The Exit
During her time as a sponsor girl, Han Chae-kyung traveled overseas frequently.
Of course, it was always with a man's money.
In the prime of her looks—2008 to 2013—high-class sponsors came with overseas travel packages as standard fare.
First class. Five-star resorts. Luxury shopping.
It was nice, but it wasn't easy. Sex twice a day or more, skinship all through the trip, constant appeasement, and half-forced golf sessions.
Yet that experience now proved useful.
“You’ve been through a press conference, Chae-kyung. Where were you saying you were going?”
“Thailand.”
“Thailand’s big. If you don’t want to say exactly where, that’s fine.”
“Chiang Mai. The best place to disappear quietly without being noticed by prying eyes.”
Han Chae-kyung answered Kim Ho-chang’s question with complete sincerity.
Worrying that her husband would sell her out later?
She felt no such fear at all.
It wasn’t about trusting his generosity. Even while she was in the hospital, she had reduced one female lawyer and the CEO of a ready-mix concrete company—one of her former sponsor men—to half-men. Officially, both had supposedly “slipped on the stairs during a walk.”
The only reason Han Chae-kyung had become so obedient was simple.
She had given up everything.
“Chae-kyung, is one hundred million really enough?”
“Yes… I mean…”
“I’ll cover a one-time commission fee with five thousand, and the rest five thousand in crypto. I’ll pay exactly when you want, as you requested.”
“Thank you.”
One hundred million won—the money she had agreed to give her husband in exchange for a clean divorce.
A large sum, yet laughably small when weighed against her husband’s fortune.
If it had gone to court, the minimum would have been thirty billion. For a seven-year marriage, one hundred million felt painfully insignificant.
Han Chae-kyung let out a bitter smile and then tried a small act of revenge on her husband.
“Chiang Mai is quite a nice place.”
“Have you been?”
“Yes. I went when I was a sponsor girl. In 2011.”
“You went when you were still fresh and sweet.”
“Overseas trips usually don’t include Chiang Mai. The place has low appeal to begin with, and there are too many old Westerners. But since the man who sponsored me back then was a sitting judge, I deliberately chose a quiet spot.”
Kim Ho-chang showed no sign of displeasure. His personality had probably softened, or so she assumed.
“That’s right. When you think about your line of work, it’s only natural you’d cater to those who make a living off you.”
“Indeed…”
“Did you bang a lot of nails in Chiang Mai?”
“When I went overseas… I probably did.”
Kim Ho-chang looked exhausted as well. Maybe he had just decided to let her go quietly after taking the hundred million. Or perhaps he simply had no choice but to show leniency toward the woman who had provided the sum.
His temper, however, still burned.
“By the way, Chae-kyung? I’m going to have a child. Not through adoption—my own child.”
“Husband…?”
“But you’re impotent, aren’t you?”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it outright, so she trailed off awkwardly.
Kim Ho-chang suffered from arterial impotence.
At the time of diagnosis, he could only achieve erections—the sperm production itself was normal… or at least not entirely normal, but weak. Still, he could impregnate a woman.
The lingering effects of long-term illegal hormone treatment had eventually led to azoospermia.
Now he was a true eunuch who could not even have sex or produce viable sperm. How, then, was he going to have a child?
“I went to an infertility clinic. They said they have surviving sperm.”
“Seriously?”
“In vitro fertilization and surrogate birth. It’s still possible.”
Han Chae-kyung’s mouth hung open in disbelief at the words her husband had just spoken.
The man who had burned through more than six billion won to revive a dead cock… now claiming he could once again become vigorous like in the old days, only to admit impotence—and even through a surrogate?
Naturally, this was impossible in Korea. He would have to go through a broker.
“I’ve already lined up a woman to serve as the surrogate.”
“…!”
“A Lao woman. Twenty-five years old. The baby will be born in Laos, and I’ll bring it back later, calling it my late-born illegitimate child.”
Han Chae-kyung felt strangely detached.
It was true that Kim Ho-chang had no children. But after turning fifty, he had never shown any interest in having one—yet now suddenly he wanted one.
Fortunately, she was able to hear the reason from the man himself.
“If I don’t make a proper place for you, I’ll end up ruining you no matter what. Whether you go to Thailand or the Philippines, it doesn’t matter.”
“Ah…”
“Isn’t that funny? You divorced me cleanly, got kicked around as a whore, and left with nothing. I know. I’m not a rational man. But when I became a eunuch and my whole life turned into a streetwalker’s, the only thing left was anger.”
The man who said he was hiring a surrogate to give birth in order to tame his rage.
Even though it was only for a short while…
Han Chae-kyung found her husband’s still-unhealed wound almost pitiable. Actually, she had no right to pity anyone, but the fact that they were still married even now felt strangely poignant. They had lived together in one house for seven years, and until two years ago they had even shared a bed. Good times had certainly existed.
Yet now both of them were in ruins.
“Husband. How did we end up like this?”
Kim Ho-chang gave no answer. The resentment in his gaze toward her remained undimmed.
He did not, however, curse her.
“Live well, Chae-kyung.”
“Take care of yourself.”
It was over, after all.
Han Chae-kyung stared for a moment at the visibly aged man, then quietly left the hospital room.
…
Han Chae-kyung, having given up everything and departing like a hunted animal.
Along the way, people had looked out for her.
Not all of them were former sponsor men, but a portion of them were.
They had reached out personally because those who stood to lose if their relationship with her became public. They were helping her to live quietly and safely, with the unspoken message that she should keep her mouth shut. A minor expense compared to the sacrifice she had already paid.
Han Chae-kyung had finally received their “sponsorship.”
The motive mattered little; the money was right.
She also wanted to calm the anxious sponsor men. If she accepted and thanked them while receiving the money, they would surely live more peacefully.
That was why she had accepted it, and now the feeling felt strangely bitter.
[Former Councilor Han Chae-kyung. I heard you’re going to Thailand. I’ve arranged for you to withdraw three thousand baht every month for three years under your local name. It’s not a huge amount, but it’s safe to spend freely, so use it wisely. And I’m sorry about what happened to you recently.]
Some sponsor men addressed her with honorifics.
“Well… Miss Han Chae-kyung? I’m sending you a number. He’s a reliable Korean expat. If you want to rent a car locally, just contact him anytime. And… uh… he’ll give you more than that. If you want to golf near Pattaya, I can arrange a half-price rate?”
Other sponsor men tried to save money.
[Account number sent. Three thousand will be transferred. That’s all we know.]
Some slashed a lump sum and then cut contact entirely. Everyone had their own style.
Not even the most lecherous or blackmailing ones existed.
“Please save me! I heard my name is on the list—when it breaks, you and I will both die together. Don’t ever think about returning to Korea!”
“Stupid bastards.”
Han Chae-kyung watched the sponsor men’s behavior with a hollow smile.
She wasn’t taking it personally.
They were just ordinary people with families and businesses to protect. If they ever saw signs that she was stirring trouble again, they would certainly intervene.
What she could smile at, knowing they would forgive her so easily, was that she had already survived far worse than any sponsor man could ever imagine.
Joo Sung-hyun.
A public official in the office of the Annam City Council. The man who had pushed her to this point of ruin.
He had even made her abandon all desire for revenge. Honestly, she hadn’t given up—she simply couldn’t even imagine trying. If she tried anything, Joo Sung-hyun would surely pull her back into active politics. If she hesitated, she would end up selling her body again.
She could never become a whore.
The fact that Han Chae-kyung had fled to Chiang Mai like a hunted animal was seventy percent due to Joo Sung-hyun.
She would not let herself be entangled with him in any form. Absolutely not.
‘Time to leave.’
Family meetings filled with gloom, meetings with the lawyer who had handled her affairs while she was away, and one final farewell to her husband.
With her departure preparations complete, Han Chae-kyung gazed at her luggage.
A twenty-four-inch aluminum suitcase.
That was the only thing she had.
She had owned so much—enough clothes, accessories, and shoes to fill an entire walk-in closet, mostly luxury brands—yet she could take none of it.
Her new life in Chiang Mai would not suit them.
The most important thing was to move as quietly and unnoticed as possible.
After shedding even her last remnants of attachment, Han Chae-kyung boarded her flight.
…
Incheon from Annam, Bangkok from Incheon, then thirteen hours to the heart of Chiang Mai.
Finally, Han Chae-kyung had reached her hiding place.
“Isn’t it… bad?”
A condo-style residence on the main road.
The separation between living room and bedroom was unclear, the sofa cushioned and worn.
The bed was queen-sized and the sheets clean, yet it already seemed to carry a musty smell. No kitchen, only a small sink and coffee maker.
Han Chae-kyung stood frozen for a long time without opening her suitcase.
The room itself was not bad, but the neighbors were something else.
“Hi! Are you the Korean auntie?”
“Ah… yes.”
“Nice to meet you. I have to go to work, so see you!”
A woman of a similar age to Han Chae-kyung patted her shoulder as she passed.
Short dress, high heels, clutch bag. Dark lipstick and wildly flashy nails—styles that had gone out of fashion in Korea long ago.
Given that Han Chae-kyung had only confessed to being a prostitute in front of sixty journalists a few days earlier, her instincts told her the neighbor’s identity immediately.
The woman she had just met was clearly “in the business.”
Age, region, and fashion suggested she worked at a massage parlor. She might not have been entirely sure, since she lacked the all-round proficiency to match someone like Joo Sung-hyun.
Still, there was no doubt she worked in the entertainment world.
“Hah…”
Han Chae-kyung looked up at the ceiling and laughed quietly.
She had fled Thailand carrying the stigma of being a whore, and now her neighbor was one too.
In reality, it wasn’t unusual. Korean women selling their bodies were common enough in Southeast Asia.
Besides, this was only a temporary residence. In a month she would move to a more respectable place…
For now, a nod and a smile between neighbors would do. Or she could simply move to another room right now. It was nothing, really.
‘You can’t escape it after all.’
It felt like a warning that no matter how far she ran, she could never completely break away from the past.
At first she felt empty, then almost amused. She had cried so much before leaving Korea that no tears came now.
Han Chae-kyung sighed several times, then finally accepted her fate and opened her suitcase.
She began unpacking slowly.
To start her new life.