Shattered Illusions
Plip, plop…
The sound of rain falling outside the house reached her ears.
This time it was real rain from the weather, not tears streaming from her eyes, but either way, it was more than enough to evoke sorrow.
The face reflected in the vanity mirror looked haggard.
She had managed to hide her swollen eyes with makeup, but there was nothing she could do about the exhausted expression.
She was supposed to meet her boyfriend soon.
Moreover, today was supposed to be an incredibly meaningful day—the day she would share an important first experience with him.
Looking this miserable on such a milestone felt like a terrible discourtesy, and it filled her with guilt.
Get a grip, Lee Ji-ah…! Smile. Just smile!
She forced the corners of her mouth upward with both index fingers, barely managing to shape something resembling a smile.
Honestly, she didn’t want to smile at all.
She didn’t want to meet her boyfriend feeling like this, and though it was awful to admit, she was certain she would only end up crying if they did meet.
But when she remembered that relying on someone else had led to her being cut off from her younger sister, the nonexistent tears retreated back inside.
Being unable to lean on anyone was heartbreaking.
Yet she tried to remember that simply having someone by her side was something to be grateful for.
She checked the clock.
It was almost time for their meeting, so she needed to leave soon, but her boyfriend still hadn’t contacted her.
They had already decided on the time and place, so it shouldn’t have mattered, but the lack of a reply to her message felt strange.
She was puzzled, but time kept moving, so she started to rise from her seat—
Beep!
A notification arrived.
She quickly checked her phone and found a message from an unexpected sender.
Kim Ha-rin.
Her best friend had sent a single photo via messenger.
Feeling puzzled by the sudden image, she opened the file.
“…Huh?”
An unbelievable scene filled her vision.
Her boyfriend lay completely naked on a bed, his genitals exposed, while her best friend posed beside him with linked arms, smiling as she took a nude selfie.
Her boyfriend seemed to be in a deep sleep, but the situation captured in the photo alone was enough to spark dizzying imaginings in her mind.
Beep!
—[My Precious Friend: lololol Your boyfriend’s something else, huh? Total beast mode. He’s been tormenting me since last night and finally passed out.]
The message from her best friend appeared right after the photo.
Only then did the imagined scenario become reality.
“What is this…?”
The hand holding her phone trembled so violently she could barely control it.
She couldn’t understand what was happening, but she somehow managed to remember that she needed to call her boyfriend.
Ring ring…
[The customer is not answering. Please leave a message after the beep—]
—Click.
He didn’t pick up.
She tried again.
Ring ring…
[The customer is not answering. Please leave a message after the beep—]
—Click.
Her mind went blank as she mechanically redialed, but the result never changed.
She considered calling her best friend instead, then hesitated.
She didn’t want to go any further.
She couldn’t bear the thought of hearing the truth she didn’t want to hear from her best friend.
Her already fragile mind felt like it would collapse completely.
The last threads of her rationality seemed ready to snap.
Even so, she couldn’t let go of her hesitation. For a long while she simply stared at the call button, trapped in indecision.
Why?
…Revenge?
Revenge for having I-jun taken away?
Then what about her boyfriend…?
Today… they were supposed to spend their first night together…
So why…?
Why with another woman?
“—Guh!?”
Her thoughts spiraled endlessly, and the nausea that had been churning in her stomach surged upward.
She clamped a hand over her mouth and rushed to the bathroom.
“Uweeeeh—!!”
She buried her face in the toilet and vomited for a long time.
Only after retching until her stomach burned did she manage to lift her head.
Staggering, she barely made it to the sink.
She rinsed the vomit from her lips and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Her makeup was ruined, but there was no longer any reason to care.
She stumbled out of the bathroom to find her younger sister watching her through a slightly open door.
Without a single word of concern or comfort, she simply observed in silence, as if monitoring her.
The sight no longer shocked her. That, in itself, was no longer surprising.
Leaving her sister’s mechanical gaze behind, she stepped outside the house.
She left simply because she wanted to escape the suffocating feeling in her chest, wandering aimlessly through the streets.
Plip, plop—the rain struck her entire body like a rebuke.
When her bare feet splashed through puddles, she belatedly realized she had come out without shoes.
Passersby stared at her strangely, but she didn’t care.
Without a single thought in her head, she walked nowhere in particular until she suddenly stopped in place.
She lifted her head and looked up at the pitch-black sky.
Plip—
The rain showed no sign of stopping.
As she gazed at the endless downpour, she felt something hot trail down her cheeks.
Inside, her heart was sobbing uncontrollably, yet the tears that actually fell were pitifully few.
It was proof that her mind was broken, but knowing that changed nothing.
Beeeeep—
Standing unsteadily at the edge of the road, a car honked its horn in warning.
The irritating sound triggered a sudden thought.
Would dying bring peace?
Would this pain finally disappear?
The seductive idea filled her mind as she prepared to step onto the road.
Her thoughts had gone completely blank—she no longer wanted to think about anything.
Plip, plop… drip.
The steady sound of rain ceased, and her body, which had been about to move, froze.
When she looked up, she saw that an awning had appeared above her, stopping the rain.
Someone had held an umbrella over her head.
“Are you okay?”
A voice both unfamiliar and familiar spoke beside her.
She turned her head and saw him.
Yoon Seung-woo.
They had only known each other for less than a month, yet she had always felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if they had been close for years.
Recently their relationship had grown distant because of a misunderstanding—why was he standing in front of her now?
The question lasted only a moment.
“———!!!”
She threw herself into his arms and burst into the tears she had been holding back.
She buried her face in his chest and sobbed, pouring out all her anguish.
The pouring rain drowned out the sound of her crying.
She was grateful for that.
She didn’t want anyone—least of all herself—to see how ugly she looked right now.
How long had she cried?
When she finally managed to stop, embarrassment washed over her.
What if… he misunderstood?
It might sound selfish, but in her current state of mind, she would have clung to anyone.
Feeling guilty, she lifted her face from his chest to apologize.
“Um… I’m sorry, oppa. I suddenly—”
Tap.
Something touched her forehead.
She let out a short gasp and looked up to see him pressing what looked like a stamp against the top of her head.
“Ta-da.”
He was smiling.
The wide grin wasn’t the kind of smile she had come to know from him.
She sensed something was wrong, but realized it was already too late.
“Brainwashing successful.”
“…What?”
Thud.
The thread holding her mind together snapped.
* *
“Haaaah—. Slurp—”
She took a sip of the tea he had given her and felt warmth spread through her stomach, calming her heart.
The heat radiating from the cup cradled between her hands also helped steady her emotions.
Her soaked clothes had grown cold, but even that sensation felt strangely welcome right now.
The feeling she hadn’t noticed in the rain now reminded her that she was still alive.
“Thank you, oppa…”
She bowed her head toward him, seated across the table.
Not only had he comforted her on the street, he had even brought her to his own home to escape the rain.
No amount of thanks would ever be enough.
“How could I just stand there when you looked that unsteady…? Here, take this.”
“Ah, thank you. Really… thank you.”
She accepted the towel he offered, bowing her head again in guilt.
She had no face left to show.
Tears threatened to spill once more, but she held them back.
She couldn’t let herself look any more pathetic.
“Heh.”
“……?”
While drying her hair with the towel, she heard a chuckle and looked up at him.
He was watching her with an amused smirk.
She blinked, unable to understand why he was laughing.
Did I do something wrong…?
She had only been drying her hair.
There was no reason to laugh.
“Want to see a funny video?”
“A funny… video?”
The sudden suggestion puzzled her, but she had no intention of refusing.
Maybe he was trying to cheer her up.
Thinking that, she felt grateful and let out a small laugh.
“Okay.”
“Here, watch.”
He held out his phone, showing her a video.
A familiar face appeared on the screen.
At first she thought she was mistaken and leaned in, frowning.
It wasn’t a mistake…
“…Huh?”
It really was her.
[Unnie hweee— I’m so weak— I, I’m doing my best—]
It was Ji-seo.
Her younger sister was completely naked on a bed, striking bizarre poses and expressions while calling out to her.
She could tell Ji-seo was trying to encourage her, but the way she was doing it was utterly grotesque.
Rolling her eyes upward, spreading her naked legs wide, and flashing peace signs with both hands.
What on earth was the meaning of this?
Why had her sister filmed something so strange, and how did oppa even have this video?
…No way.
As the thought struck her, fear crept in.
“Ah… aaaah—”
A broken scream escaped her lips.
A chill washed over her.
Even though she was indoors, she could almost hear the sound of rain right beside her.
The warmth that had seeped into her body vanished like a lie.
She couldn’t tell whether her trembling came from the cold or from terror.
She was still—
Trapped in the rain.