Kang Chaerin
It didn't take long for Chaerin to realize that Jihoon hadn't been lying.
Thinking about her so-called parents, who hadn't visited her once in the hospital where she was recuperating, no matter how long she waited, there was no way his words could have been a lie.
If it had been them, they would have burst into the room despite the doctors' and nurses' objections and forcibly dragged her home before a single day had passed.
Yet several days had gone by, and they still hadn't shown so much as a whisker.
"I... really escaped..."
She felt good.
And yet, at the same time, she felt a strange sense of emptiness.
If she could escape hell this easily, she didn't know what she had been doing with her life up until now.
Why had she just kept letting herself get beaten?
Why had she stayed cooped up in her corner of the room, letting the days pass in boring, meaningless drudgery?
Just thinking about it made a disbelieving, almost manic laugh want to spill out.
"..."
She turned her gaze to the window.
Outside, dark for daytime, snow was falling endlessly from the sky.
It was a sight she was sick of seeing every winter.
Before, she used to shiver from the cold every time it snowed, but now she didn't.
Chaerin had this entire hospital room to herself, and inside, it was endlessly warm.
Warm enough that she would be fine even if she threw off her blankets and clothes completely.
She wasn't sure if she deserved such extravagant care.
All of this was...
"Jihoon... Lee Jihoon..."
...all thanks to that man.
Just what reason did Jihoon have for showing her a kindness so excessive it was beyond strange?
What was he trying to get?
No matter how hard she thought about it, there was nothing he could possibly gain from Chaerin.
All she had was this frail body.
"Surely not..."
Could he be after her body too?
Even she could see her body was skinny, almost just skin and bones from not eating properly, but her curving chest and hips, and her somewhat pretty face, were more than enough for a man to covet.
But he already had a girlfriend named Nayoung.
There was no way he would want Chaerin, who had nothing, was emaciated, sickly, and covered in ugly scars all over her body, when he had a girlfriend like that.
"I don't know."
Other guesses swirled in her head, but none of them made as much sense as him wanting her body.
If... just hypothetically, if Jihoon was after this pathetic body.
"I'd have to let him have it..."
She couldn't find any other answer.
Just being taken out of that hell was a debt she couldn't repay even if she devoted her whole life to him.
On top of that, he had let her receive peaceful treatment in a comfortable hospital and had even generously offered her a place to live.
Even if he had harbored ulterior motives, she had received far too much.
So she didn't find it repulsive.
Things like chastity, or being held in a man's arms.
She had only fiercely resisted her father because she didn't want to give herself to a man she hated. If the target was Jihoon, it was a different story.
It felt like if he wanted it, she would willingly spread her legs for him herself.
No, she surely would.
That was just how favorably Chaerin was accepting the man named Lee Jihoon.
"Haa..."
She let out a deep sigh.
But what was the point of thinking like this? There was no guarantee Jihoon would actually covet her body.
Of course not. He had a girlfriend named Nayoung, whose overwhelming beauty was like a flower that had been asleep for a long time and was just now spreading its bright petals, making a girl like Chaerin not even register.
He clearly wouldn't want to risk severing their strong connection by greedily meddling with another woman.
Therefore, Chaerin's worries were essentially meaningless.
"Should... I wash up?"
She felt dirty and wanted to wash.
Chaerin lowered her legs from the bed.
Her legs, definitely better than before, touched the ground and supported her body without her collapsing from weakness.
Still, she couldn't help but stagger dangerously.
The doctor said it was a side effect of her body finally relaxing after being tense for such a long time.
It wasn't a big problem and would resolve itself. Unconcerned, Chaerin walked to a small room in the corner of her private suite.
She entered the private shower room, separate from the toilet.
She admired the shower room, which was excessively large for one person, and looked around aimlessly before taking off her clothes.
As she unbuttoned the top of the pristine white hospital gown, it fell open to the sides.
The mirror showed her emaciated figure, and yet, on that frame, her breasts still held a certain fullness.
But more than that, the bluish bruises and wounds covering her body caught her eye first.
"..."
Seeing these marks made the terrible memories of the past come rushing back.
Starting with the memories of being beaten for no reason, it culminated in the time she was almost raped.
Her body trembled violently.
The room was definitely warm beyond measure, but she felt a strangely chilling cold.
Chaerin quickly removed her pants as well and let the water from the showerhead pour down over her entire body.
The water was a little hot, to the point where steam was rising around her, but for Chaerin, this temperature was just right.
Chaerin stood there for a while, zoning out as the water hit her.
There was no clock inside, so she couldn't tell how long she stood there under the hot water.
She felt her skin gradually turning red and becoming softer.
"Ah..."
Letting out a short sigh, she put body wash on a shower towel and scrubbed her body.
She finished her shower only after scrubbing excessively, focusing mainly on the wounded areas.
"Ah..."
After drying herself off with a fresh towel, Chaerin was forced to let out another sigh.
That was because...
"Clothes..."
She had forgotten to bring them in.
The new hospital gown was in the cabinet next to her bed, but she forgot to grab it.
Well, this large room was only for her, and unless something special happened, the doctors and nurses wouldn't come in and out.
Still, just in case, she put the wet towel in the laundry basket, took out a new one, wrapped it around herself, and came out.
Leaving the warm space created by the hot water, the comparatively cold hospital room greeted her.
She took her still unsteady, staggering steps towards the cabinet next to the bed.
Riiing.
At the sound of the door opening, her heart dropped into her stomach.
But when she saw who had entered the room.
"Hm?"
It was none other than Jihoon. For some reason, she let out a breath of relief.
"You washed up?"
"Mm..."
He was acting calm, but his gaze was wavering, unable to settle.
It kept darting to her cleavage and thighs, which the towel couldn't fully cover.
"Right... get dressed. I'll wait outside."
"..."
He hunched his back strangely and quickly turned around, leaving the room again.
Thump, thump.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Was her heart racing from the shame of being seen? Or was it for a different reason?
She tried to figure out the answer, but none came to her.
She just changed into a fresh hospital gown from the cabinet, her face burning hot.
"H-hey, Chaerin. All dressed?"
"Mm..."
At the voice coming from outside, even though no one was watching her, she subconsciously nodded before opening her mouth.
"I'm coming in, then."
"Okay."
The door opened again and Jihoon came in.
Just like before, Jihoon's eyes darted to her legs and chest for a moment.
But this time, they were hidden by the hospital gown — a situation where even if he wanted to see, he couldn't.
"First... why don't you sit down?"
Just like her clothes said, Chaerin was a patient.
Jihoon felt a little bad making a patient stand, so he told her to sit on the edge of the bed, and Chaerin sat down right away.
"Chaerin. Your parents..."
He continued, watching for her reaction.
"What do you want to do?"
"What do I... want to do?"
"Exactly what I said. If you want revenge, I'll get revenge for you."
"Revenge..."
Revenge... revenge.
She frowned at the unexpected suggestion.
Part of her wanted them to feel the pain she had endured, but their lives were already crawling along the bottom.
So, without her having to directly dirty her hands, they would destroy themselves on their own.
"I just... want to leave them alone..."
"Don't do anything at all?"
"Yeah..."
"..."
Their eyes met, and it was Chaerin who looked away first.
She felt her face, which had just calmed down, grow hot again.
"Alright. If that's what you want. Got it. I'll leave them alone."
He didn't ask why.
Chaerin felt as if he had refrained from pressing her for her own sake, and the place he occupied in her heart grew a little larger.
"But if you change your mind later, feel free to talk to me anytime."
She nodded.
"And one more thing."
It wasn't over there.
"I heard you're cleared to leave the hospital. When do you want to be discharged and come to my place?"
"Place..."
The hospital was nice, but she felt self-conscious staying any longer.
Money was constantly being spent just for her to be here.
"Can I go right now...?"
"Today? Right now?"
"Yeah..."
"Well... I don't see why not. Okay. Wait a moment."
He left the room with those words.
Left alone, Chaerin placed a hand over her chest.
Thump, thump.
Her heart was still pounding fiercely.
She was very curious about what this meant.
Chaerin thought she would ask Nayoung about it when she came to visit.