Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Oh Hanam's Cruelty
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Countless sentences flashed through my mind, appearing and vanishing over and over.
What should I say to her? Her barely mustered resolve had crumbled just from bringing up the story. Half-hearted comfort would only backfire. Because even I had grown afraid of Oh Hanam—a man I'd never met.
If anything, not having met him made me even more terrified. The more I tried to picture him through my own lens, the deeper the fear burrowed into my heart. Maybe facing him once would make it better...
Though judging by Oh Hana's state, probably not.
After agonizing for what felt like forever, I finally opened my mouth, my heart pounding.
"You did well!"
"......Pardon?"
Honestly, I had no idea if that was the right thing to say, but her trembling definitely eased.
Screw it. I doubled down boldly.
"You did well! Hell, it's a shame you didn't go further. Ugh, those psycho types always seem to have nine lives. Don't you think? The one regret from my military days? Not smashing the back of that asshole senior's head with my rifle butt. For real."
"Oppa..."
"You have no idea what a piece of shit that bastard was. First time I'd ever gotten jointed just because someone didn't like the look in my eyes. And I'd never even learned it, but he beat me with the rifle butt over not 'pre-studying'—first time for that too. Then nonstop harassment for the pettiest reasons. Holding back the urge to kill him back then probably cost me a decade of my lifespan."
Oh Hana's eyes lit up with fury as she listened. Her usual energy started returning at the same time.
"What the hell? There's people like that? You should've smashed the back of his head!"
"Exactly! Ugh, fuck. Even now, thinking about that prick laughing to himself while telling me to 'bury what happened in the army' as he got discharged makes my stomach turn."
Oh Hana was the type to perk up more when standing up for others than for her own story. And in a way, so was I. Rage boiled inside me toward Oh Hanam, who'd twisted this sweet girl into this state.
If I ever got even a hint of a chance for revenge, that bastard wouldn't get off easy. Not a chance.
"Ugh! Seriously. The problem is you're such a pushover, oppa. You're better now, but from the way you talk, back then you were total pushover, pushover, fucking pushover."
"Hey, if we're splitting hairs, you too..."
"I'm different! I've never been played for a fool. Not even after I started living on my own."
After living on her own?
"You..."
I had to ask, even though I could guess. Not to put her on the spot, but to comfort her wounds more deeply.
"The orphanage? The salon? ...School?"
She'd gotten into that infamous beauty vocational school and ranked dead last overall, but Oh Hana seemed to enjoy it in her own way. Most of the time was practical training anyway, so she didn't go often, but from what she'd said earlier, she had friends to hang out with.
No way she'd quit voluntarily. Which meant... fuck.
"Oh Hanam just up and vanished, leaving me completely alone. Didn't even lift a finger, it was ridiculous."
The first thing that popped into my head was him hiring the school delinquents with cash or siccing gangsters on her to wreck her daily life. I'd seen that trope a million times in webtoons—villains harassing the heroine that way until the protagonist delivers sweet justice.
That assumption made Oh Hana's next words all the more shocking.
"At first, the orphanage director, my friends, schoolmates, coworkers—they all heard my story and joined in cursing him. Said I'd done right, that going back to a family like that would just bring misery."
"Yeah..."
I couldn't chime in cheerfully. The nuance in her voice was utterly bleak.
"The salon went first."
"......What?"
"The senior designer-slash-manager who stuck by me to the end? Fired outright, and blacklisted from working at any salon for a while."
"......"
"The salon's owner took a fat payout and sold the place off. A chicken joint moved in. Naturally, I lost my job. All in less than three days. I showed up for work, and construction crews were already gutting the interior."
"Fucking insane..."
"Even the manager could only pat my shoulder and say sorry."
It was nothing like I'd imagined. In those fictional stories, the bullying was always so childish... This was way worse.
One thing I'd learned in the army: physical pain isn't that big a deal. Especially if it's inflicted directly on you.
The real suffering starts when your issues ripple out to those around you, or turn into mental torment. That's when things escalate. And the scariest part of mental agony? Once you realize it, you start devouring yourself from within.
"After losing my job, it was school."
"......"
"No more practical site meant I had to stay at school longer. And just like that, I turned invisible. Heh, the friends who'd sworn to fight alongside me? They morphed into total strangers."
Oh Hana spoke with a heartbroken, gut-wrenching sadness.
"Some got bought off, some threatened... Didn't matter, they all drifted away. I get it now, but back then? No clue."
Yeah, figures. What does an 18-year-old know?
"What I screamed at them? 'Just beat me up instead! Kill me! Bully me properly! Don't ignore me!' ...Pointless. I became a ghost."
I'd thought the same. If he'd given her something tangible to fight, she might have pushed back. But realistically, Oh Hanam's methods—or those who abandoned her—faced zero legal repercussions. That was the truly chilling part.
"Teachers pretended to counsel but kept their distance. I couldn't hack the atmosphere and dropped out. Then... when I returned to the orphanage."
"......"
"First thing I saw? The building half-demolished, getting torn down."
I squeezed my eyes shut. If some other villain did this, I'd think they'd finally crossed the line. But considering what I'd already heard...
"The director at the gate told me the government was pouring funds into rebuilding model orphanages and supporting great childcare amid low birth rates. No choice but to demolish."
"......"
"Ilha Construction was fully backing it. And in my case, I'd already been registered as an Oh family child under Ilha Group... so I couldn't stay at the orphanage anymore. It'd penalize them."
Dizzying. This was hell itself.
In that short span, she'd lost her job, her friends, and now her home of 18 years—along with every connection.
For the first time, I truly felt how terrifying reality could be, a chill gripping my chest. I'd seen internet rumors about how chaebol heirs and elites lived utterly different lives. I'd dismissed it—everyone's just human. But no.
These bastards could be crueler than any serial killer when they wanted.
'How can a person do that?'
The kind of actions that make you blurt it out. Why not just run her over with a car like in dramas? Or hire thugs for a beatdown?
If it'd been that, Oh Hana might not have suffered like this...
'Ha!'
Goosebumps erupted. Oh Hanam was a true madman. He knew exactly how to break a person's spirit.
"That's when a text hit my dazed phone."
"......"
Oh Hana let out a hollow laugh.
"Oh Hanam's home address."
"Hoo..."
Listening to her story was driving me insane too. She was 18. Just 18.
Fuck... If I'd gone through that at her age, I might've seriously taxied out to Mapo Bridge.
"That's when I charged at him, roaring like a beast. Slashed my hand with a knife, blood spraying. He bolted in shock."
"......"
"His bodyguards chased like maniacs. Thought I was done for—then Riki helped me."
"What? ...Who?"
"Riki. Genesis Eleven's leader, Riki oppa."
Fuuuck, that was a shock in its own right...
"I don't know the details. Given Oh Hanam's personality, he probably didn't order them to drag me back by force. But while fleeing in panic, Riki hid me."
Shock on shock—my mood was all over. Damn it. Why was that guy there? Talk about lucky.
"They'd debuted successfully back then, but not the huge group they are now. Still, out of gratitude, I started cheering hard. Genesis Eleven exploded in popularity year after year. With leader Riki oppa at the center."
"......"
"Riki became a top idol—tons of money, strict image control. One person Oh Hanam couldn't touch!"
Before I knew it, Oh Hana was excited, eyes sparkling. Her smile returned. Seeing it made my insides boil.
Now I got why she adored Riki so much. Fuck, I'd fall for him too in her shoes. Watching him skyrocket? Pride overload.
"Seeing my one constant, Riki, gave me strength. I kept running, hiding, working odd jobs, dating here and there... But every guy I dated ended up as Oh Hanam's dog at some point. Good or bad."
So that's how it was.
Explained why a girl like Oh Hana would crash at a guy's studio apartment. Or how comfy she looked sleeping at the PC bang with Han Aebom.
All her quirks suddenly clicked.
Still hated hearing Riki's name, though.
"Ah, liking Riki never meant I half-assed boyfriends."
"Yeah, figured."
By now, I knew what kind of girl Oh Hana was. If girlfriends were scored out of 100, she'd be pushing 120.
"I tried so hard, gave my all. But I was always—always—the first betrayed. Even my ex, Lee Gin-hyung—that fucking prick—swore to protect me, then one day later... hahaha!"
Oh Hana burst into boisterous laughter. Not from joy or madness, but sheer absurdity.
"That bastard... Next time I see him, kick to the balls."
She tried sounding tough, but her voice cracked wetly. She rubbed her eyes with her wrist, mumbling to hide the tears.
"Guess I'm really worn out now."
I pulled her into a tight embrace, clutching her until my chest ached, and whispered.
"Give me a shot too, at the end."
Her eyes went wide at my words.