In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 219

“W-Who are y-you?”

“Uhm…”

Su-Jin hesitated and shot Ji-Won a glance from the side.

After silently communicating with each other, Ji-Won was the first to speak.

“Madam, we are from Kangji Tourism. We would like to discuss with you about a possible collaboration between ‘Summer Triangle Villa’ and our company.”

No sooner had his words fallen that the woman’s complexion changed suddenly.

Her face instantly blanched, losing the little color it had left. Her eyes widened and became filled with something akin to madness. All the face muscles spasmed and got pulled tight around the woman’s skull, making her look extremely gaunt.

This sight was all the more gastly when compared to the listless appearance the old woman had just a few seconds ago.

Next, Su-Jin and Ji-Won both watched aghast as the woman opened her mouth wide and let out a long, sharp wail. The shrill sound resembled that of an injured animal, causing the hairs at the back of the two young people’s necks to stand on end.

As if they were tied by an invisible rope and forced to move in unison, they both took a step back at the same time.

“Madam, please calm down.” Ji-Won tried to speak, but his words were immediately buried under the woman’s shrill screams.

“Kwang-Sun, where are you? You… Who are you? You are not Kwang-Sun… Kwang-Sun, where are you?”

The woman kept shouting, repeating the same sentences over and over again. And it seemed the more she said that name, the more unhinged she became. Until she finally broke down in violent sobs.

She covered her face with both palms, but streams of tears gushed from behind her fingers. As she curled in on herself, the woman’s body was seized by violent tremors.

All of a sudden, her thin frame seemed like a leaf under a fierce storm. As though a single gust of wind could somehow manage to blow her away.

At this point, there was the sound of bustle coming from beyond the gate and, very soon, another woman rushed outside. The moment she spotted Ji-Won and Su-Jin, she stopped dead in her tracks.

This person appeared to be much younger than the crying woman. Compared to the latter, the younger person’s appearance was very tidy. Even though the clothes she was wearing were house garments, they seemed to be well taken care of.

Yet, despite the age difference and the sharp contrast created by their opposite appearances, one could still see they were related.

She stared between Su-Jin and Ji-Won, blinking several times as if confused. Then her eyes snapped back to the old woman, who was still sobbing in front of the gate. Stopping next to her, she reached out an arm and wrapped it around the distressed person’s shoulders.

“Mother, what is it? What’s wrong? You were fine just a little while ago. Remember? We were going to take a bath just now. Let’s go back inside, hm? Or else the water is going to get cold.”

The woman’s voice was soft and sounded slightly cajoling. It was almost as if she was trying to coax a little kid, and not someone who might be her parent.

Su-Jin was taken aback. For a moment, her mind could hardly comprehend what was happening right now. Everything seemed like a dream to her, one she was unable to wake up from.

In her absentminded state, Su-Jin didn’t even notice when she took a small step forward. Before she could stop herself, the quiet words already escaped her mouth.

“Uhm, pardon us for the intrusion, but… Could you tell us where the owners of ‘Summer Triangle Villa’ are? There is something important we would like to discuss with them.”

Once again, the instant ‘Summer Triangle Villa’ was mentioned, the old woman flinched violently. Her hands slipped from her face and she began to wail loudly again.

“NOOOO! No, this is not it! This is not it! There is no such place! Summer… Summer Triangle Villa is no more! Kwang-Sun… Kwang-Sun, where are you?”

Seeing this, the younger woman hurried to give her mother a hug, rubbing the latter’s back with large, circular moves.

“Mother, shhh, calm down. Mother it’s alright, everything is alright now.”

As soon as she noticed the sobs had subsided slightly, the young woman turned her head to look at Su-Jin and Ji-Won.

“I’m sorry, but right now is not a good time. You should come back some other day.”

After saying that, she completely ignored the other two and solely focused on getting her mother inside the house.

Several moments later the large wooden doors closed with a loud thunk, sealing the old woman’s cries inside the courtyard. Thus, silence was once again restored outside the gate.

Su-Jin didn’t know how she left that place. Her mind was blank and, even though she was moving, she couldn’t feel a thing. Everything appeared before her eyes in a haze, as though she was looking through a veil.

By the time Su-Jin snapped out of her numbness, both she and Ji-Won were already back at the car.

Unbeknownst to her, Ji-Won had already walked towards the car, and was now standing next to the vehicle, holding the door open for her.

“Thank you.” Su-Jin whispered as she quickly slipped into the passenger’s seat.

Ji-Won gave a noncommittal grunt, then closed the door before heading to his own side.

Just as Su-Jin had guessed, when they left Eunpyeong Hanok Village it was already pretty late into the evening.

The sky above the mountain had taken on an inky color. Streaks of dark purple created beautiful patterns across the darkening firmament, indicating the place where the sun had just set. The weather had chilled somewhat, making the air more breathable than during the day.

But neither Su-Jin, nor Ji-Won was paying attention to any of this. Their minds were still quite rattled from the earlier events to process anything else. Their ears still throbbed from the old woman’s screams.. As a consequence, the silence between them almost seemed like a relief.