Chapter 143:

“What?!”

Wh-what did this mean? Lee-yeon choked on her tea and coughed drily. Her cousin is dead.

“So I thought you might know something about this. Maybe you also have someone you know who is like this? What have I gotten myself into, director?”

“…I only know one such person.”

“What?”

Suddenly, Dong-mi’s face was shocked. It was a totally incomprehensible response for Lee-yeon.

“Is that person your man?” Dong-mi said in a jest.

“…What? No, no. What are you talking about? No.”

Lee-yeon shook her head frantically, denying the reality of Dong-mi’s words and closing her mouth, unable to find the right words to say.

A strange silence fell between them as they both struggled to process the shocking revelation.

***

Dong-mi folded her arms, letting out a small sound, “Hmm-”.

Lee-yeon gave her a frustrated look. She quickly cleared her expression and bent her upper body toward the table. Her voice sounded surprisingly sharp as she spoke secretively.

“Did you get caught?”

“What?”

“Did you check your behind you properly when you ran away?”

“Uh……”

Dong-mi was briefly distracted by Lee-yeon’s eyes which were swirling with a strange look.

“If you’ve witnessed such a terrifying sight, the price will follow you.”

“What…”

“Make sure you lock your doors tight and don’t go out alone in the dark. In case he comes after you.”

“…!”

“Always be on your guard.” Lee-yeon drew to fingers across her neck in one swift cutting motion. She was being so creepy, it was hard to take her seriously. Dong-mi was listening with her mouth open and suddenly burst into laughter.

“Right? You don’t believe me, do you?”

No, I don’t think anyone knows as well as I do! But before she could continue, Dong-mi spoke again.

“I’m sure I head he’s a police officer. He didn’t even tell me where he works. No matter how sexy he is, isn’t it too suspicious? It’s not like we’re in some 1928 gangster movie and I don’t want to film a new-school drama either, for that matter.”

Dong-mi nervously swept a hand over her hair. She looked towards Lee-yeon, the look in her eyes a mix of weak irritation and bitter worry.

“Didn’t you hear anything from that Godzilla?”

“…Yes.”

“He’s not a gangster. I have no idea what he was doing burying someone.”

Dong-mi was still chewing her lip and gripping her phone tightly even though she acted like she was going to cut the man off completely. She stretched out her long arms hoping for an answer and hung on Lee-yeon’s sleeve.

“What would you do if you were me?” She began crying which made Lee-yeon start to sweat.

Lee-yeon was in no position to talk about someone else’s worries as her head swirled with things she couldn’t mention. But-

“My man…, it can’t be him.”

Lee-yeon lowered her shoulders and looked at the small garden in the yard. She had not neglected any of it. She had carefully picked out the plants she wanted to nurture and watch grow every day, and thanks to her dedicated care, the seeds she had planted were now on the verge of bearing fruit.

“Until the tree leaves my hands, I never give up first,” she said, her voice as calm and steady as the low wind. “That’s what tree doctors usually do. So I would take it in stride.”

Dong-mi looked at her, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Staring at Lee-yeon’s profile, she couldn’t read her expression at all. Dong-mi looked at her silently and scratched her cheek.

“But if the end is fixed, its… Rather than withstanding, shouldn’t we just gradually growing apart?”

It felt like someone had slammed a rock over her head. Lee-yeon did not even blink as if she had frozen solid.

She had a strong urge to refute it, but there was nothing she could say in defense.

* * *

That night, Chae-woo looked disapprovingly at Lee-yeon, who focused solely on her phone.

As he clicked through the channels, color leaked from the monitor making his face flash blue and red like a goblin.

The short bursts of audio might have been bothersome, but Lee-yeon’s eyes were glued to her phone. Chae-woo couldn’t take it anymore and turned toward her.

“Who is it?”

“What?”

Lee-yeon answered without looking up at first, then lifted her head. Her attitude was obviously insincere and mechanical.

Chae-woo ground his teeth and suppressed his rising emotions. He pointed his head towards Lee-yeon’s cell phone.

“I didn’t think you had any friends you kept in touch with privately.”

“Oh, it’s not personal.”

“Isn’t it private enough to contact each other at night?” His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

“It’s just a college student.”

“A college student.”

“The president of the pine tree club. They’re coming to Hwaido over the vacation and they want me to be their guide.”

Lee-yeon’s gaze naturally slid back to her phone and Chae-woo reached out without thinking.

However, seeing the shadow approach, she flinched and pulled her hand back.