CHAPTER 6
Hong Yumin swallowed her fear and walked faster.
After reaching a relatively large road, she suddenly turned back.
The car following her screeched to a sudden stop.
Was it really following me?
As Hong Yumin glared at the car with wary eyes, the backseat window rolled down.
“Oh wow, you’re sharp.”
It was Kim Byungtae.
“Ha.”
Hong Yumin let out an irritated sigh.
She had come out to clear her head, but seeing Kim Byungtae only made her feel dirtier.
“Hop in for a bit?”
“No.”
“You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
Hong Yumin sighed quietly so only she could hear and replied.
“You think I’m crazy enough to get in? Did you forget how you tried to drag me away earlier? Do you have a hundred meters of steel on your face or something?”
“Keuuh.”
Kim Byungtae clicked his tongue and started clapping.
“The more I see you, the more charming you get.”
Hong Yumin frowned as if she had just heard something she shouldn’t have.
“But what’s with that guy earlier? Your boyfriend?”
“…No.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. You said no?”
Hong Yumin clenched her fists as she watched Kim Byungtae smirk while looking her up and down unpleasantly.
“Earlier…”
“Hm?”
“Earlier, my relatives from the main house pushed me into meeting you for a blind date.”
“Hm?”
“But I haven’t agreed to anything with them. That means I have no intention of seeing you again, dating you, or marrying you. So I’d like it if we never meet again.”
With a slight bow to make it clear she meant never again, Hong Yumin turned and started walking.
“I just came from seeing Shaman Yoon.”
At that moment, she heard something she couldn’t ignore.
Hong Yumin stopped in her tracks, and the car slid up beside her.
Facing Kim Byungtae in the backseat, he curled his lips into a nasty smile and asked.
“Aren’t you curious why your relatives are trying to marry you off to me instead of your cousin? Turns out it wasn’t a coincidence.”
Hong Yumin wet her dry lips with her tongue.
She was curious.
She didn’t believe in shamanism, but if someone was wishing for her to die in place of someone else, that was revolting.
She wanted to know if what she suspected was true.
“I’ll tell you, so hurry up and get in. Let’s go eat an early dinner or something and I’ll explain.”
Hong Yumin shook her head, recalling how he had tried to drag her away earlier after handing her a room key.
Was I crazy enough to walk into a tiger’s den myself?
“No thanks. There’s a place nearby where we can talk. If you want to tell me, you can follow me.”
Hong Yumin turned her head forward again and walked toward the piano academy where she worked.
Near the academy was a snack bar she frequented.
If they talked there, even if Kim Byungtae tried to harm her, the owner would report it.
Thinking about what he might say about her relatives, she soon arrived in front of the snack bar.
“Huh? Teacher Hong Yumin, today isn’t your work day, is it?”
The owner, stirring tteokbokki at the outdoor cooking station, greeted her.
“Hello, ma’am. I just came out for a walk. Could I get one serving of tteokbokki?”
“Sure. Have a seat.”
Smiling faintly at the friendly woman, Hong Yumin quickly went inside.
As the owner brought over a plate of tteokbokki, Kim Byungtae walked in right behind her.
Sensing his presence, the owner turned around and jumped in surprise.
“Oh my goodness, you scared me!”
“What’s there to be scared of, ma’am?”
“A big guy like you moving around so quietly like a ghost without footsteps—of course I’d be startled.”
The owner snapped back more sharply at Kim Byungtae’s rude tone.
He coughed awkwardly, tapped her shoulder, and quickly sat across from Hong Yumin.
The owner raised her eyebrows at Hong Yumin, as if she couldn’t believe he was with her.
“Miss Hong Yumin… do you know him?”
Hong Yumin answered with an awkward smile.
“Yes. We just need to talk.”
Without replying, the owner stepped outside and quickly came back in, placing something in front of Hong Yumin.
It was a steaming bowl of fish cake broth.
“The broth is really hot.”
Then she leaned in and whispered into Hong Yumin’s ear.
“If he tries anything funny, just throw it on him. I’ll be your witness. But seriously, our young teacher with someone like that—”
“I can hear everything, you know.”
Kim Byungtae tapped the table in disbelief.
“What’s with those sharp ears? You’re already old.”
“You’ve got some nerve—”
Just as Kim Byungtae glared and began to stand up, Hong Yumin spoke in a firm voice.
“So what is it you wanted to tell me about my relatives?”
“Phew.”
Kim Byungtae let out a long sigh as if suppressing his anger and sat back down.
“Stop being stubborn and marry me. I just don’t have much time. And marrying me will make things easier for you too.”
“….”
“Your uncle is a real piece of work. If you live with me, I’ll take revenge for you. Hm?”
Suppressing her nausea, Hong Yumin spoke.
“Why is my uncle such a terrible person, and what kind of revenge are you talking about?”
Kim Byungtae smiled meaningfully and tapped the table with his finger.
“You have a cousin, right?”
“Yes.”
“She was originally fated to die young.”
“So?”
“He firmly believes that if someone else takes on all her bad luck, his daughter will live a long life. That’s why he kept you close—to take all of it instead of her. Didn’t he even pay for two years of expensive piano tutoring so you could attend the same music college as her? Wow, the more I think about it, the more impressive those parents are.”
So my guess was right after all.
Ignoring the despair rising inside her, Hong Yumin said.
“I think I’ve heard enough. I don’t believe in shamanism or any of that.”
“Sure, you don’t have to believe it. But you know what? Shaman Yoon has been getting paid ten million won a month to pray every single day of the year for all your cousin’s misfortune to be transferred to you.”
“….”
“Your uncle is spending 120 million won a year on things he can’t even see. And you think that’s all? He’s probably holding rituals regularly wishing harm on you. Each ritual costs millions, so how much do you think that adds up to in a year?”
“Look, whether that’s true or not, I don’t believe—”
“Seriously, do you not get it? Listen, kid.”
“….”
“What matters isn’t whether you believe it or not.”
Suddenly, Kim Byungtae reached out and snatched Hong Yumin’s fork.
He picked up a piece of tteokbokki, bit into it, and continued calmly.
“The point is, people that obsessed with shamanism—do you think there’s anything they wouldn’t do to you? That’s what you should be thinking about. Do you understand?”
A chill ran down her spine.
For the first time, Kim Byungtae said something that made sense.
Simply put, people consumed by blind belief could do anything to her.
“Who knows? If you refuse to marry me and then my daughter—well, your cousin—gets hurt or something bad happens, do you think they’ll leave you alone?”
That was true.
If Hong Suji got hurt after she refused Kim Byungtae…
They would torment her unimaginably, blaming her.
“Now you get it, right? So come to my side. I’ll pay all your father’s hospital bills upfront and completely ruin your relatives. What do you think? Tempted?”
As he spoke, there was chili paste smeared on his lips from the tteokbokki he had just finished.
Looking at it made her stomach churn and her head spin.
Just like the situation she was in.
She suddenly missed her father.
Maybe she should stop by the hospital.
Seol Jaejun set down his empty coffee cup.
He had already finished two cups without even starting the hotel inspection he had planned before his inauguration.
Running into his infuriating first love at an unexpected moment had left his mind in complete disarray.
“Young Master.”
At that moment, Kwon Yongil returned from the errand.
Seol Jaejun frowned slightly and gestured for him to sit.
Kwon Yongil sat across from him and presented the information he had gathered.
“First, this is Hong Yumin’s home address. She moved not too far from where she lived during college.”
Seol Jaejun scanned the note and asked.
“Is she still living with her relatives? Did you confirm her entering the house?”
“Uh… well… about that…”
Kwon Yongil hesitated, his voice shrinking.
Seol Jaejun slowly lifted his gaze toward him.
“What is it?”
After gauging his reaction, Kwon Yongil handed over his phone displaying a photo.
Seol Jaejun’s eyebrow crooked upward as he looked at it.
On the screen was Hong Yumin sitting side by side with Kim Byungtae, eating tteokbokki.
“…Damn it.”
“They even went for a second round?”
