The Devil's Daughter

The faint glow of light filtered through my eyelids, gently pulling me from sleep. Ornate carvings on the ceiling came into hazy focus. From the bathroom on the left, the steady hiss of a running shower echoed. I reached out, confirming the spot beside me was empty, then pushed myself upright. My glasses lay on the nightstand where I'd left them; I slipped them on. Adjusting the robe around my shoulders, I slid out of bed and padded toward the bedroom door.

Just outside, Suhyeong stood at attention, waiting. He must have entered after we'd fallen asleep to stand guard. "Did you sleep well, young master?"

"Yes, thank you."

I gave him a slight bow in greeting, then scanned the room for a coffee maker. "If you need anything, simply tell me," he offered.

"Do you know where the coffee pot is?"

Suhyeong raised a hand to his ear and mouth, murmuring something into what must have been a hidden comms device. "Coffee and a light breakfast will be brought up shortly."

"No, the coffee pot... never mind. Thank you..." I simply expressed my gratitude and sank into the nearest chair.

The shower continued its faint, steady patter in the background. "Yujin must have woken up quite early?"

"Yes. She rose quite some time ago."

"I see..."

I removed my glasses for a moment, pressing firmly around my eyes in a makeshift massage. Whatever conversation we had here wouldn't reach her in the bathroom. "So, what exactly are you all hiding from me?"

"..."

"Are you running a background check on me?"

"..."

Suhyeong remained utterly motionless. No reaction, no shift in expression, not even the slightest twitch of a facial muscle.

"Is this Yujin's doing? Or her mother's? It can't be her father..."

He stood there, unresponsive to any of it.

"One thing's clear: Yujin is receiving the results of this investigation. There must be a reason for that, right?"

"Young master. I'm afraid my limited understanding makes it difficult to follow what you're saying. It seems there may be some misunderstanding."

"Is someone listening to this conversation right now? Or do you have a separate analysis team somewhere?" I glanced around the room. "Watching the way Yujin behaves... it's like she's one of those patients with dissociative identity disorder. Multiple personalities, I mean. I've never actually met someone with that condition, but I'm absolutely certain Yujin doesn't suffer from any such mental illness. Still, what's fascinating is that ever since our first counseling session, I've noticed her actions and behavioral patterns completely contradict the personality profile I built for her. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Suhyeong stood exactly as before, unmoving.

"I don't know."

"Someone's been advising her on how to act around me."

Suhyeong remained standing there. The shower's faint sound continued in the distance.

"And that advice comes from someone who's analyzed me completely, guiding her to behave in ways that could never possibly be wrong in my eyes."

"Young master, I believe it would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠best if you stopped this line of questioning."

I rose from my chair and stepped closer to him. "The ones who need to stop are all of you. I understand what you're thinking, but if you truly care about Yujin, put an end to this right now."

Suhyeong's expression seemed to harden just slightly. Leaving him behind, I returned to the bedroom and perched on the edge of the bed. The shower sounded a little clearer now than before.

...Wait a moment. The sound had been strangely consistent this entire time. Normally, when someone showers, the noise shifts constantly as water cascades over hair and skin. Sometimes it's a heavy rush, sometimes a gentle trickle, sometimes it changes with adjustments to temperature or pressure. But this? Just the same irregular dripping, over and over, without any variation. No sounds of someone moving to lather body wash or shampoo. As if a person was simply standing there, letting the water hit them?

"...Where is Yujin?"

I shot up and flung open the bathroom door. It wasn't locked. Inside the shower stall, I saw a silhouette that resembled a human body. But the lower half was missing. A bathrobe had been hung from the ceiling directly under the showerhead, thoroughly soaked, its dripping water creating an endless, chaotic symphony of sound designed to mimic a real shower.

"...Fuck..."

"Young master."

Suhyeong placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Madam is looking for you. Please come with me."

I walked alongside Suhyeong as he escorted me. We passed through a lively lounge filled with people laughing and chatting, then entered an inner room guarded by several security personnel. I wondered if any of the vacationers we'd just walked by knew this space even existed.

"Our son-in-law caught on rather quickly."

Mother sat with her legs crossed, flipping through a file folder. I took the chair opposite her, suppressing my rage as much as possible, and went straight to the point.

"Why would you do something like this? Did Yujin hear everything I said?"

"She heard what you said earlier. She can't hear what you're saying now, so don't worry."

"Are you doing this on purpose? If you don't like me, just tell me to get lost."

"What are you talking about?" Mother raised an eyebrow and set the folder down. My photograph was prominently displayed on its cover.

"I like you, Jihyun. That's why I'm helping you."

Right. Let's think about this calmly. She had no reason to hate me, not when I maintained such a good relationship with her husband. But why investigate me and pass the information to her daughter?

"Continuing a relationship this way will only destroy Yujin."

At the slight flick of Mother's fingers, Suhyeong stepped outside for a moment.

"No, son-in-law. It seems you're deeply misunderstanding something."

"You're the one misunderstanding. This is nothing but your own self-satisfaction. Just leave Yujin and me alone. The more you behave like this, the more damaged Yujin becomes."

"Haha, hahaha!"

Mother fixed her gaze on me, her mouth twisting into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. The inhuman quality of that laugh sent a chill crawling across my skin.

"Jihyun, do you really not know? Or are you just pretending not to?"

"Aren't you the one pretending? Yujin is someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who can walk a righteous path. You're the one ruining her."

"Wow~ It looks like I've really gotten on my son-in-law's bad side. Is this because I made you drink so much the first time we met?"

Suhyeong returned, carefully setting down a large iced coffee in front of Mother.

"Yes, you may leave now."

Suhyeong bowed deeply and exited. With a soft click, the door closed, leaving only Mother and me in the cold, sterile space.

"There are truly no listening devices or recorders here. I'll speak honestly. Alright?"

"Yes, I'll believe that lie."

"If you want to be suspicious, I can't stop you~" Mother took a sip of her coffee. "You think I'm destroying Yujin, that I raised her wrong and dragged her down a bad path, don't you?"

"Yes."

"No, no... That's where you're wrong from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the very beginning. That's why you can't see the truth..." She took another sip. "Sure, I've done some trashy things, I'll admit... No, that's right. I've done quite a lot of trashy things. But when it comes to you, son-in-law, I've poured every ounce of my goodwill into it. In all my years, I've never given this much to anyone else."

"So you ran a background check on me, fed the information to Yujin, and encouraged her to use it to score points with me?"

"Oh my, why do you assume I was the one who ordered the investigation? What if Yujin did it herself?"

"That would only be something she learned by watching you."

"How refreshing. You really have no filter when speaking to your mother-in-law."

Mother drained the rest of her coffee in one long gulp. "Sigh... Yes, children's faults often lie with the parents. I can't deny that. When I watch the things Yujin does, it reminds me so much of myself in the past."

"I suppose it would."

"But son-in-law. I think you're truly mistaken about one thing. Do you really believe there's even a single normal aspect to that girl?"

"Yes. I believe it without a doubt."

"No. That's just what you want to believe. You're terrified that what happened with your ex-girlfriend or your professor's daughter will repeat itself, so you convince yourself that Yujin must be normal. Do you understand?"

Smiling, Mother slid the folder across the table toward me. I could roughly guess what kind of information it contained about the man whose face was on the cover.

After looking through the documents, the wave of fury that crashed over me took time to subside. I tried to immediately refute her words, but I couldn't find any solid counterarguments. Whenever I searched for something to refute her with, memories of my sister and Jimin flooded in, derailing my thoughts.

"...Yujin is simply an ordinary woman who wants love. She's a normal person who can change for the better."

"No. The way she's acting in front of you right now is just her holding back. She doesn't want to be hated."

"Then how exactly do you see your own daughter?"

Mother leaned forward, locking eyes with me. "That child is a hundred times more demonic than I ever was, son-in-law."

I stared into her eyes.

"The things I did to get her father... she could do far worse without even blinking."

"..."

"Do you know what happened to her father's family that opposed our marriage? Hm? Or to those annoying friends of his?"

Madness flickered in Mother's eyes.

"Do you know how many of them are currently sobbing in mental hospitals, begging to be released because they swear they're sane?"

The deranged gleam in her eyes, the kind you only saw in movies, threatened to freeze me in place.

"Do you know how many I stuffed into cement-filled drums and dumped in the ocean? How many I arranged to die in convenient traffic accidents?"

Mother took another sip of coffee.

"...Son-in-law. I really like the fact that Yujin's father is fond of you. Because ever since she met you, she's been full of life again, just like when I first met her father."

"So please, stop fighting back. Stop thinking about anything at all. Just hold hands with Yujin and live a quiet, cozy life together. Understand?"

Mother stood and approached me.

"The reason we investigate you and everyone around you is all for your sake. If Yujin ever slipped up in front of you, or made you lose interest and say you wanted to break up... do you think you'd still be alive?"

Click. Click. She drew closer with deliberate steps.

"Oh, that's right! You would still be alive. In our basement, with your arms and legs chopped off, reduced to a helpless larva that can't even eat properly without Yujin. You'd be trapped there, unable to die, just barely surviving."

Every single word that left her mouth painted horrific images in my mind, tormenting me. Mother's hand came to rest on my shoulder.

"So from now on, stop thinking about anything. Just go on dates with Yujin, have sex with her, and that'll be enough. Got it? That way, you can keep drinking with her father until the day we die, playing the part of a good friend."

Her fingers tapped lightly against my shoulder, a mocking stimulation.

"We'll take care of everyone around you appropriately, so just live without provoking Yujin. Understand? It's fine to bicker a little when she's acting like a spoiled brat with no manners, just like now! But don't cross the line and awaken my daughter's true nature. Do you understand?"

Mother reached for the folder in front of me, picked it up, and thrust it toward my face. I couldn't turn my head to look at her face hovering near my left shoulder. Her overwhelming presence had frozen my entire body.

"Please stop wondering whether what I'm saying is true or not... Just live. Thinking too hard always makes you tired. Oh, but I do have something to compliment you on! Yujin must have heard everything you said to Suhyeong earlier, and that last line was quite touching. 'If you truly care about Yujin...?' Heh~ Thanks to you, I've come up with a brand new plan for how to handle this. Read the last page."

She flipped to the final page and showed it to me.

"There were plenty of condoms in the room, right? So you just need to follow Suhyeong and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go back. Simple."

Mother massaged my shoulder.

"Good luck, son-in-law! When you get home, Yujin will probably tell you everything I've done. So I won't explain any further. By the way, that final sentence on the last page is the result of experts in your field running every possible calculation and simulation. It would be best to follow it exactly. If you have a different opinion, shall I pass it along to them?"

"..."

"Yes, you should listen to your seniors~" Mother headed toward the door. "Let's go now, son-in-law."

"Oh dear... Did your legs give out?"

The sound of the door opening.

"Suhyeong, please help our son-in-law down."

The sound of Suhyeong's footsteps.

"...Young master, this way."