Eun-chae looked at him as if he could swallow her, facing him.

Without even smiling yet, their emotions collided, and the air became heavy.

“Step aside.”

“You’re not coming back.”

Eun-chae’s cold request was briefly suppressed by the words he spat out. The tone that seemed to say he lived believing in that one word was as suffocating as blood flowing down when you don’t know when it started.

“You said you’d come back. But you didn’t.”

Eun-chae bit the flesh inside her mouth until it bled. To avoid showing any hesitation, she opened her eyes wide.

“Even so, did you come to find me? I must have clearly written that.”

“We couldn’t stay away from each other. We couldn’t get away from each other.”

“…….”.

“But you have to know that too. Song Eun-chae. If distancing repeats, so does turning back.”

“…….”.

“There’s no meaning in being happy where I’m not.”

He still has no manners. Arrogant without a plan. Before, she thought that was the case. But now, why does it sound so earnest?

Eun-chae suppressed the urge to burst into tears, and the despair that had been welling up from the gall spread a whirlwind when it met the suppressed cry.

His stacked lies add more confusion to the whirlpool.

“Don’t force it. Until the very end…… you weren’t honest with me.”

“…….”.

“Ask. Just ask. When did our mother know about Kijoo’s death?”

“…….”.

“Surely, it was from the beginning?”

Kijoo remained silent. Even at this moment, he gauged.

Could the woman endure knowing the truth?

But now he knows that such things are meaningless.

What she wants is the truth, or sincerity.

Whatever it is, it’s not a lie.

Kijoo spoke with a weary voice.

“No.”

If she had known from the beginning, it would have been over when she first ran away. She wouldn’t have thought about coming back.

Kijoo recalled the day he found out that the only flaw in Gang Hye-ran, her mother, was also Chairman Song Myeong-hwan.

When was it? It was around the time when he picked up Song Eun-chae from the art hall and dropped her off in front of her house. He had immediately moved to Cheongdam-dong’s Japanese restaurant after receiving a call from Chairman Song Myeong-hwan.

They drank about three bottles of sake that day.

The chairman wanted him to swear loyalty particularly on that day. He opened a box and took out a blood-stained cardigan.

‘What is this for?’

A coral-colored cardigan. At a glance, it could be seen that it was for women, with a small size and a design with curves.

The chairman neatly unfolded the folded cardigan and personally showed the bloodstained part.

‘I can protect you even if you kill someone for me.’

That saying meant to kill someone for me. Or something like that. Kijoo hid his laughter while drinking sake.

‘Gang Hye-ran also covered up my crime. So I saved and killed her.’

At that saying, Kijoo felt like the sake he just drank flowed through his throat like poison.

Chairman Song Myeong-hwan, who was suspicious of him, seems to have gotten drunk.
After indulging in unnecessary self-display. Of course, even if betrayal occurs once in a blue moon, it was possible to bury someone like you just like that, thanks to the arrogance that you can easily do it.

“So, relax and be loyal to me.”

Funny. He couldn’t erase the face of Song Eun-chae that came to mind at that moment.

“Oh, Team Leader Kwon.”

Kijoo lowered his gaze and answered by straightening his spine.

“I don’t know how I ended up on this path.”

At those words, Kijoo’s eyes sank coldly. If it hadn’t been hidden in the darkness, it would have been clear enough for Chairman Song Myeong-hwan to notice.

The chairman confidently spoke while hitting his chest twice with a clenched fist.

“I will definitely compensate you.”

Indeed. How did I end up on this path?

Kijoo thought he had taken the wrong path, but for a long time, it felt like he had taken a very wrong path for the first time.

It happened that Kang Hye-ran’s greenhouse was demolished. He didn’t want Song Eun-chae to see her shocked by that.

To the woman, Kang Hye-ran was a precious existence, but to me, she’s an enemy.

“Don’t be too disappointed.”

“…….”.

“Losing something doesn’t just happen for a day or two.”

My priority is you.

Can I be a priority to you?

Without confidence, I caused pain.

At that time, Kijoo thought that cowardice might be his true nature.

With the memories of that day stored back, Kijoo, who opened his dim eyes, did not filter the words coming up through his throat and spat them out.

“Why do you only understand such things? Why do you only feel such things?”

“…….”.

“Even if I have to break it into pieces, the words I’ve only given to you. Are my worries about how you’ll end up with such revenge nothing?”

“…….”.

“Is it nothing?”

Eun-chae clenched her fist.

“I don’t want it.”

At those words, Kijoo’s pupils sank ominously.

“For me, it’s for you, but I don’t want it.”

“…….”.

“Mr. Kwon Kijoo… No. Should I call you Kwon Eun-ho now?”

What does it matter if we can’t even properly share a name. Eun-chae closed and opened her eyes.