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chapter 46
Of course, Do-heon was someone who had known everything about Yeon-seo long before they got married.
He had even known about Yeon-jae’s debts, so there was no way he didn’t know about her family’s circumstances.
She hadn’t heard any news about her mother since she was a child. Her younger brother, Yeon-jae, had cut off contact again after she married Do-heon.
Even so, after hearing what Do-heon said, she found herself wondering.
Where was he now, what was he doing with his life?
Was he eating properly?
They had never once lived together as a real family, and yet—if she was curious about them, maybe that meant she hadn’t truly hated them after all.
“How… are they doing?”
“Your brother—he seems to have come to his senses. He’s working at a Japanese restaurant now. And your mother…”
Do-heon hesitated, as though unsure if he should continue.
“Her remarriage didn’t go well, apparently. She’s living alone now. From what I’ve heard, she still misses the child she left behind with her husband.”
Her mother, growing old and lonely—just hearing that left a bitter taste in Yeon-seo’s mouth.
Fragments of memory she’d buried for years rose painfully to the surface.
Her mother patting her back when she woke from a nightmare…
Her mother making her favorite rolled omelet…
Her mother laughing as they raced each other…
Her mother weaving a bracelet out of clover stems…
“She’s just saying that. If she really missed me, she would’ve found a way to come see me.”
Warm memories or not, the end result was the same—
A coldhearted mother who had abandoned Yeon-seo and Yeon-jae.
She must have felt liberated when she ran away.
Dreaming of a blissful life with the man she’d met through an affair…
She probably never thought about the suffering she left behind.
After finishing their meal, they headed back toward the Seoguk headquarters.
Yeon-seo’s heart felt heavy from the family talk.
But she needed to find an excuse to get away from Do-heon.
When they passed through the security gate and entered the building, she clutched her stomach.
“Ah… maybe it’s because I only had cold noodles. I don’t feel so well…”
Lately, he’d been constantly worrying about her health.
Even if it was an obvious lie, maybe it would fool him this time.
“I figured as much.”
“You go on ahead! I’ll just stop by the restroom before coming up.”
Do-heon gazed at her silently for a moment, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The gesture was casual, yet warm.
“I shouldn’t have brought up your mother, should I?”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing. Go on.”
Considering how he’d stuck by her side all day, he let her go surprisingly easily.
Maybe he thought she needed time to process everything alone after hearing about her family.
As Yeon-seo turned away, she brushed her ear lightly, feeling the lingering warmth of his touch.
But finally—she had a moment alone.
After making sure he entered the elevator and went up, she slipped into another elevator going down.
On the second floor, there was a shared office space where employees could use computers.
“Hello, Team Leader Woo.”
Several employees greeted her as they entered.
“Yes, hello.”
She returned the greeting with a calm smile, though her heart was racing.
All she could think about was checking the USB.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor numbers blinking above the elevator doors.
Thankfully, the second-floor office was empty.
She sat down at a computer in the far corner.
Her fingers brushed against the hard object in her pocket—the USB.
Taking a deep breath, she plugged it into the computer.
It took less than ten seconds for the folder to open.
In that short moment, she found herself hoping—maybe there’s nothing important here after all.
If what was inside was too much to bear… what then?
The thought made her tremble.
Her fingers quivered on their own.
Right before clicking, she squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
This was something she had to do.
There were three videos in the folder.
She played the first one.
At first, the screen was blocked by someone’s palm, as if they were adjusting the camera.
Then a middle-aged man appeared.
He had strong, striking features—almost like a character straight out of a Chinese martial arts movie.
The man smiled brightly as someone approached.
It was Seon-ae, looking much younger than she did now.
The two exchanged intimate affection.
Their heavy breathing was interspersed with whispered declarations of love.
Then came a conversation, murmured so quietly Yeon-seo had to replay it several times to make out the words.
“So, you’re really moving into Myeongseonjae? Should I start calling you madam?”
“How do I look? Like a real chaebol’s wife?”
“What kind of question is that? You fit the part way better than that woman ever did. A crown isn’t meant for just anyone—it’s meant for someone like you.”
Seon-ae picked a cigarette from a pack on the nightstand. Yeon-seo blinked—Seon-ae smoked? She’d never seen that side of her.
The man took out a Zippo lighter and lit it for her. Smoke curled lazily around them.
“Lee Jung-hye—she humiliated me. When I think about how Kang-jae and I got kicked out of Myeongseonjae because of her, I can’t help but think she got what she deserved.”
“Of course. That wretched woman—she had it coming. Even if I hadn’t done it, someone else would’ve killed her eventually.”
“True.”
“Don’t think about it anymore, okay? My darling, in this world, there’s only you, Kang-jae, and me.”
“What did her face look like at the end? That woman’s. Was she still pretty? I bet that elegant mask of hers twisted up real ugly before she died.”
The first video ended there.
Tears welled up in Yeon-seo’s eyes.
There’s no doubt now. These two killed Do-heon’s mother.
When she asked if she was pretty at the end… she meant her final moments.
Were they even human?
Could people truly be this evil?
She’d overheard fragments of this story before, but seeing the proof made it hard to breathe.
And there were still two more videos left.
What horrors would the second one contain?
She prayed it would be nothing—that it would show something harmless.
Because she wasn’t sure she could bear to know any more of the truth.
With a sinking heart, she clicked the second video.
The setting was unmistakable—it was Myeongseonjae.
And below the frame, a date was displayed.
When she saw it, her whole body began to shake.
It was from last winter—the day her grandmother died.
Yeon-seo swallowed hard and forced herself to keep watching.
A familiar figure appeared, walking into the garden.
The same old padded coat her grandmother had worn that day—too thin and worn for the bitter cold. Seeing it again made Yeon-seo’s chest ache.
Her curly hair, her small, stooped shoulders, her slow gait—
Everything about her was what Yeon-seo had missed so dearly.
“G-Grandma…”
Her voice cracked into a sob.
Please… please let nothing happen…
Her grandmother stood alone in the snow-covered garden. Then she turned toward the house, as if hearing something.
Coming toward her—heels clicking on the steps—was Seon-ae. A feather-shaped brooch gleamed on her collar.
Yeon-seo recognized it instantly.
The very same brooch she had now—the one that had fallen from her grandmother’s coat.
The two stood face to face, talking for a while.
No sound came through, only Seon-ae’s lips moving sharply.
Her posture was harsh, domineering, arms crossed as she scolded the elderly woman.
Yeon-seo couldn’t see her grandmother’s face clearly, but Seon-ae’s was flushed with anger.
What could they have been arguing about?
Had her grandmother always been treated like that in Myeongseonjae?
Yeon-seo’s heart clenched painfully.
“Grandma…!”
Suddenly, Seon-ae’s hand struck out and slapped her grandmother hard across the face.
The old woman, frail as she was, fell to the frozen ground without resistance.
“Hh… Grandma! Grandma!”
Yeon-seo cried, tears streaming down her face.
Her grandmother struggled to her feet and stumbled toward the door, but Seon-ae chased after her.
The footage—clearly from a CCTV camera inside Myeongseonjae—cut off there.
A strangled sob escaped Yeon-seo’s lips.
My poor grandma…
The last video—she could hardly bring herself to open it.
She already knew what it would show.
And her fears came true.
The scene opened on a snow-covered slope.
Her grandmother hurried down the path, Seon-ae following close behind.
The next moment was predictable.
Seon-ae shoved her—hard.
Her grandmother, thrown off balance, tried to grab her assailant’s coat.
Her fingers clutched at the brooch pinned to Seon-ae’s collar—
And then she fell, tumbling over the guardrail down the slope.
Now Yeon-seo finally understood—
why that expensive brooch had been found on her grandmother’s old coat when she died.
Her grandmother had ripped it off Seon-ae’s clothes as she fell.
Her grandmother hadn’t died accidentally.
She had been murdered—
by Geum Seon-ae.
