Chapter 27
Villain’s
Pure Love
27.
The One Who Made You Cry
“Hyung-nim. I thought something was off. I figured he was bound to show up eventually, but for a second, I thought I’d miscalculated.”
Cha Yun-seok met with Hong-seop, a thug who had been down in Moksan County for several days.
Upon hearing from Cha Yun-seok that Yeonwoo had been hiding in Domyeongjae, Hong-seop flew into a rage, his face contorted with frustration.
“Damn it, I was wondering where she’d crawled off to, but she hid herself quite cleverly. There’s no way I would’ve missed her otherwise. Of course I couldn’t find her if she was in a place like that…”
Hong-seop offered a roundabout excuse, insisting that the failure to find Yeonwoo wasn’t his fault.
“Hyung-nim, but I was right, wasn’t I? I told you she’d definitely come back to her hometown. There was no paper trail, hyung-nim.”
Whether it was a prank of fate or not, the points of contact between the two were somewhat overlapping. It was a recovery of a lead that had been nearly lost.
“If I’d just had a little more time, I would’ve found her. I’d actually heard rumors that some girl was working at Domyeongjae and was just about to head over there to check it out myself, and then I could’ve grabbed Ji Yeonwoo right then and there…”
Anxious that Cha Yun-seok might not pay him for his trouble, Hong-seop played up his own contribution. He stole glances at Cha Yun-seok while feigning indifference, repeatedly emphasizing that he had been on the verge of finding Ji Yeonwoo anyway.
‘He’s not going to stiff me, is he?’
It had been a full week. He hadn’t been scouring the area, asking questions just to make enough for gas and a bowl of soup. He had searched everywhere—cosmetics stores, phone shops, the post office, even banks—and had even ended up talking to some crazy old lady who tried to sell him underwear.
It had been a difficult week. Hong-seop squared his shoulders, ready to change his attitude the moment Cha Yun-seok suggested he wouldn’t pay. His thick, massive frame, nearly 190 centimeters tall, was aggressive enough just by standing still.
“You seem to be in a good mood, hyung-nim.”
When Cha Yun-seok, sitting on a metal chair and swinging his feet, began to hum, Hong-seop spoke up. Cha Yun-seok let out a short laugh and looked at him.
“My mood? Of course I’m in a good mood. We found her.”
“Congratulations, hyung-nim!”
Hong-seop stood up and bowed deeply, offering his congratulations. Then, harboring hope that he might actually get paid, he cautiously gauged Cha Yun-seok’s reaction.
“Hyung-nim. So, what do you plan to do now?”
“About what?”
“Ji Yeonwoo. What do you plan to do with her?”
Cha Yun-seok wore a thoughtful expression for a moment before smirking again. He spoke in a languid voice, as if the answer had already been decided.
“What else? I have to take her back up to Seoul.”
“How? I heard that outsiders aren’t allowed into Domyeongjae. If she doesn’t come out on her own, won’t it be impossible to take her?”
“Hong-seop.”
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
“If I can’t go in, I just have to make her come out.”
“Ah… so Ji Yeonwoo comes out on her own accord…”
But how exactly would he do that…?
When Hong-seop gave him a blank look, unable to fully decode the meaning, Cha Yun-seok clicked his tongue in pity.
“But will she really come out? She must know for sure that you’re here, hyung-nim. If it were me, I wouldn’t come out.”
“She’ll come out. Because I’m going to make it so she has to.”
“She’ll have no choice but to step outside of Domyeongjae.”
Cha Yun-seok muttered, blowing a puff of air onto his fingertips. Then, he pulled an envelope from his inner jacket pocket and tossed it toward Hong-seop.
“You bastard, I wasn’t going to give you a dime, but I’m looking out for you for old time’s sake. You hear me?”
“Thank you, hyung-nim! I’ll serve you until the day I die!”
“Since you’re taking the envelope, go find out everything you can about Executive Director Nam Sung-hun!”
Hong-seop, who had snatched the envelope, looked up. Of course, there was no way he’d just give away this money for free.
“Who?”
“Executive Director Nam Sung-hun. Seolyang Construction.”
“Why him?”
“My old man spent a fortune to keep me out of jail over that business with Yeonwoo. I need to be a good son and handle this project well. Look into Nam Sung-hun’s personal life. The bars he frequents, the people he meets, that kind of thing, you idiot. I need to know something before I can approach him.”
“How much time can you give me!”
“Ah, yes. Hyung-nim. Understood.”
Hong-seop nodded. It was absurd that now he was being asked to do background checks on a chaebol heir from a major corporation.
“Maybe… fifteen days? Digging into someone’s private life isn’t easy, hyung-nim. It’s not something that happens just like that. We have to hire people too, and it’s complicated.”
“Fifteen days? Don’t give me that crap.”
“Then ten days? Man, even that’s tight.”
“I’ll give you a week. If you think it’ll take longer, put the envelope back down right now.”
“…Yes, hyung-nim. One week. Got it. I’m only doing this because it’s me. You know that, right?”
Hong-seop was busy securing the envelope. He quickly shoved it into his inner pocket and made his exit.
- 3 -
Cha Yun-seok took up lodging not far from Domyeongjae and sent Hong-seop back to keep a close watch on the entrance, just in case.
Recalling the terrified look on Yeonwoo’s face he had seen in Sung-hun’s office, Cha Yun-seok chuckled to himself.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find you just because you were hiding like a little mouse? Yeonwoo. You’re in trouble now that I’ve found you.”
It wasn’t love. Nor was it longing.
It was a realm of meticulously accumulated resentment, nothing more than the height of fury. Once he got his hands on Ji Yeonwoo, how should he repay this betrayal?
That was the only thought Cha Yun-seok had the entire time.
Yeonwoo, having confessed everything to Manager Moon, let out a long breath. She didn’t feel relieved or unburdened.
It felt as though the ordeal she had endured became trivial the moment it passed her lips. Cha Yun-seok’s crazed eyes that looked ready to cause trouble at any moment, the fear and terror of being surrounded by thugs who looked capable of taking a life in an instant.
No matter how much she explained, she couldn’t convey the atmosphere or the emotions of those moments. Of course, she hadn’t expected Manager Moon to fully empathize from the start, so Yeonwoo simply finished her story calmly and lowered her head.
She told her she was scared, that she had fled in terror, that she had come down to be near her mother, and that her mother’s accident happened right then, which led her to enter Domyeongjae.
She explained that more than anything else, the desire to hide was her biggest reason. That was why she got rid of her phone and had no intention of ever leaving Domyeongjae.
“Ah…”
“But how did you know? That I was being pursued.”
Yeonwoo asked after a long silence. Manager Moon, who had been quiet, spoke while rubbing her knees.
“I was coming out from visiting your mother at the hospital when some thug-looking fellow was walking around with your picture, looking for you.”
Her mind went dizzy. Yes, her instinct that it was dangerous outside of Domyeongjae had been right.
As Yeonwoo let out a sigh heavy with worry, Manager Moon tapped her knees and continued.
The police hadn’t protected her, and her colleagues had turned a blind eye. So she didn’t expect Manager Moon—someone she’d only known for a short time, someone who lived and breathed for the reputation of Domyeongjae—to provide any kind of solution.
“I’m sorry…”
“He was a hideous-looking thing. If you put him in a zoo, even a bear would run away. When a guy like that is looking for you, could it be anything but serious?”
Yeonwoo kept her head lowered and her lips pressed shut.
Feeling as though she had invited chaos into the peaceful Domyeongjae, Yeonwoo bowed her head even further.
“Yes, it is a shameful thing. In my seventy-some years, this is the first time such a thing has happened at our Domyeongjae. This is why I don’t like taking in young people. So many words, so many troubles, so many things to worry about.”
“Anyway, I knew it was suspicious from the start. When you said you’d gotten rid of a working phone, I should have asked for the whole story then. That was my mistake!”
“Well, if that’s how it is, then I suppose it is, but I don’t believe everything you say just yet.”
“I’m sorry…”
Manager Moon stood up. Not having the courage to follow suit, Yeonwoo only lowered and raised her heavy eyelids.
Dusting off her skirt, Manager Moon looked at Yeonwoo. It was difficult to read anything from her expression alone.
“I can’t just believe everything because you’re crying and carrying on, and I don’t know you well enough for that. There are many hideous men in the world, but how many hideous women are there too? I can’t judge based on hearing only one side. You’ll have to understand that.”
“Yes…”
“I’ll decide what to do with you in a few days, so go back to work. You don’t have time to be sitting around like this.”
When she immediately brought up work, Yeonwoo stood up. Without a single word of common comfort, Manager Moon gave her work instructions in her usual emotionless voice.
“Even if your hands are shaking, I can’t let you off duty today. That’s your job. Whether you leave eventually or get chased away, do your work properly while you’re here. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Manager.”
When Yeonwoo replied in a watery voice without any spirit, Manager Moon narrowed her eyes.
“Straighten your shoulders. This is Domyeongjae. Even if hideous thugs are swarming outside, they can’t dream of entering our Domyeongjae. Breathe properly, keep your eyes open, and work.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“And watch your mouth. I heard you and Young Master Hyeonuk are friends; make sure this doesn’t reach his ears. Do you understand? The same goes for the Vice President. It’s not something they need to know. Don’t be a nuisance.”
“Yes.”
“Watch your mouth around Eunja too. If it gets in her ear, it’s only a matter of time before your mother finds out, so handle it yourself.”
Manager Moon scanned Yeonwoo from head to toe and then left. Only after letting out several long breaths did Yeonwoo begin to walk with slow steps.
Before she knew it, a pale violet sunset was falling. It was nearly time for Sung-hun to finish work, so Yeonwoo turned toward Unseondang to air it out.
Sung-hun had decided to leave work earlier than usual. He could hardly focus on his tasks, and heavy breaths escaped him for no reason.
A heat seemed to pool in him like a fever in a weak organ, and he felt he wouldn’t be able to sit peacefully unless he pushed it out.
Only after making several uncharacteristic mistakes did Sung-hun pack up his work. There was no way he could work with his mind entirely preoccupied by Yeonwoo. Postponing his final video conference with the head office until tomorrow, Sung-hun headed straight for Domyeongjae, passing the Main Hall and heading toward Unseondang.
The Main Hall, rising majestically in the distance by the lake, receded behind him. The pale orange sunset had deepened into a rich glow, and his long, brisk strides moved only toward his destination.
When exactly did it start? During this time, on this path past the Main Hall toward Unseondang, his heart would race. The closer he got to Unseondang, the more a fervent emotion he’d never permitted spread through him like a watercolor painting.
The sound of soil shifting. The rustling friction of a bamboo broom against the ground.
…Evidence that you were here.
As the red glow of the sunset grew as if to swallow her, Sung-hun stopped walking. Yeonwoo, who had been focused on sweeping as usual, stopped at the sound of his footsteps and offered a greeting with her head bowed low.
Sung-hun watched her behavior—offering a greeting before even checking who it was—and then moved. She was intentionally avoiding his gaze, and he wanted to know why.
As Sung-hun approached, Yeonwoo awkwardly turned her shoulder and stepped aside. He watched her actions intently, then tilted his head back and let out a heated breath.
“You’re home, Vice President.”
“I’ll finish sweeping in a moment. I can air out the room right away…”
“Looks like you’ve been crying.”
“…………”
“And quite a lot, too!”
When Sung-hun muttered in a low voice, noticing her strained tone and the redness around her eyes, Yeonwoo’s voice trailed off. She simply gripped the innocent broom tightly and kept her lost gaze fixed on the ground.
