Embedded Files
The phone in her skirt pocket buzzed, “Jing.”
Hae-soo, who had been lying face down, assumed it was just spam since no one ever contacted her, and didn’t move. This was the only time she could rest quietly, as all her classmates had gone to the cafeteria for lunch. Ever since she had started having sex with Lee Ho-beom, no amount of sleep seemed sufficient. As soon as she turned over, sleep would come again. Her weary body craved rest voraciously.
“Zing.”
The vibration persisted, refusing to stop. With a sigh at the persistent buzzing, Hae-soo finally lifted her upper body. She pulled the phone from her pocket and checked the screen, freezing when she saw the name displayed. Overwhelmed, she sat there motionless until the call disconnected. A moment later, a text message arrived.
Upon reading the message, Hae-soo sprang up in surprise. The neatly placed chair behind her toppled over with a loud clatter. Quickly righting the chair, she hastily stuffed the phone back into her pocket and rushed to the window to look outside. Biting her lip tightly, she turned and hurried out of the classroom.
Students were starting to trickle back onto the playground after lunch. Hae-soo was well aware that being held back a year made her an object of unwanted attention among her peers. If anyone noticed her and followed, it could easily lead to unnecessary commotion. Thus, she moved cautiously along the least conspicuous corners and slipped out through the back gate.
Walking along the alley, she soon spotted a heavily tinted sedan. The rear window was partially open, and hazy clouds of smoke billowed out. As she approached, a sharp smell stung her nostrils.
“What are you doing?”
She stood in front of the slightly ajar window, where only the eyes of the person inside were visible.
Her gaze met those of a man exuding a lazy yet untamed ferocity, like a predator. He pressed a button, and the window slowly rolled down.
“Hello?”
Lee Ho-beom greeted her with unexpected lightness and blew a puff of smoke into her face. Hae-soo clenched her fists and took a step back. Simultaneously, the driver’s door opened, and another man emerged—taller than Lee Ho-beom, with a large scar running from beneath his eye to the corner of his mouth. His massive frame and intimidating presence made Hae-soo flinch involuntarily.
“Get in.”
In the meantime, Lee Ho-beom opened the door from inside.
The towering figure stood firmly by the car, as if guarding it from any approaching threat. Though reluctant to comply, knowing Lee Ho-beom’s unpredictable nature, the imposing man’s presence made her uneasy. It was clear he was Lee Ho-beom’s subordinate, and restraining her would be as effortless for him as squashing an ant with his foot.
With no other choice, Hae-soo swallowed her unease and climbed into the backseat.
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t come to my school.”
“So I waited here, tucked away in this corner like a good boy.”
This was Lee Ho-beom’s twisted way of showing consideration.
Despite his words, Hae-soo couldn’t shake her anxiety and kept glancing out the window. Though the tinted windows made it nearly impossible to see inside unless you pressed your face against the glass, the proximity of her high school heightened her unease. She had more than enough unwanted attention already and wanted no part in increasing it.
“You’re wearing a skirt?”
Hae-soo, who had been closing the half-open window, turned to look at Lee Ho-beom. He smoked nonchalantly, showing no regard for the confined space, and blatantly stared at her skirt. Feeling uneasy, Hae-soo instinctively tried to cover the area his eyes roamed over, only realizing belatedly what he meant.
“Did you get it fixed?”
“No... I just secured it with a rubber band.”
She lacked the money to buy a new uniform skirt, let alone take it to a tailor. In fact, affording three proper meals a day was already a luxury. Fortunately, securing it with a rubber band kept the skirt from slipping off without needing to fasten the buttons, so she had managed like this for several days. What surprised Hae-soo was that Lee Ho-beom knew about her skirt being in disarray. She had assumed he was too consumed by his own lust to notice such details.
At her response, Lee Ho-beom chuckled mockingly.
“How pitiful.”
He shook his head dismissively and nudged a shopping bag at his feet toward her.
“Change into this.”
Opening the bag, she found a neatly folded school uniform identical to the one she was wearing. For some reason, it felt as though she had been struck at the back of her head. Stunned, Hae-soo froze, clutching the shopping bag.
Hae-soo hadn’t expected such a gesture of kindness from anyone, let alone Lee Ho-beom, who repeatedly violated her at his convenience. That made the surprise all the more jarring.
But she didn’t want to dwell on it. She had no intention of probing his motives or trying to understand his actions. She wanted to distance herself from everything he did, as if carving herself out of the tangled web of his arbitrary behavior. She wished to maintain an attitude of indifference, pretending none of it concerned her deeply.
Besides, this was only fair. He had ruined her skirt, so receiving a replacement from him was… justified.
The makeshift fix with the rubber band was far from comfortable, and it was an embarrassment that would have surely drawn ridicule if she had friends around. His offhand comment about how “pitiful” it was now clung stubbornly in her mind, festering like a thorn.
Hae-soo pulled the school uniform skirt from the shopping bag. It felt soft to the touch, confirming it was brand new. As she reached to change out of her current skirt, she couldn’t ignore the unmistakable weight of his gaze boring into her. Glancing up, she saw Lee Ho-beom watching her with half-lidded eyes, like a man observing a strip show.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
His tone was casual, almost as if claiming ownership over her. Hae-soo’s lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. Seeing her struggle, Lee Ho-beom smirked faintly.
“What’s wrong?”
“...”
“Are you acting shy with me now?”
A derisive laugh hung loosely on his rough lips.
“You’ve already shown me everything—your body, your shame. Why the sudden modesty?”
“...”
“Why do you always act like this? So naive.”
Whenever Lee Ho-beom exposed her humiliation with such nonchalance, Hae-soo felt an overwhelming urge to hide. The stark reality of her situation—that she was repaying her debt through acts she could never justify or proudly admit to—crushed her.
Lee Ho-beom had said there was a clear difference between being sold to a brothel and being sold to him. But would others see it that way? To the outside world, whether it was one man or dozens, her actions would likely be seen as nothing more than selling her body for money.
That thought softened the ground beneath her feet, making it feel unstable. Each time, she instinctively wiped her expression clean. She didn’t want him to see her inner turmoil. She knew well enough how foul his temper could be. If she revealed her emotions, they might be used against her. With shallow breaths, she forced herself to calm the storm inside.
Pretending to be composed, she loosened the taut rubber band and slipped off her old skirt. The thin fabric rustled softly as it slid down her pale calves. Just as she reached for the new skirt she had placed aside, a large hand—not holding a cigarette—pressed down firmly on her palm, pinning it to the skirt.
“Ah, my bad.”
His tone was artificial, deliberately crafted to sound natural.
“I really just came to give you the uniform.”
Whether you believe me or not, Lee Ho-beom added in a low voice, almost like a murmur.
In the blink of an eye, her hand was yanked forward. Her arm sliced through the air before landing involuntarily on his crotch. Beneath her palm, a heavy, obscene weight pulsed menacingly.
“It’s standing up.”
His shameless demeanor seemed to blame her entirely for this surge of lust.
“The, the school uniform skirt...”
Her words stumbled out clumsily, as if she had forgotten how to speak. Hae-soo hastily pulled her hand away from his heated groin.
“I never asked you to bring it.”
“So?”
“…I don’t want it.”
“So?”
“I need to go back soon.”
The man’s consistently relaxed demeanor tightened around Hae-soo’s heart like chains, pounding relentlessly. If Lee Ho-beom decided he wanted sex, Hae-soo knew there was no escape for her. Had she known this would happen, she might have swallowed her fear of consequences and refused to step outside the school gates in the first place.
She tugged at the hem of her short undershirt, trying to cover her exposed legs as a defensive measure. But Lee Ho-beom’s gaze, licking hungrily over her thighs and calves, rendered her efforts meaningless…
A strange standoff ensued. Lee Ho-beom moved his lips fluidly after removing the cigarette from his mouth.
“How can I leave with my dick hard like this if I don’t have any pride?”
His seemingly gentle tone masked the dark lust bubbling beneath. In truth, Hae-soo was all too aware that she had no real power to refuse him. Reflecting on their past encounters, it was undeniable: she had already committed herself to this arrangement. If he wanted her, she had to spread her legs wherever they were. Their secret deal had long been sealed.
And yet, she couldn’t help but resist. She needed to return to school after leaving this car. Every time she had sex with Lee Ho-beom, it ended with her drenched in sweat or other bodily fluids, dirty and disheveled. Clutching the hem of her shirt tightly, she crumpled its pristine fabric into uneven folds.
Suddenly, Lee Ho-beom’s hand shot forward. Pretending to cup the back of her head, he swiftly grabbed a fistful of her hair. “Ugh,” Hae-soo groaned, her tongue stiffening as her head was yanked backward.
The next moment, sound dissolved into emptiness as Lee Ho-beom leaned in and violently pressed his lips against hers.
The acrid taste of cigarettes clung heavily to his tongue as it swirled inside her narrow mouth, sweeping through like a ravenous tide. It was brutal, thoughtless, merciless—a kiss that perfectly encapsulated Lee Ho-beom’s filthy nature. He greedily sucked on her curled tongue, grinding their wet membranes together. Each time Hae-soo flinched from the raw sensation, his grip on her scalp tightened and loosened rhythmically. Her hypersensitive body registered even the scraping of her scalp as an unbearable irritation.
His tongue darted sharply and crudely, moving like a snake intent only on mating, thrusting back and forth inside her warm mouth, probing recklessly. The lewd, vulgar kiss mirrored the piston-like motions he often drove into her below.
“Hnn...”
Their lips repeatedly locked and separated, smacking wetly. As Hae-soo struggled to catch her breath, Lee Ho-beom growled low and raspy:
“A hundred thousand.”
“...?”
“If you ride me and move your hips, I’ll knock off a hundred thousand from your debt.”
“...”
“What do you say?”
It was a cunning proposal, testing whether she could resist such a tempting offer. A hundred thousand—she’d have to sleep with him ten times to erase that amount. To cut it all in one go today would bring her closer to freedom from him.
Her once-resolute resistance wavered like thin reeds in the wind. Along with it, her pride crumpled into messy folds. Memories of her affluent past collided harshly with her present, shattering into jagged fragments.
There was no longer an Ahn Hae-soo who lived comfortably. None remained anywhere. Here, now, only an orphan existed—one who sold not just her body but also her dignity for money.
Between Hae-soo’s parted lips, a breath tinged with resentment escaped. Lee Ho-beom, already anticipating her decision, began unbuckling his leather belt. Following the metallic clinking sound, Hae-soo’s eyes fixed on the wildly gleaming silver buckle as she spoke:
“One hour...”
Hae-soo’s frail voice trembled, swallowed whole by the rustling of the belt.
“Finish within an hour.”
“Get on top already.”
By now, Lee Ho-beom had pulled out his throbbing erection, veins bulging obscenely. Patting his thigh, he beckoned her. With resigned eyes, Hae-soo raised her knees. Just before she mounted him, Lee Ho-beom let out a short gasp and leaned down toward the floor. Picking up her torn uniform skirt—the one with the broken zipper—he slipped it onto her.
“Since this is trash anyway, feel free to ruin it completely.”
“...Do whatever you want.”
Lee Ho-beom exhaled a sound akin to delight. Perverted? Yes, but every moment she’d witnessed him so far had been equally twisted. Too exhausted to even bother pointing it out anymore, Hae-soo braced herself, wrapping her arms around his neck as she climbed onto his lap.
“You’re getting a hundred thousand off, so make sure you move properly.”
Still puffing on his half-smoked cigarette until his cheeks hollowed, Lee Ho-beom flicked it away and issued his command. Hae-soo coughed lightly—”Cough, cough”—and glared at him timidly.
“Put out the cigarette.”
“Why?”
“If the smell sticks to me, I might get in trouble with the teacher.”
Lee Ho-beom narrowed his savage eyes into thin slits. Then, he removed the cigarette from his lips and stubbed it out carelessly, smirking.
“This really feels like fucking a minor.”
“...”
“It’s turning me on.”
It wasn’t just an empty comment—Lee Ho-beom pushed the hand he usually used for smoking between Hae-soo’s legs. Despite telling her to “figure it out herself,” his actions were surprisingly proactive. The skirt, already unzipped and loose, didn’t require any extra effort to move aside. His fingers immediately brushed aside her underwear and began circling her dry entrance.
“Why aren’t you wet?”
“I’m... ngh, not someone who gets turned on by situations like this, you pervert... ah!”
“Yeah, sure.”
Hae-soo belatedly realized that his question had been nothing more than teasing, meant to rile her up. By then, Lee Ho-beom’s long middle finger had already breached her opening and slid inside.
“Ugh...!”
“You’re so tight, Hae-soo.”
“Hnn, please... gently...”
“How can you still be this tight after I’ve fucked you so hard? Acting innocent both inside and out must be second nature to you.”
As she took a deep breath, another finger joined the first, stretching her inner folds further. His index and middle fingers, buried to the knuckle, scissored open and closed within her. The sensation of being stretched was as strange as ever. Her breath caught in her throat before bursting out violently. Her lower muscles instinctively clenched around his fingers, sucking them in rhythmically.
With practiced ease, Lee Ho-beom supported her waist while sliding his fingertips toward her most sensitive spot. Despite his densely muscled frame, his fingers—delicate like a pianist’s—prodded her membranes sharply. Each time they did, Hae-soo trembled faintly, reflexively tightening below. Noticing her hole gradually becoming moist, Lee Ho-beom curved a lewd smile on his lips.
“I want to lick you down there, but it’s awkward in this position, and my dick feels like it’s about to explode.”
“Hnn, ngh, mmph...”
“Should I just fuck you now?”
He grabbed her hips, still tangled in the crumpled skirt. While his fingers continued teasing her slickening hole, he pressed his rigid shaft against her, rubbing it insistently. With the added lubrication from her leaking fluids and his pre-cum, he thrust his thick member forcefully into her entrance.
“Ahhk!”
The car rocked slightly with Hae-soo’s involuntary shudder. Unconsciously, she covered her mouth with one hand and leaned her head against Lee Ho-beom’s shoulder. He exhaled deeply, savoring the sensation of her soft flesh enveloping his erection. It felt impossibly good no matter how many times he entered her. True to his claim of urgency, he didn’t give her time to adjust her posture before starting to pound into her with increasing force.
“Ngh, hng, urrgh...!”
Hae-soo belatedly realized her mistake. His subordinate was outside the car. While others might not notice, if he was standing close enough guarding the vehicle, even the slightest movement could reveal what was happening inside. But it was too late to ask him to stop now. She would have to minimize her movements as much as possible.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, her hair was yanked painfully, pulling her head back. Lee Ho-beom’s excited, glistening eyes loomed close to hers.
“Hey, don’t think about anything else right now.”
His pupils were wild and untamed, like those of a beast. Hae-soo swallowed involuntarily. Though her insides burned hot, a chilling sensation crept up her spine. He tugged at her skirt roughly, as though he might tear it, and smoothly pushed his uneven shaft deeper inside her. After several thrusts, their groins were already creating a slippery friction, despite the lack of proper foreplay.
“One hour, remember.”
“Hng, urrgh...!”
“If you want me to finish, don’t ruin the mood...”
With a languid voice, Lee Ho-beom lazily unbuttoned Hae-soo’s neatly fastened shirt. Unsatisfied with the sight of her camisole and bra that appeared next, he pushed them both up at once. Her breasts swayed into view as his rough hands moved over them, and they were immediately enveloped by his wet, slippery tongue.
“Uhhnn...!”
Her nipples, already slightly hardened from the stimulation below, stiffened further under the pressure of his tongue, wrapping tightly around it. With the pointed tip of his tongue, Lee Ho-beom gently rubbed her peach-colored areola while looking up at her. The intensity of his gaze felt like it could devour her whole.
Hae-soo panted, twisting her hips. Lee Ho-beom’s hand, marked with a tattoo of an animal tail, finally tore her skirt apart with a sharp tug. At the same moment, his half-withdrawn member thrust back in forcefully, penetrating her deeply.
“Ahn, ah, ah...!”
Even within the impossibly narrow space, the sex proceeded methodically. What had started as slow, scraping thrusts gradually escalated into rapid, sharp pounding, accompanied by wet slapping sounds. Hae-soo curled and stretched her toes repeatedly as she felt her lower abdomen quiver with each thrust. Then, when Lee Ho-beom’s hand, which had been busy kneading one breast, suddenly dropped to rub her clitoris, she writhed her waist uncontrollably.
“Haa, no, ah, ugh, not there, I don’t... ngh, aaah!”
“Oh, so you’re losing your mind because this feels good?”
Lee Ho-beom bit down on Hae-soo’s cheek as she shook her head violently, her face flushed. He scraped her clitoris with his fingernail, sending electric shocks of pleasure coursing through her body. The tiny nub between her labia throbbed under his touch, flooding her entire body with waves of ecstasy. Her inner thighs tensed, and her insides clenched rhythmically around his thick shaft.
“T-this… damn… haa...”
“Mm, ah, aaah, a hundred thousand… ngh!”
Her hips were lifted halfway off the seat, entirely at the mercy of Lee Ho-beom’s grip as he relentlessly pounded into her. His glans barely pulled out before slamming back in all the way to the hilt. Her hole, alternately swallowing and releasing his massive girth, was drenched in sticky moisture. Finally, as Lee Ho-beom grabbed her buttocks and drove himself deep inside her with a powerful thrust—
“AAAAH...!”
A sharp cry escaped Hae-soo’s lips, impossible to suppress. A violent orgasm washed over her from head to toe, bleaching her mind blank. The peak of pleasure was so overwhelming that it left her feeling unbearably hollow, as if her body no longer belonged to her...
Hae-soo’s unfocused eyes suddenly shifted out of alignment.
“Ngh, ah, haan, no, ah, ahh!”
Even as her limbs trembled from the aftershocks of her climax, Lee Ho-beom showed no signs of stopping, continuing to thrust with relentless energy. Their climaxes were mismatched—his had yet to come. Tears streamed down Hae-soo’s cheeks, soaking her face as she shook her head desperately. Lee Ho-beom, his own face slick with sweat, stared intently at her delicate features. Their entangled naked bodies continued their obscene rhythm in the cramped space.
Soon, Lee Ho-beom licked her sharp jawline like a dog and rammed himself deep inside her, his cock pulsing as he came. His semen erupted inside her, filling her completely. Given how large he was—and how deeply he had pushed in, grinding his balls against her perineum—it wasn’t surprising that his tip reached her cervix. Hae-soo’s chin tilted upward as her body rocked backward. Lee Ho-beom managed to catch her just before she collapsed.
As he brushed her tangled hair aside and cupped her tear-streaked cheek, a mocking smirk spread across his lips.
“Look at this girl.”
“Haa, hnn...”
“You’re so blissed out your eyes have gone glassy?”
Though his words sounded dismissive, he seemed pleased that she had responded so intensely to his release. He pressed his lips against various parts of her face, kissing her repeatedly. As Hae-soo regained consciousness, she became acutely aware of what he was doing. His behavior—treating her as though she were his lover—made her nauseous. Seizing the moment when his guard was down after orgasm, she pushed him away. Thankfully, in his post-climax haze, Lee Ho-beom complied without resistance.
“Ah, my uniform...”
Her skirt was already torn to shreds, and a couple of buttons on her shirt had popped off. Every time she had sex with Lee Ho-beom, nothing remained intact—not even her mental state. She wished she could feel nothing at all, but instead, she lost herself completely, screaming as if she had wanted this all along. It only dragged her deeper into a swamp of self-destruction.
“I also bought you a new top. Put it on.”
“...Why did you get me a top?”
“This.”
He flicked her loosened shirt with the hand holding another cigarette he had lit.
“It clings too much.”
“...”
“Is having tits as big as watermelons something to be proud of?”
Sometimes, when she talked to him, Hae-soo felt like the language she knew was being disgustingly corrupted. She wiped away the semen dripping from below with her torn skirt and hastily tidied herself up. The new shirt he had bought her was looser than the one she’d been wearing before, so it didn’t cling to her body as much. After properly putting on her uniform, she tied her disheveled hair back into a ponytail, irritated by how Lee Ho-beom kept licking her exposed nape with his tongue.
“For a while, I’ll be coming around less often.”
As Hae-soo waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly, he suddenly grabbed it and spoke. His words came out fragmented, leaving Hae-soo puzzled as she stared at him.
“You mean... me?”
“Yeah. Something’s come up. I’ll probably only have time to see you about once a week, at most.”
Lee Ho-beom grimaced as though recalling some troublesome matter. Then, glancing back at Hae-soo, he chuckled softly. The fingers that had just been thrusting in and out of her were now pinching her nose, twisting it playfully. Though she had wiped off the fluids, the sensation still felt strange, prompting Hae-soo to reflexively grab his wrist.
“Ah...”
“Hae-soo, you shouldn’t show your affection so blatantly. You know you can’t cut ties with me until your debt is fully paid off, right?”
As Hae-soo processed his casually delivered reminder of reality, she rubbed her sore nose. Lee Ho-beom’s dark, night-filled eyes took her in completely. He muttered something about wanting to keep her by his side all day long as he ruffled his messy hair.
“Don’t even think about running away.”
“...”
“The two things I’m best at in this world are sex and finding people.”
It didn’t take long for Hae-soo to understand what he meant by this warning. It was clear: don’t even consider fleeing before paying off her debt. The threat carried such sharpness that it was hard to believe it came from the same man who had just been intimate with her moments ago.
And Hae-soo’s heart sank just as deeply as the weight of his words. Her relief at hearing that his visits would become less frequent wasn’t because she was considering escape or evasion. It was simply the pure relief of knowing there would be fewer exhausting encounters. After enduring countless failures and despair, resignation had become an increasingly swift process for her. For Hae-soo, resignation and surrender were now just ways of surviving.
“Ahn Hae-soo.”
At his call, Hae-soo lifted her head.
“...You. After graduation, do you have any plans?”
The question came out of nowhere. Hae-soo stared at him with eyes clouded by resignation. Her unspoken response—why do you care?—was evident enough to make Lee Ho-beom chuckle again. Still, he waited patiently, as if genuinely interested in her answer, causing Hae-soo to fidget nervously with her hands.
“I need to make money.”
“...”
“I’ll work full-time part-time jobs or something...”
Hae-soo’s life, which had once been firmly set on the trajectory of graduating high school and attending university, had now shattered. College? How could she afford tuition when barely scraping by was already a struggle? She had briefly considered studying hard to earn scholarships, but even that thought had faded quickly after repeatedly sleeping with Lee Ho-beom. These days, she could barely stay awake in school, nodding off during class. Giving up seemed like the inevitable next step.
“Why do you want to make money?”
“I want to pay off my debt as soon as possible.”
Freedom used to feel like an automatic bonus that came with living. But now, she realized it was something she had to fight to protect. Hae-soo had lost the freedom she once possessed due to her parents’ absence, the looming threats of reality, and her precarious situation. All she wanted now was one thing:
To be free. To somehow steady herself after collapsing so abruptly and find solid ground beneath her feet.
Right now, under these heavy, overcast skies, everything felt so bleak that the thought of slipping away entirely crossed her mind more often than she cared to admit.
────────────
Midday. The bustling airport filled with crowds.
After massaging his stiff neck from the long flight, soft brown hair swayed lightly. The luxury watch on his left wrist gleamed ostentatiously with every movement. As he stretched his neck side to side, a sharply dressed man approached him at a brisk pace.
“Young Master, it’s been a long time.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How was your flight?”
“Honestly, as usual, it was so boring I wanted to smash the window and jump out.”
The impeccably groomed secretary skillfully caught the suitcase the man carelessly tossed aside. Perhaps finding the bustling airport tiresome, he strode toward the exit with long, purposeful steps. No sooner had he stepped outside than a sharp gust of wind swept across his face. It was a season where no traces of summer remained.
“Korea is already in autumn.”
“Yes, sir. If you need a coat, I’ll bring one for you.”
“No, it’s fine. What about the car?”
“It’s waiting at the entrance. Let’s go.”
While the secretary hurried to place the suitcase in the trunk of the waiting car, another assistant emerged from the driver’s seat to open the rear door. His demeanor was excessively polite, almost bowing as he gestured.
“Shall I take you to the residence?”
“...”
“Young Master?”
Kim, the secretary seated in the passenger seat, turned his head toward the silent backseat. A single ray of sunlight pierced through the car, making the brown hair shimmer momentarily. Despite the glossy, well-maintained strands, the delicate features beneath were clouded with irritation. His attention remained fixed on the phone pressed to his ear.
“What is this person doing that they’re not answering my call? Did they change their number in the meantime? No… they would’ve told me if they did.”
The secretary quickly deduced who his master was persistently calling. Rolling his eyes behind his silver-rimmed glasses, he cautiously ventured:
“Excuse me, are you trying to reach Ms. Ahn Hae-soo?”
“Yes, why?”
“It seems you haven’t heard the news yet.”
Seo Hae-seung, who had been irritably redialing, abruptly raised his head.
“What do you mean, ‘haven’t heard’?”
“Well... let me explain as we drive. Let’s get going.”
The parked car glided smoothly into motion. In the meantime, Kim handed Seo Hae-seung a prepared document. The silence enveloping the interior broke only when the car entered the road leading into Seoul after leaving the airport.
“So...”
The paper fluttered on Seo Hae-seung’s lap as he sat with one leg crossed over the other. His gaze, initially monotonous while scanning the document, soon shifted to an expression of disbelief.
“Hae-soo’s family went bankrupt?”
“...”
“While I was studying abroad?”
“...”
“What... how could this happen so suddenly?”
Seo Hae-seung couldn’t grasp the reality of the situation, breaking into a hollow laugh he couldn’t suppress. Each time one corner of his mouth twisted into a smirk, a deep dimple appeared beside it, carved as though scraped by a fingernail. This soft, milky image accentuated his delicate charm even further.
He adjusted his posture and scrutinized the document with sharper focus. Meanwhile, he continued questioning the secretary without pause.
“Still, wasn’t their private business doing relatively well?”
“Yes, but their weak capital was a fatal flaw. Without a solid backbone like our Sungjo Corporation, sustaining business success becomes difficult if they can’t secure investments. It seems one project collapsed, triggering a chain reaction that led to complete bankruptcy.”
“This is absurd...”
Seo Hae-seung flipped through the papers with a brief comment. His eyes narrowed as he read the information on the back.
“She’s been held back, too?”
“...”
“So she’s still in school?”
“From what we’ve gathered, yes.”
“This is driving me insane, seriously...”
Seo Hae-seung tossed the document aside onto the adjacent seat and rested his chin against the window.
“I wonder if the vultures have already started circling...”
“Pardon?”
“I’m talking about Hae-soo.”
The scenery outside the car window flowed past, brushing over Seo Hae-seung’s hazel irises. But he wasn’t fully focused on the vibrant view before him. Instead, he was recalling the image of Hae-soo at sixteen, preserved in his memory.
“She was pretty.”
“...”
“I wonder if something strange has happened to her while I was gone.”
Seo Hae-seung leaned back deeply into the plush seat, smoothing his now-dry lips, which had lost their earlier dimple. He traced the edges of a faded memory.
“Hae-soo and Haeseung...? Their names are oddly similar.”
The first vivid memory that stuck with him was from the day after they became seatmates.
A teacher, glancing casually at the seating chart on the podium, made an offhand remark that tied the two of them together for the first time. Exhausted from staying up all night, Seo Hae-seung only slightly raised his head when he heard his name mentioned. The comment drew fleeting glances from the students around him.
As if shifting the weight of those stares, Seo Hae-seung turned to look at the person seated next to him. Unlike his slouched posture, the other student sat upright with perfect posture, immediately catching his eye.
Next, he noticed the soft rustle of shoulder-length hair and delicate, harmonious features that seemed to complement it perfectly. Beneath the neatly drawn lines of her face lay layers of refinement and elegance.
Her name was so similar to his that one might easily mistake it for his own when called out.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her face—he had met her before, outside of school. So there was no reason to react with surprise, yet strangely, Seo Hae-seung couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.
Perhaps it was difficult for her to ignore the persistent stare coming from beside her, because Hae-soo finally glanced over after staring fixedly at her textbook. By then, Seo Hae-seung had leisurely turned his head, pretending not to notice her. It would’ve been fine to strike up a conversation since they were now seatmates, but for some reason, he felt reluctant to speak.
It wasn’t that he didn’t feel like it—it was more like someone had wrapped a string around his throat and tightened it, making his airway constrict uncomfortably.
Seo Hae-seung absently stroked his prominent Adam’s apple, as if reminiscing about that moment. What he had thought would be a temporary symptom had persisted for years, even now. A sensation triggered solely by Hae-soo. Though it had become much milder over time, the peculiar heaviness that tangled his nerves remained unique to her presence.
“Take me to a hotel instead of home. I’ll be staying there for a while.”
Seo Hae-seung, turning his gaze from the window, issued the concise instruction.
News of his arrival must have already spread, as his phone hadn’t stopped vibrating since earlier. He tapped out perfunctory replies on the screen while reflecting on the information that Hae-soo was still in school. Picking up the carelessly discarded document from the seat beside him, he flipped through it again. His calm gaze curved slightly as he reviewed the eleven-digit numbers Kim, his meticulous secretary, had already thoroughly investigated.
────────────
The boisterous chatter and footsteps shook the vast playground with a heavy resonance.
Hae-soo paused as she walked toward the school gate and looked up at the sky for a moment. Diagonal rays of light flickered faintly in her mind, causing her to instinctively furrow her brow against a mild headache. She tilted her head downward with a heavy sigh.
For some time now, sunny weather had felt unsettling. Her stomach churned as if she’d eaten something wrong, and her fingertips grew cold. Tracing the origin of this discomfort wasn’t particularly difficult.
It had started after the day her mother committed suicide.
Around the time the harassment from debt collectors dragged on, and Hae-soo found it increasingly difficult to leave her unstable mother’s side, her mother would lie motionless on the thin bedding that always seemed to cover the floor. After her husband’s disappearance and the family’s downfall, the rapid decline of their household had taken its toll, leaving her mentally broken. Whenever Hae-soo left the house for some reason and returned, the sight that greeted her was her mother’s increasingly emaciated figure.
“Hae-soo, my daughter, you should go to school.”
One day, unexpectedly, her mother rose from her bed and woke Hae-soo up. Despite Hae-soo’s repeated encouragements to stay strong and persevere, her mother, who had remained as still as a statue, managed a pale smile and saw her off at the door. Leaving her mother behind that day filled Hae-soo with an indescribable feeling—she couldn’t tell if this was a positive or negative sign, leaving her emotions tangled and lost.
Even so, seeing her mother smile after such a long time gave Hae-soo a faint glimmer of hope. Yes, maybe Mom is trying her best to overcome this too. With that thought, she regained a bit of energy and headed to school. What followed was an uneventful routine, just another quiet day passing by.
She assumed everything was normal. She thought the day would end like any other.
“I’m home.”
Hae-soo froze as she opened the door.
An almost imperceptible chill sliced thinly across her skin—a sensation that, in hindsight, was a form of unease. Perhaps it was because the bedroom door, which usually revealed her mother’s silhouette, was firmly shut, or because of the eerie silence blanketing the floor.
The strangeness of it all compelled Hae-soo to hastily remove her shoes and step inside with unusual urgency.
Without hesitation, she opened the bedroom door. Creeeak. The rusty hinges of the old door let out a sinister groan, echoing the deep cracks forming in Hae-soo’s heart.
Her gaze slowly traced upward through the air—feet to thighs, thighs to abdomen, abdomen to neck, neck to face.
Could a human body ever look so pitiful? It hung there, limp and lifeless, as if resigned to its fate, toes dangling toward the ground.
Stunned disbelief. Though she had thought herself accustomed to loss after her father’s disappearance, only now did she fully grasp the weight of that phrase. Her clear vision blurred, strength drained from her legs, and the sharp anxiety that had pierced her skin dissolved into a fog of emptiness, filling her lungs completely.
Sunlight poured mercilessly over her mother’s body, disgustingly bright and radiant, as if desperate to expose this cruel and tragic scene.
Hae-soo gagged in front of her mother’s cold corpse. At first, bile rose to her throat, but soon wet tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. Eventually, she fainted, cutting off that day’s memory abruptly.
Recalling it now only brought fresh pain. Shaking her head violently, she tried to shake off the thoughts.
Forcing saliva down her stiffened tongue, Hae-soo willed her frozen feet to move. The September mock exam—the last chance to check her scores before the college entrance exam—had finally ended. Now, all that remained was the final test.
By then, it would be winter. Summer had passed in the blink of an eye, and autumn was already well underway.
Hae-soo looked down at her school uniform.
The summer uniform Lee Ho-beom had bought her long ago was crumpled in the corner of her shabby closet. In truth, he had given it to her near the end of summer, when there weren’t many days left to wear it. As soon as the weather turned slightly chilly, Hae-soo had swapped it out for her spring-fall uniform.
True to his word in the car that day, Lee Ho-beom’s visits became less frequent. When they met again two weeks later, he immediately noticed her seasonal change of uniform and bared his teeth in a wild grin. His dissatisfaction was obvious.
Yet his hands wasted no time slipping under her vest, greedily groping her breasts. Before long, he muttered shameless words about how much he liked it and asked if he could rip it apart since he’d buy her a new one anyway.
Haunted by those disgraceful memories, Hae-soo absently brushed her skirt with her palm and headed toward the school gate. Lost in the crowd of students, she shuffled along weakly when suddenly her wrist was grabbed and yanked forward. Startled, Hae-soo stumbled, unable to resist as she was dragged along. Only when she managed to steady herself did she finally recognize the person before her, her eyes widening like a startled rabbit.
“Ahn Hae-soo!”
A lively, energetic voice pierced through the noise, capturing her weary ears.
“Seo Hae-seung?”
“I’ve been waiting forever. I was so bored I nearly died.”
“You… why are you here…?”
Seo Hae-seung’s appearance was an unexpected variation in the monotony of daily life. It left Hae-soo feeling as if someone had struck her from behind, utterly stunned. As she stood there, her emotions roiling visibly on her face, Seo Hae-seung took a step back. His eyes, brimming with sunlight, exuded a gentle warmth as they swept over her from head to toe.
“Wow, seeing you in person feels even stranger.”
“...”
“I haven’t seen much of high school Ahn Hae-soo.”
Seo Hae-seung hadn’t changed much. He had grown slightly taller since middle school, and his hair was shorter, but he still carried that soft, pristine impression like white paint. Even the dimples that formed when he curved his lips ever so slightly remained the same.
Hae-soo snapped out of her daze at the sight of those dimples—unchanged in depth and position. She quickly pulled Seo Hae-seung toward a corner. He followed willingly, seemingly amused, grinning all the while. It wasn’t until they entered a secluded alleyway, away from prying students, that they could finally have a proper conversation.
“When did you come back?”
“Yesterday.”
“Oh... You should’ve contacted me before coming.”
“I did, but you didn’t answer.”
Only then did Hae-soo recall the incessant calls she had ignored since yesterday. It had long been her habit not to answer unknown numbers. Before getting entangled with Lee Ho-beom, most unknown callers were debt collectors making low-grade threats.
“More importantly, Hae-soo...”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you so thin?”
Leaning against a crumbling cement wall, Seo Hae-seung asked in a casual tone. Hae-soo instinctively clenched her fists tightly. The fleeting sense of disorientation brought on by their reunion gave way, and reality crashed over her once more. Every nerve stiffened. By now, fear—not wounded pride—was what surfaced when she reflected on her precarious situation.
“Let’s go grab something to eat.”
Of course, his outward appearance wasn’t the only thing that hadn’t changed. His impulsive nature—needing to act immediately on whatever he wanted—remained intact.
“I was starving waiting for you.”
With that, he grabbed her wrist and began pulling her in a certain direction, as if signaling that her earlier act of dragging him along had been entirely out of his mercy.
────────────
The moment Hae-soo and Seo Hae-seung truly began talking was the day after they became seatmates.
Though Seo Hae-seung seemed to already know who she was, Hae-soo also knew exactly who he was. He was, in many ways, a well-known figure at school. The most prominent fact about him was that he was the son of the chairman of Sungjo Corporation. And this detail directly connected him to Hae-soo.
They had crossed paths just a month ago at another company’s founding anniversary ceremony.
At the time, Hae-soo, accompanying her father, had seen Seo Hae-seung trailing behind his own father and older brother. Though she recognized him, she couldn’t be sure he remembered her, so she chose to remain silent despite sitting next to him as his seatmate.
During gym class one day, while practicing soccer with the boys, Seo Hae-seung, drenched in sweat, perched himself on the steps of the podium overlooking the field. Since the gym teacher had stepped away, it was free time, and Hae-soo sat there memorizing English vocabulary for an upcoming quiz—the teacher had repeatedly emphasized it would count toward their grades, so she couldn’t slack off.
“Are you the daughter of Modaenbills?”
Hae-soo’s hand froze mid-flip through her vocabulary book when she heard the name of her father’s company slip from Seo Hae-seung’s lips. Caught off guard by his sudden approach, she nodded instead of speaking.
Seo Hae-seung smiled brightly, leaving traces of his dimples.
“I know you.”
“...”
“Do you know me?”
“Well... yeah, I do.”
From far across the field, a boy called out, “Seo Hae-seung!” Waving casually in that direction, Seo Hae-seung turned his body toward where Hae-soo was sitting.
“Ahn Hae-soo.”
“…”
“Ahn Hae-soo, Ahn Hae-soo, Ahn Hae-soo.”
“…Why?”
“Do you want to be friends with me?”
Knowing he wouldn’t say another word unless she responded, Hae-soo hesitantly nodded. Immediately, he continued.
Hae-soo lowered her English vocabulary book onto her lap and turned to look at him. His face shimmered under the sparkling waves of sunlight, exuding both the mischievous charm of a boy his age and a clear sense of curiosity. She recalled the day of the founding anniversary ceremony, when her father had worked tirelessly to make an impression on Sungjo Corporation. Becoming friends with Seo Hae-seung wouldn’t hurt… With that thought, she nodded again, and his smile widened even more.
If she had to describe him, he was like sunshine—bright and warm.
And now.
The boy she once knew had grown into a young man, but his demeanor remained unchanged. Yet somehow, his presence felt unbearably awkward and uncomfortable to her now. Hae-soo kept lowering her head, unable to shake off the unease brought on by all the situations unfolding against her will. Being suddenly dragged here by him to this hotel restaurant, and the expensive dishes worth tens of thousands of won set before her—it all made her skin crawl.
“Are you not hungry?”
“No… no, I am.”
Reluctantly, Hae-soo picked up her fork and knife and began cutting the meat. The sharp glint of silver dazzled before her eyes. How long had it been since she’d eaten something like this? It had been common in her life before her father disappeared, but those memories had long corroded away.
Still, thanks to past experience, her hands moved naturally without hesitation. Though there was no real reason to feel tense, Hae-soo couldn’t help but try to mimic the version of herself from before her world collapsed. For some reason, in front of Seo Hae-seung, she felt an overwhelming urge to hide the harsh reality that had befallen her.
“You had your mock exam today, right?”
…Of course, given that he already knew about her being held back a year, it seemed her situation had been uncovered long ago.
“Yeah.”
“Did you do well? You used to be really good at studying.”
“I didn’t do great. I just… did what I could.”
“Wow, and yet you nagged me so much to study?”
“That’s because you kept pretending not to know the problems I taught you…”
Her gaze shot up to meet his grinning face. Feeling her self-esteem crumble further, Hae-soo lowered her head again and speared a piece of meat with her fork, bringing it to her mouth. The taste—from the sauce to the texture of the meat—was exquisite, but the discomfort hanging thick in the air left no room to savor it properly.
“Since you’ve taken the mock exam, the college entrance exam is coming up soon.”
“That’s right…”
Seo Hae-seung, who had been intently watching Hae-soo’s lackluster knife movements, set down his cutlery and took a sip of water.
“So.”
It wasn’t long before his previously gentle voice hardened like a snapped spring breeze.
“How long do I have to wait?”
“Huh?”
“How much longer until you’re honest with me?”
Without realizing it, Hae-soo dropped her knife. The clanging sound echoed sharply through the private space meant only for the two of them. The elegant atmosphere seemed to grow tainted because of her, and Hae-soo’s heart hardened like a stone. She clenched and unclenched her hands beneath the table.
Seo Hae-seung, clearly different from before, quietly observed Hae-soo as she visibly shrank under his gaze. He absentmindedly touched his forehead.
“You’re making me feel neglected.”
“…”
“Why didn’t you contact me? Do you have any idea how shocked I was to hear about your situation as soon as I landed?”
Hae-soo could sense the layers of worry and concern hidden beneath his reproachful tone. Knowing this, she let out a slow breath and forced herself to respond.
“I did think about reaching out to you, but... it felt presumptuous.”
“...”
“But… people…”
“...”
“They’ve all changed so much… between when my family was doing well and now, when we’re completely ruined and on the verge of being homeless.”
“...”
“They’ve changed… a lot.”
This was the source of the discomfort Hae-soo had been feeling ever since facing Seo Hae-seung again.
She couldn’t help but reflect on the hellish, nightmarish times she had endured.
Even blood relatives had turned their backs on her family in their time of need. These were the same people who had flocked around her father during his successful years, hoping for scraps of favor. Yet, when her father fell, they were the first to abandon them.
Seo Hae-seung was one of the few who knew about her once-stable and privileged life. He was also one of the rare individuals she might have considered a friend, albeit at a superficial level. Because of this, she feared he too might have changed, shedding his mask like the others. Before she could feel any joy at seeing him, a deep, suffocating anxiety consumed her.
“Did I seem that way to you?”
Her head, which had been gradually drooping as she spoke, suddenly shot up at his words. Seo Hae-seung wore an expression of feigned hurt.
“Do you really see me as the same kind of trash as those people?”
“N-no, it’s not that… I just thought contacting you would be a burden. You’re already busy enough living abroad, and I didn’t want to add to your troubles.”
“That’s not more important than what you’re going through.”
His casually tossed-out words unexpectedly struck a chord deep within Hae-soo’s chest.
A sharp, stinging emotion welled up inside her. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to suppress the tears threatening to spill. Seo Hae-seung poured water into her empty glass. Though she sniffled slightly, he pretended not to notice, avoiding further comment. Hae-soo sipped the water, trying to steady her shaken composure.
Once she had calmed down somewhat, a sudden question popped into her mind. If he had only learned about her situation after arriving, it meant his return wasn’t because of her.
“But why are you back…? I thought you said you wouldn’t be able to return until after graduation.”
“My brother called me back.”
“Your brother? Why?”
“Ah...”
Seo Hae-seung drew out the exclamation longer than necessary, deliberately feigning ignorance. Hae-soo’s pupils, tinged slightly red, sharpened instantly upon noticing his reaction.
“Don’t tell me… Did you get into trouble again?”
Despite Hae-soo’s serious question, Seo Hae-seung simply shrugged, offering no further explanation. His vague response made it difficult to guess what had happened. Hae-soo narrowed her eyes, well aware of his shameless tendency to clam up whenever the topic was unfavorable to him. Sensing her lingering suspicion, Seo Hae-seung awkwardly smoothed his lips.
“Something happened.”
“What kind of ‘something’?”
“It’s nothing major.”
Seo Hae-seung was naturally cheerful and had always been open with Hae-soo once they grew close. However, he was particularly sensitive about these kinds of issues. Before her family’s downfall, Hae-soo had been in a position to overhear rumors circulating among the elite. She remembered that when Seo Hae-seung’s sudden decision to study abroad was announced, it had been due to a similar issue.
There had been some kind of incident—something he refused to talk about, sealing his lips tightly shut.
First year of high school.
Seo Hae-seung had suddenly shown up in front of Hae-soo’s house one day.
After receiving his message asking if she could come out for a moment, Hae-soo stepped outside and was startled to see his face under the streetlamp. His usually flawless skin was swollen and bruised in several places. It looked as though he had been severely beaten by someone.
That night, Hae-soo secretly brought out the first-aid kit from her house without her parents knowing. She then walked a few minutes to an open clearing and began treating the wounds on his face. Seo Hae-seung, who had remained silent since his sudden appearance, finally spoke after the treatment was nearly finished.
“I’m going abroad to study.”
“Why?”
“This time, the problem got a little bigger.”
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t curious about what kind of problem it was. But there was something unfamiliar and distant in Seo Hae-seung’s expression that made her tongue falter. Perhaps it was because of the dark night air or maybe because he didn’t want her to ask—his face was heavy and shadowed.
“Hae-soo.”
Seo Hae-seung had eyes the color of chestnuts, similar to his hair. When they caught the sunlight, they sometimes appeared golden. But now, facing her at this late hour past midnight, his irises shimmered like obsidian, impenetrable and deep.
“Will you go with me?”
“What are you talking about?”
Hae-soo reacted as if she’d heard an absurd joke.
Because, truly, that was all she could think of it as. As a student and minor, with both her parents still in Korea and no issues living here, Hae-soo had absolutely no reason to leave everything behind and follow Seo Hae-seung abroad. Even if she were considering studying abroad, there was no need to do so at such a young age.
So back then, she had responded lightly, even dismissing his words as mere venting from a gloomy mood.
“I’ll contact you often.”
Thinking he might just be feeling down, she had casually thrown out that promise.
Of course, things hadn’t turned out that way, and she hadn’t been able to keep that promise…
At the time, Seo Hae-seung had gazed at her intently after her firm response, then smiled faintly, as if acknowledging it was just a joke.
That had been a few years ago.
With no other leads at the time, Hae-soo could only vaguely speculate that the “incident” he mentioned might have involved violence. It was a common pattern among those born into wealthy families, raised with excessive pampering. Arrogance, recklessness, unruly behavior—it all fit. And Seo Hae-seung wasn’t just any rich kid; he was the heir to Sungjo Corporation, one of the top ten conglomerates in South Korea.
The reason Hae-soo once again assumed his return was related to some trouble was because of the word “brother” that slipped from his lips. Whenever Seo Hae-seung got into trouble, it always somehow involved his older brother. The only times his brother ever came up in conversation were when Seo Hae-seung had caused some kind of incident.
What was it this time?
Since it happened overseas… drugs?
If that were the case, it would certainly be serious enough to warrant being forcibly called back.
From what Hae-soo knew, Sungjo Corporation had been embroiled in a brutal succession battle akin to a bloody storm. Chairman Seo had sown seeds far and wide, leading to constant clashes between those trying to protect their position and those trying to seize it. Given the immense influence of the family, anyone in those circles would know about it. Perhaps the struggle was still ongoing. If that were true, whatever trouble Seo Hae-seung had caused might have become entangled in the matter, making his recall to Korea inevitable.
“Did your brother scold you?”
“Do I look like a child to be scolded?”
“Still… if you came back because of a problem, it seems like it might be a tricky situation.”
Though Seo Hae-seung acted nonchalant, Hae-soo knew he found his brother quite uncomfortable to deal with. Beneath that discomfort likely lay a faint trace of fear. She knew there was a significant age gap between them, and perhaps because of that, she had occasionally seen him freeze under his brother’s commands.
“What about your house? Won’t it be awkward living together?”
“So I’m not staying at home.”
“Then where?”
“I’m planning to stay here at the hotel.”
Only then did Hae-soo realize why he had brought her to this hotel restaurant today. Judging by how casually he acted, as if it were his own living room, this place was likely one of the businesses under Sungjo Corporation.
“Come to think of it, what about you, Hae-soo?”
“Hmm?”
“I stopped by your old house first, just in case, but it was empty.”
“Oh… We moved a while ago.”
As expected, Seo Hae-seung had inadvertently stirred up another uncomfortable trace of the past.
That house—where he had shown up late at night—was the home Hae-soo had lived in since she was born. It held all the memories of her life before her father disappeared and their family’s fortunes collapsed. But those memories were powerless against money. The house had been trashed by thugs who came and went as they pleased, furniture broken, foreclosure notices plastered everywhere. It was no longer the space Hae-soo once knew.
“Where are you staying now?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, you must be staying somewhere, right?”
“Just...”
She distractedly poked at the food on her plate with her fork, pretending to be disinterested. For all she knew, Seo Hae-seung might have already completed his investigation into her current situation. Even so, she couldn’t help but cling to a stubborn sense of pride. Her insistence on putting up a front despite having hit rock bottom was her last shred of dignity—an attempt to preserve whatever image of herself still lingered in Seo Hae-seung’s mind.
Seo Hae-seung picked up the fork and knife he had neatly placed beside his plate. With the same calmness he used to cut his food, he murmured:
“If you want, you can stay here.”
“No.”
“It must be tough for you.”
Of course.
Hae-soo discreetly bit down on the inside of her cheek. The sharp tingling sensation momentarily steadied her wavering thoughts. Seo Hae-seung already knew where she was staying—the dark, grim pit she had ended up in after being chased to the brink.
Even though she had anticipated it, an uncontrollable shiver ran down her spine. What unsettled her wasn’t just Seo Hae-seung’s casual ability to dig into her private life—it was the world he belonged to, where such invasions of privacy seemed routine.
Above all, a certain figure suddenly surfaced in Hae-soo’s mind.
Lee Ho-beom.
How much did Seo Hae-seung know?
Did he know about that man, as black as the darkest night from head to toe? Did he know what kind of relationship she had with him? Did he know what they did together every night when Lee Ho-beom came to see her?
A memory resurfaced—a summer day, cramped inside a small car, entangled with Lee Ho-beom. She had just come to terms with the fact that whether it was countless men or just Lee Ho-beom, the essence remained the same: she had spread her legs for money.
The thought of Seo Hae-seung finding out about this unbearable truth sent a chilling wave through her body, far colder than anything she’d felt before. Her fingertips stiffened involuntarily, and her mouth dried up so much that swallowing saliva became a struggle.
He mustn’t find out.
She had to hide it.
If Seo Hae-seung already knew, she desperately hoped he would pretend otherwise. And for that very reason, she had no choice but to reject the comfort of this luxurious hotel and return to her shabby one-room apartment.
“The two things I’m best at in this world are sex and finding people.”
Lee Ho-beom’s warning, delivered alongside the acrid smell of cigarettes, loomed heavily in her mind. As long as she remembered that, there could be no opportunity for him to track her to this hotel. She felt like she was setting traps on both sides—carefully deflecting Seo Hae-seung’s offer without raising suspicion, while ensuring he didn’t take too much interest in where she lived.
“It’s fine, I’m managing. I’ve been living there for a while now.”
“...”
“So, Hae-seung, I’d rather you didn’t come looking for me.”
“...”
“I don’t want you to see it.”
For that reason, Hae-soo ultimately swallowed her pride.
It wasn’t just about setting a trap—it was also the truth. The place where she rolled around with men at all hours to repay her debt was so wretched and pitiful that she often wished it would just disappear from the face of the earth.
“You’ll do that for me, right?”
Their shared memories existed on both sides, not just one. Seo Hae-seung knew that when she spoke like this, it meant the matter was serious enough to respect boundaries without question. Just as Hae-soo didn’t pry into his troubles, he trusted her enough not to push further. It was the line they drew because they considered each other friends.
With an expression of reluctant disapproval, Seo Hae-seung nodded, as if conceding there was no other choice.
“Alright, I understand. But in return, I’ll be staying here at the hotel, so if you ever need help, come find me anytime.”
“Thank you.”
“And… “
Seo Hae-seung, who rarely hesitated, suddenly seemed unsure. While Hae-soo took a sip of water, he reached into his pocket and placed something on the table. As her gaze dropped to it, Hae-soo froze mid-motion.
“I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
“...”
“I’m really doing this because I want you to be comfortable.”
It was a card.
“I’m not telling you to use it recklessly. I know your personality well enough to trust you won’t do that…”
“...”
“Only use it when it’s absolutely necessary, Hae-soo.”
She had thought she’d grown accustomed to humiliating situations after enduring so many, but strangely, his words felt like they were flattening her completely.
No, that wasn’t it.
His words weren’t what crushed her so miserably.
It was the trembling fingertips, the restless eyes, the wavering heart.
The gut-wrenching instinct to simply accept the card despite everything—that momentary weakness was what pushed her into such anguish. Her itching fingertips, craving this very situation; the reality that made her forget all sense of pride; the hollow-hearted inability to refuse even out of courtesy—this unbearable urge clawed at her insides.
Never before had Seo Hae-seung’s wealth sent such chills down her spine.
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