Shibu
She had never been without a boyfriend, yet every time they had been together, he had used a condom with such meticulous care. Even now, more than a year had passed since they broke up. Yet suddenly she was pregnant. Something had to be wrong. But Heejin’s parents refused to believe her. Had she somehow returned to Seoul and lived a reckless life? That suspicion had even taken root in them. Especially since, during her college days, she had gone to clubs often, and more than once she had come home reeking so badly of alcohol that even her parents could barely recognize her. Heejin was filled with an overwhelming sense of injustice. She resented her own parents for not trusting her. She hated how they saw her only as some debauched girl. But that was not the case. Clubs? After she started working, she had never set foot in one. She had never had a single moment of free time in the first place. Even on weekends, she spent them preparing for the next day’s shift, one after another. And the friends she used to be close with had not contacted her in years… How could she possibly have had sex with anyone after breaking up with her boyfriend? It made no sense. But the hospital said it was not a mistake. They even showed her the ultrasound photo and told her with absolute certainty that she was pregnant. With evidence like that, no one would listen to Heejin. Aaaah! Overwhelmed by doubt and suspicion, she had no choice but to return home. Heejin locked herself inside the house, weeping endlessly over the unbelievable truth and her own helplessness. She had no idea what was happening to her. Why was this happening to her? And the nightmares had not stopped tormenting her at all. She was growing thinner by the day. ////// She kept dreaming the same dream. It never changed. Ah! The only thing that had changed was her body. Her belly, which had once been flat, was swelling more and more every single day. It was ironic. The rest of her body was wasting away, yet her belly alone had ballooned out, looking somewhat grotesque. As if something inside her was greedily devouring her life force. No matter what, the nightmares continued without pause. The masked figures surrounding her were spewing bizarre prayers that sounded nothing like Korean. The sounds grew clearer and clearer, like some kind of incantation. And the beast that always raped her was getting more and more excited by the sight of her swelling belly every day. Right now, too, that terrible monster was licking at her hugely bloated belly with its long tongue and letting out a grotesque sound. It sounded like a howl, yet she had never heard anything like it before. Aaaah! The sticky feeling of that tongue was so vivid. It was like an octopus’s tentacle. That tentacle-like tongue writhed and wrapped around her belly, leaving the sticky saliva soaked. It was almost as if it was caressing the child inside. After licking her belly like that, the monster howled and wailed. Even in her hazy mind, Heejin barely managed to suppress the rising nausea. How could she endure such revulsion? It started again. Aaaah! The hard, burning thing of the monster forced its way deep into her again. Pain was far worse than pleasure. It hurt. It hurt so much. That was why she twisted her body in desperate resistance, but all she could do was fail. Every time she struggled, the ropes binding her wrists and ankles tightened even more. It felt like they would tear her skin apart. It hurt. The pain was so intense that her whole body convulsed. Meanwhile, the beast continued to thrust itself into her with brutal force. That unyielding, burning rod dug ever deeper into her most private place. Aaaah! The pain grew unbearable. It was terrifying and agonizing. Nausea kept rising in her throat. Heejin wailed pitifully and desperately called out to her parents. Over and over, over and over, she screamed for Mom and Dad, but sadly, her voice did not reach them. The horrific act did not stop until the monster was satisfied right in front of her. Meanwhile, Heejin’s parents were at a complete loss. How could it be? And whose child was it, anyway? She denied it, but how could a child be born without any man? How were they supposed to explain this… Were they simply at a loss? Yongha drank soju straight from the bottle, empty stomach and all. His wife Sunja could only sigh again and again. They had regretted sending their daughter to Seoul that day. That was when the sudden scream of their daughter shattered the silence. They rushed into the room at once. And there was a sight so grotesque it defied words. The blanket had slid to the floor. On the bed, Heejin was thrashing wildly, writhing in agony. But the even more horrifying part was that her hugely swollen belly was moving, twitching as if something inside was about to tear through and burst out any second. “Dad!! Mom!! Save me!! Save me!! It hurts! It hurts so much!!” Heejin screamed in agony. But they did not know what to do. Sunja and Yongha could only stand there trembling, too shocked to move. Even seeing their daughter thrashing on the bed like that made her seem nothing like the late-child they had once cherished so much. The current situation was simply too bizarre… At that moment, Yongha and Sunja finally realized. This was not a normal situation. Something had been put inside their daughter. Yes. This was something no science could explain. From that day on, the couple sought help from famous shamans or priests. Just in case, they even visited a large hospital in Seoul. Ironically, the doctors only repeated that there was nothing physically wrong with her body. It was so frustrating that Yongha had yelled at the doctor more than once. “Then why is our daughter like this?! What kind of creature is this?! How is this even possible?!” But no matter how much he raged, neither the doctors nor anyone could explain Heejin’s condition properly. It was useless. They were going out of their minds with frustration. During all this time, their daughter grew thinner and thinner. She was drifting farther and farther away from the girl they once knew. That change tore at the parents’ hearts like knives. Finally, they even called the most effective shaman they knew. A shaman who had been introduced on TV several times. But… even that had failed. Now they had no idea what to do. The elderly couple had lost all hope. And… “Aaaah… aaah… ang…” Her moans echoed from the room. Even with that eerie sound, Yongha could not hide his heartache. He simply kept drinking soju. Sunja just wept endlessly. ////// Heejin kept dreaming the same dream. At some point, the ropes that had bound her wrists and ankles had disappeared. Had it meant she no longer needed to be tied? Because she would never run away, or perhaps because she could not run away at all? Heejin had no choice but to accept her current situation. She had realized she could never refuse or resist. She had understood how utterly powerless she was. The beast approached again. It looked a bit like a pig. A bit like a toad. No, more like some grotesque monster that was a twisted mix of both. Words could not even describe it. Yet Heejin felt no disgust. She simply stared blankly, like a doll whose strings had been cut. The monster approached and, as always, sniffed all over her body with its nose. And, as always, it extended that tentacle-like tongue and licked her belly. It was the same beginning every time. As if it was inspecting the child growing inside her. Every time that sticky tentacle brushed across her belly, her body twitched. Sadly, now it was not only pain that came with it, but a strange pleasure as well. Eventually the monster began howling loudly. As if giving an order. It was telling her to spread her legs. Heejin could not refuse. She lay down on all fours like an animal and spread herself for it. The beast climbed on top. And… thrust. The thick rod forced its way inside with a wet sound. Aaaah… aaaah… A cry of surrender escaped her. Her body, now soft and yielding, simply gave in to the beast’s insistent thrusting. There was nothing she could do. She was utterly helpless. Even if she tried to resist again and again, she knew nothing would change. Gradually losing her humanity, yet powerless to stop it. She just wanted this moment to pass. Her belly was twitching inside. Aaaah… Every time she tried to escape into reality, every time she tried to lose herself, the child inside her stirred and shouted to wake up. As if mocking her, telling her that this moment, this situation, these very seconds were not a dream but reality itself.