🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 31
The End of First Justice
Grasping her fading consciousness, Yeon-woo grit her teeth and shoved Park Jung-woon with all her strength.
“Die… just die, you damn bastard.”
“Let go! Let go!”
Her screams echoed loudly throughout the annex. The fierce struggle continued repeatedly, and as Park Jung-woon fell backward, a soju bottle behind him clattered and rolled to the edge of the wooden floor.
Finally—bang!—Yeon-woo’s fragile body hit the kitchen sink.
“Don’t come near me! You damn bitch, I’m going to kill you today!”
Yeon-woo quickly crouched and grabbed anything within reach, throwing it at Jung-woon. With a sharp clank, he clutched his forehead.
“D-damn it.”
Seizing that moment, Yeon-woo bolted. She wanted to escape from all of this. Running down the corridor of the annex, she pushed open the paper sliding door and headed straight for the blue gate.
Perhaps because of her pent-up frustration, she didn’t even feel the pain in her ankles. Yeon-woo ran forward without looking back, passing over the blue gate and rushing down the slope.
But her foot caught on a stone, and she slipped with a whoosh.
“Ugh…”
Pain flared sharply in her knees and palms. Still, thinking she couldn’t stop now, she tried to push herself up from the ground.
“…Seo Yeon-woo.”
A large sneaker came into view directly in front of her.
Ah.
It was the face she least wanted to see right now.
“What’s going on?”
“…Let go.”
Jung-ha, holding Yeon-woo’s arm and helping her up, stared at her seriously. Desperately, Yeon-woo turned her head to avoid his gaze.
“Seo Yeon-woo, look at me.”
“No.”
“…Why are you like this?”
Feeling as though he were scolding her, Yeon-woo clenched her teeth. She wanted Park Jung-woon, Samo, and Woo Jung-ha to just leave her alone for now.
After talking with Samo, her pride had been deeply wounded. That pride had hardened sharply, and now its arrow pointed at Jung-ha.
Why make such requests?
“Need a reason? I don’t want to see you right now. Let go of my hand.”
Her harsh voice scraped up from her throat. Unable to understand Yeon-woo’s reaction, Jung-ha gripped her arm even tighter.
“Talk to me. I need to know why you’re like this.”
“…You keep making me miserable.”
“What?”
Yeon-woo gritted her teeth as tears welled in her eyes. The words Samo had told her—to release Jung-ha instead of paying her own debt—had stabbed her over and over last night, leaving her exhausted with pain.
“Here’s my answer: I’m not going to Seoul with you. Even if I go, I have no intention of maintaining any sort of connection with you.”
“Hey.”
“I can’t keep playing the part of the noble young master you like. You always look at me with pitying eyes, you know that? Who asked you to pity me?”
Her hoarse scream echoed through the air. In her head, she knew this wasn’t anger at Jung-ha.
She knew she shouldn’t say these things, yet she couldn’t stop herself.
Through sobs, Yeon-woo murmured,
“I’m tired… of being pitied.”
“…You.”
At that, Jung-ha’s expression shifted subtly. Then, from somewhere, a grinding, metallic noise echoed.
What is that sound?
At that very moment, a blinding light appeared from the slope. Headlights. There was barely time to process anything.
Down the slope, a car tumbled with a deafening roar. Their eyes met as the vehicle barreled toward them.
“Ah!”
Jung-ha shoved Yeon-woo violently. She screamed as she tumbled down the slope. And then—
Bang!
…Jung-ha’s body was flying through the air.
“No!”
The white luxury car rolled endlessly, aiming to strike Woo Jung-ha again. Tears welled instantly in Yeon-woo’s brown eyes as she witnessed the horrifying scene.
Her body refused to obey her. She trembled as if immersed in ice water.
<Yedun General Hospital>
She didn’t remember how she had made it here. The wailing sirens echoed relentlessly in her mind. After crying her eyes out, she had chased after them to this place.
This was the largest hospital near Gojung-eup.
“Doctor, please! Please save our Jung-ha!”
As she rushed into the emergency room, a shrill scream tore through the air. People were holding Samo back, but she was struggling forward desperately.
Yeon-woo, unfocused, approached. Samo seemed on the verge of losing consciousness, oblivious to Yeon-woo’s presence.
“We’ll need to monitor the situation, but there is bleeding in the brain. Some impairment is inevitable.”
“No! Our child—he’s destined to lead the construction we planned!”
Amidst the chaos, Yeon-woo barely noticed anything. Her eyes fixated on the solid white door with the red tape across it.
It’s my fault.
Yes. It’s because of me.
A voice whispered in her head. Unaware, tears streamed down her damp cheeks, and she had to cover her mouth against the rising nausea.
Misfortune had always followed Seo Yeon-woo. And now, that misfortune had inevitably fallen upon Jung-ha.
Yeon-woo stumbled backward. Seeing her, Samo charged at her like a madwoman. In an instant, her hands grabbed Yeon-woo by the collar with violent force.
“You… you killed our son!”
“….”
Samo screamed at her pale, terrified face. The medical staff rushed in, shouting to calm them.
“This is not allowed!”
“Please, do not cause a disturbance, guardian, guardian!”
But neither of their voices reached Yeon-woo or Samo. Samo, with every ounce of strength, choked Yeon-woo’s neck.
Gag…
“Die… How I raised you! Our Jung-ha…”
As the red marks on Yeon-woo’s neck darkened to purple, the staff finally managed to push Samo back.
Samo’s harsh, ragged breathing made her look almost ghostly. Yeon-woo lying in front of her was just as battered.
Samo’s fists, knowing Yeon-woo didn’t resist, dug so deep into her palms that they broke the skin.
Indescribable emotions boiled up.
Only a day ago, she had saved that child’s debt. Samo bitterly regretted it. She wanted Yeon-woo to tumble and be utterly ruined forever.
How dare she think she could die in peace.
Samo, hair in disarray, tightened her stomach, scratched her neck, and shouted:
“Get lost.”
“….”
“I wish your life falls into hell. I wish you live in suffering. So don’t even think of showing your face. Live quietly like a mouse, and die.”
Her ears rang. Yeon-woo, in her pitiful state, cast repeated glances toward the emergency surgery room before rising to her feet.
Then, she began walking, almost hypnotically.
To distance herself forever from Woo Jung-ha.
Thus, Yeon-woo disappeared on her own.
