Life's Turning Point

"Hah... the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it gets."

A young man grumbled in an irritated tone and leaned back in his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chair. The black seat reclined as if it were doing yoga, teetering on the edge of its balance before coming to a stop.

He looked barely twenty. His face had that well-groomed, privileged sheen, and the clothes on his back were clearly expensive. Something wasn't sitting right with him. He furrowed his brow as far as it would go and muttered under his breath.

"Maybe I should've just done it my way from the start."

He'd asked politely for once — unlike usual — and she'd turned him down like she was somebody.

The young man had never imagined that woman would refuse his offer. Who did he think he was? The son of the owner of the most successful café chain in the country. And his grandfather was the chairman of KUC Group, one of Korea's leading conglomerates. In his entire life he had never failed to get what he wanted, and today's rejection had left a scratch across his pride.

"Guess I'll just do it the usual way."

First he'd force himself on the mother. Then he'd look for an opening with the daughter.

His eyes flashed like a predator locking onto prey. The irritation on his face had already been replaced by a look of raw excitement.

"Nnh..."

What was this? I felt awful, the way you do after a nightmare, and my body was heavy as lead. I opened my eyes and found Fox sprawled across my stomach. Whatever pleasant dream she was having, she was drooling all over my chest and nuzzling her cheek against it.

No wonder I had a nightmare.

I shoved the clingy kid off to the side and sat up. The clock read 6:15. Still early. Hm? Where was Eun-ju?

Had she already gotten up? We'd fallen asleep together, so if she wasn't here, that was probably it.

Getting ready for work, most likely.

In that case, I should get up too. I tucked a pillow against ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fox's head, pulled the blanket over her, and slipped quietly out the door so I wouldn't wake her. A rich, savory smell hit my nose the moment I stepped into the hall.

"You're up?"

Mother Fox called out a greeting from the kitchen, where she was already cooking. Oh, for God's sake. She was going to get me hard first thing in the morning.

A naked apron.

She must have caught the look on my face, because she pushed her hips back and swayed them slowly from side to side. That plump, jutting ass rolled and bounced, putting on a show just for me. I walked over as if I'd been put under a spell and wrapped my arms around her from behind. Her soft breasts filled both my hands.

"Aahh~ What do you think you're doing this early?"

"You put that on because you wanted me to, didn't you?"

"Well... I can't exactly deny that. Hehehe."

That was Mother Fox for you. Unlike her daughter, she knew exactly how to steal a man's soul. I rubbed my cheek against hers and kept kneading without a pause. Small as they were, breasts were still breasts — the way my drive came roaring back the moment I woke up was proof enough of that.

"Aren't you tired?"

"A little. But I'd think you'd be more worn out than I am."

Fair point. The three of us had been tangled up together until three in the morning. Judging by the fact that she was already cooking, she couldn't have gotten up later than five-thirty...

She caught my worried look and answered with a small smile.

"You helped me yesterday, Seo-hoo. I slept straight through until the afternoon. I'm fine."

That's right, I had. In that case, there was no reason to hold back.

I slipped my already-stiff cock between her thighs and rubbed it against her, slow and deliberate.

"Nnh. Hah — you want to?"

"Yeah. You dressed up this pretty for me. Ignoring that would just be rude."

"...Honestly. Hold on. Let me suck you first."

And so we ended up getting in a light morning workout before breakfast. Maybe that was why the food tasted especially good today.

"Heading to work now?"

"Yes."

"I'll walk you."

She shot me a sideways glance, a naturally lovely smile settling deep at the corners of her mouth.

"But you're tired, Seo-hoo."

"I'm fine."

Follow-up. The thing the old man was always going on about. It was a hassle, and I was tired — that much was true — but when I thought about the returns that came afterward, I could live with it. And even without that, it had become a habit by now.

I pulled on a coat and followed Eun-ju out the door. The cool air touched my skin and made me flinch. Morning was still morning. The sensation of that chill reaching all the way into my lungs seemed to clear my head as well.

Come to think of it, I should ask.

What this household's summer plans looked like. I'd been thinking of asking around and taking whoever was free on a trip. Ye-rim in particular was an Obsessive Girl I'd be keeping for life, which made the question more than worth prioritizing.

"Any plans for the summer?"

"No. Oh my... is this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you asking me out on a date?"

Eun-ju smiled with her eyes. I seriously had to wonder whether we were even in the same age bracket. A face that looked barely into its late twenties, doing that — my heart couldn't help but pound.

"Yeah. What do you think? Of course, if the shop's too busy, then I guess we—"

"Don't even say that. As if that little shop matters right now. Hehehe."

I laughed along with her. I could feel that she'd taken one more step toward me than she had yesterday. If yesterday she'd still been standing somewhere between her livelihood and love, she had clearly tilted further in my direction now.

"Then think about when you can take time off."

"All right. I'll be looking forward to it."

Eun-ju's café appeared in front of us before I knew it. Talking and walking like that, fifteen minutes had slipped right by. When you thought about it, this was the kind of woman you could spend a lifetime with. Finding someone this compatible...

Hah. Useless thoughts.

I shook them off as fast as I could. They didn't mean anything anyway.

That aside — time to head back. I stopped walking, and she turned around with a face full of reluctance.

"You're leaving? At least have a cup of coffee before you go..."

"Ah. I've still got things to take care of."

Those "things" being getting myself out of my friend's place. The sooner I left, the sooner I'd have some peace of mind. The nightmare I'd had this morning probably wasn't Fox's body weight — it was more like a divine warning to watch out for the three Obsessive Girls. Those three, more than anyone, were people you had to handle with extreme caution. Sit still without a plan and you never knew when or where the lightning would hit.

"I'll come by again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? All right. Take care, my husband!"

She came up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to me, pressed a quick peck to my lips, and stepped back. It was the kind of little kiss kids might share, but the shy way she did it suited her surprisingly well.

She really is a good woman.

Eun-ju turned and headed for the shop. She grew smaller with every step. For a mother, her back looked endlessly small. Watching that tiny figure walk away, I felt a sudden, fierce urge to take care of her for the rest of my life.

...I really must be getting old.

I lifted my head and looked at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering, slow and thick.

Feels like... it's going to rain today.

Judging by the atmosphere, it was going to come down hard. So this was how spring ended. Everything that had happened over the season flickered through my mind — from working on Jeong-ah, to meeting the two girls, to finding my master, to meeting Eun-ju...

I was staring blankly at the sky, turning it all over one piece at a time, when a sudden chill hit me and a wave of unease came crawling up my spine.

"What the... why..."

My chest clenched as if something had sealed it shut, and my mood turned foul. I'd felt this way before... when was that?

It didn't take long to remember. The reason I'd started down this path in the first place. The incident that led to meeting my master. The whole chain of events that had scattered my family to the winds.

Yeah. That day.

The day that set everything in motion...!

I had no idea why that filthy feeling had chosen this exact moment to surface, but thanks to it, my mood sank as if I'd been rolling around in a gutter.

Don't tell me...

I whipped my head around to look at Eun-ju. She happened to glance back at the same time, and our eyes met. The woman who looked just like Fox raised both hands over her head and waved, then bounced in place like a rabbit. God, she was every bit as lively as Fox. The feeling that had been sinking in my chest eased a little.

It's nothing. Just my imagination.

I forced the unease down, waved back just as big, and started walking. I hoped to God this bad feeling would turn out to be nothing.

But reality is always cruel. A bad premonition never fails to come true. That's just how life works.

The event that would turn my life upside down arrived late that night, after the dark had settled in low and heavy.

I watched the rain tap against the window in a steady drizzle and, the way I always did before bed, unlocked my phone. I hated being interrupted during sex, so I kept it on silent at all times and just checked it at regular intervals like this. The other reason was simpler: it wasn't as if anyone important was going to call me.

Anyway. I was doing what I always did before sleep — checking who'd texted, who'd called — when I saw it.

Nineteen?

The second I saw that number, my heart started hammering like it had lost its mind. The anxiety I'd been shoving down all day long came flooding back through every vein at once.

It rattled around in my head and my chest from morning until night... and now it's finally shown itself.

I checked who it was. Ye-rim. Before I hit the call button, I opened the texts she'd sent. What I found put me on my feet and out my friend's front door before I could think.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Emergency. A real emergency!"

My heart was pounding. Slamming against my ribs like it wanted out. Every worst-case scenario I could invent was stampeding through my head, making anything like normal thought impossible. What the hell had happened? On any other day I would have reasoned it out, but the unease felt identical to that day, and that made thinking straight impossible.

I bolted for the elevator and mashed the button over and over, as if hitting it enough times in a short span would make the doors open faster. They opened immediately. Lucky. Someone must have gotten off just moments ago. I jumped in, punched the first floor, and then hammered the close button in a frenzy. The doors slid shut and the car began its slow descent.

Faster. Faster, faster, faster...!

The elevator crept along, completely indifferent to how desperate I was. Time stretched out forever. Why was it this slow? Had elevators always been this slow? I couldn't breathe. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I unlocked my phone again and went back through Ye-rim's messages.

The doors started to open — first floor. I didn't have it in me to wait for them to finish. I twisted sideways and squeezed through the gap, then ran like a man possessed. Out of the building. Toward Eun-ju's.

The sky was dumping water as if a massive hole had torn open above it, and I sprinted through the falling rain like a lunatic, placing the call. Pick up. Pick up!

As if the universe had decided to grant me that one thing, the line connected before a single ring had even finished.

The only answer was crying. Whatever scrap of hope I'd been holding onto — that Fox was just messing with me — went flying off into the dark. Damn it. My chest clenched even tighter, and I found myself shouting without meaning to.

"Han Ye-rim!!"

That finally got a response.

The shop, then.

I poured on every bit of speed I had. The grief in her voice from just before I'd hung up kept looping in my head, twisting something raw in my chest. My lungs burned up into my throat. The muscles in my legs were screaming. I didn't stop. I didn't rest. I threw everything I had into running forward.

It was a five-minute sprint on any ordinary day. Why did it feel so far?

In the middle of that driving downpour I looked up out of sheer frustration, and the entire sky was a solid mass of black cloud, staring down at me.

"Fuck..."

I spat the word out and kept going.

The shop, when I finally reached it, was dark and silent — not a single light on. Given the hour that should have been obvious, but it looked so much like an omen of whatever had happened inside that my dread only climbed higher.

Click.

The door was locked. But someone inside heard it and came running to open it.

Ye-rim. She'd been crying so hard that her already foolish-looking face had gone completely vacant.

"Mister... *sob*..."

I pulled the sobbing kid into a tight hug and just held her. I rubbed her back and didn't say a word. And I made up my mind. I didn't know what had happened yet, but whoever had put tears in this kid's eyes was not walking away from it.

"Nothing else is hurt, right? Besides that?"

Eun-ju gave a small nod at my question. But the state of her was another matter entirely. Her hair was a wreck, sticking out in every direction, and her clothes had been torn to shreds and left scattered across the floor. The worst of it was her cheek — swollen a livid red, with blood running from the corner of her mouth.

Fuck...

What had been done to Mother Fox was sexual assault. And the one who'd done it, she said, was the son of the chain's owner. Fortunately a customer had come in looking for the manager, so the worst had been avoided — but how close it had gotten was written all over her body in plain, ugly detail.

I took the camera Ye-rim held out and played back what was on it.

On the screen, a young man was on top of her, ripping her clothes to pieces. She fought him every way she could. Every time she did, he swung and backhanded her across the face. Watching it, a rage I couldn't swallow came boiling up from somewhere deep in my chest.

"Mister. Let's go to the police right now."

I looked at Ye-rim. She was holding her mother tight, staring at the man on the screen with poison in her face. Her eyes went colder every time the footage showed him hitting her mother. She was feeling a fury there probably weren't words for. If a third party like me was this angry, how could the victim's own family be anything less?

I looked at Eun-ju again. She looked so wretched I couldn't do anything but go to her and hold her tight. Her body trembled in fine, continuous shivers. She still hadn't shaken off the fear.

"Mister. Let's go. Right now."

Ye-rim pressed me again. Of course that was the normal thing to do. File a report. There was physical evidence — he wouldn't walk away from a charge. But... I couldn't. That would be too light. Far too light.

I slipped the camera into my pocket and stood up.

"Mister?"

"I'll handle this. Reporting it to the police as-is won't mean a damn thing."

"Then what are you going to do?! I have to get revenge on that bastard! So give me the camera back!"

I looked at Fox. The girl who'd been glaring at my face flinched and shrank back. Ah... had I let what I was feeling show on my face without realizing it? I wiped it away fast and pulled both mother and daughter into a tight hug.

"Don't worry. I'll pay him back a hundred times over."

"*hic* You mean it...? You really mean it?"

I nodded. After that, Fox didn't push me anymore. She must have seen something in my eyes a moment ago.

The other party was the grandson of a conglomerate chairman, the son of a company president. Taking him apart would take time and effort — but right now, I had this. The recording. And luckily, the camera had been placed at just the right angle. The young man's face was in full, unmistakable view.

Im Jae-sang, was it? Brace yourself. I'll make you pay a brutal price for laying a hand on my woman.