If Only the World Would End
780,000 won.
That was all Ha Dong-hee could scrape together after working three part-time jobs for an entire month while surviving on snatches of sleep. Three jobs, and this was it?
The answer was obvious. Debt.
The enormous sum she had never even laid eyes on belonged to her brother—the one who had run off and was now unreachable—gambling debts owed to loan sharks.
Those collectors had hunted her down with persistence worse than cockroaches, dumping the crushing burden on her like some kind of gift simply because the family registry listed her as his sister. Even now, the memory of the day they first stormed into her semi-basement studio sent shivers down her spine strong enough to jolt her awake from sleep.
Ha Dong-hyeok, that son of a bitch. Beating him to death wouldn't even feel good enough.
Dong-hee cursed her brother with insults he would never hear.
Five million won ballooning into fifty million happened in the blink of an eye.
No matter how desperately she worked to pay it down each month, the debt sprouted new interest like it was breeding on its own. It was like pouring water into a bottomless jar, but the terror that her body might be chopped up and sold off if she stopped kept her from ever resting.
She sometimes wondered if giving up a kidney wouldn't be so bad, but the moment she pictured herself on the operating table, a cold certainty hit her that it would mean saying goodbye to this world forever.
Remembering the way those men had stared at her with greedy, filthy eyes, Dong-hee shook her head violently.
Miserable as her life was, she didn't want to die like that.
Today was payday for her part-time work, but just like always, the money left only a ghost of a trace in her account before vanishing.
"It's not even a damn guestbook. Sigh!"
Her head resting against the wall felt heavier than usual today. There was nothing in it, so why did it weigh so much?
I wish the whole earth would just collapse.
If she could turn back time, she would erase those days when she used to smile and say how nice it was to have a mom and a brother.
"Idiot. Moron."
The day she returned from her school trip, her stepmother had run off with her brother, pocketing not only the lease deposit but her father's death insurance payout as well.
All that remained were the clothes on her back, the laundry stuffed in her bag, and the handmade chocolate pies she had bought as presents for her mother and brother.
"Dumbass."
She had checked inside her bag over and over on the bus, terrified the pies would melt.
She only had enough for two—one for Mom, one for her brother.
In the end, those handmade chocolate pies from Gyeongju became the last thing Dong-hee ever ate in that house.
After that, she never touched chocolate pie again.
She lacked the courage to die, but the thought of giving up on everything made her feel like she really would die. The harder she struggled to survive, the tighter the noose around her throat became.
There was no escape anywhere.
Do I really have to keep living like this until the day I drop dead?
47.8 million won.
She had faithfully paid more than two million won every month, yet the debt had only shrunk by 2.2 million.
"Fuck. I really can't do this anymore."
Dong-hee spat out a curse that still felt awkward on her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears rolled down her cheeks anyway.
It would be so nice if the apocalypse came right now.
She didn't even have the energy to wipe her tears. She flung her exhausted body onto the old mattress, and her gaze landed on the stained ceiling wallpaper.
It's going to leak again when it rains. They said the rainy season starts next week.
The rent was so much cheaper than anywhere else that she couldn't bring herself to pester the landlord about repairs. She was terrified he'd just tell her to move out immediately.
If water drips, I can just put a bowl underneath. Simple.
Even a damp, moldy room was better than the streets.
The miserable thoughts kept chaining together. The longer they dragged on, the deeper her tired body sank into the worn mattress.
Dong-hee stretched her arm above her head, groping blindly for the phone she had tossed aside.
Her four-year-old phone took forever to charge and died without warning after less than half a day.
Still, it was far better than nothing, and it dutifully informed her that it was currently two in the morning.
She had to be at the convenience store job by five.
"Three hours of sleep. That's all I need."
Dong-hee crawled across the mat, shoved her body into the crumpled blanket, and closed her eyes. Every bone in her body felt as heavy as iron.
Even the slightest shift made the old mattress squeak with a loud sprong.
Her eyelids drooped on their own. She blinked a few meaningless times before sleep finally claimed her.
Still, having a place like this was better than nothing.
Dong-hee drifted into deep sleep, trying to feel proud of herself for securing even this semi-basement studio despite having no money.
"My lord, please wake up."
A gentle, kind voice reached her from somewhere.
Had she fallen asleep with the TV on?
Dong-hee opened her eyes, guilt twisting in her stomach at the thought of wasting electricity when every hundred won counted.
But the scene before her was nothing like usual.
For several seconds, Dong-hee blinked slowly, her face blank.
Am I still dreaming? Why is it so bright?
The semi-basement studio that stayed dim no matter the time of day was now bright as noon.
Damn it, did I leave the lights on too?
Frowning, she tried to sit up, but the texture of the blanket against her palm felt completely foreign.
Where was she?
Her first thought was that the loan sharks had broken in while she slept and kidnapped her.
Dong-hee widened her eyes, taking in the unfamiliar furniture, walls, and ceiling, until her gaze finally met the woman staring at her with clear worry.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
"Eek!"
At Dong-hee's scream, the woman standing across from her also shrieked, her hands trembling violently.
Dong-hee's scream went on for a long time.
She looked around desperately for anything that could be used as a weapon, but everything in sight was soft and plush.
"What's the matter? Did you have a nightmare?"
The woman who had screamed along with her regained her composure and asked with a concerned expression.
Only then did Dong-hee realize the woman facing her was a foreigner, and she was struck speechless.
Did they put me on a deep-sea fishing boat or something?
It was a relief they hadn't slit her stomach open right away, but wasn't forcing her onto a boat going too far?
Wait—why could she understand every word?
Come to think of it, this didn't look like the inside of a ship. Where was this place?
Her startled heart refused to calm, and her breathing quickened on its own. Sitting on the bed, Dong-hee curled into herself like a frightened cat, ready to strike if necessary.
"My lord, are you truly all right?"
"Me? You mean me?"
"Yes. Are you in pain anywhere?"
"No, I'm not hurt. But... who are you?"
"Pardon?"
This time the woman let out a stunned cry.
Leaving the woman who kept calling her "my lord" behind, Dong-hee had been standing in front of the mirror for a full hour.
The girl reflected in the glass was not thirty-one-year-old Ha Dong-hee, but a young woman who looked to be in her late teens at most.
Her large chocolate-brown eyes sparkled like glass marbles. Hair the exact same shade cascaded down in gentle waves. Her skin was as pale and flawless as rice cake, and her soft, smooth lips were a fresh, cherry-like red.
"This is me?"
Still unable to believe it, Dong-hee pressed her nose against the mirror and touched her face.
The girl in the reflection mimicked every movement, lips parting in sync. The girl copying her actions was doll-like in her beauty.
It had been a life where no one had ever called her pretty.
Just an ordinary face and a body that didn't stand out in any particular way.
Dong-hee had been so unremarkable that even at class reunions, hardly anyone recognized her.
The question she heard most often was, "Were you in our class too?"
But this was supposed to be her?
"And this pretty?"
"Yes, my lord, you are exceptionally beautiful. Which is why you must prepare to go out now!"
The woman with the somewhat strict-looking face said she was the nanny. Or rather, that she had been the nanny.
When Dong-hee hadn't recognized her and asked who she was, the nanny had first teared up in shock. But seeing how strangely calm Dong-hee remained, she decided it must be a prank and now wore a thoroughly sulky expression.
It's not a prank. So is this a dream?
Dong-hee pinched her soft cheek lightly.
It didn't hurt?
"Doesn't that hurt when you pinch yourself so hard?"
The nanny, who had been watching, grumbled.
"Then would you pinch me instead?"
If this was a dream, she needed to wake up quickly. Being late for her part-time job and getting fired would be disastrous.
Dong-hee turned one cheek toward the nanny. Even though she knew it was a dream, she still squeezed her eyes shut in nervous anticipation.
"No complaining later!"
"Yeah, yeah, just pinch me already. I need to wake up."
"Here it comes!"
"Hurry! I'm late for my shift."
"I have no idea what you've been saying this whole time! Well, excuse me then!"
The moment the words left her mouth, searing pain tore through Dong-hee's cheek. Despite the apologetic look on her face, the nanny mercilessly twisted the delicate skin.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Dong-hee rose onto her tiptoes as high as her cheek was pulled, then stomped her feet while shrieking.
Flailing like a freshly caught fish, Dong-hee clutched her cheek and glared. Tears stung her eyes.
"That hurts!"
"You said no complaining! Now get up! You must eat breakfast! Today you absolutely have to inspect the territory. Otherwise the Patrasche Viscount might truly seize it from you."
Belatedly feeling guilty, the nanny gently stroked Dong-hee's reddened cheek.
"Patrasche? The dog?"
Dong-hee felt an odd sense of familiarity at the name and rubbed her stinging cheek.
The nanny let out a deep sigh, moistened the towel she had brought with warm water, and began gently wiping Dong-hee's face. Dong-hee instinctively leaned back, afraid of another pinch, but the nanny supported the back of her neck, forcing her to simply squeeze her eyes shut. The person called nanny clearly possessed frightening grip strength.
"No matter what, how can you openly call him a dog? What if someone overhears you?"