If he endured this well, he could go back to the outside world. Once he went out, he was determined to find and retaliate against those who had assisted in this matter.

Especially Kwon Kijoo.

The bastard, after seeing him beg for his life, would surely never dare to cross paths with him again, the chairman vowed.

“Hey, miss. Are you okay?”

In what state of mind did she hail a taxi? Through Eunchae’s dull eyes, the mansion outside the car window came into view.

“Ah… yes. Thank you.”

She took out her wallet from her handbag and found her card to hand it over. After the payment was completed, she roughly stuffed the card back into her handbag and got out of the taxi.

The towering fence felt unusually heavy today. Climbing up the creaky stairs and ringing the doorbell, Haman’s warm voice echoed.

“It’s you.”
With a parched throat devoid of moisture, it felt as if her voice would tear her throat apart as Eunchae spoke. Unconsciously soothing her neck, Eunchae entered through the opening door.

Haman, who had been waiting in front of the entrance, looked at her face in surprise.

“Oh, Miss. Why is your face so pale!”

“… I’m okay.”

“Your hands are cold!”

As Haman tried to support her, Eunchae politely declined, shaking her head.

“I’ll go up alone.”

Reluctantly letting go of her hand, Haman still looked at her with concern. Eunchae seemed completely drained, dragging her body up the stairs looked precarious.

Knowing Haman’s worried gaze, Eunchae struggled to climb up to her room alone. It felt nauseating, as if her stomach was turning.

She collapsed on the floor as soon as she entered the room. When she noticed the ring on her ring finger, she burst into tears.

The incident that led Kwon Kijoo’s family to tragedy involved her mother. The target of revenge was not only Chairman Song Myunghwan but also her mother.

The revelation weighed heavily on every inch of Eunchae’s bones.

Her mom, ignoring the unjust misfortune of the Kwon family, closed her ears and eyes.

For Chairman Song Myunghwan…

Eunchae recalled her mother, who used to smile gracefully like a wildflower. It was painful. Someone I knew committed such cruel acts.

She breathed heavily, feeling as if her silent cries were suffocating her.

‘I don’t expect anything like revenge. You don’t have to worry about it.’

The indifferent voice of Kwon Kijoo came to mind. That voice pierced her throat.

‘That’s an old story now.’

Living for revenge without considering anything else.

Why so easily.

Even though he’s not by her side, Eunchae couldn’t lift her head in his absence.

‘If you don’t understand, just miss me the way you don’t understand.’

He never sought understanding.

‘Don’t hate.’

Instead, it seemed like he didn’t want to push her away.

What should she do?

This time, it felt like she really had to push him away.

For him.

Eunchae pressed her teary eyes firmly with her palm. She didn’t know what to do, even if she did. No, even if she knew, she lacked confidence.

It felt like becoming a coward.

There’s a guy like this.

Looking at the investigation room from the situation room, Oh Geunseok let out a bitter laugh. The ghost-like ability of Kwon Kijoo, sitting expressionlessly, was truly unbelievable.

The results of the three-year dedicated Nightingale project were successful.

Oh Geunseok, who designed and supervised the project, and Ikwanil and Kwon Kijoo, who carried out undercover missions in the field, were showing signs of remarkable promotions within the organization.
Among them, the activities of Kwon Kijoo stood out distinctly. If there were no changes, she was rightfully in a position to take on the role of the overseer.

However, the conservative KIS organization prioritizes the process over results.

She voluntarily left during the Nightingale project, creating a significant crisis, and even after returning, she engaged in daring activities. Furthermore, she actively operated as the right-hand woman, gaining the trust of Chairman Song Myunghwan more than necessary.

To understand the unclear facts surrounding these strange incidents, she stepped out from the inspection department.

No matter how upright one lives, finding someone whose character remains immaculate is rare. So, Kwon Kijoo might face dismissal, as Oh Geunseok had anticipated.

However, the inspection results were astounding. Even though there was a witness, Ikwanil, who claimed that Kwon Kijoo had done excessive things to gain Chairman Song Myunghwan’s trust, no evidence could be found. The little evidence they did find had a valid explanation.

“Hey, this girl, this is interesting.”

Thinking about it, Oh Geunseok, who had been tapping the desk, chuckled refreshingly. Even though she had been with KIS for almost twenty years, she had never encountered such an outstanding woman.

It was both absurd and admirable. Although her abilities were tempting, if they had to be discarded, there was no choice but to discard them. After all, she had secured her position with her own abilities.

Soon, Oh Geunseok stood up from his seat. He entered the investigation room to receive the inspection results. Kwon Kijoo sat quietly, looking up.

Thinking that she was indeed an impolite woman, Oh Geunseok pulled a chair and sat down.

“You’re really an amusing girl. I’ve never met someone like you in my whole life.”

From the moment she came in and sat down until now, Kijoo, who had been sitting in the same posture, raised her chin crookedly.

Instead of saying something nutritionless, if you’re going to give a punishment, do it with that expression. She seemed like a woman with a lot of guts. Oh Geunseok chuckled and gestured for her to leave.

“Hey, you jerk. Take a break for a while.”

At those words, Kijoo opened her eyes narrowly.

“Discipline. Dismissal. Which one is it?”

Oh Geunseok replied with a smirk.

“Reward, you bastard.”

Kijoo returned to the mansion. After parking the car in the garage, she leaned her head for a moment and closed her eyes.

Receiving nearly ten hours of investigation in the research room had not affected her fatigue level. Just a bit heavy-headed.

After casually adjusting her wristwatch, Kijoo got out of the driver’s seat.

The investigation that had started last night had come to an end with the morning. Sweeping her dry face, she walked in the direction of the detached building.

On her way, she encountered some resident employees. Seeing her, they exchanged glances and whispered to each other.

With Chairman Song Myunghwan being arrested, there were many rumors. Among them, there were those who doubted that Kwon Kijoo was not affected. It was also strange that she was still staying in the mansion.

Kijoo ignored those things and continued walking towards the main building. Perhaps it was because she had seen that the curtains of Song Eunchae’s room were drawn aside. No, that was just an excuse. She just wanted to see.

However, when she arrived at her room, a weight settled on her shoulders. The interior was unusually silent for no apparent reason.

There were no changes in the arrangement of furniture or anything missing. Yet, something felt ominous.

Maybe in the greenhouse.

Thinking about searching there too, Kijoo’s movement to turn around was halted. On the always neatly arranged desk, there was something.

Kijoo turned her steps and entered. On the desk were Song Eunchae’s phone with the power off and a Post-it note.

The neat handwriting was undoubtedly Song Eunchae’s, but the content was unfamiliar.

“I want to be alone. Please don’t look for me. Someday… until I come back.”