WWBU - Extra 4

“What?”

-Looks like she caused some trouble in the early hours.

According to Guk, that ‘trouble’ meant she had caused a scene at a club. It wasn’t some major incident, just a drunken rampage. It was so typically Kim Hyun-seo that Hyun-soo couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

“You know she’s an alcoholic. It’s not the first time.”

-They said she took drugs too this time.

Hyun-soo’s eyes, which had been closed, snapped open.

“Drugs? You don’t mean like narcotics, do you?”

-Not that kind.

“Haaah.”

-I guess we should be relieved.

Even without seeing him, she could sense the mockery in his voice. She had nothing to say.

-Kim Hyun-seo has been seeing a psychiatrist for a long time. It seems she collected all the prescribed medication and took it as she pleased. Add alcohol to that, and she was completely out of her mind.

Judging by his tone, he seemed to have known about Hyun-seo’s treatment for a while. But why was he bringing it up only now...?

The aunt, who had just approached with coffee, glanced at her and then excused herself. Whether it was her mood or not, the hot, steaming coffee scent felt nauseating.

“I don’t know what to say.”

-I wanted to ask you. What should we do about Kim Hyun-seo?

“......”

-The other party was injured quite badly, so it’ll be hard to reach an agreement.

So, if she didn’t intervene, it meant Kim Hyun-seo would have a hard time this time.

-Even if we settle, people will still talk.

“What are you talking about now?”

-Apparently, the guy she was with is some actor. I don’t care, so I don’t know the details.

Her head ached so badly it felt like her forehead was burning. She was so sick of it all.

Thanks to her beautiful looks and outstanding career, Kim Hyun-seo often hung out with celebrities. Not only that, but she had also been involved in several scandals of dating and breaking up, unintentionally making her a well-known figure. So, it wasn’t surprising that she was with some actor this time.

“I really hate it.”

She was just as tired of it. She still hated her existence, which kept causing trouble.

-What should we do, Hyun-soo-yah?

At his calm question, Hyun-soo sighed. Why does that person live like that? The same question kept popping up in her mind.

Hyun-soo soon organized her thoughts. Once she did, she could make a decision even faster.

Kim Hyun-seo and Kim Hyun-soo were strangers. She decided to no longer consider them sisters or family. In fact, it was an issue that had already ended a month ago at the funeral. So, there was no need to hesitate further. It had to be this way.

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

-What do you mean?

“Don’t help Kim Hyun-seo.”

-Ah.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. It was Hyun-soo who broke the brief silence.

“If she did something wrong, she should be punished.”

-Are you serious?

“Yes, I’m serious. So you really don’t have to help her.”

-Okay. I understand.

The call ended blandly like that. Guk, who told her not to skip meals, accepted Hyun-soo’s wishes without asking further. This meant that Kim Hyun-seo would suffer wherever she was, whether it was a detention center or a prison.

But why? Why did she feel so uneasy in a corner of her heart?

Hyun-soo, who had absentmindedly picked up her coffee cup, slightly frowned. The scent that had felt nauseating was still there, making her not want to drink it at all.

Getting up from her seat, Hyun-soo went straight to the kitchen and emptied the teacup in the sink. She thought she needed something cool to drink to calm her heat, rather than hot coffee.

“She’s a stranger, a stranger.”

Hyun-soo strengthened her voice as if admonishing herself. Her weak conscience, wondering if this was okay, kept shouting, but she tried hard to ignore and turn away from it.

Hyun-soo, who had been staring blankly at the spilled coffee, turned on the water. The brown stain quickly washed away in the flowing water.

It’s really over. It’s none of my business. Don’t think about it anymore.

The resolutions she struggled to repeat confused her mind.

“Okay, see you later.”

Hyun-seo, who had finished talking with her friend, trudged out of the police station entrance. She had been released early this time as well, thanks to Guk’s intervention. The reason was Guk’s decision, thinking Hyun-soo would be bothered, but that fact wasn’t important to Hyun-seo. What mattered was that she had gained her freedom once again.

Had she been locked up for such a short time that the pouring sunlight felt so scorching? Hyun-seo, looking around, clicked her tongue when she realized there was no one there to pick her up or welcome her.

“Ah, shit. How embarrassing.”

As Hyun-seo was passing through the parking lot, another curse word spilled from her mouth. There was no particular reason. It was because her reflection in the car window looked a mess.

Hyun-seo, who had roughly swept back her disheveled hair, began to walk faster. She had an appointment in the afternoon, and more than anything.

“You crazy psycho. I’m going to settle things with you today.”

Because there was someone she had to meet.

Hyun-seo hailed a taxi and headed straight for Hotel Onyx.

“So you’re not answering either. Annoying, you bitch.”

Hyun-seo, who had been calling someone throughout the ride, frowned at the sudden surge of annoyance. She was frustrated because neither this guy nor that woman would answer.

“The couple is really of one mind.”

The phone thrown on the passenger seat displayed the name ‘Kim Hyun-soo’. No matter how many times she tried to contact her, she had been completely silent since the funeral.

Her plan to target Kim Hyun-soo, Yoon Guk’s weakness, rather than trying to shake the stubborn Yoon Guk himself, should have been foolproof. But now, she had no choice. She had to answer the phone to say anything at all.

Just as she was nervously tapping her fingernails, they finally arrived in front of Hotel Onyx. Even when the driver offered to take her to the front entrance, Hyun-seo stubbornly got out first and paid. Annoyingly, she didn’t have enough cash on hand.

Getting off at the bus stop in front of Hotel Onyx, Hyun-seo cursed with every step as she headed towards it. There was only one reason she had come all this way. This time, she absolutely had to meet that bastard Yoon Guk.

As soon as Hyun-seo was released from the detention center, she realized her bank account was empty. It was because the living expenses that should have been deposited the day before hadn’t come in. The living expenses that Yoon Guk provided every month were quite a large sum, but the more she spent, the more her expenses increased, and Hyun-seo now felt even that money was just pocket change.

Her goal was simple. To receive the overdue living expenses from Yoon Guk for this month and to increase that amount.

He was a wall of a man, you could stab him and not a drop of blood would come out, but if she used Hyun-soo to somehow poke and prod him, it felt like a button might be pressed.

“Ha, shit... this is so damn hard.”

She was out of breath just from walking up that short distance. Finally reaching the opposite side of the hotel entrance, she crossed the street without really looking around. And in that instant.

Baaaaaang-!

“Aaaah!”

Startled by the oncoming car, Hyun-seo collapsed on the spot.

“Are you okay?”

Fortunately, the car managed to stop just before hitting Hyun-seo. Hyun-seo’s lips trembled at the imposing sight of the huge car right in front of her. Then, her face twisted fiercely.

“You fucking drive like shit!”

“Weren’t you hurt?”

Hyun-seo, completely forgetting that she had crossed without checking, just kept spewing curses.

The man who had gotten out of the car to check on her paused and then held out his hand. It was a gesture for her to take his hand and get up.

For a moment, the thought of just lying down and trying to make some money crossed Hyun-seo’s mind, but she ended up taking the man’s hand and getting up. This was because she calculated that the money she could extort from Yoon Guk would be much greater.

“Should I take you to the hospital?”

“No. What for? I don’t have time.”

“Then please take this. It’s my business card. Contact me if you have any issues.”

Hyun-seo snatched the offered business card and first checked the other person’s details. In that instant, the HK Group logo engraved on the card caught her eye. And this guy...

“Yoon Han?”

He has the same name as someone I know?

With a doubtful thought, she raised her head, and only then did she clearly see the other person’s face. As expected, it was the person she knew. None other than Yoon Guk’s younger brother, who had been living like a parasite in her house.

Hyun-seo fiddled with the business card and then smiled slyly. Was this coincidence or fate? It certainly felt like good luck.

“You know who I am, right?”

“Yes.”

Han answered immediately to her question, which she had asked just in case. What was dumbfounding was Hyun-seo’s reaction.

“But why aren’t you saying anything?”

“You recognized me anyway.”

“If I hadn’t, were you just going to run off?”

“If I was, I wouldn’t have given you my business card.”

Hyun-seo stared intently at him. Han also met her gaze without trying to avoid it.

At that reaction, a smile bloomed like a flower on Hyun-seo’s cold face.

“This is quite a coincidence. Shall we go somewhere and talk?”

Han seemed to furrow his brow slightly at the sudden suggestion. Nevertheless, he followed her without much resistance. To be precise, she followed behind him as he led the way.

The two didn’t go far, just settling down at a coffee shop inside Hotel Onyx.

After ordering their drinks, they were silent for a while.

“You’re following along so obediently?”

“I was worried you might be hurt. And you’re a familiar face.”

“Ah.”

Hyun-seo replied nonchalantly. Then she took a few sips of the tea the server had brought.

“You seem quite close to Hyun-soo?”

At the sudden question, Han quietly stared at her. He seemed to be trying to figure out Hyun-seo’s intentions.

“Why are you being so perceptive? I was just curious because I saw something.”

“......”

“The other day. At the funeral.”

“......”

“Don’t you remember my wrist? You grabbed it so hard that it hurt all day. I’m disappointed.”

“Is that so?”

This time, Han replied indifferently. Hyun-seo took out the business card she had put in her bag again and looked down at it. No matter how she thought about it, it seemed like a good opportunity. How should she approach this to get what she wanted?

“Why did you do that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Back then. Why did you grab my arm?”