“Understood.”
Taeon sat on the sofa, tilting his head back. Lazily closing and opening his eyes, he thought of the woman sleeping in the bedroom—her eyes still wet.
“Secretary Kim.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“Look into my mother a bit more. Even the rumors floating around the secretarial office are fine. And check her accounts too.”
Accounts? Could she have handed over an envelope or something? It felt outdated, yet the dirty feeling lingered. No—was he hoping she had done it? Rather that than her leaving him by her own choice.
Taeon pressed hard at his temples, letting out an irritable laugh.
****
Sahee woke up well after lunchtime had passed. With the curtains drawn, she couldn’t even guess the time.
Blinking, she turned her head. The digital clock on the nightstand read 3 PM.
Good grief.
Rubbing her eyes with alternating palms, Sahee slowly sat up. She could hear Taeon’s voice coming from beyond the tightly shut bedroom door.
His voice was low, edged with last night’s fatigue. She didn’t have much time left to hear that voice. Just one more day. Now, not even a full day remained, yet she stubbornly held onto him, even to the very end.
Listening quietly to Taeon’s voice, Sahee finally got out of bed.
She lifted the blanket covering her and saw his t-shirt—definitely his—rolled up to her thighs. Her body, which had been slick with sweat, was now dry. Her face flushed instantly.
Thankfully, the bathroom was nearby. Sahee got up awkwardly, her body sore, her thighs aching.
After washing up, the bedroom light was on. He must have heard the water.
Cautiously peeking out of the bedroom, she saw Taeon, dressed in a white shirt and thin black tie, turn toward her immediately.
As she hesitated, Taeon approached with long strides. Sahee reached out, placing her hands against his chest as he pulled her waist toward him.
“How’s your body?”
“…I’m okay. But the pants I wore yesterday—I can’t find them.”
Taeon grimaced with a short laugh at her first concern being her pants.
“They’re in the dressing room.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Wait on the sofa; I’ll bring them. I also asked for a light meal you can eat easily.”
“Huh?”
“Why.”
“But Madam or Uncle…”
“I told Secretary Kim to wait outside and bring it in. So don’t worry. Go sit.”
Taeon lightly pinched her cheek and gestured toward the sofa with a tilt of his chin. She looked like she might bolt—and seeing that, Taeon laughed in disbelief.
“Stay there,” he said, turning away.
The coffee table in front of the sofa was piled with thick documents. Sahee slumped into the seat and glanced at them. The one on top, the one he must’ve been reading until just now, had a pencil tucked between the pages.
“Miss Sahee.”
At his voice, she flinched and sat upright. When she turned to take the pants from his hand, Taeon reached out and ran his fingers through her still-damp hair, smoothing it down.
“Here.”
Taeon placed the pants on the table and sat beside her. Then he stretched out her legs and laid them gently across his thighs.
“Can’t you sleep a little more?”
Before she could even ask what he was doing, Taeon calmly began massaging her legs—his large hands working from her feet up to her calves.
Sahee shut her eyes tightly, overwhelmed by the sudden sharp pain.
“Bear it.”
“It hurts.”
“You said it felt good last night, why?”
At the awkward question, her toes curled. Even saying it had felt good was just her clumsily following his prompt.
That it felt good. That she’d wanted more.
The memory of last night rushed back—her face flushed. She had moved as he commanded, said what he wanted. Somehow, doing strange things had been easier; admitting them now was harder.
If she’d been completely drunk, it might’ve been better. But she wasn’t. She remembered every word he said, every place he touched, everything he licked. Start to finish.
When Sahee didn’t reply and kept her lips shut, the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth deepened.
Knock, knock.
Fortunately, Secretary Kim arrived with the meal right then. Sahee quickly lowered her legs, assuming the door would open at any second—but Taeon stood first.
“Wait.”
She grabbed the pants quickly, but all she managed was to place them across her thighs before the door opened.
Taeon opened it halfway, took the tray from outside, and closed it again. As he turned around, he saw her still clutching the pants, looking cautious—enough to make him laugh under his breath.
The meal was simple: sandwiches cut into bite-sized pieces and a glass of orange juice—easy to eat by hand.
“Um, CEO.”
Taeon glanced at her while flipping through a document. Sahee nibbled on a sandwich, eyeing him where he lay stretched out across her legs.
“Is it good?”
“…Work while sitting down.”
“Don’t spoil the mood?”
Taeon grinned, ignoring the suggestion as if he hadn’t heard.
It was an absurd sort of peace. A breeze drifted in from the open window.
Waking up late, eating the food he’d ordered, listening to the spring wind with him lying there—it all felt too unreal.
Sahee took a sip of juice and set the glass aside. She could feel Taeon watching her, but he said nothing. Soon, the soft sound of pages turning resumed.
From time to time, she stole glances at him—quietly observing.
The way he held a pencil loosely between his thick fingers. The veins along the backs of his hands. At some point, she found herself absentmindedly stroking his hair where it lay across her legs.
If this were a dream, she thought, I wouldn’t mind never waking up.
It felt like the calm before the storm. Her chest ached faintly. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Taeon reached up and took it—interlacing their fingers.
“Keep touching.”
He said it like a command, without looking up. Sahee hesitated, swallowing dryly.
Taeon’s grip on her hand tightened.
Reluctantly, she continued stroking his hair. As the pages rustled in his lap, the corners of his lips lifted faintly.
“Sahee.”
“…Yes.”
“Could we live like this forever?”
He didn’t seem to expect an answer. He accepted her silence. Outside, the wind passed softly through the open window—like spring whispering by.
****
Toward evening, while Taeon was in a meeting, Sahee left a note saying she would change her clothes and stepped out of the annex.
Taeon looked mildly irritated when she slid the note in where it wouldn’t show on the screen—but he nodded.
Each step felt like her strength was leaking away. The farther she walked, the harder it became to pretend she was fine. Her stomach felt heavy, like the sandwich she’d barely eaten was dragging her down.
Now, less than a day remained.
She let out a slow breath, thinking of how the room had felt a little emptier than before—like someone had moved something while she was asleep. She clenched her fist, then slowly opened it again.
Remembering the way his hair slipped through her fingers.
That’s when it happened.
He said it like a command while underlining something in the document. Sahee hesitated, swallowing dryly. Taeon tightened his grip on her hand.
Reluctantly, she continued stroking his hair. The pages turned with a faint rustle, the corners of his lips curving into a subtle smile.
“Sahee.”
“…Yes.”
“Could we live like this forever?”
He didn’t seem to expect a real answer. He accepted her silence as if it were natural. Outside, the wind brushed softly through the open window, sounding like spring passing by.
****
As evening approached, while Taeon was in a meeting, Sahee left a note saying she’d gone to change her clothes and quietly slipped out of the annex.
Taeon seemed mildly irritated when he noticed the note where she’d hidden it from view on the screen—but he nodded.
Every step felt like it drained her strength. The farther she got from the annex, the harder it became to pretend she was okay. Her stomach was heavy, like the sandwich she’d barely eaten was weighing her down.
Now, less than a day remained.
She let out a quiet sigh, remembering how the room had felt oddly empty. As if someone had moved a few things while she was sleeping. She clenched her hand, then opened it again, recalling how his hair had slipped through her fingers.
That’s when it happened.
“Yeon Sahee!”
Cheoljun called out from behind her. Even though it was a familiar voice, Sahee flinched and turned around.
Uncle was approaching the annex. If she had left even a minute later, she might have run into Cheoljun while coming out.
At that sudden wave of relief, Cheoljun came running, panting.
“Uncle.”
“Going to see Madam Chun?”
“Huh? No, just a quick walk…”
She nearly lied without thinking. Cheoljun nodded as if to say, Really? Fortunately, he didn’t seem suspicious.
“Did you contact the moving service?”
“Yeah, I called yesterday.”
“You told them you’re my nephew, right? Did they say anything about a discount? How much?”
“They said 100,000 won.”
“What? Where’d you even get the money? I’ll call them later.”
Cheoljun stopped mid-step and raised his voice. Sahee, startled, shook her head quickly.
“It’s fine. They’re on break now, but they’re timing it to match. For Seoul, 100,000 is cheap.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay then. I went to town yesterday to buy socks. Since we’re here, take some. They were selling ten pairs for 10,000 won, so I bought a bunch—for you and Madam Chun.”
“Got it.”
“Things are chaotic in the main house right now. So take them and get back quickly.”
Cheoljun dropped his voice to a hush, meant for her ears only. Sahee tilted her head slightly, sensing something off.
“Why?”
“Madam just came back.”
“And?”
“She doesn’t look good. She didn’t answer anyone and just went straight to her room. I heard the chairman refused to lend more money. Even if they lower the building price, no one’s buying. So what now?”
Cheoljun drew a slow breath through his nose and muttered darkly, “Chae Yoonbok is completely done for.”
****
“Get lost! I said get lost!”
Chae Hyunji’s scream rang out as they neared the main house. Passing through the arched passageway, Cheoljun and Sahee exchanged a glance.
Soon, they saw Chae Hyunji storming off in a pink dress, face flushed with fury, while Lee Hyungu followed pale and frantic.
“Oh my, they look so lovely together—right after getting married,” Cheoljun muttered with a click of his tongue, shaking his head. He gestured for Sahee to come over before those lunatics caught sight of her.
“Hyunji! I only have you now! Really!”
“And what does that matter if I’m the only one left? Are you serious? How could you embarrass me like this?”
“No, really, it’s not what you think. Hyunji... Oppa was wrong. Honey, please, calm down—”
“On the very day we registered our marriage, I have to hear from your friends that you used to like Yeon Sahee?”
Sahee and Cheoljun both stopped cold. Hyunji’s face twisted, as if she were about to cry.
“Do you know what your friends said to me while you were in the bathroom? Huh? They told me, ‘Are you here to clean up your sister’s leftovers?’ Those crazy bastards!”
“Honey, come on. It was just stupid teasing. Why are you overreacting to my friends?”
Hyunji was the first to spot Sahee and Cheoljun. The moment she turned away from pushing Lee Hyungu and met Sahee’s eyes, her expression froze over.
“Uncle, let’s go.”
Sahee gently tapped Cheoljun’s arm. Nothing good would come of getting involved. As Cheoljun stammered and instinctively stepped in front of her, Chae Hyunji shouted.
“Hey!”
Her shrill scream echoed across the yard. Glaring at Sahee, Hyunji stormed toward her and Cheoljun. Lee Hyungu caught her arm, looking as if he might faint from stress.
“Hyunji!”
“You seduced him, didn’t you?”
“Honey! What’s wrong with you!”
“Did you two date before? Huh? Did you? Was this all some setup to make me look stupid?”
Hyunji’s face was grotesquely twisted. If Lee Hyungu hadn’t grabbed her, she might have gone for Sahee’s hair.
Sahee couldn’t understand. Neither she nor Taeon had any feelings for Lee Hyungu. So why was Hyunji so furious?
“Let go! I said let go!”
As Sahee sighed and tried pulling Cheoljun away, the door to the main house swung open. Park Jisun emerged—with a fierce look in her eyes. People had said she hadn’t looked well since returning from Seoul, but now, her glare was sharp and blazing. Without a word, she marched toward Chae Hyunji.
In contrast, Madam Chun, trailing behind her, looked pale, as if she might faint at any moment.
Chae Hyunji’s eyes lit up like she had found an ally. Tears were already flowing down her face.
“Grandma...”
Her small purse dropped to the ground. As if summoned by the call, Park Jisun walked directly to her.
“Grandma…”
Just as Hyunji reached out to embrace her, Park Jisun’s hand came up and slapped her across the face.
“Madam!”
Madam Chun cried out in shock, but it was useless. Park Jisun didn’t stop. Her thick hands landed on Hyunji’s head—slap, slap, slap.
Dazed, Chae Hyunji stared at her. Even with blood on her lips, she couldn’t grasp what had just happened. She just blinked.
“Gr– grandma…”
Before she could finish the word, Park Jisun grabbed her by the hair.
“You—”
“Grandma?”
“You worthless girl.”
A sneer curled from Park Jisun’s lips. The humiliation she’d suffered at Myeonghyunjae the day before still boiled in her chest.
When she had gone to Seoul and was heading to Myeonghyunjae in the car of someone who came to greet her,
Chairman Jeong had initially smiled kindly when she bowed deeply. But his expression soured as soon as she
mentioned the 2.5 billion won.
She tried explaining everything, promising to return the money quickly since she had put forward her assets, but it
was futile. Instead, Chairman Jeong’s eyes only grew sharper.
“Doesn't Park Jisun really know?”
Leaving only that meaningful remark, Jeong Gukcheol stood up from his wheelchair. He stood with his hands behind
his back, looking out at the bamboo forest beyond the study window, completely ignoring Park Jisun.
“Indeed. Park Jisun has grown old. She once stood before me without losing her dignity, but that was just like
yesterday.”
When he turned around, his eyes clicked his tongue as if to say, “How could she not know?”
Just that look of contempt made Park Jisun tremble with shame. Once she knew the full story, she couldn't even lift
her head from the embarrassment.
The misdeeds of her granddaughter, Chae Hyunji, before her marriage. The affairs with other men, the gambling
that followed, and the usurious debt amounting to billions.
“I praised Park Jisun as a shaman all over, tsk.”
Being a shaman doesn't mean you know everything about worldly affairs, but her head bowed naturally. She had
come to Seoul, deceived like an idiot, to beg for 2.5 billion won. How pathetic and absurd.
There was a time when she was called a shaman. As Chairman Jeong had said, there was a time when she wasn't
even afraid of the world. She believed she could elevate Jeong Gukcheol to great heights through her prayers. But
now...
Hiding in the shadow of the times, all she could do was bow her head like a candle in the wind. When did it begin? Perhaps it started then, when she knelt before Chairman Jeong at the request of her daughter, Lee Misook, to help just once.
A spark flashed in Park Jisun’s eyes as she looked at Chae Hyunji.
“The money I gave you to marry with dignity—so you wouldn’t be looked down on as the granddaughter of a shaman! Not only did you squander it gambling, but you even had orgies with men before marriage?”
Park Jisun seized Chae Hyunji’s hair and shook it violently. Chae Hyunji whimpered and shook her head, realizing her grandmother knew everything. She began to tremble like an aspen leaf.
“No, no, Grandma, no. Me, me, orgies? What are you talking about? What did you hear? No. I was deceived. I was tricked by that snake Woo Seonho—I swear I was scammed, too…!”
Park Jisun hurled Chae Hyunji to the ground. Chae Hyunji dropped to her knees, rubbing her hands together in desperation.
“Gr, grandma, grandma. I was wrong. I was wrong.”
Park Jisun, towering over her collapsed granddaughter, seized her collar and slapped her hard across the face.
From that moment, Chae Hyunji fell silent. Her large, thick hands struck her own cheek several times as she sat dazed and trembling.
“You brought home a 2.5 billion won debt, saying your father did it! Without a shred of fear!”
“Ugh, sob…”
“All three of you, with your eyes wide open, deceived me, Park Jisun!”
Ha. Park Jisun shoved Chae Hyunji away and stood up, releasing her grip. Chae Hyunji crumpled to the floor, blood trickling from her lips, tears streaming hotly down her face.
“Get out of Yeonghwadang. Immediately.”
Park Jisun’s voice was firm.
“Grandma, grandma.”
Even after the beating, Chae Hyunji flailed her arms in the air, calling out after her.
“Your mother, your father, and you. From now on, we’re strangers.”
“Grandma, grandma. I’m in real trouble. The loan sharks—ugh—they came to the ballet company. Grandma, our whole family will die.”
Chae Hyunji crawled after her, clutching Park Jisun’s pants leg.
“I was wrong… I already registered the marriage. If you just pay that off, I’ll live properly. I swear.”
Park Jisun scoffed. She kicked off Chae Hyunji’s hands and slapped her again. Chae Hyunji collapsed once more.
“You still haven’t come to your senses.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
“Unbelievable… Madam Chun! Throw all their belongings out of Yeonghwadang.”
“If you crawl back into Yeonghwadang one more time, I’ll cut off your parents’ fingers with a chopping block and feed them to wild dogs.”
Park Jisun shook her hands in disgust and turned back toward the main house. No trace of regret in her retreating figure. Chae Hyunji, trying to crawl after her, collapsed within a few steps.
Chae Hyunji coughed up blood and phlegm, resting her cheek on the floor. Writhing in pain, she looked up and saw Lee Hyunggu backing away. Their eyes locked.
“What… what is all this…”
Lee Hyunggu’s face was drained of color, his jaw slack in disbelief.
“That debt… all of it… it’s your debt, your debt…”
Chae Hyunji blinked slowly, her bruised eyes puffy.
It was over. But with the marriage registration filed, it wasn’t entirely too late. Chae Hyunji laughed through her tears—huh, huh.
“Hyunggu?”
As Lee Hyunggu tried to back away, Chae Yoonbok and Lee Misook grabbed him.
The two, just returned from somewhere, watched as Lee Hyunggu collapsed on his butt trying to flee. Then their eyes turned to Chae Hyunji, sprawled on the floor.
“Hyunji?”
“Hyunji!”
Chae Yoonbok and Lee Misook rushed to her side in panic. Chae Hyunji wailed, her body trembling like she might shatter at any moment.
“Baby!”
“Hyunji, my daughter. What happened? Hyunji.”
“Grandma, grandma knows… everything.”
Lee Misook wept, clutching Chae Hyunji tightly. Sahee stood still, watching blankly as Lee Misook sobbed, repeating “baby, baby” to Chae Hyunji.
Twenty years ago, when Sahee had woken from the accident, she had seen that very face. It was when Chae Yoonbok and Lee Misook knelt before her, begging for forgiveness—just once.
Lee Misook, who had always looked at Sahee with contempt, had, for the first time, the face of a parent. Her mother had sobbed, pleading to save the child who had nearly killed her:
“You survived, didn’t you?”
In that moment, Sahee realized: I was never your child—not even once…
“Baby, our Hyunji. What are we supposed to do now? Baby! Yoonbok, call an ambulance! Hurry! Hurry! Baby!”
“O-okay. Hyunji, hang in there. Just a little more, okay?”
“What do we do… Our Hyunji, what do we do…”
Sahee had tried her entire life to ignore her mother’s existence—just as her mother had tried to erase hers.
But now, watching Lee Misook sob over Chae Hyunji, Sahee felt an unbearable ache. The same fear she’d known as a child—alone in a sterile hospital room reeking of disinfectant—crept up from under her feet.
I was in pain too. At least, I was more in pain back then than someone who ruined their life with their own hands. I’ve lived my whole life like that—and maybe forever—haunted by that day.
“Hyunji, Hyunji. Ugh.”
“Mom, mommy.”
Even as Chae Hyunji wept, there was no comfort—only a heavy desolation. This wasn’t the end Sahee had wished for.
“Baby…”
At the edge of Sahee’s vision, Lee Misook was still weeping, clutching Chae Hyunji.
Sahee’s heart felt hollow, like it had been pierced clean through. And now, she was face-to-face with herself—who had craved her mother’s affection so desperately behind a mask of disdain.
Long-standing deprivation. Loneliness. Yearning...
Realizing that the “bad person” had been her mother all along didn’t make it easier. It only made Sahee feel unbearably ashamed.
She clenched her trembling fingers into fists and stifled the breath caught in her throat, turning away just as Cheoljun urgently grabbed her.
“Yeon Sahee.”
“Give me the socks later.”
Though she thought she said it evenly, Cheoljun didn’t release her. Sahee gave him a crooked smile and gently brushed off his hand.
“Hey, hey. Eat something before you go.”
“Now?”
Sahee let out a dry laugh.
“No…”
“Uncle, I want to be alone.”
She slipped Cheoljun’s hand off her shoulder again and limped away. Her voice was weary. Cheoljun no longer tried to stop her.
Behind her unsteady steps, her mother’s sobs ripped through the air.
All she wanted was to escape. But one face kept surfacing. Of all people—Jung Taeon.
His face blurred with tears.
Ah… I’ve ended up with nothing, all because I kept chasing what I couldn’t have.
A hollow, bitter laugh escaped her.