However, Kwon Chae-woo was misunderstanding her. Lee-yeon did not just sell Yoon Joo-ha for money. She found a way to help her because he felt that if she left her alone, she would surely die.
She could easily defend himself by saying that she only helped her to survive and see her son when she begged her to.
“When she wanted to go home, it was her who wanted to see her son again.”
However, when she finished with her thoughts, Lee-yeon suddenly felt a shiver down her spine.
“…!”
That may be a comforting thought for her, but it could be another pain for the other person. The thought of it passed through her mind like a warning, causing her tongue to suddenly become stiff. Is it okay to say this just to relieve her own unfairness?
Her mind couldn’t make a decision as if it was frozen.
While they were in that awkward silence, he bowed his head slightly, as if his nose was touching his chest.
“How can we continue to live together with this?” The man’s eyes were shaking like he was having a seizure.
“I’ll endure you, no matter what it takes.”
“….”
“Just looking at you makes me tremble like this.” He said in a shaking voice.
There’s always a reason behind hatred. As it was with Lee-yeon’s upbringing, this time too, she was being tormented for being someone’s wound. An emotion that made her feel like she was about to cry surged in her as she thought about how things always seemed to go awry against her will.
Despite this, she didn’t want to become like Kwon Chae-woo, like her aunt. Without even thinking, she hastily opened her mouth.
“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do that. I was just running errands, I just made phone calls for her. It was her who wanted to go home.”
“….”
The hand that was suddenly gripping her neck tightened. The man kept his lips sealed, but his eyebrows slowly furrowed. He let out a faint laugh with bloodshot eyes that seemed about to burst.
“Better stay still.”
“….”
“How much longer do I have to put up with a woman who lies every time she opens her mouth? Are you now telling me to lick your spittle as well?”
“……!”
“Do you still see me as an idiot who believed every word you said?”
“That’s not it, really, this time it’s true!”
Her voice burst out desperately. Lee-yeon grabbed his wrist tightly, her face turning blue as she struggled to breathe.
Would a man who herded sheep say something like this? Her courage, which had barely been raised, shattered like glass as all her pleas and persuasion were immediately denied.
Lee-yeon’s hands trembled. He seemed to be going away no matter what. The ominous premonition was growing like a monster.
“Do you really think she’s crazy enough to turn herself in?” He released his grip on Lee-yeon’s neck as he spoke. The hot, seething anger gradually dissipated, and the gaze that had been fixed squarely on her was withdrawn without hesitation. Lee Yeon felt a sense of urgency at the sight.
“If you hate me that much, then put me next to you and make me suffer.”
“What?”
“Our aunt does that to her cousins like that. The more you hate, the closer they get and they come to bother you regularly. I’m used to that kind of thing. Because I’m used to it… Mr. Kwon can do it to me too.”
A breath that seemed to burst with incredulity was more toxic than cigarette smoke.
“Why should I?”
The gaze that looked down on her was colder than a bug. The tone suggested that there was no reason to do it at all.
“Then, what about Mr. Kwon if I’m not there with him?”
Even though it wasn’t mid-winter, Lee-yeon’s chin was trembling. “If I’m not here… you can’t even get up. How can you expect me to leave you and survive?”
Every word she uttered was precarious, as if hanging by a thread. Nonetheless, there was no solution. She couldn’t immediately dispel his hatred and distrust, so all she could do was poke at his vulnerability with such petty words.
“Mr. Kwon needs me, doesn’t he?”
“…Are you still deluded like that? I must have acted perfectly.”
“…!”
With a sneer, Kwon Chae-woo laughed. “It’s been a long time since you’ve become useless to me.”
He effortlessly broke the rope that Lee-yeon had been holding onto until the very end. It was like shaking off a piece of straw that had stuck to his clothes, the chain that had bound the two of them tightly.
Lee-yeon, who had confirmed the stark difference in their weight, was so embarrassed that she couldn’t raise her head. Her heartbeats, which had been racing the whole time, slowed down and her bones felt crushed.
Kwon Chae-woo drove a wedge into her in that state.
“I don’t need you.”