Suspicion (2)
Suspicion (Part 2)
Five minutes after the broadcast ended, I call Selena Kim's number.
And as expected, she must have anticipated that I would call her, as the call connects even before the first ringtone finishes.
"Selena~!!! What the hell are you trying to pull with me~?!"
I express my anger the moment the call connects.
Selena Kim - this woman was clearly insane, absolutely crazy!
"Oh my~? You're going to burst my eardrums, Kang Cheol~"
Unlike my furious state, her relaxed voice responding makes every curse word imaginable swirl through my head, threatening to burst out of my mouth, but I suppress them with extreme patience.
Because...
"What did I do to make our 'friend' Kang Cheol so angry like this~? I gave Ye-rim-ssi a partnership to help her succeed since she lacked viewers, and I even specially contacted my mother to give Ye-rim-ssi's mother twice the usual amount of work for her company, bringing prosperity to their household... Was something lacking, Kang Cheol?"
That's right.
If it were just me being held hostage, that would be one thing, but Selena Kim had shackled not only Ye-rim but her entire family to me.
'If she had just threatened her family members, I could at least get angry... Keuk!'
She was a smart woman. No, she was a vicious woman.
If she had openly tormented those around me like villains in movies or dramas, I could have fought back somehow, come what may.
Selena Kim, her method was the opposite - she showed kindness to those around me, creating a situation where I had no choice but to eventually submit to her.
'But that's one thing, and this is another!'
"...I appreciate that. But back then, you clearly said you would allow the relationship between me and Ye-rim?!"
The fact that Ye-rim watches my broadcast after finishing her own was nothing unusual to hide, and at the same time, I also watch Ye-rim's broadcast before starting mine.
And this morning.
A text message that arrived without warning was the root cause of this entire incident.
[Could you wear the clothes I gifted you for today's broadcast? Not forcing, just a 'suggestion'^^ (photo)]
Looking at the attached photo, there were documents related to the extension of Ye-rim's Paprika TV partnership, along with paperwork requesting additional supplies for the company run by Ye-rim's mother - something I couldn't fully understand as a regular person, but the intent was clear.
The text said 'suggestion,' but this was blackmail.
'If you don't wear those clothes for your broadcast, these documents will become null and void!'
While my heart was gradually bruising, the people around me were becoming happier.
How could I refuse?
'Well, it's not an unreasonable request, just to wear those clothes for today's broadcast...'
It wasn't even a difficult suggestion.
Just clothing in a flashy style that girls in this world would go crazy for, unlike my usual preferred style.
The only discomfort was that these were clothes I was forced to accept after the ones my girlfriend Ye-rim gave me were torn?
And then I mindlessly changed into the clothes 10 minutes before broadcast...
[Just... something like consolation money? Hehe~ I'll go now since it's time for our 'friend' to start broadcasting. Fortunately, today he kindly agreed to my 'suggestion' to wear the clothes I 'gifted' him~]
"W-what the...! What is this woman saying?!"
Selena Kim sending a meaningful sponsorship message to Ye-rim's broadcast with less than 5 minutes until my broadcast starts!
It was too late to change clothes now.
No, I could have changed even if the broadcast started a bit late.
'But if I did that...'
Since that day my body was defiled by Selena Kim, I've been trying to be more affectionate toward Ye-rim out of guilt and self-loathing, and at the same time, Ye-rim's bright smile comes to mind as she boasted about her increasing viewer count from the partnership, saying 'Oppa, wait, I'll catch up to you quickly~' while laughing happily.
Tightly...!
I tightly close my eyes and withdraw my hands that were reaching to change clothes.
'Right, I just need to endure. If I'm the only one sacrificing, Ye-rim can smile happily!'
I can make excuses.
I know it doesn't make sense, but there was no way to refuse.
So I did the broadcast wearing the clothes she gifted me as Selena Kim demanded, and when I ended the broadcast...
Ding~
My smartphone, which was quiet during the broadcast, now rings with a notification sound indicating a message had arrived.
The only person whose notifications I never turned off - my lover Ye-rim.
With trembling emotions, I check the message...
[Oppa, are you okay? The different clothes than usual look pretty^^♡ I always believe in you~!!و(๑•̀o•́๑)و]
"Ugh...!"
A rising nausea makes my head spin dizzily.
Ye-rim had clearly noticed something.
She might not have completely figured it out, but she must be suspicious.
Selena Kim's meaningful sponsorship message and the phrase 'different clothes than usual' in Ye-rim's text meant she had already caught some hint, and she sent this message saying she believes in me despite knowing that.
My mind is confused by self-loathing and the altruistic thought that I have no choice but to do this to protect my girlfriend who believes in me.
And...
"Selena Kim...! Ugh!"
I decided to confront the mastermind behind this entire incident...
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That day.
The day she embraced that man in her arms, blinded by the whispers of the devil within her.
She could confirm it once again.
'I love this man...'
Though it happened in a moment of impulse, his small fluttering movements in her arms held a beauty that no choreography could imitate, and his lewd yet sweet moans deafened both her ears.
Though she had cruelly shackled him to prevent his escape after he chose another woman instead of her, was this really the result she wanted?
'No, I want the man himself.'
If just having his empty shell without his heart was this sweet and ecstatic, what would it be like to also win his heart and have him whisper love from his mouth?
Gulp...!
Swallowing the saliva pooling in her mouth from fantasies that made her lower regions damp just from imagining, she began to formulate a plan.
'First, breaking that man's heart seems too difficult for me right now.'
Other men would have long since curled their tails and bowed their heads to her, but that man never broke emotionally even when kneeling to pleasure, and though he followed her commands under harsh threats, his heart remained unbroken.
So was there no way?
'No. If I can't break the man, then I just need to target the people around him, hehe~'
It was simple logic.
If a rock embedded in the ground is too hard to break, then dig around the rock and remove the hard stone.
And for the first step...
'Kim Ye-rim... I'll plant seeds of suspicion in that woman's heart.'
At the same time, I'll shake the man's heart too.
He'll get hurt in the process but...
'The more that happens, the easier it will be for him to fall into my arms when he becomes alone~'
That was how Selena Kim's plan began, and it was working perfectly.
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"...I appreciate that. But back then, you clearly said you would allow the relationship between me and Ye-rim?!"
She was the one who said she would turn a blind eye to my meetings with Ye-rim on the condition that I meet with her on Saturdays.
But now she's trying to break the promise she made herself!
"...Hmm~ So what did Ye-rim-ssi say after watching the broadcast? I didn't do anything that violated our agreement, did I? Did I reveal my identity as Selena Kim and tell her I seduced your boyfriend or something..."
"Shut up!! Are you trying to play word games with me?! Your sponsorship message and the clothes you told me to wear were obviously connected!"
There's no way this cunning woman didn't know.
Since I wouldn't open my heart to her, she created a situation to make Ye-rim suspicious!
"I knew you were a perceptive man! But you know, Kang Cheol. I'm really curious about this. You're unusually fixated on one woman, but in this world, it doesn't matter at all if other men date various women? And likewise, women don't find that strange either."
What is she trying to say?
When I should be making excuses, she suddenly starts talking about this world's ecology, so I stay silent.
"In short, it's this. Kang Cheol, you're sacrificing your body for your girlfriend and accepting suggestions you don't want, but what about your girlfriend? While her boyfriend is struggling to protect her talking about love and all, she doesn't even know that and just suspects you because of my few words and situational drama?"
It's an obvious trick.
It should be a common, obvious trick but...
"Is she really loving you as much as you love her...?"
Like the sharp fangs of a venomous snake, Selena Kim's whisper digs deep into my chest, the venom between her teeth slowly beginning to shake my heart.
But...
"...I believe. I believe in Ye-rim!"
I believed in Ye-rim's message saying she believes in me.
'No, I want to believe...'