When the afternoon came, the sudden sound of the doorbell rang through the house. Seol Yu-jin, who had been lost in thought to the point of exhaustion, only realized it after the bell rang for the third time.
Who could it be?
There was no one else on the island. If it were Winston, he wouldn’t ring the bell. Yu-jin hesitated for a moment before cautiously heading toward the front door.
“Wh-Who is it…?”
His voice trembled involuntarily due to an inexplicable tension. From the other side, a woman’s aged voice responded.
“Hello, Mr. Campbell. I’m the caretaker of the estate. Could you open the door?”
Caretaker?
Yu-jin momentarily couldn’t react. After a few seconds of blank hesitation, he came to his senses and hurriedly opened the door. Still half in doubt, he checked the faces outside and saw an older couple smiling as they greeted him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dorothy Taylor, and this is my husband, Jacob Taylor. The two of us manage the estate, both inside and out. We also prepare simple meals for you. Just in case, we stocked the fridge with some food. Have you had a chance to look?”
“Oh, um, no… not yet.”
Eating was the last thing on his mind. It was only now that he realized he was hungry. Seeing his reaction, Dorothy let out a small “Oh,” as if in realization, then quickly stepped inside. Startled, Yu-jin moved aside to let her pass as she headed straight for the kitchen.
“I’ll prepare a meal for you right away. Don’t worry about my husband—he’ll take care of the housework on his own.”
Just as she said, Jacob simply gave a polite nod before disappearing somewhere. Dorothy, on the other hand, quickly prepared a meal and called Yu-jin to the table.
“Please, eat comfortably. I’ll be upstairs cleaning, so if you need anything, just let me know.”
With that, she also disappeared from sight, leaving Yu-jin alone once again. He blinked blankly before finally turning his gaze to the table, then quickly grabbed a piece of bread. As he ate, dipping the warm, thick mushroom soup with the bread, his thoughts slowly began to clear.
There shouldn’t be anyone else here but me.
So where had they suddenly come from? There was only one answer. They must have arrived from the mainland, just like Winston. However, since he hadn’t heard a sound, they must have used a different method of travel—
A boat.
Yu-jin momentarily froze, staring blankly ahead as if he had just realized something. Snapping out of it, he hurriedly finished his meal and placed the dishes in the dishwasher.
I need to stay calm.
But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he pushed it aside. There was no time for hesitation—he had left Angela alone. He had to move.
“I’m going out for a walk!”
He called out toward the upstairs, and Dorothy’s voice soon answered. Keeping his expression as neutral as possible, he stepped out of the mansion. Passing by Jacob, who was trimming the trees in the garden, he leisurely walked forward.
His steps quickened into a hurried pace. Yu-jin kept glancing over his shoulder as he walked briskly, urgency pressing down on him.
There has to be a docking area somewhere nearby.
Now that he thought about it, he vaguely recalled seeing something similar before. He had been so focused on finding someone that he hadn’t paid attention to anything else. Since there had been no one else around, he had simply assumed that a helicopter was the only means of transport. Moreover, the idea of someone coming to take care of household chores on his behalf was so far removed from his own life experience that he hadn’t even considered it.
I should’ve been thinking from Winston’s perspective.
A man like him wouldn’t even think about the possibility of not having people to cater to his needs. Yu-jin needed to start considering things that way, even if it was difficult—he had never lived that kind of life.
Those people… they must come here every day. At the very least, every other day.
Panting, his breath ragged from exertion, Yu-jin scanned his surroundings. If he could take advantage of that opportunity, maybe—just maybe—he could escape this place. If only he could—
Just as the thought formed, he finally saw it.
A long pier stretched out toward the sea, and at the end of it, a motorboat was docked.
***
What do I do now?
Yu-jin anxiously glanced back and forth between the mansion and the boat. He didn’t know how to drive a boat, so stealing it and escaping wasn’t an option. Winston had probably accounted for that. But that didn’t mean Yu-jin was going to give up.
I have to think of a way—any way.
This was undoubtedly a rare chance. He could hardly believe fortune had finally smiled upon him, but now wasn’t the time for hesitation. Without overthinking, he forced himself to act.
I have to find Angie first.
The child’s location was obvious. Of course, she would be at Delights.
Yu-jin stood there, shifting on his feet, unable to decide his next move. Time was slipping away. He had to make a decision. There was only one method, classic yet reliable, that had a high chance of working. Taking a deep breath, he scanned the area.
Then, he spotted it—a broken tree branch, perfect for what he needed.
Executing this plan required an immense amount of courage. His trembling hand refused to move, frozen in hesitation. But then, suddenly, Angela’s face flashed through his mind.
In that moment, all doubt vanished.
Courage surged in its place. He clenched his fist and, without a second thought, dragged the jagged branch across his arm.
***
“Oh my god, what should we do?! Hurry, hurry!”
The elderly couple, who had taken Yu-jin onto the boat and off the island, rushed him to the nearest hospital.
“Call Mr. Campbell—now! We have an injured person here!”
As her husband helped Yu-jin into the emergency room, the wife fumbled to pull out her phone. Her hands shook so badly that she kept dialing incorrectly. Meanwhile, her husband shouted desperately at the medical staff.
“Somebody take care of this patient—quickly!”
Amid the chaos, Yu-jin lay alone on a hospital bed. The husband had disappeared, likely handling paperwork, and the medical staff were too busy rushing around to pay him any attention. His wound wasn’t even that severe—the bleeding had already stopped.
I’m sorry for scaring you.
Silently apologizing to the couple, Yu-jin slowly slipped off the bed and made his way out of the hospital.
Fortunately, a taxi was waiting nearby.
The moment he saw it, his entire body nearly gave out. A wave of dizziness threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced himself to stay upright. He had to take that taxi. He had to get to Angela.
Gritting his teeth, he climbed in.
“D-Delights… Take me to Delights.”
He barely managed to speak between ragged breaths. The driver turned to him with a startled expression.
“Delights? You mean the Campbell estate?”
“Yes, that’s right. Please, hurry.”
Winston would find out soon enough. Before that happened, he had to escape with Angela.
Yu-jin squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the terror clawing at him. But the moment his eyelids fell, memories of that day came flooding back, suffocating him. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, as if seized by a violent chill.
It’s okay. It’s okay.
Yu-jin forced himself to picture Angela’s face. It was the only way to fight off the fear.
On the way to Delights, his consciousness flickered in and out. Over and over, he blacked out for a few seconds, only to jolt awake again.
***
“Mr. Yu-jin, what happened?!”
The butler’s shocked voice rang out as Yu-jin practically tumbled out of the car. Gasping for breath, he struggled to speak.
“A-Angie… Angie… where is she?”
“She’s in her room. What on earth happened? And that wound—”
Yu-jin didn’t wait for an answer. He bolted inside the house, heart pounding violently against his ribs.
I have to leave. Now.
I have to take Angie and get out of here—forever.
Hurry. Hurry.
“Angie…!”
He barely managed to choke out her name as he used all his strength to throw the door open.
Sunlight flooded the room, so blinding that he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut. Slowly, as his vision adjusted, the scene inside came into focus.
His precious daughter was sitting on the floor, playing with her toys.
She turned to him, and though no sound reached his ears, he saw the unmistakable movement of her lips forming the word—
Daddy.
Angela’s bright smile stretched across her face as she stood up, the moment playing out before him in slow motion.
And then, Yu-jin saw him.
Sitting across from Angela, Winston also rose to his feet—slowly, deliberately.
“…Darling.”
Winston’s voice felt distant, as if coming from the other end of a long tunnel.
Still smiling leisurely, he continued.
“What brings you all the way here?”
At that moment, all the strength drained from Yu-jin’s body.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.
