Wednesday, 15 August 2007

• Chapter 03 Edited

  Coffee Prince Original Novel
  Chapter 03
  Translated and Edited by Eva S.L.
  Available for download at http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EHULCBE0
  

  
  

  
  

  Chapter Three

  What is this, a rigged poker game?

  
  

  
  

  < Part 1 >
  
  Mom had come home from the reunion wearing Dong Ok ahjumma's (translator's note: in Korea, males as well as females call older women “ahjumma.” This is not familiar, but not formal either) ring. That is, she should've come back home with it. But at an unknown place at an unknown time somewhere along the way, she had lost the ring. The ring itself had been a little too large for her mother. She had been trying it on, and then had simply gotten up and left for home with it still on her hand. En Chan could understand how Ms. Dong Ok, who had to leave urgently at her mother-in-law's call, could forget, but couldn't understand why Mom couldn't have stopped her and said, “Hey, you should take your ring.”
  
  Could her mother, who could still remember the exact details of this $4000, 2.12 carat diamond ring which had been placed on the highest shelf of the third case to the right in the B brand display area of the Shin Woo Joo Department Store where Ms. Dong Ok, together with her husband, had gone on their 22nd anniversary to buy, truly forget the fact that she was still wearing the ring? Not to mention not feel that she was no longer wearing it?!?!? Oh, my poor blood pressure. Oh, my poor weakening legs.
  
  
  “Tell ahjumma.... tell her the truth... she's rich.... so......”
  
  
  “No! I can't! I can't tell her!”
  
  
  “What else can you do in this situation? You have to tell her that you lost it and tell her that we're going to reimburse her, and that even though we don't have the money right now, that we're going to pay her back soon. She's your friend of 30 years, she's not going to demand that you pay her back immediately.”
  
  
  “No! I won't! I'd rather die! I'd rather bite down on my tongue right here and die!”
  
  
  “Mom, you silly, why would you die because of something like this?”
  
  
  Her mother, who had wrapped up her aching head and laid down, began to cry aloud in earnest.
  
  
  “Mom, are you crying? For Pete's sakes, Mommy, don't cry.”
  
  
  “If it was you, do you think you could tell someone something like that so easily, obba? Even I couldn't do it. I'd rather die before I would,” said En Se, who had been eating dinner.
  
  “Why couldn't you? Is there another way to get out of this mess without telling?”
  
  
  “There's no choice but to take out a loan from a local shark.”
  
  
  “Oh God, just be quiet and eat your food.”
  
  
  “Don't you remember, Mom? When Dong Ok ahjumma's family went bankrupt way back when, you were kind of mean to her. Back then, when Dong Ok ahjumma called you or came to see you you'd tell us to say you were out or you'd hide. When Dad died, I heard the other ahjummas talk among themselves saying that a person should do right when she has the chance in order to be helped later.”
  
  
  Christ! Could this girl really be her sister? She'd heard the phrase “fear the ones you know” before, but how could a daughter pinpoint and attack every wound on her mother and be so mean about it?
  
  
  “Serves you right for acting so stuck up when Dong Ok ahjumma was going through a hard time.”
  
  
  “Ya!' En Chan rapidly crawled on her knees and put her hand over En Se's mouth. Right then, her mother, who had been lying down, abruptly stood up and flung open the closet doors. A mink coat the size of a bear slid down.
  
  
  “Mom!”
  
  
  “I've got to sell this.”
  
  
  En Chan let go of En Se and flew to hold down her mother.
  
  
  “Mom, Mom, calm down and sit down.”
  
  
  “I... I can sell this at least... Your father... (sob).. your father bought it for me before he died.... It's the only thing left after selling all my... all my pearls... my ruby ring... all my jewels, it's the on-only thing left, but at least... at least I can sell this... (sobs) Oh my dear, I'm.. I'm so sorry!”
  
  
  “Mommy.... d-don't cry... don't cry Mommy...” En Se began to wail, adding to the noise that her mother, who was sprawled on the floor like street market ahjumma, was making. “What do you mean you're going to sell that? You can't sell that. D-daddy b-bought it for you for your birthday. H-he was so happy when he saw you in it... He s-said it made him happy because (sob) it made him believe he'd kept his promise to let you live luxuriously.”
  
  
  En Chan, who had momentarily begun wondering how much the coat would've fetched, was embarrassed. Her chest tightened painfully as En Se talked about their father while sobbing so miserably. Her father's last words came to her. Lying in a hospital bed, his body torn and bloodied from the car crash, her father had lifted a bloodied hand to hold her own, and he had said to her,
  
  
  “Chan-ah, now you're the head of the family. Your mother... En Se... take care of them. I can trust you, right, Channy? I can go in peace, trusting you, right?”
  
  
  It had been impossible to say no. There was nothing to be done but to promise him that she would. And she had worked and run all this way since then to keep that promise.
  
  
  En Chan picked up the bear-like mink coat and hung it back up in the closet. The dry cleaning bill would be ridiculous if it somehow got dirtied.
  
  
  “I'll figure something out.”
  
  
  “Wh-what could you possibly do?”
  
  
  “Unni, do you have money stashed away somewhere?” How could I, you little brat! Do you know how much money you took from me to buy bags and shoes and clothes?
  
  
  “Well... kind of...”
  
  
  “What! Really? Well, why are you telling us that now? What, you didn't want to give it away? You cheapskate. I thought as much. Shoot, I feel all stupid for crying. Mom, don't worry, obba's going to take care of it.”
  
  
  “Huh? Really?”
  
  
  She didn't tell them that there was only $420 dollars in the bank. She also didn't tell them that she was planning to meet Ms. Dong Ok, who had said she'd come around to pick up the ring in five days, by herself and plead with her. She simply told them, both hands clenching into fists,
  
  
  “I didn't tell you because I wanted Mom to learn to be careful. Who do you think I am? Of course I have money. Just trust me. I'll handle it.”

  < Part 2 >
  
  
  Han Kyul doesn't dance or smile much, but somehow he always stands out in a crowd. There's always an atmosphere of stylishness and mysteriousness around him. It could be said that by simply entering a room, he draws attention to himself. It was as if he carried around his own colored spotlight. On rainy Seattle winter nights, you can find Han Kyul at Highway, his favorite bar, surrounded on all sides by beautiful women. All he's doing is watching the cellist play looking depressed and drinking his beer, but the beauties refuse to leave his side for several hours. When the night grows deep and he gets up from his seat, some woman will unfailingly try to take his arm. Without even a smile, he will push her away. Blonds and redheads alike.
  
  
  Yu Ju saw Han Kyul fighting his way out of a swarm of women. She handed him the bottle of Miller Light she had only taken one sip from. Han Kyul, who was breathing slightly harder than usual, gulped down the beer, his Adam's apple moving up and down.
  
  
  “I don't understand why you come to these kinds of clubs so often.”
  
  
  “Why? Do you disapprove?” The fragrance of sweat and heat emanated from Han Kyul, who sat back down after ordering more beer. The scent was not displeasing to Yuju.
  
  
  “It's not like you like to drink, and it's not like you came here with a mind to chase women.”
  
  
  “Why not? I like drinking and I've a mind to chase all the women I want.”
  
  
  “Really? So why...”
  
  
  “So why aren't I passed out smashed, and why aren't there any women in hysterics trying to rip me off for money?”
  
  
  “Well, that's not exactly what I meant. Fine. Tell me. Why aren't there?”
  
  
  “Because that's the end. If I stumbled around drunk on the streets like a dog or turned my family upside down because of women problems, what would I be left with? Lock and chains, is what I'd be left with. All that stuff, I gotta do at the very end. I'm not done enjoying myself yet. I don't want to waste my youth, you know?”
  
  
  “If you can control yourself like that, it might mean that youth is already over for you.”
  
  
  “God, don't say such horrible things. If my youth is over, what does that make me? Middle-aged?”
  
  
  “Why, are you scared?”
  
  
  “Who likes getting old? Aren't you scared of getting old, Ms. Vixen?”
  
  
  “Me? Sometimes... There are days when I'm afraid of tomorrow. It might be that I'm afraid that tomorrow may never come. I think that's the reason why I work so hard—so that I can forget that.”
  
  
  A slim beauty walked by, leaving a fragrant trail behind her. Her long black hair came down to her waist, but her miniskirt was barely long enough to cover her buttocks. Yu Ju felt Han Kyul look at the woman. Han Kyul spoke, still looking at the woman,
  
  
  “You're still all right. Even in ten, twenty years, you'll still be pretty.”
  
  
  At his unexpected words, Yu Ju suddenly felt shy. It was because she knew he wasn't a man to say such things easily, and because it had been a long time since she'd heard them.
  
  
  “Hmm. It feels pretty good to hear a compliment from a good looking man. I'll consider it a welcome-back gift.”
  
  
  Just then, Han Kyul's friend Pak Do Hun approached them.
  
  
  “Ya, what're you doing here? What do you think you're doing, hanging around out here while we're all waiting for you inside? They're all saying you blew them off.”
  
  
  “What's there to do in a dark room? Makes you feel like you're trapped or something. Tell them to come outside.”
  
  
  “You honestly think fifteen people are going to move just for one of you? Man, you and your ego.”
  
  
  “Hello? Can't you see me?” At Yu Ju's interjection, Do Hun made a surprised face.
  
  
  “Wow! It was you, nuna (translator's note: in Korea, males address familiar older females “nuna.”)? I thought this guy snagged a catch or something. But never mind that, when did you get so beautiful, nuna? Seriously! I thought there was a fairy was sitting at the bar.”
  
  
  “I see you still overact. It's nice to see you, anyway. You've been well?”
  
  
  “Of course. I don't even have to ask you. Your face is glowing. Did something good happen?”
  
  
  “I'm just glad to be home. Hey, Han Kyul, since everyone is inside, it'd probably be better for us to go inside, too.”
  
  
  “It's all right. Just you come, nuna. We didn't come here to see this jerk. We actually really don't care if he's come back to Korea or has left the Earth. But we wondered and wondered and wondered when you were coming back and...” Han Kyul abruptly cut off the banter before it got any longer by asking,
  
  
  “Did hyung come?”
  
  
  “Hyung? Who?” Han Kyul indicated Yu Ju with a quick glance. With that, Do Hun immediately understood and said,
  
  
  “Oh..... No. Did he say he was going to come?”
  
  
  “I left him a note because he was in a conference, but I guess his secretary didn't give it to him.”
  
  
  Han Kyul skillfully circumvented the topic, but it looked like Yu Ju didn't believe him. When he had called, Han Sung hadn't said that he'd come, or that he wouldn't come. But Han Kyul had believed that he would. Han Sung wasn't the kind of person to waste time on lost causes, but Han Kyul had thought maybe he'd come on account of his pride. Han Kyul had wanted Han Sung to show up looking nonchalant and to sneer at the uncomfortable look on Yu Ju's face. Han Kyul wanted it to happen so that Yu Ju would be able to deal with the guilt and regret in that way, at least.
  
  
  Han Kyul took the miniskirt woman into the room where Yu Ju and his friends were. Even the friends who at first looked outraged at the newcomer went wild when they saw her dance. They even called in her friends, and the party began to rage until it was about to explode. Around midnight, Yu Ju picked up her purse. Han Kyul, who had seen her sneak out, followed her.
  
  
  “You're leaving already?”
  
  
  “Yea. I'm kind of tired.” Han Kyul thought to himself that it had been Han Sung who Yu Ju had waited for.
  
  
  “Let's go, I'll drop you off.”
  
  
  “It's ok. I'll just take a cab.”
  
  
  Han Kyul wordlessly took her by the wrist. It concerned him that her wrist was so thin. It reminded him of the first time he met Yu Ju. He was eight. Even then, her fingers and her wrists were very thin. At the time, if someone had asked Han Kyul what he hated most in the world, he would have said milk, the piano, and his father. He had been force-fed milk, even though he'd said it was fine if he didn't grow any more; so he hated milk. He had been forced to play the piano, even though he'd said he didn't want to become a pianist or anything; so he hated the piano. And for forcing him to do all these things against his will, he hated his father most of all.
  
  
  That day, he had poured milk all over the piano, which he had played for two years. He had been beaten and humiliated in front of guests who had happened to be visiting, and banished to his room. He was so angry that he couldn't stop his tears. It was then that long-haired Yu Ju, who was taller than Han Kyul was and could play the piano better than he could, came into the room.
  
  
  “Hey, do you want to be my younger brother?”
  
  
  Han Kyul thought to himself that she was a very strange girl.
  
  
  “If you say you will, I'll put medicine on your wounds for you.” She showed him the ointment she held in her hand. Her mouth was closed tightly as if she'd begin crying if he didn't quickly say that he would.
  
  
  “Wait here. I'll bring the car around.”
  
  
  “You've been drinking. We should call a substitute driver (translator's note: in Korea, if someone is too drunk to drive, a substitute driver can be hired to take the person and the person's car home.).”
  
  
  “It's actually pretty entertaining to drive when you're slightly off your rocker. Don't worry, if things turn for the worse, I won't put anyone else in danger. I'll just shove my car into the river. What's the worst that could happen, other than dying? Don't you think it'd be all right to die with a cool guy like me? As a woman, I mean.”
  
  
  “You're just drunk, right? You haven't gone crazy or anything?”
  
  
  “What're you getting all nervous for? It's ok, I've only had a bottle of beer.”
  
  
  “Still... Listen, I'll go buy some coffee from over there.”
  
  
  “You don't trust me?”
  
  
  “As if I could tell the almighty Choi Han Kyul that I couldn't trust him.”
  
  
  “Psh.”
  
  
  “I want to have some coffee too.”
  
  
  “Fine, then.”
  
  
  Han Kyul went to the parking lot and Yu Ju went to the convenience store on the other side of the street. He'd parked the car and was walking toward the store when Yu Ju came out holding coffee cups in both hands. Right then, a motorcycle whizzed by her. Without slowing down, the person on the motorcycle snatched the purse hanging from her wrist and sped off.
  
  
  “Aaaah!” At her scream, Han Kyul sped like a bullet to Yu Ju. The cups were on the ground, and Yu Ju was standing still, dumbfounded.
  
  
  “Nuna! Are you all right?”
  
  
  “Ah... I....”
  
  
  “Are you hurt anywhere?” Han Kyul clutched a pale and trembling Yu Ju against his chest. Right then, a scooter appeared out of nowhere and clattered its way past them.
  
  
  “Ya! You son of a bitch! Stop right there!” An incredibly loud voice rang through the night street. Han Kyul read the shining letters on the back of the scooter:
  
  
  “Midnight Snack Delivery”
  
  
  “Let's get in the car. Can you walk?”
  
  
  “I-I'm ok. I was just so startled...” As Han Kyul helped her along, Yu Ju forced a laugh and said, “Shoot, my bag... I bought that in Paris.... What a shame.”
  
  
  “Women! The bag is not the problem. I'll buy you another one.”
  
  
  “You promise? You can't take back your word later.”
  
  
  “Did you hit your head or something? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
  
  
  Yu Ju, who was about to get into the car, suddenly stopped. Her face went rigid and there was shock in her eyes. Han Kyul followed her line of sight and his prediction was proven right when he saw the man standing there. It was Han Sung.
  
  
  “So you're coming just now, are you?”
  
  
  “You're leaving?”
  
  
  “We were going to, but there was a slight incident...”
  
  
  Suddenly a siren blared. A patrol car was chasing the scooter chasing the motorcycle that was heading back toward them. With a cry of “Shit!” the person on the motorcycle threw Yu Ju's handbag. Han Sung found himself catching the bag, and Han Kyul reflexively began to chase after the motorcycle.
  
  
  “Han Kyul!”
  
  
  “Oi! Stop right there!” The thought that he had to catch the jerk had just fired Han Kyul up to sprint for the first time in a long time when the scooter clattered past him.
  
  
  “Ya! Shit! There's no choice! Ya! You son of a bitch!” Han Kyul whipped the helmet off the scooter's driver and chucked it at the motorcycle. It flew in a parabola and hit the mugger square in the back. The motorcycle buckled and crashed, and the thief crumpled to the ground, but apparently he wasn't seriously injured because he stood right up and tried to pick up his motorcycle. The midnight snack delivery boy flew onto the escaping mugger. Woah. Not bad. Han Kyul walked slowly toward them, regretting that he had not been the one to catch him. He was breathing hard.
  
  
  “Hah.... hah.....”
  
  
  I guess I should quit smoking.
  
  
  The delivery boy grabbed the thief and pulled him up by his collar. It looked like the two of them were bickering with each other. But by the time Han Kyul and the policeman arrived, the only one left was the delivery boy. The mugger had left his motorcycle and escaped in that short time. Han Sung and Yu Ju caught up with the group.
  
  
  “You aren't hurt anywhere?”
  
  
  At the policeman's question, the delivery boy nodded his head even though a cut on the cheekbone was bleeding. The policeman turned to Yu Ju.
  
  
  “Is anything missing?”
  
  
  “No.”
  
  
  “Any other damage?”
  
  
  “None at all. Just a little startled.”
  
  
  “It'll be easy to catch him since we have his motorcycle, right? We can look it up?”
  
  
  At Han Kyul's question, the policeman replied noncommittally,
  
  “Who knows? There are so many fakes these days. It could be a stolen motorcycle. Also, there are a lot of motorcycles these days smuggled in from China, so there are lots of motorcycles that are unregistered roaming about.”
  
  
  Then shouldn't the policeman chase after him? He was just here to take the victim's statement? You call that a policeman? Unbelievable!
  
  
  “So you're saying you're not going to catch him?”
  
  
  “Well, no, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that it'll be hard to. These kids are usually minors who don't have licenses.”
  
  
  “For Christ's sakes! What, is that supposed to impress me?”
  
  
  “Stop it.” Han Sung came over and pulled at him. Even as the policeman's face began to fall, the midnight snack delivery boy was desperately trying to put on a broken helmet.
  
  
  “Hey, student over there.”
  
  
  “Yes?” The policeman called the delivery boy over.
  
  
  “Did you see his face?”
  
  
  “It was too dark; I didn't get a good look.”
  
  
  “Tsk. Ok. If you go home and find that you're injured somewhere, call up the station. We'll give you a reward or something.”
  
  
  “Oh! Right.” Yu Ju came forth with her bag in her hand. “Thank you so much. It's thanks to you that I got my bag back. This isn't much, but...”
  
  
  “N-no, no, it's ok. I just wanted to...”
  
  
  “Hold it.” Han Kyul was glaring at the boy. Something smelled fishy. It was fishy that the mugger could escape so easily, and it was fishy that this kid would, after having interfered in other peoples' business and getting hurt, refuse to accept compensation. It was fishy that the bag was given back so easily, and it was fishy that the mugger and this kid looked about the same age. What is this, a rigged poker game?
  
  
  The policeman's radio began to shriek loudly. He left to return to his DUI crackdown, and Han Sung took Yu Ju back to the car. Han Kyul grabbed the delivery boy who was trying to get back on the scooter.
  
  
  “Call this number tomorrow.” He dug around in his pockets until he found a piece of paper and wrote down his number on it. “I'll take care of your reward.”
  
  
  “No, really, it's fine.” The delivery boy blew the bangs out of his eyes and raised his eyebrows. He looked insulted.
  
  
  “How much do you make in a month?”
  
  
  “Excuse me?” Sparks appeared in his round eyes. “What are you asking me that for?”
  
  
  Look at this kid. Who do you think you're dogging? Han Kyul put his desire to smack him into a snide remark.
  
  
  “I'll give you a month's wage, so call me. There's no reason to let pride get in the way. It's only natural that you receive compensation.” He snorted at the 50cc scooter and asked, “Which toy store did you pick this up from?”
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  “Do they even repair things like this? If they do, I'll pay for it. Call me tomorrow.” Han Kyul held out the piece of paper. In spite of a face that looked like it would rather die than accept it, a hand came out to take it. Han Kyul looked at the hand and gripped the paper tightly. The boy glared and snatched it away. Han Kyul watched the scooter clunking away and smiled mockingly.
  
  
  Yea, that's right you little punk. What the hell can someone like you do? You'll get it, for sure. Little punk. I'll get the both of you!

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  < Part 3 >

  
  

  En Chan looked in the mirror as she put a band-aid on her face.

  
  

  “Man! What a jerk!”

  
  

  She had finally landed a part-time job, and lost it on the same day. The delivery was late so the customer got angry, the helmet was cracked, and the scooter that had been fine on the way to the store clattered and broke down right when the owner began to scream at her. This was all because of that that idiot, the crow of a punk that followed En Se around. She thought he'd only rip snot-smeared money from children, but he'd gone and mugged a person in the street. The moment she saw some jackass snatch a woman's purse, she had flared up and knocked him down, but when she saw his face, who else could it be but En Se's punk. Right then, she'd not only felt surprise at a familiar face, but she'd also felt pity. He'd been dumped by En Se and then had had to pay for the jja jang myun. If he had to be dragged away to a police station, his life would become too pathetic. Plus, he'd said that he was a senior in high school, and if he was really repeating a grade, it probably meant he was determined to graduate high school, at least...

  
  

  “I've still got to catch that punk and teach him a lesson. What the hell is he thinking? That blockhead. Can't believe he got so nervous that he gave the bag back.”

  
  

  She gave up trying to cover up the hole in her head with her hair and pushed her hat down. She was glaring from underneath the cap when another jerk's face came rising up in her mind.

  
  

  “What're you looking at, jackass? Looking down on people with that prissy face. What? Toy store? What a complete jerk. I've never met a bigger bastard in my entire life. Seriously.”

  
  

  How nice it would be if she could just blow it off. But she couldn't leave without taking the number of the man who didn't even know how to say thank you. She didn't know whether she should be thankful or angry that her mother's mink coat floated up in her mind. She'd soon find out.

  
  

  En Chan took out the paper from her pocket. She realized only after getting home that it was actually a picture. On one side was the phone number the man had scrawled, and on the other was some smiling woman. She looked pure and pretty.

  
  

  Is she his girlfriend? How could he go around giving out pictures of his girlfriend to strangers? What an unbelievable guy. Seriously, if he hadn't gone on talking about a month's wages or something, I really wouldn't have taken it. Damn it. Stupid money. Hmm... how much did he think a month's wages was?

  
  

  En Chan took a deep breath and picked up her phone. A familiar piano song played over the line (translator's note: in Korea, the dial tone can be exchanged for music, much like Muzak when you're put on hold.) She was unconsciously humming along to the tune when the song was abruptly cut off and was replaced by a strange voice.

  
  

  “H-hello?”

  
  

  [What!]

  
  

  Heavy breathing.

  
  

  “Hello?”

  
  

  [WHO IS THIS!]

  
  

  A gruff, gravelly monstrous voice.

  
  

  “Ah... I-I'm...”

  
  

  [Wrong number.]

  
  

  “Excuse me?”

  
  

  The jerk hung up. En Chan stared at the phone in disbelief.

  
  

  “What the hell! What is the deal with this jackass? Damn!”

  
  

  She was angrier at herself. She hadn't known how to answer him when he asked who it was, and so she'd acted like a loser. What made her angrier, though, was the fact that she had to call back.

  
  

  En Chan calmed her mind and pressed the button. The voice that cut the music off seemed to scrape at her ears as it said,

  
  

  [If it's you again, I'm going to kill you.]

  
  

  What kind of phone etiquette was this? En Chan scowled and said,

  
  

  “I'm the person who needs to receive the compensation reward.”

  
  

  [Receive what?]

  
  

  “The compensation reward.” She had to be stubborn and brazen. There was no other choice. She had to put on her game face and forget the fact that doing this made her feel dirty and stupid, and she had to be stubborn.

  
  

  [Oh....]

  
  

  So he finally remembers.

  
  

  [Scooter.]

  
  

  “That's right.”

  
  

  [You're going to take it?]

  
  

  This jerk! I knew he was going to come out like this! Damn it!

  
  

  “Well... That's not really... Well, the photo... the paper you wrote your number on is a photo... I feel like I should return that to you, too....”

  
  

  God! I wish I could just blow this off. What a dirty and cheap trick!

  
  

  “I-I got fired.... and the helmet cracked... Oh, and the scooter's totally trashed.”

  
  

  [Ugh... my head.]

  
  

  “Excuse me?”

  
  

  [No, never mind, go on. So how much do you want?]

  
  

  “About $4000. And something seems a bit off right now. I never asked you for it, you said you were going to give it to me. I mean, if you don't, that's the end of it, but I did get fired from my part-time job. And since you said you'd give me a month's wages or something, you should probably take responsibility....”

  
  

  [Responsibility?]

  
  

  “Well, not responsibility, per se, but... you told me to call, didn't you?”

  
  

  There was nothing to be ashamed of, she was just receiving what she should—or so she wanted to think. Damn. If it wasn't for Dong Ok ahjumma's ring, she would've just yelled, “Listen, you total jackass, you think I did it to get money? You freakin' jerk. Jerk off!” and hung up on him.

  
  

  [I didn't think you'd actually call.]

  
  

  “What?”

  
  

  [Fine. Come here.]

  
  

  “Where's 'here'?”

  
  

  There was no guarantee that he'd really give her the money if she went, but there was nothing else she could do. En Chan waited for the man's reply, torn between expectation and despair.

  
  

  [Dong Yi Hotel, room S11.]

  
  

  
  
  

  • 12:57 AM
  • 1343 Views
  • 6 eProps
  • 6 Comments