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chapter 06
“It’s like an angel’s feather.”
What secret could be hidden in such a dazzlingly beautiful jewel? Yeon-seo lay on the hotel bed, staring at the brooch in her hand, still carefully kept in its plastic pouch.
Closing her eyes tightly, she fell into thought.
No matter how she looked at it, it couldn’t have belonged to her grandmother. Her grandmother had always been frugal, never buying anything expensive; even gloves were chosen for practicality and affordability.
So why had her grandmother had this brooch right before she passed away?
After returning from the funeral, Yeon-seo stared blankly at the padded jacket her grandmother had worn that day and cried until her cheeks were dry.
The padded jacket, thin and unimpressive against the subzero weather, seemed pitiful. Why hadn’t she bought her grandmother a warmer jacket?
Wanting to catch even a hint of her grandmother’s scent, she lifted the jacket—and a feather-shaped brooch fell onto her knees. The blue gemstones embedded in it gave off a mysterious glow.
It was excessively elegant and luxurious, utterly mismatched with her grandmother’s plain jacket. Somehow, it even gave off a feeling of foreign unease.
Yeon-seo looked down at the sparkling brooch with her pale, worn face. A strand of hair, about chin-length, was trapped in it.
Her grandmother’s hair had been long and white, but this hair was dark, apparently dyed, and even different from Yeon-seo’s own dark brown hair.
“Whose hair is this? It’s not my grandmother’s.”
Frowning, Yeon-seo let the brooch fall onto the table and got lost in her thoughts.
Since the funeral, she hadn’t turned on her phone for several days. She had no one to call, and those who might call would only bring added burden.
The only messages she had received were spam and a few missed calls, probably from surveys, credit card ads, or insurance promotions.
Scrolling through the call logs with an indifferent face, her eyes paused at the hospital’s number.
The call had been made at 5:15:34 PM.
Her grandmother always left work at 7 PM. She would finish dinner with the staff and then leave.
Even when she was unwell or busy, she had never broken this routine in decades, and she took pride in it.
“Strange… it was on the day she died.”
Suspicion growing, Yeon-seo went to Myeongseonjae and knocked on the door. The only people she could meet were the household staff.
“Oh, student! Mrs. is so sensitive to noise, why are you ringing the bell like this? What’s going on?”
A relatively young staff member hurried out to stop her, probably assuming she wasn’t a guest based on her shabby clothes.
“I’m the granddaughter of Sim Yoon-seon, who used to work in this house.”
“Ah, that grandmother? Why? If it’s about compensation beyond the condolence money…”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Then why did you come?”
Seeing the staff frown at her like she was a nuisance, Yeon-seo felt a bit discouraged.
Biting her lower lip, she continued, determined to ask the question.
“The time I was notified after my grandmother arrived at the hospital was 5:15 PM!”
“And…?”
“She always left work at 7 PM. Do you know why she came out so early that day?”
The staff waved her hands and spoke in a lecturing tone.
“Ah, that day, except for those preparing meals, everyone left early. The weather was terrible, wasn’t it?”
“….”
“I understand how you feel, but venting your frustration won’t change anything. I heard the chairman generously provided consolation money through the staff. Such a kind person!”
The staff started to close the gate again.
Seeing her retreat, Yeon-seo anxiously grabbed her wrist and pleaded with desperate eyes.
“Just once… please let me meet the chairman and his wife just once.”
“Meet them for what? It’s hard to see them; they’re busy. I have to go in now.”
The staff brushed her off and turned away.
She tried visiting several more times but was always told they couldn’t meet. The only option left was to visit the police station.
“On the day my grandmother died, were there CCTV cameras nearby? Did you check them?”
The officer frowned and replied in a detached tone.
“Ah, we already checked. The CCTV was broken.”
Breathing heavily, Yeon-seo took out the brooch from her pocket and held it out.
“It’s strange that only that CCTV was broken. And this brooch—my grandmother had it in her jacket pocket! It doesn’t look like her belonging. Please investigate a little more, okay?”
The officer finally looked up from the computer, giving her a pitying glance.
“Student, it’s unfortunate, but at that age, fatal falls aren’t uncommon. Let it go now. Would your grandmother have rested peacefully if you kept holding on like this?”
By the time she reached the downhill where her grandmother had fallen, all the snow had melted, leaving only solid concrete, as if nothing had happened.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, someone carefully knocked at the door. Anxiety crept back into Yeon-seo.
“Is it him?”
She got up from the bed, hurriedly adjusted her clothes, and answered,
“Come in.”
Contrary to her expectations, a woman in a black two-piece entered. Behind her were portable clothes racks and numerous shopping bags.
“What is all this?”
“Hello, I’m Lee Ji-eun, a personal shopper from SG Department Store.”
She realized this was the shopper he had mentioned yesterday. But the amount of clothes beside her seemed far too many for a single shopping trip.
“Could it really be all of this…?”
Seeing Yeon-seo’s bewildered expression, the shopper explained,
“All of these clothes were ordered by Executive Director Seo. Try them on, and if you have any additional requests, please contact me here.”
She handed Yeon-seo her business card politely. Yeon-seo stared blankly at the variety of clothes hanging on the racks.
“I brought them in what I guessed would be your size, but may I take accurate measurements for future reference?”
Yeon-seo weakly nodded.
“So this is how people in the Seo family shop,” she thought.
With skillful hands, the woman measured her. Glancing at the brooch on the bed, she smiled kindly.
“That brooch—Executive Director Seo bought it, right? I wondered who would receive it, and it turns out it’s you.”
“Excuse me?”
“The feather-shaped brooch. Only two were imported into the country, so it’s memorable. It will suit you well, especially with the sky-blue silk dress I brought.”
“The brooch was bought by Seo?”
When she first showed him the brooch, he had acted as if seeing it for the first time.
Yeon-seo asked in a subdued voice,
“How did you order this brooch?”
“He saw it in person and purchased it. Only VIP clients were shown it since only two exist in the country.”
After saying that, the woman continued measuring Yeon-seo with busy efficiency. Once finished, she bowed and left, leaving the room silent again.
Yeon-seo covered her mouth with her hand, pacing around the clothes racks.
“Could he also be connected to my grandmother’s death?”
She drank some water from the table, thinking,
“I really can’t figure him out.”
Biting the inside of her lip, she thought of him with her blurred gaze. Perhaps she had felt a strange kinship with him, seeing him as a rival to Geum Seon-ae and wanting all the shares for himself.
On second thought, it seemed silly. He was thoroughly a person of the Seo family.
The fact that he had purchased the brooch reminded her of her place and the path she must take.
“There’s no one in the Seo family to help me. He and I are just using each other.”
She would have to enter, uncover secrets, and move with careful calculation. A reckless move could be dangerous.
Her phone beeped. A message arrived from an unsaved number:
[I’ll stop by at 8 PM.]
Fear tightened around Yeon-seo’s eyes. She blinked nervously, like a window rattling in a storm.
