Vol 3 Ch 8

When I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the dark gray ceiling. …Where is this place? Still groggy and half-asleep, I started piecing together fragments of memory.

“…Ah!”

I suddenly bolted upright from the mattress. Shaking my head as if searching for something, I scanned the room quickly. Despite its large size, the room held only a few pieces of furniture—just a bed and a wardrobe—scattered sparsely. The structure was similar to the golf course penthouse where the man had stayed, but the interior and furnishings had subtle differences.

As I carefully observed my surroundings, I soon realized this was the place he had originally lived in. My gaze was drawn to a safe placed against one of the walls. …Could it be? I quickly got up and reached out for the safe.

I entered the combination I had memorized in my mind. A beeping sound came from the safe, and the electronic lock disengaged. As expected, it was the same safe from the hotel. I opened the door and looked inside. Inside the dark compartment lay a single black leather wallet.

I slowly reached out and grasped the wallet in my hand. On the leather were bite marks. I opened the cash compartment and looked inside. Taking out the bills stored within, I counted them. The amount matched exactly what I had previously possessed.

“…….”

He must have figured out the code by checking the CCTV attached to the safe. What a meticulous man, in so many ways.

Suddenly, something heavy and cold dropped onto the back of my hand, making me jolt. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, I looked down at my hand. In the faint light, I saw a silver object glinting around my wrist. Next, my eyes caught the bandages wrapped tightly around my fingers. The precise treatment suggested the involvement of a professional.

Moreover, my clothes had been changed to something new. The sticky, unpleasant residue of s**en and the lotion used internally were completely gone, suggesting my body had been washed thoroughly.

Even while someone had touched my body, I had remained in such a deep sleep that I hadn’t woken up. Was I even in my right mind? Overwhelmed by shame, I buried my face in my hands.

“…Hah.”

What time was it? I stared at the rectangular window on the opposite wall. The sky outside was a faint ink-black, dimly lit. It was a similar shade to what I had seen just before closing my eyes.

Since my body was warm, it seemed I had slept for more than just a few hours. It felt like I had spent an entire day sleeping. Exhausted by insomnia and extreme physical exertion, my body had been completely worn out, unable to even move properly.

The moment I sank into the soft, luxurious car seat, it was as if I’d been s**ked into a whirlpool of sleep. Perhaps I had resigned myself, knowing CEO Jang had already figured everything out. Maybe that’s why the taut nerves that had strained to the point of showing veins finally relaxed, allowing my eyelids to shut.

I had wanted, even briefly, to escape the reality looming before me. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I had spent so much time anxiously evading capture, yet now that I had been caught, I ironically felt less fearful.

“…….”

At this point, I had almost given up on escaping. Finding my mother’s whereabouts was the priority now. My gaze shifted to the telephone beside the bed. I picked up the receiver and brought it to my ear. With bandaged fingers, I pressed the number “1” twice. All that was left was to press “2,” but my finger hovered uncertainly in midair, unable to land.

…The officers. Would those clueless fools even be able to find my mother? When I hastily called this number for help before, what had they done? They delayed as much as possible, only coming after my drunk father had passed out. They had left after seeing the traces of violence on my mother and my face.

That day, after he sobered up, my father hit us again. Nothing changed despite my pleas for help.

I set the receiver down again. Trusting them was foolish. If I was unlucky, I might only get myself caught. If I were detained, I’d never be able to find my mother.

In that case, only one option remained.

“…….”

This time, I turned my gaze to the closed door. Imagining the stillness beyond, just like in this room, I placed my feet on the smooth marble floor and stood up.

When I opened the door, a hallway stretched out before me. At the end of the hallway, a shadow was cast on the marble floor. It seemed CEO Jang was there. My instincts told me so.

I shut the door behind me with my back. The shadow on the floor stirred at the soft click of the latch, as if sensing my presence. I walked forward slowly.

The man at the end of this hallway seemed intent on knowing everything about me, as if it were his divine right. He had relentlessly tracked where I had run to, uncovered my real name, and even taken over my former home. It was as if he considered me his property.

…I was utterly sick of it.

The visceral revulsion I felt toward CEO Jang, who treated the short and wrinkled life I had led as some light comedy, was deeply ingrained. It was an instinctive reaction, as natural as a bird fearing a snake that preys on it.

Even now, as I moved toward him with my own two feet, I wasn’t sure. It felt like walking through fog. I had no idea what he might do. But with a cliff at my back, all I could do was move toward him.

If there was anyone who could definitely find her, it was him—the man who knew everything about me and had my every breath in his grasp. …My mother.

Turning the final corner of the wall, I saw the man’s broad back. Without even looking in my direction, he spoke in a low voice.

“You’re here sooner than I expected.”

His tone suggested he had known I was awake for some time. Even so, he had left me alone, likely to give me time to think. To let me agonize and torment myself before inevitably acting according to his wishes.

I approached him. The man, who seemed to sustain himself on alcohol and cigarettes, sat still, holding a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

I stood before him. His cold eyes trailed over my face, down my neck, brushing my waist, and stopping at my thighs. At the hem of the shirt I was wearing.

It was his clothing. The shirt was long enough to cover my thighs, and the pants dragged on the floor. His gaze was still as cold as ice. A petty object he had once held in his palm had struck back and fled, so his fury must have reached its peak. Asking him for anything now was almost like a gamble.

I hesitated for a long time, fidgeting with my fingers before finally speaking.

“…CEO.”

He arched his elegant eyebrows briefly before letting them fall again, as if to say, go on.

“I have a favor to ask.”

CEO Jang let out a low scoff and leisurely tilted his chin. Grabbing my chin, he drawled, “A favor now, huh. Seo Yeowon, you’re shameless.”

“…….”

“Ran away after I let the leash off, made a nuisance of yourself, and now you’re asking for a favor.”

He poured liquid into his glass from a bottle, sneering. His sharp tone slapped me across the face.

“Audacious, aren’t you. So, what are you going to do for me this time? Grabbing at my waistband wasn’t enough, was it?”

“…Please help me.”

From my parched lips came a faint plea. Though it seemed to scatter into fragments, the man clearly heard it. He set the bottle down and leaned back deeply into his chair.

“And why should I help someone as ungrateful as Seo Yeowon?”

I spoke a little more clearly than before.

 “I won’t run away again.”

 “What makes you think I should trust you, Mr. Seo Yeowon?”

 “…I have nowhere left to run.”

 “So, you came to me because you have nowhere else to go?”

The sharpness in his gaze softened slightly, as though he was deriving some kind of thrill from something I couldn’t understand. While the atmosphere might have eased slightly, the tension surrounding me only intensified.

Gripping the edge of my shirt with pale fingers, I noticed the white bones protruding from the back of my hand. I could feel his gaze fixate on my hand. Though his eyes still harbored anger, the fact that his focus lingered on me gave me a sliver of courage.

“…CEO, you said you were curious about what happened to my fingers, didn’t you?”

 His eyes glinted sharply.

 “If I tell you that story… will you help me?”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. An eternity seemed to pass in that fleeting moment. I felt drained, realizing even this period of suspense might have been part of his calculation. After a brief pause, he spoke in a voice laced with ash.

“Let’s hear it first. Then I’ll decide.”

 “…Telling you comes with risks too great for me to bear. I’ve never shared this with anyone before. It’s even riskier to tell someone like you.”

He fixed his piercing gaze on me as if he could see right through me, then asked why.

 “Because all I know about you is just your name.”

Even that much was thanks to one of CEO Jang’s subordinates handing me a business card. Usually, caddies assigned to clients receive at least some basic information. Yet in his case, the member registry simply referred to him as “CEO Jang.” Other personal details were left blank. Even VIPs like Kim Miran refrained from mentioning his full name.

At first, I didn’t understand why, but eventually, it became clear.

 The golf course, wielded as a tool of power, had become a breeding ground for crime. The VIPs who used him as a supplier catered to his whims while deliberately shrouding him in mystery to avoid leaving any trails. Even the office managing the members avoided keeping detailed records about him.

As a result, I knew next to nothing about him—other than his name…

 “…And.”

I glanced at the ring on CEO Jang’s finger.

 Except for the story tied to that ring.

The man immediately caught on to what I was implying through my gaze. He raised his hand toward me, brushing the back of his fingers against my chin. The cold touch of metal against my skin sent chills down my spine.

“Alright. On one condition.”

 He paused deliberately, making me hold my breath.

 “I’ll proceed on the assumption that there isn’t a single lie in what you’re about to say, Mr. Seo Yeowon. If I find even the smallest falsehood or omission, this arrangement ends right there.”

 “Understood.”

I nodded resolutely, then asked one last question.

 “Can the favor… be absolutely anything?”

 “As if.”

Ah, a low burst of sound escaped his lips. At the same time, his broad chest heaved slightly. Yet his eyes didn’t smile at all. With a smooth flow of words, his tongue spun the next sentence.

“I can’t resurrect the dead or anything, can I?”

Acting as though he were kindly explaining the unknown to an innocent child, he tilted his glass, drinking deeply. His well-proportioned lips took in the alcohol leisurely. By the time he placed the glass back on the table, the feigned smile on his face had long vanished. In a voice deepened by the drink, he added,

“Though the opposite might be possible.”