Up close, the building looked even more irregular and unorthodox than I had imagined.

If it weren’t for the high walls and security cameras designed to restrict access, it would have been hard to believe that this was someone’s private residence – built for living or leisure.

The entire first floor of the mansion was glass, but heavy blackout curtains were drawn tightly over the windows, completely blocking any view of the interior.

Had I seen it during the day, my first impression might have been different.

But under the moonlight, with only faint ambient lighting casting a dim glow, the atmosphere of the mansion was eerie.

Maybe it was the unfamiliar, unconventional structure.

Or perhaps it was the absence of everything one would normally associate with a party – no delicious smells of food, no music to set the mood, no glittering decorations.

“We’ve arrived.”

I first entered the mansion through the door the chauffeur opened for me.

Standing alone on acres of land with no neighbors in sight, the mansion exuded a sense of isolation – as if cut off from the rest of the world.

Not even out of politeness did I feel the urge to say something like, “Wow, I didn’t know places like this existed.

It was so unfamiliar to me that my eyes kept darting around, unable to settle.

Lee Seol-won, on the other hand, didn’t even look around.

‘Is this one of his private mansions?’

‘Had Eun-sae ever been here?’

I tried to catch my breath, not wanting to seem too overwhelmed.

Slowly, I began to calm my nerves – when suddenly a group of men appeared and approached us.

They were all neatly dressed in suits and looked very much like janitors or company employees.

“We received a message that you would be here, so we’ve been expecting you. This way, please.”

One of the men said, bowing politely to Lee Seol-won.

When I started to follow him inside, one of them stopped me.

“Excuse me, but could you please hand over your phone before you enter?”

“Excuse me?”

“Cell phone use is prohibited during the party. You’ll get it back when you leave.”

“I…see.”

I almost asked why, but forced myself to accept it.

If this was the kind of gathering Lee Seol-won would be attending, there would probably be businessmen and well-known public figures present. It made sense that they’d want to avoid any risk of private information being leaked.

I reached into my bag and handed over Eun-sae’s phone.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Could you please open your bag as well? We need to check your belongings.”

“I already handed over my phone.”

I replied, my voice full of discomfort.

But the employee didn’t budge and continued to block my way.

“We ask for your understanding – this is a routine procedure. Occasionally, someone poses as a guest and tries to bring in recording devices or cameras.”

And of all things, it had to be the camera hidden in my purse.

I’d borrowed some tools from the nail salon and made a small hole in the lining of my purse.

There hadn’t been enough time to hide it properly, so I’d just slipped it between the outer layer and the lining, right under the logo pendant.

Anyone who opened the bag would immediately notice the strange bulge in the lining.

And since it was a brand new bag, there weren’t even any other items inside to distract from it – except for my real phone, the one I hadn’t turned in.

Even though it was winter, a cold sweat suddenly ran down my back.

Why were they so relentless in this inspection?

If they discovered either the camera or my real phone, I’d be in serious trouble.

I quickly composed myself and asked them.

“Doesn’t Mr. Lee Seol-won’s name vouch for my identity?”

The officer who asked for my phone and bag hadn’t asked Lee Seol-won for anything.

If they were going to do a body search, shouldn’t they do it to everyone equally?

Picking and choosing who to stop, while cozying up to others without so much as a word – it was downright pathetic.

And the more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

Would they really treat the companion of someone as publicly recognized as Lee Seol-won so rudely?

What kind of party could they be having in that mansion – what were they trying so hard to hide that they couldn’t even trust their own guests?

“Mr. Lee Seol-won.”

I shouted. Even though I was clearly struggling right next to him, he didn’t seem the least bit inclined to help.

This was also unbelievable.

Fed up with this man showing no consideration or courtesy to his own partner, I turned to him and shoved my bag into his arms.

“Get this checked and come in. I’ll go first.”

At this point, I did not care what happened.

Either the staff would find the camera and question who I was and what I was doing here – or they’d be too intimidated by Lee Seol-won to say a word and let him through without a problem.

Even in my anxious uncertainty about how things would turn out, I was sure of one thing – Lee Seol-won wouldn’t bother to actually go through my bag.

He just wasn’t that interested in me.

Eun-sae, help me.

I left it to fate.

Leaving Lee Seol-won behind, now burdened with my bag, I left quickly, afraid that someone might stop me. I entered the mansion alone, my steps brisk and deliberate.

Even if I ended up being thrown out, I had to at least see for myself what kind of place Eun-sae had been taken to.

At any moment, they could discover the camera and come after me.

I quickened my pace.

Just past the entrance on the first floor was a short hallway.

“Ah, never mind.”

What I thought was a hallway turned out to be a partition.

The interior of the mansion was as unconventional as its exterior.

Because of the wood panel columns placed here and there, it was impossible to get a full view of the room at once. Even the staircase, usually tucked away in a corner, was placed right in the middle.

The ceiling lights were dim chandeliers, giving the place the feel of a hotel lobby.

It was beautiful, yes – but unlike typical homes that prioritize efficient use of space, this building clearly served a different purpose.

It looked more like a banquet hall or an exhibition hall than a home.

It was definitely not a home.

Once inside, the warmth of the interior was immediately apparent.

I slipped off my coat and draped it over my arm, then used one of the columns as cover to discreetly scan the guests.

There weren’t many people – no more than thirty at a glance.

And they all seemed young, probably in their twenties or thirties.

And then – and then…

“May I take your coat?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Let me get you a drink, too. Please enjoy your time.”

A clerk who looked like a bellman took my coat and handed me a glass of purple soda.

I took it and absentmindedly raised it to my lips – then I flinched.

The taste that touched my lips was unlike any soda I knew. It wasn’t a cocktail either.

Quietly, I set the glass down and began to observe the other guests.

To my surprise, everyone else was sipping the purple soda as if it were perfectly normal.

But their dazed expressions – bright, vacant, almost foolish – were deeply disturbing. None of them looked right.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

There’s a drug called Purple Lean.

It’s made by mixing codeine-essentially a milder form of morphine-with soda and melting candy into it to sweeten the taste. The mixture takes on a purple hue, which is why it’s often referred to as the “purple drink.”

I suddenly remembered something Eun-sae had once told me-that in the U.S., where drugs are more accessible, people often use Purple Lean to lift their spirits.

“I mean, I always had my own way of appreciating art, you know? So sometimes I would get invited to these parties where something just felt… wrong. Nowadays I can sense that kind of vibe and steer clear, but back then I didn’t know any better – I’d end up going. And honestly? It was overwhelming. Everyone was drinking like it was nothing. Even people I never thought would be into it were walking around all day with cups full of ice, their eyes completely glazed over. It was moments like that that made me feel like, yes, I am Korean. Because here, things like weed or lean aren’t even considered real drugs. It’s like they’re always floating in some kind of haze, and when the mood changes, they just take stimulants and sleep with each other. It was crazy. They all seemed completely out of their minds. I was so afraid of losing control like that. I just quietly slipped away and ran.”

You can change your nationality, but you can’t change the temperament you were born with.

Eun-sae and I were cautious by nature, raised with a conservative East Asian sense of ethics.

Even though we grew up in different countries, we shared the same basic values.

Before meeting Lee Seol-won, Eun-sae lived in a world based entirely on common sense.

For her, s*x was always something shared with a loving partner, a form of emotional bonding, not something casual or detached. And drugs, no matter how mild or “low risk” they were labeled, terrified her.

Even soft drugs that others dismissed as harmless – she feared what they might do to her body and mind.

That’s who she was. It’s who she used to be.

“But I guess Korea isn’t what it used to be. Even though the government is still cracking down on drugs, a lot of international students – especially those from wealthy families – come here and end up getting heavily involved. It really feels like there are two completely different groups. The students who are really here to study don’t even go near the nightlife scene. But the ones who came to escape some scandal back home, or who just want to get a diploma from a decent university? They party harder than even the locals – like their lives depend on it. Frankly, they’re very dangerous.”

If what Eun-sae told me was true, then most of the people gathered here were probably drug addicts – students who had studied in the U.S. and gotten into dangerous habits.

What’s more, they probably had enough money and power behind them to make sure their past didn’t matter.

I had stepped into a world I should never have entered.