𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐
Several days later, the day finally came when I was to meet with Yoo Ha-on.
I went to the meeting place, and after meeting her, I immediately told her what I had prepared to say.
“Your father never officially made his name known. Because of that, there won’t be many people who have any information on him.”
“That’s. . .”
It was probably a rather unfamiliar story.
At the time of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, a memorial stone was erected right in the middle of Seoul Plaza to honor those who died without even their names being known.
Of course, the case was a little different, but Yoo Baek was also one of those people.
“So, if you want to follow the trail, you’ll have to think of a different way.”
Recalling the memories of the original work, I gave Yoo Ha-on hints as much as possible, guiding her toward the correct answer.
From here on, it was up to her to figure it out.
“. . .In that case, there’s a place that comes to mind.”
Eventually, the place we went to was the old orphanage where Yoo Ha-on had been before she was adopted. However, it was gone, and in its place was a park that the neighborhood residents often visited.
“Actually, I don’t remember much about that time.”
She had been adopted at a very young age, and the environment itself had been so poor that there was nothing she could remember.
However, even so, she had a reason for coming here.
“The old woman who lived over that wall, I remember her very clearly.”
Among the many children, she was someone who had been particularly fond of Yoo Ha-on and had been kind to her.
“At first, I just thought she was a nice person, but actually, now that I think about it. . .”
There was something strange about it. At least, that’s how Yoo Ha-on felt.
And that was definitely the correct answer.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠.」
When Yoo Ha-on knocked cautiously on the door, an old woman with gray hair appeared.
And when she glanced at Yoo Ha-on, who was now a young woman, she seemed to recognize her identity at a glance, and her expression became complex.
It was a truly strange expression, a mixture of joy and sadness. The reason for this would probably be revealed soon.
“. . .It’s been a long time. Come in.”
It was as if she had known that Yoo Ha-on would come someday.
Yoo Ha-on followed her, unable to hide the trembling in her eyes.
Eventually, they sat down in the prepared seats, and Yoo Ha-on was the first to speak.
“Do you remember me?”
“Of course I do. Your appearance has changed, but those eyes I can recognize clearly.”
The old woman looked back, her gaze bittersweet as if she was recalling memories, and picked up her teacup.
“So, there must be something else you want to ask?”
“. . .Yes. Actually, I have a few questions. Do you happen to know anything about my past?
In fact, the old woman’s reaction had already made the truth clear.
When the expected question came, she slowly began to speak the words she had kept inside.
“How could I not? I was the one who brought you here as a baby.”
“Then. . .”
“Yes. I also know who your parents are.”
Yoo Ha-on hesitated for a moment, her hands trembling slightly. Then, as if she had finally made up her mind, she spoke again.
“Tell me. I don’t want to live any longer without knowing about them.”
“. . . . . .”
At her resolute will, the old woman also nodded and quietly handed her a business card.
“Simply telling you their names wouldn’t be difficult, but I only heard fragmentary information. If you really want to know everything, go find the owner of this business card.”
“Who is this. . .?”
“The one who asked me to take care of you, your parents’ close friend. That child will probably be able to tell you everything you want to know.”
Hwangha Mineral Products, Ji Moon-seok.
It was the name of the man on the business card the old woman had given her.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
「𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙅𝙞 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣-𝙨𝙚𝙤𝙠.」
I nodded inwardly as I grasped the whole story.
The meeting with the old woman was a scene that was only revealed in Yoo Ha-on’s flashback in the original work, so I didn’t know the details either.
So, we went to the Gyeonggi branch of Hwangha Mineral Products, and went into the building to hand the business card to the employee at the desk.
“We’d like to meet this person. . .”
“Ah, that. Yes. Could you wait a moment?”
Since it was the name of the person at the top of this branch, the employee was quite flustered and began to contact the upper floors urgently.
However, the answer that came back was a firm denial.
“I’m sorry, but the branch manager says he doesn’t know him.”
“What?”
If I had put it properly, there was no way he wouldn’t know Yoo Ha-on’s identity.
In other words, this had to be seen as a polite refusal that conveyed Ji Moon-seok’s own intentions.
“. . .Do you think he doesn’t want to meet me?”
“It seems that way.”
In the original work, it was something that would happen much later, so Yoo Ha-on had used her position to her full advantage and almost barged into Ji Moon-seok’s office.
However, the current Yoo Ha-on was just a student at the Academy. Of course, she couldn’t use the same method.
So, I decided to ask for special help at this point.
Tick.
Drrrring.
“Have you been well?”
『Oh, it’s you. Of course I’ve been well. Thanks to you, I’m doing better every day, so how could I have any worries?』
He was Hwang Jin-chul, a big shot in the shamanic industry who I had traded a simple boundary stone with in the past.
In fact, the simple boundary stone had been very effective in this incident, so Hwang Jin-chul had also gained a lot of fame and support.
It was only natural that he was in high spirits.
“I’m sorry to ask you this suddenly, but I need a little help.”
『Just tell me what it is. There’s no reason for me to refuse you.』
And this Hwangha Mineral Products was a company under Hwang Jin-chul’s control.
With just a word from him, it wouldn’t be difficult to meet with a branch manager.
After finishing the errand and hanging up, a few minutes later, an employee who had been contacted by his superiors approached us with a pale face.
“T-The branch manager has asked you to come up. Please follow me.”
So, we followed the employee’s guidance, took the elevator, and walked for a long time.
Soon, what unfolded before our eyes was the entrance to an office made of luxurious materials.
Thud.
Creak.
Seated at the desk in the office we entered was a middle-aged man with wrinkles, his chin resting on his hand in dissatisfaction.
Soon, a gruff voice, different from his appearance, shot out of his mouth.
“Damn it, nothing’s going right. What’s this other nonsense that meddling old woman has started?”
“I apologize for my lack of manners.”
“Whatever. That’s a skill in its own way, too. That damn daughter of him made a good friend.”
As expected, Ji Moon-seok was already aware of the matter regarding Yoo Ha-on. He had known about it and still refused.
In other words, it was in line with the idea that getting his story out of him from here on was up to Yoo Ha-on herself.
“. . .Do you know my parents?”
“Of course I do. That guy was my best friend.”
“I need to know about them. I’m sorry, but I won’t leave here until you tell me.”
Yoo Ha-on answered firmly, as if she had made up her mind.
It was obvious that her words were sincere, so Ji Moon-seok frowned and shook his head as if he had a headache.
“It’s my freedom to talk or not, so why are you, a little girl I don’t even know, deciding that?”
“I’m not forcing you. I’ll just wait here until you decide.”
“Have you ever seen such a stubborn person? That’s what you call coercion!”
It seemed that he had already had a very busy day, and Ji Moon-seok couldn’t hide his impatience.
Soon, as Yoo Ha-on pulled up a chair with an indifferent expression and sat down, Ji Moon-seok finally sighed and opened his mouth.
“No matter how much you insist, I can’t tell you. No, I won’t tell you.”
“. . .Why is that?”
“Because the promise I made with my friend is more important than a punk like you I don’t even know.”
At first glance, it might sound cold, but he seemed to care quite a bit about Yoo Ha-on.
It must just mean that he valued the promise he had made with Yoo Baek, who had been his close friend.
“. . .Did my father want me to cut off all ties and live as a completely separate person?”
“He did, so why would he have done something so ridiculous?”
“Even so, I don’t want to do that.”
No one present could fail to understand her feelings.
But despite that, Ji Moon-seok’s attitude was firm.
So, Yoo Ha-on opened her mouth again.
“You said you made a promise with my father?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll make a promise too.”
“What?”
After taking a moment to compose herself, Yoo Ha-on continued speaking with crystal clear eyes.
“Even if you never open your mouth here today, I’ll find out the truth somehow.”
“. . . . . .”
“There will probably be distorted information and things that aren’t true. But I’ll believe it all at face value.”
“What the. . . . . .”
“Is that really okay? Will you live and die believing in an illusion of the two of them, believing something that isn’t true?”
It was an appeal that was both transparent and heartfelt.
Even Ji Moon-seok’s stubborn attitude began to waver slightly.
“I can’t do that. I’d rather die not knowing anything than live my whole life with a lie in my heart. If I don’t hear the truth today, I’ll just drop out of the Academy. And I’ll marry a terrible person, and, oh, I’ll never build a tomb for you two. . .”
“Stop, stop. That’s enough.”
At Yoo Ha-on’s declaration, which was starting to spiral out of control, Ji Moon-seok threw up his hands in defeat.
“You really are just like him, not listening to a word I say. I give up.”
“Then. . .”
“Yes. I’ll tell you everything I know. Damn it.”
Ji Moon-seok’s expression brightened at those words.
Watching the two of them, I quietly turned and headed for the door.
“Then I’ll be going out for a while.”
“No, you come in and listen too.”
Just as Yoo Ha-on was about to say something, it was Ji Moon-seok who spoke first, surprisingly.
When I asked him the reason with my eyes, he answered with a meaningful expression.
“You’ve already seen everything there is to see by coming this far, haven’t you? Since I’m going to tell you anyway, it can’t hurt to have one more person to share the burden.”
Ji Moon-seok must have already gotten a rough idea of who I was through his conversation with Hwang Jin-chul.
In other words, he was hoping that I, a rising rookie, would become more actively involved in the situation and help Yoo Ha-on.
His intentions were obvious, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t overlook.
So, Ji Moon-seok sat us down together and finally opened his heavy mouth.
“. . .Your father, Yoo Baek, to put it simply, was not a man of this era.”
At those words, Yoo Ha-on’s eyes widened like lanterns.
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