#5.

Lee Han pulled Han Su-jin, who was lying face down on her desk, up and sent her to the shower room in the office. The sound of sobbing came from the shower room, which rather aroused Lee Han’s pleasure. After a while, Han Su-jin, who had washed up, gathered her clothes and tried to leave the office. Lee Han greeted her.

“That was fun.”

Looking at Lee Han’s smiling face, Han Su-jin forced herself to speak.

“Keep your promise that this is the only time.”

“Of course.”

As Lee Han replied, Han Su-jin quickly closed the door and left. As soon as the door closed, Lee Han sat in his chair and burst into laughter.

After organizing and uploading the video, Lee Han thought of Han Su-jin. Once wasn’t enough. Her skin was soft and her figure was so good, he thought. He wanted to feel it properly again. He thought he should consider how to make it happen.

Han Su-jin washed her body while crying in the shower room. When Park Tae-young came home from work, he was shocked to see his wife with swollen eyes.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Have you had dinner?”

Han Su-jin avoided answering and instead asked her husband. Park Tae-young secretly wondered if someone from her family had come again. He hugged Han Su-jin and comforted her.

“I’m sorry…”

Park Tae-young’s heart ached when he saw Han Su-jin’s swollen eyes. He gently held his wife in his arms and offered words of comfort. He patted her back, telling her it was okay, and that he was by her side now, so she shouldn’t worry.

Han Su-jin buried her face in his chest and cried for a long time. She couldn’t say anything, just sobbed. Park Tae-young silently held his wife and waited for her tears to stop.

When her crying stopped, Han Su-jin gently pulled away from his arms. She looked at her husband with reddened eyes and smiled faintly.

“I’m okay now. Thank you…”

Park Tae-young also smiled back, as if relieved.

“Then let’s wash up and go to bed. It’s late.”

That night, Han Su-jin wanted to lean on Park Tae-young’s warm comfort. As if to erase the terrible memory of what Lee Han had done to her, she craved her husband’s love. She wanted his touch and kisses to soothe her wounded heart.

They went into the bathroom together to wash up and lay down on the bed. But what Han Su-jin wanted didn’t happen. Park Tae-young, who was tired from work, turned his back to his wife and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Han Su-jin bit her lip as she looked at her sleeping husband’s back. She carefully put her hand on his shoulder, but Park Tae-young didn’t move at all.

‘Hold me, honey…’

Tears welled up in Han Su-jin’s eyes again. Clutching her heart, which felt like it was about to break, she buried her forehead in her husband’s back. But all that came back was the sound of his regular breathing.

Swallowing a sigh, Han Su-jin slowly turned over and lay down. She looked at the ceiling and wiped away the tears that flowed. Her whole body still ached as if it had been crushed by Lee Han’s touch.

Would it be better if I didn’t know anything? Just as she was thinking that, Han Su-jin swallowed her sobs and fell asleep. Her eyelids, exhausted from the pain, slowly closed.

Beside her sleeping husband, Han Su-jin spent the night in deep despair. Even in her dreams, the fear and loneliness didn’t narrow. Soaked in cold sweat, she held onto her breaking heart.

After this desperate night passed, Han Su-jin woke up crying around dawn. She blankly looked around the room. Her husband’s tossing back, the blue dawn shining through the window. Nothing had changed.

Her throat was parched. Her eyes were swollen. Her body felt heavy as lead. Han Su-jin hugged the blanket and sobbed. In the end, it was a terribly empty night where nothing was erased.

Words of comfort that everything would be okay felt like deception. In the place where all hope had collapsed, only endless despair remained. Just like yesterday, it would be the same tomorrow. The moment she realized that fact, sobs burst out from Han Su-jin’s chest.

—

To make it look like he had ended his relationship with Han Su-jin, Lee Han didn’t contact her for several days. He deliberately tried to give Han Su-jin hope that everything was over. Han Su-jin breathed a sigh of relief at Lee Han’s silence. She believed that everything was over and that she could return to her normal life.

But fate wasn’t so easy.

One evening, Han Su-jin sat at the table and picked up her chopsticks. She put food in her mouth, but she didn’t even have the strength to chew. Her husband, Park Tae-young, hadn’t returned yet due to his late work. Han Su-jin looked around the empty house and sighed. She thought her affair with Lee Han was over, but guilt and anxiety still clouded her mind.

‘Is it really over? What if Lee Han shows up again someday…’

Han Su-jin shook her head. She decided not to think about it. She got up, finished the dishes, and took out the vacuum cleaner. While she was sweeping the floor, her husband called from the front door.

“Honey, I’m meeting Lee Han-ssi right now. Can we go up together?”

At the unexpected news, Han Su-jin almost dropped the vacuum cleaner. He met Lee Han, and he’s coming with him? She felt like all the blood was draining from her body. Her mind went blank.

‘No way. This can’t be happening…!’

She gathered all her strength to calm her voice. She was terrified of being caught.

“…Okay. Come on up.”

Han Su-jin hung up the phone and stood frozen in front of the door. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands. Her return to the daily life she thought would be happy was shattered.

A moment later, the door opened and Lee Han and Park Tae-young entered together. Their bright voices echoed throughout the house.

“Honey, we have a guest. Lee Han-ssi, welcome.”

Han Su-jin was breathless at the sight of Lee Han. Her mind went blank. Her legs felt weak and she felt like she was about to collapse. But her husband was next to her. She couldn’t get caught. She gritted her teeth and steeled her heart. She barely managed to smile.

“Hello. Welcome.”

Park Tae-young noticed something in Han Su-jin’s stiff voice and gave her a worried look, but soon smiled and spoke to Lee Han.

“Lee Han-ssi, it’s been a while. I’m honored to have you over to our house. Come in, let’s have a cup of coffee and talk.”

“Thank you for inviting me. Sounds good. Han Su-jin-ssi, it’s been a while.”

Lee Han smiled at Han Su-jin. Han Su-jin could feel the luridness hidden in that smile. Goosebumps ran all over her body. But she couldn’t pretend to know. Han Su-jin nodded and headed to the living room.

“Honey, Lee Han-ssi, I’ll get some coffee. Please sit down for a moment.”

Han Su-jin escaped to the kitchen. Cold sweat ran down her spine. Her heart was racing like crazy. She took out the coffee cups with trembling hands. She gritted her teeth and thought.

‘I have to hold on. Please don’t let me get caught. I don’t know what Lee Han will do…’

Soon, Lee Han and Park Tae-young’s bright laughter could be heard. Han Su-jin took a deep breath and made coffee. She headed to the living room with the most natural smile she could muster. She gave them coffee and naturally sat next to her husband. From then on, a suffocating time began for Han Su-jin.

When Han Su-jin brought the coffee, Park Tae-young gave her a grateful smile. Then he turned to Lee Han.

“Well, shall we have a cup of coffee and talk?”

“Thank you. Ah, it smells really good.”

Lee Han lifted the coffee cup, savored the aroma, and looked at Han Su-jin. His eyes contained a luridness that seemed to intimidate Han Su-jin. Han Su-jin tried to ignore it and fiddled with her coffee cup.

“Honey, sit here and talk with us.”

Park Tae-young said, pointing to the sofa next to Han Su-jin. Han Su-jin was suffocated by the fact that she had to sit between her husband and Lee Han. But there was nothing she could do. She carefully sat next to her husband. Lee Han sat across from her and gave a faint smile.

Park Tae-young continued the conversation, unaware of this strange atmosphere.

“Lee Han-ssi, thank you for helping me carry my luggage last time.”

“It’s nothing. My job is to help the residents here.”

Lee Han answered with a natural smile. He had transformed into a perfectly good young man, as if he were acting.

“This apartment was provided by Aryong Group, and I was lucky enough to be selected to move in.”

“I was also lucky enough to be selected for a job. It’s all thanks to the chairman’s social contribution.”

“That’s right. It’s so hard to find a house these days. I can’t afford it with my regular salary… When I got selected for this, I thought I had won the lottery.”

Lee Han talked smoothly with Park Tae-young about the time he moved into this apartment and the difficulties he had at work. Han Su-jin’s stomach churned at the sight of Lee Han acting as if he was sincere about the apartment. But she had no choice but to hide her unpleasant feelings.

The conversation gradually flowed toward apartment management. Lee Han poured out various information as if he were advising Park Tae-young on apartment management.

“They’re also trying to lower apartment maintenance fees these days.”

Park Tae-young’s eyes sparkled as if he was interested.

“Why? It’s already quite cheap now…”

“The chairman ordered us to consider this because the real economy is bad these days.”

“Oh, that’s good news.”

“The apartment is also a bit old, so we’re planning to repaint it and upgrade various systems.”

Han Su-jin was just amazed by this whole scene. She was disgusted when she thought about what Lee Han had done to her. And now Lee Han was worrying about apartment matters like a neighborhood youth.

At that moment, Lee Han glanced at Han Su-jin. His gaze, which he threw without anyone knowing, contained desire. In an instant, Han Su-jin’s heart seemed to sink. Her head was spinning.

‘Please… stop it…’

Han Su-jin barely managed to keep her mind on by sticking closer to her husband. But Lee Han didn’t care and kept glancing at Han Su-jin. With a smile on his face, he continued to talk to Park Tae-young, but his gaze was fixed on Han Su-jin. It felt like that hot gaze was scanning Han Su-jin’s body.

This suffocating time passed. It was a hellish time for Han Su-jin. She was smiling on the outside, but on the inside, she was screaming and wanting to run away.

‘Please end… Please let that person leave…’

As the conversation matured, Lee Han spoke to Park Tae-young with a serious expression.

“Tae-young-ssi, I’m sorry, but can I ask you for a favor?”

“Yes? Sure. What’s wrong?”

Park Tae-young asked back with a puzzled expression. Han Su-jin also looked at Lee Han, not knowing what was going on.

“As I work as an apartment manager, I’ve noticed something. I’m in charge of apartment management, but there’s no head of the women’s association, so there are difficulties in managing the apartment budget.”

“Ah, that’s what happened.”

“Yes. So…”

Lee Han paused and looked back and forth between Han Su-jin and Park Tae-young.

“I think Han Su-jin-ssi would be good for the position of head. Han Su-jin-ssi has helped with apartment management before. At that time, she handled the work really skillfully and diligently.”

“Really? I guess my wife did that kind of work.”

Park Tae-young looked surprised. Han Su-jin also looked very embarrassed. She had worked briefly before when Lee Han had her do some work.

“I was impressed by her skills. So I told the chairman about it. I said it would be great to have someone like Han Su-jin-ssi as the head of the women’s association. The chairman also readily showed a positive response.”

“Oh, really? I’m glad my wife is recognized by the chairman.”

Park Tae-young smiled contentedly. Then he turned to Han Su-jin.

“Honey, I didn’t know you had such abilities. Would you like to give it a try?”

“Well… I don’t know. I’m embarrassed to hear this all of a sudden. To be honest, I’m not sure if I can do it well.”

Han Su-jin shook her head with an awkward smile. In fact, she was intuitively aware that this was Lee Han’s scheme. But she couldn’t directly refute his words.

“Han Su-jin-ssi, don’t be so modest. I’m sure you’ll do well. Don’t worry, there’s a salary set aside.”

Lee Han continued, as if trying to break Han Su-jin’s hesitation.

“Salary?”

Park Tae-young’s eyes widened.

“Yes, it’s not unpaid. A monthly salary will be paid, so isn’t it a good opportunity for the couple? Everyone is having a hard time these days.”

Lee Han cleverly poked at Park Tae-young’s weaknesses. He knew that Han Su-jin and Park Tae-young were not financially well-off. An unusual light flickered across Park Tae-young’s face.

“Honey, why don’t you think about it? Don’t do it if it’s too hard…”

Park Tae-young suggested, holding Han Su-jin’s hand. Han Su-jin hesitated. If she took the job, she would have to face Lee Han more often. She didn’t have the confidence to face him every day. But it was also difficult to ignore her husband’s expectant eyes.

‘What should I do… I want to refuse, but… should I take it for my husband’s sake?’

Han Su-jin fell into agony with a painful heart. At that moment, Lee Han smiled and said.

“Why don’t you give it a try? You can always quit if it’s too hard. If we work hard together, the apartment will be a better place to live.”

At those words, Park Tae-young nodded repeatedly. Han Su-jin resented herself for falling for Lee Han’s trick, but there was no choice. She swallowed a sigh and nodded.

“…Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

In an instant, the corners of Lee Han’s mouth curled up. Like a cat trapping a mouse, he subtly cornered Han Su-jin. Han Su-jin shuddered at the eerie premonition, but it was already too late.