episode_0182

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-San Francisco! When you come, I will treat you well. No, just tell me your address and I’ll send a driver to pick you up right away! I came all the way to America, so I don’t need to see his face. Otherwise my heart… Hmm, my parents feel uncomfortable.

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‘Send a driver? I guess this isn’t an ordinary family either.’

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Suddenly, I remembered the American soldier who offered to treat me to a full course if I visited the United States. An American soldier who spoke to a child when he rescued him from Waegwan. I was curious about how he would treat the full course, but perhaps he had not finished his deployment to Korea yet.

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The hospitality Olivia was talking about was definitely more luxurious and richer than the full course meal, but it didn’t seem to be any less.

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‘what… I think I’ve seen enough to look around this area… ‘

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I felt moved by her suggestion.

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“Hmm… I’ll call you back first. Thank you for the suggestion, but I have company now so I think we should discuss it.”

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-party? who? Is it really a woman? The woman I saw at the Saipan market back then? hello? Minho… … .

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Pop~

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Olivia suddenly becomes more talkative when she hears that she has company. I ended the call, pretending not to hear.

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“Phew… ”

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“What’s going on?”

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As soon as I hung up the phone, Jeong Soo-jin came out to the deck with her share of black tea. I waited for her to sit down and explained the situation. The family of the woman I saved from a recent program invited me.

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Su-jin Jeong, who heard the story, was very surprised and expressed interest.

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“I saw that scene too! and… Did he really invite you? That too is fate.”

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“Uh, here’s her father’s business card.”

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Sigh.

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After seeing the business card, Jeong Soo-jin opened her eyes wide and searched for something on her smartphone. Then he suddenly held out the screen to me.

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A screen full of all kinds of English sentences. Looking at the name of the site with the word “News” in it, I assumed it was a foreign media site.

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Naturally, I couldn’t interpret anything other than very simple words, so I asked Jeong Soo-jin.

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“… What is this?”

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“What! This company is a very famous law firm in the United States!”

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“Really?”

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‘That was the law firm’s business card.’

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It was interesting, but even though it was a famous company in the U.S., I wasn’t very impressed. Although this time it was related to a very special incident, it was originally a story about an industry in a country that had absolutely nothing to do with me.

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On the other hand, Su-jin Jeong seemed to get more excited after seeing my cool reaction.

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“Is that all the reaction? Senior partner there… If this is true, they must be from a family of great social status! Not to mention money!”

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“I see. Then the invitation… ”

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“Of course I should get it! Even though it’s a different country, opportunities like this don’t come around all of the time. If you become acquainted with a family like this, it will definitely benefit you!”

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Before Jeong Soo-jin could finish speaking, she came to a conclusion.

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According to what she said, Olivia’s family is an extremely elite family in the United States. At that point, people like me might be looked down upon as a no-nonsense person who just does personal broadcasting…

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I couldn’t tell if he was truly someone who didn’t care about such things, or if his daughter was so angry that he had no choice but to invite her.

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‘When I received the business card, I seemed sincerely grateful.’

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Perhaps it can be seen as an invitation of pure good will.

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I spoke to Sujin Jeong while scratching the back of my head.

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“Then let’s go together.”

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“Huh?”

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“If the family is that rich, wouldn’t they even care if a guest brings a partner?”

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“That’s right, but… ”

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Jeong Soo-jin pursed her lips and was lost in thought. Her eyes were focused on her father’s house behind her.

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Silence continued for a while. It wasn’t until I took a few more sips of coffee that her mouth opened again.

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“… I guess I can’t do it.”

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“Why?”

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“Because I haven’t yet achieved the purpose I came here for. I enjoyed sightseeing in San Diego with my brother, so now it’s time to explore this house that holds my father’s memories.”

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“Looking through the attic or basement?”

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“Yes, attic or basement… cellar? Did this house have a basement?”

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She nodded with a faint smile, looked at me and asked.

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‘Didn’t your father tell you?’

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I told her about the space I discovered using energy.

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“Uh, when I was dusting off the house before, there was a door on the floor of the storage room. I didn’t open it separately. Cleaning up somewhere else.”

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“Really? I was already sorry that my brother finished cleaning in an instant. I have to clean it up there too.”

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Gulp~

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Jeong Soo-jin finished the remaining tea in one go and stood up.

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“Okay, then when do you plan to go?”

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“If you decide to do this, the sooner the better. From what I’ve noticed, it looks like they’re going to send a driver right away… I think it would be better to go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

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“Hmm… Then, can I sleep in for one more day? ”

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She made a snoring noise and placed her butt on my leg. I lost the will to resist that subtle temptation and naturally wrapped my arms around her waist.

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“Is that so? Well, if I go quickly, I’ll just end up being harassed by Olivia.”

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“Olivia… By any chance, you are not planning on messing with the student, are you?”

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Jeong Soo-jin, who knew that Olivia was a minor for some reason, said. Her tone was full of laughter, so you could tell that she wasn’t serious and that it was a joke.

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“Absolutely not.”

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‘Maybe after I become an adult in a year.’

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“Okay, that’s fine. But aren’t American students currently in the middle of the semester?”

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“Well… It’s the weekend starting tomorrow, so you’ll figure that out on your own.”

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***

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“Haam… ”

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Jeong Soo-jin woke up to the warm sunlight coming through the window.

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“Ugh… ”

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As she stood up, she moaned involuntarily because her lower body and waist were throbbing.

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It was an aftereffect of Minho harassing her all night, perhaps because he felt sorry for leaving her alone last night.

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‘It’s good, but…’ The next day was a little difficult… ‘

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The moment I was held in Minho’s arms, I wasn’t conscious of it because of the ecstasy, but the next day, the rebound would come.

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Suji Jeong frowned at the dampness she felt on the bed sheets. Although most of it was my own sweat, it was an unwelcome element on a refreshing morning.

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Minho’s night skills were so good that I always had to wash my sheets the day after I slept in the same bed with him.

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“My brother is good at things like this… ”

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Jeong Soo-jin got up from her seat and muttered as she took off the sheet. Minho usually cleans up after him, but he heads to San Francisco early in the morning in the car sent by Olivia.

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Today she had to wash the blankets herself.

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Minho was good at everything, from sports to games to English. He was also good at housework.

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Is it because of my experience as a housewife?

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Jeong Soo-jin was amazed at Minho’s ability to clean, do laundry, and wash dishes extremely quickly and cleanly.

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After putting the sheets in the washing machine and spinning them, she straightened her back and muttered.

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“Phew… You wouldn’t just go and get involved with Western women for no reason, right?”

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I knew that Minho was often involved with women while broadcasting. Of course it didn’t feel good. Although Su-jin Jeong and Min-ho were not dating, it was true that they were closer than just a brother-sister relationship. But whenever Minho was by her side, Sujin Jeong could tell that he truly cared for her.

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That was why I let Minho go so easily.

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According to her clumsy knowledge, there was a risk that a man would easily get tired of a woman if she was too promiscuous.

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As long as Minho’s affection was clear, she could wait as long as she wanted.

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After thinking for a while, Jeong Soo-jin walked around the house and did some simple household chores. There wasn’t much for her to do since Minho had kept it tidy for several days.

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At most, it was just eating, washing dishes, or sweeping up blades of grass that had flown onto the deck. The yard was also in much better condition than when we first arrived because Minho had roughly cut the grass.

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After finishing her housework, Jeong Soo-jin remembered what Minho said to her before leaving.

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‘I said there was a door on the floor of the warehouse room.’

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Since she had already started cleaning, she planned to look around the basement as well.

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Squeak ㅡ

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A storage room located at the back of the house. There weren’t many items piled up that made the name “warehouse” worthless. Just tools for home maintenance and a few items that don’t fit the season.

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The floor was covered with an old carpet with geometric patterns.

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Flap!

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“This is… ”

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When Jeong Soo-jin removed the carpet, the small door hidden by it was revealed. A trap door made of the same material as the floor.

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The strange thing was that the small door leading to the basement had a lock on it. It was an electronic lock with a number pad.

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“Password? what… Should I ask my dad?”

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After thinking for a moment, she entered her parents’ dates of birth. But the lock did not respond.

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“Then… ”

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She finally entered her date of birth. If I touched it any further, the basement would be permanently locked and I would have to tear out the floor. If it doesn’t open again this time, I was thinking of just contacting my father and asking.

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Tiririkㅡ

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Fortunately, the date of birth of Jeong Soo-jin was correct, and the lock was unlocked with a cheerful sound.

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When I opened the trap door, which felt slightly heavy, I could see a ladder leading to the basement. She turned on the flashlight on her smartphone and carefully went down.

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Standing on the dark basement floor, she turned on the switch on the wall.

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Tidi Dick… Tick!

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“Wow… ”

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When the lights came on and the scenery of the basement was revealed, Jeong Soo-jin could not help but be amazed.

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She had imagined a basement full of spider webs just by looking at the trap door visible from the outside.

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But in reality it was quite the opposite.

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It was clear that it looked old and dilapidated, but other than the dust that had accumulated due to how it had been maintained, the basement looked very neat.

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In front of her was a wooden table and a world map attached to the wall in front of it. There were all kinds of threads and notes attached to the map.

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Jeong Soo-jin’s gaze turned to the photo of her parents placed on the table. A harmonious family photo taken of the father and mother with their childhood selves between them.

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She picked up the framed photo. And with longing hands, I slowly swept away the dust that had accumulated on top.

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“You were here. For some reason, I couldn’t find a single photo even when I looked around the house, but it was in a place like this… ”

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Jeong Soo-jin, who was lost in memories for a moment, put down the photo again. Then, another object caught her eye.

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“This is… ?”

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What she picked up was a ring. The ring was covered in dust like a table, as if it hadn’t been worn for a long time.

When I peeled off the dust with my finger, the hidden snake symbol on the ring was revealed.

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“Is it a wedding ring? I don’t think my mom had a ring like this. But this scratch… ”

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Jeong Soo-jin stroked the ring with her finger. There was a deep knife mark engraved across the snake pattern.

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