Chapter 25: The Space We Made, The Space We Had Made, The Space Where We Were-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: The Space We Made, The Space We Had Made, The Space Where We Were-2
"Did you talk to Mina?"
When her father asked about the living expenses that still hadn't been deposited, her mother, who was ladling out bean sprout soup, shook her head.
"I mentioned it to her, but..."
"And why the sudden hospital visit? It’s all because she doesn't take care of herself. Tsk."
He grumbled irritably, picking through the side dishes with his chopsticks as if nothing suited his fancy.
"Don't be so hard on her. The girl looks like she’s being buried under work," her mother continued, glancing warily at her husband. "She’s the only one bringing in money for this house right now. It’s not good to nag her too much."
"..."
Perhaps she had hit a sore spot, as her father fell silent.
Buzz—
The woman’s phone vibrated.
After finishing with the side dishes, she checked the screen.
"She sent it. Oh? Why did she send so much?"
"Why? How much?"
"Forty... million??"
"Forty? Forty million won?"
On the mother’s phone, a single KakaoTalk message had arrived along with the deposit notification.
[It’s my entire life savings.]
"Why would she send such a huge amount all of a sudden?"
Why now? The question only grew heavier.
*
Monday. 8:00 AM.
The Director had arrived at the office early to prepare for the monthly executive meeting. He needed to review the data and finish a quick briefing.
"Whew..."
Looking over the well-organized materials, he thought to himself.
Team Leader Lee certainly is good at her job.
It would be better if she were a bit more submissive, but he didn't like how she always seemed to have an argument for everything.
"Anyway, what to do about this accident..."
In-ho’s death. Since it happened while he was heading down to Busan for work, it qualified as an industrial accident.
Fearing the bereaved family might file a lawsuit, the Director had even followed the procession to the encoffinment ceremony to show his "sincerity."
However, human hearts were as fickle as boiling water. Not knowing how they might act once the funeral was over was giving him a headache.
I should have just told him not to go down.
It was a problem he could have resolved in Busan with a single phone call. He had only insisted on it to take Lee Mina down a peg because he hated how she acted like she was the boss. It had also served the dual purpose of looking out for his close associate, Hye-young.
"Ugh..."
What was the best way to handle this?
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
At the sound of the knock, the door opened and Lee Mina walked in.
"Oh? You’re here early."
Lee Mina, sporting heavy dark circles under her eyes, was carrying an iced Americano.
"I woke up a bit early, so I came in. You have the executive meeting today, right?" she asked warmly, handing him the coffee.
Huh? What’s gotten into her?
The Director was puzzled for a moment, but he soon reached a conclusion.
Well, she’s got nowhere else to turn now. I suppose she’s finally trying to get on my good side.
Since she was a good worker, maybe he could break her spirit a bit more and keep her around. With that thought, he took a sip of the coffee.
"I’ll get back to my desk. Have a productive morning."
As she left, he took a few more sips.
Ten minutes passed.
While looking over the documents, the Director massaged his neck.
"What the... why is it so stiff?"
He felt a strange sluggishness creeping over him.
"Uh... wha...?"
Even his tongue felt heavy. He tried to say something, but the words wouldn't form properly.
Wait. What’s happening? What’s wrong with me!
He scrambled to his feet, intending to rush outside, but his legs gave way and he tripped.
Thud.
A heavy sound echoed through the office.
"Uuuurrrgh..."
He continued to make a sound that sat somewhere between a human and a beast.
Hurry! Someone, come here!
"Lee... Mi... na...!"
He squeezed out the name of the person most likely to be in the office.
"Lee... Mina...!"
After several desperate cries, someone knocked on the Director’s door.
Knock, knock.
"Uuuuuurgh!"
Click, clack.
The sound of footsteps approached slowly.
From his position on the floor, the Director could only see her heels.
"Oh my, what happened?"
"119... 119..."
"Did you enjoy the coffee?"
Her voice sent a chill straight down his spine.
"Ueh...?"
Unable to even lift his head while sprawled on the floor, the Director let out a confused groan.
"It’s not good for your body to be lying face down like this. I’ll help you up. Don't worry, it’s not exactly a lethal poison."
She grunted as she hauled him up and sat him in his chair.
The Director’s eyes rolled wildly. The only parts of his body he could still move were his eyes.
"Phew... you’re heavy. You should really exercise more."
Perhaps because she had just lifted someone nearly twice her weight, Mina wiped the sweat from her brow.
Now that he was finally facing her, he saw the blade in her hand and his body jolted.
"The world has become such a scary place lately. If you just give them money on Telegram, they’ll send drugs like this via quick-delivery right away."
Mina’s eyes flashed with a terrifying glint, even as she spoke with the casual tone of someone commenting on the weather.
"They say it’s a drug that paralyzes the body but doesn't dull the senses. Something about a narcotic derivative... I don't know the exact ingredients."
She began to bind his body with tape. It was a precaution to prevent any accidents.
"Wh... y..."
He managed to force out a word, but the response he received wasn't an answer.
A horrifying sensation erupted from his navel.
"!!!!!"
A knife was buried near his belly button, and Mina was gripping it firmly.
Mina leaned her face in close to the Director’s and whispered.
"How does it feel?"
"Kkkkkhhh."
As the weight of the knife shifted, his eyes rolled back into his head.
Slap!
She struck him across the cheek.
"How is it? Ah, you can't speak, can you? My apologies. I was being inconsiderate."
"It’s terrifying, isn't it? Does it feel like the wind is slicing through you? Do you feel a burning sensation?"
Squish.
The blade dug deeper into his gut.
"That’s exactly how my heart feels right now, you piece of shit."
"We can't have you making a mess of the office."
A glob of blood welled up in his throat, but a towel blocked his mouth. The towel was shoved in ruthlessly, clogging his throat.
Feeling the sensation of suffocation, he struggled with all his might.
Squelch, squelch.
Accompanied by a sickening sound, her hand moved the blade up toward his solar plexus.
"Ugh... gack..."
"Come to think of it, you gave me some advice, didn't you? To work with 'fighting spirit'?"
His own reflection in her lifeless eyes looked utterly grotesque. The terror of encroaching death overwhelmed him.
"Heave-ho. Heave-ho."
Squelch, squelch.
"Heave-ho. Heave-ho."
Crunch, crack.
"Heave-ho, heave-ho, hahahahahahahahahaha!!"
She threw her head back in a fit of manic laughter.
Listening to that laughter, his consciousness slowly faded, sinking like a stone into deep water.