#80.

At the top of a high-rise building, a dark office where the city lights twinkle beyond a wide window. The silhouette of an old man stands by the window. His white hair faintly glows, and a sinister smile plays on his deeply wrinkled face.

Chairman Park slowly turns his head to look at the large monitor behind him. On the screen, a couple is passionately entwined. The woman’s face is filled with desire and ecstasy. The man’s movements are rough yet delicately fulfilling the woman’s desires.

,Hmm…” A satisfied sigh escapes Chairman Park’s lips. A sense of triumph, along with a hint of emptiness, flickers in his eyes.

Suddenly, the ringing of his cell phone makes Chairman Park frown. He reluctantly answers the call.

,What is it?” Irritation is evident in his voice. After listening to the other party for a moment, a look of contempt flashes in his eyes. ,Alright. I’ll take care of it.”

Chairman Park hangs up and slowly approaches his desk drawer. He stares at the black envelope he takes out for a long time. His eyes waver for a moment. As if making a decision, he puts the envelope back in the drawer.

,Tsk tsk,” Chairman Park clicks his tongue and shakes his head. A complex emotion crosses his face. Disappointment? Anger? Or just plain boredom?

He slowly leaves the office. The moment the door closes, only the woman’s sobbing moans echo in the darkness.

—

The cold dawn air enveloped the apartment complex. A chill, as if standing at the threshold of autumn, brushed against Lee Han’s cheek. He was leaving Park Min-ah’s house and heading towards the management office.

Lee Han rotated his neck from side to side, relieving the stiffness. ,Haa…” His white breath escaped his lips. Park Min-ah, whom he had neglected for a while due to his contract with Jung Seo-yeon, had pathetically come to find him last night. His body felt heavy because he had stayed up all night satisfying her thirst.

The cold dawn air brushed against Lee Han’s cheek. Only his footsteps echoed in the quiet apartment complex.

,Tuk, tuk, tuk.”

Lee Han tensed up at the sudden, regular footsteps. He slowly turned his head.

In the faint dawn light, the silhouette of a woman slowly emerged. At first, it was just a blurry shadow, but as she got closer, her figure became clearer.

A windbreaker jacket hugged her sleek figure. The leggings revealed beneath the jacket showed off her firm leg line. Lee Han’s eyes naturally followed her legs upwards.

She was lightly jogging. Each time her foot touched the ground, her body moved rhythmically, and her bangs seemed to sway slightly, tickling her forehead. Her short, cropped hair further accentuated her boyish charm.

Lee Han held his breath. Her face became clearer and clearer. Her healthy, tanned skin shimmered in the dawn light, and her cheeks, flushed from exercise, were tinged with red. Sharp eyes, a high nose, and slightly parted lips made up her face.

In an instant, her eyes met Lee Han’s. It was a fleeting moment, but Lee Han felt strength and a hint of loneliness in her eyes at the same time.

She ran past Lee Han. A refreshing scent brushed past Lee Han’s nose in an instant. A refreshing fragrance, like a mix of lemongrass and mint, stimulated his senses.

Lee Han unknowingly turned his head to follow her back. Her firm buttocks moved rhythmically, and the inverted triangle silhouette created by her broad shoulders and slender waist captivated his gaze. Her short hair further accentuated her neckline.

,The gym, huh…” Lee Han followed the direction she was heading with his eyes.

A smile spread across Lee Han’s lips. His eyes changed. It was a dangerous light mixed with curiosity and desire. His steps towards the management office seemed lighter.

Lee Han hurriedly entered the management office and sat down. His fingers rapidly tapped on the keyboard. The monitor turned on, and the inside of the gym appeared on the screen.

,There she is.” Lee Han’s eyes sparkled.

The image of the woman running on the treadmill filled the screen. Black leggings hugged her long legs. The movement of her muscles was clearly visible with each step.

Lee Han zoomed in on the screen. The woman’s upper body was seen in more detail. Her short, cropped hair swayed to the rhythm of her running. The beads of sweat flowing down her spine proved her passion.

,Oh…” Lee Han unconsciously licked his lips. His eyes couldn’t tear themselves away from the screen.

The way the woman’s chest rose and fell, her powerfully moving legs, and her focused expression all captivated Lee Han’s attention. He moved the mouse to switch to a different camera angle. Now her profile was visible. A sharp jawline, a straight nose, and slightly parted lips.

,30 minutes… She’s got amazing stamina.”

Finally, the woman got off the treadmill. Lee Han quickly switched cameras, following her movements. He didn’t miss a single detail, from her wiping away sweat with a towel to her drinking water.

,Where is she going…”

As the woman left the gym, Lee Han quickly switched to the hallway camera. After watching her board the elevator, Lee Han immediately changed the screen to the camera in that building.

,Same building as Park Min-ah…” A smile spread across Lee Han’s lips. A dangerous curiosity was in his eyes. ,This is going to be fun.”

The moment the woman stood in front of her apartment door, Lee Han checked her apartment number. His fingers moved across the keyboard as if dancing. The woman’s personal information appeared on one side of the screen.

,Kang Ji-won…” Lee Han slowly recited the name. His eyes became sharper.

Lee Han switched to the shower room camera, and Kang Ji-won’s figure appeared on the screen. Lee Han’s breathing quickened slightly as she took off her workout clothes.

Kang Ji-won’s body, honed by exercise, maintained firm yet feminine curves. Water droplets flowed down her skin. Lee Han stared at the screen without blinking.

,Nice.” Lee Han muttered. His voice was mixed with admiration and desire.

After Kang Ji-won finished showering and left the bathroom, Lee Han stared at the monitor without moving a single fingertip. Only his pupils moved quickly, not missing any of Kang Ji-won’s actions on the screen.

He moved the mouse little by little, adjusting the camera angle. He meticulously observed Kang Ji-won choosing clothes, putting on jeans and twisting her body to look in the mirror, and drying her short hair with a hairdryer. His face was still expressionless, but his eyes were becoming sharper and sharper.

Lee Han searched using the keyboard, and Kang Ji-won’s personal information appeared on one side of the screen.

,Name… Kang Ji-won. Occupation is kindergarten teacher.” Lee Han slowly read the information. ,Same age as Park Min-ah. Interesting.”

He scrolled down to find more information. Education, family relationships, address history… everything was laid out before his eyes.

,Seems ordinary. But…”

Lee Han accessed the past CCTV video database. He flipped through the dates one by one, scanning Kang Ji-won’s daily life. Then, suddenly, his movements stopped.

,Hoh..”

The screen showed a scene of Kang Ji-won kissing another woman in the living room. Lee Han’s eyes widened. He rewound the video several times to confirm.

,She’s a lesbian…”

A smile spread across Lee Han’s lips.

,This is going to be really interesting.”

—

The chilly autumn evening air enveloped the apartment complex. Kang Ji-won headed home with heavy steps. Her whole body felt like a ton of bricks because she had wrestled with the children all day.

,Haa…”

A long sigh escaped her lips. Today, like any other day, she spent time with energetic children. Their pure laughter, curious questions, and sometimes mischievous behavior. Everything was a joy and a heavy burden to her at the same time.

She stopped walking and looked up at the sky for a moment. The red sunset was setting. Suddenly, a strange emotion flashed through one corner of her heart.

‘What would my child look like…’

Kang Ji-won was startled by her own thoughts and shook her head.

,That’s a stupid thought,” she muttered.

As she started walking again, she recalled her past. The moment in high school when she first felt excitement for a female classmate. From that moment on, she knew. That she was ‘different’.

,That I could have a child? No way.”

Kang Ji-won gave a bitter smile. When she decided to become a kindergarten teacher, she already knew. That she would never be able to have a child in her life. It was a job she chose because she loved children, but how ironic it was that she couldn’t have her own child.

,And with a man… Ugh, no way.”

She shuddered. The thought of mingling her body with a man made her skin crawl all over.

Kang Ji-won arrived at the entrance of the apartment and stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. A complex emotion was in her eyes. Love, longing, resignation, and perhaps a little hope.

,Still… it’s okay. I’m happy as I am now.”

She muttered as if telling herself. But there was a hint of emptiness in her voice.

Kang Ji-won raised her head and looked around. At that moment, the door of the nearby management office opened and two women came out. Kang Ji-won stopped walking and watched the scene.

The first woman was pushing a stroller. Her face showed a subtle sense of happiness even amidst the fatigue. The second woman carefully walked out, embracing her slightly bulging belly. She seemed to be pregnant.

Envy flashed in Kang Ji-won’s eyes for a moment. Her hand unconsciously went towards her flat stomach and then stopped.

A man appeared behind the two women. He came out of the management office and politely greeted the two women.

,Go in carefully.”

The man’s voice was soft and kind, but there was a strange tension in it. The two women nodded awkwardly and accepted the greeting.

Kang Ji-won frowned slightly. She felt something was strange. The relationship between the three people didn’t seem to be just between a manager and residents. But at the same time, it was such an ordinary scene.

‘What is it…?’ Kang Ji-won muttered in her heart.

Her curiosity stirred. It was a scene she would have just passed by normally, but today it felt strangely eerie. She stood there for a moment, watching the three people.

While the two women walked slowly, the man stood in front of the management office and saw them off. It seemed like there was some emotion in his eyes, but Kang Ji-won couldn’t read it exactly.

,Hmm…” Kang Ji-won tilted her head.

But soon she shrugged her shoulders and moved her feet. It was someone else’s business after all, and there was no reason to dig into it. She already had enough to worry about.

,Let’s go home.”

Kang Ji-won muttered and hurried her steps. But the scene she had just witnessed was still lingering in one corner of her mind. Without even knowing, this small observation would have an impact on her life in the future.