Chapter 18: Rock bottom

I woke up in a hospital room. Alone.

“…”

My arms were sore. Three IV drips were attached—two in my left arm, one in my right.

“…….”

I felt cold, even though the heater seemed to be working fine.

No, it wasn’t the heater. I had chills. My head was burning up.

“…Cough…”

Maybe the flu? It was going around. My throat was sore, and I couldn’t stop coughing.

“…”

Four missed calls. Two from my assistant, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Checking to see if I’d woken up.

The other two were from Hyeji.

“…….”

Ring

I called her back. I don’t know why. I just… wanted to hear her voice. Right now, I needed a friend, not an employee.

Slide

The door opened.

“…Semin…”
“…”

Hyeji stood there, her face etched with worry.

Tap, tap, tap

“…Hye—”

I tried to speak her name, my shoulders slumped with exhaustion, a name I hadn’t spoken in so long…

Hug

“Oof…”
“…What happened…?”

She rushed to my side, holding me tight.

“…”

I cried. I hadn’t intended to, but the tears just came.

Maybe it was Hyeji’s warmth. So much warmer than the fever burning through me.

“…I… I don’t know… I don’t understand…”

I mumbled against her shoulder. Why was my life falling apart? Why did I have enemies? I knew why, but the knowledge didn’t make it any less painful. I’d wanted this, this business, but I was so overwhelmed, so helpless.

I hated waking up alone. Even Hyea, my love, my everything, couldn’t be here with me. There were some things even she couldn’t do.

“…It’s okay… It’s okay…”
“…”

I bit my lip, clutching her back, the tears flowing freely.

“…I’m… I’m so tired… I feel like I’m dying…”

Seeing Hyeji, the dam finally broke. My carefully constructed composure crumbled, the words I usually reserved for Hyea tumbling out.

“…It’s okay, Semin. It’s okay. I’ll help you, okay? I have time now…”

Hyeji, who’d been too busy to even notice my struggles, soothed me, her words a comforting balm.

“Did you… find out who did it…? Do you know who’s behind this…?”
“I… I don’t know… I don’t understand…”

My face was a mess. Hyeji gently wiped away the tears.

“…I’ll find them for you, okay? It’ll be alright, Semin… It will be alright.”
“…”

Her words made me cry even harder.

“S-Semin…”
“Sob… Sob…”

I was so grateful. Having a friend, a genius friend, offering to help… even if she couldn’t actually do anything, it meant the world to me.

Maybe I wasn’t so stupid after all.

“…Call me if anything happens… I’ll call you if I can help…”
“…Okay…”

Hyeji held me for a while longer, then left.

Buzz

“…Hello?”

My assistant called. No evidence. The news sent a wave of despair washing over me.

“…It’s okay. My friend said she’ll help… Thanks…”

I felt a little better now. I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing.

“… “

Just seeing Hyeji had made me feel so much better. Hyea would be jealous.

“…Haa…”

I had to get a grip. Even in a tiger’s den, as long as you stay alert, you can survive. My sister was behind this. I knew it. I had to find proof.

Flop

Maybe Hyeji would find something. I was exhausted. I couldn’t think anymore. I just wanted to sleep.

I drifted off.

*******

“Did you find anything…?”
“…Not yet, but I’m close. Don’t worry.”

Fully recovered, I was spending time with Hyeji, healing both physically and emotionally.

“And straighten your back. You’ll get a slipped disk.”
“Oh, right… Sorry.”

True to her nature, Hyeji was incredibly attentive to my health. We were seeing each other regularly now. Hyea didn’t seem to mind, though she claimed to be jealous. Maybe she was just being considerate of my condition.

“…Do you think there could be a problem with the management system…?”
“No, it’s airtight. I didn’t find anything.”

I’d even shown Hyeji my company’s proprietary systems, hoping she could find something I’d missed. I had a feeling she could help.

“…Thank you.”

We spent our days like this, working on the case, until…

Buzz

“…Hello?”
– This is the police.

The police.

“…Yes…?”

This… I hadn’t expected this.

Drugs.

“During a routine inspection by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, we found… this.”
“…”

Drugs. In my resting facility.

“…One of your employees stated that these were distributed following instructions from above. We have evidence. Is this true?”
“…”

I couldn’t speak. It didn’t make sense. What were they talking about? Hyeji had confirmed that my security and inspection systems were flawless. There was no way such instructions could have been given.

No one in my office would do this.

“…No…”

My voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. I couldn’t think, my mind reeling, the world turning white. The officer held a bag filled with white powder. A printed email lay on the table before me. I felt like something was shattering inside me.

“…Are you sure?”
“…”

The officer’s gaze was sharp, piercing. It felt like he was trying to see right through me. I started to tremble.

“We don’t have a warrant, so we can’t arrest you. …Do you want to contact a lawyer?”
“…”

His voice softened, a hint of pity in his tone. I nodded, unable to speak.

But…

“…This… isn’t good…”
“…What…?”

That’s what my lawyer said a few days later.

“There’s no evidence pointing to who did this. I’m not sure what’s going on, but… the security footage is clean, and everyone who worked that day has an alibi… The best we can hope for is a reduced sentence…”
“………….”

I sat there for thirty minutes, numb, unable to move or speak, like a broken machine.

“…Okay…”

My voice was a raspy whisper.

Click

“…”

I stepped outside. My beautiful cafe, my dream… It was all crumbling around me. The internet was buzzing with hateful comments. I felt like a condemned prisoner, walking towards my execution.

“… “

Ring

I went home, numb, and walked into the kitchen. The knife in my hand gleamed, like a memory of a brighter past, a magical tool that could transport me back in time.

Let’s go back, before everything went wrong. I thought, as I pressed the knife against my throat.

Thump

“Please…!”
“…”

But someone grabbed my chin, pulling me into their arms, their hands gripping mine, preventing me from moving.

“Please…! Don’t do this…!”
“…Ah…”

Hyea’s face was a mask of despair. She looked more distraught than I felt. Love was a powerful thing. It made you desperate, even for someone else’s life. Did I love Hyea? I must have. That’s why I chose death. Better to be a ghost, to start anew, than to endure this agonizing reality.

“I’m begging you… This is the most desperate plea I’ve ever made, since becoming a spirit… Please…!”

Tears streamed down her face, her lower lip trembling.

“…”

Clang

The knife clattered to the floor.

“…Ugh…”

My legs gave way, and I collapsed.

“Sob… Ahh…”

I hated everything. Why me? Why was this happening to me? This wasn’t a test, it was a death sentence.

I clutched my head, sobbing uncontrollably.

“…I’m sorry…”
“Sob… Ahh…”

Hyea held me tight, apologizing.

It wasn’t her fault. None of it was.

“Sob… Ugh…”
“…I’m so sorry…”

Why…? Why was she apologizing? Why was the person I loved apologizing to me? Who did this? Why? What did I do wrong? Was it because I succeeded? Was I being punished for my success? This was insane.

“… “

After a few minutes, the tears subsided. I leaned against her, numb, exhausted.

“…I’ll find them.”
“…”

The charges were filed. Even though I was innocent, I was going to jail.

It was absurd. I wanted to laugh.

“…Heh… You’re not even fully human… How are you going to… visit me…? Are you going to… find someone else…?” I said to Hyea
“…Would you want that?”

The bitter words tumbled out. I was losing my mind.

“…I don’t want to… be apart from you…”
“…Neither do I.”

I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her fur. She wrapped her tails around me, holding me close.

“… “

****

The day before the trial, I went out.

“… “

The wind was cold, a chilling reminder of my fate.

“… “

I’d gone out hoping to clear my head, but all I saw were happy faces. Everyone but me.

“… “

I walked aimlessly, ending up at the Han River. It was a weekday morning, so it was deserted.

“……..”

I sat on a bench, closing my eyes, the cityscape blending with the natural scenery.

“……”

Who had made that false statement? I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It made me sick to my stomach.

Maybe… Maybe going to jail would be easier.

“……..”

It was all my sister’s fault anyway. Why should I be punished when I knew who the real culprit was?

“… “

I opened my eyes and saw a girl sitting on a rock by the river.

Why was she here at this time? I approached her quietly  and sat down next to her.

“…Why are you here… at this hour…?”

“…Why are you here…?”
“…”

She answered my question with another question.

“…Because the world hates me.”
“…”

I chuckled bitterly.

“…Me too, I think.”

“…I want to die.”

She told me her story.

“…My parents… they died last week… at work… I have no relatives… no money… I don’t want to live anymore… My little sister… she doesn’t know anything… I don’t… I don’t have the courage to raise her alone… But I can’t leave her… She’s too young…”

I listened to her story, her voice barely audible above the sound of the river, her eyes filling with tears, her body trembling.

“… “

She wasn’t sobbing, though she had every right to. And in her quiet grief, I saw…

“…I see…”

…myself.

“…What about you…?”
“…Well…”

She didn’t recognize me. She didn’t watch the news, didn’t know my face, my story, which was plastered all over the internet.

“…My business… it failed… It was everything to me… And today… it’s all gone.”
“…Really…?”

She seemed more sympathetic to my plight than her own.

At least she was a better person than I was.

“…And for some reason… I’m going to jail… even though I didn’t do anything… Heehee… funny, isn’t it?”

I laughed, a hollow, empty sound.

Slide

“…Cry.”, I said
“… “

I remembered what I couldn’t do, what I should have done. I stroked her hair, a gesture I’d craved so desperately back then.

“…If you don’t cry when you’re hurting… you’ll break.”
“…”

I took out all the cash from my wallet, about 250,000 won, and pressed it into her hand.

“…Here. Don’t spend it on anything stupid. Buy food for your sister. Find a better job.”

“B-but…”
“…Don’t you break.”

I stood up.

“… “

She stared at the money in her hand, speechless.

“…Thank you…!”

Her voice reached me as I walked away.

“…”

This good deed should reduce my sentence, right? I thought, trying to reassure myself.

“…Unless it’s not enough…”

But the day arrived too quickly. The trial.

****

“The defendant, having admitted to drug trafficking and encouraging drug use among employees, is sentenced to two years of business suspension and eight years and nine months in prison.”
“…”

I wore a stylish blue prison uniform, complete with a shiny silver bracelet, walking among other women in similar attire.

“…Heh… Hehehe…”

I laughed. My first time in prison, and I was strangely… amused. My assistant and colleagues were crying as they watched me being led away.

I… I…

I didn’t know anymore.