Haruna's Divided World

Haruna's world was split into two distinct zones. One was the warm home filled with her family's lingering affection after work. The other was right here and now—this cold, dry office where she sat trapped behind a gray partition.

Haruna was staring at the Excel sheet on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her monitor, double-checking the numbers. A dying fluorescent light flickered overhead, shattering her focus. The only sounds breaking the silence were the low hum of the computer fan and the occasional clatter of keystrokes.

Why the hell do they even allow mechanical keyboards in the office? Haruna gritted her teeth at the noise from Manager Kim's desk but held it in. It was month-end. For the accounting team, that meant judgment day rolling around without fail every month—a battlefield crammed with numbers.

She wrestled with the dense grid of figures in Excel, unconsciously furrowing her brow. Purchase tax invoices verified, corporate card statements sorted, payroll transfer list final-checked... They'd automated payroll once and it had gone haywire, so she was doing manual eye-checking on everything. Her fingers danced rhythmically over the keys, her eyes scanning vouchers and expense approval forms.

Then a greasy voice shattered her concentration. It arrived with the stench of stale cigarettes, wrinkling her nose even before she looked up.

"Hey, accountant."

He had the title of team leader in the accounting department, but Manager Kim always called her "accountant." Or just "hey."

"Still glued to that? Take a coffee break, loosen up a bit."

Sure enough, it was Manager Kim. He approached with his usual affable grin and casually draped a hand on her shoulder, kneading it suggestively. A chill ran down her spine at the creepy sensation, and she shrugged him off slightly.

"No, thank you, sir. I have to wrap this up by today. You go ahead."

"Aw, come on, don't just bury yourself in work. You'll get shadows under your eyes. You gotta enjoy your youth. How about dinner tonight? I booked this hot new omakase spot."

"Sorry, but I have plans tonight. Family dinner."

Manager Kim smacked his lips in disappointment and shuffled back to his desk. But his gaze lingered stickily on her back. Haruna let out a short sigh. She told herself enduring his gross touches and leering stares was just part of the job, baked into her paycheck. She knew jobs weren't easy to come by.

Slap.

She clapped her cheeks and refocused. Turning back to her monitor, she checked the last batch of unprocessed expenses. Mostly petty cash items, but one stood out glaringly.

Chimera Solutions...? A vendor she'd never seen before. The amount was oddly vague for R&D, and crucially, no attached contract or tax invoice. Maybe just an oversight—she rummaged through other folders. Her eyes widened.

Five hundred million. Haruna swallowed hard without realizing it. For a mid-sized firm with barely a hundred employees, over 538 million KRW funneled to a single unverified vendor in a month? This wasn't a simple mistake. It reeked of slush funds—or something far more dangerous.

"Sir, I have a quick question."

Haruna grabbed the printed transaction statements and approached Manager Kim. He glanced at the papers in her hand, his expression subtly hardening.

"Oh, that. That's why you're here?"

"Yes. Total outflow to Chimera Solutions: 538 million KRW. No supporting documents at all. This could be an accounting issue."

Manager Kim glanced around, then lowered his voice.

"Haruna, don't worry about it. It's directly handled by the president. Nothing for us to touch."

"Even so, for approval, we need at least the contract, transfer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠records, and confirmation..."

"Handle it yourself. That's your job, isn't it?"

Haruna blinked in stunned silence. Normally, she'd zip it and move on... but putting up with his harassment made her feel like a fool. Harina's furious rant echoed in her mind—about their mom debasing herself as a cumdump. Those words had resonated with Haruna too. She'd endured the harassment here for fear of getting fired.

"Still, unverified large expenditures like this are clear accounting fraud. At minimum, we need proof of purpose..."

"Hey. Accountant."

Manager Kim's voice turned icy cold. The greasy smile was gone.

"What does a lowly accountant know about the president's approvals? Your job is matching numbers as ordered. Don't poke around, or you might get hurt. Got it?"

It wasn't advice—it was a blatant threat. Haruna clamped her mouth shut as a chill crawled up her spine.

"Just split some cash receipts or whatever. Figure it out. Do I have to spoon-feed you? We pay you 70 million a year for a reason."

His glare screamed: Drop it and handle it.

"I'll resign. From the company. I'll prepare and submit my letter right away. I don't want to be part of this fraud."

"What? You crazy bitch?"

Ignoring his curse, she returned to her desk, her heart pounding anxiously. Something shady was going down at the company. She'd been here over a year, and this was the first blatant fraud.

A quick search on 'Chimera Solutions' revealed it was a public corporation under the Daehan Cult Nation. Dark connections between the company and the Cult Nation were stirring.

She drafted her resignation in the internal system and submitted it instantly. Then she shot to her feet and stormed out. Manager Kim's swearing chased her, but she fired back a refreshing zinger.

"You bald pig-headed bastard. I'm suing you for all that sexual harassment too. Just watch!"

Haruna yelled it out triumphantly and hopped on the subway home. The humid air and crowd's breaths felt suffocating.

Was that satisfying...? A twinge of regret hit—jobs weren't easy—but her reflection in the subway window looked relieved. Then she thought of home. Mom, Harina, and... Dojin. When had it started? Her safest, most comfortable place had become that noisy, chaotic house. At its center stood her little brother Hadojin, playing the sturdy man of the house.

Arriving home, the savory aroma of soybean paste stew wafted from the entryway. An Hyeonmi was prepping dinner in the kitchen, while in the living room, Hadojin seriously coached Harina on something.

"No, drop your guard like that and your chin's exposed. Keep both hands by your jaw always. Don't give the opponent an opening for a punch."

"Ugh, got it! But your punches are too fast—I can't even see 'em, oppa!"

"Don't watch the fist. Watch the shoulder."

Their bickering was pure peace. "I'm home!"

The tension from work melted away like snow, and Haruna smiled.

"Sis, you're back? What's with the face—rough day?"

Hadojin spotted her and stood, taking her bag naturally and gently kneading her shoulders.

"Shoulders like rocks. Extra stress today, huh."

His large, warm hands pinpointed and loosened the knots. Haruna let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

"Ahh... Feels good. How'd you know? Yeah, stressful day."

"Your face says 'I was pissed as hell today.' Wanna work out with us? Perfect stress relief."

Haruna shook her head at his offer. "Nah. I don't have your stamina. I'll drown it in booze."

"Unnie has separate stamina just for drinking!"

Harina's tease sparked laughter from everyone. Feeling Dojin's tender touch, Haruna thought, When did my little bro get so reliable and mature? No trace of his old egenam days. Now he was the family's pillar, a rock they could all lean on. His change was Haruna's greatest comfort.

An Hyeonmi, Haruna, Harina, Hadojin. The family gathered, sharing the day's stories over a joyful dinner.

"I'll do the dishes!"

"Me too!"

As Harina and Hadojin headed to the kitchen, Haruna sipped the café latte on the table. Dojin's coffee smelled so tempting, she took a sip without thinking.

"Whoa... Your coffee's always so good, Dojin."

Hadojin's face paled. "Ah... You shouldn't have drunk that..."

"Why? Can't sis have some? I'll buy you another."

He looked miffed that she'd taken his, which bummed her out.

"No, it's... I put supplements in it. It'll make you gain weight."

"Eek!!"

Haruna mimed shoving her finger down her throat, gagging. "Unnie~ It's fine. Tasty calories don't count!"

Harina's quip brought fresh laughter. But after the latte, Haruna felt her body heating up.

Just like that time... The supplement. Yeah, my body's getting hot again today...

That flushed, aroused feeling—she grabbed her reddening cheeks and headed to her room. Same symptoms after sipping Dojin's coffee back then.

"I'll have some wine and crash!"

Breathing lightly, she opened her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠room's wine fridge. Wine and sleep would fix it, like before.

"Ah... No wine. Boo."

Should've hit Costco last ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weekend... Too late for regrets. She threw on clothes and headed to the convenience store for cheap wine. One bottle before bed was her nightly ritual. Not alcoholism, she assured herself—just needed it to sleep easy.

"Sis, where you off to this late?"

"Convenience store. Want a triangle kimbap?"

"Nah. I'll come. Almadia punks have been lurking around at night."

"Really?"

With big, sturdy Hadojin tagging along, she felt safe. When had he bulked up like this? The flower-arranging Dojin was now a reliable gym rat.

"All those shirtless lowlifes on the streets? Almadia guys."

"Yeah?"

"Daehan Cult Nation's not gonna claim single-ethnic purity anymore. Blame the population drop."

"Heh heh."

Even his random chatter eased her mind as they walked. She bought three bottles of wine, kimbap, and tons of ice cream on the way back.

"Rough stuff lately? You looked beat."

"Just..."

Haruna was about to spill about quitting when—

"Sis, hold up... Stay put behind me."

Hadojin's eyes turned cold.