“We found the body two days later. Buried at the construction site of the apartment.”

Eunchae felt a pang in her heart at his words. She knew the pain of a loved one turning into a handful of ashes. Even more so if the process wasn’t a natural occurrence. It was a despair that felt like her breath would be cut off just by imagining it.

“My mother committed suicide that day.”

Eunchae’s eyelids trembled. She couldn’t bring herself to say that it was enough.

“My father committed suicide on the day my brother received his sentence for murder.”

“…”

“I’m here. I’m still alive.”

At that moment, a fleeting memory suddenly flashed in Eunchae’s mind.

Kijoo’s expression when he said he ate ramen until he got sick. His tone.

Feeling well-acquainted with what it meant to be abandoned, she closed her eyes tightly and then opened them.

“I tried to take revenge. That’s why I participated in the project designing the Song Myunghwan Gate.”

“…”

“I didn’t hide anything. That’s right.”
Brushing his hair back, his voice was casual as he spoke.

“I didn’t use Song Eunchae like that.”

His cold gaze pierced Eunchae. Her trembling lips moved.

“Why… did you hide it from me?”

When he revealed his hidden identity, he could have exposed it at the same time. If only he had done that…

“Do you know how foolish I feel about myself?”

“…”

“How can I make you hear through that person’s mouth? Why…!”

Tears welled up in Eunchae’s eyes.

‘On the subject of Song Myunghwan’s dog.’

Stabbing him without knowing anything.

Shaking off the tiredness, Eunchae shrugged her shoulders. Despite feeling like her heart was tearing apart when thinking about the painful years he must have endured, there was still something else hidden. She was anxious.

Eunchae turned around with a vacant expression. Feeling a blind gaze, she walked up the stairs as if fleeing.

Could becoming someone he could rely on be an unattainable desire?

Kijoo parked the car in front of the mansion and got out. Leaning against the angular sedan, he clenched his fist. How much time had passed like that? The heavy door opened. Staring at Song Eunchae walking through it, he recalled an hour ago.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Staring at the black screen, he tightened his forehead when Song Eunchae’s name appeared.

She said she had to meet Chairman Song Myunghwan. Asked him to take her. No, she suggested going together.

‘As you wish.’

After answering like that, the call abruptly ended. Holding the disconnected phone to his ear, Kijoo pondered.

What was the woman’s intention? Did she want to discern what was true and what was false? Or did she simply want to question and pursue the guilt regardless of the reason?

One thing was clear; no matter what happened, nothing would change.

As Eunchae came down the stairs, he concluded his momentary contemplation. Instead of deterring Song Eunchae, who was heading for the back seat, he opened the passenger seat door and nodded. She unexpectedly climbed into the passenger seat.

For a moment, his heart wavered. Despite saying nothing would change, was he afraid of being rejected?

Exhaling the pent-up breath, Kijoo went to the driver’s seat and sat down.

Inside the villa, time seemed to slow down amid the silence. Chairman Song Myunghwan sat at the bar, tilting a glass of alcohol. On the table, photos of Seong Moon-hee, who had risen to a dangerous level, were scattered like poison.

The one to pull off this scheme was Kwon Eunho. No, now it was Kwon Kijoo. A wretched scoundrel. The one who took Song Eunchae from the warehouse must be him. The chairman was convinced of that.

Trying to make him lower his guard and seize the opportunity… Once things started to go awry, they completely fell apart.

As he had touched that scoundrel’s purse strings from behind, the deal to grant Eunchae property and cover up the dirty past was shattered.
Sending those affair photos was a warning to him. He was the most loyal dog, but now he’s become a ticking time bomb, holding Park Musung’s will, and no one knows how far he’ll explode.

Is there no other way than kneeling and apologizing to a guy who doesn’t even have a drop of blood on his hands?

If it goes like this, Kwon Kijoo’s revenge will be perfectly successful.

Chairman Song Myunghwan ground his teeth in frustration and injustice.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs was heard when he had such thoughts. The chairman, who had raised his head, froze at the sight of Kim Jinho, the secretary general.

Kwon Kijoo. It was his fault for coming here on his own.

But how? What did the guards, whom he thought were only Kim Jinho, do? Stiffening in front of the chairman, who was looking around, Kijoo stepped forward.

Resigned to the fact that he couldn’t drive him away, Chairman Song Myunghwan opened his mouth.

“Even if I die, I won’t die alone.”

“…”

“Forget that all the work was directly handled by you. If I get caught, you’ll get caught too.”

Not too urgent yet. Looking at the chairman, Kijoo had such a thought. Unaware of that, the chairman tried to persuade him cunningly.

“Just let me have what I want. Then, it’s a win-win situation for both of us. I’ll reward you generously.”

“…”

“Leave Eunchae out of this. Huh? I can give you as much as I’ve bequeathed to Eunchae. If you cooperate, that is.”

Kijoo smirked.

“What should I do? What I want isn’t money.”

“…”

“I have money too.”

“Lies…! Then why did you tell Eunchae to inherit the property! This disgusting…!”

“Give Eunchae her share. The property tainted with dirt will be confiscated anyway, so just with the clean part.”

“What are you talking about?”

Kijoo furrowed his eyebrows at the chairman’s dullness.

“Use your brain a bit.”

At that remark, Chairman Song Myunghwan clenched his lower lip tightly.

“Rather than that, why do you keep adding sins?”

At the end of his words, Kijoo twisted the corner of his mouth.

“What…”

“I tried to steal from me.”

“What?”

What on earth is he talking about? Speak so I can understand. Chairman Song Myunghwan, who was complaining about the frustration, turned his head in surprise at the sound of footsteps again.

This time it was Song Eunchae.

Now they’re always together. The chairman, with an unpleasant gaze, scanned her from top to bottom. Unlike the miserable figure in the warehouse, she was radiant without a trace.

Eunchae silently observed the chairman. The neatly dressed nobleman, who used to be closer to perfection, now seemed absurdly shabby.

“Nice to see you again.”

Still offering greetings as a courtesy, the chairman explosively yelled at her.

“Don’t you believe what I say? You still haven’t come to your senses. Pitiful woman.”

As if feeling tired of the metallic sound, Kijoo scratched his forehead with his fingertips.

“Yeah. I had a headache because you were earnestly babbling nonsense.”

“…”

“It’s true. You’ve been bothering me with nonsense.”
At those words, Chairman Song Myunghwan narrowed his sharp gaze. The velvety, soft voice felt like genuine sincerity.

In the midst of this, Eunchae opened her mouth.

“Why did you do that?”

The chairman’s eyes, swollen with red veins, rolled slowly towards her. Eunchae wore an expression that revealed nothing of what she was thinking.

“Why did you sympathize with murder and stand by?”