I wedged my phone between the bed frame and the mattress, leaving only the camera sticking out. The room was dim and I had partially covered it with a pillow, so it wouldn’t be easy to see unless someone looked closely.

Lee Jae-kwang’s loud footsteps echoed through the hall. Moments later, the door burst open.

Everything was ready.

I was ready to broadcast my own death.

I would reveal everything to the world in real time – who these men were, what kind of drugs they injected into me after kidnapping me, how horribly they treated me after I lost my mind, and the plans they revealed with their own mouths.

No matter how powerful and influential the SW family may be, if they completely crush and destroy a person in a live broadcast watched by the public, the backlash will be far too great to ignore.

But I was ashamed in front of the people who loved and cared for me.

Having experienced the loss of Eun-sae, I knew all too well the shock and pain they would feel.

However, I had neither the ability nor the desire to choose a different path.

I closed my eyes and apologized to them one by one.

Mom, Dad. We barely managed to let go of Eun-sae by sharing this immense pain together… I’m sorry that I can’t come home either. I’m sorry that I hurt you again. I’m sorry that your two daughters met such a fate.

Eun-sae… I’m sorry that I didn’t realize the sacrifice you made to protect me all this time.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t do anything because I lost you so helplessly.

And… and Seol-won.

Seol-won.

I repeated his name again.

That name stirred up emotions that couldn’t be easily defined by a single word.

Sometimes I hated him. Sometimes I felt troubled. Sometimes things were complicated. Sometimes my heart fluttered. And there were times when I wanted to deny these feelings altogether.

But now I regret all the memories we never got to make because I hesitated and held back.

Because of Eun-sae and Lee Jae-hyup’s complicated situation, everything felt overwhelming and guilty. I was never able to confess my deeply hidden feelings with an open heart, and that pain remained in my chest.

Yes, it really was like that. This ordinary, all-too-common kind of love was so difficult for us.

We both had too many burdens on our shoulders, and even when we wanted to move forward together, there were too many people at our feet holding us back.

But the truth is… I just wanted to love like everyone else.

On the street, at the movies, in a car, in an elevator, in a restaurant…

In the most ordinary, silly, childish way.

I wanted to have that slightly awkward but sweet moment-to have a brief, affectionate phone call during lunch and then have a co-worker ask, “Wait, Seo-hae, is this your boyfriend?” and be able to answer, “Yes, that’s right. I have a boyfriend now.

Even though it all became an impossible dream in the end.

I should have said thank you.

I should have told you that I wasn’t afraid or lonely because of you.

In the place where I lost Eun-sae, you were my only comfort and my greatest happiness.

That whatever happens to me, it’s not your fault, so please don’t blame yourself…

I should have told you all this.

“Hah, look at you trying to hide behind that pathetic little rag. Hey, I guess she is scared after all.”

Lee Jae-kwang grabbed the piece of cloth and threw it far away.

There was no need to fight or resist. The tattered piece of cloth ripped helplessly the moment his hand touched it.

“Changgyu says he’ll be here soon with the others.”

Lee Jae-kwang’s thick hand grabbed my face.

“Mmph-“

I almost screamed but swallowed quickly.

The strip of film in his other hand looked suspicious at first glance.

I had no idea how far this single piece of film could drag me down.

A feeling of dread set in.

“Is he coming soon? How can he come from Seoul so soon?”

“He’s coming to the villa on vacation – he just left, apparently. If I set up the camera here, it should get a good angle. Spread your legs so I can frame the shot.”

Lee Jae-hyup took out his cell phone and turned on the camera. The beep that signaled the start of the recording sounded loud and clear. Cold sweat began to form on the back of my neck.

“Ah, then we’d better get her out of there fast. Hey, open your mouth. D*mn, this one’s really stubborn.”

Even in the midst of everything, Lee Jae-hyup and Lee Jae-kwang spoke in a casual, almost leisurely tone.

For these brothers, things like imprisonment, s*xual ass*ult, and making p*rnography were just a part of their day – nothing out of the ordinary.

I clenched my lips and held out.

Then Lee Jae-hyup tried to force his fingers between them to open my mouth.

Just as my jaw was about to give way, I bit down hard on his finger.

“Ah, you f***ing b*tch!”

The salty taste of blood spread across my tongue. Nausea rose, but I forced it down.

“She’s vicious, I told you. She scratched my face with her nails too.”

“What a d*mn nuisance. Even if I didn’t want to use violence, this b*tch makes me do it.”

Lee Jae-kwang spread his palm wide and pressed it over my nose.

“Maybe this is easier than the drugs.”

The pressure knocked the air out of me.

He was trying to suffocate me – blocking my nose so I’d be forced to open my mouth to breathe, giving them a chance to drug me or knock me out.

What was I supposed to do?

There was no choice between the drug and suffocation.

I was drowning in overwhelming terror, flailing helplessly in the void.

Even in the midst of all this, I fought back with everything I had.

I kicked, punched, and dragged my nails hard into the back of Lee Jae-kwang’s hand.

“Ah, f**k!”

“I told you it wouldn’t work.”

“Go on, keep trying. Let’s see how far you can take this.”

The power in his palm faltered. I seized the moment and gasped for air.

But the brief moment of relief didn’t last.

Before I knew it, Lee Jae-hyup was standing over me, grabbing my arms and tying them together.

“Hyung, you go first, okay?”

With one hand on my wrist, Lee Jae-hyup pointed the camera in his other hand at my face.

The lens scanned me deliberately, capturing every detail of my face before moving down.

It’s okay, Hyun Seo-hae. You already knew what they were planning.

I forced myself to stay calm and tried to calm my trembling heart.

I had hidden a camera by the bed.

I had prepared myself with a fierce determination to expose them by capturing something even more damning than s*xual ass*ult, and to destroy them completely, to erase them from society.

So this-this had to be nothing. This had to be it.

“How is she? Is it the same when you take your clothes off?”

“You go first. I want to film her first.”

“Why? I thought you’d rough her up first, the way you grind your teeth. Does she scare you because she looks too much like Hyun Eun-sae?Yeah, seeing her up close really messes with your head.”

“That d*mn b*tch, seriously…”

His shoulders shook.

“Hey, I’ll give you one last chance.”

Lee Jae-hyup suddenly shoved his face right in front of mine. I quickly turned my head away.

Had my hands been free, I would have covered my ears as well.

“Where is Hyun Eun-sae?”

Every time he said her name, it felt dirty and degrading – my body instinctively recoiled.

Wasn’t this obsession a serious mental illness?

“If you bring her to me, I’ll let you go.”

What a ridiculous thing to say.

“Let me go”?

We had already crossed a line from which neither of us could return.

Right now, we were both falling off a cliff. It might look like I’m the one falling first, but soon enough, they’ll realize that the ground they’re standing on is nothing but a swamp.

“F**k, yeah. I didn’t think you’d answer so easily. But do you really think I can’t find her?”

If he’s so sure, let him try.

Eun-sae had crossed the border, never felt safe, and finally escaped by dying. Only when her breathing stopped did she finally find peace.

I would never disturb that peace – never.

“Jae-kwang.”

“Huh?”

“Hold her. Tight.”

“For what?”

It happened at that moment.

“…Hhk!”

His hands wrapped around my neck.

“There’s a limit to how much I can let go. I’m sure she knows that too – if it’s come to this, her life is already over. Even if we let her go, she’s the kind of girl who would be a pain in the as$. A nuisance like that is easier to deal with if she just disappears without a trace. Besides, we brought her here without Seol-won knowing anyway.”

“Don’t we take turns with her?”

“As long as the hole is intact, that’s all that matters.”

“Ugh, I don’t like it when they’re dead. No reaction – it’s boring…”

In an instant, my airway was completely cut off.

It was a jarring, unfamiliar shock – something I had never experienced before.

Countless thoughts flooded in at an uncontrollable rate.

Am I dying?

Am I really dying?

Is this how it ends?

Me, here, like this?

No matter how strong I tried to be, when the moment actually came, my mind went completely blank.

I began to doubt the ending I had prepared for.

Mom, Dad, Eun-sae… You see, the thing is…

This decision is the right one, isn’t it?

There’s no other way for me now, so accepting it… must be the right thing to do, right?

But still…

Seol-won.

What should I do, Seol-won?

You know… the truth is, I’m really scared…

“Hyung, before she stops breathing, let me try first, okay?”

“Do whatever you want.”

I couldn’t move, even when I felt rough hands handling my body.

I could hear the choking, gurgling sounds as my breath slipped away.

The pressure reached my eyes – I couldn’t even keep them open.

My consciousness was fading, receding by the second.

It was the moment I finally felt the end.

“Fire!”

A scream came from far away.