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Gyeong-ae’s pupils widened in shock. No will was evident in her weakened limbs. She was alive, but no different from dead. Though she hadn’t yet stood trial, Dojun had already delivered her death sentence.
“No, no. Haejoo will… save me…”
“Haejoo is my wife, not your daughter.”
“Please, I beg you. Get me out of here.”
Gyeong-ae looked like someone who had sold her soul to the devil. She trembled as if a slight nudge would send her spiraling into hell.
“It’s not me who’s obsessed with money; it’s you.”
“…Hiccup.”
Dojun’s icy gaze sliced through Gyeong-ae. He turned away and walked off coldly. Only then did Gyeong-ae realize her future and wailed loudly, then promptly fainted.
________________________________________
A short while later, Dojun, seeing Dongjin off, rushed to the airport.
“Feeling relieved now?”
“I have a lot of things to do when I get back to Korea.”
“You said the eldest daughter from that house was also arrested for fraud, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been through a lot. Bring your family for a trip sometime.”
“I will.”
Before boarding the plane, Dojun called Haejoo. She didn’t answer, probably still busy.
“Secretary Song.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“From now on, only happiness remains for Haejoo and me, right?”
“It’s still difficult to let your guard down.”
“Because of Choi Inho.”
“That’s right.”
Though he had Choi Inho’s weakness, he wasn’t at ease. Choi Inho was such a cunning person that he worried.
“Keep a close eye on Choi Inho and Director Yoo Jinhan.”
“Understood.”
Dojun boarded the plane and immediately tried to sleep. He was exhausted from the tight schedule he’d kept since leaving Korea. When he arrived in Korea, it was already past midnight. Secretary Song stopped him as he was about to look for a ticket to Jeju.
“CEO, you need to rest.”
With no other choice, he went home and immediately shed his clothes. He sat in the bathtub where he had bathed with Haejoo, easing his fatigue. At some point, he must have dozed off. He shook his head to clear it, finished his shower, and went to Haejoo’s room.
“Oh? Was she here?”
There were signs that the bed had been used. Dojun had given the housekeeper leave when he went on his business trip, so no one else should have been home. As he lay face down on the sheets, a faint baby powder scent wafted up to his nose. It seemed Haejoo had been there, so he called her. After a long wait, Haejoo’s voice, sounding as if she’d just woken up, answered.
“Dojun.”
Her languid voice calling his name was pleasant to hear. It felt as if Haejoo was right beside him, making his ears tingle.
“I fell asleep as soon as I got to the accommodation, I didn’t even get to shower.”
“I’m back in Korea.”
“Really? What happened?”
Haejoo’s voice tone rose. Dojun ran a hand over his face, feeling like he had woken her up unnecessarily at this hour.
“Don’t be surprised, just listen carefully.”
He recounted in detail what had happened in the Philippines. He tried his best to state the facts as they were, without injecting emotion. Haejoo repeatedly let out long breaths over the phone. He tensed, thinking she might be crying.
“What did Mom say?”
“She still believes you’ll help her.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“She committed serious crimes even in the Philippines, so it won’t be easy for her even if she’s extradited to Korea.”
Haejoo sobbed through the phone. Her mournful cries tightened Dojun’s heart.
“Now, only happiness remains for us.”
“Thank you, really… Thank you.”
“Don’t cry.”
“I never would have been able to do it alone. …I can’t believe it.”
“Haejoo, I miss you.”
“Me too. I miss you, Dojun.”
“Should I go to Jeju right now?”
At Dojun’s words, Haejoo, who had been crying, chuckled softly.
“Don’t overdo it.”
“Your scent is on the bed. I might fall for you even more.”
“I should have stayed just one more day.”
“Do you have a day off this week?”
“No, I don’t. I brought my days off forward because of the police investigation.”
Dojun wouldn’t be going abroad for a while. Haejoo was also eager for her Jeju filming to end so she could stay at home.
“Put me to sleep.”
“How can I do that?”
“Just breathe like that.”
Holding their phones, the two fell asleep in turn.
When Dojun opened his eyes early in the morning, he had finally come down with a bad cold. His scheduled meetings were postponed one after another, and after visiting the hospital, he stayed at home, confined to his bed.
________________________________________
Choi Inho had a terrible hangover. He had struggled to keep Detective Kim happy until past midnight. He had poured so much alcohol that he was sick of it. The fact that he was a detective made it even worse.
“What a pain in the ass.”
What was annoying was that Detective Kim, who was supposed to give him information, had sealed his lips. He claimed that talking about work would ruin the fun when they met to hang out. Because of that, the editor-in-chief had just chewed him out over the phone.
“The more I think about it, the more irritating it gets.”
He called Detective Kim. He too was suffering from a severe hangover and hung up, saying they should talk when he was clearer.
A day later, around lunchtime, he finally got up and gulped down some Gukbap. He got into the car, with Seongyu, who was leaving for work late, in the lead.
“Let’s go to Yura.”
“Will she meet us?”
“Still, we have to try.”
Choi Inho went to the detention center and requested a visit with Yura. He waited anxiously, and to his surprise, Yura came out. Separated by a glass wall, they picked up the receivers to talk.
“Ms. Yura, I’m reporter Choi Inho.”
“Why do you keep bothering me?”
“I’ll skip everything else and get straight to the point.”
Choi Inho paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts. He couldn’t waste time, so he cut to the chase.
“I’m digging into Lee Haejoo and Park Dojun.”
“So?”
“Everyone knows their marriage is a lie, right?”
Yura didn’t respond. Regardless, Haejoo’s marriage had been forced by Gyeong-ae, and Yura had abetted it. Yura was also wary of Choi Inho, as she would be in trouble if that fact became known.
“Lee Haejoo is known to be married to President Park’s eldest son, but do you know how she ended up being married to CEO Park Dojun?”
“No.”
Choi Inho wanted to swear at her curt answer. But he held back and began to persuade Yura.
“Do you know that your situation, Ms. Yura, is very unfavorable right now?”
Of course, Yura knew. Moreover, she was in a situation where a public defender had been assigned due to lack of funds. That public defender had lost the will to defend her in the face of the evidence Dojun presented. It was also true that they weren’t much help, so she bit her nails.
“There’s no other way.”
“I’ll help you. Ms. Yura, you’re going to go for a public opinion battle.”
“And I’ll be the only one criticized? No thanks.”
“Do you think Lee Haejoo will help you?”
Yura harbored a sliver of hope for some leniency from Haejoo. When people are desperate, they hope for an escape, so she wrote letters one after another.
“Look at this. See what I have here.”
Choi Inho took out the fourth letter Yura had written from his bag. The letter was crumpled and torn, looking shabby.
“How did you get that, Reporter?”
“I saw Lee Haejoo throw the letter into the trash can with my own eyes.”
“Haejoo is too soft-hearted to be that harsh.”
“Oh, come on, I’m telling you I picked it up from the trash can.”
Yura’s heart sank. She had hoped Haejoo would read it, but it had been in vain.
“Did Haejoo really throw my letter in the trash?”
Seeing Yura’s trembling eyes, Choi Inho gloated. He deliberately became more serious and put more force into his voice.
“As family, you shouldn’t do that. Whether you like it or not, Ms. Yura, you’re her older sister.”
Just then, the allotted visitation time ended. Yura, who had no choice but to hang up the receiver, wore a grim expression. Seeing her, Choi Inho spoke to Seongyu in a dry tone.
“Let’s come back tomorrow.”
“Yes, senior.”
Somehow, the feeling was good. Detective Kim couldn’t just wash his hands of it, having already received a payoff, so he had no choice but to be pressured. Just as he thought of it and picked up his phone, a call came in.
“Hey, Detective Kim!”
“Sorry about yesterday. I was in really bad shape.”
“You were crazy when we were having fun.”
“That’s how it is. If you’re not busy, come over for a coffee.”
“I’m not coming if you’re going to talk nonsense.”
“It’s not like that. Come quickly.”
Choi Inho and Seongyu stopped by a coffee shop in front of the police station. Detective Kim, who had arrived first, personally ordered coffee and went to a corner seat.
“Why did you call?”
“About the source of the Lee Haejoo marriage rumor.”
Choi Inho’s eyes lit up. He looked around and leaned closer to Detective Kim.
“Yeah, tell me.”
“I had a hard time investigating that.”
“Why?”
“If someone had spread it online, we would have caught them quickly, but that wasn’t the case.”
“Then?”
“This case was a power struggle, so I couldn’t easily speak about it.”
“Stop beating around the bush and just spill it!”
The truth of the case, which he had thought was nothing special, was enormous. If revealed, there was a high possibility of a huge commotion. There was a reason why Detective Kim, who was far from righteous, sought out Choi Inho before the complainant. It was because the complainant and the party who spread the rumor were both immensely powerful. Thus, Detective Kim decided to use Choi Inho. He figured Choi Inho would stir up both sides on his own, so he would step back and observe.
“The source of the rumor was closer than you think.”
A truth beyond his expectations flowed from Detective Kim’s mouth. Choi Inho chuckled hollowly but diligently wrote it down in his notebook. When his coffee was nearly empty, Detective Kim stood up first.
“I’m leaving. Good luck.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Detective Kim returned to work, his lips drooping. He scanned the investigation details and picked up the phone. It was time to deliver the news to the complainant.
“Director Yoo Jinhan, this is Detective Kim.”
“Ah, yes! What happened?”
“Your patience has paid off.”
“...!”
“We found the original spreader of the rumor regarding Lee Haejoo’s marriage scandal.”
Detective Kim informed Jinhan of the investigation results over the phone. As expected, Jinhan seemed greatly shocked.
“How about… filing an additional complaint?”
“I’ll discuss it with Haejoo again and contact you through my lawyer.”
“Understood.”
“Please don’t release this information to the media.”
“There are no secrets in this world. There are quite a few media outlets eagerly looking for this issue.”
“Phew.”
“They might even have uncovered it before me and are just biding their time.”
“I’ll call you back.”
Jinhan’s voice was filled with displeasure. As he abruptly hung up, Detective Kim pouted and put the receiver down.
________________________________________
Haejoo was engrossed in filming in Jeju. Dojun was supposed to come down for the weekend, but he had fallen ill.
“We’ll take a short break and then move straight to the next scene.”
When a break opened up, Haejoo lay down on the bed used as a filming prop. Her head felt dizzy whenever she closed her eyes, so she took deep breaths. Just then, Hyunseong approached her with his phone.
“Noona, the director has been calling you repeatedly.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
Haejoo took the phone and called Jinhan. He picked up as soon as the call tone rang.
“Haejoo!”
“Yes, Director.”
“I’ll talk to Director Kwak, so you should film your scenes first and come to Seoul.”
“If you keep doing that, other colleagues will dislike it.”
“Filming isn’t the problem right now. It’s not something I can say over the phone… Anyway, come up as soon as possible, even a day earlier.”
“What’s going on?”
“Let’s discuss it when we meet. I’m hanging up.”
After the call ended, she saw Director Kwak answering his phone. His face shadowed, he deliberately moved to a secluded spot. A short while later, he returned and quietly called only Haejoo.
“It seems your situation, Haejoo, is getting complicated.”
“I’m sorry, Director.”
“For the sake of the movie, it would be best for you to go up quickly and resolve it.”
“Can I do that?”
“I’ll ask the other actors, so let’s do that.”
“Okay.”
Director Kwak called the assistant director and rescheduled the filming. He then personally sought the understanding of the actors and made changes to the schedule.
________________________________________
A week later, Haejoo’s filming in Jeju concluded. The agency staff prepared a small party for Haejoo, who would be leaving Jeju tomorrow.
“Today, it’s raw fish! Hyunseong, call Haejoo.”
A lavish feast from a raw fish restaurant was set up on the guesthouse’s outdoor table. Today, Yoonji was especially excited, with soju to go with it.
“Noona, you should eat!”
“Oh, I’ll be out.”
Recently, Haejoo hadn’t been able to eat well. Nevertheless, she didn’t show it at all, fearing she might inconvenience others. Only Hyunseong took care of her, trying to get her to eat something.
“The raw fish we ordered is here.”
“Looks delicious.”
Haejoo went to the well-prepared dinner table. She hadn’t even picked up her chopsticks yet, but the strong scent of fresh raw fish spread. Others cheered, but Haejoo didn’t. The fishy smell made her stomach churn, and she ended up gagging.
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