* * *
“Haa.
Lee Seo-won.
You little brat…”
A rough curse automatically burst from Hye-won’s lips.
The moment she stepped into her home after work, she instinctively knew her apartment was different from usual.
Her gaze, scanning the studio apartment that was entirely visible from the entrance, was incredibly sharp.
Her shoes, which had been neatly lined up, were scattered as if someone had rushed in, and items that always belonged in the same spot had subtly shifted their positions.
The decisive clue was the place in her home that Hye-won had put the most effort into.
Her laptop, which should have been resting safely on her meticulously decorated work table – a place she had painstakingly arranged like a shrine to a god – was gone.
Hye-won, who had been frowning deeply, finally squeezed her eyes shut and vigorously ran her hands through her hair.
Lee Seo-won!!!
It was clearly her younger brother’s doing.
A week ago, he started talking about needing an allowance, and a few days prior, he made what sounded like a threat over the phone.
[Sis.
If you don’t give me an allowance, you’ll definitely regret it.
Just you wait.]
So this was it.
Finally, that brat ran off with her laptop.
Hye-won’s gaze pierced through the air as if her brother were standing right in front of her.
‘So you truly wish to die by the hand of a relative.
My dear brother, please don’t beg me for your life.’
Hye-won immediately dialed her brother from her phone’s contact list.
The phone rang for a long time, but he didn’t pick up.
Of course.
His life depended on it.
“Lee Seo-won.
Anyway, that laptop better be scratch-free until I come find you.
Otherwise, Mom will soon lose a son.”
Hye-won’s hands trembled with rage.
Then, kicking open the door she had just entered, she rushed out, her eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
* * *
Two days later.
Hye-won stood in the middle of the street, bowing repeatedly to a man with a gentle demeanor whose nickname was Bong-gu.
“Haa.
Mr.
Bong-gu, I’m truly sorry.
And thank you so, so much.”
Tears of gratitude welled up in Hye-won’s eyes as she spoke, and she pressed her lips together, looking as if she had met her savior.
Clutched preciously to her chest was a red laptop, adorned with cute character stickers.
In response to the woman’s intense apologies, the man didn’t know what to do either and waved his hands dismissively.
“Oh, no.
It’s alright.
These things happen.”
Two days prior, Lee Seo-won – no, that her younger brother, that enemy – finally sold Hye-won’s laptop secondhand on Hongdangmu Market.
Hye-won tracked down her brother, who had been holed up in a corner of the neighborhood PC cafe, and after a barrage of curses and ten smacks to his back, finally got the buyer’s contact information.