[The Price of a Virgin]
He hadn't shouted loud enough to draw attention from the surrounding tables, but there was something else he wanted to ask. Only then did Min Suyeon seem to realize that what she was saying now contradicted her past claims; she moved her lips in a nervous pout and slowly turned her head away.
"You said you were promiscuous."
"...?"
"You said... you'd slept with that man."
It was quite a sight to see her eyes go round, but anyway. It was funny. Quite funny, actually. Come to think of it, hadn't she claimed she sold her body?
"Didn't you say you sold your body, and that was all with men..."
"...That was, uh... I didn't want to, but I was forced to,"
Oh, I see. Forced, huh? When the loan shark told you to sell your body, you said you hated it.
"Then why didn't you do that with that tattooed shrimp?"
"Well, you see, that's because I'm picky about people..."
"You said you didn't even want a man's skin to touch yours. But you're picky about people...?"
Min Suyeon looked more pathetic with every word she spoke.
"You said you went to clubs..."
"...That was to meet women,"
Aha. To meet women...
"You said you sat in the bathroom,"
"That was because with a woman..."
I see, and then...
"The abortion..."
"...Fuck, that was because I didn't have money, so, I was forced..."
Ah, forced again. Did you get pregnant after doing it with a woman?
"You said you didn't even want skin contact."
"Like I said, I was forced..."
Everything is forced. Then, what about...
"AIDS..."
"That was! ...I got a bad blood transfusion. That's why there was a problem."
"...? A transfusion? What year do you think it is?"
"I didn't have money, so I went to another country for surgery. Are you happy now? Now..."
What do you mean 'now'? Ah, you mean you have a mountain of questions left to ask? How did she know?
He paused for a moment and looked at Min Suyeon. Her hand, clutching the knife, was trembling violently, but it wasn't from anger—it was trembling due to some other emotion. There was no way he could be unaware of that fact. Watching her right hand, he slowly nodded and said,
"So, you consider me a sex offender."
"..."
"And you said you'd rather bite your tongue and die than spread your legs for a man."
"..."
Seeing Min Suyeon unable to say a word and avoiding his gaze, he felt like he was teasing a rat trapped in a jar. He couldn't help but suppress his laughter. He shouldn't be laughing at this. He had to keep a straight face and speak coldly... That was what he should do, but,
"...But you told me you sold your body because you didn't have money..."
"Like I said before, I was forced,"
"...You said you'd rather bite your tongue and die than do it against your will,"
"You, you shut up...!"
She's cute, this one.
"No, why did you say those things? What's the truth?"
"...Fuck, get lost, just eat your meat... Why are you saying things like that in a place like this?"
Because I'm fucking curious. Why you're acting like this.
"Why do you think I'm a sex offender?"
"Fuck, obviously. Why else would I be so good to you, throwing money at you like that? You're doing all sorts of shit just to have a go at me, aren't you? You think I don't know? People like you are the most pathetic in the world, you're dirty, really, fuck...!"
As soon as he asked, Min Suyeon lashed out as if she'd been waiting for it. But even hearing such abuse,
"Hmm... I don't have that intention, but I wonder if you're just having strange thoughts on your own. And usually, shouldn't people who make money that way like it, rather than hate it?"
"...That's bullshit, why do you keep-"
"It's true, isn't it? That 41 million won prostitution case. Isn't that incredibly expensive? I've never done it, so I wouldn't know, but the market price..."
At that point, he grinned and said,
"Prostitution, how much is it usually for a night?"
"Fuck, how would I know that-! .... ....."
"I see. You wouldn't know, would you, Ms. Min Suyeon."
Aha. Ms. Min Suyeon, who is active enough in prostitution to have two or three abortions, doesn't know the going rate.
"....It, it's one, no, about ten million won...?"
I see. So it's ten million won a night. Wow... that's expensive. No, has the cost of living gone crazy?
"Ten million won, huh. That's incredibly expensive."
"..."
"Everything goes up except for salaries. Beer, meat, chicken, ...and the price of prostitution."
Then,
"Well, since I paid 41 million won, that means I can sleep with you four times."
"...Fuck, I knew you'd be like this,"
"Hey now. I can't have sex with an AIDS carrier."
Min Suyeon's expression crumbled miserably. At first, she had merely tried to lower her own value by suggesting he had ulterior motives and that she was a dirty, promiscuous woman, so he should give up if he was thinking of rolling in the sheets with her—but now, those words were turning into sharp boomerangs, stabbing her one by one.
"...AIDS, carrier..."
"Yes. You said you had AIDS. The transfusion...?"
"..."
"And you might have other STDs, too."
If she denied this, she would just be a trashy, bluffing liar who only told lies. She didn't even know how she had managed to pull off that acting back at her studio apartment, talking about clubs she'd never been to and acting as if she had the upper hand sexually. She was in a position where she could be ignored as pathetic.
Already, in her head,
"You're a virgin at that age? Figures, I thought so."
"All you do is posture, and since you're empty inside, you just spew nonsense."
"How pathetic. It's ugly. Ugh, dirty..."
But if she admitted it was true, she would not only be a woman who got AIDS from surgery in a developing country, but also a cheap woman who had abortions like she ate meals, and he might just violate her as he pleased. It was the kind of behavior that could actually trigger his sexual desires. She felt terrible thinking that she was essentially admitting to being a dirty, promiscuous woman.
"I, I am...!"
"Yes. Ms. Min Suyeon. Well, it doesn't really matter to me. By the way, AIDS medication must be expensive, so I'll request it from the company..."
No, fuck, no! Don't say crazy things, please!
"It's something Doowon made, after all. The company can take good care of it as a welfare benefit..."
"Shut up, just don't worry about other people's business..."
"Ah, I have a question..."
Gulp. Unable to even curse, she was swept up in his pace, focusing only on his words,
"Which club did you go to?"
"....!"
"No, doing that in a club bathroom...? It's not like American Harlem... I should report it quickly. I'll root out those kinds of decadent, prostitution-ridden clubs right away,"
So she had no choice but to scream.
"DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!"
"Why did you say things like that?"
"....Because I thought you would."
"I'm not doing it, am I?"
"You're going to do it now. I know everything... Now you're going to drag me away.... And then feed me alcohol..."
He put this strange woman in the passenger seat and even fastened her seatbelt. Then,
"You're drunk in broad daylight. Let's go home."
"..."
"What's not to your liking? Ah, I won't say AIDS. Are you sulking because of that?"
He calmed her down while they ate. He told her he understood. That he wouldn't say anything else. Then, she, still suspicious, suddenly raised her hand and asked for a bottle of soju, then, without even pouring it into a glass, she drank it straight from the bottle, emptying it in an instant. And now,
"...Hey, you fuck..."
"Watch the language, over there,"
"You think I'm pathetic, don't you? Like I'm totally worthless."
Why are you like this?
"I'm driving, so please..."
"Fuck, stop the car."
"....?"
"I said stop the car... Ha, really. Going home...? Home?"
"..."
No, I really said I was going to take you home, why are you...
"I know everything... I know... I know you're ignoring me because I'm an old maid.... Ha, seriously..."
"How is twenty-eight an old maid? Ms. Min Suyeon, it's only 6 o'clock, and already-"
"Bullshit. If it's 6 o'clock... what changes?"
He stopped the car as she demanded. He pulled over to the shoulder for a moment and looked at her,
"What do you mean, I mean, why is someone who can't even handle alcohol like this drinking soju like that..."
"Because I can't do it sober."
What can't you do sober? Min Suyeon, who had unbuckled her seatbelt in an instant, climbed onto his lap and grabbed his shoulders tightly so he couldn't go anywhere. It happened so suddenly that he didn't know what expression to make, and he wondered if he should just kick this drunk woman out of the car, but, *smack*—
"Wh-what are you doing? Ms. Min Suyeon, this is..."
"You were planning on doing this, weren't you? Aren't you?"
"....?"
"I know everything, yeah, what's so good about me that you're throwing money at me like that? Now tell me honestly, I know you're doing all this just to fuck me once. ...I knew I couldn't do it sober."
"Ha, fuck... How much are you going to give me? You know I'm pathetic, right? I'm a beggar. So set the price high, I've also... I've prepared myself a lot... right now?"
"Is it fun to tease me? What's so wrong with not having had sex at this age, fuck...? Do you find me funny? Yeah, I'm a personality-disordered wreck, so I've never had sex until now and just masturbated like crazy, you're right about everything, fuck..."
"So.... so.... haa..."
Even speaking seemed difficult for her. No, setting that aside, what is this woman saying right now?
"Since I'm a virgin... pay me more. 100 million won is nothing to you, fuck..."
No, now she's even... forcing a sale...?
After saying that, Min Suyeon tried to take off her top. Seeing her, he barely managed to stop her, and Min Suyeon, looking at him, said,
"Why, are you saying we should go somewhere else instead of here?"
"How much is it? That's what's important to me. I want to know how much... fuck, are you turned off because I only care about money? Why are you making that face."
"Ah, are you worried because you're a married man? Now? I'm planning on dying soon anyway, so feel free to eat me up. Just pay me properly..."