Perhaps very few people would ever imagine it. The female president of the Kamakiri Group, famous for being breathtakingly beautiful and impossibly cold and unreadable, was actually someone who loved writing in a diary. And she wrote in it often.
True to her traditional tastes and her love for nature, Mina's luxurious and spacious chairman's office maintained its mysterious architectural style, filled with antique ornaments and furniture crafted from some of the rarest woods imaginable.
The faint scent of premium incense mixed with the fragrance of lotus leaves and vối leaves, creating an atmosphere that was peaceful and incredibly soothing.
And yet, the room itself carried a sense of darkness and secrecy, accompanied by slightly damp air and the soft scratching sound of Mina's pen as she carefully filled page after page with elegant handwriting.
Contrary to her domineering and cold personality, Mina's diary was remarkably colorful, decorated with different shades of oil-based pens. One name was emphasized repeatedly throughout its pages.
Duyên.
Needless to say, Mina's handwriting was beautiful beyond words. Her signature was often said to be the most beautiful signature anyone had ever seen. Everyone loved seeing the female president's signature on official documents. But nobody knew that she poured all of her talent and all of her feelings into this notebook.
Because this was not an ordinary diary.
It was a diary dedicated to observing Duyên's life. Whether Duyên knew it or not, it was extremely detailed.
"Ever since Duyên opened her café and bakery a few months ago, I didn't pay much attention to it at first. Who would have thought Duyên's charm would be this overwhelming? Why are there so many male customers coming here? They're not coming for the coffee. They're coming to look at Duyên. It's infuriating beyond belief..."
Mina wrote those lines while pursing her lips with jealousy. She pressed down so hard that the pen tip pierced straight through the paper. But that was fine.
Mina simply and carefully covered the damage with correction fluid, making it look neat and beautiful again. Her gaze softened as she sank into another fantasy.
"But Duyên really is beautiful. The way she works so seriously and teaches her employees makes her indescribably attractive. Or the way she ties her hair up high. Or when she comes home with the scent of freshly baked bread still lingering on her shirt. Hmm...
I suppose I can't really blame those males for staring at her so passionately... But that man..."
Suddenly, Mina's affectionate train of thought toward her beloved came to a halt. Mina was an extremely jealous person, and she wanted to know every relationship surrounding Duyên, whether close or distant. Though that extremism had lessened significantly over time. Perhaps because now she could finally live honestly with her feelings and desires instead of hiding them.
Thinking of that, her hand instinctively wandered from her chest down toward her lower abdomen before she abruptly stopped, as if waking from a dream.
She suddenly cleared her throat despite being completely alone.
Mina knew perfectly well that Dylan—the blond-haired, blue-eyed man—was hopelessly in love with Duyên. Many times, something deep inside her urged her to eliminate him. But after thinking about it, Mina decided he simply wasn't worth the effort. As long as he was content merely admiring Duyên from afar, there would be no problem.
But if he tried to approach Duyên...
Duyên had certainly never told Mina about the time Dylan confessed his feelings to her.
Otherwise, it could have brought unimaginable disaster upon him. Still, Dylan was not important enough to deal with personally. There was someone else...
Mina narrowed her eyes as she remembered one of the photographs she had accidentally taken while asking Amuro to help keep an eye on Duyên. She pulled out the photograph. There was nothing secretive about it.
Duyên was smiling brightly, holding up a peace sign toward the camera on the grand opening day of the café and bakery. But on the opposite side of the street—
Clearly visible—Stood a man with black hair reaching down to his waist, wearing an extremely long leather trench coat.
He was tall and handsome, with refined facial features. Yet his complexion was pale and lifeless. Even standing beneath the sunlight did little to change that. He was staring directly at Duyên's back.
There was no way such a thing could escape Mina's eyes. Nobody had noticed him when the picture was taken.
But after Mina brought the photograph home—Since she had a habit of keeping every photograph of Duyên for herself. She discovered him.
Even after checking footage from the surrounding street cameras, they found nothing. Was she simply overthinking things?
"Hmm..."
There were already too many things to think about, and Mina had already spent far too much time investigating a man she didn't even know. Interrupting her own thoughts, Mina grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the man right out of the photograph.
Mina smiled as though she had just saved the world.
"Perhaps this is better..."
She carefully tucked Duyên's photograph into the diary as if it were a bookmark. Then she placed the diary inside a wooden box. Afterward, she locked it with a tiny heart-shaped padlock. Small as it looked, it was surprisingly sturdy.
Just as she expected, she heard approaching footsteps and could already guess who it was.
The man who entered was extraordinarily handsome, with shoulder-length hair streaked with silver, dressed in a formal blue satin suit and wearing an eyepatch over his left eye.
When Hiroshi entered the room, he saw only Mina sitting perfectly composed, resting her chin on both hands in an elegant posture while looking at him with eyes that were cold, deep, and strangely captivating.
Hiroshi nearly startled himself when he noticed Mina was still wearing those black gloves. There was something about them that stirred fear deep inside him. But Mina simply greeted him with a gentle smile.
"For you to request a meeting so suddenly, it must be something urgent. Please, have a seat, cousin."
Though Mina spoke softly and politely, who knew what she was truly thinking beneath that expression?
Still, Hiroshi forced himself to calm the panic inside him and put on a professional demeanor. He sat down opposite her. Without waiting for Mina, Hiroshi poured tea for both of them himself. With anxiety flickering secretly in his eyes, he quietly asked,
"I heard you've encountered some trouble involving Valko's illegitimate daughter..."
Despite hearing that, Mina's expression did not change in the slightest. She already knew why he had come.
"That's right."
"And I heard you're considering... adopting her and giving her the Kamakiri surname?"
At those words, Mina slightly raised an eyebrow, causing Hiroshi to flinch. But the momentary displeasure on her face vanished in an instant. She answered calmly and briefly.
"That possibility is still under consideration."
"Under consideration?"
The words escaped Hiroshi's mouth before he could stop himself. Realizing Mina showed no unusual reaction, he continued.
"She has no blood ties to the Kamakiri family at all. Giving that child such a position..."
Mina took a sip of tea before calmly replying,
"I see. So your point is that the closer the blood relation, the better?"
"That's not what I meant..."
The conversation fell silent as an extremely sensitive topic surfaced between them. Hiroshi took a deep breath before making the proposal he wanted Mina to consider.
"You know from your position that the situation puts you in a difficult spot. I can solve it for you."
"I see. Go on."
"We eliminate her."
At those words, Mina's hand holding the teacup paused for a brief moment. Then she merely laughed softly, leaving Hiroshi confused.
"Alright, Hiroshi. That's enough."
"Mina, hesitation only creates future problems! We need to deal with that child—!"
"I heard your youngest daughter recently won second place in the city's piano competition, didn't she?"
Hiroshi became especially confused by the sudden change of subject. Why was his daughter being brought into this? He forced himself to smile despite the fear in his heart.
"Ah, so you've heard about that? Honestly, it's rather embarrassing. She could've done better than that. I've already had people investigate the organizers. Someone must have cheated."
Mina merely nodded lightly.
"Second place is already very impressive."
Despite hearing that, Hiroshi felt that Mina was not impressed by it in the slightest. A strange bitterness rose inside his chest. Then why had she asked?
"But my daughter says she misses her aunt very much, especially the birthday gift you gave her. She still keeps it in her room. Perhaps you should come visit my family sometime."
"If the opportunity arises, I will...And..."
Hiroshi had been secretly delighted moments before, but suddenly found himself nervous again as he waited for Mina to continue.
"I heard you've been using my name to deal with quite a number of people recently."
The moment he heard those words, Hiroshi's face froze. The blood drained from it entirely. His chest trembled violently. It felt as though his ears had suddenly gone deaf.
"What...?"
Mina merely smiled softly. A smile beautiful enough to make hearts skip a beat.
"...To be honest, I was a little curious. Why haven't you reported any of this to me?"
At that moment, every wall of confidence inside Hiroshi collapsed. Collapsed just as his knees gave out beneath him and hit the floor automatically. He trembled violently as he crawled toward Mina's feet. The left eye that had been gouged out long ago suddenly throbbed with unbearable pain once again.
"Mina... I'm sorry... I was wrong... I forgot to report it because I was afraid you were busy so I..."
Mina merely smiled faintly as she raised her teacup and looked down at him through half-lidded eyes, leaving him horrified. Was that why she had suddenly mentioned his daughter?
Could it be that she intended to—
Overwhelmed by his own imagination, Hiroshi finally broke down. Tears streamed from his remaining eye.
"Mina, you...!"
"It's not a problem at all, Hiroshi..."
"Huh...?"
Mina gently placed the teacup back onto the table. Her voice became serious once more.
"Don't get up yet. Now then...Tell me about Project Genesis 16."
---
After dealing with the mandatory paperwork at the company—matters that absolutely required her personal involvement—Mina finally climbed into her beloved Maserati and drove toward Duyên's bakery and café. From outside, the bakery was still glowing faintly with warm lights, shining beautifully against the gathering dusk.
A small smile appeared on Mina's lips as she watched it from behind the steering wheel. She had not even seen Duyên yet, and she was already happy.
Then ten minutes passed.
And another ten minutes after that.
Mina carefully checked the time again and realized Duyên still had not come out at the usual hour. A bad feeling crept into her chest. Frowning, she hurriedly prepared to step out of the car. Then suddenly—She felt someone sit down in the passenger seat beside her.
Mina's expression darkened immediately as she turned and snapped,
"What the hell is it this time, Shana!?"
Shana burst into laughter and leaned back in the seat as though it belonged to her. To make matters worse, Mina noticed that somehow Shana had already piled a mountain of luxury shopping bags onto the back seats of her car. There was no need to ask. That flirtatious woman had clearly just come back from shopping.
Mina was so irritated that she felt like she could snap the steering wheel in half with her bare hands. If there had not still been people passing by outside, she probably would have kicked Shana violently out of the car.
But Shana merely pulled out a bag of potato snacks and began eating noisily right in front of her.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
"I saw a suspicious car parked outside and thought you were some kind of stalker. You scared me half to death."
The corner of Mina's mouth twitched upward slightly.
"Scared half to death? You?"
Mina knew Shana was only teasing her. She also watched Shana casually eating while crumbs fell all over the interior of her expensive car. Strangely enough, that part did not bother Mina at all. Instead, she looked at Shana with icy eyes.
"Where is Duyên?"
A short while later, they arrived at the Fox Village. By now, night had fallen. All the lanterns had been lit, illuminating rows of scattered houses that looked both beautiful and cozy.
But Mina had no mood to admire the scenery. Her eyes swept restlessly around the surroundings before—In an instant—
She vanished.
Or rather, she shot forward at supersonic speed.
Seeing this, Shana smirked.
"Honestly, you don't have a shred of patience."
Then Shana also disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Both of them arrived near a stilt house. It was still some distance away, but close enough for them to see inside. From within came the sound of Duyên singing a lullaby. Beside that, a pale teal barrier flickered in and out of existence in the air.
Both Shana and Mina froze when they saw it. Inside, Duyên was gently holding a baby girl in her arms while softly singing her to sleep. Her expression was gentle and radiant enough to make anyone's heart soften. The little girl was sleeping peacefully, though from time to time a satisfied smile would appear on her lips.
The scene was so natural that anyone would think the child belonged to Duyên.
Seeing this, Mina stood frozen. Completely captivated by the sight before her.
L She loved this woman so much that merely seeing this was enough to bring her to her knees. Even the stubborn fortress she had built inside herself felt ready to collapse.
She felt confused. Helplessly enamored.
Shana glanced at Mina with understanding in her eyes. Then the two of them walked quietly around the village together without saying anything. Clearly, Mina was still in shock over what she had seen. After walking for a while, Shana finally spoke.
"You see? Duyên really likes this child..."
Mina pressed her lips together. She did not answer. Deep down, she already knew that. She was simply afraid...Of a possibility that had only ever existed inside her imagination...
Seeing Duyên look so happy.
But that little girl was not their daughter.
Worse still—She was the daughter of the person Mina hated the most.
And besides. Taking someone else's child could hardly be considered a good thing.
Suddenly, they stopped after noticing a familiar figure standing in the darkness. It was Amuro. He was currently building a wooden slide in the middle of the spacious grassy field.
Mina immediately glared and growled,
"...I haven't even said anything yet, and you and him are already planning to raise that child until she's five years old? Using my people like this... you really don't take me seriously at all."
Shana laughed at her reaction.
"He's doing it voluntarily. Still, don't punish him for it. There's something else..."
Shana suddenly lowered her voice. Her expression became unusually careful.
"You know what Duyên's ability is. That night, when Duyên talked privately with Eri... she clearly learned something."
Mina immediately turned toward Shana in surprise. But then she fell silent. She glanced toward Amuro's back in the distance. Then she let out a cold huff and walked away.