Prey - Chapter 13
Dressed in a dark gray suit and black shirt, Jeonghan approached Suhyeon with a calm yet commanding presence.
How…
Suhyeon was too shocked to speak as she stared at him approaching. This place wasn’t one anyone could just walk into—only residents or those with permission could gain access. And yet, here he was, standing confidently in front of her.
Realizing how absurd the situation was, she steeled her gaze and glared at him. Jeonghan noticed and gave a light chuckle.
“You look like you’ve just seen a face worse than Seol Hee-nam’s.”
“……”
Without bothering to respond, Suhyeon turned away. She had no intention of getting caught up in his games or engaging in a pointless conversation. However, she couldn’t deny the truth in his words.
Receiving a call from the father who had sold her out, only to then run into the man who had bought her… It felt like a twisted joke.
Suhyeon felt a wave of frustration wash over her as memories from her marriage to Do Jeonghan flashed through her mind.
*Knock, knock!*
The urgent knocking was immediately followed by the door bursting open. Jeonghan, who had been working in his study, raised his eyes to meet Suhyeon’s. She stormed toward his desk, her face flushed with anger.
“Why did you move my mother to another hospital without telling me?”
Suhyeon demanded as she approached.
Jeonghan merely looked at her, his gaze calm and indifferent.
“..…”
“You did it, didn’t you?”
Suhyeon gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her anger.
Jeonghan studied her for a moment before speaking in his usual cold tone.
“…It’s my money. Do I need your permission?”
“You should’ve at least told me!”
Suhyeon shouted, her frustration boiling over.
“If I told you, you would have just rushed over immediately, wouldn’t you?”
Suhyeon furrowed her brows in frustration at Jeonghan’s cold voice, her patience wearing thin.
“Are you trying to stop me from seeing my mother now, too?”
Jeonghan lowered his gaze again, as if her outburst meant little to him.
“Just wait. I’ll tell you where she is soon.”
“How long will that take? What if something happens to her in the meantime…?”
“She’s not really *alive* anymore, is she?”
“…!”
Suhyeon’s face went pale. Her lips trembled as she looked at him in shock. Her eyes, filled with tears, reflected the pain she felt at his cruel words. Through her blurred vision, she could still see Jeonghan calmly focused on his documents, entirely unmoved.
Tears welled up in Suhyeon’s reddened eyes as she glared at him.
“…You’re not even human,”
She spat, her words drenched in bitterness before she turned and stormed out.
The suffocating memory of that time crept back into her mind, making her tense up. But then she reminded herself,
“It’s different now.”
Suhyeon took a deep breath, reassuring herself that things had changed.
Unlike back then, when she had to wait and follow as he said, now, Do Jeonghan had no influence over her. Seol Hee-nam, who had once used her mother, who was in a vegetative state, as leverage. After the marriage, Do Jeonghan had taken over the authority regarding her mother, making it impossible for her to escape. But now that her mother had passed away, neither of their threats had any hold over her.
Suppressing the surge of emotion rising within her, Suhyeon walked towards the entrance of the shared lobby. *Beep.* She tapped her card, and as the door opened, she quickly stepped inside. Just as she was entering the elevator that had been waiting, Jeonghan strode in.
“Where do you think you’re following me to…!”
Suhyeon’s voice sharpened, but Jeonghan brought his keycard to the reader beneath the number panel before she could finish.
“!”
When the floor of her apartment lit up and the elevator began to move, Suhyeon’s eyes shook with disbelief.
No way…
Suhyeon lifted her pale face. Jeonghan stood there, staring straight ahead as if ignoring her.
“Right now…”
Suhyeon’s mind was filled with confusion.
‘Why is Do Jeonghan here, just like at the company…?’
She hoped it wasn’t what she feared, but heading to the same floor meant…
Her thoughts spiraled as the elevator came to a halt.
– *25th floor.*
With a cheerful chime, the doors opened. Jeonghan stepped out first and walked towards the apartment next to Suhyeon’s. Since there were only two or three units per floor, it was the only other apartment aside from hers.
As the unlikely situation became a reality right before her eyes, Suhyeon could no longer hold back.
“What on earth are you trying to do?”
She got off the elevator roughly, demanding an explanation. Jeonghan turned to look at her, silently observing her face, which had turned white with anger.
Taking a step closer, Suhyeon gazed up at him fiercely, her eyes filled with determination.
“We’re divorced now. But are you so eager to torment me that you’ve come to my home after the company…?”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“After finally escaping from you.”
Suhyeon felt the heat that had been bubbling in her chest rise up to her throat.
The three months post-divorce that had felt so peaceful suddenly seemed like a lie, as Do Jeonghan’s unexpected appearance shook her entire routine.
This was a life she had just reclaimed!
Suhyeon’s eyes were red.
As he looked down at her angry face, Jeonghan tilted his head slightly.
“Eager to torment you, huh?”
