Thrilled by Madness - Chapter 30

The plane that took off from Incheon Airport arrived at Malaga Airport in southern Spain.

After a 15-hour flight, the four people immediately left the airport and took a limousine to their accommodation. Park Sung Ho and Bong (manager), who followed Tae Seo Jun like shadows, sat in the front driver’s seat and passenger seat, while Seo Jun and So Yeon sat side by side in the back space separated by a partition.

A humble village embracing the Mediterranean Sea. This beautiful place that one might dream of as a honeymoon destination even without a spouse. The pastoral scenery previously seen only in photos quickly passes by.

As she looked out the window while driving along the coastal road, So Yeon’s lips involuntarily let out exclamations of “Wow” as she truly felt the sense of being in a foreign country.

Just yesterday, she was in a gray city where only forests of buildings could be seen.

But somehow she had come to this strange land that could rightfully be called paradise. Despite spending more than half a day traveling, So Yeon felt as if she had teleported here in an instant. As if under Tae Seo Jun’s spell.

If I’m Alice in Wonderland, is Tae Seo Jun the White Rabbit?

Ah, even for imagination, a rabbit is too much…

Pfft!

Diluting her absurd thoughts with a small smile, So Yeon became fully immersed in the Malaga scenery again, unable to take her eyes off the window.

Were her ever-changing expressions that entertaining? Seo Jun was openly admiring So Yeon’s face. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was completely entranced. Every time her lightly made-up beautiful face and small plump lips moved, he couldn’t help but smile along.

With such a sculptural face right next to him, how could he not notice? How could he not feel his heart flutter? Unable to bear his gaze that seemed to lick her skin, So Yeon suddenly turned her head towards where Seo Jun was sitting and asked.

“Why do you keep looking only at me?”

“It’s always the same here, almost boring, but Eom So Yeon gets more interesting the more I look.”

Seo Jun smoothly answered the sudden question with a sly smile.

“Are you saying you’ve been here often?”

“As everyone knows, I couldn’t come during those years I was tied to the country.”

“Ah, I see…”

So Yeon suddenly felt that she knew far too little about this man. For some reason, a corner of her heart that kept aching with loneliness wouldn’t stop rustling.

What is there to know or not know about a relationship that’s just for work, she tried to soothe her empty heart, but it was no use. Though she pretended to be calm on the outside, So Yeon couldn’t suppress her growing emotions.

While it was still spring in Korea, here it was hot summer.

Around noon when the blazing sun was positioned in the center of the Spanish sky, the car that had been driving along the road where the sunlight was stinging hot turned onto a street lined with roadside huts. And soon after, it came to a stop.

It was because a large iron gate with a heavy emblem decoration was blocking the way, but soon that gate opened wide on both sides and the car started moving again.

As soon as they entered, a vast lawn and forest spread out before their eyes. The next things that came into So Yeon’s view were the sea bordering a sandy beach and a grand, majestic mansion.

Her large eyes filled with both admiration and puzzlement at the same time.

“Don’t tell me, is this where we’re staying?”

“…”

Even just looking at the antique and imposing exterior, it was clear this mansion was not a place one could stay with just a simple reservation. So Yeon hastily asked, unable to understand, but Seo Jun just nodded once.

“When you said we were going to our accommodation, you meant this magnificent mansion?”

“Why, are you surprised that the accommodation is a mansion?”

“No, well…”

When Seo Jun added, “What else would you call a place to stay?”, So Yeon, who had been somewhat flustered, pressed her lips together, having nothing more to say.

The limousine circled around a large fountain and stopped in front of stairs directly connected to the entrance.

Seo Jun took So Yeon’s hand as she stepped out of the car. Her cheeks, which had been pale, quickly turned pink at his gentlemanly attitude, as if escorting a princess.

The couple’s clasped hands did not separate until they entered the mansion.

It was around sunset.

However, the sky, heavily overcast with dark clouds today, was stingy even in giving out the glow of twilight.

The slow steps that had been leisurely walking along the edge of the neighborhood where he once lived with his wife and daughter, the three of them in one house long ago, had now come out onto the main road and stood in front of a crosswalk.

Yoo Byung Hwan, who had been carrying his umbrella like a cane without realizing the drizzling rain that had fallen all day had stopped, threw his gaze across the street.

“Downhill three-way intersection food stall, they said? That seems to be the right place.”

While he was visually confirming the meeting place, the green traffic light came on.

The food stall where he was supposed to meet his daughter was right next to the road. The few outdoor tables on the sidewalk were empty due to the gloomy weather. Occupying one of those seats, Yoo Byung Hwan ordered soju and buckwheat noodles and looked around the roadside.

This place had changed a lot, as much as the years that had passed. Even the park next door, which used to be just a wild hill but had been transformed into a decent citizen’s resting place, was evidence of that.

After slurping down the noodles served by the food stall owner and taking a swig of soju, Yoo Byung Hwan’s mood was soaring despite the damp weather. It was understandable, as a fortune he could never have earned in his lifetime was about to fall into his hands soon.

He hadn’t lived in vain, dreaming unrealistic dreams.

Although he had done unethical things outside common sense, he had only done what he could do diligently. And even though all those efforts had been in vain due to bad luck, he had no regrets.

If a poor man wants to live well, he can’t be picky about cold rice or hot rice, can he?

It was all done so that our whole family could live well, but my good wife suddenly betrayed me and ran away one day. Still, she left me my daughter, who is like insurance for my life, so I guess I don’t need to hate her that much.

Yes, let’s forget it all! Let’s shake it all off! I can live better from now on, and that’s my only goal.

But why did she, who is usually conscious of people’s eyes, ask to meet here? Anyway, she’s my daughter, but I really can’t understand her inner thoughts.

“Haa… By the way, what time is it now…”

Muttering and shaking off various thoughts, Yoo Byung Hwan looked down at his wristwatch.

With about 10 minutes left to wait, he used the intermission to touch his phone and bring it to his ear.

“It’s me, Manager Ko.”

−Oh my, if it isn’t Manager Yoo. Judging by your bright voice, did something good happen?

“Haha, yes, there is! You know that building of mine that I put up as collateral when I was in urgent need of money the other day. I’m thinking of going to retrieve those documents tomorrow.”

−There were widespread rumors that you went broke after getting involved in a paper company scam, wasn’t that true?

“I did have quite a headache because of that for a while. But who am I? It’s all resolved now, that’s why I’m calling Manager Ko. So tomorrow, just wait in the office without budging. I’ll even buy some expensive alcohol for once.”

−Last time you said you got help from your daughter, is it the same this time?

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Warm steam puffed out from Yoo Byung Hwan’s widened nostrils before he could brag about his daughter.

“My only daughter may have a cold personality, but she can’t bear to see her father struggling.”

−That’s a rare filial daughter these days.

“Is that all? She takes after me with outstanding beauty, and her talent for making money is so great that the price of a mere building is nothing. There’s a backstory so I’ve kept quiet until now, but if Manager Hwang knew who my daughter was, he wouldn’t be able to help but fall over backwards, you know?”

−Let’s hear who it is then.

“Then you really have to keep this to yourself, okay?”

−Would there be any question about that?

Byung Hwan had never revealed his daughter’s identity to anyone before. That was the only way he could control his daughter’s money flow. But now he couldn’t suppress the urge to talk any longer. He had been swept away by his excited mood.

“I’ll speak quietly, so listen carefully…”

Just as his itching lips were about to open, it happened.

Brrrrrrrr, splash!

“Aish…!”

A delivery motorcycle splashed water from a puddle as it passed in front of Yoo Byung Hwan.

“Oh, sir…!”

The young man who stopped his motorcycle and approached looked at Byung Hwan’s suit pants stained with dirty water, not knowing what to do.

“I’m so sorry. I made a mistake because I was in a hurry…”

“Delivery isn’t an easy job. I’m fine, so you can go now.”

At any other time, he would have yelled angrily, but Yoo Byung Hwan just waved his hand and sent the young man away. Today was a day when even unlucky events didn’t feel that way.

“Manager Hwang. Are you listening?”

−Hurry up and tell me. I’m dying of curiosity.

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you specially. Who my daughter is, well, she’s Yu…”

But Yoo Byung Hwan couldn’t finish his sentence this time either.

Vrooooom…

Bang! Crash!

A large truck that had come speeding from somewhere instantly crushed the table where Yoo Byung Hwan was sitting.

Before he could finish saying his daughter’s name.

No, before he could meet the daughter he had been waiting for.

What was meant to be just a quick nap turned into evening when she woke up.

The yellow light from several Art Nouveau style wall lamps spread like golden fan ribs, elegantly illuminating the antique interior.

This room, which felt even taller and larger due to the arabesque patterns on the ceiling and white molding walls, was given by a middle-aged white gentleman who appeared to be the mansion’s butler.

So Yeon, who got up from the mahogany wood bed that a 19th-century Spanish nobleman might have used, stared at the fireplace for a moment.

Hot during the day, cool enough to feel at night, this region had large daily temperature fluctuations. As if to prove that, the smoldering heat from the weakly remaining embers was warmly enveloping the room temperature.

So Yeon, who had just gotten out of bed, approached the arched window with her bare feet on the zebra-pattern rug. The exotic buildings connected to the mansion and the open natural landscape deeply touched her clear eyes.

The emerald sea she had seen during the day had changed to a deep cobalt color, as if it had swallowed the darkness of night. After taking in this sight one last time, So Yeon moved away from the window and entered the bathroom attached to the room.

A moment later, So Yeon, who had finished showering and sat in front of the gold-decorated dressing table, once again realized she was in an unfamiliar space.

The bathroom was the same, and just the weight given by the heavy emblem pattern engraved on every object placed throughout this room was enough to guess how enormously wealthy Tae Seo Jun was.

Moreover, didn’t he say before coming to this room?

That this mansion was being used as a vacation villa by his family. So we should stay here comfortably until the shooting starts and then move to the filming location according to the schedule.

Just how rich is his family to own such a large mansion overseas?

And am I really okay to be here?

It took tremendous courage to thoughtlessly follow Tae Seo Jun all the way here from Korea. But since coming here, So Yeon couldn’t help but feel more distance from Tae Seo Jun, who lived in a completely different world from her.

Knock knock.

What So Yeon, who had been lost in thought for a while, heard was a light knocking sound.

Soon after, a young woman who looked to be in her early 30s entered the room. The neatly uniformed white woman was the servant who had taken out clothes from her bag and organized them in the dressing room earlier in the day.

“Está preparada la cena. (Dinner is ready.)”

Her tone was kind. Though she didn’t know Spanish well, So Yeon nodded as she roughly understood what it meant, and the servant withdrew from the room with a gentle smile.

She knew where the dining room was, having had tea there as soon as they arrived at the mansion. So Yeon needed clothes suitable for dinner. Though it was just the two of them dining, she wanted to dress somewhat formally.

After much deliberation, she chose a long-sleeved black dress and left the room with a script in her hand.

‘We have to kiss.’

‘K-kiss?’

‘I meant practicing, but So Yeon seems to have thought of something else?’

‘Ah, no! How could I! I also meant practice…’

Aish! Why did I blush for no reason…

Recalling her conversation with Seo Jun when they were getting up after having tea, So Yeon’s hands and feet curled up involuntarily. Her steps quickened as she almost ran down the stairs connecting the second floor to the lower floor. But from the middle, her slowed steps soon stopped.

So Yeon, who straightened her back, slightly raised her head and gazed at one spot in an upward-looking posture. What immediately caught her attention was a family portrait hanging on the stairway wall.

In the painting were three boys and two adults presumed to be their parents.

“…!”

For a moment, So Yeon’s eyes widened as if recognizing someone.