The Return to the Cage
Han Sujin headed to Lee Han’s office as she usually did. As she opened the door, Lee Han greeted her with something unexpected.
"Sujin, you don't have to do this anymore."
"Pardon? What do you mean..."
Han Sujin asked back with a puzzled expression, eyeing Lee Han with wariness. She sensed something suspicious in the air.
Lee Han offered a sly smile and opened his mouth.
"You’ve suffered enough with this work. You’ve fulfilled the contract more than sufficiently."
Sujin was confused by Lee Han’s sudden declaration. Why would the man who had tormented her all this time suddenly say something like this?
"Is this... really the end?"
She asked as if she couldn't believe it. Lee Han nodded and said,
"I swear, I won't contact you again. Don't worry, I’ll make sure that everything that happened between us never leaks out."
Sujin felt that something was off. She had so much she wanted to say, but she decided to hold it in. She simply felt a sense of relief that she could escape this nightmarish situation.
Nodding without a word, Sujin left the office. She felt Lee Han’s gaze following her back, but she chose to ignore it. It was no longer any of her business.
Sujin walked out of Lee Han’s office with heavy steps. It was finally over. She could finally say goodbye to those painful and humiliating days. However, a sense of emptiness washed over her before relief could even take hold.
The memories of having been forced to offer her body to Lee Han during that time—the humiliation and shame etched into her very bones would not be easily erased. Sujin barely suppressed the anger that threatened to erupt.
'You toyed with me all this time, and now you’re just going to let me go so easily?'
Clenching her teeth, Sujin suppressed the urge to hurl insults at Lee Han. She didn’t want to show him an ugly side of herself. He was a man she never wanted to be associated with again, in any way.
As soon as she stepped out the door, Sujin let out the breath she had been holding. With every step she took, the distance between her and Lee Han seemed to grow. Even though scars and pain remained, it felt like she could finally be free.
The days she had rationalized her actions under the pretense of doing it for her husband. Could that ever truly be justified? A deep sense of skepticism rose within her.
Now, she had to end it all. She had to forgive herself for walking a distorted path, captured by twisted desires, and move toward a new life. She should have been faithful to the one she truly loved.
Sujin swore it. She would never fall for dirty temptations like Lee Han’s again. Even if her body and mind were covered in scars, she would live the rest of her life honestly with her husband.
Left alone in the office, Lee Han smiled meaningfully as he thought of the departed Sujin. It would be best to leave her alone for a while. But he had no intention of ending it like this. If she believed she could completely escape him, that would be a grave miscalculation.
A chance would come again someday. He intended to prepare meticulously for that moment. Looking forward to the day he would swallow even her soul, Lee Han slowly began to lay out his plans.
After leaving Lee Han’s office, Han Sujin spent a few peaceful days. The despair and shame she had felt while patrolling during the day, and the memories of exploring Lee Han’s body in submission to her desires, gradually began to fade. It felt as if she could finally focus entirely on the time with her beloved husband.
During dinner, Sujin confessed that she had quit her position as the head of the women’s association.
"Honey, I quit the women’s association work today. It was too much, and they said they were going to elect someone new anyway."
A shadow briefly crossed Park Taeyoung’s face as he heard this. But he soon smiled and said,
"You’ve worked so hard. I know how difficult it must have been for you. Now you can finally get some rest."
Observing Taeyoung’s expression, Sujin asked cautiously,
"Honey, how is work lately? Is there anything troubling you..."
Taeyoung answered with a dark expression.
"Well, the company atmosphere isn't good, perhaps because the situation is bad. I’m very worried."
However, as he met Sujin’s worried gaze, he added in a bright voice,
"But it will get better soon. Don't worry too much. I’ll work hard."
The two finished dinner and headed to the bedroom. Even as Sujin lay beside him, Taeyoung, exhausted from fatigue, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Watching her sleeping husband’s face, Sujin stroked his cheek. A mixture of guilt and pity rose in her heart.
'Honey... I’m so sorry. I should have been more of a support to you...'
At the same time, a desperate wish rose within her. She longed for the day when Taeyoung would hold her passionately like he used to. She was desperate for him to fill her with love.
Sujin held the quietly sleeping Taeyoung in her arms. Vowing never to disappoint him again, she whispered desperate words of love into his ear. She believed that time would heal her, even if the wounds in her heart had not yet closed.
After a few days of peace, Sujin began to be engulfed in anxiety once more. Taeyoung’s overtime was becoming frequent. She felt a deep sense of fatigue in her husband, who would return late at night, barely wash, and immediately fall asleep.
"Honey, aren't you overdoing it lately? You look so pale, I’m worried..."
To Sujin’s worried question, Taeyoung shook his head, saying he was fine, as he always did.
"No, it’s nothing. It’s just a bit tough right now. It’ll get better soon."
However, his haggard face seemed far from those words. The news kept blaring about economic stagnation and the increase in the unemployed. Perhaps Taeyoung, too, was struggling desperately to survive within that reality.
'It must have been a burden on our household when I quit that job...'
Sujin fell into a bitter mood. Although it was a shameful job, it was true that the money she received had been a significant help to their living expenses. Thanks to that, Taeyoung’s shoulders would have been a little lighter.
Was it the right choice for her to walk away from that work in this situation? Sujin’s heart became complicated.
'Isn't there some way?...'
Sujin had to find something to lighten her husband’s burden. Beyond just dedicating herself more to housework and saving on expenses, there must be something she could do.
After agonizing for several days, Sujin finally made up her mind. She visited Lee Han’s office and spoke cautiously.
"Welcome, Sujin. What brings you here?"
Lee Han’s voice was overly sweet. It was a tone that sounded as if he had expected Sujin to come and was waiting for her. The sarcasm hidden within it made her skin crawl.
"Um... by any chance, could I return to my work as the head of the women’s association?"
Before she could even finish, Lee Han interrupted.
"Sujin, didn't you say you wanted to quit that position? I let you quit just as you wished, so I don't know why you’re doing this now."
Lee Han’s voice was full of doubt. His gaze, as if trying to grasp Sujin’s true intentions, pierced through her.
Sujin swallowed hard and replied,
"I think I was just too exhausted back then. But things are different now."
"I see. But I’m already considering someone else for that position, so what should I do?"
Sujin’s face stiffened at Lee Han’s words. But she couldn't back down. Sujin gathered her courage and continued,
"Please, just give me one more chance. I will work hard."
At Sujin’s words, Lee Han seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Then, he shook his head and said,
"Well... you quit so suddenly, and now you want to do it again. Our contract is already over. I have no intention of using that again."
"I will maintain our relationship... just as it was before."
Sujin tried desperately to persuade Lee Han. But Lee Han’s attitude did not change easily.
"Even so... it’s difficult to decide right now. Let’s do this. Let’s try 'that work' tomorrow. I need to verify for myself if you are truly prepared, Sujin."
Sujin’s eyes wavered at Lee Han’s words. She knew all too well what 'that work' meant.
"...I understand."
Sujin’s voice was trembling as she gave her small answer. Lee Han smiled faintly as he watched her.
"Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Sujin. Please make sure you are well prepared."
There was a sense of anticipation in Lee Han’s tone. Sujin nodded and rose from her seat.
As she walked out of the office, complex emotions crossed Sujin’s face. She was entering Lee Han’s grasp once again. And it was by her own choice.
Sujin thought that she had to endure this situation to protect her family. Her back, as she moved toward tomorrow, looked like a prisoner heading to the scaffold.
Lee Han watched beyond the door where Sujin had disappeared and smiled faintly. He knew well that Sujin would never be able to escape him. He also knew that no matter how much she struggled, she would eventually return to his grasp.
Starting with tomorrow’s events, Lee Han began to plan to make Sujin completely his own. It was time to finally break the toy he had played with for so long.
Lee Han’s gaze, staring out the window where the bright sunlight was falling, was chillingly cold. At the end of the path Sujin had chosen, only a harsh fate would be waiting for her.