SATURDAY 18

The first thing that came to mind upon hearing those words was the mention of undergoing a police investigation. Mr. Taeseon had referred to me as a murderer, citing “the things Inha said.” In the end, the police investigation never happened, and no one mentioned that story to me again, but… it came back to me now.

I hadn’t met Mr. Taeseon for long since then, and even when we met, we only clashed. To be precise, Mr. Taeseon would unilaterally condemn me and then leave or go into his room and not come out. That is why I had forgotten to even ask what that story was about back then.

Did he say he went to Mr. Taeseon and told him his plan? Indeed, I wondered if Mr. Taeseon would even answer if I asked him now what I had said to him. He would probably make a contemptuous face, claiming I was pretending not to know again.

“I said such a thing?”

“Ah, I see someone I know over there….”

“I have a quick phone call to take….”

The people who had been swarming around sensed a strange atmosphere and scattered one by one. It was a relief. Their leaving the spot meant they would pretend they hadn’t heard what was said here. Before I knew it, only Kim Sunkyung and I remained.

“How many times did you say you wished he would die? It got to the point where I saw the newspaper article and thought, ‘Yoon Inha finally got his wish.'”

“I only said it in passing.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You said he had to die for you to marry Lee Taeseon, that you wished he were dead.”

“….”

My eyes widened involuntarily. Inha said such things? And multiple times? Perhaps what Mr. Taeseon heard was something similar. Inha has the kind of personality where he could easily say things like that. But he couldn’t have meant it. Saying something is different from actually doing it….

“…Anyway, I don’t think this is the time to talk about this. Inyoung’s death was a shock to me too.”

I said that to wrap up the conversation, but Kim Sunkyung chuckled and poked my chest.

“To you? Don’t be ridiculous. What is Inyoung to you? To you, and in your family, that Yoon Inyoung was….”

“Mr. Yoon Inha.”

The surroundings suddenly went quiet. The people who had been whispering while glancing our way shut their mouths all at once and scattered in different directions.

At the same time, the ship rocked gently and began to move. I stumbled in that movement, and Kim Sunkyung almost fell, but Mr. Taeseon, who appeared before us, did not catch either of us.

I barely managed to catch my balance and stand. The ship continued to sway slightly beneath my feet. Mr. Taeseon stood with a chilling face and called me again.

“Come this way. There is someone you need to greet.”

In the meantime, the ship lurched once more, and Kim Sunkyung finally fell. It seemed the spot where we were standing was particularly prone to swaying, as the interior of the ship looked peaceful. Sitting on the floor, Kim Sunkyung glared at me with a face full of irritation.

I followed Mr. Taeseon as if avoiding that gaze. I felt a cold stare following me but pretended not to notice. Mr. Taeseon didn’t even pay attention, as if no one else were there.

The place he took me was where the hosts of today’s party—the family of the head of Yeosan, the second-largest automobile company in Korea—were gathered. Like party hosts, they stood at the center of the ship greeting various guests, and when Mr. Taeseon approached, they greeted him warmly.

The person in the middle seemed to be the youngest daughter who had recently returned from studying abroad. This family had three siblings, and all three were Alphas. Including the youngest daughter here. Towering over me, the youngest daughter had a nicely solid build and looked very healthy.

She reached out her hand toward me.

“I am Song Sihyeon. I heard you are getting married soon? Congratulations.”

Barely swallowing the nervousness that had surged, I took her hand. It was a warm and soft hand. Holding my hand firmly, she glanced at Mr. Taeseon and spoke.

“But you’re really my type. Do you want to exchange numbers?”

“Pardon?”

It went beyond being flustered to being absurd. To suddenly ask for a number exchange, and that too in front of the person I’m about to marry, after just saying congratulations on the wedding…. I looked at Mr. Taeseon with a troubled face, but he just stood there expressionlessly.

Ah, well, maybe just exchanging numbers is no big deal. Although it bothered me that the other person was an Alpha… she is someone who spent a long time studying abroad. Maybe she’s used to that kind of atmosphere, which is freer than in Korea. I took my phone out of my back pocket while cautiously checking Mr. Taeseon’s reaction.

Song Sihyeon snatched the phone I took out right away, then scanned my blank face to unlock it as she pleased and dialed her phone number. Her phone rang, and I stood there with my mouth hanging open, dazed.

“Ah, hello?”

— Ah, hello?

At the sound of voices ringing from both sides, Song Sihyeon giggled and hung up. Still holding the phone in one hand, she reached out her hand again. We already did the handshake…. But at her hand shaking as if prompting me, I had no choice but to reach out mine as well.

“Ah, good, good. I really like you. Let’s stay in touch often. Oh, I’m the older one. I’m the same age as him.”

Saying “him,” she gestured toward Mr. Taeseon with her chin.

It seemed rude at a glance, but her actions had a certain innocent quality, and Mr. Taeseon didn’t seem to mind that in itself at all.

However, Mr. Taeseon seemed displeased about something else. He slapped away the hands of Song Sihyeon and me as we were shaking hands and then whispered to her in a low voice.

“Are you teasing me? Or are you doing this on purpose just to get under my skin?”

“Are you full of yourself?”

“….”

My mouth hung open blankly. I had briefly met Mr. Taeseon’s acquaintances before, but I had never seen anyone speak so bluntly to him. I was so surprised and flustered that I couldn’t say a word, and then Song Sihyeon suddenly pulled me into a hug.

Song Sihyeon’s parents and older brother also seemed surprised by this and quickly stopped her.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing to someone who is getting married soon…. I’m sorry, Mr. Inha. This child spent a long time abroad, so she is too unreserved.”

“You’re making a big deal out of a simple shoulder hug. The husband doesn’t even seem to care, though?”

“….”

Amidst the chaos of being swept up in a whirlwind, I looked at Mr. Taeseon. He stared at Song Sihyeon with a stiff face, but he didn’t give me a single glance.

“And you keep saying ‘abroad, abroad,’ but I understand Korean culture even less. That it’s natural to marry someone else in that family if a sibling dies…. It’s not like levirate marriage or something.”

“It’s a bit different from levirate.”

“Aren’t the roots the same?”

“The roots are different. Over here, well. It’s more like if a rare flower dies, you buy the exact same flower from the same nursery.”

Song Sihyeon’s mouth dropped open.

“Hey, do you realize you’re being harsher than me?”

Even Song Sihyeon’s family looked flustered…. Mr. Taeseon didn’t stop there.

“You don’t necessarily buy it because you like the exact same flower. There can be many reasons, can’t there?”

“What are those many reasons?”

Then Mr. Taeseon smirked and whispered something into Song Sihyeon’s ear. Her face, which had been smiling relaxedly until then, hardened as she stared quietly at Mr. Taeseon.

Just then, Song Sihyeon’s family was called away by other people, so they said their goodbyes to Mr. Taeseon and left. Perhaps due to the strange atmosphere, no one could approach our group. Everyone just pretended to enjoy the party while stealing glances.

“You…. It might be the wrong choice.”

Song Sihyeon, who had been quiet for a long while, spoke. Hearing that, Mr. Taeseon smirked again.

“I’m never wrong.”

“Really? You’re really full of yourself. How annoying.”

“I’m just a person who judges realistically.”

I couldn’t understand what the two of them were talking about. I toyed with the glass I had mindlessly taken from a passing server while gauging their reactions. This was not like Inha. Inha couldn’t stand being excluded from a conversation.

Thinking I should act a bit more like Inha, I gulped down the alcohol and, bolstered by the feeling of my head spinning, took a step toward the two of them.

“What are you talking about? I don’t really understand.”

At that, the gazes of both people turned toward me at once. Mr. Taeseon still had a cold face, and Song Sihyeon….

“….”

Was she looking at me… with pity?

Was it a delusion? That expression vanished instantly. She smiled broadly and tapped the screen of the phone I was still holding in one hand twice—tap, tap. The lock screen, set to a default image, lit up.

“Contact me often. I’m not joking.”