Do You Even Think of Suji as Your Daughter?
The voice on the other end of the line cracked with fury.
"Do you even really think of Suji as your daughter? Last time and now again! You know she's waiting for you, yet you deliberately do this? Don't you think it's too much? Even if we're about to get divorced!"
"So?"
The utterly indifferent reply nearly made her laugh in disbelief.
"Now... you just said 'so?' Is that really what you're going to say right now? What do you mean, so? She's your daughter! Suji is your daughter! How can those words even come out of your mouth? Your daughter is sick right now! They say it's an incurable disease! The hospital doesn't even know what kind of illness it is! So how can you say something like that?"
A sneering laugh slithered through the phone. The sound stopped Heein cold, her throat closing tight.
"To be honest... I'm a little suspicious about that, too. This Suji you keep talking about. Is she really my daughter?"
"What? What are you..."
"No, it's just... I suddenly got curious. You keep insisting so hard that she's my daughter, but these days I can hardly believe a word you say. Is Suji really my daughter?"
A hollow laugh burst from her. Exhausted, Heein pressed a hand to her forehead, her whole body trembling as she tried to contain the rage boiling up inside her.
"Is that what you have to say? She is your daughter. She is your daughter! If you want, should we get a DNA test? Huh?"
"Ah! Forget it. Too much trouble to go that far. Well... I'll believe you. It's not like Suji would lie about it. Anyway, it's the end of the year, isn't it? I'm pretty busy. I have an important meeting this afternoon, so I'm in the middle of preparing right now. Looks like I won't be able to make it today."
"Meeting? Bullshit. You're probably just with some woman again!"
"Ah! Enough! Stop it. I'm tired of fighting with you. Anyway! I'm going to be busy for a while, so I won't be able to visit Suji. Tell her that..."
"How can you be so heartless as her father? How can you do this? Your daughter is this sick. How can you?"
"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Weren't you the same as me?" Hyuksoo asked, his tone sly and mocking.
At those words, Heein's lips clamped shut.
"You found Suji annoying too, didn't you? I'm just like you. Don't pretend you're any different. It's disgusting..."
Heein reached home. It was a rather luxurious apartment in the heart of Seoul. Through the windows the Han River stretched out in full view, and the unit itself was well over forty pyeong. This place had always been a sanctuary for her. More than that, it had been her greatest goal. She had finally achieved it and obtained this magnificent home.
But the joy lasted only a moment. Yes, it had been nothing more than a fleeting instant. Instead, it felt as if the house carried a curse. From the day she moved in, everything had begun to collapse. Irreparably.
In the beginning it had been so happy. She had believed a smooth road lay ahead. Ah... Everything had fallen apart. Everything.
Heein stood before the living-room window without bothering to change her clothes. She opened it. Winter had arrived in the blink of an eye; the year was already drawing to a close. A little more time and the new year would come... When had the days slipped by so quickly?
The wind blowing in was bitterly cold. The scorching summer now felt like a lie.
She gazed at the Han River glittering between the buildings. Countless cars raced along the roads below. It was truly beautiful. Once, she had watched this view with her daughter. Just seeing it had been enough to lift her spirits. Yes, back then everything had been enjoyable. Happy. There were no worries, no fears. She had believed a golden path would open before them.
But why had it come to this? Why had everything been ruined? Her husband's infidelity, her daughter's illness, and... Heein herself had committed the same sin. It had been a compensatory impulse. I'll do the same to him! she had thought. A truly foolish idea. She had stooped to the same vile act.
At the time she had believed it would ease her heart a little. How stupid. She had never considered that her actions would only cause her daughter more pain. The child had done nothing wrong, yet she had become the one suffering most. Only now did Heein realize that all of it... had been the parents' fault.
Regret flooded in. I shouldn't have done that...
That was when her phone rang.
She stared at it for a long time before answering.
"Yeah... you can come. My husband isn't here."
She closed the window and drew the curtains. The moment she turned around, a pitch-black shadow stood in the entranceway.
It stood there like a stain cut from the darkness itself.
She was so startled she couldn't even scream. A dry gasp caught in her throat and she froze, but after blinking several times the shadow had vanished without a trace.
What had that been? Had she imagined it? Heein dragged a hand down her face, pale as death, and scanned the room. The human-shaped darkness was already gone.
Roughly an hour later, the person who came to Heein's apartment was a young man. Without hesitation she led him straight to the master bedroom.
"You're quite bold today," he said with a sly grin.
Heein gave a small laugh and pushed him down onto the bed. She wore only a thin, flowing nightgown. She approached him like a seductress, then climbed on top of him. Their sticky breaths began to mingle. The tips of their noses rubbed together, strange smiles curving their lips. Their mouths met naturally.
His hands slid over her waist, then cupped her buttocks and moved on to stroke her smooth thighs. The touch was rough, filled with the fierce energy only a young man could offer.
While their kiss deepened, Heein reached down with one hand and rubbed his crotch. Ah! She could feel it through the denim—the slow, heavy swelling beneath her fingers. Each time she felt it pulse, a sharp thrill ran through her.
She had regretted it again and again. Yet she could no longer escape. One single affair had become an addiction. The young man's intensity gave her an ecstasy she had never felt with her husband. Above all, unlike her husband, he treated her with genuine passion. He saw her as a woman.
Their breathing grew ragged. Their lips parted, lust-heavy eyes locking together.
"Today..." He started to speak again. Everything about him was good except for how talkative he was. Right now she wanted no words at all. Right now she only wanted sex. She only wanted to forget everything, even for a little while.
She pressed her hand over his mouth and shook her head. He chuckled and, thankfully, fell silent. Their lips met once more. He seized her body and flipped their positions, pinning her beneath him.
The kiss turned even wetter, tongues tangling greedily. They drank each other's sweet saliva, stoking the heat between them.
Soon his lips traveled to her slender neck. He was skilled. He had clearly been with many women; he knew exactly how to please them.
His mouth moved lower while his rough hands closed firmly over her breasts. The other hand continued stroking her thighs and buttocks. When his lips reached her chest he pulled the nightgown open, revealing black lingerie. The stark contrast between her pale skin and the dark fabric created an intensely erotic effect.
The man smiled at her with open lust, clearly pleased. With practiced ease he unhooked her bra. The breasts that spilled free were neither too large nor too small—perfectly perky, like ripe, delicious fruit.
The sight excited him further. He buried his face between them.
"Haa... Aah..." Excited moans spilled from Heein's lips.
At the same time his hands slid downward, slowly peeling away her final piece of underwear. Her body twisted on its own beneath his skillful caresses. His mouth sucked hard at her breasts, tongue flicking across her stiffened nipples. Ah! It felt like high-voltage current racing through her veins. A violent shudder ran down her spine as she surrendered to the overwhelming thrill. The shivers refused to stop.