TCE 15

Chapter 15

In the end, the call went unanswered and hung up, and we lingered there for a while.

Oppa.

It was one of the top five words in my life that I had never really uttered out loud.

It hadn’t existed in my life, and probably never would be close to me in the future either.

That’s why, unable to answer the phone filled with sobs, I just stood there, chewing on that awkward word.

“No way… it’s not a boyfriend, right?”

Along with that ridiculous thought.

For a while, I just stared blankly at my phone until I snapped back to my senses. Then, shrugging at Yoon-jae, who was still looking at me, I said,

“They said ‘oppa.’”

There was no other way to explain it. As soon as I said that, he rose from the sofa where he had been sitting all along.

“I told you before—I don’t intend to get involved in that matter. Handle it yourself.”

“……”

“Just make sure it doesn’t reach my ears.”

That matter?

The coldness and indifference I thought had briefly disappeared returned. Thanks to that, my mind, which had gone blank from hearing that strange word, suddenly sobered.

Don’t cause a fuss. Don’t be a nuisance.

That was the clear meaning of Yoon-jae’s words. I couldn’t understand everything, but it also meant he knew something.

Not like I can just outright ask him…

If only I had pretended to have lost my memory from the very beginning, maybe things would’ve been easier. Not that it would’ve mattered—after all, we were already married by contract. A useless regret, too late.

In the end, while Yoon-jae left the living room without us having touched the contract clauses I was supposed to draft, I just squinted at my phone.

“Joo Ae-jung.”

Who was she?

Back in the room, I fell into deep thought about the most fundamental question I had to figure out among all the confusing days.

“Joo… Ae… Jung.”

Murmuring her name softly again, I began to write on the paper in front of me everything I knew about “Ae-jung.”

Name: Joo Ae-jung. Same age as me. Employee at Yeongdo Group’s sales department.

That was everything I knew about the woman who had stolen my fiancé. Truth be told, I hadn’t dug it up myself—just heard from gossiping people who were excited to snoop around.

All I needed was a reason to leave Korea once I had the chance, so there was no point in nitpicking.

Pen in my mouth, arms folded, I thought.

She’s not really his girlfriend… so then, that means she’s really his blood sister?

But that too was only speculation.

To survive, I had to learn about this body I now inhabited. And there were two straightforward ways to learn more about Joo Ae-jung.

First—hire people.

There were plenty of people who, if given just a name, could dig up even the elementary school seatmate next to her. The problem was—I had no money.

That was the biggest reason I couldn’t move freely in this body.

“I can’t even touch the money I sent to the States.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t regret losing it, but realistically, this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

If the easiest way wasn’t an option, I’d have to use the other.

“Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.”

I picked up my phone and typed quickly.

< I’ll come to you. >

Facing it head-on—that was Go Woo-ri’s way.

Like a beehive, winding alleys stretched through a residential area lined with private homes.

After nearly an hour-long taxi ride from Seoul, I arrived at the entrance of one of those alleys.

“34-7.”

Without glancing back at the departing taxi, I murmured the address left in my memory and looked around.

The first impression of this everyday neighborhood—a place I had never experienced before—wasn’t bad at all.

I walked down the alley filled not with cleanliness but with the traces and scents of people, heading toward my destination.

1, 3, 5…

The place I reached was the address written on the ID card in my wallet.

I had found this wallet while rummaging through the room. No cash inside, just a few business cards, a tiny toy-like key, and a card.

“If only I had a car key.”

There was even a driver’s license, meaning this body could drive. Thinking of my beloved car parked at the airport, I soon arrived at number 7.

Then I studied the wide gate and the house beyond.

This is… bigger than I thought.

Contrary to my assumption that she must’ve lived in hardship, the environment wasn’t bad at all.

A fresh reminder not to judge people by assumptions, I straightened my clothes.

“O…ppa?”

The word felt awkward even on my tongue, like it made my whole body itch.

Scratching my arm nervously, I reached for the gate with apprehension.

If this was family, of course the brother would notice that his sister had changed. Then—how was I supposed to explain this unreal situation?

Do I just tell him I accidentally stole his sister’s body?

“……”

After a brief silence, I shrugged.

“Whatever. It’ll work out somehow.”

Worrying about it wouldn’t change a thing. With that conclusion, I boldly pushed open the gate.

If this was “home,” I wasn’t a guest who needed to ring the bell anyway.

Creak.

The un-oiled gate opened to reveal a wooden platform perfect for napping on a sunny day, and in its center—a cigarette-butt-filled ashtray, overflowing.

The sight of the blackened ashes made me instinctively grimace, but I quickly looked away and went straight ahead.

“Excuse me.”

Without hesitation or doubt, I grabbed the unlocked front door and opened it.

“Ugh.”

A wave of cigarette stench hit me at once, churning my stomach.

“No matter how you look at it, this is just disgusting…”

The smell of stale smoke clinging to the house was nauseating.

Yoon-jae smoked too, but I’d never noticed it on him—maybe that’s why it bothered me more. Pinching my nose unconsciously, I forced myself inside instead of turning back.

“Hello? I’m here.”

That was the best greeting I could manage.

But despite my effort, there was no response.

What, no one’s home?

I had told them I was coming, but barging in to find no one here wasn’t what I expected.

Slipping off my shoes, I stepped in and looked around. The house was a mess, somewhere between cleaned and cluttered.

Filthy.

Dim and disorganized, the space filled me with discomfort.

I glanced through the living room, then moved to the door directly across from the entrance.

“This must be it.”

A tiny doll hung on the door.

In this gray, smoke-filled space, the doll was the only splash of color. Somehow, I instinctively knew this was Ae-jung’s room.

Though I hesitated for a moment, my hand was already turning the knob.

Creak.

The door opened as if it hadn’t been touched in a long time.

“……”

The first impression of the room was darkness.

A small space, chillingly cold, with no human warmth—just dust piled everywhere.

Bleak and undecorated, it gave the same gray impression I had when I first heard the name “Joo Ae-jung.”

Even darker than the living room.

I groped for a light switch I couldn’t find and stepped in. The first thing that caught my eyes was the blind.

Clatter.

I pulled it up, squinting as the sight hit me.

“A chicken coop, seriously?”

Beyond the blind was not sunlight, but iron security bars and the close wall of the neighboring house.

I turned next to the desk with a bookshelf attached. Old and worn, yet tidy, it was filled with novels and outdated textbooks.

What caught my eye most was a framed certificate.

“Korea University admission certificate. Liberal Arts major.”

It was a prestigious school. Still—who framed and displayed an admission certificate like this?

Then again, everyone was different. And if she had entered a liberal arts program, it meant she had been exceptionally smart.

But there was one problem.

…I heard she didn’t go to college.

I hadn’t checked myself, but gossip had said so. Korea University, moreover, was where Ha Yoon-jae had graduated.

“No graduation album here.”

Below the certificate were neatly stacked yearbooks from elementary through high school—but no college album.

She might not have purchased one, but given she’d displayed the admission certificate so proudly, that seemed unlikely.

Did she drop out?

Just as I was studying the certificate more closely, I noticed something tucked behind it.

“…?”

I moved the certificate slightly aside and found a box. Immediately sensing its importance, I pulled it out and opened it.

“…Ha.”

Inside were piles of letters. Almost all of them were overdue notices. Principal repayments, interest defaults…

At last, I understood what Ha Yoon-jae’s words had meant.

[Half of the remaining money will be sent after the wedding. Keep that in mind.]

Biting my lip at the bitter taste, I sifted through the letters until I found something at the very bottom.

This is it.

A diary.

Cute, decorated, and locked with a small clasp.

At least this should tell me the basics.

I couldn’t keep rummaging forever, so this would have to do. I slipped it into my bag, then carefully replaced everything I’d moved. After one last look around, I turned to leave.

“—Ahh!”

But the moment I turned, a figure loomed against the light, startling me into a scream.

Clutching my pounding chest, I gasped as the man’s lips curved into a smirk.

“You swore we’d never see each other again—that you’d die before showing your face. And yet, here you are, walking in on your own.”