Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Ventilation Duct
-----------------------------------------------------------------
January 14th
Used car dealership.
The work had become completely routine by now. Nothing too complicated, and honestly, there wasn't much need to be super diligent or professional at a used car lot.
Hide the car's flaws, jack up the price, subtly pressure soft-hearted customers, clean it up just enough to look shiny on the outside and snap photos that pop.
Rather than expert knowledge, the real skill seemed to be quick thinking on your feet and knowing when to bare your teeth.
I'd fully adapted to the job itself, but other aspects—like watching Mom work—still grated on me.
Every time I saw her "working," that same anger bubbled up inside.
Because Mom was... such a slutty woman... Ah, sorry. Using words like that about my own mother? Yeah, I'm a real bastard.
But facts are facts—what can you do?
Take those "middle-aged boss guys" who came around like they owned the place. The ones connected to Kwak Young-cheol's dad's side, all seasoned old-timers with nothing better to do in the mornings. They'd drop by for coffee, chat, and kill time.
The problem? Those creeps always dragged Mom into their circle, groping her ass and thighs like she was some bar girl.
They'd only pull their hands back when I passed by the reception area... but the second I was gone, they'd be right back at it, slyly stroking her hips and legs.
The worst part was Mom just smiling and taking it all in stride.
Was she this loose with every guy, not just Dad? It even sparked some irreverent thoughts about her that bordered on blasphemy. Like she was a whore... No, stop it... Sigh.
Filial piety fail again!
And then there were those boss summons.
Mom would be in the middle of work when a "boss call" came, and she'd hustle off to his office. Twenty to thirty minutes later, she'd emerge.
Ha...
I had no idea what they were doing, but without fail, after those thirty minutes, the outline of her panties vanished from under her tight skirt.
Kwak Young-cheol knew damn well I worked there and still called her in like his personal fucktoy.
......
And honestly, brutally honestly...
......
Sorry. Seeing Mom treated so blatantly like a dedicated jerk-off aid stirred something dark and twisted in me—something utterly vile. I know even I think I'm a scumbag for it... but it just creeps in anyway.
Because everyone at the office knew what happened when Mom got called into Kwak Young-cheol's office every day.
It was mortifying. My face burned every time I caught the other employees' glances, but Mom acted like it was nothing.
Anyway, Kwak Young-cheol openly fucking Mom at work—that was the worst of it, or so I thought back then.
But it wasn't the end. Fuck.
As I said, Kim Cheol-ho, the deputy manager, seemed like a pretty decent guy.
On the surface, at least.
But when the phrase starts with "on the surface," you know "in reality" is coming next.
Um... it was a coincidence.
I happened to overhear a conversation between Kim Cheol-ho and Mechanic Mr. Gu.
"Ugh, gotta take a shit..."
I rushed into the unisex bathroom for a quick dump when voices drifted in from outside.
"...So that's when I..."
"Xxx~ Yeah, exactly..."
Curious, I checked it out and realized the bathroom vent connected to the outdoor smoking area. That's where the voices were piping through.
But then...
"Kahk. Ptoo. Ah, that punk Hyun-seong keeps hanging around—such a pain."
"Kekeke... Why? Staring at Na-yeon and xxx..."
"Puhaha. That Na-yeon chick @@@"
"..."
What the hell was this?
I tensed up and strained to listen, but they just chuckled in garbled mutters I couldn't make out.
......Some bad vibe hit me, so I climbed onto the toilet, pressed my ear to the vent.
"Eww. Yesterday @@# the boss sent me this ## video—nearly lost my ##$$ mind."
"$$@ Kekeke. Dick @## got it #"
"Ah, fucking backed up, gonna ##$% explode...!#%"
The vent fan garbled most of it. I froze like an idiot for a moment.
'Ah! Shit.'
Finally spotted the cord to stop the fan and yanked it, killing the spin, but...
"Ptoo. Guess it's time to get back to work."
"Ugh! Don't wanna work."
By then, they were wrapping up with nothing juicy left.
Feeling uneasy, I left the bathroom and approached Kim Cheol-ho, pretending I hadn't heard a thing.
"Oh, Hyun-seong. Been hearing good things about your work lately?"
"Ah, thank you."
What were they talking about back there? My gut said it wasn't good, but Kim Cheol-ho just flashed that friendly smile.
.....I wanted to grill him if it was about Mom, but that'd seem weird, so I pivoted to small talk instead.
"There's a separate smoking spot out back?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Boss smokes wherever since he's the owner, but we're told to use the designated area so customers don't see. Hey, you smoke, Hyun-seong?"
"Ah, no."
"Too bad. Picking up the habit can be good in office life. Smoking breaks build some camaraderie."
"Ah..... I'll think about it. But... what's the boss like?"
"Huh?"
"You've worked here a while. Figured you might know him personally."
"Ah..... Wait... because the boss is close with your mom?"
"Yes? Ah..... yeah."
Kim Cheol-ho's expression at that moment was... off.
A mix of pitying eyes, like he wanted to spill some hidden truth, and a twitching smirk—it all mashed together into a grotesque mosaic.
His face twisted for a few seconds before he gathered his thoughts and spoke.
"The boss... he's a scary guy. The type who lives without the law holding him back—but not in a good way."
"Pardon?"
"Aw, come on. Nah, forget it—just a dumb joke that slipped out. Haha. Gotta sort these papers now."
"....."
"Forget it, haha."
What the hell was that?
Not much substance to the talk, but I kept replaying Kim Cheol-ho's demeanor. Much later, I'd figure out what it meant.
January 15th.
"I passed!"
"Really?!"
The 15th. That was the day I got into K University. Mom and I were getting ready for work when the acceptance notice popped up bright and early. Top-tier Seoul school, elite department—nerve-wracking, but I made it. Ecstatic.
"We'll celebrate after work. Our son... got into K University of all places."
"It's not that big a deal, no need for a party, Mom."
"No... None of us—you, me, your dad, Mi-hyun—ever went to college. Seeing you grow up so proper like this... I feel guilty as your mom for not giving you more."
"....."
To my surprise, Mom's eyes even welled up a bit as she beamed.
Ah.
Truth be told, growing up, I envied my friends' moms sometimes.
Not for anything fancy—just the normal stuff: showing up to graduations, doting on you to study. A plain old mom.
Not one who slept in the same room as her kids and fucked every night without a care,
who tuned out how her kids fared at school—whether top of the class or turning delinquent and roaming late—apathetic to everything.
But hearing her now, it seemed she harbored some guilt deep down for not being a better mom to her kids.
Especially since she'd started earning her own money, trying to make it up to me somehow...
Mom's heart wasn't so different from any other mother's, after all.
Made me feel needlessly sorry and touched.
"Mom, why cry? It's happy news."
"That's why I'm crying..."
"Hehey. Cut it out, Mom!"
At times like this, our roles flipped. The mentally teenage Mom, still green, and her son, prematurely jaded by the world.
Ah... Don't say she never matured emotionally—that's too harsh.
Anyway, that day was joyful for me in more ways than one. Not just the acceptance, but seeing a truly motherly side of her warmed me even more.
Right up until we headed to work.
Mom and I arrived at work way more cheerfully than usual that day.
But for some reason, Kim Cheol-ho kept piling random paperwork on me.
And then...
"Na-yeon? A sec..."
"What's up?"
"Ah, about that customer I mentioned last time..."
Mom got called away, and I headed to the accounting office with the docs Cheol-ho gave me.
No boss in today, so I relaxed at Mom's spot (she rarely sat there anyway—more like a communal PC for the receptionist-accountant hybrid).
But something felt off, a bad premonition.
"Da-hye noona, gotta hit the bathroom quick."
"Sure, go ahead."
Said I was going to the bathroom, but circled the lot instead... Mom was nowhere.
A sinking feeling hit me. On a hunch, I headed to the bathroom.
Voices inside.
"......%##"
Door muffled it, but my instincts screamed. I pondered, then slipped out to the outdoor smoking area adjacent to the bathroom wall.
Last time, Kim Cheol-ho and Mr. Gu's chat came through the vent...
The smoking spot was empty—lucky. I peered through the bathroom window first.
And then the conversation that drifted out.
January 15th. That was also the day I uncovered every ugly secret between Mom and Kwak Young-cheol.