Chapter 255.1

Chapter 255.1

Seoryeong tightly held her husband’s hand and looked up at the old sign.

In front of a shabby building that could be seen after turning down an alley while following the traditional market located behind their newlywed home.

She followed Lee Wooshin silently as he ascended the stairs, passing by banners plastered with phrases opposing reconstruction and redevelopment.

‘XX Piano Academy’

The condition of the sign was terrible; the vowels and consonants were mismatched, and even a couple of phone numbers were missing.

Would business really be good here? Seoryeong looked around suspiciously, wondering where they were. Lee Wooshin merely pulled his lips into a tight line without saying anything.

Following his lead, Seoryeong brushed past the chaotic graffiti and the crumbling plaster walls as they climbed the stairs.

At that moment, Lee Wooshin suddenly bent his knees. He inserted a key into the keyhole of the academy door below and unlocked it. Startled, Seoryeong touched his shoulder as if to stop him.

“No… wait a minute. Where is this…?”

“The piano academy.”

At that moment, a truly melodious piano sound flowed out through the crack of the door.

What the hell? She had clearly seen the emergency stairs filled with trash and the rusty mailbox. Seoryeong shot a sharp glance at her husband, who still appeared calm.

“Instructor, if I’m right, is this…?”

At the same time, amidst the flowing melody, a thick curse interrupted.

“Damn it! How many times do I have to tell you not to go there! You idiot…!”

Seoryeong’s eyes widened at the friendly, youthful voice. Moreover, she saw Lee Wooshin clicking his tongue and scratching the corner of his eyebrow in annoyance. As if entranced, she pushed open the academy door and stepped inside with determination.

Sure enough, instead of pianos, several monitors were emitting a blue light. Screens filled the walls, constantly pouring out data, and dozens of servers were humming with a rhythmic noise.

As Seoryeong entered the new place, she instinctively moved her eyes around, concentrating as if memorizing the layout.

Counting the black wires hanging from the ceiling one by one, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and covered her eyes.

A soft, affectionate laugh followed.

“What are you going to do with memorizing my workspace? You’ll end up with a headache.”

“Ah…”

A generous hand massaged her shoulders as if to ease her tension.

Channa, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, was still yelling with her small head covered by a headset. Seeing her unchanged appearance made Seoryeong’s lips curl into a smile.

If she had known Channa would be here, she would have brought her some cookies…

Seoryeong took lighter steps than before. Whether for show or not, a few pianos were lined up inside the academy.

Just as she was about to press a key, she hesitated. What is this? She looked at Lee Wooshin in disbelief.

The old upright piano in the corner was hollow inside, serving merely as a storage space for various high-tech equipment, nothing more and nothing less.

Behind the keys, various hacking tools and eavesdropping devices were neatly hidden, and an emergency hard drive was stored inside the piano bench. There were at least a few such pianos.

Additionally, although there were Czerny sheet music stuck on the lesson room window, cleverly hidden security cameras were constantly recording.

On what should have been the piano teacher’s desk, a state-of-the-art decryption system was operational.

“What on earth… have you set up in our neighborhood?”

The gently flowing piano melody was ultimately a disguise to cover the sounds of keyboards.

Seoryeong looked at her husband with her mouth half-open. Feeling her gaze, Lee Wooshin cleared his throat and subtly turned his head away.

“Nowadays, proximity to work is the trend.”

“….”

“Not that I’ve neglected the household. I just stopped by the market occasionally.”

“….”

“After all, I’m not the one working.”

“Oh, damn it. If you’re not going to work properly, then why am I here? If Jin-ho goes there, he’ll definitely die. You need to listen to me! Why are you driving like this? What kind of terrible driving is this!”

Just then, Channa shouted while watching the shaky camera feed. Seoryeong, her eyes sparkling with joy, approached quietly.

As Channa noticed the figure appearing on the screen, she sprang up like a cat, ready to throw her headset.

Their eyes met. When Seoryeong smiled brightly, Channa, who had frozen for a few seconds, scrunched up her chin and then suddenly lunged at her with a loud, “Waaah!”

“Hey, sister!”

It was Lee Wooshin, with a displeased expression, who finally pulled Channa away from Seoryeong’s waist, saying, “Go buy some of the expensive cookies you like,” while handing her a black card.

With her eyes wide open, Channa fled, as if wondering when she had clung to Seoryeong. Seoryeong looked at her husband with concern.

“Not cookies, but I could at least get a new car key…”