The Net Tightens
Park Mina clutched a bag tightly to her chest as she returned to the apartment after working late. Inside were the supplies she had prepared for the stray cats. She had assumed that returning in the dead of night meant no one would notice her.
I have to be careful. I absolutely cannot get caught.
Scanning her surroundings, Park Mina headed toward the darker corner of the complex—the spot where the cats usually gathered. Just as she reached to pull out a feeding bowl, a voice from behind made her jump.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
She turned to find Lee Han standing there, looming over her. His gaze was that of a predator stalking its prey. With a chilling smile plastered on his face, Park Mina instinctively recoiled.
"Oh, um... this is..."
Before she could even offer an excuse, Lee Han stepped forward and snatched the bag of feed and the bowl from her hands.
"Follow me. We’ll discuss this in the management office."
Park Mina couldn't refuse his authoritative tone. She reluctantly began to follow him. As she nervously pulled her coat collar tight, Lee Han offered a cold, thin smile.
"Who are you, and where do you live?"
"I'm Park Mina, from Building 2, 11th floor..."
Once inside the office, Park Mina felt a sense of dread wash over her. Lee Han’s piercing stare felt sinister.
"Ms. Mina, do you know what happens if you keep breaking the rules?"
Lee Han whispered in a low voice. Park Mina hung her head, consumed by anxiety.
"I-I'm sorry... I won't do it again."
"Ha..."
With a scoff, Lee Han stepped closer to her. As he closed the distance, she instinctively took a step back.
"Ms. Mina, if you keep causing problems like this, you could eventually be evicted. Are you aware of that?"
"What? Evicted...?"
Park Mina’s eyes widened. The apartment she lived in was one with rent she could easily manage. As a poor intern, it would be impossible for her to find a place cheaper than this.
Moreover, this was an apartment that required a lottery just to get in. She had considered herself incredibly lucky to have been selected.
With Seoul’s housing prices skyrocketing beyond reach, eviction meant a bleak, hopeless future for someone with nowhere else to go.
"The residents keep filing complaints. If you keep breaking the rules, that’s how it will end."
"Please, don't do that... I really won't do it again."
Watching Park Mina tremble and plead in fear, Lee Han wore a faint smile. It was exactly the reaction he wanted.
"The residents are very uncomfortable. If you get caught again, there’s nothing I can do."
"Please, don't... I promise, I really won't do it again."
Park Mina’s voice trembled with terror. Seeing this, Lee Han smiled with satisfaction.
"This is your last chance. Understood?"
"Yes, yes... thank you so much..."
Park Mina let out a sigh of relief and bowed her head.
"Then you may go. It’s late."
Lee Han said as he opened the door for her. Watching her back as she hurried out of the office, he couldn't hide his sinister grin.
That terrified expression of yours is quite pretty. I like it.
Muttering to himself, Lee Han began to formulate his next plan. He intended to pressure Park Mina bit by bit, using the fear of eviction as his weapon.
Park Mina’s retreating figure, hunched over in anxiety, grew smaller through the window. Lee Han slowly lowered the blinds and chuckled in the darkness.
The day his prey would fall into his grasp was not far off. He just needed to tighten the net, slowly and steadily. Lee Han’s heart raced with a chilling sense of excitement.
Lee Han secretly left the confiscated feed and bowls in a corner of the apartment complex. He hoped someone would find them and make an issue of it. As planned, a few residents saw them and called the management office to complain.
Once the complaints came in, Lee Han contacted Han Sujin. He requested that she, in her capacity as the head of the women's association, pressure the resident in question.
"Please keep an eye on someone named Park Mina. We keep getting complaints about her feeding wild animals."
Lee Han’s voice flowed slowly over the phone. The moment she heard the name of a woman she didn't know, Han Sujin couldn't hide her confusion.
Park Mina? What is Lee Han trying to do now...
Though she instinctively felt something was suspicious, Han Sujin replied as if she were indifferent.
"I understand."
After hanging up, Han Sujin furrowed her brow. It felt uncomfortable knowing that Lee Han had started targeting a new woman. She also worried that the girl might fall into the same trap she had.
Lee Han caught the doubt buried in Han Sujin’s voice. It was the reaction he had expected. But now was the time to focus on ensnaring Park Mina.
Even if that woman suspects me, it doesn't matter. I have to catch new prey.
With a deep smile on his lips, Lee Han muttered to himself.
Sometimes Han Sujin’s anxious demeanor bothered him, but he was certain that, in the end, she would never be able to escape his grasp.
Late that night, Han Sujin arrived in front of Park Mina’s door. When she rang the doorbell, the door opened a moment later to reveal Park Mina, who had a towel wrapped around her head.
"Hello, what brings you here?"
Park Mina asked with a face clearly showing exhaustion. Han Sujin scrutinized her. She was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties, with decent features, but her noticeably prominent chest caught her eye.
"Hello, I’m Han Sujin, the head of the women’s association. You’re Park Mina, right?"
Han Sujin went straight to the point. Park Mina nodded with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, but what is this about?"
"I’m here about the cat feed issue. Even after several warnings, you keep leaving feed out. If you keep doing this, the women’s association will have no choice but to request your eviction."
At Han Sujin’s words, Park Mina’s face turned pale. Overwhelmed by bewilderment, she began to make excuses.
"No, I haven't done that recently. My feeding bowls were even confiscated. It wasn't me this time!"
"There is clear evidence. Don't bother denying it, and please be careful from now on. This is your final warning."
Han Sujin cut her off with a cold tone and stood up. She began to walk away, leaving a devastated Park Mina behind.
"Wait, you can't do this... I’m truly innocent!"
Park Mina’s desperate cries echoed behind her, but Han Sujin hurried her steps without a second thought. For her, carrying out Lee Han’s instructions was the priority.
The sound of a door closing and the subsequent sobbing echoed through the hallway. Park Mina sat down, staring blankly into space. Tears welled up in her eyes as feelings of injustice and frustration tangled within her.
What on earth did I do wrong... I feel like it’s all because of that manager...
Park Mina had no choice but to accept the situation helplessly. She sighed and slowly pulled herself up. She sat on the edge of her bed with heavy steps and wept.
Meanwhile, Han Sujin left the apartment with an emotionless face. Park Mina’s pleas were nothing more than annoying noise. As Lee Han had planned, he had successfully pushed his prey one step further into a corner.
In the darkness where even moonlight couldn't reach, Park Mina’s weak sobbing echoed emptily. There was no sign of luck returning. It felt as if the trap of fate would never let her go.
No one would comfort a woman crumbling before a cruel reality.
Now, all that remained for her was to fall into an endless abyss. Only the sobbing remained, leaving a long, lingering trail in the quiet hallway.
Late at night, Park Mina trudged back to the apartment. Her day at work had been a nightmare, just like every other. Senior staff who gave orders without providing proper training, sales department employees who shouted despite knowing nothing about the work. She clung to this job just to survive, but she felt like she was sinking deeper into a swamp.
As she walked, exhausted, Park Mina suddenly spotted a figure in the darkness. The approaching silhouette was none other than the manager.
For a moment, her suppressed anger began to boil over. Park Mina marched up to Lee Han and lashed out.
"Seriously, why are you doing this? I have nothing to do with this incident, but the head of the women's association threatened to kick me out!"
"No, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Perhaps the head of the women's association did that because you were in the wrong?"
Lee Han replied with a sly smile. His attitude made Park Mina’s blood boil even more.
"What did I do wrong! I’m dying of injustice, so why do you keep doing this to me!"
Her voice trembled, and tears began to well up in her eyes. The stress she had built up all day erupted like a dam breaking.
"Hey, why are you crying all of a sudden? Come on, follow me. We can talk in the office."
Lee Han soothed Park Mina, waving his hands as if flustered. He comforted her as she burst into tears.
"First, calm down and let’s go to the office. I’ll help you clear up the misunderstanding."
At his calm tone, Park Mina sniffled and nodded. Although her sorrow and sense of injustice hadn't faded, she wanted to rely on his words for now.
Her back, as she walked trudgingly while led by Lee Han’s arm, looked incredibly frail. She looked like a young bird exhausted by emotional turmoil.
A faint smile played on Lee Han’s lips as he supported Park Mina. Watching her sink into despair was quite entertaining. It was the joy of checking off his innocent prey one by one.
The stress at work, the unfair misunderstandings, the uncertain future. All of it was tightening around Park Mina like a noose. Lee Han intended to cleverly dig into those gaps.
A sense of victory welled up as he watched her follow him to the office without a shred of suspicion. Thinking of ways to toy with her broken soul, Lee Han swallowed a triumphant laugh.