Chapter 275: Visit
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 275: Visit
A few days later.
The day I had promised to meet Yun-ji finally arrived.
I was finally a free man after removing the cast from my right foot, but my heart didn't feel light in the slightest.
"You're here?"
"Yeah, get in."
Since Yun-ji was the only one with a car, she came to pick me up. Her ever-present red sports car was clear evidence of how she felt about me, so I felt a strange sensation every time I saw it.
Anyway.
As soon as I sat in the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt, the car glided forward smoothly.
I wondered what we should talk about.
Surprisingly, Yun-ji was the first to speak.
"Did you tell the girls?"
She just said "the girls," but it was obvious who she meant.
"No, I didn't."
And I hadn't.
I hadn't breathed a word to anyone, let alone those three, about where I was going with Yun-ji today.
I felt like I shouldn't.
This was the thing Yun-ji wanted to hide most; if I went around talking about it, it would be no different from spreading rumors.
And she had asked me to come along because I was the only one she could somewhat trust.
"Is it okay?"
Yun-ji glanced toward me.
She was asking if the girls wouldn't hate it if they knew I was out alone with my ex-girlfriend.
They certainly wouldn't love it.
"It's fine."
But they weren't the type of people who wouldn't understand me in this situation.
"You should have at least said something."
"Then I'd have to tell them exactly where you're going and who you're meeting."
"……."
"It's fine, so let's just go. Don't worry about anything else—just focus on what you're going to say when we get there."
"Alright."
There wasn't much conversation after that.
I considered turning on the radio or some music, but Oh Yun-ji didn't seem interested.
I was going to just ride in silence, but then I remembered what Choi I-seo had told me last time and decided to bring it up.
"Are you feeling okay? Physically, I mean."
"Physically? Why so sudden?"
"I heard you seemed unwell lately. That you suddenly go blank."
"Ah……."
Her voice trailed off.
I could tell immediately that she didn't want to talk about it.
And I knew why.
She didn't want to cause worry.
She didn't want to stir up affection through unnecessary pity.
Because that was the kind of woman Oh Yun-ji was.
"Tell me."
But I had no intention of just closing my eyes and ears under the guise of being considerate.
I needed to hear what needed to be heard.
"Sigh... I've had a bit of a tendency for that since a long time ago. It's like a switch flips and everything goes dark, and my thoughts just freeze. It's a bit like... like I'm experiencing a power outage as a person."
"What?!"
I reflexively twisted my body to look at Oh Yun-ji. I hadn't heard anything like this from Choi I-seo.
"Have you been to a hospital? Who else knows about this! No, if something like that is happening, you should have said something!"
"Don't make a scene. I went to the hospital, and they said there's nothing wrong with me physically. They think it's psychological. And no one knows but you."
Had she been suffering through this alone, keeping it hidden until the very end?
My heart suddenly constricted.
The guilt of becoming one of the many hardships weighing down this girl, who was already burdened by so much cruelty, washed over me.
"But it's been better lately."
"Better?"
"Yeah. For a while, someone I assumed was a victim's family member kept sending letters to the company."
"……!"
"Watching those made it worse, and the frequency increased. But they haven't sent any recently. Since I'm seeing them less, I'm doing a bit better."
"That's... a relief."
"I'm not sure if 'relief' is the right word, but yeah."
I was concerned about this person who had suddenly appeared, but if they had stopped, then I suppose it was fine.
"Have you had lunch?"
"No, not yet."
"We'll have to wait a bit once we get there, so let's eat."
"What do you want to eat?"
"Tell me if you see anything you want on the way."
And so, our very special day began.
* * *
In the middle of the city.
A man wearing a hat moved between similar-looking buildings, suppressing his presence as he entered a structure.
There was no sign, but this was the building for [Star Studio], the company run by Oh Yun-ji and Kim Un.
In his arms was an envelope.
Dropping it in the mailbox every day had become a routine for him.
But today was a little different.
"Excuse me."
Startled by a woman's voice calling out to him, the man looked up.
Choi I-seo, dressed in a navy tracksuit, was glaring at him with her arms crossed.
"You're the one who sends the letters every day, aren't you?"
For a while now, Choi I-seo had been intercepting the letters herself instead of letting Oh Yun-ji see them.
In her hands were the letters filled with resentment toward Oh Yun-ji that she had collected.
"Who are you?"
The man, initially flustered, shoved his hands deep into his pockets and glared back defiantly.
"I'm an employee here. And Yun-ji's friend."
"Friend? Ha, fuck me."
"Watch your language."
"What's so strange about calling a bitch a bitch? Do you really not know what that bitch's father did?"
" I know. I know, but... Yun-ji has never even properly met her father."
The man was a victim, after all.
That was why Choi I-seo knew she had to speak as gently and carefully as possible.
"Who knows if that's true? Do you have any idea how much money that bastard pocketed? Is this right? We still can't even sleep properly because of what happened back then, while this girl uses that money to start a company like this and lives like royalty."
"Phew... Yun-ji didn't receive anything from her father. She built all of this herself."
"Bullshit. There are rumors everywhere that the bastard hid money somewhere. It's obvious that if you dig through this girl's house, that money will turn up."
"I understand that you're hurting. It's a tragic situation. But you're resenting the wrong person."
She knew that no one could stop or prevent someone from feeling resentment.
But Oh Yun-ji was not the person who deserved to be the target of it.
"I heard rumors she seduced some chaebol's son with that pretty face of hers. I guess it's true what they say: innocent if you're rich, guilty if you're poor."
"Please, try to calm down."
"Forget it. You said you're an employee and a friend? Enjoy it while you can. Because today is the last day."
"Hey!"
"Just remember that she has the same blood as that crazy psycho murderer!"
Choi I-seo tried to grab him in a hurry, but the man had already turned and fled.
"Sigh."
Looking down at the letters in her hand, Choi I-seo let out a long sigh.
Since today was Yun-ji's day off, she had thought it was a good opportunity to talk directly to the person leaving the letters.
But the person involved was still so consumed by grief that he wouldn't even listen, only lashing out.
Amidst the complicated situation, the man's words kept echoing in Choi I-seo's head.
'Today is the last day?'
Those words weighed strangely heavy on her heart.
But even if she wanted to look into it, there was nothing she could do.
* * *
"Hmm, I feel like it's been a really long time since I've had Gukbap."
I got more excited than I expected after entering the Gukbap restaurant. The food at my parents' house was delicious, of course, but there were so many times I had wanted to eat out like this.
In particular, this place was known for its ox head rice soup, which happened to be a favorite of mine.
"You still like Gukbap, I see."
"I like rice. Koreans live on the strength of rice, you know."
"True, you always did love rice."
As if remembering something, Yun-ji asked with a slight curl of her lips.
"Do you remember when we tried making potato rice?"
"Ah, the time we burnt it all? Surprisingly, the outside was crispy and delicious. Didn't you say they cook it like that in China?"
"It was so soaked in oil it was basically potato-oil rice."
"Right. And the next day, we went out for shaved ice because our stomachs felt greasy."
Surprisingly, there was no discomfort in talking about the past.
In fact, it was almost pleasant, and it seemed Yun-ji felt the same way.
As we continued talking, the Gukbap was served.
"Excuse me, do you have any chili oil?"
When Yun-ji asked politely, the server brought some over.
Yun-ji then slid it toward me.
"You always put this in."
"Right."
I didn't bother saying 'I can't believe you remembered.' I knew there was no point in saying it.
The side dishes were self-service; I only brought back Kkakdugi and left the cabbage kimchi behind.
Because when we ate Gukbap, we were the type who only ate Kkakdugi.
Surprisingly.
'…….'
At the sight of a scene that hadn't changed one bit from those days.
My spoon paused for a moment.
Watching Yun-ji eat heartily, I fell into the illusion that we had truly returned to that time.
The last date…….
I remembered what Yun-ji had said about today.
The weight of those words felt unnervingly heavy, and despite having only taken a few bites of the Gukbap, my stomach felt strangely bloated.
After finishing the meal.
We headed to the prison.
The time flew by as we talked, comparing the place we just ate at to the Gukbap restaurant we used to frequent.
In front of the prison.
After parking the car, Yun-ji checked her reflection in a hand mirror.
Watching her use mouthwash, spray perfume, and tidy herself up just in case.
I thought that perhaps she wanted to show her father a daughter who was living well.
Even though he was a father she hated and resented.
He was still her father.
Because I had felt similar conflicting emotions before, I kept my mouth shut and waited for her.
A short while later.
We entered the visitation room and were able to see Yun-ji's father.