THE TRUTH MANSION'S
Chapter 10 [JIN-KYEONG]
Jin-kyeong finally goes to the park. He has to go there. Maybe it was late at night, because all that was seen was a police line that was installed soberly. There were no police officers, no spectators, and no people walking there. Even the car where the body was found was nowhere to be seen. In the middle of the road, Jin-kyeong sees a pair of young people wearing school uniforms. The couple hugged and kissed. They only glance at Jin-kyeong at a glance, then giggle to themselves. Jin-kyeong continues to climb the naturally formed rungs of the tree roots, and finally arrives at the 6.5-square-meter open plain. He stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down at the Saha Mansion which was right across the street from the park. The mansion is clearly much darker than other buildings, with smooth solar panels on the roof reflecting moonlight, and with dim light emanating from some windows. Do-Kyeong must have also stood on this cliff and looked down at the Mansion. What's he thinking? Where is he now? Jin-kyeong closes his eyes tightly, then turns around and gallops down the stairs from the ground. His pace got faster and his legs kept slipping, on that downhill road. The branches of the tree, stretched out like long hands, scratched his face.
When he arrives at the side of the four-lane road, Jin-kyeong rubs blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. With a dry throat, a dizzy head, and a semi-conscious state, he stepped onto the street. A sedan car shoots lightning-fast toward Jin-kyeong while honking loudly, then suddenly switches lanes to avoid Jin-kyeong. Jin-kyeong staggers back and falls onto the sidewalk. Cold tremors ran through his spine. Jin-kyeong used to show up late even though he knew Do-Kyeong was waiting alone at school, on an empty field, or on a playground. She can hear Do-Kyeong's cry as a child, calling out to her brother, in the middle of a gust of wind.
Jin-kyeong tightens her legs and jumps in place three times. After clearing his mind, he looked to the left and right of the road, then ran across the street. He kept running. He ran without thinking, let his legs take him out of nowhere, and finally found himself back at the Saha Mansion.
The two shadows slipped into Building A. Moments later, one of the shadows moved across the front yard, but then turned around and ran back toward Building A. Jin-kyeong quickly bends over, snuffing out the cigarette with the heel of her sneakers, and watches the movements of the two shadows. It seemed like he could guess who one of the shadows was. He got the feeling that his hard-earned daily life and fragile peace would soon be shattered into pieces. Jin-kyeong kneels on the floor. There was a long crack in the wall, from the ceiling all the way to the floor.
He heard footsteps climbing the stairs. One person's step. Footsteps, then silent, footsteps, again silent. Every single floor, the figure would lean against the crossbar and wave to the second figure standing in the front yard. That's what he's done over and over again. The sound of footsteps became clearer, until finally the shadow appeared at the top of the seventh floor stairs. Jin-kyeong knows who that person is. Do-Kyeong county.