Chapter 15.2

“Why… Why are you acting like it’s nothing?”

Yoo-hwa’s voice trembled.

“Why are you acting like it’s nothing even when you read that?”

Knowing that she didn’t give Woo-hyun time to answer, Yoo-hwa asked once more with wavering eyes. There was no way it was nothing.

The daughter of a man who killed a person. The one who killed him.

It can’t be more brutal than that.

People were sensitive to death, and instinctively avoided someone who was close to death. Woo-hyun, however, did not care at all, but rather felt as if there was some kind of calculation.

“Do you not understand what that means? Didn’t you read it?”

Yoo-hwa raised her voice unconsciously.

“I read it. It said you’re the daughter of a murderer, and that you killed that murderer.”

“…”

“Now I know why the old lady despised you but was scared of you. It’s roughly accurate.”

In fact, Woo-hyun knew everything before coming here. Even the newspaper article that said Yoo-hwa had killed the murderer Kim Beom-sik, and that Yoo-hwa denied it.

There was nothing to be shocked about when seeing that again. It was impossible to be shocked when hearing something that didn’t surprise him in the first place a second time.

Even if Yoo-hwa did kill someone, it was the same. Who would someone who did more than that be afraid of?

“So why are you so calm? How can you be calm!”

She couldn’t say whether it was repulsive or not. Instead, for the first time, Yoo-hwa raised her voice. Amid the contempt, self-scorn, and despise, the feelings of resignation were shaken. She thought it would be better if he despised her and was scared. Otherwise, her hungry self would once again try to pick up hope.

“You said you didn’t do it.”

Like a water droplet falling on the calm water surface, his voice spread among the stillness.

“You said you didn’t, so you must not have done it.”

Woo-hyun’s voice was pitchless, and his eyes didn’t falter. As if he was asking what more proof would he need.

“… Are you not scared of me?”

Yoo-hwa asked quietly, swallowing dry.

Someone was giving her the reaction she had hoped she would get just once, and she was more suspicious than happy.

If he was going to be scared, if he was going to run away, she wanted him to do it now. She didn’t want him to pretend to be nice and eventually turn his back on her while saying, ‘I’m sorry.’

“I’m not scared. Why should I be scared? Everybody has their own circumstances. That’s what happened to you, and I…”

“…”

“I didn’t tell you about my circumstances.”

“…”

“It’s the only difference between you and me.”

“… What kind of circumstances? What circumstances do you have that you are so unaffected even after hearing that I killed a person?”

Yoo-hwa’s question stopped Woo-hyun from talking for the first time. He took a deep breath. His clearly troubled gaze finally met with Yoo-hwa’s.

“I was a gangster.”

In fact, he still is.

“What I mean is, I’ve done all the dirty things in the world. For money.”

If it was money, he did whatever he had to. That way, some of that became his, and he could pay his debts with it.

He lived while realizing every moment that there was a person under the money, and that a person could kill another with a smile.

“If it’s necessary, should I tell you about it in more detail?”

Woo-hyun smiled faintly, trying to hide the sharp memory that had suddenly come to his mind.

“… No.”

“Why? Are you scared?”

This time, Woo-hyun returned the question to Yoo-hwa. His eyes turned cold for a moment. Staring at him, Yoo-hwa’s expression was visibly stiff. She was discouraged, and her eyes were infinitely cautious. It felt like she would run somewhere and hide if she had the chance.

At best, he was winning Yoo-hwa’s heart in a difficult way, but everything fell through. Even so, Woo-hyun smiled deeply. It was so ridiculous that he couldn’t stand it without smiling.

He couldn’t believe she was scared now that things were reversing. Although a person’s position can change in an instant, it changed too quickly.

Unlike his smiling mouth, Woo-hyun’s eyes hardened coldly.

“No. If you tell me, you have to recall that memory again.”

However, he could no longer smile at the words that followed.

“You didn’t start it because you wanted to. I don’t think I’ll be comfortable hearing it. I’m not saying it’s unpleasant, but… I think it’ll hurt a little bit.”

After taking a breath, Yoo-hwa began to pour out carefully picked words.

“…”

“It won’t be easy for you either.”

“…”

“There must have been a circumstance, like you said.”

The corners of Woo-hyun’s mouth lowered slowly.

“I’m sorry. If you remembered something bad because of me.”

Her pale, good-natured face was filled with remorse. Yoo-hwa, who had repeatedly opened and closed her mouth as if she didn’t know what to do, quietly stared at Woo-hyun’s face.

She didn’t have anything more to say, nor did she hope for an answer.

Woo-hyun felt Yoo-hwa’s gaze tracing over his face. Her searching gaze, as if she were looking for a wound, finally settled in his eyes.

The silent Yoo-hwa had an expression of realization.

That everywhere her gaze touched was a wound.