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Chapter 33
The Ending of First Love
A man stepped off the boat. He strode straight toward Junggan Raw Fish Restaurant and stopped in front of Yeonwoo.
“Are you Seo Yeonwoo?”
“…Who are you?”
“Madam Go Jeonghye is looking for you.”
The man’s appearance was unlike anything one would normally see on Haedo. From head to toe, he was dressed in a suit, and yet he spoke of “Madam” as if it were the most natural thing.
The very fact that he had come to Haedo on a private boat at this hour meant he was no ordinary person. For a fleeting moment, Yeonwoo shivered at the thought of debt collectors.
“You look like you don’t understand.”
“…”
When the wariness didn’t leave Yeonwoo’s face, the man gave a dry laugh. Then, from his mouth spilled the name Yeonwoo had yearned for over the past ten years.
“You must know the name Woo Jeongha.”
At the sound of Jeongha’s name, Yeonwoo rose as if possessed, abandoning the washbasin in front of her. The dishes in her hand slipped helplessly to the floor, clattering loudly.
“…Woo Jeongha.”
Her heart, her mind, her whole body seemed to sink at once. It was a name she had thought of just that morning.
So why did it make her chest so cold to hear it now?
Only then did Yeonwoo realize who this “Madam” was—the very woman she knew, the one who had once grabbed her by the throat and shaken her in the aftermath of Jeongha’s accident.
The horrific memory drained the color from Yeonwoo’s face. Why had the man come to find her? For what reason…?
Watching Yeonwoo’s frail body tremble, the man stated his business bluntly.
“Madam says you are to come and repay your debt.”
“…Debt?”
“The private loan in your name—Madam paid it off. She says it’s time for you to return the favor.”
Debt?
At once, a hazy memory of Madam promising to settle the debt surfaced in Yeonwoo’s mind. She had suspected as much.
Surely, there was no way debt collectors simply couldn’t find Seo Yeonwoo living on Haedo. Yet in all these years, no one had come for her. She had thought, perhaps, Madam had intervened…
As confusion clouded her face, the man’s voice cut in coldly.
“There’s not much time. Get ready.”
Aunt Haemi, standing nearby, clutched timidly at Yeonwoo’s sleeve. She must have sensed this wasn’t something good.
“Auntie, I need to go somewhere…”
“Yeona, Yeona. Do you even know where he’s taking you?”
“It’s fine. He’s someone I know.”
Though she had never seen him before, the moment Jeongha’s name and the word “debt” were spoken, Yeonwoo realized she had no choice.
As if entranced, Yeonwoo began to move. Aunt Haemi quickly followed after her.
Inside her small room, Yeonwoo fumbled for an envelope in her bag—the savings she had scraped together all this time working at the restaurant.
Perhaps she already sensed she might never return here again.
“Yeona, are you really going? If you leave today, you won’t be able to come back to Haedo by nightfall…”
“Auntie, here.”
“What’s this?”
When Yeonwoo shoved something into her apron pocket, Aunt Haemi felt it with her hand a few times, then her eyes widened.
“Yeona…”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Why are you giving me this now, huh? Are you being sold off somewhere, following that man? I can’t take this! What kind of money is this supposed to be!”
“No, Auntie. I really do have something to take care of. Please, just accept it. You’ve taken better care of me than anyone else here… like a mother.”
At her words, Aunt Haemi’s tender heart flushed, her face looking ready to burst into tears.
“Yeona.”
“I’ll be okay, Auntie. Really.”
“…If that bastard dares to do anything to you, call me. I swear I’ll drag Mr. Park by the hair if I have to and come by boat to get you.”
Aunt Haemi looked about to scream in protest. Seeing her flushed, seething face, Yeonwoo smiled.
“Thank you, Auntie. I’ll be back.”
The thought that she had someone on her side in this place filled Yeonwoo’s heart with warmth. She quickly dressed in the cleanest clothes she had—just a white T-shirt and loose pants, but at least better than her baggy work trousers.
When Yeonwoo stepped out of the restaurant, the man swept his gaze over her from head to toe, then walked ahead, as if to say, Follow me.
The sun was setting beyond Haedo, painting the sky red. Beneath it, Yeonwoo crossed toward the port.
It was her first time leaving Haedo in three years, and her first journey to Seoul in ten long years.
The journey from Haedo to Seoul took eight whole hours. Two boat rides, then a vehicle to the city. By the time they arrived, Yeonwoo’s face was pale as chalk.
“We’ve arrived.”
She could hardly believe it—she was standing on the soil of Seoul, a place she had thought she’d never set foot on again in her lifetime.
“Go inside. Madam is waiting.”
It must have been close to midnight. Yeonwoo had neither a clock nor a phone, but she could feel it in her bones.
Yet the building Madam occupied blazed with lights, as if the entire structure moved for her alone—a proud fortress for one person.
Yeonwoo swallowed nervously and stepped in.
After climbing the stairs to the second floor, she finally saw Madam, seated with her legs crossed.
…
Compared to her younger self, Madam’s face had grown sharper, more austere. Seeing her, Yeonwoo truly felt the weight of the years that had passed.
Sensing Yeonwoo’s arrival, Madam gracefully set down her teacup.
Their eyes met, and Yeonwoo forced her heavy steps forward.
Even after ten years, she could not forget the sight of Madam screaming as she strangled her, nor the last moment when Jeongha’s body was flung into the air by the car.
“You didn’t even know your debt had been repaid? I thought you were clever, but I guess not. You lived on that island for quite a long time.”
Madam’s first words came in a composed tone as her gaze swept Yeonwoo’s shabby clothes from top to bottom. She didn’t sound sarcastic, but Yeonwoo still felt belittled.
“…I never imagined you would call for me.”
Her first words came out with effort. They weren’t close enough for pleasantries—this was all she could manage.
At that, Madam’s eyes chilled.
“Do you think I summoned you because I wanted to see you?”
She neither shouted nor grew emotional as she had ten years ago. She simply dismissed Yeonwoo, treating her with disdain—like a child not worth her time.
“Sit.”
Though Madam hadn’t raised her voice, the commanding tone struck Yeonwoo’s ears like a blow.
With the heart of a sinner, Yeonwoo sat. She bit her lip, lowering her head, while Madam idly toyed with the rings on her fingers.
A heavy silence pressed on Yeonwoo’s shoulders. She wanted nothing more than to leave.
“…I assumed you had business with me. I know you wouldn’t call me here without reason.”
At that, Madam paused.
It was as if she were swallowing words she didn’t wish to say. Her lips moved faintly as she gripped the handle of her teacup again and again.
“…Yes.”
Still, her gaze on Yeonwoo brimmed with disapproval—displeasure so heavy it made the atmosphere unbearable.
At last, after a long silence, Madam spoke.
“As it happens, I’ve found a use for you.”
“…”
“Jeongha needs someone by his side.”
