Kwon Eunho. Kwon Kijoo.

Eunchae repeated the two names. The former was unfamiliar, and the latter was familiar.

There was no intersection. Yet, she felt a connection, even though there was none, and it made her uncomfortable.

“How foolish. Falling for someone whose name you don’t even know properly.”

She would have to be able to understand it for once. Eunchae retorted with a sharp voice.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“About thirteen years ago. When that guy, my brother, was killed.”

Her mind tangled like a complicated skein of thread. She wanted to deny it, but the tail of her thoughts was connecting things.

Yeah. Unless you were a complete idiot, you should be able to understand this much.

Chairman Song Myunghwan said with a triumphant face, “Of course, I didn’t personally kill him, though.”

Eunchae’s vision blurred, and her ears felt stuffy. The voice she had heard sometime before surfaced in her memory.

“He had a brother.”

The voice saying that was peculiar. No, it might be more appropriate to say it was strange. Even her memory seemed dubious.

“He probably wouldn’t get his hands dirty with blood directly. Like a villain in a movie.”

This time, the voice seemed vividly audible. Eunchae’s chin trembled. Even though Chairman Song Myunghwan was looking at her as if accusing her, it was difficult to control her expression.

“He’s a guy who discarded even his own name and hid, solely for the purpose of revenge against me.”

Eunchae couldn’t breathe. She had thought of Kwon Kijoo as a puzzle with about ten pieces missing.

Knowing yet not knowing. Elusive, like something that couldn’t be caught. Unbidden anxiety would sometimes assail her.

He abandoned his name. He hid his identity.

For revenge.

Eunchae’s pupils shrank in shock.

“The reason Kwon Eunho met you wasn’t sincere. It’s pathetic.”

“…….?”

“He came back after two years to make full use of you.”

Eunchae felt a chill throughout her body as if blood had drained from it.

Romeo.

Juliet.

Had the joke she made to herself become a reality?

Eunchae bit her lower lip until it bled.

“There’s no way… that can’t be true.”

A straight gaze directed at her, a body that responded diligently, and the eager touch.

If it were a lie, it seemed unbearable, Eunchae thought involuntarily.

“Do you still want to deny it? You were thoroughly brainwashed, even if I say so myself.”

The chairman, his tongue no longer harsh, said in a softened tone.

“A woman who fell for the same guy alongside her daughter is fine.”

“Don’t tie us together!”

Eunchae screamed in a renewed cry.

“Tsk, then ask him directly. Whether your name is really Kwon Kijoo. And how your only brother died!”

Turning around roughly, Chairman Song Myunghwan stood up. Secretary Kim Jin-ho promptly asked, “Should we contact her?”

“Let’s do it in two days. We need to tighten the noose. That way, she’ll become restless.”
Chairman Song Myunghwan left without giving her a glance. The secretary issued orders for the four lieutenants to stand guard and then followed the chairman.

Eunchae’s desolate eyes scanned the lieutenants. Each of them drew weapons and exchanged words with each other. The intonation was strong and peculiar, making it impossible for her to understand.

Trapped in fear, Eunchae’s bones ached, and her flesh trembled.

Her body, leaning against the wall, uncontrollably sank to the floor.

Though she tried deep breaths to stay calm, the effect was minimal. She needed to regain composure. While whipping herself mentally, Eunchae’s eyes reddened.

It was overwhelming to handle the sudden events. Even trying to recall the sound of the rain didn’t work; Kwon Kijoo’s ambiguous face kept disturbing her thoughts.

Was it arrogance to believe there were no more secrets?

Kijoo, who had been peering through a high-powered telescope toward the warehouse, lowered his arms. Chairman Song Myunghwan, who Kijoo didn’t know was nearby, drove away in his car.

Watch out for the area under the streetlight.

Kijoo turned back with a lascivious expression. Kijoo couldn’t believe that Chairman Song Myunghwan was the kidnapper.

Even if it were someone else’s daughter untainted by a drop of blood, this wasn’t acceptable. At the very least, some decorum should be maintained.

While giving a speech, Kijoo seemed oblivious to it. “Two at the front gate, one at the back gate, and one inside.”

In the midst of that, he even counted it. Apart from losing his mind, Kwangil found the now-sophisticated Kijoo somewhat frightening.

“Let’s go through the back gate.”

He seemed to be planning to infiltrate a relatively weakly guarded area. Kwangil closely followed Kijoo as he descended the stairs without hesitation.

“Since we don’t know how the interior is laid out, don’t let your guard down. Enter as cautiously as possible.”

Not an exaggeration, Kwangil deliberately did not ease the tension. It seemed like he was rescuing illegal immigrants. Since he didn’t know how malicious Kijoo was.