Yu poured Nayeon a warm cup of tea after listening to her story—everything that had happened over the past four years up to now. Whether Yu actually understood any of it was unclear, but the strange girl only nodded and mumbled in response, her cold, expressionless demeanor making Nayeon bristle with irritation.
"Hey! Were you even listening? If you're not, then don't make me waste my breath telling you anything!" Nayeon snapped.
Instead of answering, Yu pulled out a notebook and a pencil from under the table.
"I was. In fact, I wrote everything down," she replied flatly, her pale face as unreadable as ever.
Nayeon stared at her, exasperated. This girl was a complete enigma—dragging her to some unknown place, refusing to reveal her identity, and behaving in the most bizarre ways. Finally, Nayeon decided to stop talking and start questioning.
"I've told you my side. Now it's your turn. Who the hell are you? Where am I? If you're really trying to help, I appreciate it—but can I leave now?"
"You can't." Yu's whisper was sharp and final, like a robot reciting a line of code.
"As I said, I can't disclose this location, and I can't let you leave yet. You're still too weak. The outside is too chaotic right now. It's not safe for you."
Nayeon's patience snapped. That same monotone answer again, like a broken tape recorder.
"Then don't blame me if I use force!" she shouted, her throat raw from disuse.
Silence cut between them. Yu simply scanned her from head to toe, her face perfectly blank—before letting out a tiny, almost mocking chuckle.
"Heh."
"You're laughing at me!?" Nayeon's face flushed red.
"Oh no,"
Yu quickly covered her mouth, as though she had slipped up. With mechanical precision, she pressed her lips back into a neutral line.
"...No."
"Don't mess with me! I heard you laugh at me!"
Yu's voice was flatter than a chatbot.
"...Absolutely not."
Nayeon was left speechless. What on earth was happening here? The whole situation was absurd. But screaming and struggling drained the last of her strength. She had been unconscious for days, without food or water. Forget escaping—she could barely keep up this ridiculous argument. Gasping for breath, she collapsed back onto the mattress.
Holding her chest, she muttered, "You said you were hiding from your family… I won't push for the rest, but at least tell me that much, right?"
Yu didn't answer, but Nayeon noticed her gaze drop slightly. For a brief second, beneath that emotionless mask, Nayeon thought she glimpsed sorrow.
Seeing it, she waved her hand dismissively.
"Never mind. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to—"
"Actually…" Yu's voice broke the silence, tight and trembling.
"My father… recently passed away. Strangely. The doctor said it was heart disease, but… I know he never had any such symptoms."
Nayeon froze, caught off guard by Yu's sudden openness.
"I… I'm sorry for your loss."
But Yu didn't pause to breathe. Her words spilled out in a steady, unnatural rhythm, more like a machine reading text than a grieving daughter.
"I loved my father deeply. He was a good man who taught me right from wrong. Even though I never expressed emotions well, he still loved and understood me when no one else did."
"Ah i… see?" Nayeon's eyes darted around nervously. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. She only wanted enough information to figure out how to escape—but Yu seemed desperate to unload everything.
"…I believe my brother killed him."
"Wait, what?" Nayeon shot her hand up, trying to cut Yu off.
Yu tilted her head naively, confused. "Why?"
"Why!? Because you just jumped from heart disease to accusing your brother of murder! You skipped a few steps!"
Yu pressed a finger to her lips, as though thinking, her face still a blank slate.
"But I'm telling the truth."
Nayeon nearly screamed. Was this some kind of hidden camera prank?
"You can't just accuse someone without proof. At least show some evidence!"
Yu calmly reached under the table again and pulled out a USB stick.
"I have proof. There's footage of him pulling the oxygen tube out of my father's hospital bed."
Nayeon's jaw dropped. "What the—"
Yu said it so casually, as if describing the weather.
"What else do you keep under that damn table? And wait a minute! If that's true, then this is straight-up murder! How can you talk about it like it's nothing? What kind of family are you even from?"
Looking around the luxurious room, Nayeon realized Yu's family had to be extremely wealthy. Combined with her broken Vietnamese, Yu was likely a foreigner. But still—nothing made sense. So she was also cautious in receiving this information.
After catching her heavy breath under her chest, Nayeon asked, "If you really have this footage, why not hand it to the police?"
Yu placed the USB on the table, her tone softer now, laced with faint despair.
"…That's almost impossible. After my father died, my brother became acting chairman of the company. To secure his position before the final shareholder vote, he isolated everyone—including my mother. Some sided with him, others disappeared. Even my mother—she was trapped in Canada because he stole her passport and brought it back to Taiwan."
"That's disgusting!"
Nayeon slammed her hand on the table in fury—only to jolt the IV stand, nearly toppling it over. Yu scrambled to steady it, then gently adjusted the needle in Nayeon's arm.
"T-thanks…" Nayeon muttered, embarrassed.
Her anger reignited. "So your brother's a manipulative bastard. Stealing passports to trap your own mother? He's after the inheritance, obviously. A greedy snake. But still—why not go to the police?"
Yu only shook her head, her eyes dim.
"The police won't help. With his new power, and the influence of his wife's family—one of the largest in Asia—he's untouchable. Worse, he plans to marry me off."
"Marry you off!?" Nayeon gaped. "To someone you don't even want!?"
Yu's quiet nod made Nayeon's blood boil. Her fists clenched tight, her face red with rage. Even though she only heard the story from someone she had never known before.
"That bastard! Power without conscience! And he thinks he can run a company like that? If I knew who he was, I'd—ow!"
She yelped, forgetting about the IV needle digging into her skin. Yu quickly adjusted it again, easing her back onto the bed.
For the first time, Nayeon saw a gentler side to Yu—quiet, careful, almost childlike. Despite her cold exterior, she didn't seem evil. Nayeon's voice softened, like that of an older sister. Because for some reason Nayeon feels like Yu is no different than a kid. Perhaps even though Yu has such a tall figure, she doesn't seem to be older than Nayeon.
She even reached out and patted Yu's head, surprising her.
"I'm sorry for yelling earlier. What you've been through… it's awful. You came to Vietnam to escape him, didn't you?"
Yu nodded, removing the needle with practiced ease. Can't tell what she's feeling but she seems to be enjoying Nayeon's head pat.
"That's partly true. I wanted to run, but sooner or later he'll find me and my mother. So I have to act first… before I end up like my father."
Nayeon tilted her head. "Act? What do you mean?"
Yu glanced at her, eyes sharp for the first time.
"I've already partnered with someone."
---
Inside the vast Kamakiri estate, in a lavish room decorated with priceless antiques, sat a woman in an elegant deep-green kimono. Her name was Kamakiri Miko—a striking middle-aged beauty, cold and commanding. Even the servants didn't dare look her in the eye, terrified of her wrath.
Across from her sat Mina, motionless, her lifeless gaze fixed on the teacup before her.
"Mina," Miko's voice was chilling, her presence suffocating.
"Is this true?"
She tossed a photograph onto the table. In it, Mina was caught at the alumni reunion—holding Duyen's hand and kissing it in front of everyone.
"I'll ask again. Kamakiri Mina! What is the meaning of this?"
Mina looked at the photo but said nothing. The picture spoke for itself.
Suddenly, Miko hurled her teacup at Mina's face. The servants gasped.
"You shameless b—!" Miko snarled, her face twisted with rage.
"You already have a husband! And yet you—"
She flung the empty cup at Mina's frail body. The staff weren't surprised; they'd long known of Miko's cruelty toward her youngest daughter. Still, pity filled their eyes.
Mina didn't flinch. She sat there, unmoving, tears mingling with the tea dripping down her cheek. Calmly, she lifted her cup and sipped as if nothing had happened, her eyes closing to hold back more tears.
Her indifference only enraged Miko further.
"From tomorrow, you'll leave SCJ and return here to your husband!" she barked, storming toward the door.
But Mina's voice cut through, quiet yet firm.
"I will not leave SCJ. The company needs me."
"What..?" Miko spun back in disbelief.
"You disgraced this family, and you still dare show your face at SCJ? Have you lost your mind!?"
"The shareholders won't stand by if I disappear," Mina replied coolly, sipping her tea.
Miko sneered. She was also quite stunned when it was the first time Mina dared to speak that tone to her.
"Oh, so now you think you're important to the company? Fool yourself all you want. Valko already covered for your scandal. A good husband, always protecting you—and you repay him with this. You're nothing but an ungrateful brat."
"Ungrateful… or not," Mina said, eyes still closed.
"Your son-in-law isn't as righteous as you think, dear mother."
"What did you just say?"
Miko narrowed her eyes, but dismissed the words as insolence.
Leaning close, her voice dripped with venom.
"No matter what you scheme, you can't escape. Alive, you are Kamakiri. Dead, you are Kamakiri. You have no choice in this."
Her gaze swept Mina like she was filth beneath her feet.
"Perhaps I've spared the whip too long...Mina?"
With that, she swept out, leaving Mina soaked and alone.
Mina gently set down her cup, opened her eyes at last—tears spilling freely.