TTS Vol 1 Ch 6.4

“I’ll… answer your calls from now on.”

“And, about Kang Taeri’s mother, Seo Jungeun, wouldn’t it be nice if I arranged a house for her in a safe place?”

“I… said I’ll answer your calls.”

“You know our Sihyun, don’t you? There are friends at home, housekeepers who will prepare healthy meals three times a day, and me to guarantee your safety. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Living and breathing with a bastard like you is the biggest problem, she wanted to shout to Park Chigyeong’s face, relieving her frustration.

However, she couldn’t. Because the man’s contorted expression was different from usual. His usual gaze was merely cold, but now, a murderous intent seemed to emanate from him, as if he wanted to strangle her at any moment. So, silence seemed like the best option for now.

“Let’s agree that you’ll also quit your job at the gaming hall today. Leave on your own accord. Before I get pissed and shut the place down.”

Park Chigyeong, who had been deeply sunk into the sofa, suddenly leaned forward towards the table. The distance between them drastically shortened, and the smell of stale cigarettes wafted from him. He usually smoked a lot, but strangely, he always smelled of cologne. The smell of cigarettes overpowering that cologne was unsettling.

“Think about it.”

He tapped her temple a couple of times with two fingers.

“If I shut that place down, that guy will also lose his job overnight. Wouldn’t that be quite unfair to him? You two seemed rather close.”

That guy must be referring to Seo Yijoon. Taeri felt no need to argue and remained silent, but Park Chigyeong furrowed his brow in displeasure.

“Listen to me while I’m still being patient.”

“I… don’t quite understand.”

Taeri ran a hand through her hair, exhaustion evident on her face.

She felt Park Chigyeong’s gaze fixated on the nape of her neck. She was aware of his lingering gaze but let him continue staring. She simply didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now.

“Why… do I have to go that far?”

His eyes, darkening with lust, trapped her within their depths. He lightly traced his gaze along her lower lip, looking as if he might bite into her neck at any moment and drain all her blood.

“Didn’t I just explain? Do I have to start from the beginning again?”

Park Chigyeong abruptly leaned back and spread his legs, just like that night. The bulge in his suit pants, strained and prominent, became clearly visible, but he only spread his legs wider, as if showing it off, and muttered.

“You said you would do as I asked.”

Unfazed by Taeri’s gaze fixed on his crotch, he continued. As if urging her to quickly understand his desire.

“So, even if you don’t understand, help me. Do your best. The way I want. By my side.”

“…Beneath you, not by your side, right?”

“If you understand, then tell me you’ll quit and come with me. I’ll wait in the car.”

He tapped the table twice, like a knock, checked his wristwatch, and stood up. Casually covering his crotch with his folded jacket, he calmly walked out of the cafe.

The man, who had already made up his mind, seemed to have no need for her opinion in the first place. He probably came here with this intention all along.

The man is a rambling rose. Its leaves are alternate, its edges have sharp thorns, and it climbs over the fence called Kang Taeri without permission, so easily… a goddamn rambling rose.

Arrogant bastard.

* * * 

Slam!

The door to Prosecutor Park Chigyeong’s office burst open, making the staff who had arrived earlier flinch.

It was because the door felt like it had been opened with more force than usual.

“A guest will be arriving shortly. Please guide her to my private room. There are some documents she needs to review in my office.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

He walked to his desk, tossed his briefcase onto it, took off his suit jacket, and hung it on the nearest hanger. He then yanked open the bottom drawer of his desk, snatched a file, and walked with brisk, straight steps into his private office. 

Bang, the door closed. Unlike usual, his gestures were filled with intensity.

He threw the file on the coffee table, sat down on the sofa, and clenched his jaw. Craving a cigarette desperately, he tapped his fingers on his thigh restlessly. 

Tap, tap, tap.

Kang Taeri didn’t come yesterday. To be precise, she ran away. He had let her go, wanting to see what she would do in front of him. He hadn’t expected her to come obediently in the first place.

She must have asked that young man for help, and he must have taken her away, helping her escape his eyes. Since the two of them disappeared at the same time after Kang Taeri entered the gaming hall. A lover’s escape, or something like that.

Seo Yijoon. Twenty-six years old. High school graduate. No military service. No assets. No future guaranteed. A worthless life, devoid of anything noteworthy.

Chigyeong, who had arbitrarily defined someone’s 26 years of life, took out a pack of cigarettes with a look of disdain.

He wondered what she had told that guy about him. Did she call him a mere kidnapper and beg for her life?

He could have easily found them with a simple press of the accelerator. He could have easily grabbed her and thrown her into his passenger seat. But he didn’t want to.

Anyway, she will have to crawl back to him on her own two feet. So for now, he would let her fly. Towards wherever she desired.

Flicking an unlit cigarette between his teeth, Chigyeong found a number on his phone and made a call. After a few rings, click, the other person’s voice answered.

―Hello?

A tone that still retained its elegance even after her house crumbled, Kang Taeri’s mother.

“Is this Seo Jungeun?”

Chigyeong’s low voice cut through the still air, settling down like a thick fog.

The other party seemed flustered by the unfamiliar voice.

―Yes, it is. May I ask who’s calling?

“This is Prosecutor Park Chigyeong from the Anti-Corruption Investigation Department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”

―Excuse me? A prosecutor?

“Don’t hang up. This isn’t a phishing scam. We specialize in major corporate crimes. I’m calling you regarding Kang Sangbum’s case.”

―My husband?

“I’d like to meet with you. When are you available?”

―Now? But why…?

Chigyeong propped his feet on the table, rested his head comfortably on the back of the sofa, and played with a lighter in his hand. Contrary to his unruly posture, he spoke in an extremely polite, hypocritical voice.

“We’ve discovered some questionable aspects in Kang Sangbum’s case and would like to assist you with a retrial. If there are any injustices, they should be resolved, shouldn’t they?”

―What? A retrial?

“I’ll ask again. When are you available?”

―Y-Yes, Prosecutor! I’ll, I’ll come right over there now. Where, where should I go?

“I’ll text you the address.”

Having effortlessly shaken up someone’s life with just a few words, Chigyeong ended the call.

He sent the business card photo from his photo album to Seo Jungeun, then tossed his phone onto the table and sank back into the sofa.

Tilting his head back to look at the ceiling, he lowered his gaze and checked his wristwatch.

I wonder how long it will take her to get here? 

He lit his cigarette and chuckled.

* * *

Yesterday, she had run from Park Chigyeong. She hadn’t even gone home. It felt like he’d catch her quickly anyway, since he knew where she lived.

Yesterday, she was drained of energy, and because of that, she had neither the mental clarity nor the space to think rationally.

Living together? Just five minutes with him makes her feel suffocated. He was clearly determined to choke the life out of her, to control her completely.

After Park Chigyeong left the cafe, saying he’d wait in the car, she ran straight to Yijoon. It was a survival instinct.

She couldn’t explain the whole story to Yijoon, but she made one thing clear.

‘That man isn’t my cousin. So, Oppa… could you please take me somewhere? Anywhere?’

Yijoon stared silently at Taeri’s pale face for a moment, then wordlessly pulled her arm and led her out the back door. They got on Yijoon’s motorcycle, which he used for commuting, and he drove in the opposite direction of where Park Chigyeong’s sedan was parked. He kept looking back as they drove, but thankfully, no car followed them.

Neither Yijoon nor Taeri had anywhere else to go besides their homes, so Yijoon suggested that Taeri stay at his place, and she gratefully agreed to spend the night. Yijoon lived with his mother, which made her feel slightly less burdensome.

Yijoon’s house was a modest apartment in a typical multi-family dwelling. While the exterior appeared slightly more run-down than Taeri’s house, the inside was tidy and warm, filled with a sense of human comfort.

Yijoon simply introduced Taeri to his kind-looking mother as a dear younger sister he cared for, then headed back to the gaming hall. Thanks to this, Taeri could rest her uneasy body in Yijoon’s room.

When Yijoon returned from work in the morning, he had a black plastic bag in his hand containing meat. Despite his apparent lack of fatigue, he personally made stew and bulgogi¹ and set the table.

Yijoon was a kind son and a kind older brother. Being an only child, she had never felt lonely, but after getting to know Yijoon, she wished for the first time that she also had siblings. She wished she had an older brother like him.

Taeri’s eyes widened after tasting a spoonful of the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) Yijoon had made. Yijoon, who was placing some bulgogi on his mother’s plate, asked with a bright smile,

“Is it good, Taeri?”

“Yes, very much so.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

With a happy face, Yijoon hummed and placed bulgogi on Taeri’s plate as well.

Yijoon didn’t ask anything about Park Chigyeong. She knew it was his consideration for her, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. He seemed to be waiting for her to tell him when she was ready.

She thought he was remarkably thoughtful for someone only two years older than her. Unlike that certain someone, who was eleven years older.

But why didn’t Park Chigyeong follow her yesterday? If he’d wanted to, he could have easily caught her. Then there was only one answer, he had no intention of following her from the start.

Taeri already had a hunch. She knew that sooner or later, she would inevitably walk into his territory of her own accord. However, yesterday wasn’t that day. She had absolutely no intention of being dragged away so easily.

“Taeri.”

“……Yes?”

“Eat your rice.”

Yijoon urged her with a gentle expression. Nodding, she reached for the well-fermented kimchi when a phone call came.

It was 9:15 a.m. a bright, sunny morning.