Chapter 56
Chapter 56
I lifted my face, burning red. No matter what Chairman Pyeon said, I stuck close to my father and scanned the people watching us.
There were a few middle-aged men I’d known since childhood because of Dad—men I used to call “uncle.” But there was only one person I couldn’t take my eyes off: a young man around my age.
He was the one who told Dad and me that Chairman Pyeon was on the brink of death. But look at Pyeon Jae-ho standing next to Shin Chi-woo. His illness was apparent, sure, but did he look like someone who was deathly ill, as if he might not make it through the day?
“Wan-yi… What does that mean? You clearly told me yesterday… that nothing happened.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it, Dad… It’s all lies…”
“Wan-yi, look at your father…”
“……”
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“…Is that really important right now? No, I’m not hiding anything! Why won’t you believe me!”
When Chairman Pyeon said I was carrying something inside me, my dad looked shocked and questioned me instead. Between him, Chairman Pyeon pressing me, and Shin Chi-woo staying silent—I was overwhelmed.
Even if Shin Chi-woo had betrayed us, I couldn’t believe he would tell Chairman Pyeon everything that happened between us. No, I didn’t want to believe it.
Please… I just hoped, desperately, that he wasn’t the worst kind of person. For both our sakes.
“Director Seo, what is this? How did Wan-yi become such a liar?”
“…It’s all my fault.”
“If you wanted to save your daughter, if you truly wanted to protect Wan-yi! You shouldn’t have stabbed me in the back.”
“I’ve committed an unforgivable sin, Chairman.”
“You had plenty of time to repent for what you did to me. But Seo Kyoyong, you missed that golden time.”
No matter what Dad and Chairman Pyeon were arguing about, I kept staring at Shin Chi-woo. Just like the first time I saw him, he had a cold expression, like all this was mildly annoying and exhausting. As if we hadn’t just shared body heat a few hours ago.
“Seo Kyoyong, you bastard. Do you know how much I trusted you… How much I cherished your daughter like my own…”
“Chairman! Please! I beg you, for old times’ sake…”
Old times, huh… I wondered if he was here because he knew what happened to the short-haired woman and the big guy. They seemed like his closest aides. Surely he didn’t sacrifice them to save himself.
So many guesses, so much confusion—but one thing was certain. Because I heard it myself today.
“He’s in critical condition now… drifting in and out of consciousness. That’s why I’m able to act at this moment.”
Shin Chi-woo lied to my dad and me. Who would look at the current Pyeon Jae-ho and think he was unconscious and in critical condition? That was clearly a lie to deceive us.
“Kyoyong, did you pull this stunt because you thought I was about to drop dead?”
“I’m sorry. Truly, I’ve committed an unforgivable sin…”
“Your daughter’s just the same! How dare she lie about being pregnant… As if that wouldn’t be exposed right away… Just like you—so damned bold, the both of you…”
Dad and Chairman Pyeon shouted, begged, dragged me into their mess, and caused a scene, but I stayed still. I had lied to survive, told them I was pregnant when I wasn’t, so I had nothing to say for myself.
If I had to be punished for deceiving the factory workers with a fake pregnancy, I would accept it. I had done wrong. On that matter alone, I knew I had no excuse, even if I had ten mouths.
“…?”
Every time I looked at Shin Chi-woo, he didn’t avoid my gaze. His face was so unreadable, so dry of expression, that it made me suspicious instead. Like he had absolutely no ulterior motives.
But then, right there in the warehouse, with a look that screamed annoyance and frustration, Shin Chi-woo brought his right hand to his left ring finger. As if fiddling with a ring. Then he placed his right index finger on his left palm. He scraped his fingertip across his palm a few times, then crossed his arms with a long sigh.
Huh? Was that a signal for me?
To have a habit of playing with a ring, you’d have to actually wear one, right? But Shin Chi-woo didn’t have any rings on any of his ten fingers.
And he wasn’t scratching his palm—he was mimicking the motion of writing with a pen. Both actions were things only the two of us would recognize. That’s why I was confused.
Given how things were unfolding, it was clear Shin Chi-woo had lied to us. But did that mean he had betrayed us? …Or had he only betrayed Dad?
I know how strange it sounds… But if I separate it out—maybe the target of the lie about Chairman Pyeon’s health was only my dad. Not me.
“Don’t go with Dad. Stay here. No, I want you to stay here.”
Ah… so that time, when he said he could at least protect me… was that what he meant when he held onto me? If Shin Chi-woo had decided to save me and abandon Dad… was that why he told me not to follow him?
I knew Shin Chi-woo’s interest in me didn’t come from pure intentions. Still, even if he didn’t like me deeply, there was definitely some human affection. That moment, at least, couldn’t have been a lie.
“Director Seo… Be honest now. Why did you betray me?”
“…I was blinded by money, just for a moment. Please… even if I die, please spare my daughter, Chairman…”
I couldn’t hear Chairman Pyeon’s angry shouts or Dad’s desperate begging with both hands clasped. It all faded as if only Shin Chi-woo and I existed in this world. Everything felt hazy. My thoughts started to scramble.
Let me think this through carefully again…
Originally, Dad and I were supposed to leave separately with a thirty-minute gap. But I had thrown a fit, crying and screaming, so the plan was scrapped. Maybe the plan had been to reassure Dad with the idea that Chairman Pyeon was on the verge of death, hand him over, and sneak me away later—but then the plan changed.
“There was something I left behind.”
He must’ve come to rescue me before handing Dad over to Chairman Pyeon. If he’d physically pushed me to stay because he wanted to convince me not to go… that made my feelings complicated.
He must’ve known I wouldn’t be able to like someone who betrayed my father. Maybe that’s why his coldness hit me even harder. My feelings clearly meant nothing to him. How could I possibly accept someone who pushed my father into danger?
“Seo Kyoyong, your betrayal wasn’t just about money, was it?”
“……”
“There’s something else, isn’t there!”
Up until now, their conversation had sounded like it belonged in another world, but suddenly their words hit me. Yeah… I had also been wondering all along what Dad’s true motives were.
Why did he betray the Chairman and cause all this chaos? And what the hell was Shin Chi-woo thinking, standing there so calm and distant?
“If you want to save at least Wan-yi, speak up… If you keep dodging the question, I’ll burn every inch of your daughter’s face just like that bitch.”
“How could you… do something so vile… to Wan-yi…”
“She’s your daughter, not mine, right?”
“……”
“Someone, get me a cigarette.”
At that moment, the ballerina’s scarred face came to mind, and I shuddered at Chairman Pyeon’s cruelty.
“No, please. Not Wan-yi!”
“Your own child is all you care about, huh? Fine. My child is important to me too! My company is like a child to me!”
Chairman Pyeon’s voice rose higher and higher. Unable to contain his rage, he slammed his fists down repeatedly on the armrests of his wheelchair. Every time my name came out of his mouth, my chest tightened with fear.
To be honest, there were times I thought the ballerina might be delusional. But once I realized the things she told me were real, terror gripped me. I finally understood why Shin Chi-woo had sent me to the factory.
“Killing someone is too easy and simple… it’s more satisfying to roast them alive in hellfire, slow and crisp…”
I don’t remember who said that. But if Chairman Pyeon deliberately didn’t kill the ballerina—if he kept her alive to let her suffer in agony every single day—then paradoxically, I wouldn’t die either. Like her. And that’s why Shin Chi-woo kept insisting the factory was safe.
“I just moved one piece for my own benefit.”
Back then, Shin Chi-woo admitted that he helped me as part of playing both sides—one foot with Chairman Pyeon, one with my father. But judging by how things turned out, he must’ve seen no hope for Dad. That’s why he decided to abandon him.
The situation, where I had to thank the man who killed my father for sparing me, was revolting. I hated myself for wanting to believe that Shin Chi-woo, even after abandoning my dad, was still solidly on my side. The man said nothing, yet I kept making up excuses for him, dressing them up like they made sense.
Maybe the real reason he left me alive… was just to use me however he pleased. Like a tool for his own enjoyment.
