RWNH 05

Chapter 5 Strange Man

Listening any longer made her feel like she was going to throw up, so Isu frowned and turned off the phone screen.

At Taegang’s house, Isu had asked Jeonghyuk for one more thing.

To provide one person he could personally guarantee.

‘This time, you’re not saying you’ll do anything. How admirable.’

She remembered the moment when his eyes had curved softly, as if he was genuinely enjoying himself.

Maybe it was because the impression of the man, who had been filled with coldness until then, had changed in an instant.

Isu had unknowingly become dazed for a moment back then.

“He’s really a strange man.”

Isu muttered in a small voice.

But the strange man’s way of handling things was more than satisfactory.

Before even a day had passed, she received a call from a man named Section Chief Seong Chan-il.

She asked him to investigate Woo Yeonhee and Kwon Taegang.

She intended to find out when the two had started seeing each other and uncover the truth they had hidden from her.

After that, Isu bought a spare phone and secretly installed a spy program she had created herself on Yeonhee’s phone.

That was how Yeonhee’s duplicated phone came into Isu’s hands.

Now she could see Yeonhee’s phone screen in real time, control it, and even listen to conversations.

Because there was a risk of exposure, it was difficult to use for a long time, but it was enough to catch the two of them.

The evidence that would slowly pile up through it would become the weapon that would make them fall when they believed they had achieved everything.

That alone was not enough.

Isu raised the corner of her mouth and searched for Taegang’s number on her phone.

Then she pressed call.

♬♬♬ ♪♪♪

Taegang, who had been desperately entangled with Yeonhee, stood up when the ringtone assigned to Isu’s number rang.

He walked toward the table where his phone was placed.

Yeonhee looked at him with startled eyes, but when Taegang said, “Isu,” she quickly covered her mouth.

“Yeah. Isu.”

―Taegang, where are you?

“At home.”

―Really? That’s a relief. Then I’ll come now.

It was Isu who had said she already had plans.

But suddenly saying she would come to his officetel made Taegang’s brows tighten in irritation.

“You said you had plans.”

―I did, but the more I thought about it, today is the day you got promoted. I thought I should congratulate you, so I canceled my plans. I’m coming now.

“Where are you?”

―Near the company.

“Come slowly. I just finished exercising, so I’m going to shower.”

―Okay.

While talking with Isu, Taegang had acted relaxed the entire time.

But the moment he hung up, he quickly picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and put them on.

It was because he had habitually said he was at home.

Yeonhee could only stare at him with a confused expression.

“Isu is coming home.”

“She said she had plans. Why did she suddenly…?”

“Noona, I’ll contact you later.”

Cutting off Yeonhee’s words, Taegang hurriedly left the room without even properly buttoning his shirt.

Yeonhee, who had not even finished what she was saying, remained sitting blankly even after the door closed with a loud bang.

Because this unfamiliar situation felt too strange.

It was the first time.

The first time Taegang had left Yeonhee behind and gone away first.

Taegang arrived at the underground parking lot of the officetel faster than even a speeding taxi.

Since he had said he was home, he absolutely had to arrive before Isu.

Fortunately, the time it took from his company to his officetel was roughly similar to the time it took for Taegang to return.

Since he had driven while ignoring traffic signals, there was no way he would be later than Isu.

Bang.

Taegang closed the driver’s door and hurried into the elevator, catching his breath.

Not long after, the elevator arrived on the 11th floor and the doors opened.

“Damn it!”

Seeing the cake box and champagne placed in front of the door, Taegang became extremely flustered.

‘Isu arrived first? That’s impossible.’

Taegang cursed quietly and quickly searched for Isu’s number.

He called several times, but Isu did not answer.

Even after he arrived in front of the house and pressed the doorbell, she did not come out, so it seemed she had already left.

‘Isu said she hated people who lied the most.’

Until now, Taegang had carefully managed his image in front of Isu.

He had become the ideal type she wanted, saying and doing only the things she would like.

“Ha… fuck, I’m screwed.”

With the wedding already ruined and now things becoming even more tangled, Taegang’s suppressed anger finally exploded.

Thud.

He kicked the cake box that was lying near his feet.

And then the situation became even worse.

“Taegang?”

At the sudden voice, Taegang regained his senses and turned his head.

There stood Isu inside the elevator.

Her face had gone pale while holding a fruit basket.

It seemed she had left the cake and champagne in front of the door for a moment and gone to buy fruit.

Without knowing that…

“Uh? I-Isu. That’s not it… Wait, just listen to me…”

But by the time Taegang walked toward her, it was already too late.

Just like the day of their wedding.

Isu pressed the close button.

After getting into the waiting taxi, Isu remembered Taegang’s desperate expression and let out a small laugh.

She ignored the calls that kept coming from him and turned off her phone.

Instead, she took out Yeonhee’s duplicated phone from her bag and put on Bluetooth earphones.

As expected, when Taegang could not reach her, he immediately called Yeonhee.

―Are you crazy? How could you let her see that? She was raised so carefully, she hates things like that.

―Make her think she misunderstood. I’ll handle what happens after that.

How easy had their planned deception been all this time?

Isu remembered the things Yeonhee had said to her while she was dating Taegang.

‘They say if coincidences repeat, it becomes fate… Isu, why don’t you meet that man? You might regret it.’

‘It’s really rare to meet someone who matches your tastes, hobbies, and values.’

‘How can he be so considerate? A man like that will make our Isu happy for the rest of her life.’

Taegang had received every piece of information about her from Yeonhee and approached her.

That was why their tastes, hobbies, and values had seemed so similar.

Whenever Isu hesitated or felt unsure, Yeonhee had encouraged her from the side so that her feelings would grow stronger.

“Ha…”

Isu let out an angry sigh and bit her lips tightly.

This time, she was curious what Yeonhee would say.

“Isu, you’re here?”

The moment she entered the house, Yeonhee greeted her with a bright smile.

It was hard to believe she had just been rolling around with Taegang moments ago.

“Taegang said he got promoted today. I thought the two of you would spend some good time together and come home late, but you came back earlier than I expected.”

The fact that Yeonhee was pretending not to know, even though she was the one who had spent that time with him, made Isu’s expression stiffen.

“My daughter’s expression doesn’t look good. Did you two fight?”

Isu opened and closed her lips as if she was hesitating whether to say something.

Seeing that, Yeonhee became anxious and spoke first.

“Shall we have a glass of wine on the terrace? It’s been a while.”

After changing clothes and going up to the second-floor terrace, Yeonhee had already prepared the table and was waiting.

Isu’s wine glass was filled and emptied several times.

“Taegang wasn’t the kind of person who would be that violent.”

Isu carefully told her what happened with Taegang, as if she was revealing a secret.

Then Yeonhee defended him with a gentle voice, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Hmm… Could there have been some misunderstanding?”

“Misunderstanding?”

“You ruined the wedding, and he even accepted your request to meet another man. If he loves you that much, would he really kick the cake you prepared? There’s no way he would.”

Yeonhee subtly touched Isu’s guilt while defending Taegang.

During Isu’s middle school days, when she had briefly become interested in the violin, Yeonhee had been hired as her private tutor for lessons.

After losing her mother at the age of seven and suffering from a lack of maternal love, Isu quickly became attached to Yeonhee, who was kind, gentle, and seemed to understand her heart perfectly.

That was the decisive reason Yeonhee was able to become Isu’s stepmother.

Maybe because their relationship had started as teacher and student, even after becoming family, Isu often naturally shared her worries with Yeonhee.

‘How many lies were mixed into all the advice she gave me all this time?’

Thinking about Yeonhee, who had controlled her heart for so many years, Isu endured the anger boiling inside her.

“First, have a proper conversation with him.”

“I will.”

Pretending that she was still dancing in the palm of their hands,

Isu obediently gave Yeonhee the answer she wanted.

“Shall we go down now?”

When they had finished an entire bottle of wine, Yeonhee smiled softly and stood up.

Isu quietly watched her place the wine glasses on the tray.

Then, when Yeonhee lifted the tray, Isu casually flipped Yeonhee’s long hair over her shoulder, as if she had just noticed something.