The glow of the sunset poured into the study, where the window stood wide open, washing over Yeonwoo’s back.
“Don’t buy clothes meant to be discarded. Buy ones that would upset you if they were stained or splashed with mud. Several sets would be even better.”
Seongheon slid the credit card to the edge of the desk and pulled his hand back.
Yeonwoo’s lips parted, her gaze fixed on the card. She was visibly flustered.
“No, no—absolutely not.”
She shook her head, a sharp, instinctive recoil as if the card were a dangerous object. She took a step back, her posture defensive.
“As I said, a reward isn’t necessary. It was nothing. I’m truly fine.”
Her eyes were frantic, desperate to convey that she wasn’t lying. Being “fine” was her sincere feeling; she only hoped Seongheon would drop the matter.
Seongheon watched her. His expression remained indifferent, unaffected by her embarrassment or the way she waved her hands in agitation.
“I’m really okay. I’m saying that because it’s the truth. I have no intention of accepting anything.”
“I’m sorry, but whether you’re okay without a reward is of no concern to me.”
Yeonwoo was struck silent.
“I need to be okay myself. And it seems I’ll only be satisfied once I’ve settled this debt.”
“Ah….”
Realizing she had completely misunderstood his intent, Yeonwoo felt her face flush even deeper. She remembered him mentioning that he couldn’t stand being in debt, and she realized he was acting entirely from his own rigid perspective.
Her fingertips twitched, unable to hide her agitation. All the while, Seongheon’s gaze never left her face.
The air grew thick, suffocating. Unable to endure the pressure, Yeonwoo lifted her chin to meet his eyes. Crushed by the overwhelming aura of a man who looked as if he could command the world with a single glance, she managed to speak.
“Then, I will take the business card you offered. It is not right for me to hold onto your credit card.”
*Would this offend him, too?* Her thoughts raced, chaotic and layered.
“If you take it, you’ll likely toss it aside and eventually lose it.”
“No, I won’t. I promise.”
As Yeonwoo spoke with emphasis, declaring it would never happen, Seongheon produced a fresh, crisp business card. He signed it, just as he had the last time, and held it out.
“If you don’t use it, I will interpret that as a demand for a larger reward.”
“Ah… yes. I understand. Thank you.”
Yeonwoo snatched the card, bowed, and turned to leave. Seongheon’s cold, detached voice followed her.
“How long do you intend to work here?”
“I am thinking of three months.”
“…….”
“I believe my mother will finish her rehabilitation by then.”
He returned to his work without another word, so Yeonwoo offered a final, silent bow and slipped out of the study.
As soon as she put on her shoes and escaped Unseondang, she gasped for air, clutching the business card. Even that brief exchange had left her palms sweating.
*If you don’t use it, I will take that to mean you are hoping for a larger reward.*
He seemed like a man who had never smiled in his entire life.
Fiddling with the heavy card, Yeonwoo muttered weakly to herself.
“I’m in trouble. And I can’t even leave.”
The card, weighing only a few grams, felt as heavy as a stone. Unbidden, shaky sighs escaped her lips.
*
─ The number you have reached is not a working number….
“Hoo….”
The call failed. Today, Yeonwoo’s number had disappeared entirely. Cha Yoonseok lowered the phone, exhaling sharply to suppress his rising rage.
“You deleted it? Do you think I won’t be able to find you just because you do this? Damn it.”
As time passed, Cha Yoonseok’s bitterness festered. Initially, he had assumed Yeonwoo was hiding out of fear, but now he felt enraged, viewing her silence as a deliberate ploy to spite him.
“Fine. So you want to see how crazy this can get? You’re trying so hard to mess with me, aren’t you?”
This was why there was no point in being kind. He should have known better the moment she reported him to the police. Irritation surging, he swept his hand across the desk, scattering his belongings, before picking up his phone again.
“Where could she be? This is driving me insane.”
Just as he muttered to himself, the call connected.
─ Yes, Hyung-nim. It’s Hong-Seop.
“Hey, where are you? Still nothing?”
Cha Yoonseok had entrusted the hunt for Yeonwoo to a thug he knew—a man who would do anything for the right price. A grating, heavy voice resonated from the other end.
─ Hyung-nim, I’ve been looking everywhere, but there’s nothing. Nothing to grab onto.
“Damn it, I didn’t pay you to tell me that! Find her. Now.”
─ Just wait a bit, Hyung-nim. Have I ever failed a job you gave me? Never.
Used to being berated, the man remained nonchalant. Cha Yoonseok swallowed a string of curses, his chest heaving.
“Where are you right now? Still at her house?”
─ Yes. Her hometown. Moksan-Gun. I heard the woman’s mother lives here, so I’m waiting.
“And?”
─ I’m watching the property, but not a soul has passed by. I was thinking of paying the mother a visit.
“And if you do?”
The man laughed with a jagged, unpleasant sound.
─ You know how it is, Hyung-nim. If I have a little chat with the mother, she’ll be so rattled she’ll get in touch with her daughter in no time. Don’t you worry.
“Alright. Keep watching.”
─ Yes, yes. I’ll let you know the moment I catch a lead. Get some rest, Hyung-nim!
Cha Yoonseok lowered the phone, his eyes widening.
“Moksan-Gun.”
Knowing they were guarding the house where Yeonwoo’s mother lived, his tension eased. His mood improved, and a small, mocking laugh escaped him.
He knew exactly how Hong-Seop operated. He knew that if Hong-Seop met Yeonwoo’s mother, the woman would be terrified. Hong-Seop was a former wrestler with a massive build, a shaved head, and tattoos covering his body; his very presence was a weapon.
Cha Yoonseok was certain he would find her soon. Hong-Seop had the patience of a predator.
However, there was one thing neither man knew: Yeonwoo had moved to Domyeongjae just before Hong-Seop arrived, and her mother, Shin Sun-mi, was currently hospitalized.
“Just wait until I catch you. I’m grinding my teeth, just as you wanted, Yeonwoo.”
No one would be coming to that house for a long time.
*
The next morning dawned. Yeonwoo, who had been on night duty alone until 4:00 AM, had managed only a brief nap before heading to the main building.
Domyeongjae functioned like a luxury hotel. Five employees managed the building’s daily operations, and one of them was Yeonwoo’s mother.
Usually, the staff clocked out at 7:00 PM. But if a member of the Nam family was staying at the estate, the staff took turns on night duty—an exhausting task of waiting for a call that might never come.
As Manager Moon had specified, the night duty was now Yeonwoo’s responsibility.
“Look at that, the newbie is here?”
A staff member spotted Yeonwoo, who had just finished her shift. As Yeonwoo bowed in greeting, the woman looked her up and down.
“Oh my. You could go straight to the Miss Korea pageant. How can the same uniform look so different on someone?”
The woman was Do Eun-ja, who had turned sixty-eight this year. As Yeonwoo stood awkwardly, Eun-ja reached out and touched the fabric of her uniform.
“Did you take in the waist on purpose?”
“No. I just wore it as they gave it to me.”
“What’s the size? Is it a 66? I’m an 88.”
“I’m not sure, I think it’s the smallest one….”
Watching the girl’s slender waist as if it were a marvel, Eun-ja’s gaze drifted upward. She sighed.
“Are those yours?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, are they real?”
Eun-ja was staring at her chest. Yeonwoo, startled, nodded, and Eun-ja looked her over again with a look of pure envy.
“Sun-mi used to brag every day about how pretty her daughter was, but I didn’t think it was this extreme. She doesn’t look like Sun-mi. Does she take after her father?”
Eun-ja looked at her own uniform, then back at Yeonwoo—at the waist that could be spanned by a single hand, the lustrous hair, and the pristine, pale skin. Envy hardened her expression into a mask of fastidiousness.
“You aren’t supposed to be wearing makeup. Who are you trying to impress?”
“I’m not wearing any.”
“You’re lying. Your lips are so red, how can you say that? Don’t apply anything. Just wash your face and get to work. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo had barely washed her face, yet Eun-ja’s tone remained sharp and stinging. Though Eun-ja knew that a night-duty guard could have come in later, she had no intention of granting the girl any mercy.
“Um, what should I do now?”
“Hmm. There’s plenty to do. I’m deciding how to assign you so that everyone sees I’ve put you to good use.”
Eun-ja, her bulldog jowls hanging heavily from her jawline, gestured for Yeonwoo to follow.
“Well, follow me then.”
Yeonwoo nodded and stepped forward.