Chapter 42.2

Chapter 42.2

If a woman who usually liked model-student types suddenly fell for someone who was the exact opposite, and not just opposite but an actual gangster, maybe she couldn’t bring herself to introduce him to her younger sister.

Still, she could’ve at least told her. Did she really think Heeju would throw a fit and demand they break up?

Suppressing a bitter smile, Heeju rose from the sofa.

“I should get going. Thanks.”

“If you’re thankful, then don’t ghost me again.”

“Got it. I’ll go now.”

“I’ll come with you. Walk you to the lobby.”

When Yeongshin started to rise from his desk, Heeju shook her head.

“Don’t. Just finish what you were doing.”

“Alright, then. Text me once you get home.”

“Mm. Thanks for your work.”

Leaving the lab, Heeju trudged toward the parking lot. Luckily, the snow had stopped, so the weather wasn’t too difficult for driving. Sungang’s car was parked in a corner space.

Had the Christmas cake made it here safely? With that thought in mind, Heeju walked slowly toward the car. The idea that Sungang might have been her sister’s boyfriend left her with a strange feeling.

If her sister had hidden it, then he must have had his own reasons too.

“Sorry to keep you wait—”

Opening the passenger door, Heeju froze halfway into her seat.

The driver’s seat, where Sungang should have been, was empty. Instead, a small box sat on the passenger seat.

Heeju glanced between the driver’s seat and passenger seat in confusion, then lifted her head to scan the area around the car.

Had he stepped out for a smoke?

It was Christmas Eve, and the lot was nearly deserted—maybe the other researchers had all gone home early. Looking around, Heeju pulled out her phone and dialed Sungang’s number.

Drrrrrrrk.

Almost immediately, the vibration buzzed from inside the car. Heeju followed the sound with her eyes. It was coming from the glove box in front of the passenger seat.

“……”

She had planned to figure out, little by little, whether it was Lee Chulhyun or Kang Sungang who had been involved with her sister. Until a moment ago, it had even felt like the tangled knot of suspicion in her mind had begun to loosen, just slightly.

But now, an unfamiliar dread washed over her. Reaching out, Heeju opened the glove box. Inside, Sungang’s phone was buzzing. She glanced at the screen to check the caller ID.

Kid

As soon as she ended the call, the vibration stopped. Holding both her own phone and Sungang’s in either hand, Heeju hesitated.

The chance he’d just left his phone in the car to use the bathroom?

She tried to convince herself it was nothing, but instinct blared alarms in her head. It was too much of a stretch. Bending down to set Sungang’s phone back inside, she quietly picked up the box on the passenger seat.

Luxuriously decorated in leather, the box looked like it belonged to a high-end jewelry brand. Too big for a ring or earrings, the size was right for a bracelet or necklace.

Sitting there in the empty car, the box was topped with a ribbon, as if it were some kind of gift.

Dal-kak.

Heeju opened the box.

“……!”

The instant she saw what was inside, her face went white as paper. It was like having ice water dumped over her head—every drop of blood in her body froze cold.

“Hhhk….”

She sucked in a sharp breath. The box nearly slipped from her hands, but she barely managed to hold on. Her fingers trembled violently around it.

Inside was a human ear.

What did Kang Sungang’s ear even look like? She didn’t know. How could she know something like that? But a terrible certainty told her this was his ear.

Heeju forced herself into long, steady breaths. She had seen more corpses than she could count, but faced with a severed body part like this, so suddenly, it wasn’t easy to stay calm.

Calm down. Think. What should I do…

Exhaling slowly, she deliberately studied the ear. From the clean edge of the cut, it looked like it had been severed in one quick motion while the man was still alive. To erase the blood and odor, it must have been dipped in alcohol and pulled out. There were no signs of hesitation, no unevenness. It was clearly the work of someone practiced in such things.

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