CH 59.2

Late remorse flooded in. As soon as he mentioned the book, she felt a pain in her chest. Both the emotions she felt when she repeatedly wrote and erased a letter to Woo-hyun, and herself from back then, seemed to be revived.

Like a person who had been ambushed, Yoo-hwa faced Woo-hyun with an indistinct expression. Woo-hyun’s dark eyes weren’t shaking anymore. It was as if he was appealing that this was the truth. This too could have been a lie, since Woo-hyun was a man who skillfully acted as if he were an actor. Even though she knew he could do that… Her emotions swelled.

Yoo-hwa lowered her gaze.

“… Is the housekeeper a trustworthy person?”

Yoo-hwa quickly asked, as if trying to change the topic of the conversation. As she couldn’t eat any more food, she put down the spoon and squeezed the cup of water. She thought she would have an upset stomach as soon as she took a sip of water, so she ended up just holding it in her hand.

“The people at the mart were also bought off. I’m asking if the housekeeper is trustworthy enough not to be bought off. It might be more dangerous to stay here…”

“Her son works under me, and her husband works in our business. Her daughter married one of our people… So, her whole family is working with me.”

“…”

“Mothers with children are strong.”

So she would not dare betray him. That’s what it meant. Because every family member already had their ups and downs together. The words sounded strange. They felt as if she had a role in a drama.

“… Is that a coincidence?”

“…”

“Her husband works in the business, and her son works under you. Is it a coincidence that the whole family works with you? It’s not like the whole family volunteered to work with you from the beginning.”

Yoo-hwa’s eyes frowned.

“They think it’s a coincidence. To some extent.”

Woo-hyun, who had emptied half the bowl of rice, lifted the glass of water and replied.

So, it wasn’t a coincidence. At that moment, it seemed that cold water was pouring over her head. She felt numb from head to toe.

Ah, that’s right. He was this kind of person.

It struck her belatedly. That the Woo-hyun she knew was a scary person like this. He didn’t head towards anything without thinking it through.

Yoo-hwa, who was looking at the table, laughed as if she were sighing. She forgot he was this kind of person, she understood him just now, and almost sympathized with his life.

“… Where am I, amid this?”

Woo-hyun’s eyes narrowed at the self-help question Yoo-hwa threw with a faint smile.

“Where am I?”

How far are his calculations, to what extent, and in what situation? When do the calculations end, and what will happen to her when they end?

Instead of speaking, Yoo-hwa closed her mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Even if she asked, she wouldn’t get a proper answer. Yoo-hwa laughed at herself for a moment, wondering if Woo-hyun would be sincere.

There was no way he would.

“Thank you for the food.”

Yoo-hwa completely turned her gaze away from the meal.

“You left a lot.”

“I think I’ll get sick if I force myself to eat a lot.”

“…”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

Yoo-hwa smiled with an empty face.

“Take this.”

Looking at Yoo-hwa’s empty smile, Woo-hyun held out disposable band-aids and ointment. Yoo-hwa looked alternately between the band-aids and Woo-hyun’s face.

“For your heels.”

“… Ah.”

Since her shoes came off, her heels were all scraped from being dragged on the floor of the mart. She noticed it because she felt a tingling in the shower, but she wondered when and how Woo-hyun had noticed it.

“It’s fine. A wound like this will get better if you just leave it alone.”

“It won’t get worse if you treat it.”

Woo-hyun held out the band-aids and ointment over the kitchen island, as if telling her to take them.

Did he know this kind of kindness was strange? So strange to the point it was scary.

Yoo-hwa gazed at the band-aids and opened her mouth.

“If a wound is meant to get worse, it will get worse somehow.”

“…”

“If it’s meant to heal, it will heal somehow.”

Yoo-hwa turned around, smiling faintly. She pretended to be ignorant of Woo-hyun’s gaze, which followed her, and stepped inside the room.

Even in the dark, the dim light that leaked in made the white door gleam. As he watched the fragment of light being reflected, Woo-hyun’s eyes sank darkly.

It had already been a few minutes. He repeatedly raised his hand and lowered it, unable to do anything.

Even if he wondered if it was something he couldn’t say, he was still thinking about his right to do so. Did he really think he had the right to treat Yoo-hwa?

He was obsessed with that thought, and his hands didn’t move at all. Even so, her heels, which were too messed up to be left like this, kept coming to his mind. It must have hurt while she was in the shower, but she didn’t ask for a single band-aid. As if a wound like this wasn’t enough for her to feel any pain.

That dull look seemed to contradict him.

Woo-hyun slowly raised his hand and finally knocked on the door. Whether she didn’t hear him, it was silent beyond the door. He knocked once again, but the result was the same.

“… I’m coming in for a second.”

There was no answer.

“I’m only going to give you something.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he held the doorknob. Although he was only opening a door, he used so much strength that the tendons on the back of his hand were noticeable.

As he opened the white door and went inside, the pitch-black darkness approached him like a wall. After some time, he could faintly see a silhouette lying on the bed. Considering that she didn’t move even when he went inside, she could have fallen asleep. Otherwise, she could be pretending to be asleep.