The living room was chaos disguised as a family dinner.
Her aunts and uncles crowded around the glass coffee table, their elbows too close to the tea set, their questions sharper than the sugar cubes melting in their cups.
Uncle Dong-sik leaned forward with narrowed eyes.
"So, Temu-ssi, were you ever married before?"
"Are you gay?" Aunt Mi-sun asked, like she was asking if he liked sweet potatoes.
"How often do you have sex?"
Cha-yeon nearly choked on her own breath.
Then came more:
"Is it true you're a vampire?"
"Share some of your business with us, hmm?"
"We're family. You owe us respect."
"The rich should always give back to people like us."
"Your face… it's from surgery, right? It's too perfect otherwise."
Cha-yeon froze in horror. Her relatives meant no harm — to them, it was all normal, just "getting to know the new in-law." But to her, it felt like watching a train derail in slow motion.
Temu, however, didn't flinch.
He answered every question with unnerving calm and a gentle smile:
"No, I've never been married."
"No, I'm straight."
"That's a bit private, don't you think?"
"I sleep during the day sometimes, but I promise, I'm no vampire."
"Business is my inheritance from my grandfather . But I'll always support family."
"I respect everyone here. And I'm happy to be part of this family."
The way he handled them — it was like watching a swan glide through a mudslide. Graceful. Ridiculous. Magical.
But then… Uncle Dae-ho leaned too hard on the glass table.
CRACK.
The sound of shattering glass silenced the room. The table collapsed, plates and cups tumbling into shards and splashes.
Everyone stared.
Cha-yeon clutched her head.
Inner Cha-yeon (ICY):
"Next time… we book a restaurant."
...
Cha-yeon was on the balcony and was talking about what the officers would tell her. She could be jailed for identity theft.
The incident that happened on Boleon with her husband confused them both a little, but everything worked out. Did it work out?
The phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She answered on the third ring, her voice low:
"Hello?"
A woman's voice, sharp and urgent:
"This is Officer Kang. We've found a lead regarding the former owner of the flower boutique. You need to come in. Immediately."
Cha-yeon's heart skipped.
"Now?"
"Yes. Tonight. It can't wait."
She glanced through the balcony door, where Han Temu was still rearranging guest pillows on the floor. Behind him, her relatives' laughter bounced off the hotel walls like a chaotic chorus.
Icy:
"Of course. The one time you're pretending to be normal, they call you for secret crimes and unsolved cases."
Cha-yeon pressed a hand to her forehead, thinking.
If she left now, she'd have to sneak out without being seen — no easy task with three nosy aunts and one husband who watches like a hawk.
But she couldn't ignore the call.
Not this time.
After some time, She entered the room again.
Aunt Mi-sook was asleep on a folded blanket near the minibar.
Uncle Byung-ho snored like a bear on the massage chair.
Someone's sock lay on the hallway railing. Chaos.
Icy:
"This is not a family. This is a sitcom waiting to happen."
She tiptoed past the living room.
Then — a voice behind her.
Han Temu:
"Where are you going?"
She froze.
He stood near the still in his shirt from earlier, one eyebrow raised.
Cha-yeon smiled, too sweetly.
"Just grabbing… tea."
Icy:
"At midnight? Great lie. Genius-level."
Temu stared at her. Then nodded.
"Don't take too long."
She nodded back and vanished into the hallway, heart pounding.
She reached the service stairs and darted down like a shadow.
She didn't stop until she was on the street, breathless, calling Officer Kang back.
Cha-yeon:
"I'm on my way."
Cha-yeon stood beneath the pale streetlight, arms crossed against the chill of the night.
Officer Kang arrived shortly after in a dark coat, eyes tired but sharp.
Kang:
"Thanks for coming. I know it's late. But this… couldn't wait."
They walked in silence for a minute, until they reached an unmarked door beside an old florist shop.
Inside — warm lights, a desk covered in files, photos, and a steaming cup of instant coffee.
Kang (gesturing):
"We ran a deeper trace on the woman behind the boutique license… And things got strange."
Cha-yeon blinked.
Kang pulled up a photo — a candid street shot, timestamped two weeks ago.
Kang:
"This is the owner who registered the boutique under your name."
Cha-yeon froze.
The woman in the photo… was her.
Her exact face. Her exact posture. Same height. Even the way she tied her hair.
Cha-yeon whispered:
"…Is this some kind of joke?"
Kang:
"No. Her real name — or at least, the one she uses now — is Evelina Lee. She vanished two days after that photo was taken."
Cha-yeon:
"Vanished?"
Kang:
"Her boutique is closed. But we tracked recent activity to a luxury car showroom. Evelina's been selling cars under a different license."
Cha-yeon:
"Selling… cars?"
Kang nodded.
"But here's the weirdest part. No one we interviewed remembers her face clearly. It's like… people saw her, but can't describe her."
A chill ran down Cha-yeon's spine.
She suddenly felt… copied. Hollowed out. Like someone was trying to replace her.
Icy:
"Okay. This just went from low-budget drama to full-blown sci-fi thriller. Nonsense, she's not telling me something."
Cha-yeon:
"You think she's watching me?"
Kang paused.
Kang:
"I think she was you. Or… wanted to be. But right now, we can't even find her shadow."