Alluring Silhouette
Seol-hye quickened her steps as she left the main house, Felix.
The Kang-an family estate consisted of five buildings in total. Felix, the main residence where Chairman Kang and Su-ran lived. Felix, where Madam Gong and her two sons resided, and Lux, which had stood empty for the past nine years.
Then there was Amicus, where the household staff lived, and Veritas, the newly constructed annex built three years ago. Each served as a separate wing.
Seol-hye, the sole owner of Veritas—where the living quarters and office spaces had been perfectly separated in design—only crossed over to the main house when summoned by Chairman Kang, just as she had been tonight.
In other words, it was a space she never entered unless called.
She had just reached the entrance of Veritas and was about to press her fingerprint against the door when—
“Hey!”
It was Do-yul’s voice, the only person who ever addressed her with the crude “hey” or “you.” Every time she heard it, the nightmare from that day came rushing back, even though nine years had passed.
It felt as if black hands were still clawing at her mind and body, and even now, she would wake up in the middle of the night from the terror.
Her legs gave out for a moment. Seol-hye staggered, catching herself on the corner of the wall with an outstretched hand, and immediately began to retch.
“Do I really disgust you that much?”
Seol-hye wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and somehow managed to stand upright. By then, Do-yul had closed the distance until he was right in front of her. His sneering lips swam blurrily before her eyes.
“Are you seriously sleeping with my grandfather? No way, right?”
“If you come any closer, I will call the security team.”
“Call them or don’t, that’s up to you. Just answer me! Huh?”
The moment she reached for her phone, Do-yul swiftly began unbuttoning the blue dress shirt he wore.
“You know I could’ve died if I’d flinched even a little back then, don’t you?”
He yanked one side of his shirt open. A rough, reddish surgical scar stood out prominently above his left chest. They said his keloid constitution made scars heal poorly, and sure enough, even after nine years the mark remained brutally vivid.
“Ah, fuck. Just thinking about it gets me worked up again.”
The stench of alcohol on his breath was so strong it reached her. It was a warning. Dangerous.
It was her own fault for letting her guard down after the last written agreement. She should never have relaxed her vigilance, knowing that Kang Do-yul was the kind of man who could create a situation like this at any moment.
“What? Does seeing it like this make you feel sorry? No need. I always tell you, this is a badge of honor for me!”
Seol-hye quickly called the security team assigned to the Felix area. Naturally, the report would go straight to his wife, Cha Sa-mo.
“But seriously, are you blind or something?”
Suddenly Do-yul began making that grotesque face of his, and Seol-hye instinctively sensed how serious the situation had become.
Exactly like nine years ago.
“Ever since the first time I saw you, I’ve been completely obsessed. That’s why I’ve been losing my mind over you for nine whole years. You get that?”
“Madam will be here soon.”
Seol-hye tried to avoid Do-yul as he drew closer, her vision gradually blurring, but she ended up backing against the art wall.
“So what if she comes?”
The bright light from the wall fixture above his head illuminated Do-yul’s sly face. Beyond him, the security guards began to appear one by one.
“You know perfectly well that the one who’ll be in trouble in a situation like this isn’t me—it’s you, Executive Director.”
“Since I’m screwed either way, might as well raise the stakes so it feels less unfair, right?”
“There they are now.”
“Just you wait. I’ll show you exactly what I’m going to do with you in the end.”
As always, after hurling every threat he could think of, Do-yul began to retreat.
Perhaps because the tension that had gripped her finally loosened in something close to relief, her lips began to tremble. She pressed them tightly together and unconsciously turned her head.
In the distance, far from Veritas, her gaze landed on the tall pine tree that stood like a guardian over Lux.
A faint haze of cigarette smoke drifted around it—proof that someone had been there only moments ago and had just left.
She didn’t know how long they had been watching, but they had undoubtedly witnessed at least a fragment of that unsightly scene.
And in a way that felt eerily identical to what had happened nine years ago.
Back then, consumed by nothing but resentment, she had slapped his cheek without thinking. Maybe she should have spoken instead.
That she was truly terrified.
That she didn’t want to be abandoned.
That she wondered if he could hold her, even if only once.
Lost in those untimely old memories, Seol-hye stood dazed for a long time before biting down hard on her trembling lower lip.
Her throat had gone dry at some point. All she wanted now was a cold glass of water.
She reached out hastily toward the fingerprint scanner on the front door.
But a sharp “beep” sounded, and the scanner rejected her print.
Had her tension been so extreme that even her hands had gone completely dry without her realizing?
It wasn’t as if this had never happened before.
Even so, it wasn’t because of Do-yul’s eyes—eyes that had looked ready to lose all restraint even as he was being dragged away by the security team alongside Cha Sa-mo.
What lingered more was the sight of Cha Sa-mo herself, walking away with slow, elegant steps, repeatedly bowing in deference.
It wasn’t out of respect. It was simply that, because of the clear issues from the divorce that had been used against her in the past, she had no choice but to grovel.
Thanks to her flawless maintenance of dignity, that was precisely what made Cha Sa-mo stand out as the undisputed top among the daughters-in-law of prestigious families.
The look in her eyes that seemed to say, ‘No matter what, you’re nothing but a dog in this house, and the fact that my husband treats you this way only proves how cheap you are.’
And the way her mouth would then flutter with completely different words: “It’s my fault for not keeping my husband in line. Please be understanding, Chief Ahn.”
It was as if she possessed two entirely separate selves.
Seol-hye, momentarily stunned, brought her fingertips to her mouth. After blowing warm breath on them several times, she placed her hand on the scanner again. Finally, a cheerful “ding” rang out.
The moment she stepped inside, Seol-hye hurried across the first-floor entrance hall and climbed the stairs leading to the second floor.
Just as she was about to head toward the kitchen, her feet stopped. The wide living room window filled her vision, and the view beyond it felt strangely irritating.
It was almost as if she could see the silhouette of someone who had been standing beneath that pine tree with a cigarette between his lips.
Seol-hye stretched out both arms and yanked the curtains shut with force. She peeled off the jacket that suddenly felt suffocating and tossed it onto the sofa before sinking down slowly.
As always, her eyes met those of her mother in the framed photograph on the round table.
‘My daughter, you’ve had a hard day again, haven’t you?’
It felt as though she could actually hear her mother’s warm voice in her ear.
Her mother, who had always been so kind and beautiful, seemed ready to walk over, wrap her in a bright smile, and hold her close.
After the accident nine years ago, her mother had suffered from severe aftereffects before ultimately choosing to go to a place from which she could never return. Seol-hye had already buried that truth deep in her heart.
Along with the smile whose shape she no longer even remembered how to make.
Pushing aside the heavy, bitter thoughts, Seol-hye rose from her seat, turned on the audio system, and raised the speaker volume higher than usual.
She had a habit of blasting music like this every once in a while. It was surprisingly effective at clearing her head.
But why did her mind feel even hotter today?
She wished she could somehow gather the scattered threads of her emotions.
The nightmare from nine years ago, already dragged up from the deepest part of her chest, showed no sign of letting her go anytime soon.
Seol-hye began shedding her clothes one by one, walking slowly toward the bathroom as if keeping time with the music.
She was just tugging at the tightly tied string to let her long hair down when—
The emergency phone, which was only supposed to ring in critical situations, began to shriek violently.
Tae-yul’s lips twisted as he entered Lux, a Zippo lighter in hand.
The filthy feeling that had refused to leave him—triggered by a scene identical to the one from nine years ago—still clung to him when the phone rang.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he pressed the call button. A long sigh escaped his lips.
It was self-loathing, really. He had accepted an invitation to drink that he would normally have refused outright.
Tonight felt like a night where getting a little drunk might not be so bad.
No—perhaps it would be better to get properly wasted.
Tae-yul ended the short call, stepped out the front door again, and headed for the parking lot.
After a few steps, an unfamiliar building that hadn’t existed nine years ago caught his eye. The ridiculous annex reserved exclusively for the Kang-an family’s “dog.”
What was funny was that although the curtains on the second floor—where the large windows were—were drawn tightly shut, he could almost swear he saw an alluring silhouette lingering somewhere beyond them.
—I’m sorry. I will make sure nothing like this happens again to cause you discomfort.
A hollow chuckle slipped from Tae-yul’s lips. He tilted his head. The one who kept causing discomfort, whether in the past or now, hadn’t changed at all.
His feet paused for a moment. After staring into the distance for a long time, Tae-yul finally looked away and climbed into the orange convertible.
He had no expectations. No purpose. He simply wanted to get thoroughly drunk.
Without any idea what kind of mess he might stir up.
The car tore through the city with a fierce exhaust roar that matched the grandeur of the music blasting loud enough to shake the entire estate.
He was headed for the club “Roll.”