Chapter : 03
Everyone in the funeral hall was shocked by Eun-yoo’s words. It confirmed what they had only guessed until now.
“What do you plan to do about the aftermath?”
“I understand he was cleared of charges. That means he’s not a murderer, right?”
“Really… do you really think that?”
The chairman fell silent, perhaps sensing the hidden meaning in Eun-yoo’s words. The old man had ambitions no one fully understood, and he wasn’t willing to agree so easily.
At the very least, he should not have left Eun-woo’s funeral so lonely and shabby while making such absurd proposals.
“The past is the past. Life changes depending on how you live from now on. You can’t keep dwelling on the past forever.”
It was nonsense. A clumsy attempt at persuasion with words. Eun-yoo had no hope for a future where she became a puppet in the old man’s hands.
“I’ll give you time to think. Not too long though—consider it during the funeral. It’s a proposal that won’t hurt you.”
Without even glancing at Eun-woo one last time, the chairman left the hall. His secretary threw a file on the floor and followed him. The file rolling on the ground looked just like him and Eun-woo.
From birth, life had judged them useless. Even with the family they finally achieved, they had been used, not loved—a miserable life.
For someone who had lived like that all their life, talk of life changing was nothing but a dream.
Eun-yoo looked at a photo of Eun-woo, smiling innocently, and resented herself for knowing nothing. Did she even deserve to cry for Eun-woo, who had died so quietly?
“Eun-yoo?”
Someone called her from the entrance. Since she had no connections in Korea, few knew her. Turning around, she saw a man who had been stopped by the secretary earlier.
“You’re Eun-yoo, right?”
The man looked sorrowful. His face was thin, eyes red from crying. He had finally gained the courage to speak after being powerless earlier in the funeral.
Eun-yoo instinctively eyed him warily.
“Ah… Eun-woo… I heard from Eun-woo. He said he has a twin sister named Eun-yoo.”
The man’s gaze never left her face. Though he said he knew she wasn’t Eun-woo, his eyes silently hoped she was.
“Who are you?”
Hearing her voice, tears welled up in his eyes again. He seemed dazed for a moment, then tried to wipe away his tears with a trembling hand.
“I’m Gi Seok-hyun. I was Eun-woo’s lover.”
Eun-yoo had heard the name before. A doctor she had seen once through Eun-woo’s emails. Eun-woo had always been excited talking about Seok-hyun, full of love, trust, and care—so different from her own experience.
That was why it seemed strange. She couldn’t understand why someone who loved another man would want to marry someone else.
“Did you abandon my Eun-woo first?”
“No! I never abandoned him!”
Seok-hyun denied it with all his strength, tears streaming uncontrollably. His desperate cry might have been true, but words alone weren’t enough.
“I heard Eun-woo wanted to marry another man.”
“Absolutely not. The chairman forced him. Eun-woo never wanted to marry that man.”
Seok-hyun explained that even though he was Eun-woo’s lover, the chairman had pressured him to marry Jo Tae-seo. Considering the chairman’s personality, this made sense.
“How do I know if you’re telling the truth?”
Neither the chairman nor Seok-hyun was fully trustworthy. Even if they were lovers, marriage was a separate issue.
Hearing Eun-yoo speak, Seok-hyun hurriedly pulled out his wallet and handed over something—an ultrasound photo.
“Eun-woo was pregnant with my child.”
At the mention of the baby, Seok-hyun broke down completely. After crying, he continued with difficulty:
“When we found out, we planned to leave together. But the chairman knew…”
Eun-yoo had never heard of the pregnancy. Before contact was lost, Eun-woo had said there was something important to tell her. The final message was that they would go on a long journey, likely referring to leaving with Seok-hyun.
“On the day we tried to leave, we took a taxi but collided with a drowsy dump truck.”
She remembered being told Eun-woo died in an accident with a drowsy truck driver. Police confirmed it was an accident due to driver fatigue.
“I don’t think that accident was a coincidence.”
Seok-hyun believed the chairman had noticed Eun-woo’s plan to escape and sent someone to follow.
After their relationship became known, the chairman’s surveillance intensified. During the forced monitoring, Eun-woo attempted to flee with Seok-hyun, resulting in the fatal accident.
If true, it explained why Eun-yoo was now being offered a marriage to Jo Tae-seo in Eun-woo’s place.
“I heard what the chairman said. He wouldn’t really do that, right?”
Seok-hyun’s face was desperate. But Eun-yoo thought differently. If his story was true, then the marriage had to happen.
“Mind your own life.”
“But…”
“Shameless. The man who couldn’t protect my woman or child has the nerve to complain.”
To Eun-yoo, both the chairman and Seok-hyun were the same. He should have protected Eun-woo and the baby. Saying the marriage couldn’t happen now was absurd.
“I’ll handle whether the marriage happens. Now leave.”
Exhausted, Seok-hyun left, perhaps realizing she was right.
Whether Seok-hyun’s claims were true or not didn’t matter. Eun-woo and the baby were the ones who had suffered because of the chairman’s greed and Seok-hyun’s hesitation.
With no time to grieve, the funeral proceeded. Alone, Eun-yoo saw off Eun-woo.
Before sending Eun-woo into the flames, she clung to him and cried bitterly.
After a long while, trembling hands wrote something down:
“Finally, I can give you back. Rest in peace with the baby.”
She sent Eun-woo and the baby into the fire with the carefully written note.
Walking out alone after seeing them turn to ashes, Eun-yoo finally called the chairman. The short ring was answered quickly.
“I’ll marry him.”
The result of this choice was uncertain. It could ruin lives, but Eun-yoo’s heart for Eun-woo was deeper than anyone else’s.
After telling the chairman she would marry, everything moved swiftly. She was groomed according to a strict plan.
Her ordinary hair was styled into elegant waves. Expensive products softened and polished her rough skin. Designer clothes covered her from head to toe, and nail treatments added a subtle shine. She felt like a doll, moving wherever she was told.
“Here is the information about Director Jo.”
Though the secretary looked displeased, she treated Eun-yoo politely.
“As soon as he arrives, you have a meal scheduled. Study all details before then.”
Jo Tae-seo would arrive this Saturday after a three-month business trip. No time to rest—she had to meet him immediately.
It was her first real encounter with Jo Tae-seo. He and his family didn’t know about Eun-woo’s death, which was why the funeral was hidden. The portrait was even a childhood photo.
Eun-yoo seethed at the chairman’s selfishness but restrained herself, promising to one day make him pay.
She ignored the materials the secretary handed her—a quiet rebellion against the chairman’s attempts to control her marriage.
The day of the meeting came. After extensive preparations, perfumes, grooming, and dress, Eun-yoo was ready—a doll prepared for Jo Tae-seo.
Just before leaving, the chairman gave a final insane instruction:
“If Director Jo asks you to go upstairs to his room, follow without question. Understand?”
Would he have said this to Eun-woo too? As a parent, this was the kind of person who overstepped all boundaries.
“If you get pregnant, that’s good. The marriage would happen sooner, and everyone would be happy.”
Clearly, the chairman had no normal sense of reasoning, willing to manipulate even physically.
To be continued ▶
