“Kang Hyun is not normal. I shouldn’t have brought Seo Yoon.”
The emotional deficit had definitely developed in a positive direction, but Kang Hyun’s attachment to her grew bigger day by day.

Tae Seok Jung, the brotherinlaw, had regretted bringing Seo Yoon at some point.

“I know that Seo Yoon meant something special to you.”
“One by one, without missing anyone, I shamed them and drove them out of Seo Won House. They were an example. After that day, no one dared to touch Seo Yoon.”
The tightly dry lips of Seok Kyu subtly twisted. The intention of bringing up the old past was clear.

“So I thought no one would touch her. But when I came to my senses, countless people had met Yoon behind my back. You’d have to be crazy.”

Kang Hyun stiffly fiddled with his rigid fingers, murmuring. It was more akin to talking to himself than communicating to Tae Seok Kyu.

“Is it vengeance you’re seeking against my sisterinlaw? She must have followed my brother’s orders.”
“It’s not only about my stepmother. I will find everyone who hurt Seo Yoon, without exception, and make them pay.”
A voice, having lost its rhythm, flowed quietly.

Despite his calm face, the tension in his white eyes did not hide the predatory instinct within.

With eyes sharp enough to pierce through all suspects, Tae Seok Kyu faked a cough, covering his mouth and fixing his wavering gaze.

“I hope I’m not included in that list. I don’t want to fight with my nephew who regained his senses after four years.”
“There’s nothing we can do now that my father has passed away.”
Kang Hyun dryly lifted the corners of his mouth. His father’s death did not sadden him. Some may call it callous, but Kang Hyun’s measure had always been Seo Yoon.

The sorrow he felt when he saw Seo Yoon, now reduced to a mere existence, was undeniable.

“You don’t seem to have returned with good intentions.”
“I can’t live alone in hell. I will drag along anyone who has hurt us. That would make our Yoon happy, wouldn’t it?”
“Sure, if you catch the perpetrator of such terrible deeds, do tell me.”
“You’ve come a long way for such a simple matter. You could’ve just called.”
“I also wanted to see your face. Don’t get too prickly, you’ll end up getting hurt.”
Leaving those words behind, be it advice or warning, Tae Seok Kyu left the office, glancing at Ji An sitting next to Seok Won before he left.

Seok Won, who had been staring at Tae Seok Kyu’s departing figure, knocked lightly on Ji An’s desk.

Having a rough idea of how Kang Hyun might be feeling left alone, he thought of making up an excuse to usher Ji An into the office.

“Ji An, have you reported to the executive director?”
“Ah, just the morning meeting.”
“Please report the overall situation.”
“Yes, understood.”
Knock knock.

Upon opening the door after knocking lightly, Kang Hyun, who had been leaning on the back of the sofa, lowered his hand that was covering his eyes.

“Executive Director, is something bothering you?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
During Seo Yoon’s absence, he spent time sleeping. He managed to eat meals, albeit the same food.

But now, he can’t do anything.

He stays up all night waiting for the time to meet Seo Yoon, and looks forward to noon when they can have meals together.

Most of all, weekends were the hardest. He often felt the urge to be a malicious boss who makes his employees work on weekends.

“Try to sleep for a bit.”
“There are piled up approval documents.”
“Are they urgent?”
“I’ve completed the secondary review, it just needs to be stamped. Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Pardon?”

“Just sit at my desk and move the mouse.”
The mere fact of being in the same space made sleep pour into me.

Jian, who had been momentarily watching Kang Hyun lifting his heavy eyelids, nodded.

“Got it. The electronic approval process is the same, right?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Jian awkwardly sat at Kang Hyun’s desk and moved the mouse.

This is too nosy, even for a disease.

I didn’t want to refuse his request, which was unusually odd.

Thinking that I should help because he is sick, the problem was that both my heart and brain melted down.

“Aren’t you hungry? You said you skipped breakfast.”
“I’m hungry, let’s have a delicious lunch.”
A languid face cracked a smile.

Jian pondered about Kang Hyun’s emotional swings. His face had looked as if he was dying just a moment ago, but now he looked fine again.

If you were to classify a person’s mood from 1 to 10, Kang Hyun seemed to fluctuate between 1 and 10 multiple times a day.

Probably around 8 now.

“I will eat moderately. We have to eat meat at the company dinner.”
“Right, have you ever been to a company dinner?”
“I did a few times when I was a café parttimer.”
“Aha.”
As Jian started to make the payment on Kang Hyun’s behalf, half of her face was hidden behind the large monitor.

Unable to sit still, Kang Hyun rolled his eyes and moved to find a better angle.

“What are you doing?”
“It’s comfortable here.”
Why on earth is it comfortable there?

Jian, who was clicking the mouse, cocked her head.

Despite the length of the multiseater sofa being long enough to lie down with legs folded, Kang Hyun chose to contort himself on a singleseater.

It was incomprehensible why a tall person would do that.

It looked as if he was watching her, as their eyes kept meeting from the front.

“You said you were going to sleep.”
“You need to close your eyes to sleep.”
“What are you saying.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
Jian, who unknowingly muttered her inner thoughts, pat her lips to discipline herself.

Cute.

While watching such Jian, Kang Hyun hugged a cushion and rested his chin. It was a waste of time to blink, but it was hard to overcome the sleep that was creeping in.

“…… Who sleeps like that.”
His long legs pointed to the floor, neither fully stretched nor folded.

There were certainly wrinkles in his forehead, but his face didn’t look very uncomfortable.

The posture was quite ugly, but the steady breathing was peaceful.

It was a pleasant silence.

As Jian continued to make payments in order, she stared at a small picture frame containing Seo Yoon’s picture.

“Isn’t it hard to watch?”
Would Seo Yoon have comfortably closed her eyes leaving such a person alone?

Could I have done that if I were her.

If I had seen his dark bedroom, as dark as Tae Kang Hyun himself, I would have thought I couldn’t even step on the threshold of the underworld.

As I diverted my gaze from the familiar picture, the tablet screen set up nearby substituted as a mirror.

The face reflected on the black screen was very similar to the brightly smiling woman.

“It’s because we’re twins, twins.”
A faint sense of unease rose along my spine due to the vague feeling of being distant.

The paradox of feeling complex in an empty mind without anything was something that couldn’t be logically explained.

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