Pact with the Motel Fiend
After striking that metaphorical formal contract with his rival and collaborator to look after their daughter, Kim Il-woo steadily visited Choi Ara's house from that day on, tending to his childhood friend's fragile mind. 'Gotta earn what I get.' Raising Choi Ara's dependence on him was crucial, but wield only the whip without offering a carrot, and she might snap into extreme rebellion. So until he saw results, he held off on touching Lee Seo-yoon and focused solely on Choi Ara.
After their second romp at the motel, Lee Seo-yoon had made it blatantly clear she despised him. Her gaze was ice-cold, laced with contempt, as if staring down some lowly mutt. She dodged him constantly, clearly terrified he'd demand her body again at any moment. 'She must think it's weird that I'm not making a move.' She'd expected him to pounce like a dog in heat, so his sudden silence left her visibly uneasy instead.
Boosting Choi Ara's dependence would make it even harder for her mother to shut him out, so he zeroed in on his childhood friend. And Lee Seo-yoon, sharp as she was, caught on to his game—and pulled a counterplay.
"Hello? You're here again."
"...Hyung Il-woo. Still hanging around?"
As usual, Kim Il-woo holed up in Choi Ara's room, feeding her trivial chit-chat, and occasionally she'd murmur a response, enough to make it feel like a real conversation. That's when Lee Seo-yoon's prepared rival showed up.
Choi Ara's boyfriend, Park Jun-hyun, had been summoned by Lee Seo-yoon and was now allowed back into the house.
'Putting competition on me, huh?'
Park Jun-hyun seemed to have cooled off with time; he felt more composed than before.
"Jun-hyun...?"
Choi Ara called out her boyfriend's name from beyond the door, having overheard the two men talking.
"Ah, Ara..."
Park Jun-hyun replied hurriedly but lowered his voice, not wanting to startle her.
"..."
Even to his desperate, almost pleading call, Choi Ara fell silent again.
"Hoo..."
Everyone expected Park Jun-hyun to call out for his girlfriend in agony right then, but realizing this approach wouldn't work, he stayed put without crossing the line.
'Hmm...' Kim Il-woo didn't like this change in his demeanor one bit. Shouldn't he chase off a dog slobbering over his toy?
"You heard it from Ara's mom, right? Time to head out."
Park Jun-hyun scowled at the unfamiliar claim and checked his phone.
"Aha...? Mornings for me, afternoons for you with Ara, huh?"
A message from Lee Seo-yoon—more like an ultimatum—had arrived. The two men would alternate visiting Ara, no interference allowed.
'This puts me at a disadvantage.'
College classes made mornings tougher than afternoons, and the one grabbing afternoon slots would build more intimacy. Right now, her affinity for him had plummeted below rock bottom into the basement, but just getting her to converse was a big win.
'I can dodge her too... but Lee Seo-yoon will be pissed?'
His mood soured. He dropped the respectful "Ara's mom" honorific, calling her by name in his mind as he pondered how to punish her.
As Kim Il-woo sat lost in thought before Choi Ara's door, Park Jun-hyun prodded him.
"You should go."
"Yeah. Guess so."
Kim Il-woo rose with surprisingly clean detachment, leaving Park Jun-hyun looking oddly uncomfortable instead.
"Take good care of our Ara."
At Kim Il-woo's blatant taunt, Park Jun-hyun's face flushed beet red in an instant.
"You...!"
Ignoring Park Jun-hyun's rage-filled shout, Kim Il-woo strode out of Choi Ara's house.
"Hm... got some time to kill."
To make use of it, he hurried home and fired off a question via the communication device linking him to his future wife.
"She nailed exactly the info I wanted."
Spotting his intent instantly, his future self relayed key details: incident dates, victims, precise hidden camera spots. Afterward, to avoid suspicion, he bantered idly with his future wife before ending the chat.
"Time to recruit a new ally?"
Kim Il-woo had suspected hidden cameras on his second visit—the middle-aged man had blatantly recognized them and assigned the same room. No coincidence if he didn't keep that specific room vacant. Armed with intel from the future, he headed to the sleazy motel to force a collaboration.
"Hello."
"Welcome. Day use? Or overnight?"
Entering alone, Kim Il-woo was greeted gruffly by the middle-aged man at the counter, as always.
'He remembers me.'
A counter clerk's virtue was service—and pretending not to recognize repeat adulterers. Yet the man had briefly shown recognition, then lost interest upon seeing him solo, reverting to rote hospitality.
'Could book day use to test the room, but no point wasting time and cash.'
Kim Il-woo cut straight to it with the man at the counter.
"Not here for a room today. Wanna talk to you, ajusshi."
"...Me?"
No connection between guest and clerk, especially without renting. His approach screamed suspicious; the man's wariness spiked visibly.
'He's guilty of shady shit, so extra cautious.'
No sign he'd noticed the hidden cameras, so probably just vague suspicion. But Kim Il-woo had better: future intel. What was there to fear?
"I'm Kim Il-woo. You?"
"Kang Jeong-min. What's this about?"
Asking his name out of nowhere amped the man's guard higher.
"Nothing big. Wanna do a deal, Jeong-min ajusshi?"
"A deal...?"
"Keep quiet about the hidden cameras in your rooms—for a price."
Kang Jeong-min's composure cracked at Kim Il-woo's trump card.
"What the hell you talking about?"
Predictably, he played dumb. Kim Il-woo grinned slyly, detailing camera locations so precisely—even the installer might second-guess—that Kang Jeong-min visibly rattled.
"Not reporting you. Just wanna collaborate."
"Hm..."
Kang Jeong-min listened silently to the pitch, exercising his right to shut up.
The offer was simple: ignore the cameras, hand over footage of Lee Seo-yoon and any future women he brought, and he'd help dodge the bust-up coming soon.
"Who put you up to screwing me?"
Kang Jeong-min bristled at the future exposure warning—natural, assuming a setup.
"Told you. You reek like me—pure scum."
"Least I'm not diving into crime like you..."
"Who knows."
As Kang Jeong-min snorted, Kim Il-woo dropped the polite speech, his flat, resonant tone instinctively repelling.
"You'd grope any woman given half a chance, right?"
"..."
He was right. Kang Jeong-min was the type who couldn't resist women. A job and spot perfect for unleashing twisted urges. As he'd said, he just suppressed it, seeking outlets—but he'd touch one in a heartbeat.
"This is way too good for me."
The deal screamed benefit: no blackmail cash grab, just footage; future bust dodged. Suspicious perks aside...
"Need a base for breaking bitches too."
His sunny smile clashed with the sinister words.
"Plus, trash like you? Toss you a taste of pussy, and you'll heel."
Sharing toys grated, but watching this nobody defile and toy with the screaming mother-daughter duo? Irresistible.
'How pathetic will they get defiled by this geezer?'
Kim Il-woo anticipated Choi Ara and Lee Seo-yoon's degradation. 'Punishment fits too.' Perfect for punishing Lee Seo-yoon's Park Jun-hyun ploy. One tool to yank both leashes—no reason to pass.
"Wait... you mean giving me a woman—like...?"
Predictably, women hooked him over bust fears or future saves.
"Yeah. That one from before. Gotta punish her soon."
"You'll make it happen?"
"Can't guarantee full fuck, but you'll get to toy with her at least."
Choi Ara's dependence wasn't locked yet; Lee Seo-yoon's training was toddler steps. Sudden outsider risks collapse—proceed carefully.
'Might actually get that woman?'
Kang Jeong-min recalled Kim Il-woo with the nameless beauty. Drunk women came often; he ignored crime vibes for rooms. But her face and curves didn't fit this dump. He'd rushed them to a cam room, jerking countless times to her wrecked footage.
"...Deal. We collaborate."
No real choice—cooperation meant this kid held the reins. Kim Il-woo, knowing it, grinned wide and offered a handshake.
"Pleasure doing business, ajusshi."
"Just keep your promises."
The two lunatics sealed their pact. A pebble tossed from the future rippled past waves into surging tides.