TNV 11

Chapter 11

Chairman Seo had left the villa to Chae-yoon as a form of apology.

She hadn’t heard it directly from him. After Chairman Seo’s funeral, a man who introduced himself as the chief secretary came to see her, handed her the transfer documents for the villa, and said as much.

“He said he deeply regrets everything that happened to Miss Song Chae-yoon. As I understand it, he left this villa as an apology.”

Regret.

The moment she heard that word, anger surged up inside her. Or, to be precise, it wasn’t so much anger as a choking sense of indignation.

Mu-hyeon’s accident and loss of memory, the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of his mother and the woman who claimed to be his fiancée, and the overwhelming sense of deprivation—

Wounded and exhausted by everything that had happened, Chae-yoon momentarily lost her composure at the word “regret.”

“I guess rich people think they can smooth over anything with money. Did he think I’d be happy just because he left me a lousy villa? Or is this his way of telling me to take it and disappear? I don’t need it. I have no intention of accepting it, so take it back!”

Though he might well have felt offended, the chief secretary listened silently to everything she poured out. Only after her agitation subsided did he speak again.

“The inheritance process has already been completed. He said there would come a day when this villa would be of help to Miss Song.”

Those words still lingered vividly in her mind. As did her regret at having lashed out at someone undeserving, and at not even having apologized afterward.

Mu-hyeon didn’t need to know any of that. Still, he wouldn’t back down until he got an answer.

After thinking for a long moment, Chae-yoon deliberately put on an annoyed expression and let out a short, irritated sigh.

“I don’t know the exact reason either.”

“You call that an answer…?”

“All I’ve heard is that the chairman and my grandmother had known each other since they were young.”

Apparently caught completely off guard, Mu-hyeon’s brow furrowed deeply. Chae-yoon continued in a flat tone, meeting his suspicious gaze.

“You don’t need to jump to unnecessary conclusions. They were friends from their hometown, and it seems the chairman simply appreciated the fact that my grandmother faithfully took care of the villa for thirty years.”

“You don’t mean he left the villa as a token of gratitude to Madam Song, do you?”

Mu-hyeon let out a hollow laugh.

“Couldn’t you come up with something more convincing? My grandfather wasn’t the sentimental type.”

“…However you choose to think about it, that’s the only reason I know. And if you don’t believe me, that’s fine too.”

As she said that, Chae-yoon apologized silently to her grandmother.

I’m sorry for using your long friendship as an excuse. I just couldn’t think of anything else.

She didn’t apologize to Chairman Seo.

This whole situation existed because he had passed the villa on to her without her consent. She thought that meant he should bear at least this much inconvenience.

Her outward indifference—acting as though she couldn’t care less whether he believed her or not—finally made Mu-hyeon fall silent. He still looked unconvinced.

However, he didn’t immediately refute her or sneer. It seemed he couldn’t yet decide which parts of her story to believe and which to discard.

Leaving him to wrestle with his thoughts, Chae-yoon turned away. As she walked down the narrow forest path in silence, a voice filled with disbelief followed from behind.

“Miss Song Chae-yoon, where do you think you’re going? We’re not done talking.”

“I don’t have anything more to say.”

She answered, then suddenly stopped.

“Oh, and no matter how much you offer, I won’t be selling the villa, so there’s no need to waste your time anymore. Please go back safely.”

She finished with a casual farewell and turned away again.

As she walked down the path, she worried he might follow her, but even after she reached the bottom of the hill behind the villa, she heard no footsteps behind her.

By the time Mu-hyeon came down from the hill, arrived at the villa, changed his clothes, got into his car, and drove out of the front yard, Song Chae-yoon was nowhere to be seen.

Watching the villa recede in the rearview mirror, he soon pulled over to the side of the road.

He quickly found the contact he was looking for on his phone and pressed the call button. Before long, a familiar voice answered.

—Young master. It’s been a while.

“Yes. Have you been well? I hope I’m not disturbing your weekend.”

—Not at all. These days, weekdays and weekends don’t make much difference to me anymore, haha.

The man on the line was Chairman Seo’s former chief secretary.

After the chairman’s funeral, Secretary Kim had retired and was now enjoying his life in retirement. Even so, his voice remained as polite and composed as ever, briefly making Mu-hyeon feel as though his grandfather were still alive.

After exchanging brief pleasantries, Mu-hyeon got straight to the point.

“It’s about the Yangpyeong villa. I was wondering why my grandfather left it to someone who isn’t family.”

—As I’ve said before, I merely followed the chairman’s instructions. He wasn’t the type to explain every detail.

Even after the will was revealed, Secretary Kim had given the exact same answer, word for word.

But today, Mu-hyeon had another question.

“Is it true that Madam Song, who worked at the villa as a housekeeper, had known my grandfather for a long time?”

—Yes. Dowon-ri was the chairman’s hometown, and it was also Madam Song’s hometown.

The answer came immediately, as if rehearsed. That very neatness made Mu-hyeon uneasy.

“If that’s the reason he left the villa to Song Chae-yoon, wasn’t that excessively generous? Could there have been something between the two of them—”

—There was absolutely nothing of the sort you’re suspecting. You may rest assured.

Secretary Kim cut him off in a gentle yet firm voice.

Judging by the fact that he even added “you may rest assured,” it really did seem that nothing unusual had happened.

“Then was the reason for leaving the villa to Song Chae-yoon simply a gesture of gratitude toward Madam Song?”

—Well, as I said earlier, the chairman never told me his reason directly. I only guessed that he left it to the person who cherished the villa the most.

“…I see. Understood.”

—Have you been to the villa?

“Yes. I just left and am on my way back to Seoul.”

—Have you eaten?

“I’ll eat once I get there. Please rest. I’ll contact you again.”

—Yes. Drive safely, young master.

Mu-hyeon started the car again, his face clouded with thought, recalling what Song Chae-yoon had said earlier.

“It seems the chairman simply appreciated the fact that my grandmother faithfully took care of the villa for thirty years.”

Yes. He himself knew well that Madam Song had watched over the villa consistently for three decades. It was also true that her diligence and warmth had left him with fond memories from his childhood.

But still.

Was that really enough reason for his grandfather to leave the villa? If so, why hadn’t he gifted it to Madam Song while she was still alive, instead of leaving it belatedly to her granddaughter?

No matter how much he thought about it, it felt like there had to be more to the story.

The Chairman Seo that Mu-hyeon knew was far removed from sentimentality or impulsive decisions.

As his unresolved doubts made him frown deeply, Secretary Kim’s words resurfaced in his mind.

“I only guessed that he left it to the person who cherished the villa the most.”

…If that person was Song Chae-yoon, did she really have such a strong reason to treasure the villa?

At the same time, the image of the impeccably maintained villa came to mind, and Mu-hyeon let out an irritated breath.

The more he thought about it, the more it felt like he was sinking into a maze with no answers. Mu-hyeon liked clear answers. Mazes and riddles had never been to his taste.