Part 1 Chapter 1 (10)

“Whoops. Sorry I’m late!”

The door opened, and a young man entered, carrying a box. Behind him, a blond young man-Seokpil-entered with a pale face and glared at me.

“…….”

“…….”

At the gaze that sent shivers down my spine, I subtly turned my head.

“Uh, well. Young man? It was a situation that could easily be misunderstood, so please understand.”

Kim Sang-ah stroked Seokpil’s hand and patted his shoulder. Seokpil, still hunched over, entered the room and stood awkwardly, then let out a deep sigh loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“…500,000 won to New Seoul.”

“What? Wait. You said 150,000 won earlier?”

Kim Sang-ah’s face showed dismay. Indeed. So they quote a low price at first, then exploit desperation to extort more money.

The young man next to Seokpil stepped in front of Kim Sang-ah and smiled with a good-natured expression.

“Calm down, noona. You know this business has various behind-the-scenes circumstances, right? Earlier, my friends in New Seoul called and said the military and police movements have become a bit strange. As if they’re looking for something.”

“They’re probably looking for a murderer or something.”

Seokpil said sarcastically. I silently sipped my tea. It was a cheap teabag in a paper cup.

“…Hmm.”

One sip.

“No, but still, suddenly raising the price by more than double… We’re not just digging up money to do business. I told you, didn’t I? We only take enough to make a living. 350,000 won isn’t us trying to make a profit. It’s truly because that much more expense is needed. To get into New Seoul through the back channels, there are more than one or two people you need to bribe.”

“But that kid doesn’t have any money.”

As Seokpil said sarcastically, the young man next to him warned Seokpil and waved his hand at me.

“Ah, haha! Student! This guy’s narrow-minded, so please understand! You son of a bitch, you went out to drum up business saying you felt sorry for them, and now you’re ruining your own sales?”

“I don’t know. Who knew they were the type to kick someone’s balls?”

“Hey!”

Seokpil and the young man were bickering. Meanwhile, Kim Sang-ah seemed to have made up her mind and rummaged through her cloth wrapper, pulling something out.

“…It’s pure gold. Can’t we work something out with this?”

A golden ring sparkled on Kim Sang-ah’s palm. A quick glance showed it was perfectly sized for Kim Sang-ah’s ring finger.

“Well, we do accept physical goods, but….”

Seokpil’s eyes lit up. After exchanging some signals with the young man, Seokpil awkwardly stood up.

“Guys like us wouldn’t know if it’s real. Let’s go to a jeweler we know nearby. It might be a scam, after all.”

“A-a scam?! Even if I look like this, I’m a lawyer with an office-“

“Let’s go.”

As Seokpil left, Kim Sang-ah hesitated, then gathered her cloth wrapper and followed him out.

“……Haha. Sorry. He’s a bit petty.”

The young man laughed and sat opposite me. I stared at the young man for a moment, then brought the paper cup to my lips.

“…….”

The young man’s eyes darted between my lips and the half-empty paper cup.

Well, Phoenix is quite pretty. With looks surpassing most celebrities and even wearing a ‘high school girl’s uniform,’ it was understandable that he’d get aroused. I felt the same way.

“First, you heard the price. 500,000 won. The money you have right now is….”

“20,000 won.”

“Right. 20,000 won. Even as a charity, it’s a loss. Even after deducting what we get from that lawyer noona.”

The young man pulled out a Bacchus from the table and opened the lid.

“Unless the student has something you can convert into money, *cough*. Unless you have something to convert into money, it’s a no-go. Our business always requires 100% upfront payment, you see.”

“Then what should I do?”

At my question, the young man, as if he had been waiting, flipped over a piece of paper scattered on the table.

“Haa….”

I grabbed my head with one hand and snatched the paper.

“It’s a ‘contract’.”

“Well, yeah. It just means you’ll pay off the insufficient amount with labor.”

The young man glanced at his wristwatch and waved his arms around, making excuses.

“Ah, it’s not some weird job like you’re thinking! You know that fast-food place in front of the terminal? That’s Seokpil’s shop, and you’ll work there to cover the remaining amount.”

The young man gulped down the Bacchus again as if his throat was parched.

“We can’t give you more than the minimum wage. You just have to work eight hours a day. Even if you change your mind and quit midway, we’ll pay you for the hours you worked.”

I sank deep into the chair. The veil wrapped around my neck covered up to my nose.

“What about sleeping? I don’t have anywhere to sleep right now.”

“What? …Uh, you’d have to ask Seokpil about that. If you talk to him nicely, he’ll let you sleep at the shop.”

“Hmph….”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Pffft. Pffft-haha.”

Ah, I can’t hold it in anymore. I desperately tried to suppress the laughter bubbling up, pulling the veil even tighter.

“Well, fine. If I don’t have money, I’ll earn it by working. So, how long do I have to work?”

“Uh. Since we’re paying minimum wage… you’ll probably have to work for about a week? I’m not good at math either.”

The young man glanced at his watch again. I felt so sorry for him that I covered my face with the contract.

“Excuse me.”

“Hm?”

I lowered the contract to about the bridge of my nose and glared at the young man.

“How many idiots have fallen for this so far?”

“…What?”

The young man’s expression stiffened. I grabbed the ends of the contract with both hands and tore it in half.

Rip-

“No. I mean, how many have you reeled in like this? Even kids these days don’t fall for this. It’s not the 80s anymore.”

“What the hell are you talking about-“

“Why do you keep looking at your watch?”

At my words, the young man’s movements instantly froze.

“This is, well, business-wise-“

“Is it strange that I’m still awake when the drug should have taken effect?”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“Did you put the drug in the water? Or the teabag? Ah, did you put it on the paper cup? Change your methods. How were you planning to drug me if I didn’t even take a sip of water, seriously?”

* * *

Kim Sang-ah instinctively clutched her bundle and scanned her surroundings.

“E-excuse me, is this really the right way?”

The more she followed Seokpil out of the office, the deeper they went into a dark alley. A dark alley where no one would come even if she screamed.

“We’re here.”

Seokpil glanced back, then opened a rusty iron door and entered.

‘What should I do?’

Left alone in the alley, Sang-ah fell into contemplation.

Her instinct was screaming danger, but her reason was telling her:

If she didn’t follow that young man, there would be no way to get to Busan, where her daughter was. She would just waste more time waiting aimlessly for her turn.

“……Right. The world isn’t that harsh, is it?”

Sang-ah took a deep breath, pulled out a self-defense stun gun from her bundle, and followed Seokpil inside.

Screeech-

The heavy gray iron door opened, revealing a small room. Opposite Seokpil was a middle-aged man diligently polishing a watch.

“What are you trying to do again?”

“Just checking a ring.”

Sang-ah let out a sigh of relief and bowed her head to the middle-aged man.

“A ring.”

The man silently extended his hand. Sang-ah placed the small ring on his thick hand.

“…It’s a wedding ring, isn’t it?”

The man’s voice rose. Sang-ah couldn’t meet his eyes and simply bowed her head deeply.

“Well. Who in this world doesn’t have a story?”

The man silently examined the ring. He turned it this way and that in the light, checked it on a device, then picked up Kim Sang-ah’s wedding ring again.

“Seokpil-ah. It’s the real deal.”

“Oh, really?”

Seokpil welcomed the man’s words and straightened his posture. Sang-ah wiggled her fingers and asked the man,

“Uh, how much is it?”

“For this, well… 300,000?”

Ah. Sang-ah’s face twisted. Among the items in her bundle, there was nothing left worth selling.

The man chuckled at Sang-ah’s expression and said,

“Don’t be so disappointed. I’m in a very good mood today, so I’ll give you 50,000 won more.”

The man grinned widely and took cash out of the safe. Seokpil licked his finger and counted thirty-five 10,000 won bills, grinning.

“Thank you every time. This just filled it up perfectly.”

“Yes. Thank you very much. It really just-“

Sang-ah’s body instantly stiffened.

Although she had become desensitized from doing dirty work for over a year, at this moment, the intuition of a top-tier lawyer was ringing alarm bells.

They were short 350,000, and it was filled up by exactly 350,000? Do you think that’s a coincidence?

As Sang-ah, with a stiff expression, fumbled in her back pocket, the man approached, holding the ring.

Just as she thought. Seeing the man’s thick hand approaching her, Sang-ah placed her right hand on the hidden stun gun.

Just as she was about to electrocute him if he tried any funny business.

“Why are you so scared?”

The man lifted Sang-ah’s left hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger.

“Huh?”

“Why are you so surprised? It’s a wedding ring, isn’t it? No matter how desperate you are for money, you don’t sell your wedding ring.”

The man spoke gruffly and flicked Seokpil’s forehead, who was focused on counting money.

“Hey, Shit-pil. No matter how greedy you get, you don’t rip off a married woman’s wedding ring.”

“Ah! Hyung-nim! How was I supposed to know she was married?!”

“Shut up, you punk.”

Watching the two men bicker, Sang-ah let out a sigh of relief. Yes. Even if the world was dirty and difficult, there was no law saying she had to despair endlessly.

“Oh, right. Since this is fate, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Park Ho-cheol.”

The man, Park Ho-cheol, extended his right hand. Sang-ah smiled and shook his hand. Ho-cheol’s thick hand was full of warmth.

“I’m Kim Sang-ah.”

“Kim Sang-ah. Sang-ah. What a pretty name.”

Ho-cheol grabbed Sang-ah’s arms, met her eyes, and grinned.

* * *

The young man sprang to his feet. At the same time, the door burst open, and thugs slowly entered the room.

“What happened?! The drug isn’t working at all!”

“I told you. This kid seems damn quick-witted.”

“No! Now! Can’t you see?! She definitely drank the drug!”

The last thug to enter locked the door.

I turned my head and checked beyond the black-tinted window.

Indeed. Security bars were installed to prevent escape even if the window was broken.

“Aren’t you going to answer? I’m genuinely curious how many people have sold their bodies with such cheap tricks.”

“Look at this brat talking.”

Among the thugs, the one with a shaved head clenched his fist and laughed.

“Hey. Don’t you even know what kind of situation this is?”

“Of course I do. You’re basically trying to lure women, drug them with sleeping pills, and then rape them, aren’t you?”

At my calm words, the young man and the thugs’ expressions twisted.

“…Hey, kid.”

“What?”

The bald man pushed the young man aside and sat opposite me.

“If I answer you, will you answer one of my questions? Because I’m so dumbfounded right now, I could ascend to heaven.”

“If it were up to me, not just one, but several would be fine.”

The thug snorted and beckoned with his finger towards the young man.

“Hey. Including this kid, how many people have fallen for it?”

“…A total of 69 people, Hyung-nim.”

“Wow. Amazing.”

I was genuinely surprised.

“No, 68 people fell for such an idiotic trick?”

“What kind of language is this brat using….”

It was a ridiculous situation where both sides were flabbergasted. I pointed to the door leading outside and asked the thug,

“Was that lawyer lady part of your gang too?”

“No. That old lady, Seokpil and the other guys are going to *eat* her… What am I even saying right now. Hey.”

The bald man rose from the sofa and came over the table. His breath was almost touching me.

“Now, let me ask you one thing. What makes you so confident to act like that?”

“…….”

I quietly raised a finger and conjured a flame above the thug’s face.

Whoosh.

The bald man flinched in surprise and pulled his face back sharply.

“You mean this?”

A fireball spun around my finger. The thugs who saw my flame all took a step back, grinning.

“Oh?”

“Right. So that’s your trump card, huh?”

The thug, whose eyebrows almost caught fire, began to swell up. As his already hulking physique swelled twofold, the thugs nearby began to cheer him on.

“Hyung-nim! You need to go easy!”

“Don’t break her arm like last time! My wish was to get a handjob from a high school girl!”

“Whooooaah.”

After casting a look of contempt at the young man who was unreservedly revealing his true nature, I met the gaze of the bald man, whose head now almost touched the ceiling.

“Uh, time out for a sec? Can I have a moment to think?”

“Too late, you bitch.”

The bald man’s fist rushed towards me.