Broken Vase and Whispered Secrets
“Such things… won’t happen. What do you think I am?”
“Yeah, that’s too obvious. I was just messing around. It’s fun teasing Yeon-jae.”
“I came because you promised me a new job.”
“I know. A new job that pays quite well. How cute. You even know how to make that surprised rabbit face.”
Jeong Yeon-jae felt her fists clench tight despite herself under Oh Seung-mi’s natural, commanding presence. Her toes throbbed, and blood pulsed in her head.
Even after retirement, she was still just an actress, she realized anew. Maybe Oh Seung-mi suited the role of a spy better than she did.
Oh Seung-mi took one step closer, leaning her upper body toward Yeon-jae’s ear and whispering.
“I truly know why Jeong Yeon-jae came here. Kim the lawyer… must have lost something. Isn’t that right?”
Oh Seung-mi released the plate she held right as she finished asking, letting it drop. Or rather, she hurled it.
Ching!
Sharp shards scattered everywhere, and a presence suddenly appeared from somewhere. Yeon-jae stared at the broken plate in disbelief.
Only moments ago it had been something Oh Seung-mi had looked at with satisfaction. The beautiful light that had shimmered across it had looked so pristine even to a layman like herself. Now it was shattered and gone.
“Tell my husband I made a mistake with this. My child isn’t the type to display such things. How odd.”
Her hysterical nature—checked.
“If two women have secrets, what’s the problem? We women are supposed to be on the same team. I’ll come again soon. The cookies are delicious. I’ll eat them alone.”
While Yeon-jae remained fixated on the shards, Oh Seung-mi’s sunny smile never wavered as she walked out with the two bodyguards waiting outside.
The woman’s retreating figure beyond the transparent glass door was so natural it was almost eerie—even the act of slipping on her sunglasses felt practiced.
“I truly know why Jeong Yeon-jae came here.”
Only after the guest left did Yeon-jae crouch on the floor and begin collecting the large piece by piece.
She needed to sort her thoughts. Her mind right now was as scrambled as these shards—dangerous and chaotic.
Even though she didn’t understand why, the fact that the masterpiece she had been admiring had been shattered made her heart ache.
Just as her emotions were getting the better of her, the sound of slippers being slipped off suddenly came from behind.
The faint, sweet scent of them spread through the dry air. The hand collecting the pieces was suddenly gripped, pulled upward toward her head.
A large, soft hand with long fingers laced tightly around her wrist.
Startled, she lifted her head. In the doorway stood Sa Hee-eon in his pajamas, his lower body covered only by a robe, wearing a displeased expression—still heavy with sleep, his face vulnerable.
“Show me your panties.”
Yeon-jae, squatting, jolted and stood up in alarm. The movement made her body sway backward and crash into his chest.
The hot body heat clashing with his cold appearance wrapped around her back. It felt as if the warmth was piercing through her clothes.
“You were making too much noise and woke me. Clean this up.”
Before his words could finish, men appeared from somewhere and, with practiced ease, pulled out brooms and began sweeping the shards. It happened so fast that Yeon-jae could only watch their lips move.
“The lady left?”
“…Huh?”
“Did your mother-in-law stop by?”
“Ah… yes.”
Only after the visible shards were cleared did Hee-eon release her hand.
The strange perfume emanating from Jeong Yeon-jae had irritated his mood. He disliked that particular scent, yet it somehow felt familiar.
Yeon-jae, still staring blankly at the disappearing people, swallowed hard and frowned with a haughty expression.
“If you heard everything, at least help. That could have been broken too.”
“It can be thrown away. And why should I help a woman who came here to chase money from our grandfather?”
“Ha…!”
Her chest, which had taken a deep breath, slowly settled. He rubbed his thumb across her red lips and frowned.
“You even smeared it all over.”
Startled by the sudden contact, she covered her lips and stepped back. Hee-eon scratched his head and walked toward the nearby sofa. He plopped down on the long four-seater and naturally stretched out.
“I… did I perhaps make a mistake that day?”
“What? Sleeping on the sofa?”
“Yeah… a little… didn’t I say something like a drunken ramble?”
“I don’t know. But you have something coming from me, don’t you?”
Sa Hee-eon lazily opened his eyes. The clumsy appearance of the woman wearing clothes that didn’t suit her, just like the first day she arrived here, made him chuckle.
“Come here and sit. Security’s already on, so the door won’t open until reset. Stay here until then.”
Hee-eon shielded his eyes from the light and closed them.
“Why is the door locked?”
“You broke it.”
“Oh… like a security system or something?”
As soon as the woman asked, a cautious presence approached from the opposite side, and the light touching her face vanished. The shadow falling across his face had been created by her.
He lowered the hand he had placed on his forehead and looked at the woman sitting opposite. She had pulled down her skirt and picked up the nearby cushion, placing it on her lap.
When she had faced Oh Seung-mi earlier, she had acted like a cheap commoner. Now, after the plate shattered, she puffed out her cheeks like an angry cat.
“Did you really come all the way here crawling to strip-mine my grandfather?”
The question had been so unexpected that the woman’s already large eyes widened.
“I don’t know. Whether I’ll get stripped or strip you. I came because you offered a lot of money.”
“You know where this is.”
“Where?”
“This is our grandfather’s treasure vault. We hide money here, hide precious things, and hide women like you.”
He brushed her. Lightly, without raising his nails—just a gentle stroke. But she showed no change in her expression, as if she had long since grown used to such humiliation.
“You got a business card at the cafe.”
“…Huh?”
“You said you’d do it for money. From Kim Ui-jae.”
Sa Hee-eon’s slanted gaze moved toward the woman’s pale ankle. She had bent her waist because of the pain, and his eyes traced from the heel up. The woman’s heels were even whiter than the ankle.
“I heard everything.”
“You were noisy.”
She had been leaning forward, but now she slowly moved only her eyes, gazing at the man lounging on the sofa. Was it possible she had heard something else?
Oh Seung-mi had whispered it only for her ears. There was no way she could have heard that small voice.
Her eyes trembled, and the smile on his lips, which had been cold, slowly hardened. She quickly straightened her posture by fixing her heel.
“Give me back my earphones.”
Yeon-jae reached out to the man who had erased his smile. He shifted his gaze from his hand to her and pointed upstairs.
“My bedroom. In the drawer next to the bed.”
“You want me to go into your bedroom?”
“I don’t feel like moving right now.”
“…Fine. Just throw them away then.”
Yeon-jae spoke and released the force in her arm. His mouth went dry.
He lay down lazily and observed her. Yeon-jae was interesting. Whenever he had free time, poking at her to see how she reacted was enjoyable.
Just like a cat waiting for the trapdoor to open, only her eyes moved as she scanned the outside…
He wanted to grab the tail whenever she tried to run, to keep her gaze fixed on him.
He took the opportunity to fully appreciate the face he had only seen for a week.
For a week the woman had faced the visitors coming to the house, and when the day ended she had gone to the garden and sat for a while.
Did Jeong Yeon-jae know how mismatched her sensual color was with her?
Perhaps the secretaries who had come looking for her had reported to their master like this.
“Don’t worry. As long as we give you money, it’ll end.”
But he had found the resistance of untamed soil in her. Besides, the voice was certain. He had wondered where he had heard that voice all week and had almost found the answer.