The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 80

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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80.
Na Hee finally staggered to her feet. The path she once walked with such confidence, she now traversed like a criminal, flanked by members of the Audit Team.
“The air in the office is finally pleasant again. Must be because the trash has been taken out.”
Hye-jung spoke while staring at the closed door.
Seong Do-ah’s gaze followed the same direction.
There was relief, but also a strange emptiness. She had clung to this for far too long. Now it was time to fill that space with things she loved.
The next morning, the Lawyer called again.
― Regarding the dowry items. A secondhand dealer will assess them next Monday morning and remove them right away. The building renovation starts Wednesday, so I timed it accordingly.
“Yes, please proceed that way. ……Oh, wait a moment, please.”
Every item in Kyung-jun’s rented room had been bought with money she’d diligently saved.
The house already had new furniture, and she couldn’t bring herself to reuse what Kyung-jun and Na Hee had used, so she decided to sell them.
But the thought of these pieces leaving in strangers’ hands next week, never to be seen again, made her want to look at them one last time herself.
“Would it be alright if I stopped by that room alone for a moment?”
― I’m sorry?
“I’d like to see them one more time. Those pieces of furniture are the fruits of my hard work, in a way.”
― Then I’ll get the password from the Building Owner and send it to you.
“Thank you.”
Once she’d seen the remnants of the past, it felt like she could truly start fresh.
With this, she wanted to shake off the past entirely and leave it all behind.
* * *
Kyung-jun had been huddled in his car behind the Open Ground for ten days now.
After being evicted for unpaid rent, the car was all he had.
‘It’s all because of Seong Do-ah.’
That woman had reduced him to this state.
And next week, even his belongings would pass into her hands.
If he’d just been more attractive than Na Hee, she wouldn’t have left him in the first place.
It was only natural to be drawn to someone more appealing—he still couldn’t fathom why that was supposed to be wrong.
‘And just because she bought the dowry items, how does that make them hers? If she gave them to me, they’re obviously mine.’
Everything had unraveled the moment she made an issue of it.
And by sticking to Cha Kyung’s side, she’d managed to destroy his entire life.
‘I can’t go down alone. I’ll make you suffer just as much as I have!’
Kyung-jun slammed the steering wheel hard.
‘But what the hell can I do in this state!’
Then a thought suddenly struck him.
If the sale happens next week, that means the items are still in the room right now.
Even if he couldn’t take the large furniture, a Laptop, a Luxury Watch, and a Robot Vacuum Cleaner would fetch several hundred in secondhand sales.
If left as is, everything would end up in Seong Do-ah’s hands.
‘With construction coming, there won’t be people or CCTV. This is the chance.’
The problem was the password. It had been changed immediately after he was thrown out.
“Let me go check.”
Kyung-jun’s hands trembled as he arrived at the Villa.
“Damn it. What if they sell everything before I can even get in?”
He was punching different combinations into the main entrance keypad repeatedly, debating whether to give up, when he heard footsteps.
Kyung-jun quickly hid himself behind the building.
“What do you mean? I just came to check out the Villa before heading to your place.”
It was the Building Owner. She spoke loudly on a call as she entered the building. Kyung-jun cautiously followed her in.
“Construction? Workers come in next Wednesday. I’ll stay at your place until then and come back.”
And then came the words that made Kyung-jun’s breath catch.
“Oh, there will be a young woman coming. She’s the ex-girlfriend of the guy who used to live in that room, apparently. The workers might get confused about the password, so I changed everything to the same code and gave it to her. She’s coming next Monday.”
Seong Do-ah.
The name exploded in his mind like fireworks.
“Alright, I’m heading out now.”
The sound of the Building Owner’s car fading down the Alley did nothing to pull Kyung-jun from his fixation on that single name.
His heart pounded wildly.
For ten days straight, he’d been festering in the car, replaying his rage. He’d imagined Seong Do-ah’s world crumbling dozens of times over.
But trapped in the car, he had no way to touch her.
His mind conjured increasingly brutal scenes while his hands remained powerless in reality—it was maddening.
“What? Seong Do-ah is coming here on her own?”
Kyung-jun rested his forehead against the steering wheel and laughed in sharp, brittle bursts.
“……Heaven has helped me.”
The moment those words left his mouth, an image began taking shape in his mind.
A way to take the items and exact his revenge at the same time.
Monday, four in the afternoon—Do-ah, having taken a half day off, turned into the Alley where the Villa stood.
A December wind swept across her coat. An old “Construction Planned” banner hung on the building.
Standing before the entrance, Do-ah recalled the password she’d received in advance.
0. 1 0. 1.
Her gloved fingers slipped; she couldn’t press them all at once.
Do-ah removed her Gloves and tucked them into her coat pocket, then slowly pressed each digit with her cold fingers.
The door opened.
In the room she’d entered for the first time in so long lay all the things she’d gathered piece by piece.
She traced her fingertips across the Dining Table. The memory surfaced of when she’d first received it—how she’d thought she finally had a real home of her own.
‘You’ve done well. Take care of yourself wherever you go.’
The farewell took less than ten minutes. Do-ah quietly closed the door and stepped into the hallway, pressing the Elevator button at the far end.
The narrow space between the outer wall and the air conditioning unit—barely a hand’s width. Kyung-jun had found this spot over the past few days while studying the building.
Unless viewed from the side, no one would notice a person standing there. But from this angle, the entrance was clearly visible.
Even which digits of the keypad were being pressed.
“Nice and simple password.”
After Do-ah disappeared inside, Kyung-jun punched in the password—now etched clearly in his mind—with one hand.
With his other hand, he gripped then released the Blunt Object he’d tucked inside his Jacket.
Beep.
The door that had vexed him for days opened easily.
Kyung-jun went straight up the stairs and took position in the blind spot next to the Elevator. Every second felt like an hour.
Presently, Do-ah opened the door and approached the Elevator, step by step.
Kyung-jun’s heartbeat quickened in tandem.
The moment her fingers touched the Elevator door.
Crack―
Kyung-jun pulled the Blunt Object from his Jacket and brought it down hard against the back of Do-ah’s head as she stepped into the opening door.
The impact traveled dully up through his wrist in a strange, unfamiliar sensation.
Do-ah collapsed without even a cry, right at the Elevator threshold. Blood began pouring from her head.
Kyung-jun shoved her limp body into the Elevator with his foot.
Her legs offered no resistance whatsoever.
He didn’t need to press the close button. The Elevator doors shut on their own.
Kyung-jun went to the Circuit Breaker Box and flipped the master switch.
A week until the items were removed. Two days more until construction. No one would come to the empty Villa before then.
Even if she woke up, she would be trapped—unable to leave the Elevator, unable to contact anyone.
Kyung-jun went straight into the room where he’d lived.
For it to be ruled an Accidental Death, there could be no trace evidence, so he changed into fresh Gloves.
Then he swept the expensive items into a Large Bag he’d prepared: the Laptop, the Luxury Watch, the Robot Vacuum Cleaner, the Coffee Machine.
This alone would bring him several hundred in cash.
Before leaving quickly down the stairs, Kyung-jun’s eyes fixed on the closed Elevator doors.
A sneer twisted across his mouth.
“You’re not so different from me now. You landed a rich man, and here you are—either you’ll just die in here, or you’ll suffer cold and hunger for a few more days before dying anyway. Either way, that’s all there is.”
Kyung-jun slipped out of the Villa quickly.
Before opening the car door, he paused and glanced up at the building once more.
“Goodbye, Seong Do-ah.”
Then he climbed into the driver’s seat.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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