Chapter 1. – PART 1

 

 

 

Thump, thump, thump.   

 

The fast-paced music pounded in my ears. Overhead, colorful mirror balls bobbed frantically.  Pretty girls and moderately drunk men danced around the room, searching for the right one. 

 

There were flirtatious stares and men grabbing women by the waist and gently swaying them around.  One man whispered something in her ear to let her know he liked her, and he kissed her on the cheek.   

 

Eight couples. That was how many couples she’d seen in the first twenty minutes of the club. Ha-eun stopped counting and looked away. She had come here to hunt tonight, but she didn’t want to.   

 

Jisoo, sitting in front of her, stared at Ha-eun with her floundering eyes, and then her mouth dropped open.

 

“I stole my brother’s membership so I could talk to you about it, but I’m not sure why.”

 

“I told you, I wanted to get rid of that asshole.”

 

Ha-eun thought of her ex-boyfriend who had broken up with her a month ago.

 

[I swear I saw it. Even the most blind person wouldn’t recognize Mr. Zhuan. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself, he only goes to hotels on weekends to stamp his attendance with women he doesn’t know].

 

She told herself it couldn’t be true, but she was suspicious of his recent phone calls, so she rushed to the hotel. After waiting in the lobby for hours, she sees Zhuan enter the hotel with a woman. 

 

Ha-eun is shocked: because it’s not someone else, it’s her for 10 years.  Ha-Eun couldn’t believe it and followed them to their room.

 

After standing at the door for a few minutes, I banged on it like a madwoman. [I didn’t order room service.]  She opened the door without warning, and her eyes widened in horror.

 

Ha-eun slapped Zhuan’s cheek as hard as she could. She had been betrayed by two people she trusted at once.

 

 [If I had trusted you with my life without knowing you were trash, I would have been in big trouble. I want to thank you for clearing things up for me, that’s it, don’t ever show up in front of me again].

 

Ha-eun turned around without regret. It was the end of a three-year relationship, but for some reason, she couldn’t help but cry.   

 

Looking back, it was always a precarious relationship. The constant rumors about Zhuan had plagued Ha-eun throughout their relationship. Still, she didn’t believe what she didn’t see with her own eyes, and after months of silence, she decided to find out for herself.

 

It was done. Ha-Eun clenched her fists tightly.   

 

‘Son of a bitch…. I don’t have anyone to talk to. With my friend….’

 

I thought it would get better with time, but a month passed and I still felt the same way.

 

“Cheer up, you’ll lose if you’re depressed, you’ll find someone better.”

 

“No, I’m not getting a boyfriend again.”   

 

I gritted my teeth, determined to never let myself be swept away by the emotion of love again, and to do that, I had to erase the marks he had left on my body.

 

The club was the way to go. Jisoo took me to the club’s VIP lounge, which is only accessible by membership, and I borrowed her clothes and bag to match. 

 

Jisoo applied her makeup to Ha-eun’s face as if she was determined. When I looked in the mirror, my face was unfamiliar.

 

“It’s awkward… I don’t think it’s me.”

 

“It’s great, it’s perfect, why haven’t you had something this pretty for years? No matter how busy you are in this life, take care of yourself.”

 

Despite what she said about sneaking her brother’s membership, Jisoo was familiar with the club’s geography.   

 

“Oh, there seem to be more people here today, hehe. Who is that? I think it’s Jung Woo-hyun. Ha, if I had known, I would have gone to the store.”

 

Jisoo ruffled Ha-eun’s hair.   

 

“Who’s Jung Woo-hyun?”

 

“The third son of the Junghan Group. If he’s up, it means you’ve got a lot of good friends today.”

 

“Oh?”

 

I looked over to where Jisoo was pointing and saw a group of men walking up the stairs to the second floor. I could see the back of a tall man trudging up the stairs between them. 

 

He was walking with his hands in his pockets and looked like he was bothered by everything.   

 

“If you’re going to have a one-night stand, it should be with a rich guy like that. That asshole, I’m feeding them to you.”

 

Ha-Eun tugged down the dress that clung tightly to her body.   

 

“…That’s right….”

 

Honestly, I said it out of conviction. In the end, when I came to the club and tried to approach a guy for a one-night stand, I was blindsided. 

 

However, because I had spat at Ji-soo once, my pride was hurt, so I just talked bullshit. Nowadays, one-night stands are a dime a dozen. If you like it, you can build the Great Wall of China in one night…

 

But Ha-eun was conservative enough to have a relationship with her ex-boyfriend after only two years.    Just as she was about to say no, images of her betrayers flashed through her mind.

 

“I’ll do anything, let’s have a drink…!” she shouted.

 

Ha-Eun took a swig of her beer.   

 

“Yes, drink it. It’ll help.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Ha-eun drank as Ji-soo and Ji-jung did.The beer turned to wine, and the wine turned to beer, and they started to get drunker and drunker.  Alcohol is strong, but I drank it on an empty stomach and got drunk.

 

[I thought we were just busy with each other, and he was dating a friend of mine, and I was like, “Great, relationships are a luxury, and I’m going to take this opportunity to get rid of whatever feelings I have for him and just think about myself from now on.

 

She was never meant to be with a man who was born with a golden spoon and had to worry about paying the bills every month. 

 

Finished with her thoughts, Ha-eun took another drink. Sure enough. It wasn’t hard liquor, but it burned her throat.

 

“Come on, you’re drunk enough, let’s dance.”

 

Jisoo grabbed Ha-eun’s hand and led her out. I followed Jisoo to the center and finally found a seat. She said the water was good, but there were too many people to fit in.

 

Sticky, tempting gazes pierced me relentlessly.  I’m here to hunt, too, naturally… Let’s dance.  Ha-eun also moved her body lightly to the fast beat of the music, but it was far from a sexy dance.

 

It wasn’t a piece of wood; it was a shoulder and a leg.   

 

‘This is coming from a guy who’s stolen before….’

 

To Ha-eun, who was far from the kind of person who could seduce someone in the first place, it was just a hard stick flickering by. Just then, a man sneaked up behind her, her back tense enough to make her spine tense.

 

“Come on, no way. He’s interested in me?”

 

I trembled like a child planning something bad.   

 

“Is this your first time at the club?”

 

“No.”

 

“I haven’t seen you before, but I’m glad you came tonight.”   

 

The loud beat meant I had to put my lips close to his ear to talk, but the wind in my ears whenever he spoke was unpleasant. I glanced over and saw that he had gotten tangled up with another woman earlier.

 

It was the man. Ha-eun pulled away from him.   

 

“I’m not interested in you, so will you stop falling?”   

 

* * *

 

Even though the flight was delayed due to a typhoon, Woo-hyun was waiting for Kang-woo in time for the flight to arrive.  Thankfully, Kang-woo was caught by Woo-hyun at the airport and dragged to the bar without changing clothes.   

 

“Come on, let’s drink! Drink! Our Kang-woo has finally ended his long exile. We’re back, and we’re back in one piece, so let’s enjoy it.”

 

“Yeah! It’s been a long time. It’s been years. Ugh, five years. I’d have run away already.”

 

“Congratulations.”   

 

My friends raised their glasses high.  It wasn’t a bad night out with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time.   

 

“Do you have a girlfriend? Are you in a relationship?”

 

“What do you mean…?”

 

“Oh, I thought you were looking at your beautiful blonde daughter-in-law again… That’s a shame.”

 

Kang-woo smirked. The thought of his father going on a rampage made her feel better just thinking about it.   

 

“And you?”

 

“Me, anytime, Fridge.”

 

“Still the same.”

 

“You.”

 

“You just don’t want to get emotional about it,”    Kangwoo said dryly.

 

“I came in today and the water was so good.

 

Look at that, isn’t it great?”

 

I looked down through the side glass and saw women dancing.   

 

“Just like that.”

 

“Oh, my dear Mr. Seok. I’ve always noticed that your eyes are in the sky, but you’re twenty-eight years old and you still don’t see things differently?”

 

“Maybe they look pretty to you, but to me, they look like they’re desperate to get laid.”

 

“Of course, if you’re in a club, it’s a one-night stand.”

 

“Then go fuck yourself.”

 

“Are you a man, huh? Aren’t you a snitch?”

 

Woohyun playfully swatted Kangwoo’s lower body. Kang-woo frowned.   

 

“You’re crazy.”

 

“Have some fun. What’s wrong with this face, this body, this money, this life?” “

 

Well, I don’t know about that. I just, I’m not interested.”

 

“Maybe I’ll be interested today.”

 

Woohyun’s mouth was up to his ear. The look on his face told me he was trying to annoy someone.   

 

“Don’t be silly. I’m here to drink.”   

 

Kang-woo held out his empty glass. Woohyun laughed and poured himself a full glass.

 

* * ** * * * *

 

 Ha-eun returned to her seat and drank her drink.  

 

“What? You don’t like that guy? He looked fine.”

 

“He doesn’t just do that to me.”

 

“Did he?”

 

“Maybe tonight’s not the night.”   

 

I tried to make excuses and sneak around the one-night stand, but Jisoo was pretty persistent.

 

“Hold on, the hunt is about to come in. I hope those men see us… Hmmmm… It’s right in the center, right in the VIP area.”

 

“That’s it.”

 

Ha-eun is stunned by Ji-soo’s plan:

 

“I took the job because I was thinking of you.”

 

“There are a lot of girls who are prettier than me… Thank you.”

 

“Hey, you’re the prettiest I’ve ever seen you today. Be confident.”

 

“Your makeup must be lighting up.”

 

“Does that just happen to anyone? I’m sure you’ll find someone worthy of your efforts.”

 

Ha-eun realized from the guy who was flirting with me earlier that even a one-night stand can take a bit of work. She realized that even a one-night stand can be a bit of a drag.

 

The first reason was that she didn’t have a guy in mind, and the second was that even if she had her heart set on it, it wouldn’t happen if the other person didn’t feel the same way. A few moments later.    The waiter slipped in and said,

 

“We’ve got a hunt for pretty girls. Who wants to go?”

 

My heart sank at the mention of Hunting. Suddenly, Jisoo’s eyes sparkled. Jisoo grabbed Ha-eun’s hand and pulled her up.   

 

“Here, here, come on, let’s go.”

 

“Aaah.”

 

Ha-eun was led out by the waiter’s hand. She heard a voice behind her shouting,

 

“Go Ha-Eun!” but it was as heavy as a large iron ball on her ankle.

 

The waiter ahead of me kept looking back and smiling. The winding corridors were so cluttered that I couldn’t tell where I was.   

 

“I’m glad you raised your hand.” 

 

“What?”

 

“Even if someone else had said they were going, I’d have held your hand.”   

 

He meant it as a compliment, but it only added to the pressure. What do I do? How do I avoid this crisis?

 

After some thought, I saw a sign for a restroom.   

 

“Okay, hold on, restroom.”   

 

The waiter called out behind me, but I frantically ran to the restroom sign. She had been running for a while when she heard a familiar voice at the end of the hallway.  Ha-eun’s head snapped in that direction.

 

Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes went wide in disbelief.  How could he be here…! It was Zhuan. Her ex-boyfriend had brought her here.

 

Zhuan’s group was walking towards her. What should she do? She didn’t know what she’d hear if she ran into him alone here. Even though their relationship was over, she wanted to avoid him.

 

Ha-eun unconsciously opened the nearest room she could find and entered. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her hand trembled on the doorknob. She didn’t have time to think, but she couldn’t understand why she was doing this.

 

At least I had an empty room. The dark, unlit room was silent as a mouse.  I was just catching my breath. Suddenly, I heard a human voice.   

 

“They’re bothering me.”

 

“Hmph!”

 

Ha-Eun gasped in surprise. Hearing a man’s voice in the middle of nowhere was more than a little disconcerting.  She whirled around to see a man sitting at the head of the couch. Her eyes widened.

 

He was incredibly handsome. Even in the darkness of the room, his body seemed to be illuminated by a halo of light.  I thought I was in the wrong room and turned to leave, but the man spoke again.   

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, “you didn’t knock. I had an emergency. But….”

 

What’s the point of knocking in a club where the music is so loud?

 

“What’s the point of knocking in a place like this?”

 

“I was in a hurry.” 

 

“Well, a man must be in a hurry to barge into a room without knocking.” 

 

“Look, I know I did something wrong, but I don’t deserve to be yelled at like this….”

 

“That’s all right, Come on in, and let’s have a drink.”   

 

The man seemed to think of Ha-Eun as someone he was hunting. Out of embarrassment, she didn’t want to say she’d walked in by mistake.   

 

“Someone else will be coming in soon, so I’ll leave you to it.”

 

He was a strikingly handsome man, but he was going to be hunting with another woman. Of course, there’s no order to the hunt, but it was a little creepy to intercept someone’s order. 

 

He opened the room door again and was about to leave.  She was startled and surprised to find a wide-eyed Zhuan staring at her from the room. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the room.

 

“You, what do you look like?”

 

“What do I look like?”

 

“Ha, you’ve only been seeing another guy for a month since we broke up?”

 

“You talk out of both sides of your mouth, and you should count the days you cheated on me. It’s been over six months since we broke up.”

 

“…….”   

 

I can’t see the guy who cheated on me cheating on my girl, that’s what it looks like. Okay, he wasn’t even her boyfriend anymore, but she was still pissed as hell.

 

“So, you’re going to meet a real man? It’s all men here for a one-night stand.”

 

“I knew it.”

 

“Ha…. No kidding. Even if the world was turned upside down, you wouldn’t sleep with a guy you met in a club.”

 

“You’re wrong, I’m the kind of girl who can sleep with the first guy I meet if I like him.”

 

Ha Eun snorted. Zhuan ruffled my hair roughly.   

 

“No.”

 

“In what capacity are you interfering?”

 

“Well, yeah. Say, I’m not qualified. But not this. I don’t want you to be ruined.”

 

“Aha~ The person who thinks so much of me cheated on me with Song’a?”

 

“That’s… I thought you said it was a mistake.”

 

“I don’t care if it was a mistake or not.”

 

Ha-eun twisted her wrist out of Zhuan’s grasp. It throbbed where it had been caught.   

 

“Ha, Ha-Eun, you’re drunk, and if you act so impulsively, you’re going to….”

 

“Mind your own business. If you want to know, just watch who I’m going out with tonight.”

 

“Ha, Ha Eun-ah!! Ha Eun-ah….”

 

I heard Zhuan’s voice behind me with a hint of bitterness in it.

 

“You bastard, you’re trying to act like you’re sorry and get away with it? I’m not going to let you get away with it again.”

 

I recognized the man who had taunted me for the past few months.

 

Ha’eun turned back the way she had come. When she realized that her hunting partner hadn’t returned, she bumped into the man again as he was leaving the room.   

 

“It’s the same guy again.”

 

“…….”

 

“Is there something urgent you need to do?”

 

he asked in a slow, leisurely tone, his handsome face and toned body exuding an irresistible charm.  Haen swallowed hard as she looked at the hard nape of his neck.

 

Zhuan’s shadow loomed beyond the opaque wall. Ha-eun’s mind flooded with visions of Zhuan and Song-ah tangled in bed. Impulsively, she reached out for his hand.   

 

Closing her eyes tightly, Ha-eun kissed the man’s lips. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. What if he rejected the kiss? She realized as she bit her lip. Luckily, he didn’t pull away, instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

 

He slipped his tongue between her lips and tangled them.   

 

“…!!   

 

I gasped, surprised by the hot lips pressed against mine, and doubly surprised by the hard body against mine.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

He s*cked hard on my lower lip. The force of his s*cking made my waist buckle. It was hot. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Ha Eun’s breathing became increasingly labored.

 

He thrust sensually. His lips twisted in time with his movements, and though he could feel a hot gaze on his back, he put his arms around her shoulders and kissed her fiercely. Finally, when their lips parted, Ha-Eun struggled to open her mouth.   

 

“Do you want to sleep with me?”

 

“Is this what you’re here for too?”

 

“So, you don’t like it?”

 

“Well, I’m kind of interested.” 

 

“I’m glad to hear that.” 

 

“I just need a little more convincing.”   

 

What kind of assurance for a one-night stand? This was a weird guy.   

 

“What do you want me to do?”

 

“Flirt with me a little more, so I’m attracted to you.”

 

“Ha….”

 

He smirked, but his mouth wasn’t friendly. It was Ha-Eun who was in a hurry because if this ended, she would most likely be captured by Zhuan again. She shrugged and looked down at me as if to say,

 

“Do something. It didn’t matter if he thought she was easy.  The other man’s eyes flared with heat. He’d gotten a little tipsy, and it looked like he needed a woman to cool him off. Seduction?

 

Yes. She tugged lightly at his tie and brought her lips to the nape of his neck, s*cking hard. She could feel his throat tighten. Ha-eun kissed and caressed the nape of his thick neck like a peck. The tip of her tongue flicked up and down the man’s flesh, touching his hard abdomen through the suit.   

 

“Haah….,”

 

A hot breath poured from his mouth.  I leaned in a little closer and felt a rush of heat where our naked bodies touched. I could feel his private parts hardening a little. I cried out, but my lips moved in a do-or-die fashion. My throat burned with tension.   

 

“Well,” he said,

 

“You were all set on me earlier.”

 

“Well, yeah.”   

 

It didn’t matter if the man took it the wrong way, because he wrapped his arms around her waist in a crushing hug. His eyes sparkled with a toothy gleam.   

 

“…It worked.”

 

I never thought it would be this easy to seduce a guy. It’s what I wanted, but it’s what I’ve always resisted. Even if the man was gorgeous enough to fall in love with at first sight.   

 

But what he needed now was Ha’eun.

 

She needed a powerful punch in the gut to convince Zhuan that he still thought of me as his girlfriend.   

 

“Let’s call it a one-night stand.” 

 

“That’s what I’m going to say.”

 

He grabbed Ha-Eun’s chin and swallowed her lips into his mouth, his tongue moving urgently. Heat filled his breath. Breath escaped between their meshed lips. All the breath that pooled in her mouth, she passed it down his throat.

 

Since he was sitting with his legs spread, his p*nis was directly in contact with her p*ssy. It was covered by her panties, but the thin fabric didn’t seem to mind. The man’s fingers slid down her back and grabbed her ass.  

 

 She closed her eyes tightly and leaned into him.  He explored every inch of her mouth, then pulled his lips away. His ragged breath rose to her chin.

 

“Let’s change the venue, I’m sure you don’t want to do it here either.”

 

“Okay.”   

 

Ha-Eun smiled wryly. Then he took her hand and strode away.  It was refreshing to see a half-dazed Zhuan.   

 

* * ** * * * * *

 

The two frantically climbed into the room.  Lips tangled without a moment to breathe. Their legs moved slightly as they kissed, and there was a pop and a spring as they fell backward.  He unbuttoned his shirt and looked down at her.

 

Her mouth burned with tension.  Despite my intentions, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d sell my soul to the devil if it meant removing every trace of Zhuan from my body.  The devil, it was no secret, was the star of tonight’s club.

 

I chose him, and he chose me.

 

‘It’s too fast, I can’t handle it….’

 

There was no reason to hesitate any longer. The man looked at Ha-Eun and shook his head.   

 

“If you don’t like it now, you can say no.” 

 

“No, go ahead, I’ve never done anything like this before.”

 

Ha-eun shook her head vigorously from side to side.   

 

“Are you saying ‘first time’ on purpose because you think I’ll like it?”

 

“What?”

 

“I don’t mind looking,”

 

he said, his eyes soft, but the unfamiliar skin beneath said something else. It was desire. The obvious desire made her tense.   

 

‘I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve slept with a man….’

 

She and Zhuan had been together for two years, and the number of times she’d had sex could be counted on her fingers.  Even worse, the last time we went to a hotel was six months ago. Only now did I feel a little scared.   

 

“Don’t regret it. I’m the kind of person who finishes what I start. There’s no point in crying.” 

 

“Ah….”

 

He grabbed a handful of her disheveled hair and kissed her. It was nothing like the kisses he’d given her at the club. It was so soft. It tasted sweet, like cotton candy.  He gently coiled his tongue around hers, making circles with it as he entered her mouth.

 

The texture was thick.  It was ridiculous that they could kiss and sleep without knowing each other’s names… but they didn’t need to talk about it.

 

Ha-Eun put her hands on his shoulders, and their lips tangled in a frantic kiss that seemed to grow deeper and deeper. Ha-Eun’s breathing quickened, and her hair turned white.

 

I could feel his body hardening under the covers. His hand touched my skin, and my heart pounded harder.   

 

“Ah….”   

 

I could feel him wanting me. At the same time, my body was slowly preparing to accept him. My heart was beating like crazy. An animalistic sound came from his mouth as we sucked on each other’s lips, feeling each other’s arousal.

 

His well-defined muscles flexed as he stood, and soon his body was spilling over her. Haen squeezed her eyes shut.   

 

“…Ah….”

 

He settled between them. Something large and hard wriggled in her lower abdomen, and she wondered if it was human. No way.

 

When he turned around, two p*nises rubbed against my panties. The kiss relaxed me, but I wondered if something like that could ever fit inside me…  But he didn’t give a damn about her ejaculation, his eyes already burning like a beast.   

 

“You’re wet.”

 

“No….”

 

His lips formed a long arc. His movements grew more vigorous, his hips now moving as if to cut through the fabric.  It was hot underneath, sensitized with a dull ache, and each time she let out a small moan.

 

When her breathing stabilized, he tugged down her panties. The panties were drenched and glistening with her juices. Wet nectar dripped from the twitching petals of her gaping p*ssy. I could hear him chuckle bloodily.   

 

“You were so h*rny,” he said,

 

“that… you… ah!”

 

Before I could finish my sentence, an angry pillar crashed down on me. It felt like my body was being crushed like my womb was being squeezed with a single force. There wasn’t even a hair’s breadth of space between them. A white, overflowing liquid oozed from the junction, filling my insides.   

 

“Narrow.”

 

“Ah… Ah… So… big….”

 

“That’s what women love, this tight bite.”

 

He pulled out. Then he thrust in hard before her v*g*na could close. The first point he touched was the point on her lower lip. She moaned at the intense pleasure that brought tears to her eyes.

 

She gasped, not knowing where to breathe. His arms tightened around her waist, crushing her, and he thrust into her ferociously. Her eyes rolled back in her head.

 

She had never seen such intensity in her life.    Sparks flew in front of her eyes. The flames burned from head to toe. She sucked in a frantic breath.

 

His sex became stronger and more intense. His body was hotter, perhaps because he was drunk. There was nothing about his lips, his body, the touch of his flesh, that didn’t excite him.

 

My pulse pounded. Thump, thump, thump, like a drumbeat.  Ha-Eun drew in a ragged breath. She clutched at the sweaty sheets, holding back the pleasure.

 

I could hear the wet rubbing of flesh against flesh as his c*ck, embedded as one, slid in and out. It was hot enough to melt his brain.  My whole body felt like it was burning and melting from the heat. 

 

He lifted her thighs onto his shoulders and rammed his c*ck into her. Ha-eun felt like she was out of breath. She screamed in ecstasy as she orgasmed with a man she had never seen before.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

‘I… slept with the first guy I’ve ever seen….’

 

The first thing I thought when I opened my eyes was an excruciating sense of self-doubt.  My whole body felt like it had been beaten and I couldn’t move.   

 

She moaned so loudly, that she was too embarrassed to lift her face. She turned and looked at the sleeping man’s back.   

 

‘I have to get out before he wakes up….’

 

She couldn’t face him with her mind clear, so Ha-eun picked up her clothes from the floor. Finally, I got dressed, left the room, and hastily caught a cab.  When she got home, she stretched out.   

 

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was high in the sky, and I immediately remembered Jisoo.  

 

 [“Jisoo, it’s me.” “Oh my God. Do you know how surprised I was to see you out with the guy you hunted? Where are you? Did you go to a hotel?”

 

“Yeah.

 

[I feel like I’ve committed a huge sin. I wonder if I’ve tainted your innocence with something bad….]

 

[No, I’m grateful to you. Now that I’ve erased all traces of my ex-boyfriend, I don’t have any regrets or anything.   

 

She stared at the ceiling in the distance and blushed. She remembered the man panting in her ear. Ha-eun buried her face in her pillow and let out a muffled scream,

 

“I’m crazy, if I go to the club again, I’ll burn my fingers!”

 

There was a knock at the door.   

 

“Sis, are you up?”

 

“Yes, I’m up.”

 

“What are you drinking all night, I’ve made haejangguk, so eat it.”

 

“Go, I’ll go.”

 

She saw Young-eun sitting at the kitchen table reading a book.

 

“We’re seniors, did you stay up all night studying?”

 

“Of course I did, I’m a senior. You’re a high school senior at home, and you’re just hanging out, huh? Say something.”

 

“Sorry, sorry. I haven’t seen Ji-soo in a long time.”

 

“What’s with the fancy clothes? You didn’t buy them, did you? You’ll tear your crotch if you imitate Ji-soo’s envy.”

 

“Oh, sure, sure. Caterpillars eat pine needles. I know, girl~”

 

My sister is six years younger than me, but she is cute because she sometimes acts like my mom. I was able to endure the hardships of life because of my family, especially my younger brother, who studied without falling into a bad path in a difficult environment.   

 

Ha-eun was the head of the family.  When Ha-eun was 15 years old, her father failed in his business and the family lost everything. He abandoned the family and went into hiding.

 

His debts fell squarely on her mother.  All she could do was work as a restaurant hustler. Her body was weak, and within a few years, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

 

‘It’s not too late, so you’re still lucky….’

 

The cancer was caught in the middle stages and I was able to survive. A third of her stomach was removed and she is currently hospitalized in a nursing home.   

 

Due to these circumstances, Ha Eun started her social life as soon as she graduated from college, and she also found a part-time job on weekends. Although her body was exhausted, she persevered and lived for her family.

 

My hard work was rewarded with the occasional sweet holiday, but it was a dangerous aberration that could easily lead me down a path of laziness.

 

‘So much for the holiday. Let’s get some more sleep.”

 

Ha-Eun returned to her room and lay down on her bed. But even as she closed her eyes, the events of last night kept coming back to her.   

 

[Haa… fuck.] [Aaah….] [Spread it out. I’ll do it myself if you don’t want to.] [Oh, no!] Her face heated up.  It was a drunken one-night stand, but I remembered it clearly.

 

Her lower abdomen still felt heavy. The place where he’d come in and out like an animal last night felt warm, and she felt herself sinking into self-pity again.   

 

Crazy, crazy bitch, no matter how angry I am. Sleeping with the first guy I ever met… There was no point in regretting it now, but I was satisfied that I had used him to completely erase all traces of Zhuan.

 

‘…Maybe I should have asked for your name….’

 

The message rang.  I looked at my phone, and it was a number I didn’t recognize.   

 

[It was me.] “Ha….”   

 

It was Zhuan. I blocked him on KakaoTalk, so how did he call me?

 

[“Ha-eun, I didn’t do a good job. Can you just look at me once?”

 

“I don’t have anything to say. Don’t call me again.” 

 

[Now, wait, you didn’t sleep with him, did you?]

 

“I did, okay?” Ha-eun hung up the phone and blocked the number.