Starting Over Again (26)
“Anyway, I’m leaving.”
“...”
Min Suyeon had gone silent. She hadn’t said a word since that loan shark’s lackey had stopped by earlier.
“Don’t be so pathetic. ...You’d be better off just cursing at me.”
“Hey.”
“...”
“Are you... really going to pay me just for doing my work?”
I nodded. Min Suyeon couldn’t bring herself to believe me. The countless people she’d clashed with until now—they’d all pretended to look at her research, but their interviews always focused on one thing: Chemistry major, Seoul National University, GPA 4.3/4.3.
Ah, if they had just shown that much genuine interest, she wouldn’t be living like this.
“...It’s a bit difficult to find work in basic science...”
“Haha, we aren’t hiring for that major...”
“I’m sorry.”
Being cut because she was a Chemistry major, not an Engineering major, was a daily occurrence. In Korea, there were several companies that would hire her for her high grades, her degree from Seoul National University, and her individual research prowess—Doowon was one of them—but that didn’t hold up overseas. To interviewers, a natural science major was often seen as someone incapable of practical application. Overseas conglomerates, which invested more in basic science than Korea, tended to filter out anyone who hadn’t graduated from Harvard, MIT, or Caltech. So, she spent her mid-twenties getting rejected, kicked around, and pushed aside.
Lately, it was the same even at Doowon. People increasingly called her a book-smart fool who didn’t know the reality of the field, and she was told to sit out of various business meetings. ...Though, that might have been partly due to her personality.
That was why she couldn’t fathom this man’s intentions.
“Why...”
“Are you a goldfish?”
“...What?”
“I keep telling you! If you come to GPL, it’ll be a huge help!”
In truth, she was terrified. Signing this man’s contract felt like she would have to dedicate her entire life to him. She had always viewed men as potential criminals, psychopaths, violent... that was all she knew.
However, the words, “Isn’t it because you pushed everyone around you away that only unhappiness remains?” kept echoing in her head. Even so, she was still torn.
‘...He’s going to take me away and...’
She imagined being ravished like a dog. The way Han Suhyun acted—the way he would ruthlessly crush anyone—she didn’t think that behavior would be limited to men.
‘He’ll really force an abortion on me... make sure I can’t report him anywhere... no one is on my side...’
Min Suyeon’s inner self was vastly different from her exterior—which was famous for being more violent than a man’s, having a mouth full of profanity, and being reckless in every action. Her heart was filled only with terror, fear, despair, anxiety, and worry.
“Anyway, I’ll keep coming back until you give me an answer. You know the story of the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage, right? I’m about on my 80th visit...”
“...”
“...I’m not a stalker! I called you first, fair and square! And then I came!”
The woman watched him blankly as he walked down the stairs. Slowly, she dragged her exhausted body to the bed. The smell of cigarette smoke still lingered. It was grape-scented. ...A strangely comforting scent of grapes.
‘I could even be imprisoned...’
She tried to protect herself. She knew that the moment she signed that man’s contract and took the money, her life would be snatched away, and she would be reduced to a state where he could manipulate her at will. With loan sharks, she could at least report them, but she didn’t feel like she could win against a man like Han Suhyun. She’d be lucky if she didn’t end up dead.
Min Suyeon slowly closed her eyes and thought about the future awaiting her.
‘He could lock me up in his house... work is just an excuse. What am I even... good at...’
She imagined being bound by a rope tied to the ceiling, waiting for him to return so he could untie her, drag her into the master bedroom, and ravish her indiscriminately, ignoring her cries. Since he clearly had some knowledge of chemistry, she assumed he would have aphrodisiacs ready.
‘...He’s not in his right mind...’
His relationship with his wife must be terrible, too. A contract marriage, or something like that? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be randomly visiting another woman’s house on the weekend.
‘Just a toy. He needs a toy...’
Yes. A toy. That was it. In his eyes, she must look like a toy. A tasty toy. Having spent her life working and obsessed with making money, never having met a man, she was contemplating whether to live or die for the first time since she’d decided to end it all.
‘...Will it hurt a lot?’
She’d heard it hurt a lot. Really a lot. Could she endure all of that? Min Suyeon assumed this man wouldn’t have any consideration for women. He probably saw her as nothing more than Sow #1 locked in a cage. No, it would be a relief if he even considered her a living creature.
‘...’
But 400 million won could do a lot. First, she could buy a home where her whole family could live together. She’d have to buy an officetel somewhere, of course... And if she managed it well, she could cover the surgery costs for her mother. Because her mother had no money, she hadn’t been able to get the best surgery for her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was only receiving palliative care—treatment that only alleviated symptoms. And as time went on, the chances of her recovering to her original state were almost zero.
‘400 million... 10 million...’
There would be a separate salary from the company. She could save that to give her younger brother money to get married, buy her father a car so he wouldn’t have to walk in the snow during winter, and move her mother into a clean, private hospital room. Her heart raced at the thought, but...
‘In exchange...’
In exchange, she had to give up her own life... her life as a woman, no, as a human being. He was tall, and from a quick glance, he seemed to have significant muscle. With that kind of stamina, it was clear she would faint after dealing with him all weekend long. On top of that, she’d heard that the wealthy had peculiar sexual tastes. Handcuffs, blindfolds... or, as she’d said, she could be subjected to a gangbang.
“....”
And so, she sank into a swamp of her own contemplation. Should she choose the path of taking the 400 million won and becoming a slut, or should she end her life and leave behind 700 million won in life insurance?
“You’re home, Master?”
“Senior!”
“Eunbyul, why aren’t you home?”
“Unnie told me we should clean the game room for the first time in a while, so I did.”
Jia was holding a rag, and Eunbyul had just finished pushing a mop. It didn’t quite match... but it was acceptable.
“Wipe your sweat. Turn on the AC...”
“Unnie said it was a waste of money and wouldn’t let me turn it on!”
“Hey, if you go telling on me like that...”
Right, Jia was paying the electricity bill. Okay. I needed to change that, too.
“...Seo Jia, I’ll pay the maintenance fees, so turn on the AC...”
“No, no, Master, I’ll turn it on right away. I’m sorry. No...”
“What’s wrong?”
“Because you might throw me away if I have no money...”
No, I told you to just live comfortably... last time...
“...I can’t live comfortably....”
“Sigh.”
Forget it.
“So, how did it go?”
Eunbyul leaned her mop against the wall and sat on the sofa. And Jia? Naturally, she followed.
“Actually, that woman, Min Suyeon, was more serious than I thought.”
“...?”
“I went to her house.”
“What?! You went to Min Suyeon’s house? That tiger’s den?”
Tiger’s den, my foot...
“Anyway, I went, and while we were talking, some thug-looking guy showed up and started demanding money...”
“So, the police...”
“No, I just beat him up.”
...?
“Senior, you can’t fight.”
“Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?”
“It’s just your image...”
So, I told them in detail what I’d done. Like I was reciting a biography. ...Eunbyul shot back as if telling me to stop lying, but Jia’s reaction was different, which was a relief. Because,
“...Be quiet, he’s strong...”
“What do you mean strong, you stupid General Manager...”
“You’ll know if you sleep with him once... He’s very strong, he just... crushes me... in all sorts of places...”
Jia, blushing as she said that, looked quite pretty. Thank goodness.
“Just how strong is he...”
“...Anyway, don’t look down on my husband, no... my Master.”
“Unnie, why are you like that, Senior?”
“I don’t know.”
It was embarrassing to explain in detail. Don’t ask me things like that.
“No, tell me, ah! Ah, what’s he like....!”
Jia hesitated for a moment, then pulled Eunbyul’s arm and led her into the study. I didn’t know what they were doing in there, but I was tired, so I thought I’d just watch some TV... but after watching a current affairs program for a while, narrowing my brows in thought, I saw the two women coming out of the room.
“What were you talking about?”
“....Senior.”
Jia went into the study and began showing Eunbyul the middle part of that video—the one she hadn’t seen before. It showed him binding Jia with various things, then, drunk and unable to make rational judgments, ruthlessly forcing sex upon her according to his instincts. The cheeks of the two women watching it together flushed red. Eunbyul couldn’t take her eyes off the phone as she watched the highlight: him picking Jia up and performing Deulbak, ignoring her pleas to stop.
“No, why. ...Why are you like that, it’s dangerous.”
“....So that’s the kind of person you were....”
“....? What, what is. What is that...”
Eunbyul slowly approached me and said,
“I’m scared of you being rough...”
“...”
“If it’s like this... I want to try it...”