Episode 6

A tear fell from my eye as I heard the door close. I wiped them away with the back of my hand and bent down to look at the mess on the floor.

I looked at the floor, which was as messed up as my heart, and put on my pants. I pulled out a tissue and wiped the floor w*t with s*men and tears.

The sour scent of nightcap stung my nostrils. My hands shook.  I tossed his trail into the trash, grabbed my crumpled shirt, and headed for the bathroom.

I had to open three doors to find the bathroom. The house was just like him, with only the necessities. It was a big house, but it was sparse.

I washed his shirt sleeves clean at the sink. I was going to leave, but then I remembered that he was w*t because of me. When I was done, I hung the clothes on the towel rack and washed my face with cold water.

The cold water brought me back to reality.  I went out to the living room and slowly looked around the spacious house. The stairs leading up to the second floor seem to be the stairs to heaven. So this is hell.

I smirked and looked out the window to see that it was raining. I shook my head in disbelief.  I thought about texting him to see if I could borrow an umbrella, but I didn’t think he’d appreciate my contact, so I shoved my cell phone in my pocket.

I put on my shoes, grabbed my umbrella, opened the door, and walked out. It’s pretty pouring. It’s almost summer, and it’s strangely cold.  Should I just let it rain?

Will the rain wash away all the pain in my heart? Eventually, I opened my umbrella. If I caught a cold in the rain, what would happen to my work, who would go to my dad?

I knew my mom wouldn’t go. Dad had only me.  Just like I had no one but him. He was the one who always laughed at what I said and was always eager to help in any way he could.

A big supporter. Someone who would believe me when I said I killed for a reason. My dad, who was by my side, took the time to make sure I was fed and ready to go when my mom was busy running her business and neglecting me.

I took a step, a step, a step, with strength in my hand holding the umbrella.  Hurt, but not broken. I tucked it away in the back of my mind, as I always did.

At least I don’t have to worry about Dad’s medical bills for a while, so that’s good. I could do the things I hadn’t been able to do and give the caregiver an allowance.

I’m a bitch, and it’s okay. It’s all good.  Why does it feel like it’s raining all over me even though I’m wearing an umbrella?

* * * * * * * *

The next day at work, I realized there was a reason for his hasty departure.

“What did the Cultural Heritage Administration say?”

“They’re going to do a detailed excavation and tell us the results.”

Within a day, the company was in an uproar. Until yesterday, the company was proud to be the first to build a high-end Hanok hotel, but the artifacts were discovered just before the foundation was laid.

When an artifact is found on a construction site, it’s up to the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Cultural Heritage Committee to determine its value, so they don’t know when the results of the investigation will come out.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the direction of the project could change, meaning that the project could be canceled.

I was told that the reason why my uncle, the president, was so nervous was because he was worried that the Royal Group would pull out of the project.

This was a shot across the bow, as the business plan would have to be revised based on the results of the cultural property value survey.

Reporters have been calling me since this morning to see if word has gotten out.  I don’t know much about it, but from what I’ve heard, the story goes something like this.

As I was organizing the receipts, I glanced at the boss coming out of the department head’s office. Looking at his face, which has aged a lot over the day, I realize that this is a serious matter.

Is he okay? For a moment, he came to mind.

“Take this to Mr. Han.”

“I’ll go.”

Sooyin took the papers from the boss’s hand and replied in a tone that said it was all good.

“Don’t you get the mood?”

It was the first time he had ever seen his uncle so angry with Sooyin. It must be serious. Everyone in the office held their breath as they looked at the two of them.

“Dad, there are a lot of people…….”

“Is this the time for you to run errands? There are so many things to do in the company right now, you should be working at that time!”

He stared at Sooyin, who was biting her red lips as if her pride was being hurt.

“Se-yeon, you need to go. Get off work right then and there.”

He said he had a lot of work to do, which meant I was the only one who wasn’t helping the company.

“Yes.”

I stood up and walked over to the boss. Sooyin was glaring at me like she was going to kill me, but I pretended not to notice.

My heart was beating fast when I realized that I was going to Royal Group.  I got hurt just yesterday, and I don’t have any pride.

“…….”

Who cares about pride?  All I wanted was to be able to see him and be around him. It didn’t matter that it hurt, compared to how I felt after I abandoned him.

This much pain was nothing.  With a sullen face, I quickened my pace to reach his royal group. Unlike my heavy head, my steps were light.

It was my first time at the Royal Group headquarters. I can’t believe he’s on the highest floor. If he had worked so hard…….

Han Se-hyuk was a college student who worked hard at everything, so I could see how hard he must have lived even without looking.

Then I remembered his tired face from yesterday. He said how long it had been since he came home and went back to work. He looked familiar as if this had happened many times before.

When I asked him if he had a girlfriend, his shoulders sagged. What an idiot. Why is he talking about women?  The elevator doors opened, announcing the arrival of the 44th floor.

As the doors open, I see a red carpet path, and I walk down it, and a secretary greets me.

“I’m from Gaon Architects.”

“Yes. We were contacted in advance.”

I hand the secretary the papers, but suddenly her gaze drifts over my shoulder and she leans in. I turn to follow the secretary’s gaze.

“Ah…. How are you?”

He’s standing at the end of the aisle I’ve been walking down.  I bow my head in greeting, and one corner of his mouth lifts lazily, and my heart leaps like it’s going to explode.

I put my hand up and pressed it firmly against her heart. If I didn’t do this, her heart would swell so much that it would burst.

“Secretary Xin, get me some tea.”

“Yes.”

He looks me in the eye as he speaks, and I can’t move a finger. When I’m as still as a stone, he points to the president’s office.

“Come in.”

“Oh, I have to go to….”

“You’ll be leaving work right away, right?”

I nodded slightly as he stiffened, as if lying was out of the question. How did he know I was leaving work right away? And the honorific is so unfamiliar.

The corner of my mouth twitches upward, but I realize he’s not happy.  I turned to leave and headed to the boss’s office, true to his word, only to realize that he looked very tired.

It bothered me. His face is even more tired than yesterday, and he looks like he could collapse at any moment. Had he not slept?

I walked into the boss’s office, took off my coat, watched him sit down at his desk, and then sat down on the couch. As I sat there with my back straight, his secretary brought me tea.

I stare at the spotless white teacup with a slight reddish tinge and the unknown contents.  I bowed my head slightly to the secretary. The sound of the door closing made me thirsty.

“Drink the tea.”

“Oh, yes.”

I thought he was just looking at some papers, but he ordered me to drink tea. I turn my head to look at him, but his eyes are fixed on the papers. I pick up the teacup and raise it to my mouth.

I don’t know if it’s through my nose or my mouth, all I can see is his tired face.  I set the teacup down without making a sound.

“You look tired.”

“……It’s okay, I’ve always been like this.”

I’m surprised that I said he looked tired, but I’m even more surprised that he responded. I open my mouth to say something, but he clamps it shut.

He looks down as if he doesn’t know why he’s telling you this, as if he’s made a mistake.  He flips through the papers impatiently, and the ringing stops him in his tracks.

I pull your cell phone out of my bag and hit the reject button.

“Pick up.”

“…….”

“Pick up.”

My cell phone rang again without me noticing, and I couldn’t help but pick it up when I said it out loud.

“Hello?” It was Miho calling.

-Where are you? Let’s have dinner!

“Miho, I’m working right now…….”

-You’re not done yet? It’s past quitting time. My heart sank and my shoulders stiffened as he threw his pen across the desk. I’m not guilty of anything, but I can’t help but look at him.

“Hey, Cha Se-Yeon, are you still working?”

“Oh…. Yeah.”

I don’t even hear Miho’s whining voice. All my attention is on him. He throws down his pen and scrambles to his feet.

“Miho, I’ll call you back,”

Miho says something, but she just hangs up. She tilted her head to look up at him. I bite my lip, not knowing what to make of him as he glares at me with a fierce look on his face as if he’s tired.

“I told you not to date boys, didn’t I?”

“…….”

“Miho? The sissy one?”

“She’s my friend!”

“Aah, are you still wearing her?”

I’m embarrassed to be questioned by someone who knows better than anyone that we’re friends.  No, I shut my mouth, not wanting to talk.

“That was the assh*le who picked you up,”

he mumbles, not sure if he’s asking a question or talking to himself, and suddenly reaches out his hand.

“Are you crazy?”

I almost screamed. His hand slipped under my skirt, and I shoved him hard on the shoulder, but it didn’t work. Instead, he slid further in and cupped my thigh.

“We’re at work!”

I whisper to see if anyone can hear me, and he laughs, dropping my shoulder.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“What the…!”

Of course, it doesn’t matter. I open the door and there are three secretaries. I can’t believe I’m doing this in a place where I don’t know when they’ll walk in. Contrary to my worries, he doesn’t seem to mind and slides his hand into his boxers.

“Uhhhhhhh!”

I bite my lip until it bleeds, trying to keep the moan from escaping my mouth. As if that weren’t enough, I cover my mouth. The hand that had been fiddling with a pen a moment ago pierced my v*g*na.

I tightened my grip downward.

“Your p*ssy is begging for something to put in it,”

he whispered in my ear, causing the nape of my neck to flush red. I reached up to slap him in the face, but instead, my hand was grabbed and I was pinned to the couch.

My heart sank. Her skirt fell over her stomach and her panties slid to the side.  Then,

“Shhhhh!”

He lowered his head. My eyes widened in disbelief, and as my legs flailed, he gripped my thighs tightly, pulling them apart.

“If I put another c*ck in your c*nt, you’ll know right away, so be careful.”

I couldn’t say anything as he buried his nose in my p*ssy and took a deep breath in and out. My whole body shudders like a herbivore about to be devoured by a beast.

“I’ll check on you anytime.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as he buried his lips in the secret place between my legs, asking if I understood him correctly.

“Ugh…suck!”

I cringed everywhere his lips touched. I couldn’t believe it. His face is between my legs. His face was between my legs, licking downward so familiarly, unlike me, who was flailing all over the place.

I couldn’t think of anything else. I shook my head, covering my mouth with my hand in case he heard me outside.

“Ughhhh! Please…!”

I mutter a plea for him to stop, but he doesn’t listen. Tears welled up in my eyes as he buried his lips deeper as if to punish me. I should be angry at the thought of him doing this to me, but my mind is a blank slate.

As his tongue begins to move in a concentrated motion, the hand that was meant to push him away grabs a handful of jet-black hair.

I don’t hate the feel of my hair as it falls from my fingers.  No, it drove me crazy.  The unfamiliar sensation terrifies me, but it also makes the bottom of my stomach tighten.

I clamped my mouth shut, but it was too little, too late to stop the thin moan. My hips jerked, convulsively, as if I couldn’t get off, but now I couldn’t tell. Was I rocking or was he rocking?

Churrrr. Choo-choo.

The n*ked sound of his mouth on my hole, sucking hard, is deafening. I push against his head, worried that people outside will hear, and the harder I push, the deeper he goes.

The tip of his tongue pursues the split wings relentlessly. The sensation of blood rushing to my cl*toris was overwhelming, but the tip of his tongue poked and prodded, and my mouth gaped open as he flicked from side to side.

I couldn’t swallow my saliva.

“Ugh. Please! Please stop… He didn’t like my pl*asure to stop, so he took my cl*t in his mouth and sucked on it.

All the blood rushed to my v*g*na and I felt like it was going to burst. I lifted my upper body and shook my head frantically, feeling like the slightest touch would be a huge mistake.

I felt like I was caught in a spider’s web, unable to escape. The more I struggled, the more pathetic I felt like an insect caught in a spider’s web.

I begged and pleaded with him.  Contrary to my will, my v*g*na twitched and leaked tears. My sobs turned into moans, and after sucking downward for a while, he slowly lifted his head.

“…….”

I wanted to ask him why you’re looking at me with hurt eyes, but I couldn’t because I knew it was all my fault that he’s changed. I lay on the couch, legs spread wide, breathing hard, like an animal whose windpipe has been ripped out.

Tears streamed down my face. His slow gaze catches the tears and his eyes light up.  I bite my lip in satisfaction. He wants me to be sick.

“Go away,”

he says, and I shudder as he pulls away as fast as he buried his lips. It’s cold, and if it weren’t for the smudge around his lips, I wouldn’t know what he’d done a moment ago.

I watched his back as he walked to his desk and gathered my clothes. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and slipped on a pair of scuffed shoes.

I can’t see his face as he looks at the papers. I manage to get to my feet on shaky legs, my p*ssy throbbing and dripping beneath me.

My panties were soaked through, but I didn’t show it. Instead, he kept his head down with a nonchalant face.

“I’ll go.”

I smiled sadly at him when he didn’t answer, then opened the door.  I walked down the red carpet with my head down, unable to look at the secretary’s face.

Knowing full well that they didn’t know what happened inside, I felt embarrassed nonetheless. I stumbled but managed to catch the elevator without falling.

I didn’t have the presence of mind to call Miho.  It wasn’t until I arrived at the high school that I remembered her. I called Miho, told her I couldn’t meet her and fell into bed.

As I stared at the faded ceiling, I felt my eyes water. The tears I had been holding back burst out. I’d gotten so used to crying alone that I couldn’t do it when people were around.

But when I’m alone, I can’t help but sob. My stomach still hurts.  It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.  I was crying as hard as I could, but I heard the sound of a woman’s pain as I wondered if the man in the next room was watching p*rn again.

I pulled the covers over my head. I thought I would feel cooler after I cried my heart out.  I tried not to cry, but I don’t know why the tears kept coming. I’m not tired… I’m not tired at all.

Why can’t the tears stop? My hands gripped the quilt with such force that they were white. I felt like I had to hold on to something.

* * * * * * * * *

“Don’t you want to be introduced to a guy?”

“What?”

My eyes widened at the story of Ms. Kim sitting next to me. After the meeting, Ms. Kim didn’t bother me. She didn’t even ask me to run a coffee errand, which was weird, and she apologized for being drunk.

But a guy?

“You know that group photo we took at the team competition? Someone I know saw it and asked me to introduce him.”

“Oh…….”

“Think about it.”

“I’m not interested in meeting a guy, I’m sorry.”

“Really?”

I smiled awkwardly at the look on Ms. Kim’s face that told me to let her know if I changed my mind. Even a boyfriend was a luxury for me, let alone marriage.

“Get it right with men”.

Her voice sounds like a vision. Heat spreads where she bit and sucked yesterday. It’s been like this since morning. I’m itchy and feverish down there.  No, my face was burning, so I knew I had a fever.

I checked my forehead and it was also feverish.  I opened a drawer and pulled out my headache medication, popped two pills into my mouth, and swallowed.

My throat felt like it was being ripped out.  After lunch, I was organizing my papers when Sooyin came in late.

“Ms. Cha Se-yeon, why don’t you bring in the receipts you’ve organized?”

“Sure.”

I realized that she was upset that I had gone to Royal Group yesterday. I knocked on the door labeled Department Head’s office and heard a cold voice say,

“Come in.  I took a deep breath before entering. I looked down at my darkened eyes, wondering what else was going to bother me today.

As expected, Sooyin’s anger was uncontrollable.  Somehow, she managed to grab the pod and threw the neatly organized receipt in a tantrum.

“Straighten up!”

“……I’m sorry.”

Sooyin glared at me like I was going to kill him.  I don’t know why he hates me to death. Come to think of it, he was the same way when we were kids.

I would see her once or twice a year, but I always had the feeling she hated me.

“Get out!”

“Yes.”

I turned around and heard Sooyin’s voice behind me. Her voice sounded different from before, and it made the hairs on my arms stand up.

“I’m having a birthday party for my dad at home this weekend, so you should come.”

“…….”

I squinted at her, but she read my expression and muttered.

“I’ve already made all the reservations, so I have no choice.”

“If I go to…….”

“My aunt will be there.”

I was about to ask what I could do, but then my mouth dropped open at the mention of my mom. She’s always busy, she can’t call me, she can’t come to my dad’s surgery, and now she’s going to my uncle’s birthday party.

I grit my teeth hard.  I should go and say something. I have to ask her why she has to hear about her mom from Sooyin.

* * * * * * * *

I arrived at my uncle’s house right on time.  He told me he was having a party in the garden, and my jaw dropped as soon as I opened the door.

There were a lot of people there, just like my uncle, who likes to show off. There was even a small orchestra playing.

“You’ve come to the right place. Help out.”

I hadn’t seen my aunt in a long time. I didn’t have time to say hello before she handed me a tray. As soon as I put the food down on the table and turned around, I saw Sooyin in a bright red dress.

I had come dressed in my brightest and cleanest clothes, but they couldn’t compare to Sooyin’s, which was covered in fine jewelry. She was so beautiful even to me.

Everything from her hair to her makeup, nails, shoes, and accessories made her shine, but I wasn’t upset. I knew that it was better to give up something that couldn’t be mine sooner rather than later.

I carried out the food and cleared the table according to my aunt’s instructions. By the way, my mom was coming over…….

As I cleared the table, my eyes searched for my mom. That’s when I heard the sound of something breaking, drawing everyone’s attention to one place.

I turned to where the sound was coming from.

” I’m sorry.”

I recognize the back of a man squatting on the ground, picking up the broken glass.

“……Mom?”

Next to me, my aunt is smiling with the corner of her mouth upturned as if she’s okay, but I know it’s all an act. It’s written all over her face,

“How much is this bowl?

I knew she’d be annoyed that I’d ruined the party in the middle of nowhere.  I was going to say something to her when I saw her. My eyes burned.

“I’ll clean it up.”

She must not have realized I was coming. I pulled her to her feet and squatted on the floor. She’s freaking out, but she’s too wild. When I asked her what she was doing and why I couldn’t reach her, she said she was busy working, so I guess she wasn’t lying.

I resented her for that, and I felt like crap.

“I’ll do it.”

“No. I’ll do it, but you go wash your hands.”

Water gathered in my burning eyes. I bit my lip to keep from tearing up, opening and closing my eyes quickly.

As I picked up the broken glass in my palm, I caught a glimpse of a man’s shiny black shoe.  I slowly lifted my eyes.

“…….”

My eyes met his as he stared down at me coldly.  I forced my eyes to shake and the corners of my lips to quiver. I was still not feeling well.  I kept feeling unwell…….

Maybe I should have gone to the hospital.  The headache medicine wasn’t enough. Heat radiated out of me with every breath.

I turned my head and cleared the rest of the glass. As I stood up, my mom approached me, looking worried. I looked at her and shook my head.  It’s okay, it’s okay.

He and Sooyin turned and walked away. I could hear the orchestra playing in the distance.

“It’s him, it’s him?”

“…….”

I walk to the trash can in the corner to throw away the broken glass, and my mom is waving her arms in a panic.

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

she asks, her eyes dark.

“…President of the Royal Group.”

“What? What? Really?”

I smiled bitterly at my mom, her voice rising in disbelief.  A tear fell from my eye and I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand. She turned and walked briskly, her mouth set as if she hadn’t cried.

His uncle and Sooyin stood by his side throughout the party. They chattered for all to hear.  His heart sank when he heard how well they looked together.

Some people talked overtly to him, and he smiled and said,

“Is that so?”

each time. He laughs and replies,

“Is it?”

A smile he never shows me, but often shows others.  I could see why Sooyin had called me. She wanted to show me that she was next to the president of the Royal Group.

I secretly raised the corner of my mouth as I watched Soo-yin smugly glance at me once in a while. What kind of face would you make if you found out that the man you wanted so badly was my ex-boyfriend?

My head was spinning as time passed. When the food was finally served, I realized that the busyness was over.

I called out to my mom, who was in the kitchen washing dishes.

“Why are you still working here?”

“Why are you working here?”

I came to my sister’s house and asked her if she was working.

“The hourly wage here is a little high. Your aunt is a bit of a picky eater, but she pays well.”

“…….”

“How hard is it to find a job like this?”

My heart ached at the look on my mom’s face. I thought I was the only one struggling, but I wasn’t. Mom was living a hard life in her way.

“Why are you working so much? I know it’s for Dad’s medical bills, but what about you?”

“Oh, it’s…….”

I squinted at my mom as she hesitated.

“You don’t mean… You owe me money?”

“I’m sure you owe me a few bucks, since …… went out of business,”

I said, but I couldn’t tell her why I didn’t tell her. It was almost like I was the one who asked my mom if she had any money.

“Is that why you and Dad divorced?”

“I can’t help …… me.”

It’s like a weight on my shoulders.

“I’m almost done paying off my mom’s debt, so hang in there, I’ll pay it off and I’ll help her out. I owe that guy money, and I know how good he’s been to me, and I’m human, and I know that.”

“…….”

“When I’m done paying off my debt, I’ll go see my dad.”

Does she want to see her dad? Mom’s eyes flushed. She gritted her teeth.  Suddenly, she remembers what Dad had said in passing:

“Uh, Mom loves me a lot, she loves me, she loves me, so I don’t worry.”

Her jaw twitches.

“It’s time, and I have to go.”

I don’t catch her as she turns away, saying it’s time to go do something else. She stood still, her head bowed.

Then I realized something.  I ran to where I’d left my bag, grabbed my purse, and called out to my mom as she ran out the back door.  My head was pounding from the exertion.

“Why me?”

“Mom, this,”

I breathed out, opening my wallet. I pulled out the cash and thrust it into my mom’s hand, and she gasped.

“Take it,” I say.

“Come on, take it! I’ve been working more hours, and you’re the only one I care about. I’ll take care of Dad.”

“……Thank you.”

Mom’s hand holding the money is awkward. She should have pulled out the cash. She gave her money, so why didn’t she think to pull it out? She turned around and took a few steps, then turned around and came back.

“But why did Se-hyuk come back to her…….,”

I asked, and she seemed curious. Her jaw clenched.

“Mom, I don’t want you to talk about him, it’s already over.”

“Mom, I don’t want you to talk about him.”    Her eyes turned cold again.

“I don’t want you to wonder about him, especially you.”

I pretended not to see her shoulders slump and turned away coldly.  Maybe I should have brought some Tylenol.  By the time I finished cleaning up after the party, my body felt heavy.

I struggled to take a single step and paused as I walked downhill. I wondered if all rich people live in high places.  I started walking again, thinking that I should just go home and lie down.

The sound of a car claxon startled me and I turned to look at the source.

“Get in.”

He didn’t bring a driver today, he drove himself, and he ordered me to get in the car.

“……I’m so tired today.”

I could have just gotten in. For some small reason, I didn’t want to do what he asked. I felt like my forehead was going to be pierced by his hot gaze.

But I stubbornly pretended not to notice the look in his eyes.

“Get in,”

he growled as if he wasn’t going to take it anymore, and I took a moment to look around. A car was approaching in the distance, and I knew he wasn’t going to move until I got in, so I hopped in.

“Buckle up.”

I fasten my seatbelt and the car skids. I glance over at him as he drives without saying a word. I loved watching his sideways glance when we were dating.

I loved the way his long fingers tapped meaninglessly on the table, and I loved the way I sat in a coffee shop and stared at his hands.

There was a time when that was all I wanted to do. I remembered him laughing and talking with Sooyin, and it was like a light bulb went off in my head.

I stared out the window, not wanting to look at him until I realized I was on my way to his house and turned to look at him.

“I’m too tired to do anything, please stop in front of me.”

He didn’t answer, and I watched him drive away. I couldn’t see anything out the window.  It was the first time I’d entered his house through the underground parking garage.

“Go to your bed and lie down.”

My eyes widened at the mention of a bed as soon as I entered the house. I squinted as if I hadn’t heard him correctly.

“Go to that room and lie down.”

As you stand still, he lets out an annoyed sigh and grabs your wrist. I grabbed his wrist and was dragged back to my room. When I entered the room, I saw a bed that was three or four times bigger than mine.

I didn’t do anything, but my face burned.

“Lie down.”

“Wash up and……. I’m sweating a lot.”

“I don’t care, just go upstairs and lie down.”

My heart jumped out of my chest as he walked out the door. I went upstairs to his bed, fluffed up the pillow, and lay down.

I stare at the pure white ceiling, unable to calm down. It’s finally my first night.

“…….”

I wait for him, but I feel like I have a fever. I lay down on his comfy bed, and my body aches all over. I groaned and sniffed the air and smelled sweat.

I should have insisted on washing.  My fingers tingled like cuts. Her heart was racing, her body ached, and she was a total mess.

I expected him to come in soon, but he didn’t. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

I don’t know how much time has passed, but my eyes snap open when I feel someone touch me.  I almost screamed as a man I didn’t recognize touched my forehead.

“No, who are you?”

I blushed and glanced at the door, ready to run out.

“It’s a doctor, calm down.”

“……A doctor?”

“Yeah. Open your mouth, please. Ah-”

I opened my mouth without realizing it.

“You’ve got a swollen throat, that must have been pretty painful.”

“…….”

“Let me take a look at your finger, too.”

He opens his bag and tends to the wound.

“Take your medicine, I’ll give you some fl*ids, and get some rest.”

“…What if it’s all right?”

I asked what to do with the needle.

“Mr. Han will take it out.”

The needle sticks into the back of my hand, and it doesn’t hurt at all, but I start to cry. I wondered if the pain was making me weak, or if she was touched.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

The doctor thought I was crying because of the pain, so he pulled out a tissue and handed it to me. I pressed the tissue to my eyes and shook my head.

“You should get some rest now.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m paid to do this.”

When had he realized I was sick, had he been waiting for me to do this? He must have been waiting for at least half an hour because I came out after the party was over and cleaned up.

As the IV went in, my whole body broke out in a sweat. I could feel myself getting better. I blinked slowly.  I fell asleep, feeling the fluffy bed and faintly smelling him.

When I woke up, I made eye contact with him as he removed the needle.

“…Thank you for today.”

My voice was muffled by the lack of sleep.

“Get out.”

I watched him disappear with the empty syringe and got out of bed. I smoothed my disheveled hair and headed out the door. I followed him to the kitchen, my eyes widening at the sight of steaming porridge on the table.

“Eat.”

“It’s okay…….”

I said it was okay because I thought I’d feel sick if I ate the porridge, but he sat down across from me and spoke through clenched teeth.

“Eat the porridge, you have to take your medicine.”

I sit down in my chair and fiddle with my spoon, and an icy glare hits me in the forehead. He stuck his nose in the bowl and spooned meaninglessly.

I couldn’t tell if it was going into my nose or my mouth, and I couldn’t taste it. His gaze shifted to his tablet. I pitied him for being busy and working at the table.

As I finished my porridge and took my pills, his cell phone on the table rang.

“Yes.”

Because he was sitting right in front of me, I could hear the person on the other end very clearly.  The caller was Sooyin. Are they still in touch after hours…….

My face stiffened for a moment.  As I grabbed my spoon to clean up, I heard Sooyin’s drunken, slurred voice in my ear.

-I’m in the bar at the Royal Hotel, can you come out? I dropped my spoon without realizing it. It hit the floor with a dull thud, and I made eye contact with him.

Unable to look him in the eye, I averted my gaze first. I could feel him slowly getting to his feet.

“Well?”

She looks up as he walks up beside her. He puts the call on speaker and sets his phone on the kitchen table.

“What’s going on?”

I ask, my eyes widening in horror as he rips his shirt open to the side.  The sound of buttons flying off and hitting the floor sends chills down my spine.

I try to push him away, but before I know it, a hand is behind my back, unclasping my bra. My face is bright red, but he has his usual cold expression as if nothing has happened.

Without hesitation, he cupped my bare br*asts, causing a series of small moans to escape my lips. I glanced nervously at my cell phone on the table.

“Do you have something to talk about?”

-Yes. I’d like to see you. I’ll wait.”

“Hmm. Hold on, let me think about it.”

I stared at him, not wanting him to leave.  Slowly, he lowered his head and bit my n*pple with his teeth.

“Mmm…hmm.”

I brought my hand up to bite the back of my hand in response to the groan that escaped me. It seemed like the least I could do.

-I miss you, Mr. Se-hyuk.

“Have you been drinking?”

In her drunkenness, Sooyin didn’t notice her slurred pronunciation. The tip of her tongue traced along her ar*ola, then flicked at the protruding n*pple.

She held her breath to prevent a moan from escaping. But I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I pushed his head away with my hand.

-Now I’ve had a drink, lie.  He must have had quite a bit to drink because his speech was slurred.

-You’re coming, aren’t you? He suck on my n*pple hard enough to make it tingle, then chew on it before answering.

“Yep. I’ll be there in a minute.”

My heart ached at the sound of Sooyin’s happy laughter. Just the thought of her being with him twisted my mind.

When the call ended, his lips became more insistent, nibbling not only on my n*pples but all over my br*asts, until he finally pulled away.  After a while of obsessing over my br*asts, he gripped my shoulders and pulled away to catch his breath.

His lips were puffy and swollen, and as he pulled away, a cold wind blew through his body.  A few moments later, I sat on the couch and watched as he changed into more comfortable clothes.

I expect him to tell me something, but he doesn’t, and I walk quickly to the front door.

“Are you dating Sooyin?”

she asks, turning slowly.  Please, I hope nothing is going on with her. Not with anyone else, not with Oh Sooyin. Please.

“Well?”

I search his face, but I can’t read it. I wonder what he’s thinking.

“Sooyin is related to me, so…….”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“…….”

He sneered at me, one corner of his mouth twitching upward, and then he turned away. I stood still in place until he was out of sight. My fists clenched tightly. It was my fingers that were cut by the glass, and they tingled.