim Kyujin. She wasn’t sure what kind of excuses a criminal like him could possibly make, but he kept begging her to listen to what he had to say.

Last she heard, he had lost a part of his eyesight due to a fire. But judging from his behavior, it seemed that he still had the luxury to act like this in his situation.

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Euncho didn’t even finish reading the sentence and blocked the number.

Even though she’d receive another message from a different number the next day or the day after, Euncho stubbornly added the number to her blocked list.

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She anxiously put down her phone, sat down on the chair, and tilted her head back. She didn’t know why he was acting like a mess. She didn’t know what his motives were, but she didn’t want to get caught up in it anymore.

She felt like everything had finally stabilized.

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It was a fulfillment she hadn’t felt when she was in a superficial relationship with Lim Kyujin back when she didn’t know his true nature.

But as time went by, Euncho finally came to a clear realization.

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She probably wouldn’t ever be with another man who wasn’t Ki Taeju.

That was probably why her life had been full of happiness and anxiety these days. There was a desire to let things settle as they were but also the feeling of wondering whether it was okay to continue on like this. These two emotions mixed together like oil and water.

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She wanted to trust him, and Ki Taeju had lived up to those expectations.

He admitted that he didn’t do anything to Heejin-unnie. Even though that was enough, she still felt a strange emptiness and a sense of doubt that the suspicions she had struggled with for so many years were solved so easily.

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Rather… she felt strangely uneasy.

She felt like she was so immersed in the happiness of her reality that she was forgetting something important. She didn’t know what it was, and it frustrated her. She wanted to pretend not to notice, to not have to dig deeper, because things were so good right now.

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“Huu…”

As she tried to calm the chaotic thoughts in her head, a phone call came to the desk. Euncho picked up the receiver.

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— Euncho-ssi. There is a guest for the VIP that would like to come up.

“A guest?”

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— Yes. He claims he is related to the VIP through his work.

Was it Ki Taeju’s secretary?

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After she had basically begun living with him, Ki Taeju would often order his secretary to come to the hotel and bring food for her.

“Okay. I will activate the elevator from my end.”

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After scanning the elevator with the master key, Euncho grabbed her cell phone. Just in case, she wanted to call Ki Taeju to confirm.

“You sent Secretary Choi to the hotel, right?”

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— What are you talking about?

She just asked, thinking there wouldn’t be any doubt, but she received an unexpected response from Ki Taeju instead.

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Euncho’s hands which had been organizing the clutter on the desk suddenly froze.

“Someone related to your work just arrived downstairs…”

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Ding—

The elevator arrived with a cheerful sound. Euncho stared at the doors as they gradually opened. When she saw who it was, her mind went blank.

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For a moment, she thought Ki Taeju, the man who was on the other end of the call, had returned to the hotel.

Because their faces were so similar…

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But as soon as the man stepped out into the lounge with his long legs, the thought shattered like brittle ice. His gait, his posture, his eyes as they looked straight ahead, and his overall atmosphere were completely different from Ki Taeju.

The man immediately walked to the desk.

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Now that he was closer, she noticed that his left eye seemed strange. It wasn’t a real eye. It was a prosthetic eye that had been implanted inside the socket. As soon as she saw the lifeless eye, goosebumps rose along her skin. When she looked up, she felt as if she were looking at a crow sitting on a power line.

“Where is Director Ki?”

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The man asked after brazenly approaching her. Euncho unknowingly smiled out of habit.

“Ah, he is currently out. I was just about to confirm with him in regards to your appointment, sir.”

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The man’s cold eyes glanced at the cell phone in Euncho’s hand.

“Is that Ki Taeju?”

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Before she could say anything, he snatched the phone away. While Euncho was flustered by his behavior, the man leaned against the desk and brought the phone to his ear.

“Yeah, Taeju.”

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His grinning face caused a strange chill to run down her spine.

“It’s your hyung.”

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Hyung?

Euncho’s blank mind became noisy due to this unexpected situation.

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So this man in front of her was… Ki Taeju’s older brother?

‘Yeah. Taeju-oppa’s oppa.’

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He was someone she’d heard of before. From none other than Kang Seora.

Do they look so similar because they share the same blood?

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“What do you mean, ‘When did you get back?’ I missed my homeland so much, so I came back ju~st fine.”

He scratched the marble surface of the desk as he spit out the words in a dull voice. He was undeniably similar to Ki Taeju. Suddenly, the man turned to look at Euncho.

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He let out a snicker as he rolled his tongue. The sound sent a chill down her spine.

“Yeah… You know how my temper can be, so come here as fast as you can.”

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With a remark that could either be a greeting or a threat, the man ended the call and handed the cell phone back to Euncho. Euncho lowered her eyes as she received it.

Judging from how the call had progressed, he definitely seemed to be a member of Ki Taeju’s family. If this was true, then he was Ki Taeju’s guest. Euncho couldn’t just leave him standing here like this.

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Euncho pierced through the unbearable tension and opened her mouth.

“Sir, I’ll take you to the lounge.”

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Would he follow her? As she began to wonder, the man walked forward without any issues. He pulled out a chair and sat down once he was let into the private room that was designated as a place for comfortable conversation.

Since she was the only employee here, it was naturally Euncho’s job to serve food and drinks to the guest.

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“Hey, sis&sup1He uses the word ‘unnie’ here but not because he thinks of her as an older sister figure. Something’s off about this guy..”

Tea was usually appropriate for a place like this, but judging from the man’s appearance, tea didn’t seem to suit him. Euncho was contemplating whether she should make strong coffee instead when her shoulders rose at his sudden call.

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“Yes, sir?”

“Do you work here?”

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“Yes, that’s correct.”

Yeah, tea… Tea wouldn’t be good. Let me serve him some coffee. Euncho belatedly realized that she was a little nervous.

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No, she was very nervous.

The man smiled calmly and winked, completely unaware of Euncho’s feelings. The way his crooked artificial eye looked at her still made her feel uncomfortable.

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“I’m Ki Cheonju. Taeju’s hyung.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

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“You’re a lot younger than I thought.”

As soon as she quickly adjusted her posture and bent down to bow, she heard a small voice seep out from his mouth, barely audible. Euncho didn’t hear him properly, so she asked, “Pardon?”, but received no answer after that.

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While Ki Cheonju hummed a soft tune, Euncho prepared the coffee.

They heard footsteps in the hallway outside. Soon, the door opened, and Ki Taeju appeared. His arrival was much earlier than expected.

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Ki Taeju paused and stared piercingly at Ki Cheonju’s face. Then he slowly approached the table.

“It’s been a while, Hyung.”

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Ki Taeju greeted him as he sat in the chair across from Ki Cheonju. The usual smile was nowhere to be seen.

“Has it been five years?”

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Ki Taeju crossed his legs and leaned back against the chair.

“If you arrived, you should have let me know. I’m sad I wasn’t able to properly greet you.”

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“I didn’t contact you because I knew that. Surprise—?”

Both sides pretended to be happy and cheerful, but it was all just a facade. Their hatred for each other was as sharp as a knife.

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Ki Cheonju looked at Ki Taeju before slowly looking around the room. His head moved slowly as if he were intentionally exaggerating the movement.

“Hyaa, I thought it was a waste of money when I heard you suddenly acquired a worthless holding company that barely managed to save one hotel. But it sounds like you ended up making an incredible profit in a short amount of time.”

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Ki Cheonju tapped the table.

“My younger brother is quite skilled. Right?”

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“……”

“Hotels, construction… and recently, you’ve set your sights on acquiring shares in heavy industry.”

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Ki Cheonju laughed heartily and clapped his hands

“Amazing. I wonder how you managed to hide this insolent side when you were rotting away from under me as my director.” 

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There were underlying meanings within his words. On the surface, it was a compliment, but the nuances and underlying tone indicated that cold shards were embedded within the words. 

Euncho couldn’t help but conclude that the relationship between the brothers was so bad that it bordered on enmity.

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“It looks like there are still a few underlings left in the company.”

After listening in silence, Ki Taeju spoke up as he rubbed his chin.

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Ki Cheonju’s fake eye flashed at the mention of his underlings. He quickly narrowed his eyes as if he were trying to hide it and replied in a low voice.

“Little bro, I came here because I wanted to get along with you.”

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“……”

“We’re the only blood relatives left in the world. Wouldn’t it be a win-win scenario if we coexist and help each other out?”

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He made such a turnaround in his demeanor that it was dizzying.

Ki Taeju stared at this man, and only one description came to mind. Viper. It was a name that was used to refer to Ki Cheonju back when he had dominated this scene. When that thought crossed his mind, his mouth opened as if it had a mind of its own.

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“Are you out of money?”

“…What?”

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“You’d think the same if you saw a man who acted like he’d stay in Shanghai his whole life return to Korea in such a hurry.”

The words were quite insulting, even to someone who was listening in. Euncho immediately picked up on it as she placed the cups of strong coffee down on the table in front of them.

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Ki Taeju picked up the coffee cup she had just put down and snickered.

“You were always like this… How can you be so shameless, Hyung?”

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“……”

“You’re so thick-skinned. For someone who stabbed a person in the stomach with a knife and ran away, you sure have nothing to say.”

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Euncho, who had been waiting for the right time to leave the room, heard what he said and froze. She gasped silently. She could feel the sweat running down her spine.

It had been the only change she could see within the seven-year gap. 

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Euncho now realized who had caused the ugly wound on Ki Taeju’s abdomen.

Crash—!

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A hand suddenly slammed down on the table while holding the coffee cup. The loud noise drove all thoughts out of her head.

“Then what about you… You’re the bastard who did this to my eye!”

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Ki Cheonju’s face was so angry that it looked like his rage would pierce the sky. He looked so different from Ki Taeju at this moment that Euncho wondered how she had thought he’d looked like Ki Taeju just a while ago. Aside from his first impression, he was nothing like Ki Taeju.

 Ki Cheonju laughed bitterly, his face contorting like a broken doll.

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“You’re over here having a blast after taking over someone else’s position. You having fun, you bastard?”

“You’re right. Who told you to run a business the way you did?”

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Ki Taeju placed the cup down and took out a cigarette from his breast pocket. He did not light it and instead chewed on it between his teeth as he looked down at the rippling surface of the brown coffee. Then he sighed.

“You did everything you could to be caught in every kind of corruption scandal. People would think you were on a mission to be as corrupt as possible.”

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“This… fucking, insolent son of a bitch!”

Ki Cheonju broke the cup he was holding in a haze of rage.

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The coffee mixed with drops of blood as the cup shattered. The atmosphere was filled with a sinister, bloodthirsty tension. 

Euncho flinched in fear. For the first time since he’d entered the room, Ki Taeju’s gaze turned to her.

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He nodded as if telling her to leave, and Euncho quickly moved her feet. 

Just as the door was about to close behind her…

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“Sh!t, just thinking about how you used Yu Heejin to stab me in the back boils my blood even in my sleep…”

As the crack in the door slowly drew to a close, the words Ki Cheonju said in a fit of rage struck Euncho and made her freeze.

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Unfortunately, the door closed before he had finished speaking.

However, the words uttered by Ki Cheonju lingered like an echo wandering across a mountain ridge, clanging in her ears.

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He used Yu Heejin.

Used Yu Heejin.

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Yu Heejin…

Ki Cheonju knew Yu Heejin?

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And what did he mean by ‘used’?

She couldn’t let go of the doorknob that was still in her hand.

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Even though the atmosphere was so tense that it made her stomach churn, she suddenly had the urge to go back inside.

It was to be expected. Wasn’t it because Heejin-unnie was involved?

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The tangle of emotions that Euncho had not been able to unravel for seven years.

Her instincts were screaming.

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The story that was coming out of the two men’s mouths held a dire clue to the casual relationship between Ki Taeju and Heejin seven years ago.

Should I open the door… just a little bit?

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But what if I get caught?

Especially since Ki Cheonju was sitting facing the door, he might catch her eavesdropping if she wasn’t careful. However, Euncho couldn’t just back off now without trying anything.

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All the emotions that had been buried inside a sandcastle while she had been spending time with Ki Taeju came bursting out like a flood. While spending time with him, she came to realize that there was a lingering sense of unease she couldn’t quite define.

That was…

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“……”

Euncho looked down.

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The cell phone in her pocket vibrated. She pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was a text message.

She was being deceived?

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By whom?

That single sentence accurately pointed out the worries that had been lingering in her head, and she could not dismiss it as a trivial text message.

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The text came from an unknown number.

It was Lim Kyujin.

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What’s he doing? Even as she thought this, her eyes were glued to her screen. It felt like he was only acting as if he knew something she didn’t, but his words also had a tenacious hold on her nerves.

But the person who was the subject of this conversation was not Lim Kyujin. Euncho returned to her senses and was just about to block the number before her heart wavered any further when…

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The following text messages arrived one after another.

Her fingers suddenly froze.

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The file that arrived via text sent a shiver down her spine.

Boom, boom boom.

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She felt like someone was jumping violently around her. But it was none other than her suddenly anxious heart.

Euncho held her cell phone and looked at the closed door behind her. She quietly walked away after she confirmed that the door was shut.

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She headed towards the emergency staircase at the back of the lounge.

She took a slow, deep breath.

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I’ll just listen to it. That’s all.

That much… should be okay.

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By the time these thoughts had floated intof her mind, her fingers had already pressed the file. Euncho looked down at the screen as the file buffered. Then she brought it up to her ear.

Chhhhhh.

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She heard white noise.

— I… I can’t do this anymore. I-I want to quit.

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The dim light inside her head suddenly went out.

The voice lingered in the pitch-black darkness.

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The protesting voice filled with tears belonged to Heejin-unnie.

— I-I heard everything. Ki Cheonju, that man… I heard he’s killed one or two women after having sex with them. Why didn’t you tell me? You hid it on purpose, right? You were afraid I’d say no, so you didn’t tell me on purpose!

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Questions floated up like bubbles in her head.

Was this really Heejin-unnie’s voice?

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Her hysterical shriek was so loud that she could hardly believe it belonged to the unnie she knew. However, she couldn’t deny it.

Because it was the same voice that told her Ki Taeju was a dangerous person as she held onto her shoulder.

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— I can’t do this. I’m scared I’m going to die at this rate. That guy is totally crazy… He’s mentally ill! Whenever Director Ki has sex, he gives me some kind of strange drug… My head hurts so much when I take it. I don’t want to deal with him anymore. I want to quit all of it…

If Euncho didn’t already know that this was Heejin, she would have thought this woman was mentally ill from the way she spoke so incoherently.

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But it was definitely Heejin-unnie.

So the urge to vomit rose. Euncho endured the nausea and focused on the audio file.

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She was declaring her resignation to someone as if she were making a confession.

This file definitely sounded like it was a recording of a phone call. Therefore, it meant that Heejin-unnie was talking to someone right now. But for nearly a minute, all Euncho could hear was her cracking, desperate voice.

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— Yu Heejin.

A low growl suddenly rang out as if it had read Euncho’s mind.

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Her eyelids trembled as if they were being forced open. A strong urge to cry surged through her. Her mouth twisted as she tried to hold back the tears.

As expected, she was devastated to hear a voice she knew all too well.

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— Then you shouldn’t have accepted the money.

Similar to the awkwardness she felt when she first heard Heejin-unnie’s voice, she felt strange hearing someone she knew in such an unfamiliar light.

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— Did I force you to take this job and tell you I’d hurt you if you rejected my offer? This was your choice, wasn’t it? So why are you bringing up this bullshit now?

Unlike the way it spoke to Euncho, the voice did not allow any room for compromise. It sounded incredibly cold.

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— You said you’d sell your body to Director Ki for the money.

How could he be so heartless?

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— Heejin, that is the price of your life.

How could he be so cruel?

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Euncho felt as if the ground underneath her feet was crumbling at the hollow laughter that followed the soft, venomous words.

Again, an eerie chill ran down her spine. Similar to the feeling she had when she had caught a glimpse of Ki Taeju on the CCTV footage. When she saw a side of him she never thought she’d be able to see.

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— Instead of wasting time and crying, just do what you’re told.