A Thirty-Thousand-Dollar Toy

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I was just looking at my phone for a second..."

Phone, my ass. The guy reeked of booze. His face said he knew he was fucked, but the words coming out of his mouth were surprisingly polite. This son of a bitch.

"You smell like alcohol. Wait—aren't you Park Donghyun?"

I asked him point-blank.

"You know me? Sorry, I—*hic*—I don't really remember..."

How the hell would I not know you.

Park Donghyun. Rank 9 of the Iljinhoe. A piece of shit who couldn't fight to save his life, but leaned on his buddies to torment kids with vicious, petty cruelty. How many pairs of my shoes had this bastard stolen...

"I'm Han Taesang. Don't remember me?"

"...Han Taesang?"

"Yeah. Han Taesang. Donghyun—you been drinking and driving since early evening?"

"Ah—*hic*—oh, haha, Taesang, you've changed so much I didn't even recognize you. Nooo, I just had a drink with my manager—*hic*—Sohyeon's art academy is right nearby, *hic*, I was only gonna go right up to the front there..."

Sohyeon? Sohyeon... that name rang a bell. Sohyeon...

"You know a DUI means insurance won't cover any of this, right?"

"Come on~ what's friendship for, huh? *hic*~ A guy driving a car this nice's gotta have money. Just let it go, yeah?"

This asshole rear-ends the car I just picked up, doesn't even apologize, and now he's calling us friends?

"People really don't change, do they?"

"Yeah, yeah—*hic*—that's right. You, though—you've changed a lot, you bastard~"

The second he realized I was the Han Taesang who used to buy him bread, his attitude shifted in this strange, greasy way. He still couldn't treat me like he used to, though. The way he fidgeted made him look like a damn insect.

He must have texted someone in the middle of all that, because a woman came running over a moment later.

"Park Donghyun! What the hell! Was it a bad accident? This is a really expensive car—what are we going to do..."

"Oh—*hic*—there's my Sohyeon~ Sohyeon, you remember from high school, right? This is Han Taesang~ *hic*"

Kim Sohyeon's eyes went as round as a startled rabbit's as she stared at me, dazed.

That's right, Kim Sohyeon. I remember you too. The bitch who giggled and sneered while the Iljinhoe bastards beat the shit out of me behind the dumpsters in the back courtyard.

"...Hey, Taesang...? I'm really sorry...."

"I don't think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠'sorry' is going to cut it."

The humiliations these two had piled on me in the past flashed through my mind like a rush of film. Ah... I'd thought I'd forgotten it all. Turns out I hadn't forgotten a single thing.

I pulled out my phone and searched for how to handle the accident, turning over in my head how I was going to wreck these two I'd just run into after all these years.

A patrol car happened to be passing and pulled over. Officers approached to handle the accident and direct traffic.

"Oh, looks like you've had an accident. If you've already taken photos, then insurance..."

"Wait a second—has this gentleman been drinking? I smell alcohol."

"Ah, no, no. Drinking? What are you—*hic*..."

"He's been drinking, all right. The smell's pouring off him. And of all things, he had to rear-end a supercar..."

"Let's head to the station first."

The cops quickly loaded Park Donghyun—who could barely stand—into the car and took him away. I caught Kim Sohyeon before she could follow and spoke to her.

"You're still covering the repair costs, though, right?"

"Of course, Taesang. Here, my card. Just contact me at this number."

I looked down at her hands as she offered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me a white business card with both palms.

"You don't seem too worried. You know a DUI means no insurance coverage, right? Don't worry, though—I won't end up in a hospital bed or anything. Since. We're. Old. Classmates."

Classmates, my ass.

"Mm... still, just in case, if you wake up tomorrow and anything hurts, make sure you go to the hospital..."

Having handed over her card, Kim Sohyeon hurried off toward the station in short, quick steps.

"Ah, fuck. I just picked this thing up. This is some bullshit."

Still. I'd accidentally landed one of them, easy as anything. I called Chanhyuk, gave him a rough rundown, and told him to come have a drink.

A few days later, I called Kim Sohyeon.

The phone rang. Once. Twice.

"It's me. Han Taesang."

"Yeah. I'm fine. The car isn't."

"A little over thirty thousand."

"Fine. I'll come to a café near your academy."

According to Chanhyuk, this couple's finances were in bad shape. Not that their circumstances were any of my business. Which meant money was their biggest weakness.

They say problems that money can solve are the easiest problems of all. And I was a little curious to see Park Donghyun and Kim Sohyeon fail to solve the easiest problem of all.

I caught a taxi to a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chain café near the accident site. I was about halfway through an iced Americano when the door opened and Kim Sohyeon walked in.

"Taesang, have you been waiting long? Sorry I'm late."

The bitch coming to talk about repair money had dressed herself up from head to toe. The second she sat down, a blast of perfume stabbed me in the nose. My head hurt.

"Did you bring the thirty thousand? You transferring it?"

"Um... Taesang, the thing is, Donghyun's... his father's company went under. He just got a job at a small firm, and we're both working, barely scraping by... so we can't pay thirty thousand right now. Plus there's a DUI fine coming..."

"What are you getting at? So you can't pay?"

"No, no. Just—we can't pay it all at once... could we pay it off at seven hundred fifty a month?"

"Seven fifty? What, so I'm supposed to collect from you for forty months? Over this pocket change?"

"I'm begging you, Taesang. I'm really sorry."

Watching the back of Kim Sohyeon's head as she bowed like she was kowtowing, a delicious idea flashed through my mind.

"Fine. Let's do it this way. I just got back to Korea after a long time, you know? Nine years, maybe ten."

"...Ah. After a long time... I see."

"Yeah. So I don't even know my way around the neighborhood yet. Food, everything—I haven't adapted at all. You show me around, and when I call, you come out and handle the little stuff. Depending on how you do, I'll write off the thirty thousand. And of course, this stays a secret from Park Donghyun."

"Would that really be enough? If you'd do that for me, I'd be so grateful. I'll do whatever you tell me! Just please do that."

The bitch who'd giggled and sneered at me was now saying she'd do whatever I told her for thirty thousand dollars. The feeling that gave me was filthy and fascinating.

"You sure you're okay with that?"

"Aww, of course I am~ What's friendship for, right? Thank you."

Okay with it, huh. Haha. Friends. I don't remember having friends like you.

My father always used to say, like a mantra:

Of course, Kim Sohyeon had no idea what that meant.

"Good. Be in front of Ciel by seven tomorrow evening."

"Ciel...? I had a feeling from the car, but you really do live somewhere nice... Okay. See you then."

I stood up without a second thought and walked out of the café.

Seven o'clock.

I didn't waste a second wondering if she'd show. Kim Sohyeon was definitely coming.

Bzzzzzt—my phone buzzed on the table. Right on cue.

Today, I intended to show Kim Sohyeon things she'd only ever dreamed of and never possessed. If I let her taste, just at the tip of her tongue, a sweetness she could never have with Park Donghyun—she'd think about it for a long, long time. And I wanted to watch the reality she'd thought was fine turn into a sewer.

I was filling my head with nasty thoughts when the doorbell rang. Ding-dong.

"You made it?"

"Yeah. It's so high up. Taesang, why'd you tell me to come here?"

"No reason. Figured we'd eat and then head out."

I grinned and ordered room service. Kim Sohyeon perched awkwardly on the sofa, though her eyes were busy taking in everything around her.

She started dredging up some pointless old stories, and I played along while giving her a once-over. The carefully done makeup, the blouse with a neckline that put her cleavage on full display—you'd think she'd shown up for a blind date.

Soon the steak and wine arrived. I laid it out on the table without much ceremony, and we sat across from each other and started eating. After a glass or two of wine, Kim Sohyeon's cheeks went pink and her mouth loosened. She started asking personal questions.

"Taesang, Taesang, you've gotten so handsome. The Ferrari, this amazing place... it's incredible. Did you win the lottery or something?"

Hah... what a dumb bitch.

"You can't buy a place like this with lottery money. You wouldn't have cared, but my family was always reasonably well-off. We emigrated to the States, I finished school, started a trading business—and the business did very well."

I swirled the wine in my glass as I answered, nice and even.

"Wow... that's amazing... After Donghyun's father's company started going under, he spent years just drifting. Drinking a lot... Oh, of course, he's still really sorry about drinking and causing the accident. He only just got into a tiny company, barely bringing home two thousand a month..."

"Two thousand? That wouldn't even cover the maintenance fees here..."

"When you put it like that, I get jealous and upset, you know. Hmph."

All of a sudden, Kim Sohyeon filled her own glass to the brim, then—oops!—spilled wine all over her white blouse. It didn't look like an accident.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, I'm soaked. Taesang, do you have anything I could change into?"

Hey now. This bitch's little act was painfully obvious.

"Bathroom's further in. Go wash up. I'll bring you something to change into."

"Okay, thanks."

I watched her back with narrowed eyes as she headed for the bathroom, fussing as if to cover her front.

"Taesang~ I'm done washing. Can you give me something to change into?"

I'd been about to grab her a T-shirt. Then I thought better of it.

"Just come out."

"What? I can't just come out like this!"

I stood in front of the door and spoke.

"Hey, Kim Sohyeon. Did you actually think I'd write off thirty thousand dollars just to have you play tour guide?"

"What... are you talking about, Taesang."

"What do you think I'm talking about. Why the innocent act? If you don't get it, we'll pretend this never happened. If you do, then get out here."

Kim Sohyeon was silent for a moment. Then she said, quietly, "Okay," and slowly opened the door.

Click.

Covering herself with a bath towel, Kim Sohyeon shyly opened the door and stepped out, naked and fidgeting. Was this really the same woman who'd preened and posed among those oh-so-great Iljinhoe guys, looking down her nose at me like I was trash?

The Kim Sohyeon standing in front of me now was nothing but a pitiful little animal, trembling as she wavered between a mere thirty-thousand-dollar debt and the sweetness of money.

"Making me come out like this... you're a real bastard, Han Taesang."

The mosquito-thin mutter was almost laughable. I went to the sofa, sank back into it, started to pull out a cigarette, then thought better of it and crooked a finger.

"Come here."

Sohyeon hesitated for a moment. Then, as if realizing she had no choice, she slowly started walking toward me. With every step, the white skin showing through the gaps in the towel, the body still flushed from the shower, came into full, naked view.

Under the soft lighting, Sohyeon's figure—I hated to admit it—was far too well-built for a worthless piece of shit like Park Donghyun to have all to himself. She came to a stop in front of my knees and lowered her head. Her shoulders were trembling, faintly.

Still leaning back into the sofa, I popped open my belt buckle. In the cool air of the living room, my hardened cock made itself known.

Sohyeon's pupils shook at the sudden turn. She instinctively tried to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pull back. I snatched her slender wrist in one motion and forced her down onto her knees between my legs.

"Taesang, wait…… aren't we going to the bed……?"

"Sohyeon. I think you've got the wrong idea."

I looked down at her with cold eyes and roughly jerked her chin up.

"……!"

Sohyeon's face went white with shame in an instant.