RB - 29

Chapter 29: A Sinister Way to Steal a First Love’s Heart

Seo-yeon glanced at the pre-written thank-you message before carefully pressing her pen to the paper, writing each character with great care.

“Wow, Han Seo-yeon, you’ve got some handwriting skills!”

Ji-min watched over her like a hawk inspecting homework, her tone dripping with satisfaction.

Click.

Just as Seo-yeon was finishing the last sentence of the letter, the orphanage director—who had been absent until now—entered the administrative office.

“Huh? Director, I thought I wouldn’t get to see you before leaving.”

Seo-yeon sprang up from her seat with a bright smile, delighted to see him. On the other hand, Ji-min hastily sat upright, smoothing out her clothes. For a fleeting moment, discomfort flickered across Ji-min’s face.

“Director, I’m really hurt. Did you not want to see me? You didn’t even answer my calls.”

Seo-yeon’s radiant smile and warm greeting contrasted sharply with the director’s ashen expression. His meticulously groomed white beard trembled as if in anger, and his eyes burned with fury.

“...Director...? What’s wrong?”

Without a word, the director strode forward and snatched up the list of donors on the table. Upon seeing the name 「To Mr. Park Yeo-wan」 that Seo-yeon had painstakingly written, he bellowed like thunder:

“Kim Ji-min! How dare you handle confidential matters of the orphanage so recklessly!”

Ji-min looked as though she’d been struck by lightning, stammering incoherently. Seo-yeon, equally startled, quickly tried to defend her.

“Director, it was my idea to help. I asked for something to do because I was bored...”

“Han Seo-yeon, stay quiet! After leaving the orphanage, you should act like a guest. Why are you coming in and out of the administrative office as if you own the place? Do you think this is somewhere you can act however you please? Do you think our orphanage is a joke?”

Seo-yeon’s jaw dropped. To hear such words from the director, who had always been like family, left her reeling in shock. But the director didn’t stop there—he turned his wrath toward Ji-min.

“Ji-min, submit a written apology. Seo-yeon is an outsider. Why did you make her do your work? This deserves severe punishment!”

Sorrow spread across Ji-min’s stunned face. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell to the floor in heavy drops.

“Why do you treat me like this, Director? Is it so wrong that I asked Seo-yeon for help? Am I not good enough compared to her?”

With those words, Ji-min bolted out the door. Left behind, Seo-yeon scrambled to gather her things and spoke in a barely audible voice:

“...I’ll come back later. I’m sorry, Director.”

The elderly director, his hair and beard snow-white, remained unrelenting. The anger that had flared in him showed no signs of abating. He avoided eye contact with Seo-yeon, radiating coldness. With a final bow of her head, like a condemned criminal, Seo-yeon exited the office.

Thud.

Only after the door closed behind her did Seo-yeon realize she had fled from the director. Though she had managed to step outside, her feet felt rooted to the ground, and goosebumps prickled her skin. Trembling, she hastily typed a text:

―Mr. Jin-hyuk, I’m outside the administrative office. Please come and pick me up.

Meanwhile, the director, left alone in the room, stood frozen like a vampire who hadn’t seen sunlight in years. His pale skin and immaculately groomed white hair and beard made him the epitome of a silver-haired man.

He briefly glanced at the donor list in his hand before crumpling it mercilessly and tossing it to the floor.

“Damn it all!”

There are many things in life one can remain blissfully ignorant about. The director had always cherished Seo-yeon, but he could no longer allow her to approach secrets she shouldn’t know.

By now, the setting sun had painted the playground in hues of orange. A heavy burden, like the evening glow, settled over the director’s heart.

Meanwhile, upon receiving Seo-yeon’s text, Jin-hyuk rushed to the administrative office. Just as he arrived, Seo-yeon, somewhat composed, was walking down the hallway. They met halfway.

“Miss Han, why are you sweating so much... Are you alright?”

Startled, Jin-hyuk examined her pale face. Awkwardly wiping her forehead, Seo-yeon replied:

“You’re the one drenched in sweat. Your clothes are soaked.”

Though she spoke casually, her voice betrayed her unease. Without asking permission, Jin-hyuk grabbed her shoulders firmly.

When Seo-yeon hesitated, trying to pull away, he tightened his grip and said:

“Just let me hold you like this until we reach the car. You look like you’re about to collapse. I don’t mean anything else.”

Wrapping his arm around her small shoulders, Jin-hyuk guided her forward. Just as their figures disappeared down the hallway, the administrative office door creaked open. The director’s gaze followed the two retreating figures.

Seo-yeon, led by Jin-hyuk, climbed into the car in a daze. He quickly started the engine and sped out of the orphanage parking lot. Inside the speeding sedan, Seo-yeon struggled to steady her chaotic thoughts.

The director’s behavior was incomprehensible. Why had he acted that way? What could have caused it?

“...Are you alright, Miss Han?”

Jin-hyuk’s concerned voice cut through her reverie. Feeling responsible for the awkward atmosphere, Seo-yeon decided to change the subject. She hadn’t yet asked about the purpose of Jin-hyuk’s visit to the orphanage, so this seemed like a good time.

“You said you had a story to tell me here—a pitiful and tragic tale. What is it?”

“It’s about my first love.”

What did his first love have to do with the orphanage? And why was he telling her this?

Seo-yeon tilted her head in confusion. Sensing her bewilderment, Jin-hyuk continued his explanation.

“I was a troubled child. Until I was eight, I attended therapy sessions for behavioral issues. I couldn’t sleep well at night, and I used to kill ants.”

Outside the car window, the soft pastel hues of the sunset painted the surroundings vividly. The day was nearly over, and Seo-yeon found herself fully engrossed in Jin-hyuk’s story.

“One night, I woke up in the early hours, and for some reason, I wanted to see a white rabbit kept at a nearby orphanage—a beautiful rabbit with fur that shimmered like silk. But here’s the problem... I realized there was a pair of scissors in my hand.”

At that moment, Seo-yeon clapped her hands over her mouth, but she couldn’t stop her pupils from widening like a startled rabbit. Calmly, Jin-hyuk pulled the car over to the shoulder—it was near a beach close to the orphanage.

“Do you like the ocean?”

Instead of answering, Seo-yeon gave a small nod. In truth, the ocean wasn’t the issue right now. Her entire body bristled with an eerie sense of déjà vu and unease, every hair on her arms standing on end.

“I’m glad you do. Isn’t the sea especially beautiful during sunset? It feels like everything dirty gets buried without resistance, forever swallowed by the approaching darkness.”

Jin-hyuk stepped out of the car first and opened the passenger door for her. With her heart pounding wildly, Seo-yeon managed to steady herself before stepping out. The two began walking slowly along the shore.

There were questions she wanted to ask—no, demands she needed to make—but Seo-yeon stayed silent, staring at the horizon. The sea stretched out sorrowfully, its deep blue hue heavy with emotion.

Whoosh. The wind carried Jin-hyuk’s voice back to her ears, and Seo-yeon pressed both hands against her chest as if to hold herself together. This was an unexpected encounter with a distant past.

“When I opened the cage, the rabbit came closer, thinking I had food in my hand. It rubbed against me so softly... such a delicate, beautiful life. And as I touched it, I... raised the scissors high.”

Jin-hyuk locked eyes with Seo-yeon. Then, he placed his hand gently over hers, which trembled uncontrollably.

“At that moment, someone grabbed my hand. Like this.”

A sigh-like sound escaped Seo-yeon’s lips—a soulful echo released with her breath.

“Haa... Jin-hyuk...”

“It felt so good back then. That girl and I cut sprouts together with those scissors. That night, I slept well too—no nightmares.”

Something glistened at the corner of Jin-hyuk’s eyes, and Seo-yeon realized they were tears reflecting the sunset. A hot lump rose in her throat, threatening to overflow.

“And look,” Jin-hyuk continued, “when I wanted to hurt the rabbit... I hurt myself instead. See how well I controlled it?”

Before Seo-yeon could stop him, Jin-hyuk rolled up his shirt, revealing his smooth abdomen. His perfectly chiseled eight-pack was marred by countless small scars.

Finally, Seo-yeon’s rationality crumbled completely. Through the cracks surged waves of pity and sorrow. She reached out and touched one of the deepest scars with her fingertip, asking:

“Why did you go so far, Jin-hyuk?”

“I didn’t want to disappoint that girl I met at the orphanage.”

Without realizing it, Seo-yeon pulled him into a tight embrace. Was it joy at encountering fragments of her distant past? Or compassion for the pitiful young soul he once was? She patted his back repeatedly.

“...Why didn’t you tell me sooner who you were?”

Jin-hyuk’s languid voice whispered into her ear. Everything he had said until now was true—but now it was time to weave lies about his arrival.

“I only found out after joining the company. I knew her name... and her age.”

He hid the fact that he had deliberately sought her out and joined JB Company to keep her by his side forever. To fully possess Han Seo-yeon, this step was necessary.

Gradually, tension drained from Seo-yeon’s body like watercolor paint dissolving on paper. Her guard melted away visibly. Jin-hyuk instinctively sensed his plan unfolding smoothly. As anxiety faded, relief washed over him.

Ah, yes. Han Seo-yeon has always been like this since we were kids. I knew she would react this way.

A woman incapable of ignoring the pitiful, filling her own emotional void by saving others’ lives.

The only woman who could save the wretched remnants of his life.

Jin-hyuk slowly raised his hand to caress her back. The satisfaction of fitting the final piece into an incomplete puzzle surged over him like dark blue waves crashing ashore.