Conversation, Money, and... Why Sex?
I’m exhausted. I mobilized the staff from the auxiliary office to track down where Min Suyeon’s younger brother, Min Sujong, was living, and then I contacted the 3rd Fund Department.
The Finance Office had the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Fund Departments. The 3rd Fund Department, however, didn't appear on any official organizational chart. Their primary duty was:
"Yes. I will prepare it immediately. I'll put it in the trunk of your car."
"Thank you."
It was for managing the slush funds of the Chairman and his extended family. That’s the old-fashioned way of putting it; in reality, it was more about managing the assets the Chairman’s family entrusted to them. Was it personal embezzlement by the staff? No, the Chairman’s family assets were crucial for acquiring shares, so this work was essential for managing the governance structure. It was just a bit awkward if it became public knowledge. That’s why they handled the management and withdrawal of funds this way.
For instance, if the Chairman needed to bribe a prosecutor in charge of a case, they would put the appropriate amount in the car according to the "market rate." If he asked for "one box," they would fill an apple box with 10,000-won bills and disguise it as a fruit gift set. If he asked for a "golden apple," that meant a box of 50,000-won bills. It was all coded like that. Anyway, after handing that apple box to Min Sujong, I drove to Incheon and headed up to her studio apartment. For some reason, the front door was unlocked.
"If you leave the door wide open like this, a burglar..."
I heard mumbling from inside. Did she have another visitor? Who could it be? A loan shark? Does she have more debt? Hearing the figure of 10 trillion won mentioned, I tilted my head, wondering what on earth they were talking about. Besides, you need creditworthiness to get a loan; why would anyone lend her 10 trillion? ...Though, given the research papers and knowledge of Min Suyeon I’d reviewed in relation to GPL, 10 trillion was peanuts.
"It’s not like I’m having an affair..."
Around that time, I realized she was the only one speaking inside, and I couldn't hear anyone else, so I stepped inside quietly. ...'She cleaned up...?' The place was surprisingly tidy. There was only one pair of shoes. ...Which meant she was alone.
I took off my shoes, lined them up neatly, closed the door, and walked in to see her sitting in a desk chair, staring at a bookshelf and talking to herself. '...This is creepy. What the hell...' Min Suyeon was mumbling as if reciting a spell. Watching her from behind, I felt a chill. I didn't think she had a habit of talking to herself... Why was she doing this now? "You didn't even contact me..."
Come to think of it, I hadn't contacted her much since I dropped her off at the hospital two days ago. But I assumed she wasn't talking to me. I figured Min Suyeon was just lying, or maybe waiting for a call from an ex-boyfriend. Still, I wondered if speaking to her would make the mumbling stop.
"Were you waiting for my call?"
"...I was..."
She answered the moment I spoke. ...Does she even realize it’s my voice? "Why were you... waiting for me?"
"Because I want to talk to you."
She used to curse at me constantly, and now she wants to talk...? I couldn't see her face, but it didn't seem like she even registered that I had arrived. "You curse a lot whenever we talk."
"...I'm feeling... a little sorry."
S-sorry? "Yeah..." I asked her why she felt sorry, and after hearing her say that she didn't know how to express herself nicely, I paused for a moment before asking what she needed to speak more kindly. And Min Suyeon said,
Why... sex? Around that time, Min Suyeon’s words felt so vivid that she felt strange. Just as she decided to stop reacting to auditory hallucinations, she turned her head to the side and saw me standing there—the man who had been leaning against the desk just a moment ago. The desk was a hallucination, but the person next to her was real. Thinking both were just her delusions, Min Suyeon said,
"...I have nothing to say. I don't want to react to you anymore."
"....?"
Wait, she was talking just fine a second ago. Why suddenly? "Sex is difficult, but money and conversation are possible."
"...Bullshit. You're just a fake..."
Fake? "Ms. Min Suyeon, are you saying I'm a fake?"
"Yeah, you're a fake... A hallucination caused by my illness... A hallu..."
Wait, do hallucinations these days even let you smell perfume? No, "...? Get a grip."
"Hey, hey... Hey, you, you, why did you come in here!!!!!!!!"
"...The hell, aren't you going to get out right now?"
"...? You said you wanted to talk earlier,"
"That wasn't you, it wasn't!!!!!"
Whoa, she’s screaming her lungs out. "You cleaned your room."
"You crazy stalker, how did you know the password..."
"Ms. Min Suyeon, you left the front door open, so I walked in. I closed it for you."
"..."
Min Suyeon, who hadn't even realized that because she was too busy reacting to her hallucinations, kept screaming but took the drink I offered, her face bright red.
"Why did you come?"
I waited for a while, and she seemed to calm down. "Are you going to join GPL?"
"This again..."
"Do you know how much trouble I went through today? ...Yeah, never mind."
"What did you even do? Besides slacking off at the company..."
Getting her father a professorship, ensuring her mother received proper treatment to improve her health, and knowing her younger brother was in financial trouble and helping him directly with money. I didn't want to brag about those things. I just thought she’d find out eventually and feel grateful. Honestly, that was all pocket change to me. The cash I gave Min Sujong? Half of it was spent on fixing his car. There was no need to make a big deal out of it. It was just... more important to get a firm answer about joining GPL.
"What do you want me to do?"
"..."
"That thing about money, conversation... No, why that..."
I couldn't bring myself to say it honestly. She had been thinking about gender equality, feminism, and all that, but when it came down to it, she thought, 'How could I...' How could a woman directly say she wanted to receive his seed in such a scandalous way? Furthermore, how could a woman be the first to tell a married man that she wanted to stay by his side? She absolutely, even if she died, couldn't do it.
"...Get lost, just shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear it."
"You said you wanted to talk."
"Not that kind of talk, you fucker, you annoying piece of shit..."
Why does she curse so much... I ignored her words and picked up the medicine bag to check the contents. Surprisingly, she was taking her medicine religiously. From lunch, dinner, Tuesday, and even today's dose—it was all gone.
"You've been taking your medicine well. Good job."
Then I complimented her on cleaning the house. Not to appease her, but because she really did a good job. It had definitely smelled in here before, and it was dirty enough to be nauseating. I wondered how anyone could live in a place like this... "What is this?"
"...Just leave it alone, don't pay attention to it. Why are you in someone else's house..."
"You said you were waiting for my call."
It was a small bowl on the windowsill that was clearly an ashtray. It looked like she had placed it there thinking I would come over often, so I could smoke comfortably. I knew she wasn't a smoker.
"I put it there because I was going to smoke."
"...I see. Hmm..."
So I tested the waters. "I don't like people who smoke."
"...You smoke too..."
The look on her face... she didn't seem to expect me to say that. Or was it because I said I didn't like it? "So what? I don't like people who smoke either."
"Really? Well, I guess my cigarette smoke smells good, but other people's smoke is gross."
"..."
"Then do you want to smoke together?"
Watching her bite her lower lip in nervousness was quite a sight. Ah, does she really like me...? Min Suyeon slowly stood up, gathered her courage, took out a cigarette pack, put one in her mouth, and lit it. That part was fine, but—
"Ugh, hack, cough, ugh!"
"...You put it there to smoke...?"
"..."
She’s a woman who can't be honest. "Why are you pretending to smoke?"
"What do you mean pretending, I usually smoke..."
"...Just give me that, it's going to drop."
I crushed the cigarette in the bowl she’d set out as an ashtray, extinguished it, and threw it away. Min Suyeon, looking annoyed, gulped down some water, then stood next to me again, watching me smoke.
"Why?"
"..."
"Do you have something to say?"
"...No, nothing..."
Min Suyeon, who said that, actually had so much she wanted to say. '...Should I buy some alcohol? Should I ask him to drink with me this time? If we drink together, can we have sex? I want to try it too. He looks unnecessarily handsome when he smokes... He put the ashtray in a good spot, yeah, it feels like he'll keep coming back... His relationship with his wife must be distant, that's why he's hanging around here. ...My breasts are big, and since it's my first time, he'll definitely like it. All men are like that. Should I tell him to sleep over today? No, how can I say that...'
'What topic should I use to talk? Science? But he doesn't do that kind of work... Then money? Should I really say I'll give him 10 trillion? What does he want from me? It must be something other than work... I have to drag it out of him. Another purpose... Should I offer to do that in exchange for sex? I hope it's a simple request. Ah, I should have just said sex was a condition when he asked me to go to the hospital back then. ...No, that was my fault, so...'