Chapter 40
Chapter 40
With my face burning, I followed him and stopped in front of Room 502. Now wasn’t the time to be flustered because of some guy—I had to confirm if my dad was really here.
Knock knock.
He paused, knocked once, paused again, then knocked twice—knock knock.
Instead of ringing the bell, Shin Chi-woo knocked on the door in a rhythm, almost like a secret signal. I stared anxiously at the door and then realized something odd.
Do motel room doors usually have peepholes on the outside? I took a step back and glanced at the doors of the other rooms. Only Room 502 had a peephole, which made it clear—regardless of whether my dad was here, this room was definitely special.
Click.
The door creaked open cautiously, as if a security chain had been left on. After a quick check through the gap, the door shut again, then opened wide.
The person who appeared wasn’t my dad, but a large man I’d seen about a hundred days ago—one of Shin Chi-woo’s men. The disappointment on my face was so obvious I could feel it without even looking in a mirror.
Then a flicker of doubt crossed my mind—what if this was a trap? But Shin Chi-woo gestured for me to go in. My feet hesitated, worried I’d be locked up again, but then I heard a voice from inside.
“Wan-yi.”
The voice belonged unmistakably to my dad. It really was my dad. That was his voice.
I practically ran into the room and threw myself into his arms.
“Dad.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”
“Dad, I was really scared…”
“It’s all my fault. Everything… all of it’s my fault. Let me see you, my daughter—suffering so much in that place…”
As the door closed behind us, the sound fading, my father and I clung to each other and cried. He looked much thinner than in my last memory of him, and it wasn’t hard to imagine what he must’ve been through.
My dad kept touching my face as he sobbed out his apologies. And all the resentment I’d buried deep inside melted away. Maybe it was because we were family, because we shared blood—my longing for him was greater than my anger.
Still, our emotional reunion couldn’t go on forever with others in the room. That large man, likely my father’s guard or watcher, and Shin Chi-woo were both standing inside, watching us.
The two of them observed our embrace with cool detachment. Shin Chi-woo’s cold stare said it all—he seemed to think our emotional display was over-the-top. Just one look from him was enough to dry up my tears.
“Are you hurt anywhere? In pain?”
“No, I’m okay. What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. As long as you’re not hurt, that’s all that matters.”
Though I’d been dragged to a remote island, my basic needs were met. And once I got used to it, the work wasn’t too hard. From the outside, I probably just looked a little worn.
But my dad, on the other hand, seemed to have gone through hell. He was haggard and much thinner. Whatever confidence he had when he betrayed Chairman Pyeon was gone. He looked like a broken fugitive, a man who had lost all willpower.
“Dad… where were you all this time?”
“Well… Wan-yi…”
“Listen, I was on my way to the airport after your call… but then I got into an accident…”
“I know. Chief Shin got ahead of it, and that’s the only reason you and I were able to meet like this… So don’t dwell on that incident too much.”
“Yeah… he already explained everything to me…”
I wanted to ask him how he’d been all this time, but with Shin Chi-woo nearby, it wasn’t easy to talk. My dad must’ve felt the same, because he spoke like everything was inevitable.
“It’s all my fault… Things spiraled out of control because I made the wrong choice… It’s all on me, Wan-yi.”
Seeing the regret etched on his face, I couldn’t bring myself to ask why he’d dragged me into all of this. At this point, what good would placing blame do? We’d already fallen, and running was our only option.
So I didn’t ask if he’d really betrayed Chairman Pyeon, or what he’d hidden inside the teddy bear he gave me after I finally got into college on my third try.
Maybe I didn’t even want to know the truth. Like that night, long ago, when Dad came home covered in blood.
“There’s no time. Let me explain what happens next.”
“Right. This is what matters now. Wan-yi, sit here and listen too.”
“Okay.”
Once our emotions settled a little, Shin Chi-woo gathered our attention. Though I hadn’t fully composed myself, I let go of Dad’s hand and sat on the edge of the bed.
Dad sat in a worn one-seater sofa beside the bed and gave Shin Chi-woo a nod. He was ready.
“Tonight, at midnight, we leave. Rest as much as you can before then and conserve your strength.”
“So just like we discussed yesterday.”
“Yes. We head down to Busan and board a plane at Gimhae Airport. Someone will be waiting in Taiwan to help you, and from there you can decide your next destination, Director.”
“Thank you for everything, Chief Shin.”
“I’m just doing this for my own sake too. No need to thank me.”
“Still, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me. For helping my daughter get out of there safely, too.”
The plan to escape abroad sounded like some wild fantasy. Just three months ago, we’d been caught heading to Incheon Airport—how could we possibly succeed this time? Even if Shin Chi-woo helped us, Chairman Pyeon Jae-ho wasn’t going to sit back and let it happen.
“If you get caught by someone worse than a viper, living won’t even feel like living. Just look at Gombo.”
I had met the woman named Ballerina, who’d taken the full brunt of Pyeon Jae-ho’s wrath. Sometimes, I feared that same brutal fury etched into her scarred face might one day be mine. Maybe that’s why this thought crossed my mind now.
What if I just ran to Chairman Pyeon Jae-ho this very moment, confessed everything, and begged for forgiveness? If I turned myself in, maybe he’d at least spare my life.
But realistically, the only right choice was to hold out until Pyeon Jae-ho died. Only once Shin Chi-woo seized power—or became a key player in it—could I ever hope to return to my former life.
I looked at Dad, then at Shin Chi-woo, and lowered my head slightly, pretending to stare at my toes. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to notice the treacherous thoughts running through my mind.
“You just need to deliver what you promised.”
“I spent my whole life as Pyeon Jae-ho’s dog… I’ve been waiting for this day…”
My father, burning with bitterness, glanced at me sitting beside him and then closed his mouth. He must’ve realized it wasn’t something he should say so openly in front of me.
“Anyway, thank you for helping me like this, Chief Shin. If it weren’t for you, I don’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened to my Wan-yi by now.”
“Your daughter didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, it’s all my fault.”
“I’m just repaying the favor I received from you in the past, Director. You don’t have to thank me.”
I never realized Shin Chi-woo was such a courteous person. The way he was with my father was completely different from how he acted around me. It reminded me of how I used to be in front of my professors.
I didn’t know what he was really thinking, but on the surface, his attitude toward a superior was measured and respectful. Watching him, I thought, That’s how you survive in society. But then I remembered the lab I used to work in, and a surge of emotion hit me again.
My career was already in ruins—what good would admiring his composure do now? Even if Chairman Pyeon miraculously forgave everything and told us to go home, I could never fully return to the life I once had.
It wasn’t even something grand like trauma. The axis of my world had been so violently shaken that it felt like I could never draw a perfect circle again. No matter how hard I tried going forward, I’d only ever manage a crooked one. Just thinking about that version of myself made my heart sink.
“Soon, someone will bring you a light meal. Please eat with your daughter first, Director.”
“Alright.”
“Then I’ll come back later.”
So he wasn’t going to stay with us until midnight. That made sense—there must’ve been a hundred things he needed to take care of for this escape to succeed. Staying here with us too long wouldn’t have made sense. He was still, after all, one of Chairman Pyeon’s trusted men. He couldn’t disappear for long.
Once he left, I thought I’d wash up a bit before eating. My face was a mess, streaked with tears, and I hadn’t properly cleaned up since leaving the island. Even if I couldn’t take a full shower, a simple wash would probably make me feel a lot better.
