episode_0040

Crossing the crosswalk in front of the building, I pushed open the cafe door and entered. A refreshing bell chime accompanied the uniform greeting from the part-timer.

“Welcome~.”

Casually ignoring the greeting, my gaze swept across the cafe and settled on one spot. The most secluded seat by the window. Someone sitting with their back to the table spotted me and awkwardly waved. Her attire was so different from usual that for a moment, I didn’t realize it was Mina. A baggy hoodie and training pants that didn’t fit her body at all. On top of that, a white hat pulled low and a mask. Even if the company’s dress code was lenient, the atmosphere wasn’t so relaxed that someone could carelessly show up in such attire.

Forgetting to order, I walked towards Mina’s seat as if possessed. Arriving at the table, I awkwardly swallowed dryly, and with an effort to sound casual as usual, I spoke.

“Alright, what brings my junior here to call her senior so early in the morning? And what’s with the outfit?”

Mina, who would normally have responded playfully with a smile, remained with her head bowed, not even stirring. Feeling awkward, I dropped the joking tone, sat in the seat opposite her, and asked with a voice full of concern.

“Is something really wrong with you? I sent you so many texts over the weekend, but you didn’t reply to a single one. Do you know how worried I was?”

Mina, who seemed intent on remaining silent again, finally let out a voice from behind her mask.

“I, I took sick leave today.”

Mina’s voice was uncharacteristically heavy and subdued. Her expression was hidden by the hat and mask, but her shoulders trembled faintly, and her breathing seemed unstable.

“Sick leave? Are you ill? Have you been to a hospital?”

The moment I asked, Mina’s reddish-orange eyes, hidden beneath the brim of her hat, turned towards me. The sharp gaze I had felt so many times in the office, in the meeting room.

“Sunbae, you look completely fine. When I still think about that night…”

Mina’s voice trembled thinly as her words trailed off.

“I can’t sleep properly, and that incident keeps coming back to me…”

“That night?”

My mind automatically recalled last Friday night. The jokes and laughter we shared at the drinking party, and the hot, secret hours we spent at the motel afterward.

“At first, I was really confused. I even wondered if I had done something wrong.”

Soon, Mina’s voice was tinged with a sob.

“I tried to understand it somehow. Because Sunbae has always been so good to me.”

“W-wait! Mina. Just a moment.”

I unknowingly raised my voice, cutting Mina off. A few glances in the cafe turned our way before quickly losing interest and shifting away.

“I’m sorry, but my head’s a bit complicated with other things right now. So, could you explain it in a way that’s easy to understand?”

When I asked again, lowering my voice, Mina frowned as if recalling a terrible memory. The corners of her eyes visible above the mask trembled faintly.

“That day, I was too drunk and I told you I didn’t like it, to stop. But Sunbae kept being forceful…”

“What?”

It was a shock like being struck in the back of the head with a blunt weapon. If I had actually been hit, perhaps I could have escaped this terrible sense of reality. I bit my dry lips and retorted.

“What are you talking about? Back then, we clearly both wanted to…”

“Sunbae.”

Mina’s eyes, as she cut me off, held a deep sense of contempt.

“I was so drunk then that I blacked out. How could I possibly make a normal judgment in that situation?”

I felt blood rush from the back of my head to my neck. Her image, swaying her hips alluringly above me, and her sweet whispers piercing my ears, flashed through my mind. Was what I saw that day a hallucination or a dream caused by intoxication?

“It’s true that Sunbae has been good to me, and I did have good feelings for Sunbae because of that. But I never thought of a relationship like that.”

No more words came from my mouth. Even the densest person would know by now how the situation was unfolding. To think I would become the main character of an incident found on the social news page, not a game protagonist. What’s more, the other party was a junior I had somewhat trusted. This was a comedy beyond compare.

“However, I don’t want to blow this up. If this story spreads throughout the company, it won’t be good for either of us, will it? I’m already having a hard time because of the rumors lately…”

Now, the puzzle pieces seemed to be falling into place. The lingering whispers directed at me as soon as I arrived at work. The story Son Junhyuk had subtly let slip. Kang Jooyoung’s cold gaze and unsettling decision. And the woman confidently playing the victim in front of my eyes right now.

“So, what is it you really want to say?”

My voice dropped, cold as ice. My insides, boiling with anger and betrayal, paradoxically became calm.

“Five million won.”

Mina’s voice instantly flipped, like turning over a coin. The anxious, trembling demeanor from moments ago vanished, and her voice from behind the mask was dry and cold.

“If you cleanly give me five million won, I’ll quietly bury this matter.”

The amount she demanded was five million won, but her voice was as indifferent as if she were talking about a few five-hundred-won coins.

-I don’t dislike it. A pushover man like Sunbae.

In that moment, I recalled what she had said to me in the bar last Friday. I had truly been taken advantage of like a literal pushover. Child’s scoff seemed to echo in my mind.

“What if I say I can’t give you that money?”

At my question, Mina crossed her arms and adopted an arrogant posture, as if she had never acted differently.

“Then, I’ll have no choice, will I? I’ll just have to hire a lawyer and officially sue Sunbae. For sexual assault.”

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in her voice as she uttered the threat. Whether it was genuine or a bluff, it didn’t matter now. Whatever it was, to me now, it was nothing more than trivial noise.

“…Was this really who you were?”

As I asked the question, I fiddled with the phone in my pocket.

“Who is the one who did something wrong now, for you to speak like that? Sunbae, you were the one who forcibly dragged a drunk subordinate to a motel, weren’t you?”

Faced with such shameless words, I no longer felt it was worth responding. My past self, who had been fooled by that hateful acting all this time, was truly pathetic.

“Anyway, that’s all I have to say. Deposit the money or give me your answer by tomorrow morning.”

With that one-sided notification, Park Mina began gathering the bag she had placed on the chair next to her.

“If I don’t hear from you, I’ll just file a lawsuit. And then, the settlement won’t end at five million won.”

“Haha.”

Even in such an absurd situation, a hollow laugh escaped my lips. Mina, who was gathering her bag, looked at me as if dumbfounded.

“…Can you really laugh right now?”

Of course, I could laugh. After all, all the doubts that had been tormenting me since this morning had been resolved so quickly.

“Hey, one last question.”

“What is it?”

A chilly retort came back immediately. It seemed she no longer even intended to hide her true colors.

“The one who spread rumors about me at the company, was that you?”

“Rumors?”

Mina asked back without batting an eye.

“It seems they’ve already spread throughout the entire company, so didn’t you go around blabbing about it yourself?”

“Ha! Why would I do something so crazy? I didn’t think Sunbae was like that, but you’re truly petty and pathetic, aren’t you?”

I speculated that the one who spread the rumors was clearly Park Mina. No, I could be certain. Although I wasn’t sure why she would spread such rumors herself. That was something I could gradually figure out from now on.

“I’ll get going now. I’ll await your call, Sunbae.”

The moment Mina tried to stand up, I stopped her.

“Wait.”

Her puzzled gaze, having only partially stood up, turned back to me. Meanwhile, I pulled my smartphone from my pocket and deftly tapped the screen a few times. To think I’d end up using it on her first, not Kang Jooyoung. Not knowing why I had suddenly pulled out my smartphone, Mina stared at me blankly. I didn’t miss the greed and relief that flickered in her eyes. Perhaps she was expecting me to send the money right then and there.

[Thank you for activating the Hypnosis App.] [Some functions of the app have been changed.] [Please allow the suggestion screen to recognize the target for 5 seconds to register them.]

From now on, let’s have a real ‘conversation’ where we truly open up to each other. I flashed a grim smile and thrust the phone screen towards her.