My Bloody Valentine - 78

“I’m sorry… Jeong-ah.”

“……”

You have to be careful when you are with an unhappy person. Just as a happy person is drawn to brightness, an unhappy person is drawn to darkness. Perhaps that’s why Jeong was drawn to Han.

Sometimes, when looking at Han, who enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere, Jeong felt as if she were looking into a mirror. There was no courage to die, yet there was no hope to live either.

Jeong already knew that the feelings Han had for her were just camaraderie or friendship. However, in that moment, which might be the last, she couldn’t bear not confessing.

“I’ve never thought of you that way.”

It was a confirmation shot. Usually, she would have changed the subject of the conversation naturally and refreshed the atmosphere, but Jeong clung on in a way that wasn’t like her.

“Why…? I’m not hoping for anything to suddenly change. Just stay as we are.”

“I’m sorry…”

Jeong was astonished at herself for being so clingy, yet she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Is it… because of Director Jang?”

“……”

“If it’s because of what happened with Director Jang, then I…”

“It’s not that. That person…”

Han couldn’t quite continue her words. The resentment and betrayal of being abandoned overwhelmed her heart in an instant.

“Actually…”

Old stories began to spill out through Han’s slightly trembling lips. It was the story of the two boys who met for the first time in an orphanage. A story of them meeting, parting, and reuniting while carrying their respective wounds.

As Jeong listened to the story of the two, which could only be described as fate, her hands quietly clenched the bed sheet. The thin blanket crumpled in her hands like a whirlpool.

“But… Han, that’s just your guilt.”

“……”

“You’re just accepting it out of guilt. It’s not love.”

At Jeong’s words, Han lowered her eyebrows and gave a pitiful smile.

“Anyway, that kid doesn’t love me either.”

Han lowered her gaze and fell into thought. She didn’t know much about love, but she was aware that she had many flaws. She was someone without any part worthy of being loved.

What passed between them was only physical. Han couldn’t gauge Taeshin’s thoughts at all, and Taeshin had no interest outside of her body. It was an emotion that would surely wither away with time.

It felt as if there was a black hole between them that sucked everything in.

“…So it’s okay.”

Watching Han’s bitter face as she fixed her gaze on her toes, Jeong bit her lip.

Just as only someone who has felt pain can empathize with another’s suffering, Yujeong had long suspected the feelings Taeshin had for Han.

It was the deep desire and obsessive madness that had been obscured.

It was clear that Jang Taeshin had the same kind of feelings for her. It was just that she had discovered the name of that feeling, “infatuation,” first.

He should have told her that what Han said wasn’t true, that he had loved her for a long time. However, there were no words coming out of his mouth. Jeong trembled at her cowardice and bit her lip again.

❖ ❖ ❖

A man was standing in front of a gray building that had been built not long ago. To his right was the main entrance of a hotel with a concrete protruding eave, and he could see hotel staff busily opening the doors of the cars lined up in front.

And to his left, centered around the parking lot exit, was a sign that adorned the building without making too much noise. In front of what appeared to be an upscale wine bar, there was a red rope barrier, and two men in black suits stood guard in front of it.

Ha-jun, swallowing a dry gulp, checked his outfit and took a deep breath as if to gather his resolve.

Feeling as if his lungs were shrinking, he passed by the men and took the elevator down, revealing a massive mid-lobby, where a luxurious brass sign appeared once again.

Standing in front of the glass door, he adjusted the wrinkles of his jacket, grasped the sleeves, and pulled them straight, taking a deep breath as he walked inside.

A woman sitting at the counter greeted him. She was as flamboyant as the bold printed dress that showcased her body’s curves.

“Hello, sir. Is this your first time at Tacenda?”

“Ah… well, I’m not here as a customer… I’m looking for someone.”

The woman tilted her head, questioning with her expression.

“I know they work here. It’s ‘Lee Han.’”

“……”

The woman stared at Ha-jun for a few seconds, trying to gauge his intentions.

“Well, I don’t know all the employees who work here.”

Answering strangely, the woman at the counter stood up. As she stepped out from behind the counter, Jina, wearing heels, was over 180 centimeters tall.

Once again feeling the pressure wash over him, Ha-jun shrank his shoulders as the heavy scent of tuberose hit him.

“What was the name of the person you’re looking for?”

Realizing she was someone not to be trifled with, Ha-jun cleared his throat a few times to steady his voice.

“Um, it’s a close friend named ‘Lee Han.’ It’s a single name.”

“I think I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t just connect anyone to our staff… What’s your relationship with that employee?”

“He’s a close older brother. We lived together.”

Jina looked at Ha-jun intently again.

“I think it would be best to find out if there’s an employee by that name working here first. Let me show you to a waiting area.”

Jina guided Ha-jun down the inner corridor. Since it was Ha-jun’s first time in such a high-end, members-only establishment, he looked around eagerly at the rooms adorned with names of jewels as if he had entered another world.

Walking behind Jina, who maintained a straight and upright posture just like when sitting, Ha-jun recalled a meeting he had a few weeks ago with someone.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Shin So-young!”

Recognizing the face hidden under a baseball cap that covered more than half of her face, Ha-jun took three steps back and suddenly pointed with his index finger. So-young entered the doorway with a calm expression, as if she were already accustomed to such reactions.

Her two feet, adorned with designer shoes, filled the small entrance that could barely fit three pairs of shoes. Standing there, she began to look around Han’s room. Her gaze meticulously examined every corner of the small space where Han had stayed, landing on the light green checkered blanket.

“It seems you like light green… It’s mine.”

Ha-jun stood there in confusion, wondering what on earth was happening as she muttered with a nostalgic expression.

She took off her shoes and approached the desk where Han used to eat and draw. As she picked up items on the desk, Ha-jun cautiously asked,

“Um, but how do you know Han…?”

So-young turned her head and quietly looked at Ha-jun, noticing the absence of a ring on his finger.

“What happened to that hand?”

“Ah….”

Ha-jun hurriedly hid his hand behind him. However, in her steady gaze, there seemed to be a determination that she wouldn’t give up until she received an answer.

“Well… I… was gambling…”

“…….”

“I became obsessed with gambling and made a big mistake with Han… and ended up getting into this accident.”

Haewoon confessed as if entranced, like during a meeting with a counselor at a gambling addiction treatment center.

“Really? Gambling is scary, huh? No wonder. I see a lot of kids wasting their money they earned from selling their faces in the Philippines and Macau.”

“But what about you, actress…?”

“Oh, me?”

Like she was making a deal, Soyoung said, “Since you put one out, I’ll put one out too.”

“I’m the mom.”

Haewoon asked back, as if he had heard something illogical.

“…What?”

“I’m Ihan’s mom. No, I think I am. It’s probably true.”

“…!”

Surprised, Haewoon only flickered his lips before breaking into a loud cough. For a moment, he thought he had forgotten how to breathe.

“By the way, if you’ve gambled, you must have debts, right?”

Still not recovering from the shock and with his mouth half-open, Haewoon awkwardly nodded.

“Should I help?”

“What? How can you…?”

Soyoung took off her hat and brushed her bangs off her forehead as if feeling relieved.

“I’m currently avoiding my manager and looking for the child I gave birth to. Given my job, there are always a lot of eyes around, and there are few people to trust in this industry.”

Understanding her position, Haewoon nodded.

“There are people from a private investigation agency looking, but I need someone to step forward. Please help me find that child in my place. I’ll cover the expenses.”

“Han…?”

“If you help, I’ll also take care of your debts. No matter how much it is.”

From the moment he first stepped into sports betting to the organized crime-run house gambling, Haewoon, although he ended up like this, prided himself on having quite a good intuition.

He had quit gambling, but he could sense it. This was a certain hand that required an all-in bet.

“…Yes, I will help.”

Shin Soyoung smiled brightly, forming her horizontally long eyes into a crescent shape. Suddenly, Han’s face overlapped with hers.