ASE 34

Chapter 34

After a short while, Seong-hoon arrived at CS Department Store and went straight up to Joo-young’s office.

Secretary Shin, who had already heard the news that Seong-hoon was coming, greeted him in front of the elevator.

“Hello, President Bae.”

“It’s been a while, Secretary Shin.”

After a brief greeting, Seong-hoon started walking again.

He hadn’t come to the department store to see Secretary Shin—he was here to see Choi Joo-young.

But for some reason, Secretary Shin firmly blocked his way.

“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult when you suddenly show up like this.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Then perhaps for today—”

“Any inconvenience caused today will be compensated by our side. Please send the bill to the secretary’s office.”

“Excuse me? No, that’s not what I— ah, President!”

While the bewildered secretary stuttered, Seong-hoon had already pulled open the office door.

The office was empty.

It looked like it hadn’t been used all day—there wasn’t even a single light on.

On top of that, the air inside was stuffy and stale.

It didn’t feel like she had just stepped out briefly with the lights off. It felt like the air-conditioning hadn’t been turned on for days.

“This—this really puts us in a difficult position, President!”

Secretary Shin quickly shut the door.

Determined not to let him back in, he grabbed the doorknob behind his back and blocked Seong-hoon.

But Seong-hoon had already gotten all the information he needed.

He looked down at the secretary.

“I think this is a situation that calls for an explanation. Am I the only one who thinks so, Secretary Shin?”

He asked for an opinion, but it wasn’t a question that expected one.

His tone was polite, but his voice was coercive.

A peculiar form of intimidation that only someone like Bae Seong-hoon, who was always in control, could use.

“…She’s on a short vacation.”

“A vacation? In the middle of the busiest time because of the Verdun project?”

“She’s been overworking herself for a while, and on the doctor’s advice that she needed rest—”

“Let’s not try to outsmart each other, Secretary Shin.”

Seong-hoon’s attitude remained icy.

“Overworking is something Ms. Choi has always done, and if she were the type to listen to a doctor telling her to rest, she wouldn’t have overworked herself in the first place. Am I wrong?”

“…No.”

“Then let’s get back to the point.”

He took out his phone and opened the map app.

Handing it to Secretary Shin, he said:

“Where is my darling right now?”

He wanted her location.

He found out she had gone to the villa in Oido.

And he learned she had been staying there for the past week.

But that was all.

With this new information, he didn’t do anything.

He had wondered why he hadn’t been able to reach her for a week, and now he knew the reason.

What more was there to do?

If there was a problem and you’d found the answer, there was no need to take further action—at least, that was his judgment.

At least, that’s what it should’ve been…

“Your biological mother, Ms. Heo Sun-young, was in a severe state of malnutrition when she was found.”

Why was he thinking of that woman now?

“It is presumed that the loss of consciousness came quickly due to cardiac weakening, so the pain likely didn’t last long.”

He was four years old when the incident happened.

Too young to remember everything in detail.

Fortunately, Bae Seong-won and Min Yoo-young had kept the contact of the investigating officer, thinking Seong-hoon might want to know someday when he grew up.

So once he became an adult, he met the officer and heard in detail what happened that day.

“There was a handwritten suicide note left by Ms. Heo Sun-young. It wasn’t long. Just three lines—asking Min Yoo-young to take care of her son, saying she was sorry, and that she loved him.”

It wasn’t even funny.

Weak, unwilling to fight, running away into death—how dare she “entrust” someone to someone else?

She abandoned her young child and ran away from the world, leaving behind “I’m sorry” and “I love you”?

There was no consideration for her son. Not even a shred of maternal love.

But I’m different.

I’m not like that woman who gave up on life just because the man she loved left her.

What is love, really.

What are lovers even worth.

“Then why…”

Why am I driving right now?

He had planned not to do anything. He had come home late at night after work.

So why was he behind the wheel, heading toward Oido first thing the next morning?

Just then, the phone tossed on the passenger seat vibrated, and a new message notification popped up on the car display.

It was from Secretary Yoon.

[We’ll cancel today’s entire schedule.]

He had canceled everything and was now on his way to Oido.

What did that mean?

What kind of feeling was this?

Choi Joo-young hadn’t been eating properly—just like that woman when she had resigned herself to dying.

Like the woman who had run away through death, outwardly strong but inwardly fragile—Joo-young was the same.

It bothered him.

He couldn’t ignore it.

He thought she had finally gone back to being herself. Had something happened?

Had she gone back to that empty-eyed state, drinking like she was already half-dead?

The more his thoughts spiraled, the heavier the back of his neck felt.

Tap, tap, tap—

Out of habit, he drummed his fingernails on the steering wheel, trying to sort out his thoughts.

He didn’t love Choi Joo-young.

He didn’t “like” her either, nor did they share anything resembling friendship.

At first, it was purely business.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Even now, their relationship was still a business partnership for mutual benefit.

And yet, here he was, canceling everything just to go to her.

So clearly, it wasn’t just business anymore.

“Damn it. This is one hell of a mess.”

They’d become something that couldn’t even be labeled.

Tok.

Tttok— FWOOOOSH!!

And of all times, rain began to pour.

That day too, Choi Joo-young woke naturally without an alarm.

Even if she said she was “starting her day,” she didn’t really do anything.

Maybe it was because she had always lived so busily.

Or maybe she just didn’t want to lift a finger anymore.

She lay in bed, staring blankly out the window at the sea, wasting time.

Even though wasting time was the thing she hated most.

“…”

Shaa—

ShaaAAAA—!!

It was as if the sky had split open—the rain poured violently.

The sunlight was swallowed by black clouds, plunging the world into dull darkness. Even the glittering sea was gone today.

After staring for a long time, Joo-young finally got out of bed, as if making a decision.

She left the house.

She didn’t take an umbrella.

The pounding raindrops struck her shoulders, the dull ache slowly spreading as if warning her.

Go back.

Don’t do anything stupid.

But she didn’t stop walking.

Let the water wash me away.

If I disappear as if I never existed in this world to begin with, then I won’t have to struggle through each day anymore.

She walked along the road leading to the beach.

Maybe because of the heavy rain, not a single car was on the road today.

Or so she thought—

A black sedan appeared ahead of her.

Its headlights flashed through the rain.

But in Joo-young’s unfocused eyes, there was no car, no driver.

The sedan passed by her… and then—

BANG!!!

A thunder-like crash snapped her out of her daze.

Startled, she turned around.

A familiar face filled her vision.

Bae Seong-hoon.

Holding an umbrella, slowly walking toward her.

“Hey. Hi, darling.”

With a crooked smirk lifting one corner of his mouth, he tilted the umbrella toward her.

The rain stopped falling on her completely.

“Since I couldn’t reach you, I came myself.”