DYEH 07

Chapter 7

Seohi took a notebook out of her bag and stared quietly at the blank page.

‘Focus, Han Seohi.’

She began calmly recalling the memories of the past ten years — everything that had happened up until her death.

She jotted down the thoughts that surfaced chaotically and then arranged the events in order. It wasn’t perfectly accurate, but the major incidents seemed to line up well enough.

Two things were the most important: to prevent her grandfather’s death, and to uncover the culprit.

She recalled Isu’s words that had echoed in her ears before she died.

[You don’t actually think I did all this alone, do you? The culprit is all of us.]

All of us? Then who exactly did “all of us” mean?
Seohi tried to recall the faces that had flickered before her eyes just before she lost consciousness — the people standing behind Han Isu and Park Jaemin: her two uncles and her aunt.

She hoped she had seen wrong.
But if, by some chance, they really were the ones who had brought ruin to her grandfather and to herself, she would stop them no matter what — and make them pay dearly for their sins.

‘To do that, I need power.’

And to gain that, she would have to rise higher than Han Isu.

[Seohi, you’re the only one who can succeed me. In place of your late father. So why don’t you start learning management properly?]

Chairman Han had said that while holding her hand, saying he couldn’t trust anyone else.
But Seohi had never had any desire for business.

She had been smart enough to enter a top university on her own and graduate at the top of her class, yet what she truly wanted was to start a family.
She wanted to give her own child the love she had lost too soon when her parents died.

She longed more for a warm family than a thriving company.
Yet even that desperate wish she had failed to protect — her beloved husband, the precious child she had carried with such difficulty — both were lost in vain.

That pain was already carved into her bones.
There was no room for foolish fantasies or sentimentality. For revenge, she was prepared to do anything.

‘I just have to start, step by step. I can do this, Han Seohi.’

Encouraging herself, Seohi lifted her head.
How long had she been so focused?
The sunlight filtering through the blinds had faded into darkness.

“Whew.”

Her body ached from staying in the same position for so long.
As she let out a deep sigh, she felt numerous eyes turning toward her.

Ah… right. She was in the library.

Seohi gave an awkward smile and bowed her head slightly in apology.
At that moment, her gaze met Jin Woo-hyuk’s.

It was only a brief moment, but it felt strangely long — that eye contact.

Feeling it was impolite to keep staring at a man she didn’t even know, she gave another small nod — a silent apology — and began packing her things.
She had finished the most important task for now; it was time to go home.

As she stepped out of the library, she turned on her phone, which had been off.
The moment it powered on, notifications poured in — unread messages and missed calls.

All of them were from Isu.

<Sis, where are you?>
<Why did you turn off your phone?>
<You skipped class — where did you go? Did something happen with Jaemin behind my back?>

The messages reeked of panic.
Judging by the ten missed calls, she must’ve been frantic.
The last call was just five minutes ago — meaning another would come any moment.

“So this is how you must’ve felt, huh?”

A smile crept onto Seohi’s lips.
Imagining how Isu must have felt when she used to toy with her — the thought brought a strange sense of satisfaction.

She realized she was actually enjoying Isu’s desperation.
Isu must be dying to know what had happened, why Seohi had suddenly stormed out of class without a word.

“Han Isu… unless you’ve died and come back like I have, you’ll never know.”

Just as she was wondering how to respond, her phone rang again — as expected, it was Han Isu.

Seohi answered, her tone calm and devoid of emotion.

“Yeah.”
— Sis, where are you right now?!

The voice on the other end was unusually agitated — nothing like the gentle, kind tone Isu always used.

When Seohi didn’t immediately respond, Isu seemed to realize she’d sounded too emotional and quickly changed her tone.

— Sorry, sis. I just got worried about you…
“Thanks for worrying about me, Isu.”

Her words were kind, but her tone was cold.
She wasn’t acting like herself — and Isu noticed it instantly.

— Nothing happened, right?
“You’re not hoping something did happen, are you?”

Seohi’s casual words made Isu sound startled.

— What? Of course not! How could you say that? I was just worried about you! That really hurts, sis.
“Sorry. You’re right. I guess I’m just a bit sensitive.”
— Really, nothing’s wrong? You seem different today.
“I’m just tired.”
— Are you home now?
“No, on my way. But why do you keep asking where I am? Do you have something to say to me?”

She asked, testing her.
Isu usually wasn’t so curious about what she did or where she was.

— I just wanted to make sure you got home safe.
“I’ll be home soon. Don’t worry.”
— Okay. Then I’ll see you at school tomorrow, sis.
“Isu.”

Her name came out softly but with meaning, and Isu sounded puzzled.

— Y-yeah?

For a moment, Seohi hesitated.
Part of her wanted to tell Isu to drop that disgusting act, to stop pretending — and to take her beloved Park Jaemin and disappear from her sight.

But she knew better than to say that now.
Until the day she took her revenge, this relationship had to stay exactly as it was.

— Sis? Do you have something to say?

Forcing a smile, Seohi let a gentle tone slip into her voice.
“Nothing. See you at school tomorrow.”
— O-oh… okay.

Isu’s hesitant voice carried disbelief, but Seohi didn’t care.
Whether Isu believed her or not didn’t matter anymore.

— Get home safe, sis…

Click.

She ended the call before the rest of Isu’s words could follow.
She could almost picture Isu cursing under her breath now.

Savoring the strange thrill that rose in her chest, Seohi walked out through the school gate.

“I’m home.”

Her voice was calm as she entered the house.
Hearing her, Chief Oh came hurrying out from the kitchen.

“Welcome back, miss!”
“Yes.”
“You’re home late.”
“I had some work to do, so I stayed at school.”
“At school? Work?”

Chief Oh blinked, surprised by the unexpected answer — and her calm tone only added to his worry.

“Is everything… all right?”
“Yes.”

Though she said nothing was wrong, he didn’t seem convinced.
It was probably because she was acting quite differently from usual — though Seohi herself didn’t realize it.

“Is Grandfather in the study?”
“The Chairman hasn’t returned yet.”
“Then please set the table so I can have dinner with him when he does.”

After giving the instruction, Seohi headed for the stairs.
Chief Oh watched her go, tilting his head suspiciously.

The young lady seems a bit strange today… he muttered under his breath.

Whether she heard or not, Seohi continued toward her room.
At her door, she paused, hand on the knob, taking a steadying breath.

‘It’s been five years…’

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in this room.
After getting married, she hadn’t stayed at her family’s home.

Chairman Han had opposed her marriage, not wanting his granddaughter to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
But he couldn’t win against Seohi’s tearful pleas. He had reluctantly given his consent — though he never fully accepted Jaemin.

That had left a rift between Seohi and her grandfather.

[We’ve confirmed witnesses saying your relationship with the Chairman soured after you married Park Jaemin. Maybe you stabbed him in a fit of anger because he kept criticizing your husband?]

The detective’s words from her interrogation echoed in her ears.

“This time, things will be different. They have to be.”

Pulling open the door, she stepped into the room.

A familiar scent greeted her — lavender, faint and calming, the way Chief Oh always made it to help her sleep.

Maybe because she hadn’t smelled it in so long, the tension she’d carried all day slowly melted away.

With a soft thud, she dropped onto the bed without even changing clothes. The plush mattress felt comforting against her back.

She glanced around. The room looked exactly as it had five years ago.

Even knowing she had truly gone back in time, she briefly wondered if everything had just been a terrible dream — a long, impossible nightmare she’d finally woken from.
Part of her wished that were true. If it had only been a nightmare, perhaps the rage boiling inside her could be eased.

But she quickly realized it wasn’t.
Everything she had written down earlier in the library proved it — no one could dream in such vivid, precise detail.

“Stay calm, Han Seohi.”

It had taken everything in her to stop herself from slapping Han Isu across the face when she saw her.
And Park Jaemin… he didn’t even deserve words.

She couldn’t afford to let her emotions ruin everything — there was too much to do, too many people to face.

Now it was time to put her plan into action.

Leaving the bed, Seohi stood up and looked around the room before slowly walking toward the dressing room.

It was lavish — as she used to be.

Back then, she’d wanted to own everything she desired, and she’d had the means to do so.
But after ten years, she had come to understand how meaningless those things really were.

“Well then… where should I start organizing?”

Seohi’s eyes swept over the room as she began taking out luxury handbags and watches, one by on