“……So, Na Eun’s father’s company was the cooperating company for those bastards?”

Looking only at the conclusion, that’s how it seems, but summarizing it in one line is quite shocking.

Hee Won silently stared at the two team members who were checking all the materials he had gathered so far on paper.

Seung Joo and Sun Jin, who remained at the center late at night, were furious after hearing about the series of incidents that had happened to Na Eun.

And then they wore expressions of disbelief at the materials Hee Won handed over and the conjectures he had made so far.

“Na Eun’s family company has been supplying weapons to those bastards all this time?”

There aren’t many companies in the country that can produce weapons with government permission.

Both Seung Joo and Sun Jin knew that Na Eun’s family was one of the top chaebol families.

It wasn’t strange that one of those few defense companies was a subsidiary of the company run by Na Eun’s father.

Sun Jin remembered the mission where they had intercepted weapons being diverted not long ago.

The image of the company naturally handing over military supplies to those guys as if they had a contract came to mind.

Sun Jin sighed and threw the paper she was holding onto the table.

“So Na Eun’s father was an accomplice of that organization? But does it make sense that he gets caught up with them and dies?”

To Sun Jin’s reasonable argument, Hee Won said expressionlessly:

“It doesn’t make sense. Chairman Yoon probably didn’t know. That his company’s subsidiary was involved in such backdoor operations.”

It seems strange that someone in the position of chairman wouldn’t know about it, but he put that question aside for now.

He placed several other papers on the desk.

They were stock price fluctuation graphs of various defense industry companies and military suppliers over the past decade.

“Every time there was a terrorist attack in Seoul and people died, the stock prices of defense industry companies always went up. Trading volume skyrocketed, and… companies made money.”

It was like a mutually beneficial relationship.

It must have been a very helpful relationship for each other, like crocodiles and plovers.

“In return, those bastards would have obtained the latest military supplies.”

Hee Won continued. With a chilling expression, he placed another stack of papers on top of the graphs.

“Right after Chairman Yoon passed away, articles about breach of trust came out as if it were a lie. The media made it seem like he had committed every crime possible as an owner, such as embezzlement and breach of trust. The board of directors called a shareholders’ meeting as if they had been waiting for it.”

“……”

“So Na Eun’s mother losing the company like that was due to those guys’ influence.”

As Seung Joo silently flipped through the papers, Sun Jin summarized the information Hee Won was saying in a low voice.

“……He must have been in the way. Chairman Yoon. And his family too.”

“……”

“It’s not just this subsidiary. There are over ten such companies in the country. The subsidiary that Chairman Yoon ran was just the biggest among them.”

“Then what about Na Eun.”

Interrupting Hee Won’s words, Seung Joo, who had been silent until now, asked.

“Why is that bastard Han Jae Kyung sticking to Na Eun again?”

“The purpose is not certain. What’s certain is that neither Yoon Na Eun nor Na Eun’s mother are safe right now.”

“Damn it, why do we have to find out about this so late!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Seung Joo burst out. She angrily scolded Hee Won:

“What the hell were you doing while Han Jae Kyung was approaching Na Eun, threatening her, and harassing her! Why are you only telling us this now!”

“Why, are you going to run out and kill Han Jae Kyung now?”

As Sun Jin grabbed Seung Joo’s shoulders from behind as if to stop her raging, Hee Won stood on the opposite side and sneered coldly.

“Go ahead. Han Jae Kyung is working as an instructor at the academy where Yoon Na Eun works now. Go barge in and pick a fight. Do as you wish.”

As if saying do it if you want, shrugging his shoulders as if he had no intention of stopping her, Hee Won put his hands on his hips and gave Seung Joo a look of disdain.

“This is why I didn’t tell you. Because you’d go crazy without properly assessing the situation.”

“……”

“If your goal is to vent your anger, go ahead and do that. But my goal is to protect Yoon Na Eun.”

− I won’t forgive even you if you interfere with my goal, K. Hee Won warned in a low voice with a chilling gaze.

Suddenly realizing that he was their team leader and a senior with much more experience than them, Seung Joo felt a chill down her spine, but unable to overcome her anger, she bit her lip.

Sun Jin, who had been patting Seung Joo on the back, stepped forward.

“How long are you going to leave Han Jae Kyung like that? Are you going to keep him next to Na Eun?”

“While she’s at the academy, it’s almost the same as being with me.”

He pointed to his left ear.

The communication device connected to Na Eun had been on since the moment she arrived at the academy, and all situations were being transmitted in real-time.

“And it’s not clear what that bastard Han Jae Kyung’s purpose is right now. You should know by now that there’s nothing more stupid than rushing in without knowing anything, right?”

Hee Won changed his tone from just now when he was angry, and started to admonish them as if dealing with younger siblings.

Seung Joo closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, swallowing her anger.

Sun Jin tried her best to find reason, and then spoke to her team leader:

“So, what do you think Han Jae Kyung’s intentions are so far? You must have at least some conjectures.”

“……”

Hee Won showed an unsure face for the first time.

While most of his conjectures were now matching his intuition, he hoped that this inference alone was not true and that he was barking up the wrong tree.

Based on the conversations he had overheard between Na Eun and Jae Kyung at the academy through the communication device, he summarized his conclusion in one word.

“Obsession.”

And the faces of Seung Joo and Sun Jin who heard those two syllables contorted horribly as if they had heard something they shouldn’t have.

[This is the timeline separator]

Her working hours today are from 6 PM to 11 PM, ending quite late.

After finishing grading the test papers, checking if the English teacher’s vocabulary test papers were properly collected would roughly complete today’s work.

She got up from her seat to deliver the graded test papers to the teacher in charge and went up to the staff room.

“Where is the English teacher……”

In response to her muttered words in the empty place, a reply came through her ear.

[Isn’t he out for a smoke? Since he’s a man.]

Since she had all her devices on while at the academy, including her phone and the communication device in her earrings, Na Eun could talk to Hee Won in real-time at any time.

Na Eun thought that might be the case and left the staff room.

She trudged up to the rooftop on the 11th floor and looked around, but disappointingly came up empty-handed again.

I can’t leave until I see the English teacher. As Na Eun muttered in an urgent tone, she suddenly noticed cigarette butts piled up in the space outside the rooftop railing and furrowed her brow.

“Ah, really teachers. I told them not to throw them here.”

Despite having a separate ashtray trash can made on the rooftop, a notice had come down quite a while ago that the academy was being scolded by the building owner because of someone who kept throwing cigarettes in that corner.

Na Eun decided to just clean it up herself, figuring someone would have to do it anyway if not her.

After roughly grabbing a dustpan from a corner of the rooftop, Na Eun carefully climbed up on top of the railing.

There was a narrow space on the other side of the railing that could barely fit one person, which seemed to have become someone’s personal ashtray.

Resolving to tell the manager later while looking at the pile of cigarette butts, she held out the dustpan below.

[Don’t do anything dangerous.]

Having noticed that she had gone up to the rooftop and was grunting alone, Hee Won warned through the communication device.

It was an amazing intuition to deduce just from sound without seeing. But Na Eun, busy scooping up cigarette butts with the dustpan while leaning her upper body over the railing, couldn’t reply to him.

In fact, it had already become a habit not to answer because if she replied to Hee Won through the communication device, she would look like a strange person muttering to herself to anyone at the academy who might see her.

Carefully, carefully, as Na Eun was successfully gathering the piled-up cigarettes into the dustpan, she felt her strength giving out and bent her upper body further over the railing.

Someone’s strong force urgently grabbed her waist from behind.

The dustpan fell from Na Eun’s hand as she was suddenly pulled back onto the rooftop.

There was a loud crash as the cigarette butts and dustpan fell to the ground from a height of 11 floors.

Na Eun’s face turned pale.

Oh no. What if someone down there got hit−.

“What are you doing?”

Jae Kyung, who had pulled her inward by wrapping his arm around her waist from behind, glared at her with a pale blue face.

But Na Eun didn’t even look at Jae Kyung’s face, instead staring down over the railing and stomping her feet.

Even if it’s just a dustpan, falling from this height makes it a deadly weapon.

As Na Eun was about to run out the rooftop door and down the stairs, her mind blank at the thought of a major accident, Jae Kyung grabbed her.

“I’m asking what you were trying to do.”

“Let go of this! I dropped that because you surprised me!”

What if it hit someone down below! Na Eun got angry, but sadly her anger was no match for Jae Kyung’s.

He glared at Na Eun with a frosty gaze and shouted:

“What were you going to do if you fell!”

“You’re one to talk, pretending to be worried when you’d be the happiest if I died.”

Na Eun, who had become skilled at sneering only in front of Jae Kyung, said mockingly.

Meanwhile, Hee Won’s voice came through the earrings saying, “……No one got hit below. I’ll check and collect it, so don’t worry about it.”

Na Eun smiled, feeling like she understood what it meant to be in sync.

She was truly grateful to Hee Won, who was only helping her in many ways.

On the other hand, Jae Kyung, who misunderstood her smile, hardened his face.

His gentle attitude that he showed in front of students was nowhere to be seen as he got angry.

“Is dying your wish?”

“No, my wish is for you to die.”

Jae Kyung glared coldly at Na Eun, who was talking back without backing down at all.

Na Eun felt an odd sense of satisfaction seeing Jae Kyung, who had always pretended to be relaxed until now, show fiery anger.

She smiled mockingly on purpose and said:

“Instead of playing with your ex-girlfriend that you threw away as soon as she became useless, worry about your own life. You know the villains’ end is always the most miserable, right?”

She was about to leave after making that snide remark.

Jae Kyung grabbed Na Eun’s wrist as she tried to pass by him. Why is this bastard always so desperate to grab people.

She tried to shake him off angrily, but sadly, Na Eun was no match for Jae Kyung when it came to physical strength.

In the end, Na Eun glared fiercely at Jae Kyung as she was pulled towards him with her wrist held, and Jae Kyung ground his teeth at her.

Jae Kyung, with eyes full of resentment, spoke in a low voice as if revealing the anger he had been suppressing:

“You think I’m the only one who abandoned you?”

Na Eun furrowed her brow at his question. Jae Kyung ground his teeth at her silent affirmation.

“No. You abandoned me every time too. You never chose me even once.”

“……”

“You only said I was your priority with words. Was there ever even one time you properly told me information about your damn friends?”

He spoke through gritted teeth as if now spilling out things he had wanted to say but couldn’t until now.

“You were always putting me second while taking care of your precious friends. That day too, I clearly gave you a chance. I told you to tell me everything, even trivial things!”

“……”

“You chose to make yourself useless to me on your own, Na Eun.”

Jae Kyung’s voice trembled faintly as if overcome with emotion.

Na Eun looked up blankly at Jae Kyung, who was glaring at her while gripping her wrist as if about to break it.

She widened her eyes even more to stop the tears that kept trying to well up.

And trying her best to hide her shaken emotions, she spoke calmly:

“I was protecting you, Jae Kyung.”

“……”

This time, Han Jae Kyung’s expression went blank.

“I didn’t abandon you, I was protecting you.”

“……”

“It was painful just imagining you getting hurt because of me when you did nothing wrong. So I wanted to protect you somehow no matter what. That’s why I didn’t say anything. I hoped you wouldn’t get involved at all. I knew breaking up was the best option, but I couldn’t do it because I liked you too much. ……Are you satisfied now that you’ve heard it all?”

Are you feeling better now that you’ve heard how much I liked you, how much I wanted to protect you, and how miserable I was being abandoned by you? Her voice that ended up trembling finally faded as it mixed with the cold air.

Na Eun looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment, but in the end, she did not cry.

With a voice full of moisture, she spoke firmly.

Jae Kyung.

“I’m the one who was torn to pieces being abandoned by you that day.”

“……”

“So don’t make that expression like you’re the one who was abandoned now.”