The Weight of Obsession
Park Mina sat at her desk, staring blankly out the window. She hadn't been able to sleep for the past two nights, her eyes wide open in the dark. Though she had come to work, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face looked haggard and sunken. On her monitor, folders she had neglected for days continued to pile up.
"Manager Park, are you sure you checked this properly? There are so many typos, and the page spacing is all wrong."
At the section chief's sharp criticism, Park Mina flinched and lifted her head.
"I, I'm so sorry. I'll check it again and fix it right away."
"Manager Park, is something wrong? You don't look so good..."
A colleague at the next desk spoke up with a look of concern. Park Mina hesitated before shaking her head.
"I'm fine. I think I'm just a bit tired. I'll pull myself together and get back to work."
No, I'm not fine. I feel like I'm dying from the agony. But she couldn't possibly let those words escape her lips. Who could she tell that she had fallen so deeply for that man that she had lost everything?
Park Mina gritted her teeth and turned her gaze back to the monitor. No matter how hard she tried to focus, her fingers trembled on the keyboard, and the text before her eyes blurred. But she couldn't stop. If she let go of even this job, she felt as though she would truly crumble into a pile of ash. Forcing back her tears, she began to immerse herself in her work once more.
After returning home from work, Park Mina collapsed the moment she opened the front door. She let out a deep sigh, her head hanging low, unable to bring herself to stand up. Her mind was entirely filled with thoughts of Lee Han.
How did I end up in such a state? Why does my life only ever get tangled like this...
Before she met Lee Han and fell in love, she had been so pure and happy. That man had been the one to whom she had offered her innocence. He had been her entire world. Park Mina closed her eyes and recalled each of their sweet moments one by one: the alleyway in the apartment complex where they walked together, the office where they would smile at each other, the entryway where they shared shy kisses...
If only I hadn't rejected him back then, we would be happy...
Filled with self-reproach and lingering attachment toward Lee Han, Park Mina's heart slowly began to be dyed in darkness. Her love for him was twisting into obsession. She felt as though she would do anything just to be held in his arms again. Amidst the days of blaming herself, she failed to notice that she was changing.
Park Mina stared intently at her phone screen for a long time. Lee Han's number was already deeply etched into her mind. Every time her finger hovered over the digits, she hesitated.
Don't you want to hear my voice one more time? Can't we meet again...
Torn between the urge to pour out her heart and the fear that she couldn't, Park Mina's mind wavered. Beyond her tear-blurred vision, Lee Han's cold eyes flickered past.
If I get rejected again... if he pushes me away, what am I supposed to do...
Park Mina was still unable to recover from the wound of being abandoned by Lee Han once before. If she had to endure that pain again, she knew she would never survive it. Trembling with fear, she set her phone down. Instead, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed without a sound.
Tears flowed endlessly from Park Mina's eyes as she curled up under her blanket. A single ray of sunlight squeezed through the window, but it could not reach the depths of her inner self, which had been swallowed by darkness. Caught between a desperate longing for Lee Han and the terror of being rejected, Park Mina felt herself shrinking into nothingness.
How long had she been crying? Her pillow was already soaked through. Park Mina closed her eyes and conjured up a phantom of Lee Han. She could vividly feel his breath, his touch, and even his distinct scent.
Please... save me from this pain... I can't even breathe without you...
Only the sound of Park Mina's wailing echoed through the empty room. Thus, she sank even deeper into her desperate love for Lee Han.
Waking up in the middle of the night once again, Park Mina stared blankly at the ceiling. Her eyes were so swollen it was difficult to even open them. Because of the tears that continued every night for days, her face was ruined, and her pillow was damp and sodden.
The lingering attachment, the love for Lee Han, and the sense of loss from being abandoned were all tangled together, crushing her. She didn't want to admit that she had meant nothing to him. She had only been guilty of loving him—why did she have to be punished like this?
I shouldn't have rejected him, I should have listened to him...
Even while being hurt and tormented by Lee Han's actions, Park Mina blamed everything on herself. With self-reproach and self-blame, she fell into an even deeper quagmire. In the midst of unbearable pain, she barely managed to survive each day in a state of resignation.
At work, no one knew Park Mina's true situation. She spent her days breathlessly, her face barely concealed by makeup, and when night fell, the time for tears arrived once more. There was no one to reach out a hand to Park Mina as she floundered in the deep swamp of despair and pain.
Even while craving and longing for Lee Han's love, she couldn't find the courage to approach him. She was afraid of being rejected, afraid of being cruelly abandoned again. She felt pitiful and wretched, having devolved into a woman lost in a pathetic love. Park Mina's inner self was being dyed in deep despair. Carrying wounds too large to mend on her own, she endured each day in agony. She was fighting a solitary battle, with no one to lean on.
Park Mina walked into the apartment complex with heavy footsteps. The sun had already set, and the time of dusk had settled in. Although she was heading home, her legs were naturally gravitating toward the Management Office.
The Management Office, viewed from a distance, was pitch black. Seeing the lights off, it seemed Lee Han wasn't there. Park Mina trudged to the front of the office, but she hesitated before the firmly closed door. Even though she desperately wanted to go inside, she couldn't find the courage.
I wish you were there...
She whispered with a desperate heart, but only silence answered her. After lingering for a long time, Park Mina turned her steps away and headed home. Her thoughts were still with Lee Han.
Upon arriving home, Park Mina buried her body into the sofa with a deep sigh. The moment she had hesitated in front of the Management Office door kept replaying in her mind.
Should I have gone in? Or... should I not have rejected him before that?
Regret flooded in. Was it a mistake to have tried to pull away back then, failing to understand Lee Han's heart? Blaming herself, Park Mina's mind fell back into confusion.
A few days later, on her way home from work, Park Mina found herself heading toward the Management Office again. This time, the lights were shining brightly. At that sight, Park Mina's heart began to race wildly.
He's there...!
Calming her pounding chest, she walked slowly toward the office. But as she reached the door, she hesitated again. She couldn't find the courage to knock. At that moment, she saw Lee Han through the window.
Afraid of being caught, she carefully peeked her face toward the window. She caught sight of Lee Han's profile as he sat at his desk doing something. Seeing him for the first time in a while, Park Mina's heart beat even more violently.
Her gaze kept being drawn to Lee Han's face. She missed every single one of his movements. Her heart ached with affection for him. As she watched him for a long time, it seemed as if Lee Han was turning his head. Park Mina hurriedly pulled back from the window and slipped away from the office.
Clutching her thumping heart, tears welled up in her eyes as she left the apartment. Her mind went numb from the longing for Lee Han and the frustration at her own timidity in not being able to approach him. Is it okay to go on like this? Anxious thoughts followed one after another. Stopping in front of her home, Park Mina stood there blankly for a long time. Another day faded away amidst despair and anguish.
Han Sujin entered the Management Office with sharp eyes and immediately lashed out at Lee Han.
"What is it?"
Lee Han replied with his usual relaxed smile.
"Do I need a reason to call you? I just called because I wanted to see you..."
"You usually come to my house, so why are you calling me to the office today?"
Even at Han Sujin's stinging words, Lee Han did not lose his relaxed smile. He slowly approached, wrapped his arms around Han Sujin's waist, and whispered.
"Don't be like that. I have things to do at the office... and besides, we have to do the work for the apartment women's association, don't we?"
"I understand..."
Han Sujin sighed, answered, and walked over to the water dispenser to get a drink. Then, she pulled a packet of pills from her pocket and swallowed them.
"What kind of medicine is that?"
Lee Han asked, curious. Han Sujin glared at him once and spat out in a bitter voice.
"Who do you think I'm taking this for..."
For a moment, Lee Han's smile stiffened, but he quickly noticed and approached Han Sujin, massaging her shoulders.
"I guess my being careful isn't enough?"
"I'd rather be careful myself than trust you."
Han Sujin had initially tried to resist, but she soon accepted Lee Han's touch. When the hands massaging her shoulders began to move lower, she frowned.
"What are you doing? You said you had work to do..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Lee Han thrust his face forward and kissed her. Han Sujin looked at him with wide eyes, but soon closed them and surrendered her body to the deepening kiss.
Their lips met hotly, exchanging tongues. Their breathing grew ragged, and heat rose. Lee Han's hands began to undo the buttons of Han Sujin's shirt one by one. His lips swept across her neck and down her collarbone. Han Sujin gritted her teeth, barely managing to suppress a moan.
"You said you had work to do..."
She muttered in a breathless voice, but her body had long since been ignited. Without a word, Lee Han wrapped his arms around Han Sujin's waist and sat her on the sofa. She could feel Lee Han's hardened member pressing between her thighs. Gazing into each other's eyes, the two clashed their lips together violently once more.
Before long, hot sighs and moans filled the office. Apartment work had long been forgotten. In one corner of the office, the two, consumed by desire, were becoming one.
