MHD - 71

Chapter 71: Preparing for Farewell

“At one point, I thought of you as a mother figure. How foolish of me. I wanted to believe that not everything about my past was bad, so I kept romanticizing it. And because of that, I suffered. I kept wondering if I had done something wrong to deserve this pain, just as you said. Thank you for making it clear today—none of this was my fault.”

As if unloading years of pent-up resentment, Hee-soo continued speaking without pause.

“Now I see that everyone in this house is out of their minds.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Do you know what? I have no greed or lingering attachment toward your son. But what if he insists that he can’t live without me? Should I tell him that the person who cursed his bloodline to die was his own mother?”

“What are you talking about? That wasn’t me—it was…”

“Whoever it was, it’s something someone from Gangrim did.”

“Shut up!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Jisun shot up from her seat. Listening to Hee-soo accuse her of being complicit with her late husband, Lee Jung-chul—the man whose ruthlessness and immorality she had always condemned—was unbearable.

Jisun wanted to scream that Hee-soo owed her life to her, but anger choked her words. Clenching her teeth, she scowled and called for Gong Sunyoung.

“Where is everyone? Team Leader Gong! Get someone here now!”

Watching Jisun lose her composure, Hee-soo calmly said:

“I’m sorry, but my manager is waiting outside. You might want to trample on me like you used to, but I’m fairly well-known now, so I can’t let you do that anymore.”

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of Gong Sunyoung rushing upstairs could be heard, startled by Jisun’s shouting. Hee-soo turned her head toward the staircase, where Gong Sunyoung was climbing up, and quietly rose from her seat.

“I have an interview schedule, so I should get going. My manager already told the reporter that I’d stop by the Seongbuk-dong Museum before heading out.”

It was a clear message: she couldn’t be touched recklessly anymore.

Gong Sunyoung, understanding Hee-soo’s implication, hesitated to approach her and instead stood frozen, glancing at Jisun for guidance. Behind her, several bodyguards who had followed her upstairs stood watching.

The bodyguards recognized Hee-soo and exchanged quick glances. Hee-soo gave them a bright smile and lightly bowed to Jisun.

“Goodbye, then. I hope we never meet again.”

Hee-soo slowly walked toward the stairs. From behind her came Gong Sunyoung’s alarmed cry:

“M-Madam Chairwoman!”

Glancing back as she descended, Hee-soo saw Jisun being helped into a chair by the guards. Without another look, she calmly continued walking toward the exit.

---

Even after returning home, Hee-soo sat still for a long time, trying to steady her trembling hands.

She felt there was so much more she had wanted to say, yet she had only managed to express a fraction of it.

She had vowed repeatedly to unleash everything she had pent up if she ever faced Yoon Jisun again.

But when she finally confronted Jisun, it was as if she had regressed to her younger self, frozen in place.

Afraid that pushing herself even slightly further might trigger a panic attack, Hee-soo had been on edge the entire time. She couldn’t afford to show such vulnerability in front of Jisun.

Though she had maintained a calm and indifferent expression outwardly, pouring out the words she had longed to say, her heart had been pounding as if it might burst.

No matter how much time had passed or how much she had steeled herself, she still felt trapped at some point in the past, unable to move forward.

After all, the person she had wanted to fiercely condemn was already dead.

“Haa…”

As her long sigh dissipated, the silence of her home pressed down on her.

It felt hollow.

She sat on the couch, burying her face between her knees, until her trembling hands finally stilled.

How much time had passed?

Her phone, placed at her feet, began vibrating loudly. Checking the caller, she saw it was Kang Jae-min.

“Hello.”

[Hee-soo.]

Jae-min’s voice carried heavy exhaustion. It seemed things weren’t going well with Choi Hanyeong.

[We need him to be cleared of charges before we can resume filming.]

Muttering aimlessly, Jae-min sighed repeatedly and continued:

[The police just confirmed Choi Hanyeong’s charges. Filming is suspended for now. I’m sorry. I should’ve vetted the casting more carefully.]

“It’s okay, Director.”

Both Hee-soo and Jae-min swallowed their bitterness and fell silent for a moment.

[The production company backing Choi Hanyeong has pulled out. We’ll need to find new investors. Most of the footage we’ve already shot will likely need to be reshot. Ugh.]

A deep sigh traveled through the receiver. Hee-soo imagined Jae-min frowning as he chain-smoked.

“What about the other cast members?”

[Jin Yuna is holding her position for now, but her next project’s schedule conflicts with ours.]

Hee-soo didn’t have much to say to Jae-min. Swallowing the bitter lump in her throat, she offered:

“I’ll wait until the schedule is finalized, Director. Take your time figuring things out.”

With nothing else to say, Hee-soo could only offer comfort. She felt powerless, unable to provide any real support.

[Hee-soo. I have a house in Namhae that I used as a studio. If you’d like, go stay there for a while. I feel terrible about all this.]

“Oh, I’m fine…”

[You’re anything but fine. Both of us—and everyone involved—had so much riding on this project.]

Jae-min’s words cut through her like a knife. Hee-soo swallowed her refusal and murmured:

“…Thank you.”

[I’ll send the address and keys to your manager. You can head down today if you’d like. With Choi Hanyeong’s situation, things around you might get noisy for a while.]

“…Okay.”

If Choi Hanyeong were to be arrested after his current status as a person of interest, the media would inevitably turn its attention to Hee-soo, given the dating rumors. It was the perfect setup for speculation and gossip.

[Alright. I’ll contact you again later.]

“Yes, Director.”

After hanging up, Hee-soo turned on the TV.

Switching to a channel that broadcast news all day, she saw a breaking report scrolling across the screen in red letters: Choi Hanyeong had been formally charged and arrested, following the allegations against Kwon Chaewon and Oh Taeju.

Bzzt.

Her phone vibrated again, flashing with an incoming call. As soon as she answered, Yoon Seok’s urgent voice came through.

[Unni, the police just contacted me...]

“Yeah.”

Hee-soo replied weakly, her gaze fixed on the TV screen. By tomorrow, her name might appear there too—accompanied by subtitles like “Seo Hee-soo Summoned for Questioning.”

[It’s nothing major, just a few simple questions. You can go with me and a lawyer tomorrow.]

“Yeah.”

Hee-soo didn’t ask who the accompanying lawyer would be or what kind of person they were. Everything felt exhausting.

In the end, Hee-soo responded to Yoon Seok’s call with short, clipped answers until the conversation ended.

Placing her phone aside, Hee-soo loosened her stiff posture and stood up. Her body ached in various places from sitting hunched over with her knees drawn up for so long.

The house, unlit as usual, was dim. The faint glow of streetlights filtered in through the balcony windows.

Hee-soo walked through the darkened house to the bookshelf and pulled out a familiar book with practiced ease.

It was the book where she had tucked away the ultrasound picture of her baby.

---

Early the next morning.

Hee-soo arrived at the police station at dawn. To avoid further commotion amid the swarm of reporters outside, the police had deliberately summoned her at this early hour.

A brief round of questioning followed.

“So, Ms. Seo Hee-soo, was your manager always present when you met with Mr. Choi Hanyeong?”

“Yes.”

“It’s routine, but we intend to proceed with an investigation...”

Before the detective could finish, the lawyer interjected smoothly.

“Conducting an investigation based on a few shared meals seems excessive.”

“Still, given the dating rumors, we feel it’s necessary...”

“Unless you’re trying to stir up controversy by unnecessarily investigating an unrelated celebrity, this procedure seems unwarranted.”

“Hah. If you insist...”

“Come now, let’s not drag this out. Detective, if there’s nothing more to ask, we’ll take our leave.”

The lawyer, clearly experienced in these matters, handled the situation deftly, pressing the detective firmly. Amid the brief back-and-forth between the lawyer and the police, Yoon Seok gently pulled Hee-soo away from the scene.

“Unni. Unni, look at me. Are you okay?”

Hee-soo, who had been sitting there like a lost soul, finally focused on her surroundings at Yoon Seok’s words.

Everything felt unreal.

“Ms. Seo Hee-soo, that will be all for today. You likely won’t need to visit the police station again.”

The lawyer, who had approached unnoticed, bowed politely to Hee-soo before leaving. Hee-soo followed Yoon Seok and got into the car.

“Yoon Seok, who is that lawyer?”

“That guy? I think the agency sent him. Didn’t they set up a dedicated team for you? Probably someone from that team.”

If it’s a team, then it’s probably someone Jae-hyuk sent.

Hee-soo sighed and pulled a small envelope from her bag.

“Yoon Seok, can I ask you for one favor?”

“What is it?”

Yoon Seok, seated in the driver’s seat, turned to look at Hee-soo.

“This... Deliver this to Vice President Lee Jae-hyuk at Gangrim Electronics.”

“What is it?”

Yoon Seok took the envelope from Hee-soo, frowning slightly.

“Oh, it’s nothing special. It’s something I’ve kept for a long time, but I feel it’s time to give it to him.”

“Really?”

Yoon Seok eyed her suspiciously. Hee-soo smiled faintly and said, “Just don’t ask questions and do it for me.” Yoon Seok eventually nodded in agreement.

“How should I deliver it?”

“Oh, just contact this person.”

Hee-soo gave Yoon Seok the phone number of Director Oh.

“I’ll drop you off at home and then deliver it right away.”

“Thank you.”

After hearing Yoon Seok’s response, Hee-soo leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

Once home, she planned to pack her bags immediately and head down to Namhae. What would Jae-hyuk think when he received this? Would he instantly realize that the life in the photo had come from both of them?

Would he get angry, or would he feel sorrow?

Whatever his reaction, Hee-soo had decided to let go of the secret she had guarded for so long.

She wanted to use it as a final farewell to the past.

She no longer had the strength to carry anything else. She felt hollow, as if only ashes remained inside her.

Everything felt unbearably tiring.