The Contract
South Korea is a class society born from the wall of wealth inequality. There lived a young man who felt the cruel reality of this divide with every fiber of his being. Lee Han, an orphan with no connections, had to fight the world alone. His pockets were always light, but he prided himself on a work ethic second to none. He struggled fiercely, yet he was forced to his knees time and again by the harshness of reality.
Though his days were a series of dead ends, Lee Han never let go of the thread of hope. He ran forward, believing that light would eventually break through. Then, one day, a ray of dawn seemed to appear. He discovered a job posting for an apartment building manager that offered a high salary and comprehensive benefits. Lee Han was desperate to seize the opportunity. He threw everything he had into the application, from his facility management certifications to the bonus points for special recruitment.
On the day he received the miraculous notice of acceptance and headed to the interview, his heart pounded. The expectation that he might finally be able to step out of this grueling world welled up within him. But everything changed in an instant. His meeting with Chairman Park. As Lee Han stepped into the chairman’s opulent and intimidating office, he felt as if his breath had been stolen. How could the gap in the world be this vast?
"There is a reason I specifically chose a young man like you."
Chairman Park finally opened his mouth. Lee Han instinctively felt that something was amiss.
"Someone poor, but with grit, and above all, someone desperate. Just like you."
Chairman Park was a ninety-year-old man. His wrinkled face, withered skin, and slumped shoulders spoke of a man facing death. But his eyes were different. A chilling vitality flickered in his deep, dark pupils. It was a sharp gaze, one accustomed to frightening and threatening others.
Chairman Park approached Lee Han and whispered in a low voice.
Lee Han hesitated, but as he met the chairman’s coercive gaze, he soon succumbed. There was an irresistible sense of intimidation in those eyes. He guessed it might be used for criminal purposes, but he had no choice but to pick up the pen. Lacking legal knowledge, Lee Han did not know that the agreement was, in reality, legally void.
The moment he finished signing, Lee Han’s phone vibrated. It was a message stating that ten million won had been deposited. Lee Han held his breath. A fortune he couldn't earn in a lifetime had arrived in an instant. The joy was short-lived, however, as a chilling premonition soon enveloped his body.
"Good. Now, let me tell you the real reason I hired you."
Chairman Park continued.
"Your job isn't just building management."
"You are to have sexual relations with the women living in this building. And you are to record those scenes and send them to me."
Lee Han was struck speechless by the shock. An unknown terror crawled up his spine. He could not comprehend this nightmarish situation. Yet, there seemed to be no option to refuse. Looking at the ten million won, Lee Han sensed that he had already crossed a line.
"But how am I supposed to find the women living in the building? I don't even know who lives here..."
Lee Han was still confused. But Chairman Park’s response was chillingly cold.
"That is for you to figure out. Whether you use blackmail, romance, or even rape. By any means necessary, send me one video every two months. That is your mission. Though, if you commit a crime, you had better be careful not to get caught."
Goosebumps broke out all over Lee Han’s body. Was he telling him to cross the line? To commit crimes? Lee Han looked at Chairman Park with eyes filled with terror. The old devil was smiling.
"I have a strange sexual urge. I enjoy voyeurism—watching other people's intimate affairs. If you satisfy that, you will enjoy wealth and glory beyond your wildest imagination."
Words of sweet temptation. A massive sum of ten million won. He wished this was all a nightmare, not reality. But the account balance on his phone screen was all too vivid.
"That amount is just the beginning. Every time you achieve results beyond your salary, I will give you even more money."
His bleak past flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern. A weary life. An invisible future. A reality that felt like it would collapse at any moment. While a part of him felt a deep sense of disgust, a sweet temptation raised its head in another corner of his heart.
Lee Han squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. He looked straight at Chairman Park. And he nodded. He didn't even have a choice. Knowing full well it would lead to a path of destruction, he had ultimately taken the devil’s hand.
Lee Han left Chairman Park’s office with heavy steps. He felt as if the devil’s laughter was echoing behind his back. As he walked down the hallway, Lee Han thought about what the contract he had just signed meant. While he would destroy someone’s life and enter a path of crime, his own life would gain the abundance he had so craved.
Left alone in the office, Chairman Park wore a satisfied smile. He felt a thrill imagining that pure, poor young man gradually becoming stained by desire and evil. What other pleasure could be as sweet in the remainder of his life?
"The process of a soul like a blank sheet being dirtied and stained. The sight of purity collapsing before money and physical pleasure. That is the only joy that will soothe my final years."
Chairman Park leaned back and laughed softly.
There was an old devil who felt pleasure watching the struggle of a young soul. The battle between desire and purity. It was the final indulgence one could enjoy standing at the twilight of life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A week passed. Lee Han had already grown accustomed to his duties as the building manager. Thanks to advanced AI technology, most tasks were automated, and his main duty was simply to ensure the system was functioning correctly. The work was minimal, but the pay was quite high. Perhaps it was intended for him to carry out the special tasks Chairman Park had ordered.
Lee Han recently learned that this building was part of a social welfare project by a large conglomerate chairman. It was rental housing for young couples and those just starting their careers. Indeed, he often saw newlyweds or young people throughout the building.
Passing through the hallway, Lee Han suddenly remembered what he had to do. As ordered by Chairman Park, he had to have relations with a woman living in this building and film it. Guilt washed over him. It was painful to realize he had to leave scars on someone’s life and step onto a path of crime.
But the moment he opened his phone and checked his account balance, Lee Han’s heart wavered once more. Chairman Park had been depositing large sums of money as promised. The amount was much higher than the first payment. Though gripped by fear, the memory of his desperately poor past surfaced. *If I just do this, things will change.* Encouraging himself, Lee Han steeled his resolve.
Lee Han walked slowly toward the building entrance. He began to worry about how he could accomplish what Chairman Park wanted and whom he should approach. His head was filled with chaotic thoughts. He let out a deep sigh. It was agonizing, but it felt as if he had already crossed a river of no return.
It was then, as Lee Han was walking toward the entrance, that someone approached him and greeted him.
"Hello? You're the new manager, right?"
Lee Han was startled and looked at her. She was a young, elegant woman. Her modest yet beautiful appearance was impressive. She gave Lee Han a warm smile and headed toward the trash area with a garbage bag.
*'I can't possibly do something like that to someone like her...'*
Lee Han felt a prick of conscience. How could he lay a hand on such a kind and gentle-looking woman?
That was when it happened. Suddenly, someone called out to Lee Han in a sharp voice.
"Mister! Hey, you!"
Turning around, a young woman was glaring at Lee Han with an angry face.
"The noise between floors is too loud. Can you make an announcement right now?"
With many people moving in recently, noise complaints seemed to be increasing. Lee Han tried his best to calm her down.
"Yes, I apologize. I will make an announcement right away."
The sharp-looking woman remained in an irritable mood. She was beautiful, but her personality seemed prickly.
Lee Han’s own anger began to rise, but he held it in and sent her away. Returning to the management office, he sat in front of the microphone and made the warning announcement. Then, he let out a deep sigh.
For a moment, the images of the two women flashed through his mind. The elegant and kind woman he saw first. And the sharp-looking woman he had just met.
Feeling offended, Lee Han eventually decided on the prickly woman as his first target. He felt he would feel less guilt with her. Regardless, he could not disobey Chairman Park’s orders. Gritting his teeth, Lee Han began to make his next plan.
Lee Han stared at a tightly locked door located in one corner of the office. Chairman Park had warned him that once he opened that door, the contract from which there was no return would begin. It was an entrance that only Lee Han could open, accessible only by his fingerprints.
Lee Han slowly closed his eyes and opened them, then approached the door of fate. As he placed his trembling hand against it, the door slid open with a beep.
The inside was dark and quiet. When Lee Han turned on the lights, an unbelievable sight unfolded. Dozens of monitors filled the walls, and the scenes from all over the building were vividly reflected on those screens.
*'So this is why he started a welfare project. This was the goal from the beginning.'*
The chilling truth was revealed. The monitors were showing every corner of each unit—the living rooms, the bedrooms, and even the bathrooms. It was a device that could monitor the entire complex and observe the private lives of all the residents.
Lee Han trembled with horror, fear, and guilt. He had witnessed the reality of the crime Chairman Park had orchestrated. Yet, at the same time, a strange thrill enveloped his body. A sense of anticipation was beginning to well up.
With trembling hands, Lee Han manipulated the control panel to change the screens. By chance, the house of the prickly neighbor he had seen earlier was captured on the screen. She was sitting on the living room sofa, watching television.
Lee Han’s gaze began to change. It was a gaze filled with desire, sinister and greedy. The once-pure young man was now falling into a massive vortex of evil. The moment he crossed the line, he had stepped into a point of no return.