The Failed Escape: Betrayal's Whisper (Seo Eunha, Lee Joohee - Illustration/Cat Pussy Challenge♥) (2)
Detective Kwon Jihyun had been circling the vicinity of Dugeundugeun Healing Soul Co. for three straight days, keeping up her surveillance.
To be precise, she'd spent days just staring at the suspicious building. She'd already combed through the nearby structures meticulously but found no plausible shops or spaces that fit the bill.
'That woman I saw at Choi Sua's apartment definitely came here. I'm sure of it.'
Kwon Jihyun had definitely tailed her closely. But during the pursuit, the target had vanished like a mirage. Even sticking as close as possible without being spotted, she'd lost her.
Unable to give up, she kept watch in the area nonstop. And during that surveillance, a woman emerged from the suspicious building.
When she recognized her as Seo Eunha, she was genuinely shocked. Seo Eunha looked anxious, as if being chased by something. Jihyun tried approaching without startling her, but the moment Eunha spotted her, she turned tail and bolted.
Chasing after her on foot had led straight to this moment.
. . .
"I'm really a cop. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm on your side. Please, just trust me."
Kwon Jihyun desperately lowered her voice to calm Seo Eunha, who was cornered in a dead-end alley. But Eunha gripped an awl in her trembling hand, refusing to let her guard down. Her unfocused eyes and ragged breathing proved she was in no state to make rational judgments.
'Should I subdue her and take the weapon? But she's not a criminal.'
Leaving her like this could hurt Eunha herself, even if Jihyun was fine. The detective pondered her best move, lost in thought.
Eunha interpreted the silence as even more threatening, her wariness intensifying.
I have to say something. That was when—
"Hey, what's going on here?"
A third party's voice cut through the tense standoff, echoing into the alley. It was a young woman, phone in hand, eyeing them both warily in turn.
"I heard someone yelling for help and came over, but this looks sketchy. I'm calling the cops right now, so don't try anything stupid. One tap and it's done. Got it?"
The woman clutching her smartphone declared it boldly with fierce eyes.
* * *
Seo Eunha couldn't make sense of the situation at all. She'd thought she'd been kidnapped by a human trafficking ring, imprisoned, and barely escaped with her life. But the moment she fled, the woman chasing her claimed not to be from the organization but a cop.
A cop, right here and now? It was too convenient.
Too convenient to believe.
'A cop just happens to be right there the second I run? No way!'
It was natural suspicion. The police badge the woman showed was hard to verify in the dark, and above all, they were masters of hypnosis who could manipulate perceptions. Making someone believe she was a cop was probably child's play.
And that man, Igyeol—he seemed the type to enjoy lulling people into false security before dragging them deeper into hell.
Even threatening with the awl in her hand didn't make her back off; it was a deadlock. Eunha was at a loss, cornered and frantic.
Then, out of nowhere, a third party intervened—like a rope from the heavens when fleeing a tiger. Especially since it was someone she knew well.
"Yeonji! How—how are you here?! Thank you, thank you so much!"
"That's what I should be saying, Eunha. What the hell are you doing in a place like this? A cop, suddenly?"
In the back seat of the taxi, Eunha burrowed into her old friend's embrace, pouring out gratitude nonstop.
The savior who appeared in that deadlock. The new arrival threatening to call the police had forced the self-proclaimed cop to back off meekly.
An unbelievable coincidence. That someone had heard her desperate scream and come to help—and that it was her longtime friend, of all people.
She pocketed the business card from the so-called cop. Whether she was legit could be checked later.
"What really happened?"
To her friend's worried questions, Eunha spilled her story in disjointed bursts. Kidnapped and imprisoned by some organization, nearly sold off, and the woman she'd just met might be one of them too.
She held back on the hypnosis details. Too much info might make her friend a target instead.
"My God. Hard to believe, but... if you're saying it, Eunha, I trust you. You're not the type to lie about something like this."
Those trusting words meant the world. Tension melted away, replaced by profound relief.
"I'm thrilled I could help you for once. I've always been the one getting saved by you."
"......? Have I...?"
"Yeah. In high school, college, even after we became teachers."
Seo Eunha and Choi Yeonji had been inseparable best friends since high school. Same school, same university, and despite the one-year gap, they ended up teaching at the same place.
And from student days on, Eunha had always been Yeonji's steadfast protector. Pretty, confident, sociable—no one dared mess with her.
"You were my idol, Eunha. I always admired your cool, unshakable vibe."
"No, it wasn't that much... I was just ordinary...."
"So of course you had tons of admirers. Guys after you left and right. Some might've even been your type, who knows."
Yeonji named a few. Men from high school or college—classmates, club members she'd chatted with briefly, or barely remembered by name.
She'd never gotten close to any, so memories were fuzzy. Even near-misses faded away. Eunha hadn't cared much about guys anyway.
"I could tell who was eyeing you from their stares and whispers. I'd approach them for you. Using you as an excuse made it easy to get close."
"......?"
Something felt off, but Yeonji continued calmly, ignoring it.
"I'm not as pretty or busty as you, but that seems to work on guys. Pretend to get friendly, act interested, play helpless and tag along... yeah, they'd drop you quick after that."
What was she saying? Eunha couldn't grasp it.
Yeonji was her friend. Lifelong friend. Someone to share everything with. Timid, lacking confidence—that's why Eunha always stepped up when she was in trouble.
Yeah, like back at their old high school—
"The vice principal had his eye on you. A 50-something creep—unthinkable. But if I ignored it, he'd go after you or make your life hell. So I just... inserted myself a bit, lured him in."
"It was a mistake," she continued.
"That damn old perv was worse than I thought. Moved three times faster than expected. And his tastes were so twisted, I couldn't keep up."
Of course, she had no intention of stopping. But her listless demeanor gave her away. Longtime friend Eunha noticed and pressed her until she confessed about the vice principal—with some embellishments.
In the story, she was the helpless victim ravaged by force; he, the authority-abusing tormentor with perverse methods. Not entirely false.
And since it was a prepped scenario, it was easy to sell. Bury it after the right time, with evidence handy.
"Y-Yeon... ji...? That... was..."
"...But I slipped up. I got caught."
Yeonji smiled bitterly. Shadowed, yet somehow relieved.
"Believe me, Eunha. I never meant to betray you then. Of course not—I adore you. Everything was for your sake."
"What... are you..."
"But sorry. Now I can't resist. Even my most precious friend, worth more than my life—I'll gladly offer you up with both hands. But hey, now we can be together forever. Silver lining, right?"
"What are you talking about?!"
Eunha shouted in inexplicable panic. Yeonji didn't flinch. The taxi driver ignored the commotion, focused on the road.
Where even was this taxi heading? No destination given. Not toward her apartment.
"――'The jewelry box has closed, shut tight forever.'"
"The jewelry box has closed, shut tight forever."
⟨ Hypnosis Trigger ⟩
Her friend's whisper in her ear. With it, Eunha's head grew heavy. Thoughts dulled, voice failed.
"Just sleep a bit, Eunha. We'll be at Master's soon."
Clutched tight in Yeonji's soft embrace, Eunha heard her pounding heartbeat up close as consciousness faded into darkness.
'Ah... right... Yeonji and I... we definitely... cut ties...'
Why? Her foggy mind couldn't recall.
And Seo Eunha's awareness plunged fully into the void.
* * *
The taxi carrying Seo Eunha and Choi Yeonji pulled up to a lavish hotel.
Eunha, arm-in-arm with Yeonji's escort, entered with glassy, vacant eyes like glass beads, stumbling down the hall.
[Room 1703]
They reached the designated suite. Someone waited outside.
"You're right on time, Eunha. I've been waiting with bated breath."
Waiting to greet her at the door was Han Igyeol, sharp in a crisp suit.