Peace
Han Chae-kyung, who had resigned from her city council position, left me a message.
I wasn't sure if telling me her destination was a wise decision, but I understood what heading to Thailand meant. If she had any sense at all, she wouldn't go to Bangkok or Pattaya—too many Koreans there, and the expat community was well-established. Given her profile, it would only take a month before her whereabouts leaked and reporters descended on her.
If she truly wanted to disappear in Thailand, Chiang Mai was the best option. Da Nang, Vietnam offered even better conditions for going off-grid, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was ideal if she planned a secondary move to somewhere like Canada... but it seemed she'd settled on a compromise.
A city good for hiding, with decent infrastructure. Proof she was considering long-term concealment. With an ED visa following the standard route, she could safely lay low for at least two years.
Why tell me all this?
Han Chae-kyung had abandoned everything and fled to Thailand. The job was already successfully completed, and there was no need to chase her there for additional leverage. I only had one modest wish: that she wouldn't return to Annam City, and that she wouldn't plot revenge against me later. That was truly all.
"Officer Joo Sung-hyun. Finally, things will quiet down, right?" (32 / 239 / 3 hours ago)
Kim So-young, the virgin next to me who had recently picked up the pace, shook her head with exhaustion. Her face looked worn at a glance—likely from the +5 experience count in a single day, and judging by her recent activity window, she'd been busy from last night until dawn. But she didn't show it. A diligent colleague who worked hard and never slacked off.
"Yes. It should be quiet from now on."
"That's a relief, isn't it?" (32 / 239 / 3 hours ago)
One virgin colleague at the same workplace was enough. Time to return to normalcy.
After work, I visited my parents' home for the first time since regaining my ability. The moment I stepped into the entranceway, a warm feeling washed over me.
"You're here, son." (1 / 269 / 1 year 3 months ago)
"Yes, Father."
"We live in the same Annam City, yet it's so hard to see your face?" (2 / 497 / 1 year 3 months ago)
Thankfully, my parents' numbers remained healthy. The last time I'd seen them, during my senior year of high school, they were 1 / 247 and 2 / 475. Fortunately, their partner counts hadn't changed—only their experience counts had increased by 22 each. Twenty-two times over ten years. Not particularly high for their age, but I wasn't crazy, and I had no business interfering in their private lives. They were probably just... getting along like friends. If their numbers had diverged, I would have felt terribly bitter.
"I'm sorry. I'll visit more often from now on."
I was relieved I could greet them with a smile. My father had worked for over twenty years at the transportation company owned by Kim Ho-chang, earning two Safety and Courtesy Driver Awards, while my mother had supported him as a full-time housewife. Perhaps because they were college classmates, they still spoke casually to each other. Their relationship remained as strong as ever.
Soon, the topic at the dinner table inevitably turned to Han Chae-kyung.
"Sung-hyun, did you know Han Chae-kyung... that politician who was a sponsor girl?"
"Yes. Since I worked in the policy team, I suppose."
My father set down his chopsticks with a cough. Since it involved the wife of his company's owner, he seemed to have something to say.
"I don't fully understand what 'sponsor' means, but I question whether one young politician needed to be ruined so thoroughly. People seem to be losing tolerance these days. There was no need to be so cruel."
"I agree. It was too extreme."
"You must have been shocked too." (1 / 269 / 1 year 3 months ago)
"Yes. I never expected something like this to happen..."
I couldn't confess I was the one responsible. My father, unlike me, seemed full of understanding. This was the first time we'd discussed prostitutes, and I was learning something new. Though I was inadvertently deceiving him, this was better than an argument.
My mother was more critical.
"Stop talking about it—it ruins my appetite. No matter how smart or successful a woman is, she shouldn't misuse her body... The husband is pitiful, truly."
"They say it was before marriage."
"She hid it and got married anyway."
"Of course it was wrong, but... the husband shouldn't have publicly advertised how loose his wife was. He should have handled it quietly."
My father called it excessive; my mother said it felt satisfying. I just smiled between them.
"Sung-hyun, choose your women carefully. Understood?"
I merely nodded at my father's advice.
A simple kimchi stew my mother had made, paired with a modest drink. A peaceful evening.
After dinner, I ran an errand for my father to the convenience store. On the way back, I encountered a familiar face.
"..." (2 / 80 / 3 weeks ago)
It was the neighbor from next door, whom I'd lived beside for years. His wife had worked as a karaoke hostess and sold her body. During my senior year, I'd witnessed a fierce marital argument in the hallway. When I saw them fighting viciously with tools, I assumed they'd divorce, but they were still living together as a couple. They even had a child.
I hesitated to greet him, but he stopped me.
"Hey... aren't you Jeong Cheol's son? I heard you studied a lot."
The neighbor grabbed me with strange words. Did he have something to ask me? I wasn't sure if I was the "studious one," but I couldn't ignore a neighbor out of respect for my parents. I planned to listen politely and end with "I'm sorry, but I don't know much about that."
"Do you know about paternity tests?"
Immediately, an awkward situation unfolded. I wanted to avoid answering, knowing exactly what would follow if I said yes. His wife was a former karaoke hostess, and they had a nine-year-old child. The timing overlapped suspiciously. The intent behind his question was painfully obvious.
But I couldn't just walk away. Because—
"This is really... ugh. I know this is... but I need to be sure, right? That's why I'm asking someone who studied a lot."
The neighbor asked again with an anxious expression. His face was openly cornered. I could imagine the atmosphere in his household right now. Just from seeing him wandering around in shorts late at night in Naksi, it was clear he was avoiding facing his wife and child. If he'd acted rashly and the feared result came true, the shock would be too great.
So he'd grabbed me—the neighbor's son who'd once been caught in an ugly situation. Our family, unknowingly, knew their story.
I can't give direct advice.
But indirect guidance was possible. I decided to offer that much.
"Workers are actually quite thorough with contraception."
"Workers? Oh, right."
"Sensitivity varies depending on how they work. For example, sponsor girls like the recently famous Han Chae-kyung typically take oral contraceptives. Women who deeply engage with one long-term sponsor usually use emergency contraception."
"I... see. Very much so." (2 / 80 / 3 weeks ago)
"Sponsors sometimes request no-condom sex to create a romantic feeling."
But the neighbor's wife wasn't a sponsor girl—she was from a no-karaoke establishment. A bar specializing in second-round drinks, operating mainly in Annam City.
"Karaoke hostesses have relatively lower bargaining power for contraception."
"..."
"They can't know if they'll go to a second round until negotiating with the customer. Of course, they prepare contraceptives or condoms as a baseline, but the weakness is that they often go to second rounds while drunk."
"Yes, that's...! That's why I'm worried!"
"I'm sure your suspicions aren't unfounded."
Karaoke hostesses had relatively lower vaginal defense. Due to the nature of hostess karaoke bars, they consumed large amounts of beer and soju in short periods, and the hostesses drank too. Alcohol increased the likelihood of being invited to a second round.
The neighbor wasn't considering a paternity test without reason. There was... evidence. But—
"Before deciding, please consider this."
"What...?"
"Karaoke hostesses have a relatively low frequency of second rounds. Even lower than room salons. There are far more nights they just shake tambourines and go home than nights they go to second rounds. So karaoke hostesses 'always' directly record the days they went to second rounds and the details. Without exception."
The neighbor blinked, not understanding. I explained further.
"When they discover they're pregnant, it's relatively easier to estimate whose child it is from which sexual encounter."
In other words, if she'd accidentally gotten pregnant from a customer during a second round, the karaoke hostess would have noticed first. I couldn't be certain, but my estimate leaned toward biological fatherhood. The neighbor's numbers solidified my suspicion. Only about forty experiences in the past ten years—there was no way the woman had confused it.
"Of course, the decision is yours."
The neighbor nodded, his face slightly relieved. I thought I'd done my part and left.
Then, a few days later.
My father relayed the neighbor's thanks. It seemed the neighbor had gathered courage, taken the paternity test, and finally found peace of mind. Not something to feel proud about, but a good outcome. If he'd dragged out the uncertainty, his intestines would have twisted regardless of the result.
I replied that it was nothing and returned to work. But surprisingly, there was little to do.
It's really quiet.
The city councilors, perhaps due to the aftermath of the Han Chae-kyung scandal, gave me fewer errands than before, and no one bothered to pick fights with me. Ordinary days. While I was bringing down Annam City's power players, I realized I'd gained nothing myself... but it was the path I'd chosen. Living peacefully wasn't bad.
"Joo Sung-hyun?" (1 / 680 / 6 days ago)
"Yes, Team Leader."
"I just got a call from the Mayor's office. I don't know why... but the Mayor asked to see you briefly?"
The Mayor had suddenly summoned me. I had no idea why.