Chapter 74
The next stop was a shaggy traditional Korean-style building. Unlike the building, the parking lot was enormous with a sign that said “Seo Hwa Dang”.
What were they here for this time?
A bewildered Yuri was led into a wooden door by Tae-jun. The restaurant was crowded with a constant stream of patrons since it was lunchtime on a weekday.
The pair was guided to the seats right away. The outdoors were left disheveled, but the indoors was remodeled. Yuri astounded looked around the drastically upgraded interior.
“Anything you’d like to eat?” Tae-jun passed the menu to her.
“Is this also a warm-up?” she asked, taking the menu.
“You can say so. And you like it here; you like the dishes here.” He sounded as if he were reminding her.
That’s true … She blinked as she read through the lengthy list of the menu. Since when were there so many options? Tae-jun ordered not only her favorite chicken dumplings but also the newest menus and a large hotpot.
A moment later, they were presented with a banquet. Yuri was appalled.
“Isn’t it too much food for the two of us?” she said, as she looked around the tantalizing spread.
“You don’t need to finish it all.”
Easy said it looked hard to even go close to finishing!
Tae-jun eagerly sliced a dumpling in half and placed it on Yuri’s plate, he had done so before too. The man didn’t eat much himself but would always buy a bunch of food and try to feed her.
Then he, rather abruptly, asked, “Why do you like the food here?”
“The nanny who took care of me when I was young was from North Korea. Her cooking tasted similar to this.” She replied without thinking.
Perhaps because Yuri hadn’t visited the restaurant for such a long time, or maybe because she hadn’t had much breakfast, she was eagerly devouring the dumplings and curiously trying out the new dishes that Tae-jun had ordered for her. One with mala, one with curry, and another with cheese.
After watching her eat for a few minutes, he said, “This one seems to be your favorite.” He was pointing at a curry dumpling that she was enjoying the most.
Yuri stared into his eyes with visible awe. “How did you know?”
This wasn’t the first time he’d guessed on point. Is he a psychic?
Tae-jun smirked as he replied. “I was just being observant. You tend to chew longer when you’re enjoying it.”
It was a habit acquired from living with her grandmother. She was scolded when she was being picky with her food, so she’d swallow it fast to finish the dishes she disliked. It felt weird that Tae-jun noticed her smallest habits, and that he was meticulously observing her every moment.
After their meal, they strolled on the promenade along the Jinseong River. The river looked the same, but around it, everything seemed different. As they walked, Yuri slowly drifted into her thoughts.
Retrieving her memories was in a state of stagnation. Off late, those fragments of memory that hounded her in the name of dreams seemed to have vanished. Nothing new came to her mind, at least not when she was sleeping. But the same could not be said during her waking hours. The sequence of recollections after meeting Tae-jun had given her the hope and confidence of resolving this mystery once and for all, and sooner. However, ever since the last piece of that conversation, there had been zero progress.
She had thought that her looking into In-bae Lee’s case would help her reach ultimate evidence that would solve the case, but things weren’t that easy. The more she discovered, the more complicated it became. She knew with her current resources and the non-existent power that she possessed, she could do nothing.
Yuri was in the midst of letting out a deep sigh when Tae-jun asked her a question.
“Any thoughts on going back to school?”
“…school?” she said, rather befuddled.
“You wanted to go back. You said you only have one more semester left. The school’s trying to let the students who were victimized by Seok-ha Yoo return without any unfair consequences. If you’re going to remain in this field, won’t it be better to at least get your degree at H University?” He explained.
Graduating from school and getting a job in the field were things she wished for but had long given up on. She didn’t expect him to bring this up.
“Were you involved in the Seok-ha Yoo incident by any chance?” she asked about the hunch she had been long harboring.
“Yes.”
“What for?”
“What do you think?”
Yuri was at a loss for an appropriate reply, so she just stared at him. Her eyes met his, and they remained so for a moment.
Tae-jun lit his cigarette. “You should hazard a guess as to why I was involved in Seok-ha Yoo’s case. Oh, and also, think about going back to school too.”
They were interrupted by an incoming call. Tae-jun frowned looking at the caller, it seemed like he had to take this call. While he was preoccupied with the conversation, Yuri started walking along the river. Her head was full of thoughts.
What exact feeling does Tae-jun have for me? She knew he had positive feelings for her. To be exact, he enjoyed having s*x with her.
So all of this just for it? No, that didn’t sound right.
Then is it love?
Absolutely not! What kind of love makes a guy think it’s normal to blackmail her with a contract while being someone else’s fiancé?
He was just crazily attached to her like a greedy man.
Yuri fiercely shook her head as if doing so would eliminate these useless thoughts. She didn’t want another thing added to her list of problems. For now, she had to focus solely on her work, her purpose.
The very next moment, she froze as she fixed her eyes on the river ahead.
“Here…” She mumbled, her breathing automatically turned erratic.
She looked around in a trice. The enormous bud tree across the river looked very familiar. She was certain that she knew this place. In fact, it was the place in her lost memory.
Yuri walked closer to the river for a confirmation. Not even the “Hazardous: Do Not Enter” sign could stop her. The closer she got, the more horrified she looked.
It was here … This was where Hye-yeon died.
Before she noticed, the ground sank.