Charlotte paced the living room with a nervous look on her face. Even on the way back home, she was so consumed by anxiety that she nearly caused an accident—twice.
“Charlotte, is something wrong?”
Georgina asked in alarm, but all Charlotte could do was shake her head and say it was nothing.
Still, her hands on the steering wheel had trembled non-stop, and by the time she finally made it back home, she had nearly fainted like Lady Catherine. She had practically run into the house and gulped down two full glasses of cold water, but her throat remained dry. Seol Yu-jin’s words kept echoing through her mind.
What should I do?
No matter how many times she turned it over in her head, she couldn’t come up with a single decent solution. When she finally clasped her face in her hands and let out a silent scream, the door suddenly flew open and a man stormed in. Startled, Charlotte shrank back in fear, only for Gordon to scowl and snap at her.
“What the hell are you doing now?”
The harsh tone made her shrink even further. Watching her curl in on herself, Gordon clicked his tongue in disgust and stomped up the stairs. Charlotte, listening to the sound of his heavy footsteps with bated breath, didn’t know what to do with herself. In the end, she couldn’t stay still and followed him upstairs.
As always, Gordon was at the bar, drinking. He had just emptied his glass when he looked at her with a sour expression. Charlotte flinched and instinctively stepped back.
“What? If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Don’t just stand there like an idiot!”
Gordon suddenly bellowed. Charlotte, terrified, just shook her head.
“N-No… it’s nothing. I… I’m sorry.”
She stammered and bolted from the room, and behind her, Gordon shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Fucking idiot. Everything you do turns into a damn mess.”
Charlotte clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from sobbing out loud and retreated to her room.
Haa, haa…
Her shoulders sagged with ragged breaths as she trudged into the bathroom. She opened the cabinet and took out some headache pills. Tossing back several at once, she filled the sink with water and gulped it down before her thoughts started to come together.
Yu-jin knows.
Her pale reflection stared back at her in the bathroom mirror.
Why did he say that? Could he know everything?
If he does… why would he say it to me?
Is he trying to blackmail me?
The mere thought made her stomach churn. The fear gnawed at her—she felt like she was losing her mind. Only one thought kept flashing through her head.
I can’t leave him alone.
I have to do something about Yu-jin.
But what?
Charlotte stared into the mirror and asked herself: What should I do about that man?
Kill him.
There was only one answer. Her mind, driven mad by terror and paranoia, could no longer think rationally. Her hands trembling violently, Charlotte brought them to her mouth and began gnawing at her nails, pacing around the bathroom.
The long night dragged on.
***
I shouldn’t have done that.
Yu-jin took a sip of coffee, frowning as the thought crossed his mind.
He’d assumed he understood the kind of man Gordon was—at least a little—but he knew absolutely nothing about Charlotte. And above all else, Charlotte was an adult.
If she truly felt her circumstances were unfair, then it was up to her to find a way through it. If she had the will to fight, he would gladly help her in any way he could. But if not, then all he was doing was prying into someone else’s private life like some nosy, presumptuous stranger.
And I can’t even get my own shit together.
What came crashing back was a wave of near self-loathing. Yu-jin let out a short sigh and turned his attention back to the screen. He had completed most of the edits the editor had requested, but one scene still wouldn’t come together.
Just this one, and it’ll all be done.
Yu-jin furrowed his brow, lost in thought.
He’d started sneaking into Winston’s study to use the computer the day after returning to the mansion. Since Winston’s schedule was practically fixed—he left and came back at predictable times—it wasn’t difficult to use the study unnoticed.
Although there was a nerve-wracking delay in getting in touch, thankfully, the publishing director had been understanding.
“I thought another publisher had poached you. I’m relieved you reached out!”
The director had said it so casually that Yu-jin couldn’t help but laugh and blurt out, “Of course not!”
The first thing he’d done after getting his phone back was contact the publisher, and since then, he’d been polishing the manuscript whenever he had time. There was still some time before the deadline, but he was desperate to send them the completed draft.
“I’m your first fan.”
Those words from the director had meant more to Yu-jin than anything else.
Up to now, all he’d ever heard were insults and ridicule. But for the first time, someone had treated his work with genuine respect—and that alone had made him so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself.
I need to finish this.
Riding that high, Yu-jin had thrown himself into his work, and now the end was right in front of him. Just one last scene left.
It had been the hardest part even when he first wrote it…
Of course an editor would notice the one part I rushed because it wasn’t clicking.
He couldn’t help but think, Professionals really are on another level.
<It’s not bad as it is, but I get the sense you can draw even more out of it.>
Remembering the editor’s comment, he stared seriously at the screen. Arms crossed, he thought and thought again—but time kept slipping by with no progress. In the end, he let out a frustrated groan, shut off the computer, and stepped outside to find Angela.
“Angie, what are you up to?”
“Daddy!”
Angela had been reading a book by herself, but the moment she spotted Yu-jin, she ran over with pure delight.
He scooped her up without hesitation, listening to her chatter while his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
He’d already decided where to go once he left the mansion. He’d even resolved to deal with the car ride, no matter how difficult it might be. The real problem lay elsewhere.
I need to hand over the manuscript if I want to get at least part of the payment.
All Winston had given him was a credit card.
If he used that, it would instantly give him away, no matter where he went.
He could figure out a workaround for that too, but…
Sneaking out of the mansion wouldn’t be hard.
After all, Winston believed he was obsessed with money, so all he had to say was that he was going out shopping or something.
He could pull some emergency cash through a withdrawal, too. But the real, immediate issue was how to get past the driver and the bodyguards.
How the hell am I supposed to shake them off?
No matter how hard he thought, no solution came to mind.
Thinking back to the last time he went shopping—they had tailed him everywhere, even into the bathroom.
If he were alone, maybe he could manage something. But running away with Angela in tow? That was impossible.
At least until the party… if I can just hold out until then…
“Daddy, Daddy!”
“Huh? Oh—yeah?”
Lost in thought, Yu-jin had completely missed what Angela was saying. He snapped out of it and looked at her in surprise. Angela tilted her head, puzzled.
“What’s wrong? What were you thinking about?”
“Ah, it’s nothing, Angie. Really.”
He quickly shook his head and forced a smile. As he scrambled to recall what she’d just said, there was a sudden knock at the door. Turning his head, he saw the butler step inside.
“The second madam would like to invite you to tea tomorrow. What would you like me to say?”
“An invitation?”
Out of nowhere?
Yu-jin blinked in confusion. After what had happened just the day before, for her to suddenly invite him to her place—it was the last thing he expected.
Thinking about it again, maybe she’d decided she couldn’t let it slide after all.
Either way, it didn’t seem like good news, and he hesitated. But in the end, this mess had started because of him.
I planted the seeds—guess I have to reap them too.
With a sigh, Yu-jin responded, clearly unenthused.
“Just tell her I can’t go over there… but if she’d like to come to Delights for tea, that’s fine.”
“Understood.”
The butler nodded silently and left the room. He returned a short while later to report that Charlotte would be arriving at 2 o’clock.
“Just Charlotte? Not Georgina?”
Angela, still nestled in his arms, looked up and asked. Yu-jin smiled.
“Yeah, just Charlotte tomorrow. Do you want to see Georgina?”
Angela nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling.
“Georgina said there’s gonna be a party soon, so I need to get a new dress! She asked if I wanted to go shopping with her! Can I, Daddy? Pleaaase?”
“Shopping? With Georgina?”
He asked, slightly puzzled—and suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
That’s it. That’s the way.
It felt like a bell ringing inside his head. Yu-jin, elated, pulled Angela into a tight hug.
“Of course you can, Angie! Why don’t we all go together?”
“Really?! Yay!”
The girl, momentarily confused, burst into joyful laughter and wrapped her arms around him.
Yu-jin smiled as he hugged her back. He felt a twinge of guilt toward Georgina, but there was no other choice.
This time, I will make it work.
