Can't You Stay With Me?
At the end of the hallway, Jinhui stood in front of the open hospital room. She hadn't stepped inside, instead leaning one shoulder against the doorframe. Her back was rigid, every line of her body tense.
I approached from behind and looked past her into the room.
Inside, Park Hae-ri sat on a folding chair, dressed in civilian clothes. The way she sat with her legs crossed was brazen for someone under arrest. The corner of her mouth twitched. Irritation flickered across her entire face, but her eyes remained defiant, calculating exactly how much trouble she was in.
It had taken three years. Three years for Jinhui to finally reach this face. She'd abandoned her master's degree, earned her teaching credentials, infiltrated the school, and slammed into wall after wall searching for evidence. And now that she'd finally caught her, it felt strangely hollow.
I placed a hand on Jinhui's shoulder. Her body was rock-hard beneath my palm.
"It's not over yet."
I spoke softly. Jinhui's head turned halfway toward me. Her eyes were dry. It was a worse expression than tears would have been. They were empty.
I stepped into the hospital room. A prosecutor and an administrative officer standing by the wall exchanged glances when they saw me, then slipped out without a word.
The door closed. Only three of us remained: me, Jinhui, and Hae-ri.
Hae-ri's gaze traveled over me, up and down, then up again.
"Ha... so that bitch was the bait. I knew something felt off..."
She tilted her head, legs still crossed on the folding chair. It was almost comical how relaxed she tried to appear despite being in custody.
"All those druggie bastards should be killed off."
"I'm not a druggie."
"Then is this some kind of business?"
A snort escaped me. I glanced back at Jinhui. She stood by the door, looking down at Hae-ri with her lips pressed into a thin line.
"If you have something to say, say it."
Jinhui's gaze remained fixed on Hae-ri. After a brief silence, her low, cracked voice spilled out.
"Why did it have to be my sister? Why did you drag her into this?"
Hae-ri let out a small laugh. She uncrossed her legs, leaned back in the chair, and spoke.
"What a sentimental question. Why? Because your sister's the one who came to me first, begging for money. I simply introduced her to some legitimate medical treatment and gave her a bit of pocket money."
"Legitimate? You call making her act as a fake patient to divert drugs with forged prescriptions legitimate?"
Jinhui's voice rose as she took a step forward.
"And when you thought the trail might lead back to you, you staged her suicide to shut her up?"
"The one who couldn't keep her mouth shut and nearly ruined everything was that girl."
Hae-ri shot back as she rose from the chair. She craned her neck to look up at Jinhui. There was a height difference, but she didn't back down an inch.
"Did you think only I would die? Do you have any idea how many VIPs are connected above me? You should be grateful I cleaned things up neatly before they got upset."
The air in the hospital room grew heavy. Jinhui's expression hardened.
"...In your eyes, is a person's life lighter than tearing up a single document?"
"Look, teacher, it seems you're seriously mistaken about something."
Hae-ri took a step forward. The corner of her mouth twisted.
"I'm not the same as those druggie pieces of trash who shoot up and lose themselves in pleasure. I'm a thorough broker. I simply supply what's in demand."
"You're nothing but a document forger, an embezzler, and a parasite clinging to the rich and powerful."
Before Jinhui could finish, Hae-ri fired back.
"And what about you? Are you any different? Aren't you a parasite too, latching onto that bastard's power to catch me now? What exactly have you done?"
Jinhui's lips closed. Silence. No rebuttal came because Hae-ri was right. The truth that Jinhui couldn't uncover no matter how hard she tried alone had been revealed by me. And no one knew that better than Jinhui herself.
Jinhui moved.
She turned and grabbed my collar, yanking me forward. Our lips crashed together. It was rough. There was nothing gentle about it. Our teeth clashed, and her tongue pushed inside. Jinhui's hand gripped the back of my neck. She mixed her tongue with mine wetly, not letting go until we were both breathless.
Chuuup.
Our lips parted. A thin string of saliva stretched between us before breaking. Jinhui leaned her back against my chest as she stared at Hae-ri, her ragged breathing audible.
Jinhui looked at Hae-ri and sneered.
"That's right. I'm a parasite too."
Her eyes were ice-cold as she looked down at Hae-ri from the safety of my arms.
"But my host is simply stronger than yours. So what? In the end, you lost and I won."
Hae-ri's face twisted at those words.
"You're crazy. And you call yourself a teacher?"
"I don't care. All I wanted was revenge anyway."
Jinhui's hand rose.
Slap.
Hae-ri's head snapped to the side. She stumbled and tripped over the folding chair, falling.
"Ack—!"
The tip of a shoe kicked into the fallen woman's side. Once. Twice. It didn't stop. Every time the pointed end of the dress shoe dug into her abdomen, Hae-ri curled up on the floor.
"You fucking bitch. You goddamn bitch."
A vicious sigh carried through the curses. I leaned against the wall and watched.
Jinhui stopped. Breathing hard, she swept her hair back. She steadied herself and looked at me.
"You're not just sending her to prison, are you?"
"Even if we do nothing, the higher-ups will take care of it."
I smiled as I looked down at Hae-ri curled on the floor.
"She doesn't do drugs, and she's healthy. Perfect for organ donation."
Hae-ri lifted her head from the floor. Her cheek was swollen and her lip was split. Her pupils were shaking.
"You think I'll just die like this!"
I sneered and crushed what remained of her hope.
"You didn't expect the business to end this way? The kid who was with you already handed over all the records."
The blood drained from Hae-ri's face.
"What...!"
"Druggies don't trust each other."
When Hae-ri desperately tried to get up and lunge at me, Jinhui caught her. She twisted her wrist, spun her around, and slammed her into the floor.
Bang.
Hae-ri's body slammed against the hospital room floor. Foam bubbled from her mouth as her eyes rolled back. She went limp.
In the now-quiet room, I looked at Jinhui.
"Did you train in judo?"
Jinhui brushed off her clothes and answered.
"When I was young."
"Is there anything you can't do?"
Jinhui's lips pouted slightly. Without replying, she walked toward the door.
"Let's go now."
We left the room. The hallway was quiet. Fluorescent lights cast long reflections on the linoleum floor. Jinhui walked a few steps ahead before stopping. Her shoulders had slumped.
"Is this the end?"
"Should I flip everything up to the top?"
Jinhui turned her head. Her eyes were trembling.
"What right do I have...? My sister was a criminal too."
Her voice loosened. It sounded hollow. This was the end of the path she'd run down for the truth. Jinhui's feet had stopped moving.
She came to me. She pressed her forehead against my chest. Her body heat reached me through her blouse. She was trembling.
"Can't you stay with me today?"
I brushed Jinhui's hair back. The fine strands slipped between my fingers.
"I will."
"...Thank you."
Her voice was small. She didn't move, still leaning against my chest. I could feel a heartbeat through her blouse. I couldn't tell if it was hers or mine. Her fingers clutched at the front of my shirt.
It took a long time before Jinhui pulled herself away. She quickly wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand, hiding it. When she lifted her head, her eyes were already dry.
Without another word, she walked ahead. From behind, I could see her shoulders trembling slightly. Still, her steps didn't falter. That was the limit her pride would allow. Showing her tears had already pushed her beyond it.
We headed to the hospital lobby. The prosecutors and officials who had been moving through the corridors when we arrived were nowhere to be seen. They'd all cleared out.
From what I'd learned beforehand, plenty of people here were involved. The higher-ups must have ordered them pulled out immediately. Rather than letting a scandal explode, they'd chosen to quietly sweep everything under the rug.
Jinhui knew it too. When our eyes met, her mouth opened as if to say something, then closed again. She probably didn't want to care about any of this anymore.
Uchan and Yejin were in the lobby. They sat close together in a corner of the waiting area, whispering. Yejin's shoulders were curled inward while Uchan leaned toward her, saying something. He looked anxious.
At the sound of my approach, Uchan looked up. He jumped to his feet. Yejin followed, her gaze shifting to my side. She must have seen Jinhui. Uchan opened his mouth, then hesitated. It was clear he had questions swirling inside.
Jinhui approached first. The sharp click of her heels echoed across the lobby floor. She stood before the two of them and spoke as if nothing had happened, looking down at them.
"Make sure nothing like this ever happens again. And don't skip classes."
Her voice was firm and clear. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had mumbled, "Can't you stay with me today?" in the hallway just moments ago.
"...Yes."
Their answers overlapped. Uchan straightened his back as he looked up at Jinhui. He seemed uneasy about me and Jinhui being together.
Is he worried because of Ayeong? Seeing him like this, he's a good son, but he should be good to me, his new dad...
Jinhui turned her gaze toward Yejin. It was brief. She looked at her with a hint of apology but didn't say anything more.
I spoke to Uchan.
"Take Yejin home. You both worked hard today."
"Uh, yeah."
Uchan glanced at Yejin.
"Shall we go?"
Yejin nodded and stood up. Just as the two were about to walk out of the lobby, I called out.
"Uchan."
"Yeah?"
"You're not seriously planning to take the bus, are you?"
"...I was going to?"
This kid is embarrassing his father...
Cursing inwardly, I pulled a card from my pocket and pressed it into Uchan's hand.
"Take a taxi."
"Yeah, th-thanks."
Uchan took the card and glanced back and forth between Yejin and Jinhui. His face looked awkward as he read the room, but he didn't ask any more questions. Yejin turned first, and Uchan followed. Their figures grew smaller beyond the lobby's glass doors.
Jinhui watched them go. The moment the glass doors opened and the two stepped outside, Jinhui's hand nervously crossed over her arms.
"Let's go."
When I suggested it first, Jinhui nodded.
We headed to the parking lot. The two of us walked in silence, accompanied only by the sound of Jinhui's heels.
Jinhui had been the one to ask me to stay with her today. It was obvious from her expression that she felt embarrassed by what those words meant.
She couldn't meet my eyes. I could see the conflict in her body—the regret for saying it mixed with the hope that I would.
As soon as we got in the car, I called Ayeong.
"Jinho."
"Ayeong. I'll come home tomorrow."
My words were met with a short silence. From the passenger seat, I heard Jinhui's breathing stop for a moment.
"...Okay."
Ayeong's voice was thick with the jealousy she was trying to swallow.
"I'm sorry."
"No!"
Her voice rose immediately at my apology.
"It's fine."
The sulky feelings melted away with a single apology. Ayeong had become this weak toward me. I'd have to love her even more tomorrow.
"I'll hang up now."
"...I love you."
The murmur came just before the call ended. My finger paused on the end call button.
I set the phone down and turned my head.
Jinhui in the passenger seat was looking at me. Her arms were crossed. Her lips were pushed out in a pout, and the tips of her ears had turned bright red.
"Are you insane? If you're going to commit adultery, why do you have to tell everyone about it?"