Whispers in the Dark
It was already time to head home. I had to leave the office with Kim Dayeong. She still hadn’t come down, so I stayed hidden in a corner of the underground parking lot, trying not to draw anyone’s attention.
But somehow she knew. Sohee came looking for me.
“…Sujeong-ah.”
“Huh? Sohee?”
Sohee’s face looked terrible. Like she’d been hurt.
Was it because of what happened earlier with Kim Dayeong?
“I… I know you already know… that I like you.”
She stammered the words, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
I didn’t say anything. I just gave a small nod.
Of course I knew.
I’d only pretended not to.
Her gaze dropped to the floor. I could see her biting her lip hard, fists clenched at her sides.
“So…”
Her voice trembled thinly.
“Can’t you… date me?”
It felt like hearing a confession I’d already received once before.
Well, technically I had heard it once already—under the desk. So this was the second time.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t as shocked as I expected. I was able to face her with surprising calm.
“I’m sorry… I—”
“Is it because of Dayeong unnie?”
She cut me off.
“No, it’s not that.”
If I had to point to a reason, it wasn’t Kim Dayeong.
It was Kim Soyeong. Soyeong unnie.
Wasn’t that obvious?
Deep in my heart, Soyeong unnie was still there. The thick layer of infatuation that had covered my eyes wasn’t something that could be peeled away so easily.
I had neither the time nor the emotional space to meet someone new, fall in love, and start dating.
My relationship with Kim Dayeong was nothing more than a forced contract. Nothing more, nothing less.
She had stopped me from being sold off and promised to help me find my sister. That was why I was being dragged along by her.
A one-sided relationship I couldn’t refuse.
Sohee didn’t know any of that, which was why she could confess like this.
Seeing her standing there so hesitantly, I could only imagine how much she must have agonized over it before coming here.
“Then what is it?”
She muttered the words like she was talking to herself.
“You… and Dayeong unnie…”
Huh? What?
Did she know something? Or was she misunderstanding?
“Sohee,” I said again, gently. “Even if it wasn’t you—if it was anyone else—I still wouldn’t date them. That hasn’t changed.”
“You’re not dating anyone right now?”
“No…”
For a second Kim Dayeong flashed through my mind, but we weren’t dating. It wasn’t a lie, and there was no need to burden kind-hearted Sohee with the truth.
“I don’t have the mental energy to date anyone…”
“Then just sleep with me once.”
“……Huh?”
Ah. I must have been under too much stress because of Kim Dayeong.
This was exactly why I should have kept things moderate.
Having my ears assaulted every single day must have made me start hearing things.
“Ah, sorry. I think I misheard. What did you say?”
“I said let’s have sex.”
Oh.
So that’s what it was.
……Now I understood.
All magical girls were insane.
Or maybe just being around Kim Dayeong drove everyone a little crazy.
“What are you even saying, Sohee?”
Instead of cursing, I let her words slide past me and took a step back. Maybe Sohee was also mentally exhausted because of Kim Dayeong. I looked at her and said,
“You’re acting strange right now.”
“N-no, I’m not.”
She shook her head quickly and continued.
“Just pretend you didn’t hear that. I’m sorry.”
With a stiff expression, she turned away.
Her lonely back made my chest ache, but I wasn’t in any position to comfort a girl who had clearly lost her mind.
“This is so bitter.”
I didn’t want things to get awkward with Sohee.
Maybe I should apologize tomorrow.
Sorry I can’t have sex with you?
“That’s ridiculous.” I hadn’t done anything wrong. Still… why had Sohee suddenly asked for sex? Was she that lonely? I was jealous. I’d rather be alone.
Was I going crazy because of Kim Dayeong too?
My mind was restless, wild thoughts refusing to stop. I pushed the nonsense away and hid in the corner again. Soon enough, Kim Dayeong approached.
“Popular, aren’t you?”
She must have been hiding somewhere, listening in the shadows.
“Why were you eavesdropping?”
“How could I not hear it?”
Kim Dayeong spoke with a smile on her face.
“You should’ve just given her a taste.”
Yeah, keep mocking me.
It didn’t hurt as much anymore.
Like how a spot that gets hit too many times grows numb, Kim Dayeong’s words had started to sound like nothing more than white noise.
“…Whatever.”
I stood in front of the passenger door, eager to get home even a minute sooner.
“You know you look exactly like a sulking girlfriend right now?”
Kim Dayeong looked me up and down.
“That crooked posture, that expression—perfect. So you’ve finally decided to properly latch onto me like a leech?”
“It’s not like that. Just open the door already.”
“Why are you in such a hurry? Want to do it in the car?”
Ha.
Everything really did circle back to that. She was like a beast in heat.
Did she spend all day thinking about biting, sucking, and fucking? It was disgusting.
When I stared at her with cold eyes, she let out a small laugh as if she’d only been joking and opened the driver’s side door.
The car ride home was quiet and heavy with silence. There was truly nothing between us.
I sat in the passenger seat, leaning sideways, completely checked out as I stared out the window.
If she decided to pounce, she would pounce.
When we got home, I would get out.
It was all so monotonous and simple.
I felt like I had become Kim Dayeong’s doll. A doll that did whatever it was told.
The parking lot lights stretched long past the car window.
My reflection in the glass was expressionless. Kim Dayeong sat beside me, staring straight ahead with an indifferent look.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
How long do I have to stay by this woman’s side?
I turned my head slightly and stole a glance at her profile.
Up close, her face was delicately beautiful.
Soyeong unnie…
I asked the last remaining hope I still carried in my chest, in the smallest voice possible.
“Unnie… when are you going to throw me away…?”
Kim Dayeong answered in a puzzled tone.
“What are you talking about? You want me to throw you away?”
“……”
“Are you trying to escape from me?”
“No…”
“Good.”
Kim Dayeong looked forward again.
“I treat you well, don’t I? If you keep listening to me, I might even erase your debt.”
The air inside the car grew even heavier.
“If you say things like that, I might get anxious and break both your legs, Sujeong.”
I was scared.
Every breath felt like lead piling up inside my lungs. I hated sharing the same air as her.
Did I really have to live tied to her like this? It was insane.
This wasn’t how a person should live. It would be better to live alone and die of loneliness.
I’d thought she would get tired of me if I just endured a little longer, but the longer we spent together, the deeper Kim Dayeong dug in.
At first I thought she only wanted my body, but that wasn’t it. She wanted my mind, my time—everything.
Why did it have to be me? No, the even funnier part was something else.
Kim Dayeong’s reputation was rising.
A capable, hard-working woman who was a little self-indulgent but still charming.
On the other hand, my reputation was plummeting.
The girl who stuck to Kim Dayeong’s side.
The girl who didn’t know her place but luckily caught her eye.
The girl who latched onto Dayeong unnie like a parasite.
I was slowly turning into exactly that kind of person.
The people who used to smile and act friendly, the ones who kept complimenting how pretty I was—they were all subtly avoiding me now.
It had all been fake.
Did Kim Dayeong know about any of this?
She drove as usual, completely unbothered. Her long lashes blinked slowly. She didn’t seem the least bit interested in what people were saying about me.
Should I ask her?
No. She probably wouldn’t care anyway.
The streetlights stretched long across the road and faded behind us.
My face reflected faintly in the window, overlapped by Kim Dayeong’s profile beside it.
A face that looked exactly like Soyeong unnie’s. But a person who could never be her.
There was no way my relationship with Kim Dayeong could be normal. And the only person who seemed to understand that was me.
Even when we parted ways, Kim Dayeong said the same thing she always did.
“Don’t you think it’s about time you moved out of that shabby place and into a proper officetel?”
“……”
“It’s such a hassle to come all the way here.”
“I’ll come to you.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
I would never go.
I didn’t answer and just looked out the window. Kim Dayeong seemed to read my mind. She said “I see” with the same blank expression and drove off.
These days she didn’t even hit me anymore.
Sometimes I even caught myself thinking absurd things like maybe she really does care about me.
“Care about me…?”
The moment the words left my mouth, goosebumps rose on the back of my neck.
The first thing I did when I got home was rip off the horribly uncomfortable skirt and blouse. The second I undid the buttons and unzipped the skirt, my body relaxed and I could finally breathe.
Other people got to wear comfortable tracksuits.
Couldn’t I do that too?
Maybe I should ask Kim Dayeong.
Or should I just wear my magical girl uniform to work?
If I changed into it, what could she even say? I’d still be contributing to the company. It seemed like a good idea.
This tight skirt made my ass line so obvious. I could always feel Kim Dayeong staring at it with lustful eyes.
“It really is because of the clothes.”
I yanked the skirt down and threw the blouse aside.
The things I did after work in the evening were always the same.
Shower.
Eat.
And sometimes drink.
I only drank when things were really hard.
When I missed Soyeong unnie so badly it hurt.
Or like today—when the day had ended in such a filthy way.
Calling someone over just to hide them under a desk. I never imagined something like that could happen to me.
But Kim Dayeong had ordered it so easily.
She gave the command like it was nothing and then casually continued her conversation with the other person.
What would she make me do next?
Could it get any worse than this?
Of course it could. If it was Kim Dayeong, definitely.
I lay face-down on the bed and scrolled through shorts on my phone.
Meaningless videos passed by. My finger kept moving, but nothing registered in my head.
I ended up browsing the magical girl exclusive forum for a bit. There wasn’t anything interesting—just talk about monsters or pointless gossip.
Swiping down with my thumb, I eventually dozed off without realizing it.
I found out too late.
While I was sleeping, a post about me had gone up.
It was the next morning when I opened my eyes and turned on my phone.
Because I had fallen asleep with the forum still open, the screen was exactly as I’d left it.
The title had my name in it. Well, the initials anyway.
[Is that Lee SJ from OOO branch a total slut? I heard she was with Kim SY, but right after she died she switched straight to Kim DY? Must’ve used that face and body to ride the next one properly.]
What the hell is this?
It felt like something was crushing the center of my chest. My throat tightened. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“What is this…?”