Two Red Lines of Ruin
Aieeeee!! Pregnant!? Why!? …………… Two lines. Two vivid red lines etched on the pregnancy test. And the bitch holding that hateful thing—Yeom Hana. She was grinning ear to ear. A playful expression, like she'd just won the lottery.
"………Ha."
Lee Jin-ah's molars ground together with a crunch. She couldn't tell if the phone in her hand was shaking or if her hands were trembling. Her heart wasn't just pounding—it felt like it was slamming down like a hammer. Blood surged backward, her temples throbbing.
"What the hell is this?"
She wanted to type something into the chat right then and there. [Who the hell are you?][What gives you the right to get knocked up by Senior Han Kang?!] Her fingers hovered over the phone keyboard. But Lee Jin-ah knew better. The moment she sent a message, it was all over. One message, and everything would come out. She'd be caught unlocking his phone with his sleeping fingerprint, sneaking into the messenger app. No room for excuses then.
"……Calm down. Calm down, Lee Jin-ah."
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to steady herself. Once, twice, three times. The blood rushing to her head receded bit by bit, restoring a sliver of judgment. First, she needed info. Know your enemy to fight.
She opened her eyes. There was the thieving stray cat bitch, beaming with the pregnancy test in hand.
First, confirm.
She scrolled the chat to the top. It wasn't as long as she'd thought.
That was the first message. Checking the date, it was less than a month ago.
Just this little? Only a month?
Just a month. While she'd been investing years. A vein bulged on Lee Jin-ah's forehead. She gritted her teeth and scrolled down slowly from the start, scanning the conversation.
It was one-sided. Almost entirely Yeom Hana initiating. Han Kang just gave short responses. The content was mostly pointless chit-chat. Hell, it was embarrassing to even call it chit-chat—like an elementary kid pranking their parents.
Kid bitch.
Talking to herself, sending memes, deluding herself it was funny, pretending to be close one-sidedly. And yet Han Kang fell for this kid bitch. Lee Jin-ah's fingertips tightened. Her nails might leave marks on the screen any second.
Stop. Can't leave evidence.
She breathed again. Gather info first. Emotions later.
So how the hell did this happen?
That day with the motel smell. The night before, he'd been with this bitch? She scrolled further.
She read the whole history, but there was barely any useful info. From jokes and memes, she gleaned that the bitch was twenty, played guitar. And starting from the motel soap smell day, the dirty jokes began. Lee Jin-ah checked Yeom Hana's messenger profile, memorized the ID. Then opened the contacts app.
[Yeom Hana]
She memorized the damn thieving cat's number.
……………
"Twenty."
Seven years younger than her. Younger even than that incest freak Han Sol—a real kid. She looked at the pregnancy test pic again. Seeing that smile made heat rise all over her body.
Wanna kill her.
Dead serious. Wanted to track her down, grab her by the hair, smash her face into the floor. Stomp on that belly carrying Han Kang's seed. And Han Kang too.
"……Senior. Didn't know you had no sense of chastity."
Fucked that thieving cat a week ago, fucks her tonight. Surprisingly slutty.
……Still.
"I like Senior."
Strangely, she couldn't imagine being apart from this man. She was furious but not furious, betrayed but the fear of breakup erased the betrayal. Couldn't choose a future without Senior, or even the possibility.
Guess she'd forgive him. Cheating was a huge betrayal. But still.
At least a little payback crossed her mind. Make him do reverse bunny cosplay. Lee Jin-ah's lips twitched up. Middle-aged ajusshi in bunny ears and fishnets. So depraved, so double-standard. The idea hit her tastes dead-on.
"No, that's not important right now."
She shook her head hard, refocusing. Analyze the situation. Coldly.
Conclusion: The thieving cat bitch had the huge advantage now. Pregnant. Carrying Han Kang's kid.
This morning, when Senior wakes and sees that test message, how would he react? [Delete it now] would be ideal, but he wasn't that guy. The Han Kang she'd observed was curt, cold, but strong on responsibility.
"……He won't abandon it."
He'd step up, take responsibility somehow. If Senior decides to own up to Yeom Hana, she's done. A duck egg in the Nakdong River. Best case, second place. Worst, just coworker he banged once.
"No way."
Absolutely not. There had to be a way. Somehow. Lee Jin-ah started thinking. How to protect Senior. How.
"………."
No easy answer. But she wouldn't give up. She didn't know the word. She'd achieved every goal by any means. Proud of that, even.
"Maybe sleep first……."
But eyes closed, no sleep came. Her mind spun. Yeom Hana. She repeated the name over and over. Memorized it. Never forget.
……………
Lee Jin-ah was a truly scary woman. Looking back, it felt like everything was planned from the start. Maybe even before suggesting workouts together.
The dinner invite was natural. Hungry after training. Then just one drink on a Friday night—nothing suspicious. At the nice bar she picked, sipping whiskey, time got awkward. Movie theater nearby, fun flick just out, so late-night movie. Out of the theater, even last train gone. Debating taxi, she mentioned her place was close to the theater. Couldn't drop her last time, too late now. Leaving her there wasn't an option.
So to her place, water and hangover pills to sober up, went inside. She hands water, tells me sit on sofa, sits right next to me. Then……yeah. That happened.
So I stepped on an escalator I couldn't get off. Didn't notice climbing step by step, came to, already at the top.
Woke up, and Jin-ah changed. Last night was just booze boldness, apparently. Morning her was way, way bolder. Attitude shifted. Didn't even get up, suggests round two. That……daishuki hold. Weekend plans canceled. Stamina fully drained.
Was gonna go to Sol's, watch a movie maybe. Now just wanna crash at home.
"Senior, should we head to work together Monday?"
Clueless to my thoughts, she subtly pushes to spend the whole weekend together.
"Uh, well……got plans with my daughter."
"Ah……."
Lied my way out, fled home. Disappointment clear on her face, but no choice. At my age, gotta treasure my health. Whole weekend with her, she'd suck me dry.
Straight home, collapsed on sofa.
"……Ugh."
Body that deadlifts 270kg, yet back hurts.
"Jin-ah……definitely no workout newbie."
Otherwise stamina like that doesn't make sense. Even if force differs man-woman, hers was beyond exceptional—almost not enough word for it. Teaching workouts just excuse to get close? Bitter smile. Pulled phone from pocket.
Hadn't checked since starting workouts with her yesterday. Notifications piled up. Mostly spam, ads. One stood out.
Yeom Hana. Unread messages stacked.
"……Hm?"
Opened messenger, into her chat. Top pic, not scrolled yet. Flame-orange hair. Beaming smile. In her hand—pregnancy test. Two lines.
"—!?"
Brain froze. Completely stopped.
Then.
"Aieeeee!! Pregnant!? Why!?"
Pregnancy reality shock hit. Hands shook. Nearly dropped phone. Barely caught, stared through screen. Two lines. Confirmed. Pregnant, pregnant. Mind went white. How? How?
"Ah, that motel time……!"
No protection at all. Chills ran down spine, cold sweat. Trembling fingers barely typed.
Hit send. Read receipt popped. No reply.
"………."
One second felt like a minute. Heart about to jump out mouth.
"Han Kang you crazy bastard."
Wanna go back, smack my own head. No condom, shouldn't have finished inside……no, from daishuki hold, pulling out impossible?
Useless thoughts while waiting dozens of seconds.
The long-awaited reply from Yeom Hana? Utterly meaningless—laughable.