Chapter 10 Part 2

The wake was lavish. Amongst floral arrangements worth millions, there was a framed picture of her mother. Everything else—the size of the urn, the location of the columbarium, the columbarium management fees—was all arranged at the highest standard by Gihyun, who also took over the duties of the chief mourner. Hye-kyung stayed by Min-joo’s side after work until she left.

It was early morning with no guests. Unable to sleep, Min-joo sat in front of the altar. She poured herself a glass of soju and drank it. After drinking five glasses in succession, Gihyun, who had been away, appeared. He immediately took the bottle of alcohol away.

“Drink slowly.”

“Just one more glass.”

“You’ve been bleeding. Your body is exhausted; if you drink recklessly, you’ll kill yourself.”

“……”

“If I start talking about the contract here, you wouldn’t like it, right?”

“Yeah… my body isn’t mine.”

Min-joo laughed emptily and put down her glass. Only then did her head start to spin. The reality and emotions she thought she could forget with alcohol became even more vivid. Min-joo said things she wouldn’t have said sober, especially in front of Gihyun.

“Mom liked cooking.”

“……”

“When she recovered, I was going to get a house with a bigger kitchen… buy pretty dishes… and make delicious food. That’s why I was sorting out Mom’s things… I didn’t expect to end up sorting them all away.”

The dreams and hopes she had were always shattered. It was painful to have to sort them out with her own hands. She didn’t know what to rely on now.

The effects of the alcohol spread. Min-joo looked at the man sitting in front of her. She remembered the necklace Gihyun had given her. Now it was ownerless.

“Just before I saw you again, I hoped I’d have money.”

It had been hard without money.

“They say solving things with money is the easiest… if I had money, Mom would get better and everything would be okay…”

Having money had been good.

“Can you buy a person with money?”

How wonderful it would be if you could.

“But I can’t bring Mom back.”

Tears began to flow with her lament.

“I couldn’t protect anything.”

The depression she had tried to bury surged up.

“Dad, my brother, the baby, Mom… No one remains by my side.”

There’s no reason to die, but there’s even less reason to live.

She didn’t say what came next, but Gihyun sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere.

“Cha Min-joo.”

Gihyun moved closer to Min-joo.

“I’ll stay with you.”

He continued to speak while holding Min-joo’s hand. However, Min-joo’s gaze continued to drift aimlessly, as if she might fall somewhere at any moment.

Gihyun, feeling the psychological blow, started trembling. He urgently embraced her, holding her as if to prevent her from falling anywhere. Min-joo, who had been passively resisting, let her body be taken.

Gihyun’s anxiety intensified. Watching her as if she were water flowing out quickly when gripped tightly, he pressed his face to Min-joo’s forehead. In his haste, he kissed her lips, as if trying to blow air into her.

His wet tongue brushed against her mucous membranes. There was no pleasure or stimulation. Min-joo closed her eyes, and the tears that had been held back flowed weakly down.

***

She opened her eyes. Min-joo was lying in a separate room on one side of the wake. More precisely, she was lying in Gihyun’s arms.

When Minjoo stirred, Gihyun also opened his eyes. He carefully stroked Minjoo’s cheek, which was blinking. Minjoo awkwardly lowered her eyes and got up from his embrace. Gihyun, who had been offering his arm, also got up. He quietly went outside, saying he would take care of some work-related calls. Minjoo also quietly dressed and went out to keep watch over the wake.

It was the end of the funeral. A mourner whose face Minjoo did not recognize arrived. Minjoo stood up alone to greet him. The middle-aged man bowed to her mother’s portrait and then approached Minjoo as if to offer comfort.

“Hello.”

“Thank you for coming. …I don’t know everyone’s face. Are you a friend of my mother’s?”

“I’m someone who serves Chairman Park.”

The mention of Chairman Park made Minjoo’s face stiffen. The man whispered in a low voice.

“I’d like you to avoid the CEO.”

Taking advantage of Gihyun’s busy phone calls, Minjoo went outside. The man who had been seen earlier quickly approached and guided her. Following him behind the building, a black car was parked in a quiet area. At first, it was tinted so dark that she couldn’t see inside, but when the man opened the door, she could see clearly.

Inside the car sat a robust elderly man. It was Chairman Park, whom Minjoo had seen at the hotel banquet. Following the guidance, Minjoo got into the car.

“Was everything okay?”

Minjoo, dealing with a major event, couldn’t easily respond. The chairman didn’t wait for an answer and looked at Minjoo’s abdomen.

“I’ve heard it doesn’t look like you’re pregnant.”

“……”

“Did you have a miscarriage?”

He spoke casually about something inappropriate. Not expecting an answer, the chairman continued.

“In business, I wasn’t afraid of anything. But after losing a son and a grandson at once, I’ve become afraid. As I’ve aged, I’ve become obsessed with bloodlines. Gihyun is the only direct grandson I have. He’s smart enough to run his own business.”

“…Are you trying to say….”

“The position of the main wife should be filled properly. It’s okay if you have a second household, but at least make sure you can properly care for a child.”

“……”

“Since it’s come to this, wouldn’t it be better to meet with someone similar?”

A woman who couldn’t manage to keep a child.

Minjoo didn’t feel humiliated by such an evaluation. She simply laughed weakly.

“It seems you can’t forget a woman you lived with when you were young, but if the situation has changed, Minjoo should sort things out first.”

A smirk escaped her. Minjoo uttered the most cynical words she had ever spoken.

“Please give it to me.”

“…What did you say?”

“Aren’t you going to give me money?”

“Wouldn’t a large amount be sufficient?”

“Can a mere 100 million won settle the matter of severing ties? I received 300 million won from CEO Park.”

Minjoo spoke with her pride in tatters. The old man muttered, ‘With a face like that, you’re such a woman.’ Chairman Park rolled down the car window and quietly signaled to the man outside. The man opened the car door where Minjoo was sitting. She quietly stepped out.

Minjoo turned to look at the still-closed car door.

“I’ll contact this secretary later.”

“…I’ll accept it gratefully.”

Without looking back, she walked away. As she walked, laughter came to her. Tears came along with the hollow laughter. She cried and laughed like a madwoman.

Minjoo had now lost the meaning of money.

For those who tried to solve everything with money, Minjoo had no choice but to return it with money.

***

After taking her mother to the columbarium, Minjoo returned to Gihyun’s house. She sat, staring only at her mother’s belongings. The traces of the future she had imagined seemed only pathetic.

Sitting under the bed without turning on the lights, the door opened and Gihyun entered. He placed a tray next to Minjoo. On the tray were a teacup and a few cookies. A faint steam and a fragrant aroma spread. Only then did Minjoo’s senses begin to awaken.

She looked at the clock. It was approaching 1 a.m. There were no helpers at this hour. The day had passed without her doing anything, yet time had moved on.

Gihyun sat silently next to Minjoo. He also leaned back on the bed. Silence fell again.

“When my mother passed away.”

It was Gihyun who spoke first.

“I only had regrets.”

“……”

“Why, of all times, did we argue that day? If I hadn’t said anything, would she still be alive? If I had made sure she took her depression medication, would it have been alright? I was going insane with all the what-ifs.”

“……”

“You did your best.”

At least the last memory her mother had wouldn’t have been harsh words.

Gihyun sighed into the air with a small addition.

“…Blame me.”

“……”

“Blame me for not letting go sooner.”

Just as Gihyun had survived moments by blaming others. He clumsily tried to comfort her.

Minjoo looked at Gihyun. She recalled the moment Gihyun had said goodbye. But the feelings from that time did not resurface. The hatred she swore she would never forget, the desire for Gihyun’s unhappiness, had faded. She no longer had the strength to blame Gihyun. Minjoo looked at Gihyun with empty eyes.

“…Minjoo.”

She touched upon Gihyun’s greatest fear. Minjoo’s head hung down, unaware of it.

Minjoo’s body fell backward. Gihyun mounted her and kissed her frantically. Minjoo didn’t resist. Resistance was pointless.

It drove the man crazier, making him more desperate. His pants and underwear were pulled down, and his blunt organ was thrust inside. Her body reflexively engulfed his p*nis. Even as Gihyun thrust in, Minjoo’s lower body tightly gripped him. Each thrust felt like it was boiling inside. Minjoo gasped for air and experienced a death-like pleasure.

Breathing didn’t mean she was alive.

Being physically connected didn’t mean their hearts were connected.

As she looked up at Gihyun while being penetrated, his sweat dripped onto her forehead. His thrusts grew faster. The beast-like push and pull had both of them moaning and gasping.

As Gihyun swallowed Minjoo’s moans, he collapsed on top of her.

“…Minjoo.”

Gihyun constantly questioned her with his body.

“Minjoo….”

Are you alive?

I’m afraid you might disappear in an instant.

Minjoo only gasped for air and could not respond.