Realising the tension in the room Chae-young attempted to dissipate it, "So... you kids should go to your rooms and wash up and maybe come down for dinner,"
"Thank you," Ji-woo exclaimed appreciatively, running up to her room.
She found Eun-kyung lying on the bed, with her eyes shut, playfully trying to levitate Ji-woo's belongings in the air to no avail. Ji-woo stood in front of her, resting her hands on her hips.
"You didn't tell me that you have the ability to disappear and teleport anywhere you want," Ji-woo exclaimed in astonishment.
"You didn't ask," Eun-kyung responded as she sat up, "So, how did it go?"
Ji-woo let out a frustrated grunt and collapsed onto the bed. "You seriously don't know how to interact with physical objects in your ghostly form."
"Watch this," Eun-kyung raised her hand and attempted to slap Ji-woo. Ji-woo tried to dodge, but she was too slow, and Eun-kyung's hand passed right through her own.
Ji-woo, who had closed her eyes in fear, cautiously opened them when she heard Eun-kyung laughing. "You're going to regret this," she warned.
"You can't do anything," Eun-kyung taunted before passing through the door and disappearing from the room.
By dinner time, everyone had gathered in the dining hall, thankfully Attorney John had returned home.
As they ate in silence, Madam Hyun finally decided to break it. "How is school, Si-woo?" she inquired, causing Si-woo to flinch at the sound of his name.
"It's good," Ji-woo replied, trying to help Si-woo out.
"Ji-woo, your brother has a voice to answer for himself," Madam Hyun retorted.
"I am aware, so what have you been up to in Europe?" Ji-woo inquired, attempting to shift the conversation away from Si-woo.
"Nothing much. I didn't tell you all because I wanted it to be a surprise, but I actually went there to build a mall and it's been successful," Madam Hyun explained proudly, though nobody seemed particularly surprised by her revelation.
"We already knew about that, I was asking you about something else. I meant to say your love life if you truly have one," Ji-woo pressed, taking a large bite of her steak.
"Oh, it's nothing much. Wait I'm joking I've dated like.....twenty, it should be twenty-four since last year" Madam Hyun answered with a grin.
Ji-woo, almost sneering at the woman's response, wondered if she was trying to taunt her. Nevertheless, she continued cutting her steak with precision, holding her fork and knife firmly. "At least now I know that you will survive when I kick you out with nothing," she muttered under her breath. However, to Ji-woo's surprise, Madam Hyun heard her clearly and her face flushed with fury.
"Do you think you own this house to speak to me like that?" Madam Hyun raised her voice, her anger palpable.
Ji-woo blinked, taken aback by the sudden outburst. "Precisely," she replied, not backing down.
"You disrespectful wench!" Madam Hyun stood up, her voice echoing through the room.
"Everyone, please calm down," Chae-young intervened, her voice soothing and calm.
"Ji-woo, that's enough," Ga-ram said, attempting to hold Ji-woo's hand, but she pulled away and got up, storming out of the dining room with her mother hurling insults at her back.
As she walked through the hallway toward her room, Ji-woo's mind was consumed by thoughts of the confrontation. Suddenly, Eun-kyung appeared out of nowhere, emerging from the wall behind Ji-woo, causing her to scream in surprise and instinctively position herself in a defensive stance. Eun-kyung chuckled at Ji-woo's reaction.
"Enough with the jokes, Eun-kyung," Ji-woo glared at her, still recovering from the shock.
"I found something," Eun-kyung informed, her tone serious.
"I don't want to know," Ji-woo replied dismissively, opening her bedroom door.
"But..."
"Shh, I'm going to bed," she said, closing the door firmly, shutting out Eun-kyung's persistence.
The following day, Eun-kyung was sent by Ji-woo to keep a vigilant eye out for Seo-jun. Eun-kyung looked for him everywhere but couldn't find him so she decided to head towards the music club room, only to find it empty. Just as she pondered leaving, her eyes fell upon the unexpected sight of Seo-ah and Young-chul entering the room together.
"He's not here," Seo-ah said, sweeping her gaze around the room.
Curiosity piqued, Young-chul asked, settling himself comfortably in a nearby chair, "What did you want to talk to him about?"
Seo-ah, clearly worried, replied with a hint of hesitancy, "I don't know exactly, but he's been acting strangely since the start of this week."
"I'm just concerned for him," she added, her expression reflecting genuine concern.
Young-chul smiled reassuringly, his eyes meeting Seo-ah's, as he said, "Tell you what, let's wait for him. I'm here for you."
Seo-ah's face lit up with gratitude, but a hint of hesitation lingered as she struggled to find the right words. "Young-chul I have something to say, I-I-I like you, Young-chul," she finally admitted, her voice tinged with vulnerability.
Young-chul, feeling the weight of her confession, tried to dissuade her gently, saying, "I know, but you should stop before you get hurt. I'm far from your league, Seo-ah. I'm not as wealthy as you are." He made a move to stand up, but Seo-ah, driven by determination, prevented him from doing so, her hands firmly holding his face.
"Please, at least give me a chance. I'm not like other girls," Seo-ah pleaded, her eyes brimming with sincerity.
Eun-kyung couldn't help but let out a delighted squeal as she observed the unfolding romance, transforming the once monotonous novel saturated with vengeance into an enthralling romance plot. Not only was Ji-woo now dating Diego, but Si-woo and Mun-hee had also unveiled their mutual affection. And to add to the mix, a blossoming romance between Young-chul and Seo-ah was taking shape. It seemed that her mere presence in the novel had managed to influence the storyline, but in the most gratifying way. Eun-kyung finally realised that she would be content if she were to leave the novel behind for good.
With a playful smirk, Seo-ah remarked, "I noticed you haven't been mean to me anymore."
"That's because you've stopped teasing me at every opportunity," he retorted.
"What do you expect, when you avoided me for days when I touched your hair the last time" she pouted.
Young-chul couldn't help but smile at her playful banter, causing Seo-ah's cheeks to blush and turn a delightful shade of pink.
However, their lighthearted moment abruptly came to an end as a voice echoed from outside the club room door, prompting them to hurriedly conceal themselves within a nearby cupboard.
Eun-kyung observed the situation unfolding with amusement as she wondered, "Why are they hiding?"
Lowering his voice, Young-chul whispered from within the confines of the cupboard as he asked the same question, "Why are we hiding."
"Wait, shh!" she shushed him.
Seo-jun entered the room, engaging in a phone call, and casually made his way towards the window.
Eavesdropping on his conversation, Eun-kyung overheard Seo-jun snidely remark, "Now she's pretending to have gone crazy."
A sadistic smile etched across his face, Seo-jun continued, "Ha-rin never fails to surprise me. It's obvious she's just pretending, and it will work out in a twisted way. She'll be taken to a psychiatric hospital, maintaining her act until a year passes, and then she'll be released. I can't wait to see the performance she puts on. Hah!"
"No one has caught up with me yet. I've repeatedly emphasized that no one would suspect my involvement in what happened to Ji-woo," Seo-jun boasted confidently, taking a seat and instinctively reaching for the nearby guitar strings.
"As for the vase incident, if I could somehow make Ha-rin take the blame as well, it would be a remarkable achievement. A true win-win," he mused, his fingers finding the familiar chords on the guitar.
"I will visit Ha-rin today, and everything will be resolved. You can rest assured," he assured the unseen recipient of his call, before intertwining his musical talents with the conversation.
Deep in her thoughts, Eun-kyung anxiously hoped that Seo-ah and Young-chul wouldn't inadvertently reveal themselves in this perilous situation.
Suddenly, Seo-ah emerged from the cupboard and boldly confronted her brother, demanding an explanation.
Seo-jun's surprise was evident as he also noticed Young-chul stepping out of the hiding spot. "You know it's a serious offence to make out in the school premises."
Seo-ah, her voice filled with frustration, exclaimed, "Don't change the subject!"
Seo-jun, seemingly unfazed, stood up to face his sister with a smile. "There's nothing to explain."
A tearful Seo-ah couldn't contain her emotions any longer. "Tell me you didn't do such a thing."
"What you heard is true, but you wouldn't dare betray your own big brother, would you?" Seo-jun asked, his voice brimming with an unsettling confidence.
"I'm leaving," Seo-ah declared, turning away from him. However, Seo-jun, driven by anger, used his palm to forcefully push her into a nearby table, causing her head to collide with its surface and rendering her unconscious.
Young-chul rushed to Seo-ah's side, panic and anger visible in his eyes. "What did you do?" he exclaimed, glaring at Seo-jun. But to his dismay, Seo-jun responded with merciless laughter.
Witnessing this horrifying scene, Eun-kyung's eyes widened with shock. "He's the real psychopath, not Ha-rin."
I'm absolutely sorry guys, I was too concentrated on making the story plot for the new novel I have started writing for the contest but I assure you that I will not drop this novel no matter what. So please don't drop it too.
Thanks for reading.