Revenge and Killing Coin
“This is a revenge-and-killing coin.”
Why is it so cheap to screw with people?
System, answer me. You really don’t believe in love and peace, do you?
As always, the System stayed silent.
Right. Of course you won’t answer. Let’s get on with it.
In 2 seconds, the effect will be executed.
Everything has a price.
I turned my head. Lee Gu-jun strode toward the exit with all the confidence in the world. I watched his back in silence.
“Huh?”
The man who had been making such a grand exit suddenly lurched. I quietly rose from the table. I wanted to enjoy every last second of the show properly.
He staggered once, then slapped a hand against the wall.
Thud—
A strange silence fell. I worked hard to keep my expression under control.
I can’t laugh here.
Come on, acting skills. Pull through for me.
I blinked in deliberate confusion.
One of the cast members let out a groan.
“Oh my.”
With his knee raised, Lee Gu-jun’s foot was clearly visible.
Wow.
His luxury shoe had collapsed at the sole, hanging pitifully around his ankle.
It looks like modern art.
Sweat dripped down his forehead.
Then the cameraman covered his mouth and laughed.
“Pfft—”
That was the beginning. All at once, the cast members started covering their mouths and turning away.
Wow…
No one was laughing out loud. But every single one of them was shaking like they’d been hit by an earthquake.
This is another masterpiece of modern art.
Lee Gu-jun had no idea what to do. Even so, he didn’t forget to glare at everyone.
“Hey! What’s so funny about this? Stop laughing!”
Oh, no. If you tell people not to laugh—
“Kkkhk! Kya-kak!”
“Kakakak!”
“Khuk!”
—it just makes them want to laugh even harder.
Someone wiped tears from their eyes. In the end, everyone lost it.
“Puhahahahahaha!”
“Kakakaka!”
“Kruhahahahaha!”
By then, no one could stop. The laughter rattled the walls, and I took a slow breath.
I really shouldn’t laugh here either.
Honestly, though, I wanted to laugh too.
Think about your image.
I was an angelic child actor, and my mom was Ma Soo-jung.
There’s no need to build a negative image for myself.
I had too much already, and too much to lose.
As everyone wiped their eyes and kept laughing, Lee Gu-jun looked more and more lost. He started to bark again, then faltered and backed away.
He looked like a dog with a thousand tails tucked between its legs.
Wow, he looks pathetic.
He bolted out of the studio in a panic.
Bang—
The door slammed shut. I stared at the floor. There, in all its glory, lay the remains of Lee Gu-jun.
His wrecked shoe is right there.
Then someone said,
“S-She’s like Cinderella.”
Staff member. You really shouldn’t say that here.
“Puhahaha!”
“Ah, don’t laugh so hard. Puhup.”
“Ah, I was trying not to! Heeheeheehee.”
“His feelings will be hurt. Cup. Kk-kk.”
“Khap. He’s already gone.”
Good grief.
The third wave had hit. In the uproar, I took another deep breath and waited.
Even if I did the directing, still.
That was a little surprising, even to me.
Anyone who lays a hand on our mom is going to get wrecked.
Little Ma Gongja doesn’t hold back.
I sat back down on the table amid the noise.
Still, was that a bit much?
Just when I was feeling the faintest pang of conscience, the spit Lee Gu-jun had left on the table stood out all the more.
I shook my head.
Ah, never mind. Cancel that.
Yeah. That was exactly the kind of guy he was.
Just then, a hand holding white tissue paper came wiping across the table.
Huh?
When I looked around, Jung Yu-jin was cleaning the table.
Wow, what a wonderful person.
So she’s handling the cleanup too?
Hm, good deeds are supposed to be done in secret.
Especially things like this.
I spoke up a little loudly.
“You wiped it off?”
Everyone’s attention snapped to us. Jung Yu-jin, who had been about to throw the tissue away, gave an awkward smile.
“It looks gross.”
Fair enough.
Though cleaning it up is another matter entirely.
A laugh escaped me without warning.
This movie’s going to do well.
Whatever she did, it had an extra layer of weight and sincerity to it.
Wow, I’m excited.
Maybe because I was thrilled, my cheeks had gone a little warm. I rubbed them with both hands and said,
“You’re cool!”
“Oh, me?”
“Yes!”
Jung Yu-jin turned her head and laughed.
How long had it been like that?
Director Rhy-lac stood up and clapped twice.
Clap-clap—
“So, this happened all of a sudden. I’m sure you’re all confused, but…”
The director looked around and met the eyes of the cast.
“We still have to do our jobs. For now, let’s keep this quiet. I know it’ll probably leak everywhere anyway, but at least focus for the moment.”
The others nodded.
“All right, then, first…”
The director strode over to me. Then he suddenly scooped me up from the table and hugged me tight.
Excuse me?
What are you doing?
I worked hard to smooth out the crease between my brows.
Being held by a man is the worst, but I can’t let it show.
Director Rhy-lac patted my back.
“Our Gongja, you were startled, huh?”
Nope.
“Y-Yes. A little.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you. You saw something you shouldn’t have.”
So you knew that much. Honestly, if I’d been a normal kid, I would’ve been hurt by that.
Well, I’m on my second life.
I answered with a bright smile.
“I’m okay!”
“You’re brave.”
I looked at Jung Yu-jin and said each word clearly.
“The actress Jung Yu-jin, who plays my mom, protected Gongja.”
“Huh?”
I said it loudly, as if everyone needed to hear.
“She even wiped off the spit she’d thrown up!”
What an incredibly responsible lead actress.
Don’t just brush it off. Praise her already.
Of course, she probably hadn’t done it expecting praise.
The director gave a thumbs-up. Applause broke out around us.
Jung Yu-jin grinned and accepted it like she was onstage at an awards ceremony.
The mood turned warm and easy.
The movie’s off to a great start.
And right at the beginning, the ugly nonsense had already been scrubbed away.
At the very least, no one’s going to say they skipped The Basement because of Lee Gu-jun.
A little disappointing. I still had one more dose of revenge left in me.
I should’ve given him one more.
I’d remember that.
Director Rhy-lac spoke up.
“All right, let’s reset! I’ll temporarily take over Lee Gu-jun’s role.”
I pulled out the script and focused. My heart started pounding again.
Yeah. I’m looking forward to this.
How good would the set be?
Maybe that was why the laughter still wouldn’t stop.
* * *
“Can you stay here?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
Ma Jeok rolled once across the living room floor. I took the silicone mouthpiece I used for vocal practice out of my mouth and stared at him.
You said you wouldn’t come to the Annex, and now you’re practically living here.
Ever since that incident, he’d been staying at the Annex nonstop.
I don’t think he’s even going to academies these days.
He must be getting tons of private lessons and the like, though.
Ma Jeok scratched his butt vigorously.
“My dad’s under indictment and the whole place is a mess, so I’m not doing anything right now. And coming here? Worst case, I get hit a few times. Big deal.”
What?
The first part I can understand, but the second? Hit a few times?
Lee Yu-kyeong—does she hit him again?
I walked over to Ma Jeok and, without warning, lifted up his shirt.
“W-What are you doing!”
“Let me check your body.”
Just as I’d expected, he was covered in dark bruises.
“That’s bad. Does it hurt?”
“Ah, I got hit a little.”
“Ah! You got hit a little… no, wait! Teacher! He’s injured again!”
Dek-su’s pupils shook. He had come over to bring fruit, but he froze on the spot.
“He’s bruised! Please check this!”
Bang—
The plate dropped onto the soft rug, and the fruit rolled in all directions.
At least the plate didn’t break.
Dek-su looked frantic. Ma Jeok shouted in protest.
“I said I’m fine! It’s just a few bruises!”
“How is being bruised from getting hit fine? Check him first.”
Dek-su took several deep breaths, then turned around at once.
“I’ll go get the first-aid kit.”
The large man ran off like lightning.
He took a hit to the shock again, I guess.
Isn’t this child abuse?
I let out a long sigh as I picked up an orange.
“Th-that person. I mean… what should I even call her?”
Calling Lee Yu-kyeong by a title was a little awkward. It’d be strange to just use her name in front of her son, too.
Come to think of it, she’s technically a relative, but she doesn’t even recognize me as a mother’s son.
Ma Jeok sat up and picked up the plate and knife. He was trying not to show it, but I could see it clearly.
He hurts every time he moves.
Then again, it made sense if he was bruised that badly.
Does this kid have a fever too?
I set the orange on the tray and placed my hand on his forehead. Luckily, he didn’t feel hot.
When I lowered my hand, Ma Jeok dropped his gaze. For some reason, he looked very embarrassed.
“J-Just call her that person.”
What, do I have to refer to Lee Yu-kyeong as a pronoun now? Seriously.
“Got it. So that person hit you again?”
“Yeah.”
“She came here and hit you?”
Ma Jeok shook his head, his face red.
“She hit me here, yeah, but even if I wasn’t here, it’d be the same.”
What did he mean by that?
“If she’s in a bad mood, she finds something to pick at and hits me. She’s always been like that.”
Wow, Lee Yu-kyeong.
Isn’t that dangerous?
That’s textbook child abuse, isn’t it?
Beating a kid just because you’re in a bad mood?
What am I supposed to do about this?
A sigh escaped me before I could stop it. Child abuse still wasn’t something that had fully come to the surface yet.
And on top of that, Lee Yu-kyeong is a big-shot too.
Even if someone reported it, the child and parent probably wouldn’t be separated. Besides, she was closer to the law than anyone else.
Damn it.
I let out another heavy breath.
If people hear that a child from the Sungjin Group owner family is getting beaten, no one will believe it.
Even if you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, it doesn’t mean you’re safe from violence.
I patted Ma Jeok on the head.
“That must hurt.”
“N-No, it doesn’t. Even if it hurts a little, it only lasts then.”
“That can’t be true.”
Another sigh slipped out of me.
Just then, Dek-su came running back with the first-aid kit. Without hesitation, he lifted up Ma Jeok’s shirt and said,
“May I take a photograph?”
“W-Why?”
“It’s better to prepare for the possibility that we may need evidence later.”
Ah. That made sense.
Dek-su spoke carefully to Ma Jeok.
“If you don’t want to, we won’t.”
Ma Jeok bit his lip hard.
“I’m not reporting it.”
He hung his head low.
“Even if I did report it, nothing would change.”
Good grief.
So he knows that much.
How did he know? Had he already tried?
Ma Jeok grabbed my arm.
“I’m okay.”
No way.
“It’s because I haven’t been playing soccer lately. When I’m going to soccer, he doesn’t hit me this badly.”
This lunatic.