A Rotten Personality and a Plan for Revenge
"But your personality is still completely rotten."
Once the jamming wore off, Moon Eun-ah burst into tears. "Ugh, you crazy bastard! I told you to stop! Why did I have to have sex with you... *hic*... uwaaaaah!"
Seeing her cry like that, she definitely seemed like a kid, at least in terms of maturity, even if I didn't know about her mental state. Seeing a girl who had been so incredibly rude weeping so sorrowfully made me feel that way. "Hey, you... you crazy bitch, you're the one who cursed at me first." Of course, no apology came out of my mouth.
She looked at me as if she were staring at a complete psychopath. Well, considering no one had probably ever treated her so roughly in her entire life, it was a natural reaction. After exchanging intense glares for a long while, Moon Eun-ah adjusted her clothes, looking like she desperately needed a cigarette.
"Fine. I was in the wrong too, so let's just stop. To... to be honest, I enjoyed it a little bit, but I really have to go now. So let's just end this."
"Are you going to report me to the police?" At my question, Eun-ah fell silent. Her eyes said she didn't know what a crazy bastard like me would do if she threatened to call the cops. However, Moon Eun-ah acted a bit differently than I expected. Sending me a look that asked me to pull her up, she grabbed my hand, stood up, and spoke.
"That weird power of yours... you can use it on people other than me, right?"
"Yeah, I can."
"Then help me. And I won't go to the police."
I tilted my head, wondering what she was getting at. "Don't look at me like that. It's my first time seeing something like a superpower too."
"Aren't you scared or angry about this?"
"Of course I'm scared! And of course I'm angry! Do you have any idea who I am? People easily spend over a million won just to hold my hand once! You have no idea what a massive jackpot you hit by just ravishing me like that!"
Moon Eun-ah's eyes were dead serious as she claimed that, in terms of value, it wasn't just a hundred or two hundred million won, but ten billion won. "A single scandal of mine can move over ten billion won. My entire future! My lifespan as an idol is on the line! If you help me, mister, I'll take the risk too. I don't even mind if we have to pretend to date!"
"What the hell is this even about? You're creeping me out, talking like this all of a sudden." I couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of help could be worth ten billion won. In response, Eun-ah wore a venomous expression.
"Revenge."
"Revenge? Is there actually someone you want to get revenge on?" I was curious about who could possibly be the target of Moon Eun-ah's vengeance, considering she was a global star ranked in the top twenty worldwide thanks to the recent Hallyu wave.
"My agency's CEO. The devil who ruined my life and forced me into an unfair contract..."
I thought about her words for a moment, and then my eyes snapped wide open. "But that person... isn't she your mother?"
"Yeah. She's my mother."
I was temporarily left speechless. After all, Moon Eun-ah's mother was incredibly famous. Where else would the beauty of Moon Eun-ah, the reigning queen of idols, have come from? Her mother was a legendary actress. She was one of the three great beauties of the 1990s, often referred to as the 'Troika,' and was now a top-tier actress who had even made it onto Netflix. Although she now carried the title of a divorcée, her ex-husband was also a famous actor—a man who had been cursed out by the entire nation as a 'thief' for marrying her. He had been dragged so hard that even to this day, it remained a meme that soy-sauce marinated crab, the ultimate 'rice thief,' was nothing compared to his grand heist.
Choi Ga-yeon. Currently active as a veteran actress and musical star, she was also the CEO of Moon Eun-ah's agency. I couldn't understand what Choi Ga-yeon could have possibly done to ruin her own daughter's life.
"You look like you don't understand why I'm trash-talking my own mother."
"Well, yeah. I don't get how your mother could have failed you when she's only ever been a massive help to your career." She had tons of money. With her connections in the broadcasting industry, it would have been weirder if her daughter didn't become a celebrity. It was a life that should have been nothing but happy, one where unhappiness seemed impossible. When I stared at her as if she were the strange one, Moon Eun-ah let out a deep sigh.
"To be honest, I never wanted to be an idol. I didn't want to be famous either. Who the fuck would want a job where you can't even go to the bathroom in peace? When I was a kid, I didn't know any better and thought it was cool. But now, it's absolutely horrific."
Moon Eun-ah said that while she enjoyed the attention when she was very young, she absolutely hated it now. Attention didn't always come in a positive form. "I've faced over ten kidnapping attempts since I was four years old. The number of people who have followed me into the restroom is countless. I even went to an all-girls high school, but have you ever imagined living a life where you constantly worry if there's a hidden camera in the stall or if someone is taking photos of you?"
I was completely lost for words when she revealed that even her own manager had tried to take spycam footage of her. "I just wanted to live a normal life. To date freely, walk down the street without a care, make friends without overthinking everything... Ah, I'm so sick of it."
I felt a pang of sympathy for Eun-ah as she cried out about a life where, no matter how much money she had, she couldn't do a single thing freely. They say everyone has their own misfortunes in life, but damn... As she wailed about having no friends and being unable to trust her staff or even her fellow group members, her face looked like that of any ordinary girl her age.
"So, how exactly do you want me to get revenge for you? I'm just an ordinary guy."
"You're not just an ordinary guy, mister. You have that bizarre power."
An irresistible mind control. Eun-ah spoke as if my power was some world-shattering ability, but I let out a sigh because it wasn't nearly as amazing as she thought. First of all, the basic option—which cost a single day of my lifespan—had a strict time limit, just like what Eun-ah had experienced, and it didn't completely wipe their cognitive functions. Far from erasing or altering their memories, it meant they would have sex while remaining almost completely aware of what was happening. Every time I added an option, the strain on my brain—meaning the lifespan cost—would increase. Since I had only just started using this ability, there were too many unknown variables.
Yet, Eun-ah looked at me with a confident expression. "Don't worry. I can control everything."
"Well, that's one thing, but... are you really okay with me having sex with your mother?" At my question, Eun-ah made a gesture indicating she couldn't care less.
"You're only saying that because you don't know my mother, mister. She has lived her entire life doing whatever the hell she wanted. She even decided her own children's futures with her own hands. That woman needs to learn what it feels like to be denied what she wants."
The secrets of Choi Ga-yeon that Eun-ah was spilling—specifically, her reputation as the 'Madame' of the underworld—were indeed crossing the line, even from my perspective. Ah, I've really stepped into a trap here. To think she would spill her deepest family secrets to a complete stranger like me. Honestly, at this point, even if I refused, I was already dragged into this mess.
"Fine, let's do it. Whatever. The world is about to go to shit anyway, so why the hell not?"
"The world is going to shit?"
"Yeah, something like that." I reluctantly nodded, and Eun-ah excitedly grabbed my hand and shook it.
"So, what's the plan?"
"There's a party in a few days. It's a regular party my mother hosts, and you can just fuck her there. I'll keep her lover busy."
"Her lover? You mean that Namguk-pa mobster you just mentioned? He's going to be there?"
"Yes. Kim Nam-guk, the national-scale mob boss. Honestly, all the political and business elites gather at the parties he and my mother host. Celebrities will be there to entertain them too. It'll be so chaotic that no one will notice if my mother slips away for a bit."
According to Eun-ah, it was a simple mission: I just had to fuck her mother at the hotel party she was hosting. "I'll handle my mother's bodyguards and manager. You just need to call her down to the underground parking lot and fuck her in my car, mister."
It seemed Eun-ah had already grasped the general gist of my ability. Although the outline of the plan was incredibly crude, it wasn't entirely impossible. Everyone knew Eun-ah was her daughter, and Eun-ah was taking care of the trickiest parts—gaining entry to the hotel and providing a secure spot for us to have sex. All I had to do was ravish her mother. Honestly, I was scared shitless, but I had no choice but to trust the power my future self had handed down to me.
"One billion won, huh..." On the day of the party, I was hiding in the back of Eun-ah's ultra-luxurious SUV, my hat pulled down low. The vehicle was massive, so there was plenty of room to hide, but the fact that Eun-ah herself was driving made me anxious. Soon, the sound of a window rolling down was followed by a deep, gruff male voice.
"What brings you here, young lady?" The man asked, poking his head inside the window as if he had been suspicious of Eun-ah's arrival from the very beginning.
"My mother called me. Why? Am I not allowed to be here?"
"It is not that, but... there is no reason for Madame to summon you here today."
The man, addressed as Director Han (Han Du-hyeon), was acting incredibly stubborn, causing Eun-ah's face to stiffen. "It's a personal matter, Director Han."
"Today is an important event with various VIP guests. Madame does not have the time to indulge your tantrums today. Please leave, young lady."
"Are you serious right now, Director Han?" Even under Eun-ah's glaring eyes, the man named Director Han didn't flinch. "Please turn back. Not today."
"Do you want me to strip naked right here and start screaming?"
"Watch your behavior, young lady." At Director Han's nod, several bulky men surrounded the car. Just as the tension reached a boiling point, a sleazy-looking man clapped a hand onto Director Han's shoulder.
"What's the hold-up, Han Du-hyeon? What's going on?" The man peeked inside the car, his face lighting up with a surprised, mocking grin. With black hair falling down to his neck and flashy earrings, he stared at Eun-ah with a slimy smile. "Well, well, look who it is. If it isn't my lovely niece, Eun-ah? What brings a delicate lady like you to a disgusting cesspool like this?"
His voice was a toxic mix of mockery and laughter. Eun-ah stared at him, muttering his name in a stiff voice. "Choi Gyu-hwan..." Choi Gyu-hwan was someone even I recognized. He was Choi Ga-yeon's half-brother, a man who had briefly worked as an actor back in the day thanks to his decent looks. I heard he had ruined his career after causing a massive scandal during a fifty-episode historical drama and quit acting altogether, but I never imagined he would be here.
He smirked slyly, looking at Eun-ah. "Did our little niece Eun-ah come here to pop her cherry today? Want your uncle to help you out? I'm way better in bed than any of the celebrities here. What do you say? Want to give it a go?" His hand crept up, intimately stroking the hair behind her ear. Shuddering in disgust, Eun-ah slapped his hand away. "You psycho..."
At Eun-ah's words, Choi Gyu-hwan shook his reddened hand and chuckled. "Eun-ah, I always tell you, you're just like me. I'm only saying this for your own good, you know? Why don't you practice your bedroom skills with your uncle, and then you can snag some rich chaebol heir and get married? It's a win-win. Your uncle will treat you real nice."
"Are you high on drugs, Director Choi?" Eun-ah didn't even call him uncle anymore. Gyu-hwan merely let out a slimy chuckle. "Let me know whenever you change your mind, niece. It's always best to seize opportunities while you're still young. Hey, let this car through!" Director Han bristled at Choi Gyu-hwan's command, but since Gyu-hwan held a higher rank, no one dared to protest.
Silence hung heavy in the car as they drove down into the underground parking lot. "You think I got what I deserved just now, don't you, mister?"
"About what?"
"You heard what's going to happen to this arrogant bitch who talks down to everyone and curses like a sailor. That's right. I'm just going to keep raising my market value until I get sold off at my peak. I'll probably be forced to marry some son of a powerful chaebol or politician. I'll pump out unwanted kids, and since age won't matter to them, the news will have a field day about a young girl marrying an old geezer. And then I'll be forgotten. That's my life. A life destined to be miserable forever!"
A life where she couldn't choose a single thing from start to finish... In a way, it sounded like first-world problems, but in another, it was genuinely pitiful. I looked at the girl whose venomous face was brimming with tears. "You're still a total bitch, though."
"What did you say?"
"I'm saying that no matter how much you try to wrap it up in a tragic backstory, there's no hiding the fact that your personality is completely rotten."
An angry Eun-ah whipped her head toward me, but I wasn't the type to hold my tongue just because of a glare. "Honestly, your personality is trash, isn't it? I can totally sympathize with the fact that your life has been unfair, unjust, and surrounded by absolute freaks. But that doesn't completely excuse you acting like a total brat. Let's be real—your mother made sure you were born beautiful and lived without wanting for anything, didn't she?"
"I hate to admit it... but yeah."
"Exactly. It's an undeniable fact. There are plenty of people out there who are uglier and far more miserable than you. Look, I get that your own misery is a massive pain in the ass, but that doesn't mean you should just throw your hands up and go, 'My life is shit, so all of you should suffer too.'"
"But it's so infuriating!"
"Taking that anger out on innocent people is just a dumbass move." Eun-ah fell into a disgruntled silence at my words. But since she wasn't actually rotten to the core, she soon nodded in agreement. I gently patted her head and said,
"You can take your time changing. Just taking good care of your own people is already half the battle. Don't go getting yourself forced into retirement over some stupid scandal." Sure, the world was going to end with Gates popping up in three months anyway, but I wanted to give this girl—who still had a shred of humanity left in her—a chance at redemption. After all, a life without a single decent adult to give you real advice is a truly miserable one.