#19.

Park Min-ah was clutching a bag tightly as she returned to her apartment after finishing her overtime work. It was full of cat food she had prepared in advance for the cats. She thought that if she went home in the middle of the night, no one would notice.

‘I have to be careful, I absolutely can’t get caught.’

Looking around, Park Min-ah headed towards the darker side. It was the place where the cats usually gathered. Just as she was about to take out the food bowl, she was startled by a voice from behind.

“What are you doing here?”

Turning around, she saw Lee Han standing there. His eyes were like those of a predator eyeing its prey. Park Min-ah involuntarily flinched at his face with a chilling smile.

“Ah, well… this is…”

Before she could make an excuse, Lee Han strode closer. He snatched the bag of food and the bowl from Park Min-ah’s hands.

“Come with me. Let’s talk at the management office.”

Park Min-ah couldn’t refuse his imposing voice. Reluctantly, she started walking behind him. Lee Han gave a sly smile at her anxious appearance as she tightened her collar.

“Who are you and where do you live?”

“I’m Park Min-ah, and I live on the 11th floor of Building 2…”

Park Min-ah felt a sense of dread as she entered the office. Lee Han’s glaring eyes felt chilling.

“Min-ah-ssi, do you know what happens if you keep breaking the rules?”

Lee Han whispered in a low voice. Park Min-ah lowered her head, feeling uneasy.

“I-I’m sorry… I won’t do it again.”

“Ha…”

Lee Han scoffed and moved closer to Park Min-ah. She involuntarily stepped back as he narrowed the distance.

“Min-ah-ssi, if you keep causing problems like this, you could end up being evicted. Are you aware of that?”

“Huh? Evicted…?”

Park Min-ah’s eyes widened. The place she was currently living in was an apartment with rent that she could barely afford. As a poor intern, it was difficult to find a cheaper place than this.

Moreover, it was an apartment that required a lottery to even get in. She thought that she was lucky to have been selected.

Already, the housing prices in Seoul were soaring sky-high. For her, who had nowhere else to go, eviction meant a bleak future.

“We keep getting complaints from the residents. If you keep breaking the rules, that’s what will happen.”

“Please don’t do that… I really won’t do it again.”

Lee Han gave a faint smile as he watched Park Min-ah plead in fear. It was the reaction he wanted.

“The residents are very uncomfortable. If you get caught again, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Please don’t do that… I promise, I really won’t do it again.”

Park Min-ah’s voice trembled with fear. Lee Han gave a satisfied smile at the sight.

“This is your last chance. Got it?”

“Yes, yes… Thank you so much…”

Park Min-ah sighed in relief and lowered her head.

“Then go now. It’s late.”

Lee Han said as he opened the door. Watching Park Min-ah quickly leave the office, he couldn’t hide his sinister smile.

‘That scared expression is quite pretty. I like it.’

Muttering to himself, Lee Han started planning his next move. He planned to pressure Park Min-ah from time to time, using the fear of eviction.

Park Min-ah’s back, walking unsteadily with anxiety, grew smaller outside the window. Lee Han slowly lowered the blinds and chuckled in the darkness.

The day his prey would be in his grasp was not far off. He just needed to tighten the net little by little, slowly. Lee Han’s heart beat fast with chilling excitement.

–

Lee Han secretly placed the confiscated food and bowl on one side of the apartment complex. He was hoping someone would find it and make an issue out of it. As planned, several residents saw it and called the management office to complain.

When the complaints came in, Lee Han contacted Han Su-jin. He requested that she use her authority as the head of the women’s association to pressure the problematic resident.

“Please keep an eye on someone named Park Min-ah. We keep getting complaints about her feeding wild animals.”

Lee Han’s voice flowed slowly over the phone. The moment she heard the name of an unfamiliar woman, Han Su-jin couldn’t hide her suspicion.

‘Park Min-ah? What is Lee Han up to this time…’

Intuitively sensing something suspicious, Han Su-jin pretended to be calm and replied.

“Okay.”

Han Su-jin frowned after hanging up the phone. She felt uncomfortable with the fact that Lee Han had started messing with a new woman. She was also worried that she would fall into the same trap as her.

Lee Han caught the doubt in Han Su-jin’s voice. It was the reaction he had expected. But now was the time to focus on ensnaring Park Min-ah.

‘Even if that woman suspects me, there’s nothing I can do. I have to catch new prey.’

A deep smile spread across his face as Lee Han muttered inwardly.

Sometimes Han Su-jin’s unease bothered him, but he was confident that she would never be able to escape from his grasp.

—

Late at night, Han Su-jin arrived in front of Park Min-ah’s house. When she rang the doorbell, the door opened after a while, and Park Min-ah appeared with a towel wrapped around her head.

“Hello, what’s the matter?”

Park Min-ah asked with a tired look on her face. Han Su-jin carefully examined her. She was a young woman in her mid-20s, with decent looks, but her noticeably prominent chest caught her eye.

“Hello, I’m Han Su-jin, the head of the women’s association. You’re Park Min-ah-ssi, right?”

Han Su-jin got straight to the point. Park Min-ah tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“Yes, but why are you here?”

“I came about the cat food issue. I’ve warned you several times, but you keep leaving food out. If you keep doing this, the women’s association will have no choice but to request your eviction.”

Park Min-ah’s face turned pale at Han Su-jin’s words. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she began to make excuses.

“No, I haven’t done that recently. My food bowl was confiscated, too. It wasn’t me this time!”

“The evidence is clear. Don’t bother denying it and be careful in the future. This is your last warning.”

Han Su-jin cut her off in a cold tone and got up. She started walking away, leaving Park Min-ah with a bewildered expression.

“Wait a minute, this shouldn’t be happening… I’m really being framed!”

Park Min-ah’s desperate cry came from behind, but Han Su-jin didn’t pay any attention and quickened her pace. For her, carrying out Lee Han’s instructions was the priority.

The sound of the door closing, followed by sobbing, echoed in the receding hallway. Park Min-ah, who had collapsed, stared blankly into the air. Tears welled up in her eyes, mixed with frustration and resentment.

‘What did I do wrong… It must be all because of that manager…’

Park Min-ah had no choice but to accept the situation helplessly. She sighed and slowly got up. She sat on the bed with heavy steps and sobbed.

Meanwhile, Han Su-jin left the apartment complex with an emotionless face. Park Min-ah’s appeal was just an annoying noise to her. As Lee Han had planned, she had succeeded in driving her prey one step further into a corner.

In the darkness where even the moonlight couldn’t reach, Park Min-ah’s weak sobs echoed emptily. There was no sign of returning luck. It seemed as if the trap of fate would never let her go.

Because no one would comfort a woman collapsing in the face of cruel reality.

Now, all that was left for her was to fall into an endless abyss. Only sobs lingered in the quiet hallway, fading away.

—

Late at night, Park Min-ah trudged back to her apartment. Today’s day at work was nothing short of a nightmare. The senior colleagues kept ordering her around without proper training, and the sales department employees, who didn’t know anything about the work, were shouting loudly. She clung to this job to make a living right now, but she felt like she was falling deeper and deeper into a swamp.

As Park Min-ah was moving in an exhausted state, she suddenly spotted a figure in the darkness. The approaching silhouette was none other than that manager.

In an instant, the suppressed anger began to surge. Park Min-ah strode up to Lee Han and snapped at him.

“No, why are you doing this? I have nothing to do with this, but the head of the women’s association is threatening to kick me out!”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Isn’t it because you did something wrong that the head of the women’s association is doing that?”

Lee Han retorted with a sly smile. Park Min-ah’s insides boiled even more at his attitude.

“What did I do wrong! I’m dying of unfairness, why do you keep doing this to me!”

Her voice trembled, and tears began to well up in her eyes. The stress that had been building up all day poured out like an explosion.

“Aish, why are you crying all of a sudden. Come on, follow me. We can talk in the office.”

Lee Han waved his hand as if flustered and soothed Park Min-ah. He comforted her, who had burst into tears, and said.

“First, calm down and let’s go to the office. I’ll help you clear up the misunderstanding.”

Park Min-ah nodded, sniffling at his calm tone. She still felt sad and wronged, but she wanted to rely on his words even now.

Her back, walking unsteadily led by Lee Han’s arm, looked very weak. She was like a young bird exhausted by emotional turmoil.

A faint smile appeared on Lee Han’s lips as he supported Park Min-ah. He found it very amusing to see her in despair. It was the pleasure of checking off each innocent prey, so to speak.

Stress from work, unfair misunderstandings, an uncertain future. All of those things were like a noose tightening around Park Min-ah. Lee Han was planning to subtly exploit that gap.

A sense of victory arose at the sight of her following him to the office without any suspicion. Lee Han suppressed a triumphant laugh as he plotted to play with her broken soul.