🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 47
“On the day my grandmother died, were there CCTV cameras nearby? Did you check them?”
“Ah, we already checked. The CCTV was broken.”
“It’s strange that only that CCTV was broken. And sir, this brooch too — it was in my grandmother’s jumper pocket! No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like something that belonged to her. Please investigate a little more, okay?”
Yeon-seo had heard that the CCTVs around the area were all broken on the day her grandmother died. The footage included images of Myeongseonjae and the place where she died that same day.
It was odd: cameras elsewhere worked fine, but the ones around that area alone had been damaged.
“So they must have pulled the footage and destroyed it afterward.”
Her grandmother’s death had been brushed off too easily because elderly people’s fall accidents are common. If Yeon-seo hadn’t come into Myeongseonjae, she would have lived and died without ever knowing.
Why…? Her grandmother had hated being a burden to others. What could she have possibly done to make Geum Seon-ae hate her so much?
Along with the questions came belated regret.
“If I had gone to Myeongseonjae that day, would my grandmother still be alive? Grandma, I’m sorry I was at home and didn’t know anything…”
A blazing anger rose in her chest. They had killed her grandmother and Do-heon’s mother, and yet they lived comfortably with no guilty conscience… How could they?
“I will make Geum Seon-ae pay.”
She vowed to make them regret what they had done until their dying days, to take everything they had. How could she get perfect revenge without leaving even a crack for Geum Seon-ae to escape? What should she do with this video?
Reporting it to the press or posting it online would likely be swept away and the video deleted. In this day and age, they could just call it fake news or a deepfake and that would be the end of it.
First, Yeon-seo emailed the video on the USB to her own account. Just in case.
She wanted to go to Seon-ae and make her suffer horribly right then, but she had to hold back. Until she found a sure method, she had to keep her head down.
The kind of people who killed and then taunted the victims didn’t even deserve to be discarded. She had to make them lose everything they ever desired — if not, she couldn’t mourn her grandmother in peace.
“Grandma, if you’re watching over me from the sky, please help me carry out this revenge safely.”
I miss you. I love you, Grandma…
Tears ran down Yeon-seo’s cheeks. She sat for a long time, staring blankly with a numb expression, like a doll whose emotions had been broken.
Back in the executive office, Yeon-seo felt a small relief at seeing Do-heon’s seat empty. She was not confident she could hide her emotions in this situation; her whole body was shaking.
“If Do-heon finds out about this…”
She imagined scenarios in her head and then shook her head. Maybe he already knew. Maybe he already knew that Seon-ae had murdered his biological mother.
When she’d asked if he wasn’t worried about Seon-ae running away, Do-heon’s fleeting expression had been close to hostility — something that felt long-standing.
When his mother had died, he had been too young to do anything. If he had kept that secret alone all this time, his attitude toward Seon-ae and Kang Jae suddenly made sense.
Maybe his idea of revenge was to take Seoguk away from Seon-ae and Kang Jae and take it all for himself. Maybe that was why he’d tolerated marrying the gardener’s granddaughter like her.
If Do-heon already knew the truth, telling him wouldn’t produce much reaction.
More than anything, the thought that their paths to revenge might be different frightened her.
Even as she thought this, morning sickness made her nauseous. She could detect smells she never had before with sickening clarity.
Could she really pull this off in this condition? Anxiety started to gnaw at her.
“Welcome back.”
At that moment Do-heon opened the door and came in.
He looked as perfect as always, but Yeon-seo suddenly felt a strange kinship with him.
“Then we’re both victims’ family, aren’t we.”
She felt compassion for Do-heon, for smiling as if nothing had happened. He’d spent much longer with Geum Seon-ae — how must he have felt inside? More shattered and more ruined than she was, perhaps.
Do-heon came closer to her and asked, “You seem a little different. Since earlier…?”
Had it shown? He was detailed and observant as always. Yeon-seo steadied her trembling hands and tried to act composed.
“Did something happen after lunch? Maybe you met Seo Gang-jae or something.”
“I just went to the bathroom… It’s probably your imagination. I haven’t met my brother-in-law either.”
“Is that so? Then that’s a relief.”
Hearing her reply, Do-heon relaxed faintly. For a moment, Yeon-seo almost wanted to tell him everything.
Whenever she stood in front of Do-heon, she felt conflicted. She knew she shouldn’t rely on him, but she wanted to lean on him.
Would he offer even a little help?
“Um…”
“Yes?”
Yeon-seo opened her mouth, then closed it briefly to choose her words.
If she could probe him a little and see whether he knew about his mother’s death, she could tell whether he might help her get revenge on Seon-ae.
“It’s a personal and sensitive matter, but I wanted to ask again about the day your mother died. Did anything seem strange to you that day?”
Do-heon’s smile faded.
“That’s odd.”
“…”
Yeon-seo swallowed hard and waited for his answer.
“Why are you so interested in my mother’s death, Woo Yeon-seo?”
“If that sounded rude, I’m sorry. I had suspicions about my grandmother’s cause of death, so I wondered if you might have noticed anything too.”
“The police would have investigated properly. We’re not idle enough to suspect everything — once you start suspecting, it never ends.”
His reply was not what Yeon-seo had hoped for. To be blunt, she was a little disappointed.
To him, having questions about the sudden death of someone you loved was just a trivial pastime… Hearing Do-heon say that left her speechless.
“Yeon-seo, if you’re that bored, I’ll give you some work to do.”
Do-heon pulled a laptop from a drawer. He came over and set it on the table in front of her.
“Sort the files in the folder. Use the guide as reference…”
He didn’t seem inclined to say anything more.
Was he only interested in taking over Seoguk?
Or did he truly not know?
Either way, a wall that seemed impossible to break stood between them. If they thought differently about the same situation…
“This man won’t be of any use. Maybe his only goal really is taking Seoguk, and now that he’s achieved that, he wants nothing else. I was foolish to hope he might help me…”
Yeon-seo decided to handle this herself.
She had to harden her resolve.
“All right. I’ll sort them.”
The sound of pages rustling stopped. Do-heon, who had been tapping his fountain pen on the desk, finally spoke.
“Good.”
No further explanation came.
A heavy look lingered in Do-heon’s eyes and then passed. Yeon-seo tried not to meet his gaze.
Sitting at his desk, Do-heon returned to his intense focus.
All Yeon-seo could do was sit on the sofa and turn over in her mind the actions Geum Seon-ae had taken. Before leaving Myeongseonjae, she would collect more information.
Her emotions swirled ceaselessly, almost unbearable. She imagined finding Geum Seon-ae and getting revenge, or alternatively, telling Do-heon everything.
Thinking those thoughts, she found it better to bury herself in work. Sorting the files according to the guide calmed the turbulence inside her somewhat.
A suffocating silence filled the office.
