The cold environment grew worse with how tense it is, sitting in front of someone who you presumed to be dead for about a long time now, fifteen years to be precise.
Bu Nara sat nervously at the round table with her head bowed to the ground, her heart beat faster than possible as a result of a mixture of shock, disbelief and guilt that muddled her heart. She was scared beyond imagination, like she was seeing someone she thought was long dead, it's just that the person looked to not have aged at all, how is that possible?.
Yo-han sat across Bu Nara and he was scrutinizing her countenance closely. He waited for so long for her to lift up her head and have a normal conversation with him but soon, his patience ran out. He parted his tie playfully, and straightened his posture on his sit.
"Ms Bu, am I correct?" Yo-han asked and she slowly lifted her head but turned her face aside to avoid eye contact. "Yes, Mr Park". She nodded to her response.
To Yo-Han's surprise, this Ms Bu was somehow too formal, she was just too respectful since they met at the spa and all the way to this gazebo in the park, she remained very polite as if he was her elder. 'Perhaps she thinks I am my father.' was Yo-Han's conclusion.
Bu Nara's mind was flooded with guilt, her conscience was really disturbing her like it had always haunted her. Fifteen years of living with the fact that she was there, playing along with the plan to trap Mr Park in that office back then had haunted her like a ghost. She remembered her deceiving smile at Mr Park when she stood behind that receptionist desk to welcome him that day. Yeah, she invited him to the trap, she played along and gave him no clue for him to escape. She was really guilty and it would have been better if Director Li never told her about the situation back then. Though she wasn't a part of the plan she knew what was about to happen but she played along, how was she to curb her guilty conscience.
Lately she started feeling better but here again is the man that she tried so hard to forget, bringing back the regret. ' He must be back to take revenge!, I am doomed.' She cried inside. She sighed heavily before erupting in tears and started rambling apologies.
"Mr Park, I am sorry, Please I don't want to go to prison, I knew nothing about what happened back then, I mean I am not part of them, I am just a receptionist following orders, please forgive me, I know I betrayed Ms Choi and you but please forgive me..."
"Ms Bu, he is not..." Yo-han interrupted Na-Gil's clarification instantly. Na-Gil was about to tell her that it's the son and not the father but Yo-han stopped him.
As if using telepathy, Yo-han somehow passed his message to Na-Gil, that it's okay if she took him to be Park Mit-Eum, it would be to his advantage. Moreover the resemblance is so much.
Yo-han immediately transformed to Mit-Eum, he took the characteristics of Mit-Eum and how he related to Nara in the evidence clip.
"Little Nara, forgiving you is not difficult, only if you decide to help me out here, I have decided to take my revenge but staying on the same page seems to be the only way to forgiveness, tell me will you do as I say?" He asked and she immediately nodded. She wasn't daft so she knew better that she has to agree to his offer, if he will guarantee that he will not harm her in anyway, she would definitely bow to him.
"Take your time to decide, I am not compelling you, you have a choice." Yo-han added again but she replied with a nod again before saying. "Yes, yes, I have made my decision, I will do as you say."
"Really"
"Yes, yes."
'That was easy' Yo-han said to himself, he inched his body forward and closer to Bu Nara's, took his time to form his interrogation before asking his first question. " Nara, who planned the fire?"
She stammered a bit after listening to his question, she expected it but she just didn't know why she felt afraid to answer him. "Mr...., Mr,....Mr Park, I don't know, I only followed Director Li's order, he asked me to arrange explosive in his office and I helped him move out all the useful stuffs. He didn't tell me what he was up to until I nagged at him for long, but he never mentioned who ordered him, but I guess it is..." She sighed, shook her head and stopped.
"Who is it?, Are you holding back information?, Spit it out who is it?" Yo-han banged his fist on the table and shouted his words, scaring Nara and sending chills down her spine.
To tell the truth, she didn't want to break Mr Park's heart, that was why she stopped. She didn't know how to tell him that it was Choi Mu-Young, Min-Ji his lovers father that she suspects. But seeing him raging she opened her lips subconsciously, she never thought Mit-Eum could ever get angry and she was seeing that side of him already, hence she blurted out immediately. "Director Choi, I think it's director Choi, He is the only one who could control Director Li like that, I am sorry, I am truly sorry Mr Park," she replied him fearfully, fidgeting like a plucked string.
Yo-han sighed after her reply, he knew it was Mu-Young who ordered the fire but what he wanted to know is to find out if there is a force behind Mu-Young's action. Yo-han knew about how the five families came together to plan Mit-Eum's death, he was only trying to find a reason why the Choi family decided to help, that's all he is after and who knows maybe he would be able to claim Mu-Young's innocence or guilt, but this resource of his didn't give him what he wanted and perhaps Bu Nara knew nothing about the plan in depth, she could just be obeying instructions.
"Ms Bu, are you implying that Director Choi, my father in-law set up the trap, why would he do that, Min-Ji had my son in her at that time how will he do such a thing?, tell me, do you by any chance suspect someone else?" He asked again playing his role as Mit-Eum perfectly.
Bu Nara shook her head apologetically, she had no further answers but she can proof to be very useful in helping the situation. But now she truly knew nothing and can't help so much. " Sorry Mr Park but I don't know anything, Director Li never said anything more than telling me what to do at that time, I am really sorry."
Yo-han sank back to his chair, feeling as if his journey here was a waste, he frowned and bit his lips angrily. His anticipation to find something useful was for nothing he thought to himself until he heard Na-Gil asking Bu Nara a question. "Ms Bu, by any chance do you know of Director Li's whereabouts, we tried to contact him but he seems like he never existed after that incident. It was during our search that we found you."
"Yes, he left me with information on how to find him if I needed to meet him." She hurriedly replied and wrote down an address and a phone number from her phone. "I guessed he has also lived in regret of what happened so he went into exile and start a new life." She added.
Yo-han took a glance at the sticky note before handing it over to Na-Gil who also gave Ms Bu his business card. "Ms Bu, in case you find anything else, contact me immediately, I will relay the message to Mr Park. Thanks for giving us time."
She nodded again for like the millionth time and she hid her pale face again from them. "I will do my best to help." She said again and bowed.
_
Inside the vehicle on their way back, Na-Gil was disturb by how Yo-han performed, he couldn't guess why he acted as if he was Park Mit-Eum in front of the much older lady.
Yo-han noticed his inconvenience and decided to ask about what was off. "Do you have something to ask?"
"Y...yes, uhm, why did you not clarify yourself, why did you stop me and why did you make her think you are your father.?" He listed the questions one by one why counting them with his fingers off the steering wheel.
"Please keep your hands on the wheel, unlike you, I have a lovely woman expecting my safe return." He paused, gave a mocking smile to Na-Gil through the rear mirror before replying the questions. " We got Director Li's contact didn't we, do you think we will if she knew I was just the son of the man?, She would definitely not give this information if she didn't feel extremely guilty, and only the theory that the plan she had a part in wasn't successful could make her so guilty, this way, she will definitely proof her worth by helping us out. The information she gave us is all because she thinks that my father still lives." Yo-han's explanation earned him more of Na-Gil's respect.
'So brilliant, only boss can pull that off.' Na-Gil praised in his head to avoid increasing Yo-Han's ego.
It wasn't bad that he should praise Yo-han but that will only make Yo-han feel more superior and boastful. Did he not tease him for being single earlier?. Surely, Yo-han might just call him dumb if he tried to praise Yo-han.
And to talk of being single, what woman wants his type?, non and he even felt helpless that his crush had something for Yo-han instead, what a big obstacle Yo-han must be.