Girls' Talk

"Alright, that's it for today."

The man who'd spent the whole time stuffing the water the women handed him into thin air clapped his hands together.

"Hooaah... I'm beat..."

"....."

Jeong Ji-min and Kang Ha-rin let out their sighs of relief at the exact same moment and slumped where they stood.

It had been rough.

The work itself wasn't hard, honestly—but the sheer volume was brutal.

Half a day of nothing but lifting one-liter water bottles and setting them down, over and over.

Their bodies and minds couldn't help but wear down.

Why he even made them do it was a mystery. And why the vending machine kept spitting out an endless stream of water bottles was just as baffling.

"I think it's about time to wrap up this little sideshow. Four straight days of raking in coins, and the promo effect on my other products is kicking in."

"Oh? So you're finally going to start charging for the freebies?"

"Yeah. My name alone has enough weight now—no need to keep sweetening the pot. From here on, I can afford to coast a little."

He'd been going back and forth with Ha Hui-ryeong in a way that made zero sense, and then his eyes flicked over to Kang Ha-rin.

"Looks like you're getting the hang of it after a few days. Honestly, I didn't think you'd hit your quota."

"...."

Kang Ha-rin's face twisted.

That greasy smirk of his.

Just seeing him smile like that made something crawl up her spine.

"...Then at least give me more food."

"Yeah, yeah. You heard her, Ha-yoon? Throw in a little extra today."

"We'll see."

Kim Ha-yoon, who'd answered with zero enthusiasm, was sprawled out with an ice pack draped over her forehead.

She'd worked alongside them through the late morning, but at some point she'd ducked out and was now lounging around chatting with Ha Hui-ryeong.

And Ha Hui-ryeong? From the very start, she hadn't lifted a finger. Not once.

What really chewed at Kang Ha-rin's insides was that he hadn't imposed a single sanction on any of it.

He says favoritism is bad?

So why does he always break his own rules?

How can a person be like that?

'It pisses me off.'

All sorts of grievances and complaints churned inside Kang Ha-rin's head.

"I've got more to handle, so everyone head inside and rest up first."

"Now what? What are you trying to pull?"

"I'll explain later. Go on ahead."

Ha Hui-ryeong narrowed her eyes at him for a beat, then lightly smacked the top of Kim Ha-yoon's head and got up from the bench.

"Hey, let's go."

"...Did you really have to hit me like that?"

"Quit whining and move. You two, follow me."

Ha Hui-ryeong strode ahead, gesturing.

Kang Ha-rin fell in behind her without a word.

Jeong Ji-min trudged along listlessly, and when the gap grew ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too wide she scrambled after them in a fluster.

"Eek...! L-let's go together, unnies!"

"Hurry up, will you? Why are you always the last one lagging behind?"

"C'mon, Ha-yoon unnie, that's too harsh. I worked hard today. Can't you cut me a little slack?"

When Kim Ha-yoon scolded her, Jeong Ji-min pouted and grumbled.

Ha Hui-ryeong, naturally, shut it right down.

"Worked hard, my ass. You're always sluggish. Constantly trying to weasel out with petty little tricks, and you've got no sense at all."

"...You're so mean."

"Then do better."

Then, without warning, her attention shifted to Kang Ha-rin.

"You, on the other hand—you're a little decent. You didn't pull any pathetic tricks and just quietly did your work. Maybe it's because you've got a lot of younger siblings? You've got some potential."

"...Thanks for the kind words, I guess."

Not that they really landed.

Honestly, being complimented by this bunch didn't feel good at all.

Getting a 'you're somewhat useful' from a group of heinous murderers wasn't flattering—it just made her stomach turn.

That dark thought was brief; before they knew it, they were inside the rest area.

In the cafeteria, her younger siblings were still tied up and lying on the floor.

Four days.

Four whole days had already passed.

And her siblings hadn't moved from that exact same state.

How much were they suffering? Every time she saw them, Kang Ha-rin felt like her heart was going to rupture.

And it was all because of that damn restriction.

If he hadn't pulled that twisted move, she wouldn't have to stand by and watch like this.

"Kim Ha-yoon, what's on the menu today?"

"Rolled omelette and spicy stir-fried pork."

"Not bad. Hurry up and bring it out."

Ha Hui-ryeong settled into a spot and propped her legs up on the table.

It was pure delinquency—exactly the kind of posture that brought to mind schoolyard bullies from her student days.

"Hehe, finally I can catch my breath. I've always said it—mealtime is when I'm happiest."

Jeong Ji-min plopped down next to Ha Hui-ryeong, beaming, and licked her lips.

Kang Ha-rin raised an eyebrow.

What on earth went on inside that woman's head that let her be so utterly carefree?

Was she even aware of the situation she was in?

She was nothing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more than that man's sex slave—someone who could be tossed aside the moment he got bored—so how was she so nonchalant?

'I really can't understand it. But... maybe that's easier.'

For just a moment, Kang Ha-rin envied her obliviousness.

If you just let yourself be carried along by the current, maybe there wouldn't even be room for worry or anxiety.

"You eat in moderation. You barely do anything anyway."

"Ah, why? Why are you so harsh only to me? Isn't that too much?"

"What? You want another little chat in the Room of Truth?"

"...I'll eat in moderation!"

The two of them, who'd been trading idle barbs, suddenly both looked at Kang Ha-rin.

When all the attention landed on her out of nowhere, Kang Ha-rin was briefly flustered.

"Wh-why?"

"Nothing. You've just been radiating a gloomy aura since earlier. Is something wrong?"

If something was wrong? Something was always wrong.

Right this very minute, her own siblings were like that, weren't they.

"...No. Nothing."

But she couldn't exactly blurt out her true feelings.

Knowing all too well how violent Ha Hui-ryeong's temper could be, Kang Ha-rin simply lowered her gaze.

"Nothing, my ass. You're practically wearing an 'I'm so depressed~' sign on your face. Ah, right. While we're at it—how old are you?"

"...What's this all of a sudden?"

"Just realized we've never even properly introduced ourselves."

"You know my name, don't you?"

"Well, since he calls you Ha-rin, I know that much, but beyond that—nothing. We're going to be traveling together, so I figured I should at least know your age."

Kang Ha-rin hesitated for a beat, then answered a moment late.

"I'm twenty-eight."

"What? You're older than me?"

"For the record, I'm twenty-three! A fresh-faced college student!"

Jeong Ji-min raised her hand and chimed in, and Ha Hui-ryeong pushed her forehead back with her index finger.

"Nobody asked you. And if you're twenty-three, aren't you a junior? That's not exactly fresh."

"Nuh-uh! I'm still totally in my prime!"

"Prime my ass. Wait, if you're twenty-three, why do you call Kim Ha-yoon 'unnie'?"

At that question, Jeong Ji-min laughed awkwardly.

"Well... Ha-yoon unnie told me to call her unnie. Said she's older in spirit and that I have to use full honorifics with her."

"Huh. Kim Ha-yoon really is something else."

Ha Hui-ryeong let out a hollow laugh, then cast a sidelong glance toward the kitchen.

Following her gaze: there was Kim Ha-yoon, busily preparing the meal.

From what Kang Ha-rin had overheard, she'd just barely turned twenty. Since they'd said she was friends with Ha-jun, that was probably accurate.

What on earth had happened to that girl that she was running with a crew like this?

'Considering my own case and Jeong Ji-min's, I doubt the process was anything good.'

Kang Ha-rin couldn't understand it.

She recalled what had happened back at Hansarang Apartment.

She remembered Kim Ha-yoon stepping in to stop her when she and her siblings had ultimately decided to go under Seo Nam-woon's wing.

Given that, her nature didn't seem so bad... so why was she getting on so well with those two—who were basically thugs?

They even seemed genuinely close, joking around with each other from time to time.

Why?

The more she chewed on it, the more their relationships felt like an unsolvable riddle.

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

She'd only been lost in her thoughts for a moment when Ha Hui-ryeong, smirking faintly, spoke up.

Kang Ha-rin answered offhandedly, as if it were nothing.

"Just wondering why that girl hangs around people like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you."

"Wow. Aren't you being a little too honest?"

"I figured you'd prefer honesty."

And the moment she said it, she regretted it.

Given this woman's temperament, she shouldn't have run her mouth.

And sure enough.

"You've got me pegged. Yeah, just like you said—I don't much like liars. And also shameless, rude bitches who don't know their place."

Her lips were smiling, but her eyes weren't.

That cold, sunken gaze was a warning.

Watch your mouth.

"...I'll be careful."

"Yeah. Watch your tone from now on. Unlike him, I'm not very good at holding back."

Only then did the atmosphere ease back to normal.

Jeong Ji-min's pale face regained its color, too.

"Whew. Yes, Ha-rin unnie. Unless you want to end up in the Room of Truth like I did, I'd recommend thinking twice before you speak."

"You just take care of yourself."

Thwack!

"Kyaaah! Ah, that hurts...! Please control your strength...!"

Having taken a sharp knuckle rap to the crown of her head for running her mouth, Jeong Ji-min cradled her scalp and wailed.

It was a ridiculous sight, but thanks to it, some of the tension bled away.

Kang Ha-rin let out a quiet internal sigh of relief.

"Now that I hear it, I wonder about that too. I don't really know why she listens to us so well, either. At first she was pretty defiant—just like you."

"That's because there's no point."

At that moment, Kim Ha-yoon, who had finished all the cooking at some point and brought the prepared dishes over, joined the conversation.

Ha Hui-ryeong gave her a puzzled look.

"No point? What's that supposed to mean?"

"If I can't defy him anyway, there's zero benefit in baring my fangs. Since I have to live with it, I'm much better off getting along."

"That's an awfully pragmatic answer. But I don't know—seems to me there might be more to it than that... Am I imagining it?"

"Yes, you're imagining it."

Kim Ha-yoon answered curtly, then sat down next to Kang Ha-rin as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Then, under the table, she discreetly slipped Kang Ha-rin about five chocolate bars.

'Ah. She really is giving me extra.'

Kang Ha-rin felt a small pang of something, but she kept her expression neutral as she quietly stuffed all of them into her pocket.

It made sense—that man always said he'd add a little more, but every time, he handed out the exact same rations.

So Kim Ha-yoon's thoughtfulness genuinely caught her off guard.

"More than that, I'm actually more curious about your story, unnie. What exactly is your relationship with that bastard? No—how did you even meet him in the first place?"

"All of a sudden?"

"It's not all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of a sudden. This is the natural flow of the conversation."

Ha Hui-ryeong's expression grew a little uncomfortable, like the topic had scraped against something raw.

Jeong Ji-min's eyes sparkled as she looked at her.

"I'm curious too! You two seem super close. Are you dating him? You're definitely the main girl, right?"

"Ah... well, that's..."

Uncharacteristically, Ha Hui-ryeong floundered.

That reaction made Kang Ha-rin curious as well.

She wanted to know why Ha Hui-ryeong was so reluctant to talk about it.

"...It's nothing, really."

"That's for the listener to decide."

"Exactly, exactly. I agree with Ha-yoon unnie."

Pressed by the two of them, Ha Hui-ryeong finally couldn't hold out and parted her dry lips.

"I get what you're all thinking, but it's not like that. It's just a damn ill-fated connection."

"An ill-fated connection?"

"Yeah. From the start, him and me—victim and perpetrator. That's really all it is."

A bitter smile settled on her lips.

And after a brief pause, she kept going.

"There's some tangled family history. Fucking hell, my stepdad is his biological father. So... he ditched his perfectly good wife and switched over to my mom."

"...Every time I hear about your mom, unnie, it's genuinely surprising. So who's the victim and who's the perpetrator?"

"He's the victim. Back then, I wasn't exactly thrilled about some random guy showing up claiming to be my dad, and then at school there was another kid who looked exactly like him. So..."

"Don't tell me you bullied him...?"

At Jeong Ji-min's careful question, Ha Hui-ryeong nodded.

"Honestly, it was just venting. I had the face I couldn't stand to look at both at school and at home. But... after a while, the whole bullying thing started to feel pointless. In the end, that stepdad bastard died in a drunk-driving accident not long after."

Kang Ha-rin, listening quietly, couldn't help thinking it all sounded like some kind of farce.

Jeong Ji-min and Kim Ha-yoon appeared to feel similarly; their faces had gone a bit troubled.

"So then you two met again."

"Yeah. I was twenty-two, I think. One day my mom brought him over and said she'd hire him for part-time work. I hated it. It was like a piece of the past I wanted to forget had clawed its way back. So I cursed her out and demanded a reason."

And her answer was a real spectacle.

"What did she say?"

"'I felt sorry for him.' That one line made my head go blank. I had nothing to say."

A short laugh escaped her, and Ha Hui-ryeong shook her head.

"Well, that's it. So this isn't the kind of feeling you guys are imagining—it's more like hateful affection, or guilt."

"To me, it feels like it's more than just that... Am I imagining it?"

"You're imagining it."

And with that, she picked up her chopsticks as if to signal the end of pointless chatter.

"Ahh, I hate this. I rambled on way too much—totally unlike me. More importantly, why the hell isn't that bastard coming when the food's been getting cold this whole time? Ugh, should we just start without him? He's so late it's ridiculous."

"Shall we, then?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's do that."

An awkward current still lingered in the air.

Kang Ha-rin felt a peculiar frustration as she lifted her spoon, and right at that moment, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from inside the rest area.

"What, you still haven't eaten? If I'm running late, you should've just gone ahead—why wait like idiots."

"It's your fault in the first place, and that's what you come in saying, you asshole!"

Smack!

"Ack! That hurts... you didn't have to hit me, did you?"

"Shut up! Shut up and get over here!"