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Sena was deeply concerned about Kang-un’s condition. His bloodshot eyes clearly showed that he had been suffering from insomnia for a long time.
“If I can just finish this revenge, I feel like I could go to sleep forever and never wake up.”
“Revenge = Death”
Unconsciously scribbling the equal sign in her counseling notes, Sena flinched and stopped writing.
“Aren’t you curious? About who that person is?”
Kang-un tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze. From his words, Sena immediately realized who he was referring to: the acquaintance betrayed by Chairman Choi, as recently exposed by Reporter Seo—none other than Kang-un’s parents.
“…I don’t know what to say.”
“What do you think, as a counselor?”
“Huh?”
“Do you think it’s meaningful for me to keep pursuing this revenge? Or is it just a waste of time?”
“I don’t think I’m in a position to comment on that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have a conflict of interest. If you want counseling, I suggest finding another counselor.”
“You’re sharper than I expected.”
Sena stood up and walked toward the door of the counseling room. Opening it slightly, she glanced back at Kang-un—a subtle signal that the session was over and it was time for him to leave.
“You should be careful too, Teacher.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t trust Joo-hyuk or his father too much.”
“I’ll handle my own affairs.”
At her response, Kang-un smirked and rose to his feet, taking long strides until he was close to her.
“I thought it was a marriage of convenience since you got married after only 100 days of knowing each other. But I guess when bodies get close, feelings naturally blossom, huh?”
“What did you say?”
“Heh, excuse my rudeness.”
With a sneer, Kang-un quickly left the room.
A chill ran down Sena’s spine, and she shivered as she firmly closed the door behind him. Walking over to the window, she watched Kang-un zip up his jacket and walk away from the building.
She began to feel uneasy about what kind of trouble Joo-hyuk might be entangled in.
Revenge…
Sena silently mulled over the word. No matter how much she turned it over in her mind, it felt utterly foreign, rolling around in her mouth like an unwelcome object.
Kang-un’s words lingered in her thoughts, but she couldn’t possibly relay what a client said during counseling to Joo-hyuk.
Perhaps he knew that and came here on purpose?
“Teacher?”
“Yes?”
Turning her head away from the window at the sound of someone calling her, she saw Misun leaning against the doorway with a curious expression.
“You’re here? Come in.”
Sena quickly erased the conversation with Kang-un from her mind and welcomed Misun inside.
“What were you thinking about so deeply?”
Misun plopped her seemingly lightweight backpack onto another chair and sat down across from Sena, asking the question casually.
Her high ponytail made her already upward-slanting eyes look even more lifted today.
“Nothing, really.”
“Your husband’s been getting really famous lately, huh?”
“…”
“He was already well-known, but now he’s become even more famous, right?”
“I guess so.”
It was surprising to hear this from Misun, who didn’t seem like the type to follow the news.
Of course, Sena didn’t voice those thoughts aloud.
“How’s school going?”
Instead, she changed the subject.
“The same as always. It’s boring.”
“And how are things with that boy? Nothing’s happened since that day, right?”
“He transferred schools.”
“Transferred?”
Despite Sena’s question, Misun only stared at her fingernails and didn’t respond.
“What do you mean, transferred?”
“If I didn’t leave, I might’ve ended up dead. So I had to go.”
It seemed Misun hadn’t given up on her own form of revenge.
“So, does that make you feel better?”
“Not really.”
See? Revenge doesn’t solve everything.
Whether it was Kang-un or Misun, holding a grudge and seeking vengeance didn’t heal their wounds.
Perhaps, like Sena herself once did, it would be better for them to simply run away and forget everything.
Without realizing it, she let out a sigh.
“Teacher, you just laughed at me, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
Startled by Misun’s accusation, Sena looked at her. Misun narrowed her eyes and scowled.
“You seem a bit different today, Teacher.”
“What do you mean?”
“You just sighed like I’m pathetic, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did!”
Misun abruptly stood up, grabbing her backpack. Sena, surprised, stepped in front of her to block her path.
“Misun, stop. I wasn’t thinking that.”
“Don’t lie. I thought you were different, but you’re just like all the other adults.”
“That’s not true.”
“It doesn’t matter. I think you’re pathetic too.”
“What?”
Sena released Misun’s arm, which she had instinctively grabbed.
“You told me not to trust men but to trust people, right? Look at yourself now, trusting that amazing husband of yours. Just look at the mess you’re in.”
“What mess am I in?”
“You’re asking me? Your husband’s a total scammer. Falling for a guy like that, giving him your body and heart—it’s pathetic if that’s not.”
“Park Misun!”
Sena cut her off.
“Why? Am I wrong? Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic!”
“Get out!”
“What?”
“Get out of here right now!”
Overwhelmed by uncontrollable anger, Sena screamed. Her entire body trembled violently.
“I clearly told you to leave! Let’s see if you ever come back here again!”
Misun shouted back, then flung the door open and stormed out.
“Ah...”
What a foolish thing to do...
Falling for a child’s provocation and losing her composure was completely unlike her.
Sena collapsed into her chair, staring blankly at the spot where Misun had just fled, her face filled with shock and regret.
“What’s going on, Teacher Kang? Where’s your client? Is something wrong?”
Joo-ah, who had been working in the center director’s office, came out looking around and approached Sena with concern.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing... It’s nothing...”
What could she possibly say?
The only silver lining, if there was one, was that Misun would never tell anyone else—especially not her parents—about what had just happened.
Once she calmed down, she would try contacting Misun.
Still trembling uncontrollably, Sena swallowed hard, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe she had acted so uncharacteristically, and the shame of it overwhelmed her.
“I’m leaving early today.”
“Already? Let’s go together.”
“Sorry. I’ll head out first today.”
Brushing off Seo-young’s attempts to stop her, Sena left the center. Outside, snow was falling so heavily that visibility was nearly zero.
Could she even drive home in this?
She hesitated for a moment but realized she had no other choice. Deciding to figure things out once she got into the car, she headed toward the parking lot.
After roughly clearing the thick layer of snow off her windshield with her hands, she reached for the car door when she suddenly felt a dull thud on the back of her head.
“Ah!”
The pain hit her a moment later, delayed by the cold, but it was clear someone had attacked her from behind.
As she collapsed to the ground, her vision spun wildly. She tried to scream, but no sound came out, and then everything went black.
---
Thunk.
An overwhelming chill enveloped her body. Her head throbbed with excruciating pain.
Thunk.
This time, she felt someone kick her leg. Barely managing to open her eyes, Sena realized she was lying in the middle of an unfamiliar, dimly lit construction site. She quickly tried to sit up.
“Ah...”
But the searing pain in her head forced her to grimace.
“Hey, just get up already? It’s getting late.”
At the sound of a familiar voice, she turned her head toward it. Her eyes widened in shock.
“You... You!”
Kang-un stared down at her silently.
“W-what is this? W-where am I?”
“Just thought we’d have a little chat.”
“A... a chat? I need to go home.”
A chilling sense of dread washed over her. If she stayed still, something terrible was bound to happen.
“I’ll take you home, so just stay quiet, Teacher.”
“W-what do you want?”
“What do I want, you ask...”
Kang-un slowly knelt down and leaned closer, brushing his fingers against Sena’s face.
Repulsed, she jerked her head away, but his other hand firmly grabbed the back of her head.
“Do you remember what I said about revenge?”
“…?”
“I’ve been thinking about how to make Choi Joo-hyuk suffer the most.”
“And...?”
“Isn’t the best way to destroy what he cherishes the most?”
“W-what do you mean, destroy?”
Fear surged through her.
If she had been brought here, it meant she was the person Joo-hyuk cherished the most. And “destroy” likely meant killing her.
Surely not...
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you.”
Kang-un wiped away the tears streaming down her face with his finger as he whispered.
Not kill her? Then what did he want?
Struggling to break free, she crawled backward until her back hit the wall. But she had to escape somehow.
“How naive.”
Thud.
Kang-un’s foot slammed into her stomach. Another kick struck her face.
After a prolonged beating, he finally stood up, breathing heavily. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“When you get back, break up with Choi Joo-hyuk.”
W-what?
“To have the person he loves abandon him—that’s my punishment for him. So you should go hide somewhere he’ll never find you.”
“And i-if I don’t...?”
She asked through lips tasting faintly of blood. What gave him the confidence to think such a threat would work?
“Then I’ll make sure you can never return to Choi Joo-hyuk.”
Kang-un slowly traced his fingers down from the nape of Sena’s neck, moving lower and lower.
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