* * *

After being attacked, Jinwoo was told by Soohyuk to go to the place where Jingyeom was.

He couldn’t understand why Soohyuk made such a decision, especially when there were likely so many eyes watching him.

He worried that being followed could put Jingyeom in danger.

Although Jinwoo tried to refuse, Soohyuk was firm.

He explained that this wouldn’t be the last attack, and it would be even harder to protect him if they were separated.

It was better to stay in one place, Soohyuk added, though his expression showed clear reluctance.

Jinwoo still didn’t fully understand why Soohyuk wanted to send him away.

Nonetheless, Soohyuk insisted, and because Jinwoo also wanted to see Jingyeom, he reluctantly agreed.

“Wow, look at how quickly your face brightened up. Do you really like the idea that much?”

“Of course. But are you sure I should go alone? It could be dangerous for Secretary Yang too.”

“I have people who can protect me, so don’t worry about me. Just focus on worrying about Secretary Baek.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the front door opened, and Cheongoh walked in with dinner.

“There he is.”

Secretary Yang smirked and teased Cheongoh for being late while taking the food bags from him.

“Alright, let’s eat first.”

Throughout dinner, Secretary Yang didn’t stop talking.

He avoided topics related to work, saying it would cause indigestion, and instead chatted about internet gossip and light rumors from the financial world.

After they finished eating and started cleaning up, Secretary Yang suddenly seemed to remember something and froze in place.

“Ah, Secretary Baek.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know anything about Jeong Sanho?”

“Jeong Sanho? …How do you know him, Secretary?”

Jinwoo had already guessed that Secretary Yang had been investigating both him and Jingyeom under Director Gwak’s orders, but knowing about Jeong Sanho was unexpected.

“Director Gwak’s secretary met with Jeong Sanho. So I looked into Jeong Sanho and found out that the only people he’s met recently are Jingyeom and a man named Baek Myungjun. That man is your father, right?”

“…I knew my father was meeting with Jeong Sanho. But you’re saying he’s met with Director Gwak’s secretary too?”

Jinwoo frowned deeply.

“I’m curious about that too. What business do they have together? Director Gwak wouldn’t normally show interest in an unemployed nobody like your father.”

“…”

“I’ve been speculating. If Director Gwak’s target is Jingyeom, he must have been investigating him. Jingyeom’s been meeting Jeong Sanho frequently, so maybe he tried to get closer through Jeong Sanho.”

Hearing this, Jinwoo rubbed his face with one hand.

He had assumed that President Kim’s side was already aware of Jingyeom’s existence.

Still, he thought that by keeping Jingyeom out of sight, they might turn their attention elsewhere.

It seemed, however, that they hadn’t given up.

Despite Jinwoo’s hardened expression, Secretary Yang continued.

“Meeting Baek Myungjun is likely for the same reason. He probably intends to lure Jingyeom in by using the two of them.”

“…So, it’s come to this.”

“At least it hasn’t escalated yet. If Jingyeom had been in contact with either of them, something might have already happened.”

Jinwoo shut his eyes tightly.

Even if he couldn’t be sure about Jeong Sanho, his father, Baek Myungjun, might not only agree to lure Jingyeom in for money but might actively take the lead.

“That’s not all. There have been reports that Jeong Sanho has been lurking around your house.”

“…I’ve also been getting more calls from my father lately.”

“So, our predictions were correct.”

“Why are they so desperate to make things difficult for us? …We just want to live a normal life.”

Seeing Jinwoo lowering his head in anguish, Secretary Yang let out a bitter smile.

He had watched Jinwoo work tirelessly all this time.

Even now, Jinwoo was still giving it his all.

Though Jinwoo’s story was complex, it was even more disheartening that his situation never seemed to improve.

At one point, Secretary Yang hoped that Jinwoo would end up well with Wonbeom, at least for the financial security it would bring.

But now, after knowing the full extent of the circumstances, all he could hope for was that Jinwoo could find a little happiness.

“Getting involved with Director Tak means a complicated life. Look at us. We haven’t had a proper break, just struggling alongside him.”

“I don’t see it as a struggle.”

“…You’re a true Director Tak loyalist. If he asked you to jump off a cliff, I bet you’d do it.”

When Secretary Yang made a sarcastic comment, Cheongoh didn’t respond.

It was the truth, so there was no point in denying it.

Regardless of what they said, Jinwoo’s head throbbed with thoughts of Jeong Sanho and Baek Myungjun.

They were the very people he feared might someday hold Jingyeom back.

‘Why would my father and Jeong Sanho meet with Director Gwak’s secretary?’

If Director Gwak’s goal was to lure Jingyeom, wouldn’t it be easier to approach Jinwoo, who was living with him?

Or did he already dismiss Jinwoo as Director Wonbeom’s person?

He was aware of the strange rumors circulating in the company about him and Wonbeom.

Perhaps Director Gwak thought their relationship was more than just a typical superior and subordinate one.

‘Now that I think about it, back then, they tried to take me alive instead of killing me.’

The group that attacked Secretary Yang and Jinwoo didn’t blindly assault them.

Their aim seemed to be to capture them, rather than just inflict harm.

‘Do they think I have the ledgers and plan to use Jingyeom to get them?’

Jinwoo shared his thought with Secretary Yang.

“That’s possible. They know Director Tak is in the ICU, so they might be targeting us to find the ledgers’ whereabouts. For now, try to stay put and not move around much at the company.”

Although it would have been ideal to lay low until the situation calmed down, there were too many ongoing projects that needed attention.

If both of them were to be absent with Director Wonbeom also away, those projects would be transferred to other departments.

That would damage Director Wonbeom’s record significantly, so they couldn’t just neglect their work even in this situation.

Particularly, the recent land development project had drawn attention both inside and outside the company, presenting a perfect chance to further prove Director Wonbeom’s abilities.

Jinwoo nodded in agreement.

---

Two days after Soohyuk left, Wonbeom also returned to Seoul.

Jingyeom asked if he shouldn’t be resting more, but Wonbeom simply patted his head, saying he was fine and that Jingyeom should take care and stay well, before leaving.

Jingyeom was left alone again in the spacious mansion.

There were still staff around, but interacting with them couldn’t fill the emptiness in Jingyeom’s heart.

“At first, I liked how big this place was…”

With no particular destination in mind, he wandered around the mansion.

If he had been alone the entire time, it might have been bearable.

But having Soohyuk and Wonbeom here and then having them leave made him feel even lonelier, making him long for home.

Jingyeom asked Mrs. Jeong again today when his phone would be repaired, but the answer was always the same.

“Just a little longer.”

Movies and games no longer held any interest.

All Jingyeom did was eat meals on time, take his medicine diligently, and spend his days in the glass greenhouse.

Yet he wasn’t bored.

His mind was so tangled up and chaotic that just sorting through it took up an entire day.

‘Maybe it’s better for me to stay here.’

With no contact from anyone, it might not be so bad to live aimlessly.

‘But in the end, I have to face these problems someday.’

The thoughts spiraled endlessly, branching out in all directions.

Particularly, he couldn’t stop thinking about the message sent by Jeong Sanho, whose meaning remained elusive even after coming here.

He couldn’t help but worry that, in his absence, his father might do something terrible to Jinwoo.

If it ended with just asking for money, it would be fine, but he feared it wouldn’t stop there, and Jinwoo might end up getting hurt.

‘What was Baek Jingyeom thinking when he asked Sanho to find his father? What kind of power does he think Sanho has?’

The only things he’d uncovered about Jeong Sanho so far were that he was a high school classmate and that he might have been trying to manipulate Baek Jingyeom to suit his needs.

‘Did he work at a detective agency before? Or maybe he knows someone?’

He started contemplating every detail, even aspects he hadn’t given much thought to previously.

Moreover, with the credible assumption that Sanho might have used Jingyeom to satisfy his own desires, he even suspected that it was actually Sanho who had ordered him to seduce Wonbeom.

Maybe he was trying to fit the pieces together, but it seemed entirely possible.

Lying face down on the bench, Jingyeom began writing down the words that had been floating in his mind.

“Jeong Sanho, message, father… death.”

He mumbled the last word softly, just in case anyone might hear.

He had never understood why Baek Jingyeom was killed in the original story for what he supposedly did to Jinwoo.

But now, like a puzzle slowly coming together, the picture was beginning to take shape.

Resting his cheek on his arm, Jingyeom drew a figure of a person with his pen.

Baek Jingyeom, Baek Jinwoo, and Tak Wonbeom.

Then, he drew one more beside them.

Jeong Sanho.

“Sanho said that Jingyeom wished for Jinwoo’s death.”

He didn’t know if this was really something Baek Jingyeom had said, but Sanho had spoken as if it were true.

And Baek Jingyeom had asked Sanho for something, and Sanho had made preparations.

When he first asked what it was, Sanho had replied that he’d know once his memories returned and refused to explain.

When asked again later, he said that because Jinwoo was a close friend, the time wasn’t right yet.

“So, it’s definitely related to Jinwoo…”

It might be a terrible thought, but what if what Baek Jingyeom had asked of Sanho was to harm Jinwoo?

Or, even worse, to kill him?

And what if Sanho really did prepare for that?

Jingyeom shook his head in an attempt to dispel such a ridiculous notion, but the possibility was still there, lingering in his mind.

If Baek Jingyeom and Sanho had indeed conspired to kill Jinwoo, then Wonbeom would have had more than enough reason to kill Baek Jingyeom.

“Was Baek Jingyeom really such a bad guy?”

* * *