Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Ssshh…
I carefully sealed my clothes in a plastic pouch to keep them from getting wet, then took off what I was wearing. As I stepped into the shower booth and turned the lever, I let out a quiet chuckle without meaning to. Even the showerhead had been replaced with a new one. I didn’t expect anyone to go this far for my comfort.
When the water began pouring from above, I rubbed my face with both hands for no reason. I didn’t want to admit that I was crying.
I didn’t even know why I was crying. I just wanted to wash away all the confusion, standing there drenched in hot water. That was all.
I wanted to enjoy the comfort of everyday life I hadn’t felt in so long, but I couldn’t afford to shower for too long. I let myself be surrounded by the scent I liked, just enough to lift my mood, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Right then, as if waiting, the woman with the bob cut pointed toward the next room where my dad was and spoke.
“Your meal is ready. Please go eat.”
“Ah, okay. Thank you.”
She stepped into the hallway with me and knocked on the door to my father’s room. When it opened, my dad motioned me over eagerly with a wave. I looked at the woman with the bob cut and suggested we eat together.
“Why don’t you join us for dinner?”
“We’ll manage on our own. Don’t worry about us.”
“Still—”
“This is part of our job.”
“Alright, I understand.”
So they didn’t come up to the motel earlier because they were out getting food. I had no idea how much they were being paid, but being pulled into something like this and not being able to go home for days—anyone would need a very good reason to get involved in something this messy.
I nodded and moved into the next room where my father was. He must’ve been waiting for me to finish washing up—he grinned and patted the chair with his palm like he was telling me to hurry up and sit.
“Even convenience store lunchboxes taste good, Wan-yi.”
“I sometimes buy them for lunch, so I already knew they’re better than expected. They’re pretty decent.”
“Didn’t you usually eat with the people at your lab?”
“I did, most of the time… but sometimes when people had other plans or I just wanted a break, I ate alone.”
“I’ve been so caught up in work that I didn’t even know what my daughter’s been eating all this time.”
“I’m old enough, Dad. I can take care of myself.”
“To me, you’ll always be my little girl. Are you really a grown-up now?”
This was a motel, so it wasn’t like there’d be a proper dining table. I was just thankful there was at least a small round table.
My dad and I hunched over mismatched chairs and ate our convenience store meals while catching up on everything we’d missed. Still, because we were being watched, we kept the more sensitive questions vague and treaded carefully around them.
“Wan-yi, you’re feeling okay, right? Your mom couldn’t eat at all when she was pregnant with you.”
“Yeah, Dad. I’m healthy. Don’t believe any weird rumors. I’m not sick, uncomfortable, or anything like that. I’m completely fine on my own.”
“That’s a relief.”
How had the pregnancy rumor already crossed the sea and reached Dad’s ears? I answered firmly, making it clear I was denying it, in response to his subtle attempt to get at the truth.
He seemed to understand what I meant, and the look of relief on his face was so sincere it nearly brought me to tears. No matter what he’d done wrong, he was still my dad.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I finished every bite of the meal. If I was going to travel far tonight, I had to start by filling my stomach.
“How about a cup of coffee?”
“I’m alright, sir.”
“Oh, come on… Let me make a cup for everyone. After everything we’ve been through, we should at least have some coffee.”
“Then allow me, sir.”
“No, no, sit down and rest. I can manage this much. It’s the least I can do, and I feel bad it’s all I can offer.”
Even if he was a fugitive now, he was still their elder and their boss. It didn’t look easy for the big guy and the woman with the bob cut to turn him down. As I watched my dad pour bottled water into the electric kettle and prepare paper cups, I smiled quietly.
I didn’t know how long he had been hiding in this room, but judging by what he said on the phone with Shin Chi-woo, it had probably been three to four days at most. I hadn’t noticed earlier because we were hugging and crying, but now I saw there were quite a few cup noodles and other simple snacks stocked up in the room.
“Dad.”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“For me, just like this.”
“Okay.”
I glanced over to count how many instant coffee packets were left, then called my dad. Holding up a V with my left hand, I signaled that I wanted two packets in mine.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, don’t mention it.”
Once everyone had a paper cup in hand, the atmosphere in the room softened. My dad and I leaned in under the excuse of drinking coffee and managed to whisper to each other for a little while.
“Wan-yi… Nothing happened to you on the island, right?”
“Yeah, no one really tried to hurt me. I even worked in the factory for a bit—just packing boxes.”
“I see… You must have a million questions, but just wait one more day. As soon as the plane takes off, I’ll explain everything. I’m sorry for putting you through all this.”
“You better. I seriously… I need to understand what all of this is.”
There was so much worry on my dad’s face as he patted my shoulder and sighed deeply. He probably felt just as frustrated as I did, not being able to tell me everything.
Thinking about how uncertain our future was—even this cup of coffee felt like a luxury. The momentary calm was breaking, and I found myself unconsciously biting at the edge of the paper cup with my front teeth.
“So… um, really, nothing happened? With… that person?”
I immediately knew who he was talking about, even though he stumbled over his words and didn’t name them. I answered in the same vague way, without saying who it was.
“Yeah, we only pretended to be on the same page, but nothing actually happened. I swear, Dad.”
“Well… you’re not the kind of kid to do something like that… Though, to be fair… he doesn’t seem like that type either.”
“Really?”
“He’s not into women, says he prefers work. Oh—right, didn’t I mention setting you up on a blind date a while ago?”
“Yeah, wait—are you saying…?”
“If I’d known things would turn out like this, I should’ve forced you two to at least have one meal together.”
So that’s why Dad was so insistent back then about me meeting someone. If it had been Shin Chi-woo of all people, he should’ve at least shown me a photo. His face is my type—maybe I would’ve changed my mind if I’d seen it….
It was strange to think I’d almost ended up connected to Shin Chi-woo in such an unexpected way. Now that I thought about it, even on the island, people used to gossip about him, calling him impotent or a stone statue. And now even Dad was saying this—so maybe it really was true that his private life was squeaky clean.
Even though my cup was already empty, I pretended there was still coffee in it and took another fake sip. I muttered quietly with closed lips, almost like a ventriloquist, because this was something I just couldn’t hold back—I had to ask.
“So what exactly does he do? He does work at your company, right? How old is he?”
“You didn’t know? He never told you?”
“Not a word.”
“Figures. That guy’s like that. He barely ever talks about himself.”
“So what’s his actual job? Is he some gangster? A thug? A fixer?”
“No, a lawyer. I think he’s thirty. Two years older than you.”
Hmm… a lawyer. Now that I heard it, it kind of made sense.
He didn’t strike me as someone completely unfamiliar with academics, and he seemed fairly well-educated. But still, for someone who worked so hard to become a lawyer to be doing this kind of thing—it really proved that the people who know better can be the worst ones.
Since he knows the law, he probably also knows better than anyone how to slip through its cracks. Maybe that’s where his confidence comes from. Maybe he’s taking care of Dad and me right now because he thinks he can commit the perfect crime behind Pyeon Jae-ho’s back and never get caught.
Ah… maybe that’s why I always found Shin Chi-woo so unpleasant. That smug, condescending gaze—men who’ve been over-educated sometimes have that particular air of superiority. I caught glimpses of it in him now and then.
Still, knowing scattered bits of the truth like this was even more frustrating than knowing nothing at all. It only made me thirstier for more. Now I found myself weirdly curious about Shin Chi-woo’s past and personal life.
“Officially, he’s part of our legal team… but think of him as the chairman’s right-hand man.”
“Wasn’t that you, Dad?”
“I’m not smart enough… maybe the left leg at best?”
“That’s not funny.”
“All I know is, the chairman personally sponsored Chief Shin so he could become a lawyer. Beyond that, even I don’t know much.”
I nodded at my dad’s words and rolled my eyes, falling into my own thoughts. You know how those documentaries on cults say they deliberately nurture talent to place them in positions of power for influence?
It felt like Shin Chi-woo had been deliberately raised that way. And in a strange way, Pyeon Jae-ho did seem to have an eye for people. Looking at Shin Chi-woo now, helping my dad like this, it felt like he had raised a tiger cub with his own hands. One that might one day devour him.
