In the face of his stubbornness, Kijoo seemed as if he would turn away, but he quickly turned back. It was never easy for him to casually utter a word. He walked briskly outside.

The door closed with a thud. Eunchae, who had been holding her breath until then, exhaled with closed eyes. A deep sigh emerged from her unconsciously, spreading through the air as if the scattered sighs were a remedy that revived blurry memories.

‘Song Eunchae, if you want to bark, bark, if you want to sit, sit.’

She was desperately persistent on the unexpectedly returned topic.

“Miss Eunchae, is that guy such a jerk?”

Taunting with jealousy.

“Sorry. For changing your mind.”

He finally melted her frozen heart.

If this was going to happen in the end.

Eunchae covered her agonized face with both hands and swallowed her tears.

She didn’t know what to do in such a situation.

Is it right to get angry since he used me for revenge? Should I apologize since I am the daughter of an enemy? Continuously facing unanswered questions, Eunchae weakly opened her closed eyes.

If Kwon Kijoo is resentful, that’s understandable.

Is that selfish?

Unable to control the surging emotions, Eunchae rested her head on the bed headboard.

After a while, her empty eyes suddenly turned to the laptop.

What’s the use of hearing the truth through others’ mouths? If you don’t know what to filter, you have to find out for yourself.

Eunchae struggled to lift her sinking body and sat in front of the desk. She connected to the internet with the laptop and moved the mouse cursor to the search bar on the portal site. After some hesitation, she started the search.

2009 murder case.

Reading the sentence I created, Eunchae’s heart raced. She nervously pressed the Enter key, and the screen changed instantly.

Perhaps because it was a long time ago, there weren’t many related articles. Swallowing dry saliva, Eunchae slowly scrolled down with the mouse wheel.

“Cruel Murder at Ju Hak Apartments Construction Site.”

Construction was a core business of the past Dewon Group. They aggressively marketed the apartment brand name as ‘Ju Hak.’

Trembling, Eunchae clicked on the article.

“At the construction site where Ju Hak Apartments were being built, the murderer who killed Mr. Kwon found on the ground has confessed. The culprit is Mr. OO, the site manager, and…”

Nowhere in the article was Chairman Song Myunghwan’s name mentioned. The crime scene only had the site manager.

Eunchae leaned against the backrest with a distracted mind.

It was more of a complete cover-up than a crime. Chairman Song Myunghwan was a human being whose corruption even the starting point was faint.

Her dry throat was itchy.

Eunchae leaned forward, rubbing her neck with her hand. After a while, her vacant eyes turned to the laptop again.

How could Chairman Song, who covered up such an incident, be such a selfish person?

Eunchae couldn’t control the surging emotions and glared at Kijoo, who was sitting at the dining table with a familiar posture.
After a moment of silence, Eunchae moved. Without making eye contact, she walked to the refrigerator, opened the door, and took out tomato juice. Then, she retrieved a glass from the cabinet. Opening the juice cap, she poured it into the glass.

However, Eunchae stiffened as she poured the juice. She almost spilled it because she was conscious of Kijoo. She looked at the juice, which was full and swaying like waves, with a cold gaze.

Swallowing a sigh, she put the remaining juice back in the refrigerator. Reluctantly, she took a sip, as she might spill it if she carried it, and her side profile felt chilly. He must be watching with those piercing eyes.

Knowing everything, Eunchae stubbornly turned away. No, she tried to turn away. However, due to his grabbing her wrist, it ended up being a half-hearted attempt. She looked at the seized wrist, which felt like a reprimand with her stiff eyes. A subdued voice with hardened eardrums flowed in.

“Now listen to me.”

Eunchae twisted her arm to pull out her captured wrist. However, it wasn’t necessary. He immediately let go of her wrist, and Kijoo stood up.

“Misunderstand…”

Before he could finish speaking, he bit his lips. What broke the moment of silence was the sound of Kijoo covering the table with his hand.

“It’s not a misunderstanding.”

Eunchae’s stiff pupils rose sharply. She met his dark eyes that were deeply set.

“You came to take revenge.”

When Kijoo readily admitted it, her gaze wavered.

“But.”

As he tilted his head, the wrinkles on his shirt revealed the protruding shoulder blades.

“I told you to believe this one thing, even if you don’t believe anything else.”

Eunchae’s rigid pupils widened. They met his deeply set eyes.

“I like you.”

“…”

“I can’t control it.”

He was regularly exhaling, but somehow it felt dangerous. There was a sense that he was enduring something dangerously.

“Hyung…”

Kijoo didn’t immediately continue speaking. In that moment, Eunchae felt regret. In the brief pause, she felt her heart crumble from the emotions that unexpectedly reached her.