Chapter 2 - The Midnight Call to Attorney ParkThe rain lashed against the windows of the taxi as it navigated the slick, neon-lit streets of Seoul, cutting through the heavy midnight traffic.
I sat in the back seat, the damp chill of the autumn storm clinging to my coat, but my chest felt strangely warm. The humiliation of being thrown out into the rain with a single suitcase had vanished, replaced by the razor-sharp clarity of a woman who had spent seven years playing a harmless character in a play she secretly owned.
I pulled out my phone, wiping away a drop of condensation, and dialed a number I hadn’t used in months.
It connected on the first ring.
“Attorney Park,” I said, my voice steady, cutting cleanly through the ambient static of the line.
A sharp, respectful intake of breath echoed from the other end. “Madam? It is late. Are you well?”
“I am fine, Park. In fact, I am better than fine. The contract has been breached. The timeline has accelerated.”
Attorney Park fell silent for a fraction of a second, processing the gravity of my words. When he spoke again, his tone was laced with profound deference. “Does this mean... the Gangnam residence is to be unsealed?”
“Is it ready?” I asked, looking out the window as the taxi passed the glowing towers of the financial district.
“It has been maintained precisely to your grandfather’s specifications,” Park answered instantly. “The main property alone appraised this morning at two hundred and forty million dollars. The staff, the security detail, and the corporate holdings linked to the estate are fully operational. Whenever you are ready to take your seat, Madam... the gates are yours.”
May you like
A faint, cold smile touched my lips as I watched the amber streetlights blur across the glass.
“Good,” I whispered into the receiver. “Tomorrow morning, open the curtains.”
