Chapter 14

By the time Yeon-su finished filing a report at the police station, it was already late afternoon.

It turned out the culprits had already pulled the same scam in other areas and were wanted nationwide.

The supposed landlord and realtor were in it together.

Rather than apartments, they targeted villas and multi-family houses, where prices were cheaper.

They would sign a short-term monthly rental, pretend to be the landlord, then commit large-scale lease fraud.

Their victims were always people strapped for cash, lured in by impossibly cheap prices.

The police officer clicked his tongue, saying the damages already exceeded two hundred million won.

“They set out to deceive, so it’s not something you could’ve spotted easily in advance.”

He gave her a sympathetic look as she sat there in a daze.

“Will they be caught?”

“With a warrant out, it’s only a matter of time. But don’t expect to get your money back. That’s the problem with these guys.”

“…”

“They’ve either already blown it or hidden it somewhere.”

At those words, Yeon-su pressed her lips tightly together. She clenched her eyes shut, fighting to keep the tears from spilling.

If she didn’t hold herself together, she would break down right then and there.

Leaving the station, she trudged back toward what was supposed to be her new home.

In front of it, her belongings sat piled where the moving truck had unloaded them.

[Sorry about your situation, but you still need to pay the moving fee.]

It was a message from the mover while she had been tied up at the police station.

She crouched by her things and transferred the fifty thousand won.

Turning her head, she saw the green gate firmly shut.

From beyond the wall, a child’s laughter floated out.

Where am I supposed to go now?

The emptiness and despair she had bottled up at the station finally burst.

Tears welled up, spilling freely down her cheeks.

Once they started, she couldn’t stop them.

Hugging her knees, she sobbed, the sound slipping out no matter how hard she tried to stifle it.

She had no idea how long she sat there like that until a pair of polished black shoes stopped in front of her.

“Ha Yeon-su?”

She looked up through tear-blurred eyes.

Do Jin-hyuk stood there.

Recognizing him, Yeon-su hastily wiped her face with her palms.

“Executive Director, what brings you here?”

She tried to sound casual, but her disheveled state gave her away.

His gaze swept over her.

Her shoulders trembled as if she’d just come through an ordeal.

Tear stains streaked her face.

Her sweat-soaked tracksuit was smeared with dust, and her hair tie had loosened so strands fell messily down the sides of her face.

And there, stacked haphazardly in the alley, were a refrigerator, a desk, and a bookcase, all large pieces of furniture left stranded.

It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.

“What happened?”

His voice was flat, though a note of displeasure colored it.

Just then, the gate opened and a man emerged, both hands full of garbage bags.

“Miss, you can’t stay here.”

He pitied her situation, but leaving someone else’s belongings piled outside his house wasn’t acceptable.

If she disappeared, he’d be stuck paying to haul it away.

“I get that you were scammed and don’t have anywhere to go, but you can’t just leave all this here.”

His tone was sharp with annoyance.

“I’m sorry. I’ll move it soon.”

She bowed deeply.

He shook his head, sighed, and went back inside.

For that brief moment, she caught a glimpse of the yard.

Just like the day she’d been smitten enough to sign the lease, flowers bloomed in the garden, filling the air with their fragrance.

The sun was already sinking.

Golden-orange light poured gently into the house.

Yeon-su’s eyes blurred again, tears spilling anew at the sight.

The gate slammed shut.

That was the house she had cleaned all weekend, thinking it was hers.

She had been so proud watching it transform bit by bit.

Now, that pride was gone, and so was her home.

Left with nothing, she clenched her fists.

There was no one to blame but herself.

“Let’s move the things first.”

Jin-hyuk finally spoke.

She raised her head slowly.

“There’s a private storage I use. Keep them there for now. The forecast says it’ll rain tonight. Leave them here and everything will be ruined.”

“…Thank you.”

After a brief hesitation, she accepted.

There was no way she could leave them here anyway.

Even if she looked for storage on her own, she wouldn’t manage it tonight.

If it rained, everything would be soaked beyond use.

Maybe it was bad luck that had brought her here. Or maybe meeting Jin-hyuk at this moment was the one small stroke of luck.

“Is this all of it?”

His question jogged her memory.

“No, there are more at the supermarket.”

He pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Chief Jeon, I need a favor. There’s a place called Yong-a Supermarket in Yong-a-dong. Pick up some boxes left there. I’ll send you the address.”

Yeon-su bowed her head, murmuring her thanks.

“Thank you. I’ll pick them up as soon as I find a new place.”

But her face was still drained of life.

“Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

Her eyes flickered uneasily.

She couldn’t go to her parents. They already had enough to worry about.

She couldn’t show up at Su-ryeon’s shrine either.

“Come with me.”

He cut straight through her hesitation.

“Where to?”

“You need somewhere to sleep, don’t you?”

Realizing what he meant, she shook her head.

“No, there’s a goshiwon a few stops away by bus. I’ll be fine.”

He looked at her quietly, then spoke again.

“Just come. I’ll set up a place by the storage. That way you can see for yourself that your things are safe.”

This time, she nodded.

She didn’t have the strength to refuse such plainspoken kindness.

The exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on her.

By the time the sun was gone and the streets dim, his car was already pulling smoothly out of the alley.

Streetlights flicked on one by one, casting a glow that made the neighborhood look almost beautiful.

But this would be goodbye. She had lost her deposit in an instant, and now she had to leave this place too.

Rrrr.

Her phone buzzed.

“Yeon-su, did the move go well?”

It was her mother, Kyung-hee.

“Of course. Everything’s fine.”

Her throat tightened as soon as she heard her mother’s voice.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help. You must’ve had a hard time moving alone.”

“Don’t be. It was just to another place nearby. There wasn’t much to do.”

Yeon-su forced cheer into her tone, choking back tears.

“But what’s this money you sent? It’s too much.”

After clearing out her old apartment, Yeon-su had sent her mother five million won, the remainder of her deposit.

Her mother had gone back to the countryside burdened only with debts.

Even if they had been given a house to live in, it was long-abandoned and needed repairs everywhere.

Even in the countryside, fixing up a house required money.

“I know you need it too. Thank you, Yeon-su. We’ll put it to good use.”

Her mother’s voice trembled with emotion.

When Yeon-su wired the money, she never imagined things would turn out like this.

She had thought herself lucky that the landlord had lowered the price, lucky enough to send a little to her mom.

Now she couldn’t bring herself to ask for it back.

The call ended.

Silence settled in the car.

From just that brief exchange, Jin-hyuk seemed to piece together the situation.

He said nothing, simply kept driving.

Outside, night had fallen completely.

The neon lights of the city glittered.

Yeon-su stared blankly at them as her eyelids slowly sank.

Fatigue came crashing down.

She had worked herself sore cleaning all weekend.

The excitement of moving had kept her up the night before.

Then came today, with its crushing blow.

Her tears had drained the last of her strength.

Her eyes grew heavier and heavier, and before she knew it, Yeon-su slipped into sleep.
 

To be continued

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