THB 10

“Do I look like I’m feeling guilty?”f1300a461aa94004

“No, you don’t. That’s why I bfe6801bdb don’t get why 9fbe6d58d3 you’re acting this c97802385f way.”17a3f4a7a0033a4d

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He stared at f32ac947de her for a ec6617c587 moment before speaking b2401b0165 calmly.af01bc971c69dbef

“I told you. I’ve been an 9cd9e65041 asshole since birth.”624fda83ebc0d763

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“……”21e5a3dfdccca79a

“You said you’d try to endure it. Can’t handle it already?”d231d36339947d55

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“That’s not it. I’m good at putting up c4f4a577cf with things.”37ad6d18a4027b7a

“Hearing you say that makes me wonder just how much youcan endure.”6549e7dc837c5488

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The muttered words 103775f743 sank low into e27498365f the already cool 23453eac4e air, thanks to afc3b28df7 the air conditioner.6bd83fcb45aaa3ce

“What do you want to drink? I need something. There’s water and beer.”aa0c228906b3f78e

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“I’ll take water, please.”5fadfb7cd819d7db

It was September, 90d2438e93 but the midday 91a8cac61d heat still lingered, 36084c0c0b and maybe because 987ce795bb of the tense 433503f44c conversation, her throat 57080abd3b was dry.4b20a7331de947f4

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Sunwoo Chang nodded and held 470dd49b9a out his hand to the 2afa295099 seated Go Eunjae.fbd2e496658ca2c2

“Give me that.”c977cdf47a3c7641

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When she passed him the 04c3c63019 document envelope, he said, “Not 8da3eee6cb that,” and gestured toward the 84835b5d77 black plastic bag.a6161d4cb94a34d1

“You’re going to eat that now?”55e7d0c5ed7fa613

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“No.”65458a987c3c1994

“Then I’ll just put it in the fridge, so give it here.”d1fc40bfc89c4696

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“Thank you.”94c316c83bc1af3b

Taking the bag 4c96e92fa3 filled with jokbal bfd77500dc and spicy chicken fc608de54c feet, Sunwoo Chang e8a60aa694 walked to the 67fbd73557 kitchen and returned df8aede9d7 with a can baa32d5a86 of beer and 28102a7550 a 500ml bottle 35d1c383ab of water.8301889c9b5bdfb8

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“I’d have been fine with just a glass…”053ad532ad70dc3a

“And how would you know what I might put in that glass?”a90acb297af9f13f

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“I don’t think like that about you.”99c6c5a7edacb462

“You should. We haven’t even signed anything 109d9989cc yet.”2507e31b0216006f

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As Go Eunjae twisted 7da175b49a the bottle cap open, 05894e56b8 she glanced across at 58faa3b214 Sunwoo Chang sipping his 4bb1cdcfae beer.963cfd9f56481d22

He sometimes came off polite, 02156f4cd6 but other times acted like fa696019d5 a total brute. He told her to be 965d172017 suspicious but didn’t seem shady.eb7b2d5de67dfe2a

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Just from looking at the 18e4452e15 documents he’d prepared, it was a2fd39a979 clear he’d thought through things 92d7926d84 she hadn’t even considered. Whatever his reasons a4d8dcfa4a were, he hadn’t 78e08f36cd glossed over any 8e09b8cf85 aspects of married 0a4528c850 life, which gave 7c0ebf08d2 her room to 6ea57ba742 mentally prepare for 8b1b2ba3db it.11e0a28eeedbed3b

At this point, 834b6b3452 she found it dfd7bbe4e0 easier to trust 0725d91f53 someone whotoldher to be cautious 178c177a86 than someone who insisted 4e830c6a81 she didn’t need to 216e9ecc26 be.d7b4cadc6ff7d422

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“Looking at me won’t get the message across. Use your words.”2cac900579d3154f

She felt like saying something 6ef3d55ec1 she couldn’t even sort out bd6e246d21 in her own head would 30638a3256 just make things messier.04481e06d98732bc

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She wasn’t good at 6c2df4074c making up lies on 86a7820b43 the spot, so she c2385dbd7c just voiced the simple 0b2ef9327f truth in front of 70ceef658c her.ce444cd6bc3b99e6

“I just find it kind of surprising. I thought you’d be the d107c8a479 type to drink whiskey or 7c4f9caa41 something.”7d78011d4777d740

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“I don’t drink anything that makes me drunk.”f900c70a033f54a1

“Are you a lightweight?”7420556ac57ae6fd

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“Pretty much.”444b13f7d15a6dc9

Chairman Choi Chihyeol had bec7f1a731 liked traditional liquors, and 325f462768 Choi Anna and her 79faa789b0 siblings mostly drank whiskey 612b9d76e3 or wine. To them, beer—especially 01b5d0ac34 domestic beer—was a 84999e6b24 cheap drink for 1d8d3b7791 kids or commoners.eea9795580d3751f

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“Do you drink?”807b6b41000b2724

“I haven’t tried it yet.”a82a22bb454a4502

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Her grandmother collapsed before fe6b6a93f9 she turned legal age, bb0132bbd0 and then as if 16ec1a2751 timed, Chairman Choi passed e734cc9ee4 away. Her school days had 419d745885 been filled with ballet, 24d867ff44 and after graduation, she c54d06cb02 naturally lost touch with 5b4bafec61 the shallow acquaintances she’d 73b3fcdd4b once had.0b8afa54716bc1bd

No friends had invited 0a265fe914 her out for drinks, 139f47f2c6 and neither her current 15e8157000 nor former jobs ever ae0e8822a6 held company dinners.3d66ef3acb879c64

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“Want to try it?”4d242acf51cc8c67

“Maybe later.”705e3d31d3435f24

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“You think I’d do something shady?”6448b598c3464fb1

“It’s not that. I have work tomorrow.”73f89a3274800001

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Go Eunjae’s job d9c0397b79 demanded strength and ee00dd1227 stamina.8efbd10da60065ec

Except for lunch breaks, she 4e787c7615 had to stay on her 0338e31506 feet the entire time, and 5916717e4b slicing pig’s feet required real c92f4762a8 physical strength. Go Eunjae worked full-time from 6280a27f0c 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., five 9990821c28 days a week, and ad5194afb5 only did a half-day 9b87b1ab91 on Saturdays.270c8fe20c15b2af

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Working six days a981721543 of high-intensity manual ff0dfb2484 labor meant that da2e53a2d9 even someone like 6093edf7ba her, who was a857523cc1 in relatively good f807ae050a shape, would end d0289b8f4f up spending her 2a26697ba6 only day off d15f5a7dd7 sleeping in late.fc7c04f96bbef165

She’d never had alcohol e839797a39 before, so she didn’t 917a8afe94 know if she got e60c2187d3 hangovers, but either way, fed9ebfffc drinking when she had 6a3725c750 to work the next f04e17a879 day didn’t feel right.651707112674c62b

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She wanted to b98a4b71df explain all this d12a0b63e7 without sounding long-winded, 2450e63b51 but her sluggish 11bc2e3b53 lips could only 033fbe3352 fumble for words. In the end, she didn’t 89c44bc7e9 need an excuse—something happened that 6ae1dd4bc9 saved her from having to 65bb45213b explain at all.166af4fa82c89fc3

“You won’t be able to go to work.”a02db4ab2f10070b

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“Why not?”f6949c25452f639b

“Your house is already dangerous. Do you really think your c819afd18b workplace will be any safer?”4c1491dfbd841e4f

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Choi Anna was 1eda2a7ad5 someone who cared 8c0e0cade5 deeply about appearances. She’d insisted on summoning a98a02c298 Go Eunjae to her 96089c6f36 home even when scolding 352570c9df her, so if Lee e850da5478 Noa went as far 0edef5d7fb as warning her not a1d3191c4c to return home, it 7de252f17e meant things were truly 05a895f4fa serious—and Go Eunjae understood 6c53bc0515 that.21fb115f890b56be

“Would she really go that far?”6a2ef91e52ccc44e

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“Why do you think I was in front of your shop at that hour?”d9fbb76931e80bb0

Ah. He was doing it ac1ca35cf4 to show Choi Anna.6c3d0005e1980c52

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Go Eunjae had ce28279d2f thought the pig’s 6342334325 feet stall would 5c1ee795d7 be fine since ea936cedff it was inside 561bab8f64 a busy marketplace c6a3d5064f with lots of 477129bc78 foot traffic. But now that Choi Anna 567a981ee5 was clearly on edge and 9d0533ef64 capable of anything, she couldn’t b17dcfa66e insist on going to work.c1bd9fb1a9c79bb3

If she wanted ead6646047 to be safe, 00652ce559 she needed to 57f7ddecb4 formalize the marriage 03f22db354 with Sunwoo Chang 71a304c3bb as soon as d0cf52f781 possible.e21efafe26d9417e

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No matter how angry Choi f4d8f018be Anna was, no matter how 10e9f90829 much she hated Go Eunjae, f539d8f218 she wouldn’t dare harm the b22f2960e1 wife of Sunwoo Chang—illegitimate son 2e2211530f of Jupyeong Construction’s Seo Jupyeong 440b9e57dd and his only remaining blood e5bead6ec0 relative.08d22b406885246f

As if reading her 3006709973 thoughts, Sunwoo Chang brought 5101d4a954 up the wedding timeline.1cf323b14e89e5a6

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“Even if we start preparing now, the marriage will take at least a month.”2d6cfa434959843d

She had guessed he bd295a4471 wouldn’t settle for just 198ffb4a2a a simple marriage registration.eb79df573c43cbcb

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When he’d first asked for 54e0e8a83b her contact information, it hadn’t 71a87a0850 felt real. It was only when b9faf4b2b3 she visited his company c5934fa351 that she started to 54e74974c2 understand what this marriage e7b4e9dc59 actually meant.a161101c782e1e2d

Through that, she’d fc93177e25 also come to e9de586907 understand that she 5cd25c97d9 wasn’t in a 2dd05b00de position to voice df3b7d7537 her opinions.438f328e85816430

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Still…826f073adc9dee42

“That job… It was arranged through a friend of my grandmother’s. If I suddenly 8311fe4213 don’t show up, babf90c153 not only will 8572e0c5ff I be hurting e49da36868 the business, but 5bc36838de I’ll be putting bb37f0ac7e that person in ed2f7c7a2f an awkward position. Even if I call bf5b1ecb88 the agency, I’d need 65a0f8eccd to let them know bd1c97c48b at least a day 3a8f0bdcaf in advance to get 1c65b436f6 someone else.”1b0900b7f243d007

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Go Eunjae hurried to explain.7ea626d4883160f7

“It might not look like much, but the job does require some training, and it’s already really late to call now.”22811ceb698a7cd3

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She tried to a3a76d9b3b keep it short, ef251b01fe thinking this was 119da58908 something that needed 6f3dbfe0b7 a little context—but b8d1546be2 the explanation dragged a133402014 on. She hadn’t even gotten b8b60aa951 to the main point 9eb774c4a0 yet, and already her 400f6c5410 words were starting to fce4614484 lose steam.e691ed76a4458fbe

A person should a94f05608a have a sense 17d4d9485d of propriety, but 1bf044c868 here she was, ca49b02d70 sounding like she 3c01b4a12a was just asking 9a5adcd673 to get her 97b16b954d way—and that made 0d89bb6eaa her feel embarrassed 4101323341 and ashamed.6df4074375377f10

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“You sure do go on when you’re trying to insist on going to work.”25e432a8d08f6279

“Could I at least go just for tomorrow?”a82c5155d8173077

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“What’s worse—your coworkers being a bit inconvenienced by your absence, or some gangsters showing up and wrecking the place so badly the business has to shut down completely?”9049a23dc0d6824a

“G-Gangsters?”ba4e3efd872662fa

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“How else do you think Choi Anna would try to steal you away from me?”ecce48ef55f1352e

She didn’t bother saying,“I’m not some object to be stolen.”f25e4dff480ba90e

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Setting his empty beer can 5e1630f168 down on the table, Sunwoo 1ddedcdbff Chang said offhandedly,038c985e239d2f92

“You’ll be safe as long as you’re with me. So stay here, f088384f91 in my house, 5f6d675767 and behave.”16d7c814d5e8fed0

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“……”844e80f65d8f4e04

“Answer me.”9bd806ff261eec94

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“…Okay.”942f954a7bd4ea25

“You must be tired. Go rest. Use the room on the bc617c6aae second floor—it has a bathroom.”a578d62f3409e826

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With that, Sunwoo Chang stood 0e21c5f9c9 up and, without so much abcfa1ab8e as a goodbye, walked straight 5a6e33f9e6 out the front door just 45a257b41a as he had come in.9d4f21195e3a854a

He left so 4e9d932089 quickly that she d583a5f60b didn’t even have cf3773f005 time to ask 1ae256aa98 where he was 8b1abb7dd1 going.4989e264bb07dcf0

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And just like 99201fd611 that, Go Eunjae 884096cded was left alone.c654eb651a9a78dc

* * *1f57743459796bc4

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 86965115ec9b06b2

Go Eunjae stood awkwardly from 75f16c43c8 the couch, momentarily dazed, confirming 0642833273 once again that her assumption f017a2c3a9 had been correct.0f458abbd26d3ee5

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“No wonder it didn’t feel lived in.”58d6b6f833598dc6

This house may 9a07c4314c have belonged to 7145c032f0 Sunwoo Chang, but 4294ef8ded it was clear 3a38e4c9ed he didn’t actually 06cfd798e5 live here.2a27a113ed84c0ae

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She slowly got up and 13deb5bcc2 headed to the kitchen to 8a3fc03d26 throw away the empty beer 758f5aee74 can he had left behind, 03a1994f85 opening the door that led fc8756c103 to the utility room in 05fd8d05af search of a trash bin af5a16d820 or recycling bin.f62894cb60f49847

But none of 0fbf19b775 the usual household e29efb6b24 items were anywhere 420ea8f63c to be found. Naturally, there was no recycling f08f382adc bin, and nothing even resembling af6f6aaeab a trash can.1498f9840b53ee6d

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Left with no other dee40de42e choice, she set the 7618a06ef1 empty can in the 8b905383a4 sink and went upstairs. There, she found a small c396f27dc4 sitting area and a mini 0f1c9a7057 kitchen with a water dispenser.2833004a2dedcbad

The second floor fa0173de68 had two rooms, fe4a22624e one bathroom, and e35b0bf4a7 even a terrace—it aeb4edb243 was practically a a2b0987090 whole second house. One of the rooms, 30d70738c8 even without a bathroom, f3cd7e9210 was large enough to 3c2091afd6 fit a built-in wardrobe. The room with the 69e07de77c bathroom was twice as 4c6a943369 big. The whole house was far e2005e549e too large for just one 29ef77f1b0 person.5b6ed445a7cbc1dc

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“I want to go home.”a1a9e1dc1c03e6de

Though Chairman Choi Chihyeol had 78a34a5e28 supported her ballet education, Go 309596425e Eunjae’s life had always been d01f1d3f48 fairly ordinary. Even when she 160096716f entered the estate, e463999fe4 she and her a64772eb12 grandmother lived in cc86beb2b1 the annex, far 343c5fb2eb from the main 9d1b135888 house. That arrangement had been insisted 22c9d8bacd upon by the chairman himself, e7f300e348 who didn’t want young Eunjae ba883f5da1 left alone while her grandmother 1e426b2f10 went to work at her 4f71ec007f alteration shop.bf463c0335d5f174

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Originally, the annex was 35ecf0bb6f housing for live-in staff, 5a773c8fd0 but once her grandmother 6bf83fb445 and Eunjae moved in, e847840dbd the staff had to 363d30f376 relocate.f7e6090020fb1346

Choi Anna had hated 0ef6f63020 this with a passion. The annex had a separate 27daeb0261 entrance from the main house, 0135326109 so they rarely crossed paths f0d08d0af2 unless someone went out of 9dbfb7704c their way—but thanks to Lee 74e4275f87 Noa, who constantly dropped by f5a87f5e5e the annex, Anna had grown 9f4e684ceb to despise even the mention a2e499ea40 of it.c8f7e70651f58791

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Yoon Chaeseon, Eunjae’s grandmother, 332eb23794 ran her own alteration a53b17d5fb shop and put her cb51389156 only daughter through college. After her daughter passed 60a008d287 away, she raised Go a98f4a070c Eunjae by herself.a5911962ae5af3dd

Losing both daughter and 1703239804 son-in-law in an accident 6a1069f74b on the same day 04be04cba6 had left no room 5e4de849f2 for grief—her days were 44f3356c78 completely filled with the bbb70a8d4d task of caring for e7f23d6102 a four-year-old granddaughter.92ae2734782667e8

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After Eunjae started 7691977292 ballet, she would 855f16c253 occasionally visit the 2455279624 main house to 96a89960f6 greet Chairman Choi, 92f08508fb and in those 43161ad86f moments, it felt b7781fc5a9 like stepping into 205ab9b53e a completely different 3c1fd4ab3f world. But thankfully, that 416d2b48d7 disparity never turned 6b289b2926 into a sense 745fb5cd10 of deprivation. Her grandmother’s love was enough—and bb02d12590 the dazzling world of ballet 637ecfc590 already filled her heart to 627ff041ac the brim, leaving no room 0920f50bee for envy.5f6e3228b4c26df8

“How did my ordinary life end up like this…”6537813360b1ecca

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Even after her grandmother 54bc26227e collapsed, she hadn’t gone a1e2db5f9e into debt.a3fd14b79cc302e4

She closed the alteration c0af82b1ea shop not because of d295e079aa debt, but because it 0720f40d2f had become impossible to f136e2cca3 operate without her grandmother. Moving into a rooftop 3b232adfc8 room afterward wasn’t due 81ddb5f51e to hardship—it was to 35dee9d258 save money.d32fbb0af897448c

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With that money, she wanted df578b18a3 to open a pig’s feet 1cd61675d4 shop once her grandmother was 3e787aa6e6 discharged. She dreamed of 5d50897adc making a modest 086cd7c8ed living, not owing 36cc53fbb8 anyone anything, not 8cb4078628 causing trouble for 6f91b58270 others—just living a 1954455284 quiet life with f8d0907ed2 her grandmother.31b89f6c3f912f9c

But now, all those goals 325625ecf9 felt meaningless. Would things be different 244829bb12 if her grandmother were 4f6d7ecb0b awake?f022fb922f283a20

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“For now…”0faa463cedc02e20

She should shower.23c2fadf0129d6b7

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Go Eunjae shook edf2357a39 off the heavy 1bf67e98b1 thoughts and forced f5249a83ce herself to move.be5f2bdc5333f70d

Working all day in 8f78593c61 an outdoor stall meant b4387372e5 she was always covered a4980fc6d3 in dust by the 991732b380 end of the day.65d3c8fe84c70bc9

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She was worried about 6ee8312f9d not having any clothes e58d04c5ca to change into, but 497892a2e7 figured she could manage 1c213777c6 one more day in e54ff41942 the same outerwear. As for underwear, d4519217e7 she planned to ece3309e9f wash them by df9602ff11 hand and dry 5b77595eb9 them overnight.dda599069442f49b

Just then, her 76ba8bcf31 phone buzzed briefly ca8bf1a2ec with a new f9707f2d34 message.d53769401da073d3

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