FI - 1

Life sometimes begins by chance, and sometimes by design. Whether by chance or by design, life often doesn’t go as planned. It was by chance that Madam Yoon first laid eyes on politician Choi Beom in the VIP room and fell in love at first sight. It was something that had never happened in the ten years she had been selling her body since she entered a bar at eighteen. Choi Beom, on the other hand, was calculating and exploited Madam Yoon’s feelings. Like a spy, he used Madam Yoon to extract information and spread false rumors, becoming a three-term National Assembly member. Of course, Madam Yoon’s actions were only a very small part of his strategy. The jaded Madam Yoon loved a man twenty years her senior and did as he commanded because she dreamed of a happy ending, and Choi Beom contributed to that by giving her false hope.

When Madam Yoon discovered she was pregnant with Choi Beom’s child, she envisioned a rosy future. Choi Beom, a married man for eighteen years, had no children. The joy of having done what his registered wife could not lasted only one day. Choi Beom had other women besides her. Believing Madam Yoon had outlived her usefulness, Choi Beom turned his back on her coldly, and Madam Yoon saw him with a woman ten years younger than herself in the officetel they frequented.

Enraged, Madam Yoon’s decision to have the child was deliberate. The pain Choi Beom inflicted tormented her to the brink of death from drug addiction. She intended never to reveal his bloodline. And she planned to make that bloodline live in torment like an animal. Madam Yoon held onto that thought until her death.

Ki Shin-je loosened his tie and sank into the sofa. Im Woo-jin, standing to his right, kept glancing towards the hallway, then cleared his throat.

“She’s an extraordinary woman.”

At Ki Shin-je’s cool, low voice, Im Woo-jin straightened up and tensed his shoulders.

“Even consumed by malice, she’s a fierce woman to treat her own child like that.”

Im Woo-jin himself couldn’t believe it when he first received the report. He wondered how a mother could do such a thing to her own child, especially when the father was a party leader and presidential candidate.

“Start with a DNA test.”

“Yes.”

Ki Shin-je recalled the child’s small stature and scarred face, then spoke again.

“Book a VIP hospital room.”

“Yes, Executive Director.”

Im Woo-jin, understanding his brief instruction immediately, responded quickly. The spacious living room, almost devoid of furniture, was quiet.

“Should I assign someone to her?”

Im Woo-jin’s gaze again drifted to the end of the hallway. He recalled the woman, her face almost buried in her coat, only her eyes blinking. Shivering and fearful, wary of strangers, she clung only to Ki Shin-je. While people were momentarily surprised by her appearance, they were even more astonished that their superior was allowing her behavior.

“She’s scared.”

“Pardon?”

Im Woo-jin asked back as if he hadn’t heard correctly. Ki Shin-je was absolutely not the type to care whether a woman he brought in to use was scared or not. What was this? He’d had a strange feeling since earlier, but it seemed Ki Shin-je himself was unaware.

“This will take half a year; you won’t be staying with her the whole time, will you, Executive Director?”

“After the tests are done, move her to the Seongsu-dong officetel.”

“Yes.”

Just as he thought. Im Woo-jin nodded, muttering to himself, but Ki Shin-je raised an eyebrow and turned his head towards the hallway.

“Why isn’t she coming out?”

Indeed, quite some time had passed since he told her to wash. Im Woo-jin’s eyes widened. She wouldn’t be hanging herself in the bathroom, or slitting her wrists with broken pottery, would she? A sudden chill ran down his spine.

“Sh-shall I go check?”

Her condition didn’t seem normal, and given her past environment, such a quick guess didn’t seem unreasonable.

“Your face would be in more danger, Secretary Im.”

Ki Shin-je stood up, implying he knew exactly what Im Woo-jin was thinking. Im Woo-jin, a large man over 190 centimeters and well over 100 kilograms, winced and looked at Ki Shin-je. Though the same height, Ki Shin-je was lean and lithe. Such a solid body, sculpted by practical martial arts, and yet such a handsome face. Watching Ki Shin-je sweep his hair back and stride down the hallway with long steps, Im Woo-jin hesitated, wondering whether to follow or not.

The man’s house was bigger and more magnificent than any she had seen on TV. The room she was guided to for washing looked so good her eyes nearly popped out, and Sa-ya spent a long time looking around and admiring it.

He said he wouldn’t hit her. Sa-ya didn’t feel that the man’s words were a lie. He was the first person who had ever spoken to her gently and politely. Unlike the smelly men who would sometimes come into the room, spewing violence and curses and trying to make her do strange things, this man smelled good, was handsome, and spoke kind words.

‘Well done.’

‘Sa-ya.’

‘Your pretty face is all bruised.’

‘You’re good.’

No one had ever spoken her name so softly.

A good person, Sa-ya decided the man was. Unlike where Sa-ya had been, the room was warm and smelled good. She had been clutching the man’s coat tightly to her chest, but remembering his instruction to wash, she quickly folded the coat neatly and placed it carefully on the bed. Sa-ya’s eyes widened even further when she opened the bathroom door. Holding the golden doorknob, she couldn’t bring herself to step inside and fidgeted anxiously.

Like the room, the bathroom was so clean that she hesitated to enter it. The bathroom was clean enough to eat in.

Sa-ya glanced down at her feet. She had washed herself every day in the small, dirty bathroom attached to her room, but somehow her feet still looked dirty. She turned her gaze and startled as she saw a large mirror on the opposite wall, slowly approaching it.

Her reflection in the spotless mirror looked very unfamiliar. Sa-ya brushed her hair behind her ears, looking at the bruise on her cheek, the scratch on her forehead, and her torn lips. She hesitated to take off her clothes. She was afraid to expose her wounds in such a sparkling mirror, and it was hard to face them. Sa-ya soon turned her head away from the mirror.

He told me to wash. Sa-ya recalled the man’s voice again and hurried. She had to obey. He said she was good and well-behaved. He said he wouldn’t hit her, but he would get angry if she didn’t listen.

Her old, worn clothes fell to the floor.

When Ki Shin-je opened the door, Sa-ya was curled up on the floor beneath the bed. At the sound of the knock, Sa-ya nervously lifted her head.

“Sa-ya.”

As he approached, Sa-ya instinctively moved her bottom back. Wrapped tightly in a large bath towel, blinking rapidly, she looked like a frightened animal.

“Do you like the gown?”

Ki Shin-je asked, lowering himself to sit on the edge of the bed. Sa-ya looked up at him.

“I don’t have clothes.”

“Over there, I left them for you to wear. Didn’t you know?”

Sa-ya looked where Ki Shin-je pointed with his eyes. Nicely folded clothes were placed on a low chest of drawers.

“...I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t come out because you weren’t wearing clothes?”

Her still-damp hair covered her back and chest. The scars stood out even more on her beautiful face.

“Should I go out?”

Sa-ya asked again, her eyes wide as if she had no idea. It seemed she didn’t realize she was allowed to leave the room after being confined for so long.

“Do you want to stay in the room?”

Not that, as Sa-ya cautiously shook her head. Ki Shin-je chuckled, patting the spot next to him with his palm. It meant for her to come and sit. As Sa-ya shifted, Ki Shin-je reached out, took her arm, and helped her sit beside him.

“She’s too light.”

Sa-ya felt strange at his low, mumbled voice.

“Change your clothes and come out.”

“...Okay.”

“We’re going to the hospital.”

“Hospital?”

“You don’t want to go?”

Sa-ya’s lowered eyelashes trembled. Her thick, long lashes curled upwards.

“I’m not hurting anywhere.”

“You’re very injured.”

Ki Shin-je’s fingertip traced the torn corner of Sa-ya’s mouth. Sa-ya’s body flinched with surprise.

“N-no, it doesn’t hurt now. I’m really okay, but...”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a check-up.”

Looking at the injuries on her face, he wondered if her body was intact. Her already small frame kept shrinking.

“I...”

Sa-ya looked at the man beside her, her lips parting.

“Speak.”

Her face, fairer and clearer after washing, cautiously observed Ki Shin-je’s expression.

“...Are you coming with me?”

At her small question, Ki Shin-je raised an eyebrow. Everyone else found him difficult and frightening, but this small, pretty woman acted as if he was the only one she could rely on.

“You don’t want anyone else?”

He deliberately smiled. A blush appeared on Sa-ya’s unbruised left cheek. She bit her lip, looking down, and gave a faint nod.

“That’s right. It won’t take long. Just one day.”

Ki Shin-je rose and walked to the dresser. Sa-ya watched his movements, a somewhat relieved expression on her face.

“Change your clothes and come out. We need to go quickly.”

Sa-ya nodded again. Everything about the man was so splendid that her eyes kept lingering on him. Thinking he was like an angel, Sa-ya accepted the clothes.

Guards were stationed in the VIP ward. Only Ki Shin-je and the medical staff were allowed access to the room. Im Woo-jin shook his head, staring at the hospital room door.

“What are you doing?”

Park Seok-hyun asked, seeing Im Woo-jin and sounding somewhat cocky. If Im Woo-jin was Ki Shin-je’s right-hand man, Park Seok-hyun was his left. They were both secretaries, but their areas of work differed.

“I canceled an important meeting.”

Park Seok-hyun’s physique was just as impressive as Im Woo-jin’s. Park Seok-hyun, a sports enthusiast who had mastered all kinds of exercises, looked more like an athlete in a suit than an office worker.

“It must be something more important,” Park Seok-hyun said simply, gesturing towards the hospital room with his chin.

Right, it’s good you’re simple-minded, Im Woo-jin thought, glaring at Park Seok-hyun for no reason, remembering the sweat he’d broken canceling the important meeting.

“I wish they’d cut off the hands and feet of those bastards who hit women.”

“And it’s okay to hit men?”

“Why are you twisting my words? How pathetic do you have to be to hit a woman? But you said she was pretty?”

Im Woo-jin clicked his tongue at the strange turn of the question. Park Seok-hyun, who seemed like a simple-minded thug, had a surprising background: he was a graduate of K University Law School.

“Why are you curious about that?”

They had met as senior and junior soldiers in the military and became colleagues serving the same superior. Im Woo-jin stared intently at the hospital room door again. He was dying to know what was happening inside.

“I’m curious because you said she was pretty.”

Seriously, he’s incredibly simple.

“Aren’t you curious why the Executive Director is like this?”

At Im Woo-jin’s sarcastic question, Park Seok-hyun blinked like a cow, with a blank expression.

“Why are you curious about that?”

Im Woo-jin, receiving his own question back, glared at Park Seok-hyun with a look of having been hit. Park Seok-hyun grinned brightly and poked Im Woo-jin’s arm with his elbow.

“That hurts, Team Leader Park.”

“Put some force into it, Secretary Im.”

It felt like he was always getting outsmarted by this simple-minded brute. Im Woo-jin gritted his teeth and poked Park Seok-hyun’s arm just as hard with his elbow. Park Seok-hyun, who must have been tensed, laughed sheepishly, his large frame shaking. Damn it, I can’t even spit on that smiling face. Seeing Im Woo-jin’s sour expression, Park Seok-hyun grinned even wider.

The paternity test result confirmed a 99.99% biological parent-child relationship, with all 17 autosomal types matching. She was indeed Choi Beom’s daughter. The woman, covered in bruises and suffering from malnutrition, had an IUD implanted in her arm. When the attending physician asked what to do, mentioning it was a recent procedure, Ki Shin-je remained silent.

‘They said they’d make her take customers as soon as she wasn’t a minor anymore. I heard they were preparing an event for regular clients to sell her off for a high price because she was a virgin. It’s pitiful. When Madam Yoon was around, she was tormented by her. We couldn’t even take care of her out of fear; the trouble would come back to us.’

This was the testimony of a woman who had worked in the bar kitchen for a long time. Violence, prostitution—the deceased Madam Yoon had driven her innocent daughter into hell for her revenge. Humans can be so cruel and terrifying.

“Um...”

Sa-ya looked up at Ki Shin-je, who stood with a cold expression. Her loose hospital gown kept slipping off her shoulders, so she gripped it tightly with both hands.

“It’s over, right?”

Ki Shin-je approached and sat on the bed. Sa-ya stiffened with tension, observing him. Although the room didn’t feel like a hospital room, it was somehow frightening and uncomfortable. Especially the needles—they were so terrible that just seeing them made her break into a cold sweat.

“It’s over,” he answered dryly, looking at Sa-ya’s face. The bruised areas had spread more. It looked like they would take a few more days to disappear. The ends of her long eyes were slightly upturned, like a cat, but her round, large eyes were like a puppy’s. Her brown eyes were so clear that the lines within her pupils were visible.

What a tragic fate, Ki Shin-je thought, a wry smile on his face.

“Oh, right. But...”

Her fingers, tightly gripping the hospital gown, fidgeted. He waited patiently as she pursed her lips, seemingly having something to say. Her skin, so white it was pale, seemed to have all its pigment concentrated on her lips, making them red. At the thought of wanting to bite them, Ki Shin-je realized that Sa-ya’s appearance was exactly his type, something he hadn’t known existed.

“...do.”

Ki Shin-je missed Sa-ya’s small voice and furrowed his brow. Thanks to this, he let slip the fact that it was the first time he had ever thought a woman was pretty or his type.

“What?”

“I wanted to say thank you... for being so kind to me.”

She suddenly remembered that she hadn’t thanked him for rescuing her from that abyss.

“Sa-ya.”

Again. He called her name gently. In truth, Ki Shin-je’s voice wasn’t gentle, but to Sa-ya, it sounded only soft and kind.

“Do you think I’m kind to you?”

“Yes.”

Sa-ya nodded quickly. If this wasn’t kindness, then what was it?

“There’s no kindness in this world without a price.”

Ki Shin-je reached out to brush back her stray hair, then paused, watching Sa-ya stare intently at him, her eyes subtly shifting as if trying to grasp the meaning of his words. As if snapping back to reality from the smooth feel in his hand, he lowered it.

“I’m going to use you.”

Even as Ki Shin-je revealed his dark intentions, Sa-ya’s clear brown eyes rolled.

“I brought you here to use you.”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean, ‘yes’? You don’t know how I’ll use you.”

Ki Shin-je’s handsome face darkened, turning cold.

“Do I... do I have any use?”

Haa, a sudden warmth spread through Ki Shin-je’s chest, and he tilted his head to the side.

“If you do?”

Even with his cold tone, Sa-ya’s lips curved up slightly. Ki Shin-je felt a headache coming on at her seemingly embarrassed expression.

“Use me. You can use me.”

What is it with her, what kind of... Ki Shin-je could guess why Sa-ya was like this. She must have lived such a terrible life that she had no sense of reality whatsoever.

“You saved me from that place, so it’s okay to use me.”

Watching Sa-ya look up at him earnestly, her clear eyes shining, Ki Shin-je twisted his lips. His mood soured without reason. His gaze dropped to her fair, slender neck, which couldn’t be hidden even by her tightly clutched hospital gown. He suppressed the sadistic urge to twist it, snap it, or devour it. He swallowed the saliva that pooled in his mouth and ran his tongue over his lips. Sa-ya unconsciously mimicked him, sticking out her tongue before biting her lip. Ki Shin-je’s eyes flashed fiercely.