Munjeong - Chapter 23

However, that moment was fleeting. As if it had never happened, he quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor.

“Yes. Munjeong is a nice place to live, but most jobs that I could realistically get are in Seoul. Honestly, this is a wealthy neighborhood where people who can afford to commute to Seoul comfortably reside.”

“……”

“Mom still wants to keep working for now, but once she finds someone to replace her, I plan to move out with her.”

“…Ah.”

This time, his expression unmistakably grew colder.

“Do you really have to do that?”

“What?”

“If you can stay here longer, wouldn’t it be better to stay? You already have a place to live.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Chaeon momentarily faltered, instinctively avoiding his persistent gaze before responding.

“We can’t stay here forever. Mom is getting older, and her knees aren’t in great shape…”

“That’s why you should stay here even more.”

Her words were abruptly cut off. In all the time she had known Yeonjun, it was the first time he had spoken in such a firm tone with such a chilly expression. Worried she might have said something wrong, Chaeon glanced at him hesitantly. However, Yeonjun soon smiled faintly and continued speaking.

“What I mean is… you told me you gave up on piano when your family situation became difficult. Your mom must already feel guilty about that for the rest of her life. And now, she’s working so hard to ensure you can go to college.”

“That’s…”

“She’s someone like that. If you start working right after entering college and take on the role of breadwinner in her place, just imagine how much more guilt she’ll feel.”

“……”

“Making her rest completely isn’t the only way to be a good daughter, Chaeon.”

Was it just her imagination? His tone was gentle as if he were offering advice, but there seemed to be a subtle irritation underlying his words. Feeling slightly intimidated, Chaeon quietly listened to him as he went on.

“So, try talking it over with your mom a bit more. Living expenses in Seoul are a lot higher, especially rent. If you can, staying here longer would be better.”

“…Okay.”

“I’d like it if you stayed here longer too.”

Yeonjun smiled softly, his eyes curving into crescents. The chill from his earlier tone had vanished completely. Finally relaxing a little, Chaeon smiled back with a reassured expression.

“For now, I should focus on doing well on the college entrance exam and think about everything else afterward.”

“Right. You’ll do great. You’re smart.”

“I wouldn’t say that…”

“Which is why I hope you’ll think carefully about staying here. Smartly.”

“……”

His gentle tone lingered as he reached out and lightly patted Chaeon’s head as if amused by her. Though he was smiling kindly as always, something about him felt subtly unfamiliar. To break the uncomfortable atmosphere, Chaeon quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, right.”

“Hm?”

“That book I was reading here last time—can I finish it? I only have about half left, but I’m dying to know what happens…”

“That’s what you were curious about?”

“Yes.”

Chaeon blushed slightly at his warm smile. She decided against mentioning that she had even dreamt about it out of curiosity.

“Read it all today before you leave.”

Yeonjun picked out the book Chaeon had been reading from the stack on the coffee table and handed it to her.

“All of it? Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

There was no trace of the unease she had felt earlier. Watching him smile as sweetly as ever, Chaeon felt reassured.

Jang Taeha. After every encounter with him, her heart felt on edge, as though pricked by sharp thorns. Surely, the apprehension she had felt earlier had been nothing more than that residual unease. With that thought, she settled down, opened the bookmarked page, and began reading.

“……”

Meanwhile, Yeonjun sipped his now lukewarm coffee, quietly watching Chaeon as she turned the pages. Her face, wholly immersed in the book as if she might slip into its world at any moment, was utterly serious.

Her lowered eyelids, the slow movement of her lips, the fingers turning the pages—pale, delicate, refined, and sorrowful. She carried an air that instinctively stirred a protective instinct in others.

Since the first time he saw her, she had always evoked a certain inspiration in him. While she seemed to have little connection to others, Yeonjun felt certain that anyone who appreciated art or beauty would be irresistibly drawn to her.

Like someone with a compulsive need to collect beautiful things, he found himself wanting to keep her close for a long time. Yet here she was, casually expressing her determination to leave someday. How could he be pleased with that?

As he silently observed Chaeon, his gaze gradually grew colder.

—

Clatter.

The sound startled her awake. As she realized she had heard something, Chaeon’s eyelids trembled slightly. Struggling to lift her heavy eyelids, she half-opened her eyes to see nothing but a white wall right in front of her. Alarmed, she shot up from the desk where she had been resting.

“Oh…”

Chaeon had opened her book late at night, planning to study a bit more English vocabulary and grammar, but it seemed that she had unknowingly fallen asleep at the desk.

After washing her face, Chaeon checked the time on the phone she had placed beside her. It was 3 a.m. It would have been better if she had just slept through without waking up. As she massaged her stiff shoulders and neck and rose to her feet, a parching thirst gripped her throat.

Leaving the room, the dim hallway, lit only sporadically by faint wall lights, was in stark contrast to the dazzling daylight that usually flooded through the windows. It resembled the eerie atmosphere of an old mansion from a horror novel, where ghosts were said to appear. The quiet and chilly corridor only echoed with the sound of Chaeon’s clothes rustling and the soft shuffle of her indoor slippers.

When Chaeon arrived at the staff dining room and was just about to take a sip of water, she heard a strange sound coming from somewhere down the hallway.

“Ugh, ugh…”

The sound, which could have been either someone sobbing or mumbling, seemed entirely out of place in the dark hallway at 3 a.m.

Frozen, as if suddenly struck by the cold, Chaeon held her breath and strained her ears to listen. The intermittent noise stopped abruptly. The sudden silence made her hesitate, unsure whether to step out into the hallway. If she turned back, she would have to pass that very hallway…

Her throat felt dry, like sandpaper, as she swallowed. Taking a deep breath, Chaeon cautiously looked around with heightened alertness and slowly began walking forward. The path that she had walked earlier without a second thought now seemed so much darker. It felt as though she was willingly being swallowed by the darkness.

Would something suddenly jump out at her? With that fleeting, absurd thought, she was relieved to find that her worry was unfounded. As she passed down the long hallway, Chaeon turned the corner, and that’s when she encountered someone.

“Ah!”

Chaeon nearly screamed, but managed to stifle it. Her heart seemed to plummet before shooting back up. The expression of nearly fainting from shock was probably coined by someone who had experienced a situation just like this.

A woman stood in the middle of the hallway, staring out the window, her long hair messily disheveled, dressed in a white dress. Her pale skin, reflecting the moonlight, appeared to have lost all its color. As Chaeon recoiled in horror, rubbing the goosebumps that had risen on the back of her neck, she finally recognized the woman’s face.

“Madam…”

It was the same woman who had slapped Chaeon across the face just a few days ago while she was playing the piano, her eyes unfocused as though she were intoxicated. Son Ju-ah.

‘Madam has a bit of a sleepwalking problem.’

As the memory surfaced, Chaeon recalled the warning that Director Kim had quietly given her on the day she first arrived at Songbaekwon, and she exhaled a sigh, silently observing the woman’s behavior. Son Ju-ah, looking as fragile as though a breeze could carry her away, was barefoot. It seemed that something she had been tied with before had been loosened, as a long white cord was wrapped around her wrist, trailing down to her feet.

Was it really okay to let her roam around unguarded like this? Perhaps because of the memory of that time when she was slapped for no reason, Chaeon instinctively felt on edge, wondering if the lifeless expression on the woman’s face might suddenly change. Then, as though reading her thoughts, Son Ju-ah slowly turned her head toward her.

“……”

Her eyes were completely vacant, as though they had been emptied of everything.