“So what you’re saying is.”

“I’m Choi Yoon.”

“What you’re saying, Mr. Choi Yoon, is that as the person in charge of promoting the full survey, you felt responsible and came to directly check the atmosphere of the protest?”

On the counter, unpackaged hamburger steaks were steaming in rows in a lunchbox container.

Standing next to it, Choi Yoon felt hungry.

Without offering a seat to her guest, Kim Tae Rin was busy rummaging through the counter drawer.

She continued speaking stiffly without looking at Choi Yoon.

“Originally I was going to go to Jangcheon County Office, but I took a wrong turn and came this way.”

Choi Yoon consciously answered softly.

“My navigation suddenly malfunctioned.”

Kim Tae Rin suddenly pulled out the entire drawer and turned it upside down on the counter. Papers and odds and ends poured out in a clatter.

As she frowned and unfolded every piece of paper, Choi Yoon glanced around the kitchen.

The open kitchen was neat and modest.

However, Choi Yoon was quite surprised to find none of the products he had advertised anywhere. Not only that. There were no Haewoo products either.

From appliances like refrigerators to even the smallest spice jars, the ubiquitous Haewoo logo was nowhere to be found.

Boycotting Haewoo in Korea was like avoiding landmines in a minefield.

At this point, it could only be seen as deliberately, and very carefully, excluded.

Ah, this is completely.

He couldn’t help but laugh wryly.

A Choi Yoon eradication zone. It’s hard to be this non-existent.

Suddenly his gaze caught on something at the bottom of the kitchen. Something half-buried in the trash can looked familiar.

Tilting his head slightly to look closely, it was a tumbler printed with Choi Yoon’s own signature.

I do exist.

In the trash can.

The sight of that tumbler, which others reportedly bought in bulk and collected by color despite not being able to drink the coffee, being thrown away with all one’s might was more interesting than unpleasant.

In fact, it even made him smile a little. The image of Kim Tae Rin buying coffee, picking out only the tumbler with a grimace, and shoving it into the trash can was not at all threatening to Choi Yoon. It was rather cute.

Yeah. That coffee must be too delicious to give up just because my face is on it a little.

That’s when Kim Tae Rin blurted out.

“It’s not broken.”

“Pardon?”

“The navigation. It’s not broken. Everything’s like that around here right now.”

Kim Tae Rin was bent over rummaging through the bottom drawer, so her pretty face wasn’t clearly visible. Her voice was clear.

“Since the protests started, navigation’s been going haywire around here. Try turning on your phone’s map. I bet it’ll show us floating in the middle of the East Sea right now.”

Choi Yoon’s face hardened. Still with her nose buried in the drawer, Kim Tae Rin added.

“Last time, groups coming from far away to join the protest got lost on the way and were late. Seems like the government is aiming for that.”

Choi Yoon considered a common-sense possibility. He opened his mouth.

“If there are national security facilities or military installations, the government does sometimes block them…”

“Did you see any military bases on your way here? There’s nothing like that. You should know.”

The government’s intentions were obvious. Ignoring citizens’ basic rights and even controlling satellite data, the government must have gone mad.

“Then what if there’s an emergency? Ambulances or police cars would track the location to come.”

“You can’t get sick now. When the protest is over and everything goes back to normal, then you can get sick.”

“What kind of nonsense…”

“Found it!”

Kim Tae Rin suddenly stood up. She lightly held up a file and pulled out a chair from a nearby table.

“Have a seat.”

Then she plopped down in the opposite chair.

Before Choi Yoon had even sat in the pulled-out chair, Kim Tae Rin took out a document from the file and spread it on the table.

“It’s the contract.”

Choi Yoon adjusted his posture and took out his wallet from his pocket. He felt Kim Tae Rin’s gaze stick to his hand. He deliberately slowly took out his ID card.

As soon as he lightly placed it on the table, Kim Tae Rin let out a low sigh.

“Oh no.”

Choi Yu Won on the ID card and Choi Yu Won on the lease contract.

Even after checking several times with her fingertip that the two resident registration numbers matched exactly, Kim Tae Rin looked like she didn’t want to believe it.

“They really are the same person.”

“I guess I don’t match well with a crumbling old house.”

“I didn’t know you used a stage name.”

Kim Tae Rin looked clearly disappointed. Choi Yoon asked.

“What would have changed if you had known?”

“I wouldn’t have signed the contract, of course. Because I don’t want to be involved.”

It was hard to understand what was so displeasing about discovering that a top star whom others were dying to be involved with was revealed to be the building owner.

When they met unfamiliarly last night, she had smiled so brightly as to stir one’s heart, but now Kim Tae Rin seemed to find it dreadful to even exchange words with Choi Yoon.

On the other hand, Choi Yoon found it difficult to take his eyes off Kim Tae Rin.

In addition to the aftershocks of the previous night, how could she be so dangerously pretty that it made the viewer uneasy, his heart was beating sensitively.

She seemed to have the ability to wrap the surrounding air and make it her own.

He was curious, and also amazed.

As Choi Yoon gently suppressed that novel curiosity, Kim Tae Rin alternately gazed regretfully at the contract and ID card before asking.

“Do you handle all contracts this way? Delegating everything to a real estate agent?”

“With more than one or two buildings, I can’t personally handle every contract.”

“Even for such a precious house?”

“…Why do you think that?”

“It’s written on your face. I thought someone who acts would be good at suppressing emotions. It says you were very surprised by how the house has changed.”

I was also surprised to meet you again, he wanted to blurt out. Even after being cursed at last night, it’s strangely nice to see you now, and I’m even worried my eyes have gone crazy for thinking you look prettier today than yesterday. Suppressing the urge to spill it all out, Choi Yoon quietly gazed at Kim Tae Rin.

She looked somewhat perplexed.

“The house has changed a lot, hasn’t it? I’m sorry if you’re disappointed. I thought you’d know.”

Disappointed? It’s actually the opposite.

But Choi Yoon didn’t add any words. He wanted to hear Kim Tae Rin’s thoughts.

“It couldn’t be helped. The pillars and beams were rotting and dangerous. The real estate agent also said not to worry about money and repair it since the owner would cover it.”

The memory was hazy.

If the real estate agent had suggested it first, he probably would have nonchalantly agreed. Choi Yoon wasn’t the type to meticulously manage his assets.

“That clause is included here too. On this side…”

Kim Tae Rin flipped through the contract and showed him one side facing this way.

But Choi Yoon kept his gaze fixed on Kim Tae Rin and didn’t even glance at the contract. Every moment was precious.

“It’s fine. Since it was an old building, it’s natural for the exterior to change with repairs. I’m rather grateful that you’ve moved in to live here. A house quickly deteriorates if people don’t occupy it.”

Kim Tae Rin looked somewhat relieved.

However, the stiff expression she had worn since first facing Choi Yoon didn’t change much.

Only then did Choi Yoon realize the identity of this strange thirst.

He wanted to see another face of Kim Tae Rin. Not grumpy or angry, but more towards this side…

If only she would smile brightly like yesterday.

It was a strange feeling.

Have I ever been this sensitive to a woman’s appearance? Certainly not.

“Was there no other reason?”

Kim Tae Rin made an expression asking what he meant.

Choi Yoon stroked the edge of the table with his fingertip and asked again.

“Did the villagers perhaps… want the house torn down and rebuilt?”

“Ah.”

Kim Tae Rin immediately looked like she understood, then shook her head.

“No. Actually, they were reluctant to even come near. On the rare occasions we did run into each other, they just told me to be careful.”

“That it was ominous?”

“Well, yeah.”

After answering that, Kim Tae Rin looked at him deeply.

Usually when this topic comes up, people avert their gaze or change the subject.

But Kim Tae Rin’s gaze was somehow different.

It wasn’t curiosity or sympathy, but it wasn’t nothing either.

“It’s fine now. Everyone comes here often.”

Her tone was too dry to be comforting.

Choi Yoon suddenly asked.

“Do you remember calling me trash yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“Why you did that.”

“I didn’t expect to meet again.”

Is that supposed to be an answer?

“Do you dislike me?”

“Yes.”

“It seems the history of hatred goes back quite a while.”

At first he thought it was resentment towards him taking on the role of full survey promotion ambassador.

But after coming here and seeing the kitchen, his thoughts changed.

This wasn’t the level of rejection that could be achieved in just a year or two.

Kim Tae Rin nodded readily.

“That’s right. I’ve disliked you for a very long time.”

“What’s the reason?”

Kim Tae Rin lowered her eyes. She didn’t seem to have any intention of answering at all.

Moreover, she wasn’t even sitting properly in front of Choi Yoon, but her posture of sitting sideways with her arms crossed was quite poor.

Nevertheless, her side profile with her hair loosely draped was simply perfect, so Choi Yoon kept feeling parched.

However, Kim Tae Rin didn’t seem to have any intention of offering even a drop of water, let alone tea.

Her gaze, half-closed as if lost in thought, was focused somewhere in the air, not on Choi Yoon.

Kim Tae Rin suddenly opened her mouth.

“Come to think of it, there was a grave in the yard when I first moved in. It was a bit shabby though.”

It wasn’t the answer he wanted. A clear change of subject.

But Choi Yoon couldn’t push.

His breath was choked, his voice coming out cracked.

“…Exactly where in the yard?”

Kim Tae Rin uncrossed her arms and sat up straight.

“Over there in the backyard.”

“There was my father’s grave in the backyard, but I understand there’s nothing there now. From what I heard through rumors, the villagers dug it up… took out the body and burned it.”

“Ah, something like that almost happened while I briefly left the restaurant.”

Kim Tae Rin made a troubled face, then spoke clearly.

“I discovered it midway and chased them away telling them not to do it.”

“What?”

“After the people left, I took care of it and buried it separately in a secluded place.”

Choi Yoon’s lips quivered. What should one say at a time like this? The words he barely managed to spit out were awkward.

“Why did you…”

“I don’t believe it. All that superstitious nonsense about you bringing misfortune to this village or whatever. So I just did what I could. I couldn’t leave it as it was. Moving it to a place no one knows about was the best option. In case someone tried again.”

As if recalling that time, Kim Tae Rin frowned slightly.

She added.

“It’s a secret from the villagers.”

“Yes, uh, thank y-”

But before he could finish his thanks, Kim Tae Rin hurriedly waved both hands.

“No, don’t. Don’t say thank you. Because I’m not going to apologize for cursing at Choi Yoon either. Let’s call it even.”

“Aren’t those two separate matters?”

But Kim Tae Rin didn’t seem to be listening to Choi Yoon. She said expressionlessly.

“Since you’re here, would you like to stop by? Pay respects to your father, and take a look around the house. It’s your hometown after all. And there’s still some time before the villagers gather. Only if you want to, of course.”

Choi Yoon stared blankly at Kim Tae Rin.

His heart was beating wildly. Before he could even choose how to answer, he was already nodding.

As if that settled everything, she rose from her seat. She gestured for him to follow as she went out of the restaurant.

As soon as he stepped out onto the yard after crossing the restaurant threshold, the morning sunlight poured down all at once.

Choi Yoon reflexively closed his eyes then barely managed to open them.

Kim Tae Rin, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned around.

Bathed in light, she asked.

“By the way…”

The backlight was dazzling. Choi Yoon couldn’t read Kim Tae Rin’s expression.

“You came empty-handed, right?”