The midnight villa, where Lee-yeon arrived once again, was vastly different during the day and night. As Lee-yeon passed through the camellia forest, now even more mysterious with added lights, she tightly clutched the king’s silk bag. Amongst the leaves, a villa akin to a wild revelry slowly revealed itself.
There were naked men, naked women, and masked individuals casually serving, while some were already entwined with others. As Lee-yeon exited the entrance, she almost stumbled over an intertwined couple.
“….!”
She was startled and quickly averted her gaze, but no matter where she looked, the scene was not much different from what she had seen on the news or in movies – familiar faces all around.
In the middle of the night, two congressmen, who became famous for their violent behavior in the National Assembly, were seen laughing and sharing drinks. They had loosened their ties, exposing their bare chests, and were wandering around barefoot, stumbling with their bellies out.
Lee-yeon felt a strange tightening in her throat as laughter echoed from all directions. This place was a deep, hidden cave where no one could find them, a night of wild revelry for beasts to indulge in their debauchery.
She silently followed the security guard assigned to guide her. Inside, a faint sense of discomfort surged, and she lowered her gaze. When they arrived, she noticed broken branches strewn all around. And it wasn’t just one or two; there were many.
“We received complaints about it being disturbing, so we were asked to clear it up.”
The security guard who had been guiding her from the entrance spoke gruffly.
“Some have fractures.”
Lee-yeon examined the torn area and furrowed her brow.
“Why on earth are the branches broken like this? I can’t understand….”
“It seems like they were hanging on with too much force.”
“Just going over there, there’s an abundance of alcohol. Isn’t it ridiculous for someone not even a child to play by grabbing tree branches?”
Lee-yeon picked up a fallen branch and grumbled while holding it.
“It wasn’t too high, which was perfect. It felt like good support when legs are dangling in the air.”
“Pardon?”
“Forget it if you didn’t catch that.”
“….”
Lee-yeon blinked her eyes and blushed as she briefly recalled the nature of this party. So, while someone was holding onto tree branches for support, what was happening beneath them… Abe, Abe!
Frantically, Lee-yeon opened her king’s silk bag and assembled the torn pieces with metal fasteners. A little while later, the security guard received another message on his radio and apologized before leaving her alone. Lee-yeon remained engrossed in her work even after he was gone.
“Phew….”
I’m sorry, I brought you here for no reason. You didn’t have to go through this trouble…
Lee-yeon took a deep breath, gently stroked the tree trunk, and organized her tools that had been spread out.
At that moment, a group caught Lee-yeon’s eye as they approached with hunched shoulders and craning necks. They were all a well-groomed group of men and women, but among them was Kwon Chae-woo. He looked significantly younger than the others, giving the impression of youthfulness beyond anyone else in the group.
Lee-yeon unconsciously tried to guess Kwon Chae-woo’s age. Around twenty-eight? The realization hit her that he was still in his twenties. She had mistakenly added four more years to his age, and it bothered her. She absentmindedly scratched the end of her eyebrow.
Amidst the party, where people leaned against each other, and the drinks and laughter flowed endlessly, Kwon Chae-woo stood out naturally, yet seemed somewhat alone.
Opening and closing a silver lighter with a lid, he covered one ear, appearing unusually sensitive. He was the only one in this chaotic atmosphere who buttoned his shirt to the top.
At that moment, a woman with a mischievous expression pushed a man down and buried her face in his neck. The crowd whistled and laughed as if they were watching a sports match.
The woman showered affection on one man while piercingly staring at another man seated on the couch. The atmosphere was extremely bizarre. The venue, where the dinner party didn’t shy away from displaying affection, felt like evidence of not placing much importance on sex.
There was an insurmountable gap between Lee-yeon, who embraced life like a tree, and those who broke branches and played around without a care.
Young Master Kwon Chae-woo. That was the true side of him that Lee-yeon was unaware of. The woman in an evening dress sat beside Kwon Chae-woo, moving her lips with a mysterious smile. His aimless gaze, which had been drifting around, slowly returned to her.
Watching that unfamiliar face, Lee-yeon felt an odd sensation in her mouth.
The more she witnessed Kwon Chae-woo’s life, the more pitiful the pieces she buried became.
“Ah…!”
However, Lee-yeon’s self-reflection was instantly obliterated by an unexpected moan from behind. “What, what is this?!”
As soon as she turned her head, she found herself face to face with a man’s bare chest…