The Blackmailer's Game
“Huff.” I took a long drag from my cigarette on the veranda. The neighbor’s veranda where I had just raped Yoo-mi was visible in the dark. Their lights were completely off. There was no satisfaction to be found. Only a heavy, tangled feeling in my chest. Dae-woo hyung suddenly came to mind.
[Hyung]
No reply. He must be in shock too. I waited a long time, but no KakaoTalk message arrived. A little later, my wife came in, chattering away. She threw herself into my arms.
“Hubby.”
“How much did you drink?”
“Just a little. I missed you, so I came home early.”
She grabbed my cock through my pants.
“Go wash up. I’m hungry.”
“Huh? You haven’t eaten?”
“Nope.”
“Got it. Wait here, honey. I’ll be quick.”
“Okay.”
After a simple dinner, my wife whined and clung to me in bed before falling asleep almost instantly. My own eyes grew heavy. A KakaoTalk notification popped up.
[Thanks, little bro.]
I couldn’t bring myself to reply. I didn’t know what to say. I spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling.
Days passed without any word from Dae-woo hyung. The silence was suffocating. What were we supposed to do now? I gathered my courage and sent a message.
[Hyung]
Still no answer. Then, finally, a reply came through.
[Let’s meet tonight, little bro.]
[Okay.]
On my way home from work, I called him.
“Hyung, where should we meet?”
“Come to that bar we went to before.”
When I walked in, Dae-woo hyung had already downed half a bottle of whiskey.
“Hey. You’re here.”
“Yeah.”
“Have a drink.”
We emptied our glasses in silence. His face looked gaunt and worn.
“Hyung.” I forced the words out. “About that day…”
“What about it? The day you fucked my wife?”
Blood rushed to my face. It burned. And yet I wondered why I was the one feeling ashamed. He was the one who brought it up first.
“I mean…”
“How was she? My wife’s body is something else, right?”
“……”
“I told you, didn’t I? Nothing bad would happen.”
“Has sister-in-law said anything?”
“She hasn’t even looked at me since that day.”
“I’m sorry.” The apology slipped out before I could stop it. Why was I apologizing? Everything still felt like a mess.
“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who wanted this.”
“Hyung, then…”
“What? Why are you beating around the bush? Just say it straight.”
“Did it work? For you, I mean.”
“Yeah. I got a pretty strong reaction at first. But it went back to normal right away. I’ve been watching the video secretly at the office, but it only works for a little while. Doesn’t last.”
“I see.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d take her that forcefully. I got angry for a second there.”
“……”
He took a long drag from his cigarette. I lit one too. We sat in silence, exhaling smoke. There was nothing left to say. We had done it, it hadn’t fixed anything, and neither couple could go back to how things were.
“Little bro.”
“Yeah?”
His face looked even more haggard as he spoke.
“What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
“……”
“……”
“That day—”
“That’s not the problem right now.”
“What?”
“The video.”
“The video?”
“That bastard called me.”
“……”
That bastard? The guy from Starbucks. A cold dread crept up my spine. Why was he suddenly involved? My mind raced. If he could access the video before, he could do it again. Dae-woo hyung probably never changed the IP address. Fuck. How had I not thought of that? I had been too excited by his dangerous suggestion to consider the risks.
“What do we do now?”
“……”
I was lost. What the hell were we supposed to do?
“Little bro.”
“Just… give me a second. Let me think.” My voice came out louder than I intended. Dae-woo hyung downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.
“I’m sorry, little bro. This is all because of me.”
“……”
“I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”
“Hyung, this isn’t the time for that.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around you and my wife, and now this—”
“Hyung, let’s just meet him first.”
“And then?”
“We’ll figure it out when we get there. For now, we meet him.”
“……”
“We don’t have any other choice.” My voice rose again.
“I’m sorry.”
“Fuck, that’s not what I’m talking about right now.”
“……”
“I’m sorry.”
We drank in silence. My chest felt like it was about to burst. I didn’t have the luxury to worry about how Dae-woo hyung felt watching me fuck his wife. Right now, a sex video with me in it was in some stranger’s hands. My wife’s bright smile flashed through my mind. So did Yoo-mi’s face. And the balance in my bank account.
“Fuck.”
“So tomorrow—”
“No. Let’s meet him now. Call him.”
“……”
“Just give me his number. I’ll do it.”
I called the guy. The phone rang for a long time before that sleazy voice came through.
“Hello.”
“Let’s meet. Right now.”
“Who is this?”
“……”
“Who’s speaking?”
“The video.”
“……”
“You said you have the video.”
“Ah! It’s you.”
“……”
“That woman’s body was incredible. I’m jealous. Heh. I’ve wanted to fuck her for a while now. How was she? Tight? Heh. Those tits of hers—”
“Cut the crap. Let’s meet now.”
“Hmm. It’s late. Let’s do it tomorrow.”
“Fine. What time and where?”
“The same place you met the chairman. You remember where that is, right?”
“What time?”
“Lunchtime.”
The call ended.
“That bastard’s going to ask for money again.”
“……”
“This whole thing started because of me. I’ll handle it.”
“No. I was part of it too. We’ll deal with it together.”
“……”
We drank again. After that, neither of us spoke. We just kept pouring liquor down our throats. Dae-woo hyung’s head had to be just as fucked up as mine. Before the shock of watching his wife get fucked by someone else could even fade, blackmail had come crashing down on us. We stayed like that until late into the night, drinking in silence.
Inside the Starbucks, three men sat facing each other.
“……”
“……”
No one spoke.
“The video,” I said first.
The guy rummaged in his pocket and placed a small USB on the table.
“Does this even mean anything? Heh.”
“……”
He was right. It didn’t. He kept smirking. I just wanted this over with as fast as possible.
“How much?”
“For what?”
“How much do you want?” My voice was rising.
He kept grinning at me, then glanced at Dae-woo hyung beside me.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I didn’t come here to sell anything.”
“Then what?”
“I just came to give it to you. You didn’t even change the password or the IP address. How were you planning to keep something like this safe? Heh.”
“……”
What the hell was this bastard saying now? Dae-woo hyung finally spoke.
“Then what do you want, if not money?”
“I told you, I just came to hand it over. You two are something else. Heh.”
I cut in. “Stop fucking around and just say it.”
“Wow, you’ve got a mouth on you. Heh.”
“You little—”
I started to stand, but Dae-woo hyung grabbed my arm and gave me a look that said to stay calm.
“Hey. So you really don’t want anything?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying. Have you only ever been lied to?”
“Then why did we meet?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
The guy smirked again.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“……”
Both Dae-woo hyung and I tensed up.
“The woman in that video. Is she your wife?”
“You already know that.”
“Right. Then who’s the guy next to her?”
“My little brother.”
“Not your real brother, though. Heh.”
“He lives next door.”
“I had a feeling last time we met, but I didn’t think it was actually true.”
“……”
“Didn’t expect you two to be this bold. Heh.”
“……”
“So you two planned this together? You watched your little brother rape your wife and got off on it? Heh.”
The guy chugged his iced coffee in one go, then turned serious.
“A guy who jerks off watching his wife get raped by his little brother, and the little brother who happily fucks his hyung’s wife… neither of you are normal, are you?”
Blood rushed to my face. His gaze was sharp. I had nothing to say. But I wasn’t about to just take it either.
“Then what the fuck does that make you, watching the video like some pervert?”
He stared at me and spoke slowly. “I’m the same kind as you two. What else? We’re all trashy perverts, aren’t we?”
“What? You fucking—”
“You were panting while pounding someone else’s wife. Don’t act innocent. You’ve probably jerked off thinking about your hyung’s wife before too.”
“……”
I had been half-standing, but the words died in my throat. It was all true, and that made it worse.
“Whatever. You said you don’t want anything, right? Fine. If that video gets leaked anywhere, you’re both dead. Got it? Hyung, let’s go.”
The guy leaned back in his chair, watching me tremble with rage.
“Hyung, let’s go.”
“What about the video?”
“You think that bastard’s just going to hand it over nicely? He’s probably saved copies everywhere. Let’s go. We’re wasting our time.”
“Still, if we just leave like this—”
“Then we’re all fucked. We’re already at the point of no return.”
I made a half-hearted threat I didn’t even believe. I wasn’t brave enough for any of this. Part of me wanted to grab his pant leg and beg. I didn’t want to lose my wife, my job, or the people I cared about.