Lee Jun-ho sat quietly on the sofa, staring at the TV with his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Several thoughts crossed his mind.
The warehouse.
The gang leader.
The mystery they were hiding.
And then…
That girl.
He glanced at the time and sighed.
”Where could he be?
What’s taking him so long?” he muttered, his fingers drumming impatiently against the coffee table.
Several minutes passed, but there was still no sign of Kim Tae-hyun.
Jun-ho’s patience was beginning to wear thin.
He picked up his phone from beside him and opened the call log.
His thumb hovered over Tae-hyun’s number.
Just as he was about to press the call button, the door opened.
Jun-ho slowly raised his head.
His expression remained unchanged as he looked at the person who had just walked in.
”Where is it?”
Kim Tae-hyun stretched the folder toward him.
”You seem too eager.
What’s the deal?”
He walked over and sat beside him.
”Does she have a hand in what happened today?”
Jun-ho turned his gaze toward him.
”Don’t ask or think too much.”
Kim Tae-hyun smiled slightly and rubbed the back of his neck.
”Yes, Boss.”
Jun-ho rolled his eyes with a quiet scoff before sitting upright and taking the folder from him.
Inside was a brown file with KANG JIWON written across the front.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
Kim Tae-hyun noticed.
”That’s her name.”
Jun-ho slowly looked at him, his expression becoming irritated.
”Leave.”
Kim Tae-hyun blinked.
”Boss?”
Jun-ho’s tone turned colder.
”I won’t repeat myself.”
Sensing the change in his voice, Kim Tae-hyun asked no more questions and quickly scurried away like a cheetah.
Jun-ho shook his head before returning his attention to the file.
His gaze lingered on the name for a moment.
Kang Ji-won…
He opened the first page.
Miss Kang Ji-won’s Life Profile
Name: Kang Ji-won
Age: Eighteen
Jun-ho’s eyes moved down the page.
Date of Birth: [27th May, year XX]
His lips twitched.
She’s actually not a lunatic?
A short laugh escaped him as he turned to the next page.
Parental Heritage:
Mother: Kang Ha-rin, 36 years old.
Father: An Qian, deceased.
Died 17 years ago.
Jun-ho’s gaze paused briefly on the information before continuing.
Home Address: XX Street, Province Y.
Education: High School 4.
Recently entered her final year.
He turned the page.
School Contacts:
Shen Huiling — Best Friend
Zhang Ran — Friend
Han Yufan — Boyfriend
Jun-ho’s eyes lingered on the last name for a moment before he continued.
There was nothing particularly unusual about the information.
At least, not yet.
He turned to the final page.
End.
Jun-ho slowly closed the folder and placed it on the table.
He leaned back against the sofa, letting out a quiet sigh.
High School 4?
Where’s that?
—
”Are you in, Kang Ji-won?” Kang Ha-rin’s voice came from outside.
She’s back.
Ji-won quickly pulled herself together.
Putting on a wide smile, she walked toward the door and pulled it open.
”Mum!
Welcome back from work.”
Kang Ha-rin blinked at her.
”Err…
Did you hit your head, Kang Ji-won?”
Ji-won froze.
She stared at her mother blankly.
Did I say something wrong?
Taking a breath, she forced out a small laugh.
”Hehehe.
What do you mean by that, Mum?
You’re not back yet?”
Kang Ha-rin went silent for a moment, studying her.
”You’ve been acting strange lately, Kang Ji-won.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
At that, Ji-won quickly avoided her gaze.
”I-I’m not acting strange.
It’s just that I tend to forget things lately.”
Kang Ha-rin narrowed her eyes.
”It’s not just that.
I’ve noticed you seem strangely different from how I expected you to be.”
Ji-won swallowed.
Ha-rin continued, “For one, you’ve been talking to yourself. And you never lock your room anymore.”
Ji-won forced a faint smile.
”I’m not talking to myself.
I-I’m just learning.
I recently realised that…”
A loud ringtone suddenly came from inside the room.
Both of them turned toward the sound.
Ji-won immediately recognised the opportunity to escape the conversation.
Saved.
She quickly walked back into the room and grabbed her phone.
Shen Huiling.
Her expression became puzzled.
Why is she calling?
She answered.
”Hello?”
”Hi, Kang Ji-won.
I hope I’m not interfering with anything right now?”
Ji-won glanced at her mother.
Ha-rin simply shrugged before walking away.
”No.
What do you need me for?”
”Can you come to my place?
I’m having some kind of crisis at home right now.”
Ji-won’s heart skipped.
Her place?
Her eyes widened slightly.
I don’t know where she lives!
”Your house?
Err…
sure.”
”Oh, thank you very much.”
The call ended.
Ji-won slowly lowered the phone and stared at it.
Then she bit her lower lip and stomped her foot against the floor.
Great.
Now where am I supposed to find her house?
—
After telling Kang Ha-rin who had called and where she was going, Ji-won hurried out of the house and ran toward Shen Huiling’s street.
Their houses were quite far apart, yet Ji-won reached the street in only few minutes.
As soon as she arrived, she slowed down and scanned the rows of houses lining the tarred road.
Which one is it?
She looked around helplessly.
Huiling had said she was dealing with some kind of crisis at home, but she hadn’t explained what was happening.
Just as Ji-won was about to call her again, loud voices reached her from nearby.
She turned toward the sound.
An argument was coming from a small apartment around the corner.
Could that be Huiling’s house?
Taking a deep breath, Ji-won followed the voices.
When she reached the apartment, she found the front door wide open.
After only a moment’s hesitation, she stepped inside.
No one seemed to notice her arrival.
Everyone was too absorbed in the argument.
Everyone except Shen Huiling.
The moment Huiling saw Ji-won, surprise flashed across her tear-streaked face.
She had arrived much sooner than expected.
Tears welled up in Huiling’s eyes again as she hurried toward her.
She had wanted to cry from the moment she’d watched her so-called uncles and aunts argue with her parents.
But for her mother’s sake, she had forced herself to remain strong.
Now that someone she trusted had finally arrived, the last of her restraint crumbled.
She quietly wrapped her arms around Ji-won and burst into tears.
Ji-won’s expression changed.
Seeing her usually loud and cheerful friend cry like this made something inside her tighten painfully.
She looked over Huiling’s shoulder at the people arguing in the room, and her voice turned cold.
”What’s going on here?”
The room fell silent.
Everyone turned toward her.
Huiling’s eldest aunt was the first to react.
She looked Ji-won up and down before stepping forward.
”Who are you?”
Ji-won tilted her head.
”Who are you?”
The woman’s expression darkened.
”I’m the wife of Mr.
Chen, the eldest son of the Chen family.”
Ji-won blinked.
”Chen?”
She paused, then added, “Never heard of them.”
Chen Ziyao’s face immediately stiffened.
”Hmph.
How would you know?
You’re not from high society.”
Her eyes briefly traveled over Ji-won’s shabby clothes.
A scoff escaped her lips.
Before the argument could escalate, Huiling’s father finally spoke.
”Did Shen Huiling call you here, Kang Ji-won?”
Ji-won turned toward him and nodded.
”Yes.”
He looked at Huiling, then back at Ji-won with a tired sigh.
”I don’t think you can help with this.
It’s a family matter.”
”Exactly,” Shen Zheng quickly added.
“You have no right to interfere in our family affairs.”
Ji-won slowly turned her gaze toward him.
There was something threatening in her expression.
The man swallowed.
For a moment, he looked almost embarrassed that he had been intimidated by a young girl.
Ji-won crossed her arms.
”I might be able to help if someone briefly explains what’s going on.”
Huiling’s father hesitated.
”I-I…”
Before he could finish, Huiling finally lifted her tear-stained face.
Still choking back sobs, she explained everything that had happened.
Ji-won listened in silence.
Then she turned her gaze toward the relatives.
For a moment, she nearly laughed.
What kind of old-fashioned trick is this?
She walked toward Shen Zheng.
”If I may ask, Mister, is your name on the house permit?”
His eyes darted away.
”Well…
no.
I mean, it doesn’t have to be.
Since the house belongs to my father, we should still receive a share of the compensation.”
He straightened slightly.
”At the very least, sixty percent.”
Ji-won finally let out the laugh she had been holding back.
”What a funny joke.”
Then her smile vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
”But it won’t work here.”
She stepped closer and lightly patted his cheek.
”If you want to go to the police, you’re free to do so.”
Her gaze swept across the relatives.
”But don’t come crying to me when the time comes.”
Chen Ziyao’s face twisted with anger.
She opened her mouth to curse, but before she could say anything, Shen Zheng stood up and walked out.
The others exchanged glances before following him.
At last, the room fell quiet.
Huiling wiped away her tears and looked at Ji-won with gratitude.
”Thank you so much, Kang Ji-won.”
Ji-won looked at her tear-stained face and smiled faintly.
”You don’t have to thank me.
We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Huiling nodded, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks.
Ji-won glanced toward the door.
”I should probably head home before my mum starts wondering where I am.”
”Okay.”
Huiling walked her to the door.
”Be careful on your way back.”
”I will.”
Ji-won gave her a small wave before turning around.
—
As she walked down the street, her mind returned to everything that had happened.
The argument.
The house.
The compensation money.
And the way those relatives had tried to intimidate Huiling’s family.
She sighed.
What a troublesome day.
But at least Huiling was okay now.
That was what mattered.
By the time Ji-won reached home, the sky had already begun to darken.
She pushed open the front door.
”Mum, I’m back.”
There was no response.
Ji-won frowned.
Did she go somewhere?
She stepped further inside.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes slowly widened.
Someone was sitting on the sofa.
Kang Ha-rin.
Ji-won’s gaze dropped to what was in her mother’s hands.
Her heart suddenly sank.
The familiar cover.
The worn pages.
The book she had been desperately trying to understand.
Fate.