The Madwoman #3
I knew Michelangelo’s David. A magnificent work of art. And right now, I was the David.
I stood there in the exact same pose, wearing nothing but a thin gown. Cold air slipped through the fabric in all the wrong places, making me feel incredibly awkward. I couldn’t move a muscle. The slightest twitch and the artist painting my soul, Kim Yujeng, would lose her temper.
“Don’t move.”
“……”
The only part of me I could still control was my eyeballs. I rolled them around desperately, taking in the atelier inside this officetel. She called it an atelier, but it wasn’t just canvases and paint—there were everyday things everywhere: a fridge, a bed, all the signs of someone actually living here. Did Kim Yujeng live in this place all by herself?
More importantly… if we kept going without any conversation, how was I supposed to get close to her? How was I supposed to worm my way into Kwon Su-ho’s fam? This was seriously awkward.
What made it even worse was the growing ache in my lower back. Hadn’t she said she’d give me a thirty-minute break at the start and then ten-minute breaks after that? But when I glanced at the clock, more than an hour and twenty minutes had already passed. An hour and twenty minutes of nonstop painting. Her concentration was honestly impressive.
Kim Yujeng looked completely absorbed in her work. She was so focused that she hadn’t even noticed her school uniform shirt—unbuttoned because she was hot—had slipped open enough to reveal a glimpse of her bra. I’d only just noticed it myself a second ago. Was she doing it on purpose? Either way, it was far too stimulating for me, and a problem was definitely arising.
“Hey.”
“……”
I was mortified. If there was a mouse hole nearby, I would’ve crawled straight into it.
Soon Kim Yujeng checked the clock and let out a long sigh.
“Time’s up already? Ten-minute break.”
Thank god. And now I was curious. How exactly had she drawn me?
“Um, can I take a look at the painting?”
“Go ahead.”
Her tone was a little prickly. Swallowing my dissatisfaction, I walked over to the canvas and froze in shock.
This is supposed to be me?
What Kim Yujeng had spent an hour and a half slaving over was a giant circle. A huge circle drawn in pencil.
“…Weren’t you supposed to be drawing me?”
“This is you, Ha Yeong-won. Your name is full of circles. ‘Yeong’ can mean zero. ‘Won’ means a round circle. And the name ‘Yeong-won’ implies infinite circulation, so it’s basically a circle.”
…Honestly, I had no idea what she was talking about. Was this what artists called “appreciation”? Whatever the case, Kim Yujeng clearly wasn’t satisfied. She grabbed a knife and viciously slashed the canvas to shreds.
“No. This isn’t it either.”
My hour and a half of suffering had just been destroyed in seconds? It was an utterly despairing moment.
But during that same moment, what hit me harder than despair was the sight of the scars on her wrist. Her winter uniform shirt had ridden up slightly—not her summer one—and the exposed skin revealed clear marks of self-harm. Some of the scars looked old, while others seemed relatively recent.
Now that I thought about it, Yang Ju-hui had mentioned it before. She’d said Kim Yujeng was self-destructive. So this was what she meant.
“Ten minutes are up. And you’re sleeping here tonight.”
“Huh?”
“You can’t go home until I finish the painting. I’ll pay you plenty, so don’t worry. It’s the weekend tomorrow anyway, so no school. It doesn’t matter.”
Wait, sleep over? I hadn’t heard anything about that. But Kim Yujeng was holding a knife, so I quickly got back into position out of fear. Still, I could now clearly feel the sheer “passion” this noona had for her art. I also realized that being a model wasn’t something to feel embarrassed about. I needed to take this seriously too.
That was what I was thinking when—
“Nope. This isn’t right either.”
Slice—.
Kim Yujeng tore the canvas apart with her knife again. She replaced it with a fresh sheet, stared at it for a while, then suddenly snapped at me.
“Hey. Show me a little more of your real self.”
“What?”
“Show it to me. You’re hiding yourself. I can tell, you know?”
What the hell was she talking about? I was completely flustered. What was I even hiding?
While I stood there panicking, Kim Yujeng let out another heavy sigh.
“Never mind. It’s the artist’s job to draw out the essence of her subject anyway. I’ll handle it, so just stay still.”
She was a total tyrant. I was just thinking that this noona actually suited Kwon Su-ho better than I expected when something strange happened.
Slide—.
Kim Yujeng suddenly peeled off the stockings she’d been wearing under her skirt, revealing her bare legs. Her pale thighs and underwear came into full view. For a high schooler like me, Ha Yeong-won, it was way too stimulating. I couldn’t help but panic.
“……”
I flinched hard in shock. Did we need another ten-minute break?
But Kim Yujeng’s expression was deadly serious—almost cruel.
“Stay still.”
Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch—.
The artist’s hand moved endlessly, frantically. She looked possessed. Like a shaman riding a spirit blade.
“The sketch is done. Take a look. It’s been weeks since I drew something this good. Even I think it turned out well.”
At Kim Yujeng’s words, I looked at the painting. It was simple. Just a circle with an arrow shooting straight up from the top.
↑ ○
Exactly. It was the male symbol—♂.
“Tomorrow I’ll add color. With a feeling of eruption and release. Clear your schedule for tomorrow too.”
I had to keep modeling until tomorrow? Fine. Since we’d come this far, I might as well see it through. I’d use Kim Yujeng thoroughly to get closer to Kwon Su-ho. And I had to resolve Gu Hye-na’s grudge while I was at it.
“You like steak, right?”
Kim Yujeng grilled some meat in the atelier’s small kitchen and handed me a plate. It was a juicy medium-rare steak, the juices practically dripping. It was delicious.
We sat across from each other and ate. The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Letting her keep dragging me along at her own pace would be a waste of time, so I decided it was time to bring up the main topic.
“I’m not sure if it’s really okay for me to sleep over. Aren’t you Su-ho hyung’s girlfriend? He’s scary and powerful… If he finds out I stayed here, I might get on his bad side…”
Her hand slicing the meat suddenly stopped. Then, as if she’d lost her appetite, she dumped her entire plate straight into the trash.
“Who cares? That bastard brings girls over and does even more disgusting things. You saw it yourself last time, didn’t you? What he does right in front of me, his girlfriend. It’s revolting. What do you think?”
So she was finally bringing up what happened that day. The fact that she was opening up so readily was actually a good sign for me.
“Noona, you’re really good at painting and you’re so passionate about your work. I think you could easily find a much better boyfriend. So why are you still seeing Kwon Su-ho even though…”
“Kwon Su-ho is special.”
A third-generation chaebol heir. Yeah, he was definitely a special kind of human. As I nodded in understanding, Kim Yujeng continued.
“It’s not just about money. His soul is incredibly unique among all the people I’ve seen. It sparks my inspiration. That’s why I agreed to date him.”
“Hmm…”
“I don’t expect normal people to understand. Most wouldn’t even get what I’m saying. Anyway, you sleep on the bed over there. I’ll take the sofa.”
After we finished eating, she went to bed early. It was only nine o’clock. Since I had nothing else to do, I lay down on the bed and played with my phone. It smelled nice. Must be the bed she usually slept in.
I must have dozed off without realizing it. That was when I caught the scent of dirt in my nose. No—actually, it was the strong smell of paint that filled the atelier. My body suddenly felt heavy. When I opened my eyes, something was looking down at me.
“Mom—!”
A ghost! Another ghost had popped out!
That was what I thought at first, but the ghost’s hair was shorter than I expected.
“…Is that you, Yujeng noona?”
“Yeah. I figured the best way to get revenge on Kwon Su-ho is to do exactly what he does. I wasn’t planning to wake you, but… this might actually be more comfortable.”
Slide—.
Kim Yujeng licked my forehead with her tongue. The wet, warm sensation was incredibly unfamiliar. I felt all the blood in my body surge like fuel through an engine, instantly heating me up from the inside.
What the hell was happening?!
When her hand slipped boldly under my shirt, I actually started to feel scared.
“Wait! Noona! Shouldn’t we not be doing this? If Su-ho hyung finds out, I’m dead! I’ll really die! Someone like me—a regular person—can disappear without a trace!”
“That’s true. It’s pretty well known that he half-kills any guy who touches his girlfriend.”
“You know that and you’re still—!”
“But do you really think he has the energy for that right now? He’s been completely wrecked for the past few days. I don’t know what happened, but he keeps throwing up and having seizures.”
Unexplained vomiting and seizures. So it really was because of the quirk. It was satisfying to hear that the third-generation chaebol had been utterly destroyed, but that was one thing and this was another. I was terrified of Kim Yujeng. This woman was only looking at me as a tool. A tool for revenge against Kwon Su-ho. And some kind of self-destructive weapon.
She was crazy!
When I started struggling desperately, Yujeng asked me,
“…Is this your first time?”
“What? Well… I’m still a first-year in high school, so… isn’t that obvious?”
“I did it in my second year of middle school with the female art tutor who was teaching me. She was a woman and I was a woman, but there was no problem. You and I are a guy and a girl. There’s even less of an issue.”
“……”
“I can tell there’s something special inside you. Something beneath your skin. If you want to know what it really feels like, just looking isn’t enough. You have to experience it directly.”
Chomp—.
Kim Yujeng bit my ear. Hard. It was a sensation I had never felt before in my life, and I was completely thrown off balance. I felt like I was actually being devoured!
Riiiiing—.
That was when the phone rang. That old-fashioned ringtone! It was my phone!
“Hold on! I think someone’s calling!”
I pushed Kim Yujeng away and reached for my phone. The screen showed the name Yang Ju-hui.
“Hey, Ju-hui.”
Right. That was what we were supposed to be doing. But I’d fallen asleep while messing with my phone. Also, I still hadn’t told them I was sleeping over at Kim Yujeng’s place. For some reason, I felt awkward bringing it up in front of Yang Ju-hui. Jeong Seok’s comment about how she might like me had been bothering me more than I wanted to admit. It felt like I was cheating or something. Even though we weren’t even dating yet!
“I’ll text you instead. Yeah. Okay, bye.”
Click—.
I hung up on Yang Ju-hui. Thanks to her, I’d survived. When I turned on the light, I saw Kim Yujeng hurriedly putting her clothes back on.
“Do you have a girl you like?”
A girl I like. Suddenly, the faces of several girls flashed through my mind. It was the brilliant and dramatic history of my unrequited loves. Some had burned to ash, while others still had faint sparks of hope left.
“Yes.”
“You’re different from the guys I thought you were.”
“……”
“I won’t make things uncomfortable or sticky anymore. But keep modeling for me. I’ll pay you. It feels like the spark I lost recently is coming back. Let me paint you more. I’ll finish the painting tomorrow.”
She’d pay me? How much could I get? My greedy thoughts and the urge to ‘run away because this woman is insane’ were battling fiercely inside my head when—
Beep, beep-beep-beep—.
The sound of someone entering the passcode on the atelier door reached us. I remembered that Kim Yujeng lived here alone. Who would be coming to her place?
Knock knock knock—.
— Hey, Yujeng. You in there? It’s me. Open the door. Why’d you change the passcode without my permission? You wanna die? Why aren’t you picking up my calls again? Didn’t I tell you I hate it when you ignore me?
The familiar voice coming from beyond the door was Kwon Su-ho’s. Kim Yujeng flinched in shock.
“Hide. If Kwon Su-ho sees you, he might actually kill you.”