Episode 6
A simple note bounced lightly. Tiny stars twinkled, shining beautifully. The melody of a trivial children’s song filled the air.
Hyunha, who had been watching, burst into laughter.
“Are you throwing a tantrum?”
Yeongin simply didn’t want to play the piece carefully as instructed. But even so, she couldn’t just stubbornly refuse, especially with her father’s threat looming. So she continued playing silently.
“You look so innocent, like you’d freeze if anyone bothered you. It’s funny.”
Hyunha swung himself beside Yeongin and placed his hand on the back of hers, just like he did in the garden.
Though they were the same age, his hands were thick and large. Yeongin’s small, slender hands were completely covered.
The added weight pressing on the keys changed the sound. The transparent notes, like droplets of water, became muddy.
The tempo forcedly sped up, the rhythm collapsed. The strangely distorted melody clashed discordantly, shaking the room.
Bang. With a crashing note, the performance ended.
Yeongin gasped, breathless as if she had been forced to run.
In the glossy surface of the piano, Hyunha’s reflection appeared. His features weren’t clearly visible. Even though he sat right next to her, his warmth fully felt, Yeongin couldn’t see him as a living person.
He simply didn’t seem like an ordinary, warm human being.
“Not bad,”
Hyunha complimented.
Even though the performance was completely ruined.
Yeongin pulled her hand free from Hyunha’s grip. Hyunha chuckled, amused for some reason. She couldn’t shake the feeling she had become a toy for teasing.
Blushing deeply, Yeongin moved away and sat down. Hyunha looked at her with a mocking smile.
“Come play a song here every day.”
The one giving the order, Hyunha, plopped down in the chair. Having made a mess of the performance, he relaxed with a languid expression. He blinked slowly and smiled silently, as if the whole thing was unbearably amusing.
“Damn. This actually works.”
At the profanity whispered to himself, Yeongin grew even more puzzled. Hyunha buried his head in his palm.
For a long moment, he didn’t move. Just as the silence became suffocating, a low note leaked out.
“Get out now.”
His voice was noticeably hoarse compared to before. Was he feeling unwell? Yeongin hesitated, watching him closely, then flinched.
Between his spread fingers, bloodshot eyes glared at her. A chill ran down her spine. Only his pupils were visible, but the emotions burning within them pierced straight through.
Receiving such clear hatred, Yeongin spun around abruptly. She wanted to leave that room as soon as possible.
Her legs moved of their own accord. Like a prey fleeing a beast, her limbs stiffened. She could barely keep her balance.
“You’ll fall if you keep going like that.”
Someone blocked her way — Kang Inchan, who had brought Yeongin here.
“You must have been in the young master’s room?”
There was a mocking tone beneath Inchan’s question that irritated her. He glanced at Yeongin and spoke again.
“There are things Yeongin has to protect in this house.”
In a shadowed corner of the long corridor, a nauseating atmosphere hung. Yeongin held her breath. Despite the mansion’s beautiful facade, it felt as rotten as a decayed fruit inside.
“Don’t try to learn about the people in this house. Don’t be curious, don’t ask, and whatever you see or hear, pretend you don’t know. Nobody must find out that Yeongin comes here. If you go around talking, it could cause trouble.”
Inchan hesitated briefly.
“Miss Baek Yeongin.”
Yeongin pieced together the cut-off sentence in her head. Trouble could come because of me. It was a threat.
Now she truly understood her position. This was the home of a powerful family that others both admired and feared. Hyunha was her age, but he had enough money to drown in.
“The young master… he’s always been a strange person even before this happened.”
Inchan’s euphemistic words didn’t sound reassuring. Yeongin studied his expression. Like Juran, Inchan was afraid of Hyunha.
What kind of existence was Hyunha in this house?
“You’d better be careful.”
Yeongin didn’t need anyone to tell her that. What she worried about was the next step.
If caution isn’t enough, then what?
“I’ll give you a ride home. Follow me.”
Inchan motioned. They retraced their steps. Steep stairs, a high-ceilinged entrance, the white horse chestnut in the garden watched Yeongin’s back. The long path she had taken earlier suddenly felt short.
Just one piano song, and it was over. She felt relieved but also drained. Coming when Hyunha called, leaving swiftly when told — just like that, she had to dodge around.
Until she knew what happened to her father, she had to come here and meet Hyunha.
Meet Hyunha.
Thinking of the gaze that pierced her sent a chill through her body.
Before getting into the car, Yeongin looked up at the mansion. Behind the large window on the top floor, a silhouette appeared. She thought she saw Hyunha watching her, but when she looked again, there was nothing.
Yeongin blinked her heavy eyelids. All sounds around her blurred. Her vision melted into a pale haze.
She had been having the same nightmare repeatedly. In it, she played the piano, but someone slammed the lid shut. She screamed, trying to escape, but he grabbed her from behind.
“…In.”
Someone called her name.
“Baek Yeongin! Hey, you!”
A sharp shout tore through Yeongin’s ears.
Startled, she snapped upright. The blurred surroundings regained clarity.
“The teacher is talking, where are you spacing out!”
The homeroom teacher yelled at her. The shout drew glances from the other teachers nearby.
The humidifier hissed, releasing a white mist. The teacher’s dark face chewed gum. Click. Click. The pen twirled between his fingers. His slippered foot tapped rhythmically on the floor.
These rhythmic sounds pierced Yeongin’s ears with different pitches and beats.
“…Sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
Yeongin apologized meekly.
“Yeah. You must have a lot on your mind these days.”
The teacher’s expression softened as he scanned her. The lingering stare felt burdensome.
“Well, anyway, congratulations on winning the competition. That’s a really big deal, right?”
The conversation shifted to the competition she had entered right after her father disappeared.
That kind of thing.
Yeongin lowered her head, hiding her expression.
“The principal wanted to hang a banner at the school gate. Thanks to you, our school’s name got a lot of attention. Though because of the fuss, the banner probably won’t go up.”
“…”
“The situation got difficult, but you still have to go to university.”
Words only someone else could say so irresponsibly.
“The practical exam results should be out soon, right?”
Yeongin had taken several practical exams at art colleges, hoping to get full scholarships if lucky.
But.
“So, what will you do if you fail?”
“…”
“The college entrance exam is coming up soon. Do you have a plan?”
Less than two weeks remained until the exam. Her stomach churned. Her head felt heavy. Thoughts inside pressed down like a weight on her throat.
“If you fail the art college exams, since your grades are decent, you should at least apply through regular admission.”
“…”
The teacher was wrong. There was almost no chance of getting a scholarship through grades. Without the practical exam, everything would be over.
No money, no resources. Should she find a job? What could a barely adult girl who only knew how to play piano do? Could she survive on her own? What about her father’s debts?
The more she thought, the less university mattered.
Her upper stomach felt as if being kicked hard. Pain stabbed. Yeongin bent over.
“Teacher, I’m not feeling well right now. Can we talk later…?”
Yeongin barely greeted him and fled the staff room. She couldn’t continue talking about college.
“Such a fuss over a damn competition.”
As she stepped into the hallway, a sharp remark stabbed at her. Yeongin froze and looked at the girls gathered by the window.
Among them stood Jin Hwayoon. Because of the competition, Hwayoon had yelled and cursed at Yeongin behind the venue. Even now, she seemed to be cursing for all to hear, but Yeongin didn’t care. She was already overwhelmed.
Trying to pass by, Hwayoon raised her voice to speak to a girl beside her.
“Aren’t you ashamed? You’re the daughter of a criminal.”
Yeongin stopped in place. When her father was mentioned, her legs wouldn’t move.
“Hers was weird from the start. That’s why her mother ran away.”
Noticing Yeongin’s shaken state, Hwayoon became excited and spoke louder, throwing out family insults that stung sharply.
Yeongin walked up to Hwayoon. Assuming she would run away quickly, Hwayoon’s face showed a hint of surprise.
“Your dad must be a professor, lucky you. But my dad’s still under investigation, so he’s not a criminal.”
Yeongin looked Hwayoon squarely in the eye.
The girls beside Hwayoon swallowed hard.
“Well, everyone already thinks your dad’s the culprit. Aren’t you ashamed? Walking around school with your head held high like that.”
Surprised as if slapped, Hwayoon shouted desperately. The longer she spoke, the more confident her tone became.
