Chapter : 03
The driver’s door opened, and a man with a dignified air stepped out.
A neat suit, an impeccably straight tie.
There was something about him that made it difficult to treat him carelessly.
The man walked straight toward Sojin.
Sojin looked at him and tilted her head.
Who is he? What does he want?
‘……Do I know him? I feel like I’ve never seen him before.’
The man stopped a certain distance in front of her. With a calm expression, he looked over Sojin’s appearance.
Heavy makeup, a dress that would be suitable for a club, and bare feet.
Without saying a word, the man took off his suit jacket and draped it over Sojin’s shoulders.
“W-What are you doing?”
Sojin tried to push his hand away, but instead, the man fastened the jacket more securely around her.
He spoke in a calm voice.
“Miss, it is late at night. Please go home now.”
“Who are you to be doing this……?”
The man paused to catch his breath, then spoke as though reciting a predetermined answer.
“……I am Miss’s attendant, Secretary Han. The Chairman is worried.”
“T-The Chairman?”
It was the moment when her suspicion became certain, but for now, she denied reality.
“I’m not a young lady. And I don’t even know who the Chairman is.”
“……Miss Sojin.”
When the exact name ‘Sojin’ came from Secretary Han’s mouth, Sojin’s expression hardened.
Was my suspicion wrong?
How does he know my name? How did he know?
“Please get in quickly. This is not a situation for jokes.”
“No, I’m telling you, I’m not the young lady!”
Secretary Han seemed to think for a moment at Sojin’s words, then casually opened a notebook from inside his chest pocket, as if he were familiar with this.
He carefully began to speak.
“Then let me confirm something. What is the young lady’s name?”
“……Lee Sojin?”
He drew a circle in his notebook.
“Where is the young lady’s home?”
“Seongbuk-gu…….”
He drew an X.
After that, the man continued asking about the size of her house, the university she graduated from, her family relationships, and so on, continuing to draw X’s.
The more X’s he added, the more rigid his expression became.
“I see. Understood.”
“What do you mean, you understand?”
Secretary Han leaned toward Sojin. He took a deep breath and then straightened his body again.
“You don’t smell of alcohol, but judging from the circumstances, it appears that you have had too much to drink again. I should report this to the Chairman immediately.”
“What are you talking abou—. No, wait! Who are you calling?”
As Secretary Han said something over the phone, two sedans approached Sojin from the alley.
Sojin instinctively sensed danger and stepped backward.
‘If I stay here, I think they’re going to drag me away.’
I have to run.
Watching him carefully, Sojin slowly backed away.
Then, the moment he looked away, she suddenly sprinted in the opposite direction from the sedans.
The men who had been inside the sedans immediately jumped out and chased after Sojin.
“Miss!”
“It’s dangerous, Miss!”
“Please come back immediately!”
“Leave me alone, please!”
Sojin ran straight ahead, weaving around people to avoid them.
However, the chase did not last long.
Sojin was quite fast herself, but perhaps the attendants had received running training, because they quickly caught her.
“Huff, huff……. Miss, please don’t do this.”
“I’m not a young lady!”
Secretary Han gave the men an order in a firm voice.
“Take the young lady to the car.”
The men skillfully grabbed Sojin by both arms and dragged her toward the sedan.
“Let go! I said let go!”
Sojin made a huge fuss and struggled to get free, but there was no way she could overpower the strength of grown men.
In the end, she had no choice but to be dragged away quietly.
The place they arrived at was a luxurious mansion.
After passing through a beautifully decorated garden, Sojin was practically dragged inside the house.
As soon as they entered through the front door, the attendants all stepped back in unison.
Just as Sojin was rubbing her arms, which had finally been freed, someone hurriedly came running out from inside.
“Sojin!”
It was a middle-aged man with a dignified air. He seemed to be the Chairman the secretary had called him earlier.
The Chairman immediately embraced Sojin.
Behind the Chairman, a woman with a proud, catlike air leisurely walked out.
Seeing the two of them, the woman gave a small laugh and said,
“My goodness, your love for your daughter is quite something.”
Although she let out a deep sigh, the woman’s eyes were filled with affection as she looked at Sojin.
“Honey, our daughter is already thirty.”
“She’s still a little girl in my eyes.”
Sojin stood there awkwardly. She couldn’t push the Chairman away, but she couldn’t embrace him either, leaving her standing there uncertainly.
‘Have I seen him somewhere before……? Who is he?’
The Chairman took Sojin by the arm and pulled her farther inside the house.
“Let’s go inside first. We’ll talk once we’re inside.”
Sojin found herself stepping into the unfamiliar house without really knowing what was happening.
As she entered the living room, a magnificent sight greeted her.
The ceiling was open to the height of two floors, and a crystal chandelier gave off a soft glow.
Sojin’s eyes widened as she looked at the chandelier.
It was so extravagant that the light reflecting off it was almost dazzling, like light coming from jewels.
‘Is that chandelier actually made of gold?’
The floor was luxurious marble, cold and gleaming, with a soft rug spread widely across it.
‘It’s incredibly big and luxurious.’
When Sojin sat on the living room sofa, the household staff moved in perfect coordination and prepared a tea set in front of her.
Their movements were so stiff and precise that they looked like programmed robots.
“This tea is good for a hangover.”
The staff gently placed a soft fur blanket over Sojin’s shoulders and put a cushioned footrest beneath her feet.
The tea was at a perfectly moderate temperature—not too hot, not too cold.
That very perfection felt strangely unnatural.
The Chairman and the woman sat across from Sojin.
The Chairman exchanged a glance with the woman before cautiously speaking.
“Who told you to drink that much? Hmm?”
“Haha…….”
“I heard the secretaries had a hard time looking for you after they lost track of you. They even said you couldn’t remember your own house?”
Sojin awkwardly avoided his gaze.
She wasn’t actually drunk, so what could she possibly say? All she could do was smile.
The nagging continued for a while before finally nearing its end.
“Oh dear, you said the same thing last time. If you really get completely drunk again, you’re going to get a serious scolding!”
“Honey, I think Sojin has understood by now. She must be tired, so tell her to go to her room and rest.”
“All right, go and rest. I’ll tell them to prepare hangover soup for tomorrow, so eat some when you wake up.”
“Um, but…….”
“Yes? What is it?”
“By any chance…….”
Where is this place?
And these people are clearly strangers to me, so how do they know my name?
Why am I your daughter?
Countless questions flashed through Sojin’s mind, but she kept them to herself.
If she said something unnecessary and they noticed that something was strange, she might be dragged somewhere again, just like earlier.
Sojin calmly made up her mind. Whatever this place was, she would not be frightened.
For now, it was important to accurately understand the situation.
What question could she ask that would tell her exactly where this place was?
After thinking for a while, she opened her mouth.
“……How do the secretaries usually address the two of you?”
“That’s quite a random question. They call us Chairman Lee and Madam Jung. Is there some problem?”
Sojin’s gaze wavered.
‘If it’s Chairman Lee…….’
She remembered that he was a character who had been mentioned only very briefly in a short-form drama.
Hoping desperately that it wasn’t true, she slowly opened her mouth. Sojin looked at Secretary Han, who was standing beside her.
“Um, Secretary……sir?”
“……You can call me Secretary Han, as you normally do.”
“Do you…… happen to know someone named Lee Sera?”
It was a name that Secretary Han absolutely had to know.
With her heart trembling, Sojin stared at the secretary’s lips.
However, the words that came from the secretary’s mouth were completely unexpected.
“No, I’ve never heard that name before.”
“What? Then where is this pla—”
A thought suddenly occurred to Sojin, and she stopped. She looked around the house before asking again.
“……Then, do you know the name of the dog that used to live in this house and died a few years ago?”
Soon afterward, Sojin awkwardly continued.
“The dog…… I used to raise.”
Madam Jung suddenly interrupted.
“You used to cry just from talking about that dog…… Let’s not talk about that.”
“……Please answer me, Secretary.”
Secretary Han only glanced nervously at Madam Jung before cautiously opening his mouth.
