"The video will be released in ten minutes. Make a choice." Kim Seo-yeon said calmly and stood up.
Ten minutes? Ten minutes was too short for her to do anything or even call that person. Kim Seo-yeon had intentionally tied her hands. It seemed she wasn't planning on giving her any alternative.
"Sister, what kind of sister are you? I..."
"Yeon Ji-a, spare me this bull crap and make your decision."
Yeon Ji-a smiled, her face contorted.
"I guess I should use my ten minutes well. Get out of my house or I'll arrest you for trespassing." She said and started ascending the stairs. She disappeared into the inner house almost immediately.
"Ms. Son, what's next on my schedule?" Kim Seo-yeon said as she and Son Ji-woo left the villa.
"Bios and Logos is reconsidering their investment. It requires your immediate attention." Son Ji-woo said in her professional voice.
"I'll need a change of clothes. This one won't do..." Kim Seo-yeon paused and looked around. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that she was being watched. After looking around for a while and finding nothing suspicious, she sighed and continued. "Ensure the video is released immediately if Yeon Ji-a remains silent. But keep a close eye on her. She must not get harmed." Kim Seo-yeon said and entered the car.
Who knew if the mysterious person would scramble to dispose Yeon Ji-a if he found out.
…
By mid-day, the video was circling the internet.
[Oh my God! Isn't that Yeon Ji-a? I didn't know she had such a lifestyle indoors!]
[Look at how she's screaming. She sounds very ecstatic.]
[I'm tired of these actresses putting out their improper tapes to acquire fame. I don't care what apology she gives, I'm never watching her again! Very angry fan *with an angry emoji*]
[What a whore!]
Kim Seo-yeon's phone rang. Her mother was calling.
"Seo-yeon, have you seen the video of your sister flying around? You haven't taken it down." Kim Ye-sol said, it seemed she had forgotten about the date with Kang Eun-ho entirely.
"Mother, the person who put the video out there is someone I can't touch. The person's making it difficult to suppress anything." Kim Seo-yeon said.
She indeed hadn't released the video. She had called Yeon Ji-a again, but she didn't pick up. She was thinking of what to do. She really did not want to release that video, because no matter what, Yeon Ji-a was her sister. But the company was at stake. She needed to know who orchestrated this behind closed doors.
Someone else had released the exact same video before her. She had already called the photographer, but he insisted that she was with the one and only video he'd recorded.
Now, she had no leverage against Yeon Ji-a. Even worse, the video was definitely going to ruin her career.
Kim Ye-sol hung up without a word. She didn't believe her.
Kim Seo-yeon stood up, about to summon Son Ji-woo (she needed to pay Yeon Ji-a a visit), when Son Ji-woo came running in through the door.
"Ms. Kim, bad news."
…
Police sirens wailed, and the villa was sealed off.
Kim Seo-yeon slammed out of her car in a panic and ran through the barricade. She bolted up the stairs, pushing past officers. She shoved open the door, and stopped dead. A gasp left her throat.
Right there, on the pink-themed bed, Yeon Ji-a lay lifeless. Her wrist was slit and the blood had begun to dry. On the floor, a table knife lay nearby, covered in blood.
Kim Seo-yeon's head began to spin. She could barely hold on to herself. She took a step back, unable to register the shock. She looked like she would fall at any moment.
The officers in the house immediately came to her side, to help escort her downstairs. She didn't reject their help. She walked down the stairs unstably.
She stood in the living room, feeling very empty and lonely. Her eyes were red and the tears in her eyelids were threatening to fall.
…
At the station, Kim Seo-yeon sat with a blanket over her shoulders.
"You were the last person to see Ms. Yeon alive, what was she like at the time? Did she seem suicidal?" The officer asked, his face calm.
"No. No, she did not." Kim Seo-yeon said.
"Do you recall any strange behaviors?"
"No. Not any." Kim Seo-yeon said, her voice dry and hoarse.
"Ms. Kim, thank you. We might need you to come to the station again when we get something new." The officer stood up and extended his hand.
Kim Seo-yeon picked up her bag and left the room, not taking the handshake.
She was trembling all over.
Yeon Ji-a wasn't the kind of person to kill herself over that video. But all of the evidence was there. She had indeed committed suicide.
Kim Seo-yeon felt really terrible. Maybe, if she hadn't taken that video, that mysterious person wouldn't have gotten his hands on it. She didn't know whether to believe the mysterious person also had a hand in Yeon Ji-a's death or not.
She needed to immediately speak to Director Ryu, she hadn't spoken to him since the incident and he'd been absent for the past three days.
Son Ji-woo stood outside, in front of the car. At this time, she didn't know what to do as she watched Kim Seo-yeon approach her. She didn't know whether to console her or not.
The ride back to Jeongwon Capital was extremely silent. The driver had turned off the radio and the only sound present was the splattering of rain on the window of the car.
As they entered the office, they saw Kim Ye-sol with reddened eyes, her face swollen. Before Kim Seo-yeon could register her mother's face, she stepped forward and hit her across the face.
"You... What have you done?" Kim Ye-sol said as the tears flowed down her face like a river. "You foolish child! You've killed your sister! What did she do to deserve this? Have I not told you to be kind and not be a bully towards our Ji-a?!" Kim Ye-sol shouted, her voice hoarse, the snot in her eyes making the sound even worse.
"Your father is going to be so disappointed." Kim Ye-sol finished in a broken voice and stormed out of the room.
Kim Seo-yeon stood for a while, the five fingerprints on her face becoming more obvious.
"Ms. Son,"
"Yes, ma'am?" Son Ji-woo quickly replied.
"Clear my schedule. I'm going home."
…
At home, the tears Kim Seo-yeon had been holding back fell freely. She didn't hold back and cried her heart out. Her mind kept flashing with the good memories she had with Yeon Ji-a.
She was heartbroken and she felt like she was the worst person in the world.
This event, was something she wouldn't forget in a long time.
…
The next day, the entertainment company Yeon Ji-a was a part of released a statement that Yeon Ji-a had died. And that she died to suicide.
The whole Internet blew up once more.
[Oh my! I didn't think she would do this.]
[I don't care. I'm not taking back what I said. She was a whore.]
[I hope the heavens accept her into the afterlife. But I still don't believe my opinion on the video was wrong.]
[What a way to die!]
[So, she killed herself because of the negative comments. I don't blame her though, her life would have been ruined. I would have done the same.]
There were many more comments, some lending thoughts and prayers, while others wrote apologies for their earlier remarks.
Kim Seo-yeon had returned to work, but she was so much more colder. Kim Jae-jun had also returned. Director Ryu had already been fired.
Son Ji-woo dropped the files on the desk and stared at the pale Kim Seo-yeon.
"Ms. Kim, the files you asked for." Son Ji-woo said and knew to turn around and leave. Kim Seo-yeon had been working the past two days without rest. She looked horrible.
After work, Son Ji-woo watched Kim Seo-yeon's car pull out of the driveway. She hailed a taxi and got in. She texted her boyfriend that she would be home soon.
Son Ji-woo unlocked her door and walked into her apartment. Since she was getting paid at an hourly rate, she had managed to get a bigger apartment, one with a living room inside of it. The place was still in the process of being furnished and there were a few cardboard boxes littered around the room.
She took off her shoes at the door and wore the house loafers by the entrance. Her stomach grumbled as she inhaled the smell coming from the kitchen.
"Im Gang, I'm back!" She said and a tall figure walked out of the kitchen and gave her a big hug.
"Are you okay? Are you tired? I already prepared some tea. You can sit down, let me get the neck massager." The man, Im Gang asked. He stared at her, his eyes shining with concern as he made her sit on the sofa. He handed her the tea and put the neck massager on her neck.
Son Ji-woo sipped the tea, feeling rejuvenated and alive. She gasped at the heat and sighed.
"I'm okay. Is the food ready?" Son Ji-woo asked.
"Five minutes."
"Okay. It smells so good. What would I be without you?" Son Ji-woo said and pouted.
"I guess it's a good thing you have me." Im Gang said and chuckled as he walked to the kitchen.
As he dished out the food, he stared at her, "So, how was work today? Did Kim Seo-yeon push you too much?"
"I'm more worried about her health." Son Ji-woo said and stood up. She walked to the kitchen and stared at the food Im Gang cooked. A rice dish, with three side dishes on the side.
She picked up a pair of chopsticks and grabbed a piece of meat from the pan, but the back of her palm was smacked by another pair of chopsticks the next second.
"I've told you not to stick your hand in the pan!" Im Gang scolded.
"It's delicious." Son Ji-woo said as she ate the meat, and ignored his remark.
"Ms. Kim hasn't been herself the past few days. I just want her to eat some of your dishes and relax." Son Ji-woo said as she leaned her head on Im Gang's shoulder.
"You can bring her some if you want to." Im Gang said thoughtfully.
"Oh no! Ms. Kim does not like kind gestures."
"Then pray she gets a boyfriend like me." Im Gang said absentmindedly as he set the table with the dishes in the living room.
They both sat down with their legs crossed.
"Say... Don't you think she would be happier if she had a boyfriend who did nice things for her?" Son Ji-woo mused.
"Ji-woo, you just came back from working 14 hours, worry about that later. Eat first or it'll get cold." Im Gang said and uncovered the dishes.
"Alright, let us pray." Son Ji-woo said as she closed her eyes, though she was thinking about Kim Seo-yeon over Im Gang's prayer.