008. Tribulations (Complete)
“Cum inside me. During my fertile window. Just like you did with that bitch Han Yu-ra.”
That line. That...!
Isn't it the number one dialogue that men caught cheating desperately want to hear?
I was ridiculously lucky to hear it with my own ears. This might just be the luckiest day of my life.
But there was a slight sense of unease.
Life isn't some third-rate doping porn fantasy...
Of course, my life was pretty close to an overflowing dopamine-fueled harem tale. I was sleeping with Han Yu-ra, the rich G-cup redhead masochist, and at the same time, with my short-haired, athletic childhood friend masochist who had those sharp abs etched across her stomach. The ultimate life. We might even do a 3P soon.
But something felt off. Shin Na-young was a woman grounded in reality, with a keen sense for common sense and the real world. For her to say something like that to me?
Was she seriously planning a pregnancy attack?
What scared me most was that she didn't seem that angry. At a time when curses and flying kimchi slaps should be raining down, her quiet demeanor felt like early signs of bipolar disorder.
“N-Na-youngie. You okay?”
“What kinda nonsense is that?”
“I just figured you'd be way madder.”
Angry, angry, super angry Na-young jumped up and down in place, her face flushed red.
“Of course I'm pissed! You think I don't look it?!”
“...”
“Even if I blow up at you, you'll still screw Han Yu-ra, right? You'll fuck, bite, suck, do every filthy thing under the sun, won't you? You're already hooked on that slut's body, huh?”
She grilled me, shoving me back toward the balcony railing until it pressed against my hips. Her round, long lashes trembled faintly.
I tried to scoop up the spilled water as best I could.
“Uh... if you're really that furious, I'd have to hold back too.”
Shin Na-young hardened her expression. Late twenties. The end of youth. The sky was a brilliant, beautiful blue.
We stood there with straight-line mouths, saying nothing.
“...”
“...”
Shin Na-young sighed.
“Fine. This doesn't even count as cheating.”
She conceded just like that.
“Strict. Ly. Speaking, yeah. You rejected my confession, right? I got dumped. Hard. Like an elementary school soccer ball flying across the field. And now I'm throwing away all my pride to cling to you, aren't I? Right?”
“Uh... yeah?”
“Don't answer that.”
“Okay.”
I felt the rhyme and flow in her “ge” endings—like being kicked like a soccer ball—but I held it in. If my inner K-hip-hop champ went wild here, she might actually shove me over the railing.
“You're an INTJ, right?”
That sent chills down my spine and a wave of disgust. Because I was a long-time MBTI skeptic. Personality typing based on traits was fine for behaviors, but boxing your “personality” into 16 rigid molds for self-insert roleplay was pathetic.
So I argued back.
“Na-youngie. MBTI is just a fictional framework invented by a novelist.”
She chuckled.
“That's what typical INTJs say.”
I had a comeback for that too.
“That's the 'ad hominem fallacy.' A logical error. Like saying you're short, so that's why you're talking crap.”
“Do you know what kind of person you are?”
Shin Na-young lightly touched my cheek. The soft feel of her fingers gave me goosebumps. Her short hair fluttered gently in the light breeze. Her pale neckline gleamed white. The lemony scent of her usual perfume wafted over. Suddenly, she looked stunning.
“You're smart. Stubborn, hyper-focused, ignore others and bulldoze ahead.”
Cognitive dissonance hit, but I couldn't fully deny it.
“You... aren't scared?”
“...”
“Of relationships changing. Someone becoming your girlfriend, or a friendship ending. Things in your life shifting.”
There was a solid core to her words.
“...No.”
“I know you better than you know yourself.”
But denying it outright wasn't easy. It was part of me, after all.
“Even if I get emotional, you'll just think up some 'methodology' to dismantle it.”
“...”
She nailed it.
“You're unconsciously calculating ways to 'sleep with Han Yu-ra and still sleep with me,' aren't you?”
I tried to say no. But hesitation crept into my voice, so I dropped it.
Could I claim I didn't have those thoughts? Not even a teaspoon's worth?
No, it was true. I wanted a free private life, even if it made me a bit of a scumbag. I believed I had the right.
“When I'm serious, you hit back seriously. Now that we've roughly accepted it, things loosen up to playful vibes. You're sly as hell.”
I thought it over. And admitted it.
“Yeah.”
“...Good. At least you're honest, Seong-u.”
Na-young pinched my cheek. Somehow, I'd stopped taking it all so seriously. Because that's what made me comfortable.
“I can't convince you otherwise. So at least make the sex fair.”
Shin Na-young grabbed my collar. And naturally pulled me in.
Something soft touched my lips.
This was the office, morning, outdoors. No thoughts crossed my mind.
Ah...
That was it. A soft, plush sensation on my lips for about 1-2 seconds. My heart floated in a hazy bliss. Like I was melting, living inside the kiss.
Then a few thoughts surfaced.
I haven't kissed Han Yu-ra yet. Not even now...
A fresh realization.
As her face pulled away, I saw her expression. Cheeks and lips flushed bright red. Her face still looked like a youthful girl. Under the clear blue sky, her gaze held a hint of obsession as she stared at me.
“I'm stealing you.”
Shin Na-young looked at me. Hiding some embarrassment but saying what she meant.
Thinking back, had I never dreamed of moments like this since childhood?
My heart pounded.
“Clear your schedule this weekend.”
My childhood friend claimed my weekend.
......
After Han Yu-ra toiled through the open beta and healed with sex.
After Im Seong-u heard Shin Na-young's creampie demand.
Finally, the eve of the long-awaited open beta arrived.
Kim A-ram lay on her bed at home, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“A-ram-ah...!”
Her mom burst through the door without knocking. Typical Korean parents—no knocking habit.
On the fluffy bed, ignoring the reality of debt and criminal law, she felt extreme stress. Then she sat up, her face disheveled.
Her mom jumped straight to the words she didn't want to hear.
“You... wrapped up that lawsuit thing, right?”
“...”
Silence from her only made Mom snap.
“A-ram! This is your whole life on the line! Mom and Dad have no money!”
Mom screamed like it was her own problem. A-ram hated seeing that face.
A thought flashed through her mind.
She says no money, but she's probably stashed some away...
She figured.
Like a heroine who says no but her body's honest...
And didn't they own a house anyway?
If worst comes to worst, sell the house or something.
That attitude tore at her parents' hearts like a ripped-up art class collage, but what could they do? She was Kim A-ram.
“By the way...”
“...”
“We're not helping you this time, A-ram.”
“...What?”
“Talked it over with Dad. We don't want you in jail either. But A-ram, even now—no, especially now—you need to get your head straight. We think we raised you wrong.”
“...Pardon?”
“Handle this one yourself.”
And Mom left. With half-teary eyes.
A-ram's mind reeled.
Ehhh...?
She let out a Japanese-style exclamation in her head.
“Ehhh...”
Truth was, Kim A-ram had two escape plans ready.
First: Get a job.
No job, no big loans...
Surprisingly pragmatic for her.
To rack up big debt, you needed proof of big-corp employment at least.
So right after getting fired, she'd blasted resumes to every major company in related fields.
Good thing I prepped early.
A-ram had been meticulously job-hunting a full month before getting canned—annoyingly thorough.
She'd targeted companies promising quick replies, firing off apps fast. Today was response day.
Please...!
A-ram stared at her phone tensely.
She read each one with a dead expression, swiping them down one by one.
Surely at least one success mark. Heart pounding like checking exam scores, but...
Not a single one?
A chill shot down her spine. Like plummeting off a cliff.
Just rejected from company interviews—quick-response ones at that—and yet it felt like the world had turned its back. The cold text sentences, a sudden chill in the air.
Was this intuition?
Why... why? At least one should've stuck!
Of course, she'd never know she was blacklisted. HR at big corps didn't blab.
...If this is it... Plan B.
Kim A-ram got up from the bed.
......
Kim A-ram's destination: Seoul East Detention Center.
The place looked surprisingly peaceful, nothing like its intimidating name.
...
Yes. Her second plan...
Was visiting the detention center to talk with an inmate.
Meeting one wouldn't boost her lawsuit odds, of course.
But she didn't need real solutions. Just comfort and empathy.
That life goes on after dodging debt, bankruptcy, jail, even relief applications.
That nothing's a big deal once you've been through it.
She craved those words.
Ughhh...
So she'd mustered the courage for a visit application today. To the noona from her freshman year who dealt drugs in Hongdae.
Not super close, but they'd connected, pre-registered, so a meeting should be possible, right?
“Ah... I pre-registered.”
“Yes. One moment. Name?”
“Kim A-ram.”
“Got it.”
She felt slight relief at the comprehensive citizen service desk. At least public servants were kind?
Life had always been easy for her. The world would smile the same way this time too... She believed.
“Yes. Follow the guide.”
She passed the desk, guided by some uniform—guard? Official? Cop?—step by step.
Her steps felt heavy for some reason. The guide said nothing the whole way.
...
And the visiting room.
Why's it so cramped...
The room was tiny. Barely worthy of the name—arms outstretched and you'd hit walls.
Is this where jailbirds live? A-ram swallowed hard.
Then the inmate noona entered.
“Uh...”
A teal prison jumpsuit. “2292” bold on her chest.
The Hongdae drug dealer noona grinned and waved at A-ram.
“Yo, A-ram, right?”
Thick plastic wall between them—no direct sound. Only through the mic below.
“What're you doing here?”
“Uh... Noona. I... screwed up big time.”
“Dumbass. What?”
“Uh... property damage...”
“You little shit. Property damage doesn't land you in here easy. What'd you do?”
A-ram spilled her whole saga. Only 10 minutes, so she rushed it all out.
“So... how's jail life, Noona?”
“Hm? Well...”
She made a pitiful face, then said,
“It's where people live. You'd fit right in.”
“Ahh... That's a relief.”
A-ram's heart melted.
But her next words were unspeakably horrific.
“The queen bee here's a lesbian. Goes nuts for pretty girls.”
“...Pardon?”
“You're hot, so you'd have it easy. Just give some head? You got a sensitive clit?”
“...Pardon?”
Exactly 10 minutes. Time up.
An announcement buzzed, and Noona left with the official back to her cell.
W-Wait a sec.
But life had no “wait a sec.”
A-Ah, no way? That stuff in jail? Impossible these days...!
Kim A-ram thought so.