The Cruel Beast’s Desire - Chapter 11

“You cried? Kang Hayeon?”

“Yes, she did nothing but cry for over two hours, so I was worried she might pass out. I even got a call asking how far I should intervene if she lost consciousness.”

It was too far to have gone just to find a place to cry her heart out.

In the past, when she was stressed enough to scream, we would go to the Han River together. It didn’t make sense that she went so far when there were places nearby.

Besides, it didn’t add up that someone who needed to work right away to pay off a debt of 2 billion won would go to the sea for a change of pace.

“All the photos are uploaded to the shared drive.”

Yoonjae was about to turn on the tablet but put it down. He didn’t want to see it on a big screen, so he picked up his phone.

He tapped the folder labeled Kang Hayeon, and there were hundreds of photos.

He tapped the folder with yesterday’s date, and it started with photos taken from when she left this place, the Tae Wang Group headquarters. He skimmed through it to see if the report was true and then put his phone face down on the desk. He hadn’t even looked closely, but his head was throbbing.

He habitually reached for the medicine bottle but stopped. The last pill he took was as soon as he got to the office.

Secretary Kim, who had no way of knowing that, picked up the medicine bottle to get him a pill instead. She frowned when she realized it was empty.

“You’ve taken a month’s worth of medicine in less than a week. I’ll have them bring you chamomile tea, so drink that instead of medicine.”

“No, thanks. It tastes like drinking cosmetics, so I don’t like it.”

“We also have rosemary or peppermint.”

It seemed like the secretary’s nagging would go on for a long time. He needed to get the report quickly and send her out.

“Just continue with the report.”

“After Ms. Kang Hayeon stopped crying, she didn’t leave the sea right away but just walked back and forth on the sandy beach. After it got dark, she moved to the bus terminal, took a late-night bus back to Seoul, and went home. No one visited her house that day either.”

There was nothing about the report on Kang Hayeon that was bothersome.

That was what bothered him the most.

He also didn’t find out clearly why she went so far away.

The smooth corners of his lips tilted up to one side.

“The latest report is that she went to the sports center at 5:30 this morning as usual and is currently moving with Ms. Lee Ji-hye after her morning class.”

That she was living her life as usual, except for yesterday, was so bothersome.

“What should we do about the sports center?”

“Proceed as planned.”

“Yes.”

After Secretary Kim left, Yoonjae picked up the phone that he had placed face down on the desk.

After much deliberation, he pressed down on the folder with the photos with his index finger. Unlike before, when he had skimmed through them, he looked at each one carefully.

Kang Hayeon’s appearance at the express bus terminal, standing blankly with a bus ticket in her hand, felt like sharp needles scratching at his nerves.

She looked lively when she was on the phone, but it must have been his imagination that she looked like she was about to cry at any moment.

As he had heard from the secretary, Hayeon was sitting in the middle of the vast sandy beach, looking at the blue sea and crying.

Whether she was hitting her chest with her fist or clutching it.

It was uncomfortable how vividly he could feel her emotions even though it was just a photo. His head throbbed, and he habitually picked up the medicine bottle. He was annoyed that he had forgotten again that there were no pills.

“Damn it.”

He threw the empty bottle into the trash can. He was bothered by the fact that cracks were constantly forming in his otherwise perfect life.

He glared at the phone, which showed a close-up of Kang Hayeon’s face, the reason for the cracks.

He couldn’t understand what could have been so heartbreaking in her life that she was crying so sadly.

She had confidently said in front of him that she would pay back the 2 billion won. Was she crying because the large sum felt daunting after she had spoken so confidently?

Beyond the phone, he saw the frame he had placed on his desk. Seeing her bright smile made the muscles in his stiff face relax and a smile spread across his face.

On the other hand, something hot welled up deep inside his chest.

“Kang Hayeon… you don’t deserve to cry like this.”

The look in his eyes as he looked at the phone was blazing with anger. It was the complete opposite of the warmth he had when he looked at the frame.

It was her first day back at work in a week. She had only slept a few hours because she had arrived late on the late-night bus. She had been lying down, but it was as if she had spent the night with her eyes open. But she wasn’t tired.

Perhaps it was because she had confessed honestly to the child she had missed and felt sorry for, but her body and mind felt lighter.

The members of the beginner class were not much different from a week ago. Hayeon finished the class safely, holding each person’s legs.

After finishing the morning class, she entered the instructor’s room and saw Seon-woo.

“Oh, Seon-woo, you came to work early?”

“I came out early because I have something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“It’s not something I can say here… I’ll be waiting in the park behind the center. Organize your class log and come out.”

Seon-woo’s expression was so serious that Hayeon couldn’t refuse and nodded. As Seon-woo left, Hayeon’s mind was complicated as she wrote the class log.

It was the first time Seon-woo had been so serious.

“I’ll know when I hear it…”

Hayeon quickly wrote the log and headed to the park. Looking at Seon-woo’s serious face, Hayeon opened her mouth comfortably.

“Why are you acting so serious, unlike usual? What’s going on?”

“That’s…”

“Why? Did the center say something about you taking over my classes when I was sick?”

“That’s not it.”

Hayeon was relieved that it wasn’t what she was worried about.

“Don’t you want to move to another sports center? No, let’s move. Together.”

Having learned that the Tae Wang Group had acquired the sports center, she had been thinking of quitting someday. Yoonjae wasn’t at the center every day, but she could run into him by chance.

It seemed that she was already deeply involved with him, but she wanted to get out of his sphere of influence, at least where she worked.

But this was Hayeon’s situation, and it had nothing to do with Seon-woo.

“I’ve looked into a center that we can both move to. You can quit right away and go to work there. I’ll take responsibility for your classes until a replacement instructor comes in.”

“Seon-woo.”

“Just do as I say.”

Seon-woo had always listened to Hayeon comfortably.

It was the first time he had forced her to do something like this.

“Seon-woo, what happened?”

“No. Nothing happened. I’m doing this to make sure nothing happens in the future.”

“I don’t think I know Kim Seon-woo, so it’s unfamiliar.”

“Get used to my current appearance. I’m going to keep interfering in your affairs from now on.”

Hayeon sighed softly.

“I know why you’re doing this… but I’ll take care of this myself.”

“Hayeon!”

“Seon-woo, you’re a really grateful friend. I know you always take care of me. I really appreciate you taking over my classes when I was sick this time.”

Hayeon continued calmly.

“If it weren’t for you and Ji-hye, I would have lived a harder life than I do now.”

“If you know… do as I say.”

“I was going to move to another instructor job too. But I don’t think I can just dump everything on you and move right away. I’ll quit when a replacement instructor comes in.”

Seon-woo’s expression darkened rapidly, but she didn’t want to be indebted to him any more than she already was.

“Hayeon, just do as I say. You don’t know what that bastard will do.”

He didn’t say the name, but the reason Seon-woo was doing this was because of Yoonjae. And Hayeon knew why Yoonjae had reappeared.

She couldn’t tell Seon-woo everything.

“He’s not going to kill me, is he?”

Hayeon said with a bitter smile.

“Class time is up. You should go in and get ready. I have a part-time job in the afternoon, so I have to go to the studio. See you tomorrow, Seon-woo.”

Hayeon waved to Seon-woo, who looked like he had a lot to say, and ran off like she had something urgent to do.

When she entered the studio, Ji-hye was asleep, leaning against the sofa. It seemed that she had come straight up after finishing the dawn shoot.

Hayeon moved as quietly as possible. Despite her efforts, the loud ringing of the phone woke Ji-hye up.

“Hello.”

Ji-hye answered the phone in a sleepy voice. Her eyes were still closed.

“Yes, CEO. We finished the dawn shoot safely. I’ve arrived at the studio now and am waiting for Hayeon.”

“I’m here.”

Hayeon whispered softly so as not to interfere with the call.

“Hayeon is here now.”

Passing Ji-hye, who was on the phone, Hayeon went to where the photographer was.

“Hello, Chief Baek.”

“Hayeon, you’re here.”

“Yes, why is it so quiet today? Wasn’t the shoot supposed to be at 2 p.m. today?”

“It’s at 2 p.m. 33 World contacted us and said they’d be a little late. Haven’t you had lunch?”

Today’s shoot was for a shopping mall that only handles clothes in sizes 33 and 44.

It was the same when she first shot last year, but she was worried that the clothes might not fit.

“I can’t eat. It’s burdensome to wear 33 World clothes, of all things.”

“You seem to have lost more weight than last time. You even went on a diet on purpose because of today’s shoot… Hayeon, you’re amazing.”

Instead of saying that wasn’t the case, Hayeon gave an awkward smile.

That’s when it happened.

“What did you say?”

Ji-hye’s voice, who was on the phone, rang loudly in the studio.

“How can you expect me to calm down right now!”

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