Chapter 26

It wasn’t my mother-in-law, but Joengeun. The other staff members were busy preparing for the memorial ceremony, while my mother-in-law sat elegantly, legs crossed, sipping tea as if it had nothing to do with her. I felt my blood turn cold.

“What are you doing?”

Everyone, including my mother-in-law, turned to look at me. She asked in a dismissive tone, “Oh, you’re early. Why don’t you help out?”

I strode toward the counter, glaring at the staff.

“Move.”

As they hesitated and stepped aside, my mother-in-law’s voice rang out cheerfully.

“Well, well. Looks like you’ve finally grown up. Are you going to help?”

I grabbed the frying pan full of pancakes and tossed the food into the air.

“Kyaah!”

“Miss!”

My mother-in-law leapt to her feet, shocked.

“Are you crazy? What do you think you’re doing?!”

I glared at her without saying a word and reached for the pot of soup, throwing it to the floor. Shrieks filled the room as everyone scrambled in panic. My mother-in-law stood there, her mouth agape.

“Wh-what is the meaning of this? Have you lost your mind?”

“No, Auntie. Have you? Grandpa specifically told you to prepare everything yourself. What, are his words a joke to you now?”

“Namgung Yena!”

I shouted, bracing myself, my voice booming across the kitchen.

“My sister-in-law has done this alone for ten years!”

Everyone around us cowered, including my mother-in-law. From what I knew, I had never raised my voice or confronted her like this. But I wasn’t backing down. Gritting my teeth, I said coldly,

“Do it again. This time, do it yourself.”

“You… You insolent child! Do you think you can disrespect your elders and get away with it? You think I’ll let this slide?”

She shrieked, her fury boiling over. I responded with an icy smile.

“If I don’t let this go, things will get really messy for you. Are you sure you can handle that?”

My low voice and threatening glare made her flinch. I stepped forward, looming over her, and repeated,

“Do it again. Yourself.”

“How am I supposed to do it again? You ruined everything!”

“That’s why you should have done it yourself from the start. Isn’t that right, dear Auntie?”

I turned to the staff and ordered them, “Leave. All of you.”

They glanced nervously at my mother-in-law. Without further explanation, I picked up the intercom and called security. A few moments later, several guards arrived.

“Escort the kitchen staff out.”

“What? But—”

“Did you not hear me? Take them out.”

I wasn’t in my right mind, and the commotion must have reached Grandfather, because soon he came into the kitchen himself. My mother-in-law, tears streaming down her face, rushed to him, clinging to his arm.

“Father, look at what Yena’s done… She’s lost her mind!”

I didn’t avert my eyes from Grandpa’s fierce gaze. Instead, I met him head-on with defiance in my eyes. If he were to blame me for this, I wouldn’t back down even from him. His lips parted, and he spoke.

“You.”

“Yes, Father… I… I’m sorry…”

“If you can’t follow my orders, there’s no need for you to live in this house. Leave by tomorrow.”

His unexpected words shocked both of us. My mother-in-law turned deathly pale, as if she might faint at any moment.

“What… what are you saying?”

“I told you to prepare the ceremonial food yourself, but you did nothing all day. This is you mocking my words. Leave this house by tomorrow.”

Grandfather then turned to me.

“Yena, follow me.”

I was prepared to be scolded. Even if he told me to leave as well, I wouldn’t regret what I did today. As I left the kitchen, I glanced back. My mother-in-law stood trembling, her face blank with shock. Our eyes met, and I gave her a sly smile. This won’t end here.

“You’ll regret this soon enough.”

As I walked out, the sound of shattering dishes and my mother-in-law’s screams echoed behind me, but I didn’t care.

Once in front of my grandfather, I knelt down. He remained silent for a long time.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

His voice was gentle, and when I looked up, tears began to fall. I hadn’t meant to cry, but I couldn’t stop the tears. I didn’t even know why I was crying—maybe it was frustration, maybe it was injustice. I bowed my head and sobbed quietly while my grandfather watched over me.

—

Back in my room, I collapsed. My body, already weak, had given out after all the yelling and emotional turmoil. As I lay on the floor, something caught my eye from under the bed.

Slowly, I crawled over and reached under, feeling around. My hand landed on something. Peeling away the tape, I pulled it out. It was a small, thin notebook, just the size of my palm.

What’s this?

I opened it, and as soon as I saw the numbers written at the front, I froze. Grabbing my phone, I shone the flashlight under the bed. There wasn’t just one notebook—there were ten of them. I pulled them all out with some effort. I opened the one labeled “1.”

[I want to die. Why was I born? If I die too, Grandpa will be so heartbroken. I think about it every day. Should I die, or should I not? But I’m too scared of Auntie and Uncle to live, and too resentful to die.]

It was a diary. A little girl’s diary. Why did she hide this under the bed…?

I realized it then—she had been watched. That’s why there was no safe in her room, and why she had to lock away her medication elsewhere. The diary was hidden under the bed because she had no other place. This was how she had lived. I wasn’t the only one who had suffered in this house.

But the safe wasn’t at the office. It was at a bank, right next door—inside the company’s bank.

A thought crossed my mind. Was she being monitored at the company too? Otherwise, why would she go to the trouble of using a bank vault instead of her office safe? So, who at the company was keeping an eye on her?

A face flashed before me: Team Leader Jeong Han-il , as sly as a snake. If it was him, then the one pulling the strings had to be Namgung Muyeol. A chill ran down my spine. But why would they monitor their niece and sister?

“For shares?”

No, that doesn’t explain everything. She’d had those shares since she was a child, so that alone wasn’t enough reason for such long-term surveillance. There must be something else I don’t know.

I locked my door and called Housekeeper Ahn.

[Yes, miss?]

“I’m not feeling well. I don’t think I’ll be going out today. I need to rest.”

Should I bring you something for dinner?]

“I can’t eat anything right now.”

[Shall I bring you some medicine for your cold?]

“I’m going to take a bath and sleep.”

[Understood.]

After hanging up, I took the notebook into the bathroom. I ran the water for the tub and sat on the floor, starting to read. The diary began when she was ten. She’d lost her parents in an accident when she was six and had fallen into mutism afterward, so this must have been written a few years later. Despite her young age, her writing was already expressive.

[Auntie glares at me every day. She’s scary. Muyeol tripped me today. I want to cry, but I can’t speak right now. I want to tell Grandpa, but I can’t. Why do they hate me? What did I do wrong?]

A wave of heavy emotions surged through me. She was only ten. An orphaned child, struck mute by trauma, being tormented by her entire family. Was this why Grandpa had always protected her so fiercely? How scared she must have been, how hard it must have been to endure.

By the time I finished reading, the tub was full, and I was lost in the diary. As I turned the final page, tears fell without me even realizing.

From such a young age, she had struggled to survive. Did Grandpa know about this?

I locked the diary in the drawer where her medication had been and got into the tub. The ten years I had spent in this house felt like nothing in comparison. She had lived here for twenty-six years before she died.

What could I possibly do for her? What else was in the remaining diaries?

Curious, I hurriedly finished my bath, grabbed the second notebook, and began to read in bed.

—

It was 4 a.m. My eyes were dry and aching, but I put on my tracksuit and sneakers and stepped outside. After tapping the tips of my shoes a few times, I began to walk, slowly at first, then picking up the pace. Soon, I was gasping for breath, my lungs burning, but I couldn’t stop. Tears streamed down my face, and anger clouded my mind, turning everything white.

“Huff… huff…”

I wanted to stop, but I didn’t. I ran like someone testing their limits. Eventually, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground, lying flat, panting as I stared up at the sky. A sob tore out of me.

“Ugh… ugh…”

I felt overwhelmed—crushed by pain, tangled thoughts, and an injustice I couldn’t process. I wanted to scream, to grab them by the collar and demand how they could be so cruel. Wiping my tears, I sat up and stretched out my legs.

This isn’t over. I finally understood why my soul had swapped with Yena. She wanted me to avenge her. And I will. I won’t let this go.

From this moment on, I’m reborn. In this second life, I know exactly what I have to do.

“Wait for me. I’ll make sure it happens. Just watch.”

I made a vow, looking up at the sky.