episode_0274

A few days later.

The day I promised with Yunji has arrived.

I finally got the cast off my right foot and was free, but my heart wasn’t at all light.

“Are you here?”

“Okay, get on quickly.”

She came to pick me up because she was the only one with a car. The red sports car, which was still the same today, was easy evidence of what she thought of me, so I felt strange every time I saw it.

anyway.

As soon as I got into the passenger seat and fastened my seatbelt, the car started moving forward smoothly.

I was wondering what to talk about.

Surprisingly, Yoonji opened her mouth first.

“Did you tell the kids?”

He said they were kids, but it was obvious who he was talking about.

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

And I didn’t say anything separately.

Not only the three of them, but I didn’t tell anyone else where I was going with Yunji today.

It seemed like it had to be that way.

For Yunji, it’s something she wants to keep a secret the most, but if I tell her, doesn’t it feel like I’m spreading rumors?

And since I was the only one he could trust, he must have asked me to accompany him.

“Are you okay?”

Yoonji glances at me.

The question was whether the kids wouldn’t hate it if they found out that he was hanging out with his ex-girlfriend like this.

I’m sure you won’t like it very much though.

“It’s okay.”

That doesn’t mean they won’t understand me in this situation.

“I should have said something.”

“Then you have to tell me where you are and who you are meeting.”

“… … .”

“It’s okay, let’s go. Don’t worry about anything else and just worry about what you’re going to say when you get there.”

“Okay.”

There wasn’t much conversation after that.

I thought about turning on the radio or music, but Oh Yoon-ji didn’t do that.

I was just going to leave in silence, but then I remembered what Choi Yi-seo said last time, so I said it out loud.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Body? Suddenly?”

“I heard you were sick last time. You suddenly became dazed.”

“Ah… … .”

She trails off.

I could tell right away that he didn’t want to talk.

And I could see why.

You probably don’t want to worry anyone.

I guess you don’t want to provoke feelings of affection with unnecessary sympathy.

The Oh Yoon-ji I know is that kind of woman.

“Tell me.”

But I didn’t intend to just block her eyes and ears out of consideration.

Shouldn’t you listen to what you have to hear?

“Haa, I’ve had that tendency since the old days. Suddenly, as if a switch had been turned off, my vision would darken and my thoughts would become rigid. It’s a bit… … like a person called me losing consciousness.”

“What?!”

I twist my body without realizing it and look at Oh Yoon-ji. I’ve never heard anything like that from Choi Yi-seo.

“Have you been to the hospital? Who would know that! No, if there’s something like that, you should tell me!”

“Don’t be so excited. I went to the hospital and they said it wasn’t a physical illness. They said it was probably psychological. And no one else would know except you.”

Did you suffer like that alone, hiding it until the end?

My heart suddenly starts to pound.

I felt a sense of guilt that I had become one of the burdens on the child who had to endure so many hardships.

“But it’s gotten a little better these days.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, for a while now, people who are believed to be the victim’s family have been sending letters to the company.”

“… … !”

“I was watching it and it was getting worse and the cycle was getting shorter. But recently, I haven’t sent it. Now that I’m watching it less, it’s getting better.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“I’m not sure if it’s fortunate or not.”

I was a bit worried about that person suddenly appearing, but I guess it’s okay if he doesn’t do that anymore.

“Did you eat lunch?”

“No, not yet.”

“Let’s go and eat something since we have to wait a bit.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“If there’s anything you want to eat, let me know.”

And so our rather special day began.

* * *

In the middle of the city.

A man wearing a hat walks between similar buildings, trying to hide any signs of life as he enters the building.

There was no separate sign, but this was the company building of [Star Studio] run by Oh Yoon-ji and Kim Woon.

What he was holding in his arms was an envelope.

It was now a daily routine for him to put it in the mailbox every day.

Today was a little different.

“Excuse me.”

A man raises his head in surprise at the sound of a woman’s voice calling him.

Choi Yi-seo, wearing a blue tracksuit, glares at the man with her arms crossed.

“Are you the person who sends letters every day?”

For a while, Choi Yi-seo had been receiving letters herself, not from Oh Yoon-ji.

In her hands are letters of resentment she received from Oh Yoon-ji.

“Who are you?”

The man, who was initially embarrassed, put his hands deep in his pockets and glared at her questioningly.

“I’m an employee here. And my friend Yunji.”

“Friend? Huh, shit.”

“Please choose your words carefully.”

“What’s weird about yelling at a fucking bitch? Don’t you really know what her father did?”

“I know. I know… …Yoonji has never properly met her father.”

In the end, they are also victims.

That’s why Choi Yi-seo knows that she needs to be careful with her words while being as gentle as possible.

“Who knows? How much money did that bitch’s father take? Is this right? We still can’t sleep properly because of that incident? This bitch uses that money to start this company and live a life of luxury.”

“Whew, Yunji didn’t get anything from her father. She said it was all self-made.”

“You’re talking nonsense. There’s a rumor going around that that bastard hid his money somewhere. If you search that bastard Yoonji’s house, you’ll find that money.”

“I understand that you are hurt. It must be a sad situation. But the person you should blame is the wrong person.”

I know that no one can stop or stop resentment.

But Oh Yoon-ji was a child who had no reason to be the target.

“There’s a rumor going around that you have a pretty face and you seduced a conglomerate’s son. Isn’t that what it means to be innocent by heredity and guilty by heredity?”

“Calm down, please.”

“Okay, you said you’re a staff member and a friend here, right? Enjoy it. It’s your last day.”

“Excuse me!”

“Just know that you’re from the same bloodline as that crazy psycho killer!”

Choi Yi-seo tried to grab him in a hurry, but the man had already turned around and run away.

“Sigh.”

Choi Yi-seo sighed as she looked down at the letter in her hand.

Today was Yoonji’s day off, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk to the person who left the letter.

The person involved is still unable to forget his or her grief and does not even think about listening to the story, but just counts the days.

In the midst of the complicated situation, Choi Yi-seo kept thinking about what the man had said earlier.

‘Until today?’

Those words, strangely enough, struck a chord with her heart.

No matter what I wanted to find out, there was nothing I could do.

* * *

“Hmm, I think it’s been a long time since I’ve had noodles.”

I was more excited than I thought when I entered the noodle restaurant. Of course, the food I eat at home is delicious, but there have been more than a few times when I wanted to eat out like this.

This restaurant is especially good at making somyeon gukbap, which is my favorite type of gukbap.

“I still like soup.”

“I don’t like rice. Koreans are rice-lovers.”

“That’s right, I liked rice.”

Yoonji asks, slightly raising the corners of her lips as if something has come to mind.

“Do you remember when I made potato rice?”

“Oh, you burned it all? It was surprisingly crispy on the outside and delicious. Did they say that’s how they cook it in China?”

“It was potato oil rice soaked in oil.”

“That’s right, I felt sick the next day so I bought some shaved ice and ate it.”

Surprisingly, there was no resistance to telling old stories.

No, it was even a little fun, but it seemed like it wasn’t just me, but Yoonji was thinking similar things too.

As the conversation continued, noodles were served.

“Is there no chili oil there?”

When Yunji asked cautiously, the employee brought some chili oil separately.

Then Yunji sneakily hands it to me.

“You always put it in and eat it.”

“That’s right.”

I didn’t bother to say that I remembered, because I knew that it would be meaningless even if I did.

Side dishes are self-service, but I only received cubed radish and no kimchi.

That’s because when we eat noodles, we tend to only eat radish kimchi.

Surprisingly.

‘… … .’

In a landscape that hasn’t changed at all since those days.

The spoon paused for a moment.

As I watched Yunji eating diligently, I really felt like I had gone back in time.

‘Last date… … .’

I remembered what Yoonji had said about her day today.

The weight of the words felt strangely heavy, and I felt strangely bloated even though I only ate a few bites of the noodles.

After eating all the noodles.

We headed to the prison.

It was a breeze as we talked about the restaurant we had just eaten at and the noodle restaurant we often ate at.

In front of the prison.

Yunji parks her car in the parking lot and checks her appearance with a hand mirror.

Just in case, I saw her gargling, spraying perfume, and tidying up.

I thought maybe she wanted to show her father that she was doing well.

Anyway, he was a father I hated and resented.

But still, he’s my father.

I had felt similar emotions myself, so I kept my mouth shut and waited for her.

After some time like that.

We went into the interview room and were able to meet Yunji’s father.