Chapter 05
[Grandma, I arrived safely. Don’t worry.]
After sending the message, Seobin put away her phone and entered the columbarium.
Every step she took in her white shirt dress made the baby’s breath flowers in her arms sway gently.
Walking into the memorial hall, she stopped before two familiar urns.
The Late Yoo Seonae.
The Late Bae Seohyun.
“Hi, Mom. Sis.”
One by one, Seobin placed the two bouquets of baby’s breath before each urn.
Her mother had passed away when Seobin was three and Seohyun was five. She had loved baby’s breath while she was alive.
Perhaps because she had taken after their mother, Seohyun had loved those flowers just as much.
“I like flowers like these more than the big, flashy ones.”
After giving up her idol trainee career, Seohyun had taught herself songwriting and become a singer-songwriter.
Whenever she performed, Seobin would always show up carrying a bouquet of baby’s breath.
In place of the mother who was no longer in the world…
And the father who lived overseas because of work…
The two sisters had become each other’s mother and father as they grew up together.
Now, on the anniversary of Seohyun’s death…
Seobin had come once again carrying baby’s breath.
“Mom, I finished my probation. I’m officially a reporter now.”
“Grandma’s doing well at the nursing home… and Dad seems happy with Aunt Jeonghee. Sometimes I get a little jealous… but I suppose it’s better than him spending his days all alone in the Philippines.”
After losing his wife, Seobin’s father had wandered aimlessly.
The year Seohyun entered elementary school, an old coworker introduced him to an opportunity in the Philippines, where he began working for a trading company.
Eventually, he started a small company of his own.
Then, four years ago, he remarried.
He met a woman his own age through a Korean expatriate gathering in the Philippines.
Jeonghee, now Seobin’s stepmother, had been widowed in her twenties before moving to the Philippines.
She built a successful study-abroad consulting business there and became a wealthy, energetic career woman.
Although Seobin’s father appeared rough and macho on the outside, he was actually sensitive and easily overcome by loneliness.
In Seobin’s eyes…
Jeonghee suited him surprisingly well.
After greeting her mother, Seobin turned toward Seohyun’s urn.
“Seohyun…”
Unlike when she’d spoken to her mother…
Her throat tightened.
“I’ll be able to do this… right?”
Barely holding back the tears gathering in her eyes, Seobin forced herself to smile.
“I’ll do it.”
“I’ll make sure you receive justice.”
“I promise.”
At last, tears rolled down her cheeks.
Closing her eyes tightly, she silently conveyed the words she had never been able to say.
So please… help me.
Tell me who the murderer is.
Tell me who put you into that freezing water.
And don’t let me waver.
Not because of that man…
Not because of my feelings.
If I can uncover why you died…
Then maybe…
I’ll finally be free.
Just like you.
Wiping away her tears, Seobin quietly left the memorial hall.
It was a warm, humid night.
Hotel Meridian was bustling with weekend guests enjoying their Saturday evening.
Passing effortlessly through the crowd, Seobin stepped into the elevator.
Twenty-first floor.
The floor where the Royal Suite was located.
Where she had agreed to meet him every night.
As the elevator numbers climbed higher…
So did her heartbeat.
“We need to dig into the Sarim Foundation.”
“Yoo Inha… I’ve got a debt to settle with that bastard.”
Sahyeok’s purpose in proposing they work together had been perfectly clear.
Assuming he had been telling the truth.
But…
Can I trust Kim Sahyeok?
“Bae Seobin… I like you.”
Nineteen-year-old Kim Sahyeok…
Looking at her with desperate affection.
“Get a grip.”
“There’s no one here who’s on your side.”
Winter.
Kim Sahyeok wearing an expression devoid of emotion as he mocked her.
The conclusion Seobin had reached…
Was no.
Kim Sahyeok was still one of the suspects.
Perhaps even his confession back then had merely been a way to get closer to her sister.
She remembered Seohyun’s shy smile.
“Seobin… there’s someone I like.”
“Someone you know.”
Then she remembered seeing Seohyun standing outside their house with Yoo Inha.
And Yoo Inha denying that they’d ever been involved.
“Your sister liked Kim Sahyeok.”
What kind of relationship did Kim Sahyeok and Seohyun have?
And what about Yoo Inha…?
Whose words am I supposed to believe?
Her thoughts became hopelessly tangled.
But one thing was certain.
Kim Sahyeok and Yoo Inha were enemies.
Perhaps…
Sahyeok had only proposed working together because he knew Seobin was Yoo Inha’s greatest weakness.
Or perhaps…
She herself was Sahyeok’s weakness.
Either way…
She needed to find out why Kim Sahyeok had gone to America.
And what had happened between him and Seohyun.
The tension in Seobin’s eyes gradually settled into calm determination.
There was only one thing she needed to uncover now.
Kim Sahyeok’s true intentions.
And through them…
The truth about that day.
Her grip tightened around her handbag.
The elevator chimed.
Twenty-first floor.
Standing before the Royal Suite, Seobin took out the keycard Sahyeok had given her during their previous meeting and held it against the reader.
The door unlocked.
She stepped inside and headed toward the softly lit reception room.
The breathtaking night view of Seoul welcomed her.
Even though it was her second visit, the cityscape remained dazzling enough to steal her breath.
But…
Sahyeok wasn’t there.
She looked around.
The room contained only luxurious furniture worthy of an extravagant suite, polished marble floors, and elegant lighting.
Taking out her phone, she checked the time.
10:03 p.m.
Is he running late?
He was a busy man.
That was understandable.
Perhaps he’d forgotten.
After all…
On a Saturday night, someone like Kim Sahyeok would have no shortage of people to meet.
As Seobin stood there awkwardly considering the possibilities…
A voice drifted from beyond the wall of the reception room.
“Let’s establish the joint venture in Saudi Arabia first. If necessary, we can negotiate directly with the Saudi government… Yes. I think that’s the best approach.”
Low.
Dry.
Cool enough to send a chill through the air.
Following the sound, Seobin arrived at a study decorated in a modern style.
She greeted him with a slight nod.
Without speaking, Sahyeok inclined his head and gestured toward the round table opposite him.
After Seobin took her seat, Sahyeok ended his phone call and sat down across from her.
His dress shirt stretched across his broad chest, outlining the powerful muscles beneath.
Everything about him was immaculate.
His perfectly tailored clothes showed not the slightest sign of disorder.
Only the faint fatigue around his eyes hinted at the enormous workload he carried.
Despite his flawless appearance, his first greeting was unexpectedly ordinary.
“Did you get some rest? It’s the weekend.”
“…Yes.”
“I wasn’t on call today.”
“What did you do?”
“Go on a date?”
His eyes traveled over her appearance as he casually asked the question.
A flash of irritation crossed Seobin’s face.
Then she looked down at herself.
The white linen dress she was wearing.
She suddenly realized…
To him…
It probably looked like a date outfit.
But how could she possibly tell him where she’d actually been?
I visited the place where my sister—
The sister you may have killed—
And my mother, who mourns her most in heaven… are resting.
“…”
When Seobin said nothing, Sahyeok loosened the knot of his tie with one hand.
A rough breath escaped him.
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Seobin spoke firmly.
“Let’s discuss business first.”
“What exactly do you need me to do?”
Seeing how stiffly she carried herself, Sahyeok tilted his head slightly and chuckled.
“First…”
“We should go on a date.”
His words instantly sharpened Seobin’s expression.
She assumed he was teasing her.
The smile disappeared from Sahyeok’s face.
“I’m not joking.”
“I need you to accompany me to a party.”
His meaningful tone caught Seobin off guard.
“A party?”
“You never mentioned anything about that.”
“It’s an event hosted by Yoo Inha.”
“During the day, there’s a charity auction featuring works by emerging artists in the gallery.”
“At night, there’s a VIP party at the infinity pool.”
“The venue rental for this hotel alone cost two hundred million won today.”
“And once you add the event management, catering, and everything else…”
The total cost would increase exponentially.
Someone like Yoo Inha, with his vast network among political and business elites, wouldn’t host a party like this as a simple social gathering.
Everything would be the highest quality money could buy.
Realizing where Sahyeok was going with this, Seobin immediately grasped the point.
“So…”
“Spending hundreds of millions of won on a single private party would be difficult to justify for someone like Yoo Inha, who hasn’t had any notable career since graduating from university.”
“But because there’s a charity auction attached…”
“It’s the perfect setup.”
“He can disguise it as a public-interest event and funnel Sarim Foundation money into it.”
Sahyeok nodded.
Exactly.
“Officially…”
“The money is being raised for charitable purposes.”
“But who knows…”
“Where those funds actually end up.”
At his added remark, Seobin’s eyes lit up.
Watching her reaction, Sahyeok tilted his head slightly.
“Then…”
“We should change your clothes first.”
