Chapter 156:

Kwon Chae-woo blinked his bloodshot eyes a few times and then finally was able to focus.

He grabbed a broom and came out. “Tonight is the night of your competition. Eat well.”

Kwon Chae-woo brushed the floor like nothing happened.

“Chae-woo, you said you’re coming tonight right?”

Lee-yeon stared at the man with sparkling eyes.

“I’ll go ahead and get ready so you have to come after you finish your meal.”

Tonight was the 4th competition.

Lee-yeon kept everything a secret.

She wanted to give Kwon Chae-woo the music that ring through the forest, the memory that was contained within like a gift. She wanted to unravel this misunderstanding from the forest she worked so hard on.

“Ah, a spoil?”

It seemed like somewhere in Lee-yeon’s memory, that sarcastic remark was hitting her. But she couldn’t say anything as the man looked sensitive and tired for the week.

Then the event from 15 years ago came into her dream. That moment, that guest. She never had a dream like that before….

Her last shout especially was complete imagination but Lee-yeon arm hurt like it was actually grabbed by her.

“It might be the last time so I have to go see.”

“Last time…! I’m going until the end!”

“Good.”

As he smiled oddly, Lee-yeon also smiled childishly.

There was a rehearsal with an orchestra that was hard for her to book from another region this morning.

“….”

But the more she chewed, the more her face became dark and stern, and her chewing slowed.

Eventually, she realized that the seasoning on all of the side dishes had been poorly done. One bite of a particularly salty dish made her almost frown, but she managed to swallow it down with a gulp of water.

The next dish was far too sweet, and it was clear that Chae-woo had confused salt and sugar in his cooking.

Well, humans make mistake.

Despite the seasoning mishap, Lee-yeon continued to eat and pretended to be impressed with Chae-woo’s cooking, not wanting to hurt his feelings or make him feel embarrassed.

She knew that it wasn’t easy to cook for someone else, and appreciated the effort that he had put into making the meal for her.

But as she ate, she couldn’t help but feel distracted by everything that had happened recently – the bad dream she had last night, and now the poorly seasoned food.

She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she didn’t even notice Chae-woo struggling to use his chopsticks in front of her.

***

A dead black forest.

But the orchestra in their white dress shirt was shining like magnolia denudate.

When they arrived at the mountain, The D hospital had a wall up to hide their area completely, but Lee-yeon wasn’t even slightly curious. She was already occupied by the orchestra that was tuning.

Each time the sound travelled through the clear air, her heart trembled like she was little.

She quickly checked her watch and called Kwon Chae-woo.

Before the competition starts, so before crowd comes, she wanted him to be the first audience. Lee-yeon was waiting anxiously and then smiled as he picked up.

“Hello? Chae-woo, are you coming? Where are you?”

-….

But there was no response. The orchestra’s uncoordinated sound came in.

“Chae-woo?”

Lee-yeon checked the phone but the phone time was still going.

“Hello? Kwon Chae-woo, can you hear me?”

-…..n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Still silent. The moment Lee-yeon covered her ear and turned, she could hear odd laughing over the phone. It started to become like crying.

“…. It’s unforgettable gift, Lee-yeon.”

Lee-yeon flinched at such low tone.

“….!”

Kwon Chae-woo was walking in. His face was so blue as there was no sense of blood in it.

He was also wearing something Lee-yeon hasn’t seen before, which was black suit and dress shirt with some of his buttons undone.

“…. Chae-woo?”

-Since I got a gift, I’ll have to give you something back.

Lee-yeon’s heart sank as his eyes seemed abnormal.

Her instinct was correct.

-It’s a perfect finale.

Kwon Chae-woo slowly stopped smiling and mumbled coldly.

The man walked past Lee-yeon and went to the orchestra. His eyes looked hazy from lack of sleep, but his steps were determined. The orchestra stopped tuning as the man interrupted them.

Kwon Chae-woo took someone’s cello and lifted it high up in the air.

Suddenly, the orchestra members stood up and began screaming before fleeing the scene. Kwon Chae-woo repeatedly slammed the cello down onto an empty chair.

Lee-yeon couldn’t even breathe and covered her mouth in shock. Her heart pounded like a warning sign. Instead of the beautiful harmonies she had been expecting, the sound of the broken cello filled the room.

The wooden pieces flew everywhere, and the strings made a painful noise. The cello was being completely destroyed before her eyes.

“Chae, Chae-woo, what are you…”

Kwon Chae-woo hit the long neck of cello until it was completely broken into two and then kept stomping on it.

Pale trembling lips. Vein popping in his hands. And the hair that was covering his brown eyes. Everything made him look like not Kwon Chae-woo but someone else.

He calmed his breathing while looking at broken cello. In the middle of quiet forest, nothing was worse.

Kwon Chae-woo tidied up his hair with his trembling hand and stumbled towards the frozen woman.

“Why are you looking at me like a monster? Were you scared?”

He caressed Lee-yeon’s cheek. She trembled even though it was just his hand.

“When did you start noticing?”

He started saying something. Lee-yeon wanted to say something. Something—

“You knew. That I’m not your husband.”

“….!”

“The retard Kwon Chae-woo is no longer here—“

He asked Lee-yeon.

“You knew from the beginning, didn’t you?”