The Trap
Lately, Cha Yejin had found her sexual frustration thoroughly relieved. There was no denying it.
It's for my husband. All of this is...
According to the doctrines of her faith, and given the circumstances, it felt only natural that everything she did was solely for her husband's sake. No—that was the foundation of it all. Even if the man before her violated and degraded her, her heart remained unchanged.
I'll endure it for now. Lord... grant me the strength to hold on.
The only man in her heart was her husband. Her body might be toyed with, but she had never surrendered her soul. That was why she fully intended to cast this man aside the moment the opportunity arose. She believed her feelings for her husband were that strong, and that everything else was merely the result of blackmail.
But this situation was different. She still had no way to escape the man's threats, and now their affair was on the verge of being exposed.
"What the hell are you doing calling my sister out here? Don't you dare try anything."
Ahyeon's naturally aggressive tone rose even higher, drawing the eyes of everyone nearby.
No. Ahyeon... please, not now...!
To reiterate: Cha Yejin was being forced into this, yet she endured it only because she wanted her husband to thrive. She had never once given her heart away. And yet, because of this man's reckless mistake, they were now in danger of being discovered.
Yejin's heart began to pound violently. Completely oblivious to her sister's turmoil, Ahyeon pressed the man harder.
"I told you. Don't go getting any dirty ideas about my sister."
"What's the problem?"
People were gathering one by one. Yejin stood frozen, unable to utter a single word as Cha Ahyeon cornered him.
"Don't even think about making excuses! Just showing interest in a married woman is a sin."
"..."
The man smirked, then locked eyes with Cha Yejin. A wave of unease washed over her as he gave a casual shrug of his shoulders.
"Well, looks like I've been caught. No helping it. Let's just tell the truth."
"...!"
Yejin's face drained of all color, turning ashen.
This can't be happening. If he says it now...
What had been forced upon her would become an affair. And in this moment, she couldn't even begin to invent an excuse. Her loving husband and her entire family would be destroyed.
"Um..."
Just as terror seized her, the man stepped closer to Cha Yejin and pointed at her younger sister.
"Introduce us properly. Cha Ahyeon, right? Just like I mentioned before."
"?"
While her mind went completely blank, the man casually offered an excuse that would actually work in this situation.
"Cha Ahyeon, was it? I'd heard about her for a while, but seeing her in person, I like her even more. I asked you to introduce us, remember?"
"What did you just say?"
Ahyeon stared at him in pure disbelief. In that instant, Cha Yejin felt a wave of relief she knew she shouldn't feel, and once again cried out to the Lord in her heart.
Yes... that would work...
It was the perfect cover for this situation. They had already spoken about Cha Ahyeon, and since it was a personal romantic interest, meeting privately raised no real issues. The married woman nodded.
"Ahyeon. This man said he's interested in you."
"Well, I'm not interested in him."
Ahyeon turned her head away as if she couldn't believe a word of it—but then allies appeared. The residents who had been watching stepped forward.
"Oh my, Dohyuk's been asking about Ahyeon since last time. He's quick on the draw, isn't he?"
"He's been showing interest for a while now. Though he was a bit too obvious about it this time."
People rushed to testify, laughing as they did. The whole thing was being dismissed as nothing more than a harmless incident. The fact that Jin Dohyuk had genuinely expressed interest in the younger sister during earlier conversations helped enormously. More importantly, his reputation here was so solid that no one would easily suspect an affair between Yejin and him.
Relief.
In the process, all the strength drained from Cha Yejin's body.
"Ah..."
Her body swayed on its own. Completely drained, she staggered.
"Yejin."
Startled, Jin Dohyuk caught her and immediately took charge.
"You've looked unwell lately. Let's get you some rest first."
While Cha Yejin pressed a hand to her forehead, Jin Dohyuk supported her all the way home. As she continued to hold her head, Cha Ahyeon laid her sister down and began tending to her.
"You can leave now."
"If her stamina's dropped this much, there could be all sorts of problems. You really think I can just walk away?"
"This has nothing to do with you."
Ahyeon's sharp words reached Yejin's ears as well.
...
What if the stimulation became too much and the truth slipped out? Yejin steadied her limp body and looked toward Ahyeon and the man.
"Just laying her down and calling it done? That's pretty irresponsible. Is there a doctor around?"
"My sister always overworks herself. We'll take care of it."
"You'll take care of it? How much medicine do you even have?"
Jin Dohyuk fretted over Yejin and offered to bring medicine.
"I'm no doctor, so I'll just grab whatever I can find."
"Why are you going this far?"
"Aren't you worried about your sister?"
"No! That's not it—this is just weird! I heard you're a complete outsider. So why are you fussing over her like this?"
Cha Ahyeon kept finding it strange, eyeing Jin Dohyuk with open suspicion. And that suspicion was razor-sharp. Anxiety continued to churn in Yejin's chest.
Why? Why is my heart like this...?
It had to be the fear of their affair being exposed. But there was no chance the man would actually reveal it.
I'm just exhausted from everything that's happened. That's all. Yes.
She tried to calm herself by thinking of her husband. Meanwhile, the argument between the two in the living room ended faster than expected.
"Because I like you. How about it? Since I'm already here, can you spare me some time?"
"Excuse me? You're insane."
Jin Dohyuk's fake confession completely redirected Cha Ahyeon's suspicions elsewhere.
"Anyway, it's just goodwill, so take it. I'm not forcing anything—just consider yourself lucky."
"Look. No matter what you do, I'm not going to be interested, so stop wasting your time."
"I already said I don't care. Goodwill aside, the fact that Yejin isn't feeling well is real. So I'll bring something over with that in mind."
The man knew exactly how to push a woman. Even now, with Ahyeon making things as uncomfortable as possible, he slithered toward his goal like a snake. But in that moment, Yejin realized the tension coiled inside her had only grown sharper.
Why?
Ever since the man had lied about liking her younger sister, she had felt an inexplicable tightness.
Surely this isn't jealousy. It can't be. Lord... forgive this sinful woman.
It was still too small a tremor of emotion to call jealousy. Yejin refused to even think of it as such. Then the man returned with medicine, and Ahyeon went downstairs to carry the supplies. In that brief window, he whispered to Yejin.
"You got too tense, didn't you? Don't worry. I have no intention of exposing anything."
"...So even someone like you is capable of feeling sorry?"
"Still, I figure today's little scare was a bit much. In return, I'll help your husband."
Yejin's expression shifted.
"My husband?"
"That's why you've been going along with me in the first place, isn't it? I've been enjoying myself thanks to you, so the least I can do is repay the favor. You don't want that?"
"No. If it helps him..."
"Then it's settled. Two days from now, come out at dawn. Got it?"
The man grinned, baring his desire like a beast. He wanted her. And that fact stirred yet another confusing emotion in the married woman's heart.
"Haa..."
After the man left, Cha Yejin confessed her sins to God through prayer.
I needed to put safety measures in place so a Woohee-type situation wouldn't happen again.
First, I would operate under the "setting" that I was interested in Ahyeon. In reality I planned to have both sisters, but outwardly I would act as if my interest was solely in Ahyeon. That way, even if I was occasionally seen with Yejin, suspicion would drop.
Even now, while drinking with the others, I was diligently laying the groundwork.
"No, seriously, her personality's prickly as hell, but that type's always been my style."
"You really think it'll be that easy?"
The middle-aged bachelor next to me asked with genuine concern.
"I'd like to take her on a date at least. If I keep at it, a good opportunity should come up, right?"
If I planted the idea among the men over drinks, then no matter what happened later, it wouldn't cause much trouble. With the bait set, it was time to get to the real point.
"But hanging around just this area is getting old. I should head over toward the Grand Park too."
"There? It's dangerous. You sure?"
"Well, if my gear can be of some help. Besides, one of the people in charge over there is Cha Yejin's husband, right?"
The repayment I'd promised Yejin was lending them my drones—especially useful when no one knew how a fight with the Konkuk University side might go.
"You're seriously risking your life over one woman? That's overkill."
"Dohyuk! We appreciate the help, but putting yourself in danger just to score points with a girl is crazy."
People who didn't know me called the behavior reckless, but my original goal had always been "risk my life wiping out zombies and collecting women." This was completely in line with my mindset. Others just couldn't understand it.
"Come on, risking my life? I'm just lending some equipment. I don't want to die either."
"That's better. Even if we'd love the help, if something happened to you we'd never live it down."
I shrugged at their concern.
"Don't worry. I'll just grab some points and come back. Well then..."
I walked straight up to Cha Yejin's door and knocked.
"Who is it?"
Ahyeon's prickly voice came from inside. I answered from outside.
"I'm here to ask you on a date."
"Get lost."
A freezing reply that made it clear I wasn't even worth considering. Yeah—exactly this. She was basically a younger version of Woohee.
"Just kidding. I was thinking of offering some help to the Grand Park side."
"...What kind of help?"
"I heard things aren't great with the Konkuk University faction. I've got something that would be extremely useful for intel warfare, so I figured I'd pass it along."
"Then why don't you just go deliver it yourself?"
Still blunt, but her voice had clearly softened compared to that first answer.
"Lee Junhee is your brother-in-law, isn't he?"
"..."
"Wouldn't communication go a lot smoother if Cha Yejin or you explained it directly? You might even get to see him."
I wasn't going to jump her the moment we were alone the way I had with Yejin. Spreading the front lines too wide right now would only create more problems. This was the trust-building phase. I needed to stack points. Besides, I had to see the situation at Children's Grand Park for myself.
"Forget it. Go yourself. My sister's sick!"
"Then you can do it."
"Why are you like this?! Just leave!"
"Looks like I don't need to talk to you. Call Yejin."
I deliberately brought up Yejin to provoke Ahyeon, while also hoping Yejin would scold her.
"Ahyeon. Stop it. He's trying to help us!"
Sure enough, Yejin's reprimand came from inside. Of course she would—this was about helping her own husband. I could go with either Yejin or Ahyeon. Either way worked for me, but in the end Ahyeon ended up tagging along.
"Thanks for this."
"...Just hurry up."
Ahyeon brushed past me and headed for the stairs. Yejin watched me with a faint trace of distrust.
"Are you really trying to help?"
"I am. I told you—it's not a bad deal for you either. My life might be at risk, but you're worth that much."
Yejin lowered her head at my words, avoiding my gaze. Looking away wouldn't free her from me. She would have to submit beneath me.
"Anyway, is that prickly attitude of hers normal? I need to know the details if we're going to get along."
"Please understand even if Ahyeon gets angry sometimes. My little sister used to be so kind, but after I got married I couldn't look after her properly, and she became sharper."
"After you got married?"
A lightbulb went off in my head. It could just be the usual protective-sister routine, but her younger sister's personality changed after the marriage?
"Trust your husband. I'll get her there safely."
I felt like I'd just discovered a new angle of attack. In that case, maybe I should test my affair partner's husband a little. One by one, the difficult pieces were starting to fall into place. And so I set off for the Grand Park with this prickly girl at my side.