Come Back

“What did you talk about in the car for so long? I almost died of boredom waiting for you.”

It would have been better if she had seen a ghost. Lee Seo-kyung was sitting in a high-backed armchair, her legs crossed.

“Did you have car sex or something?”

“W-what… how… h-here…”

She had tried to speak, but it wasn’t really speech—it was more of a scream that escaped her lips uncontrollably. The mansion had strict security. No one could just open the front door and take the elevator.

Lee Seo-kyung smirked at her naive question.

“Why are you so surprised? Do you think there’s anywhere in Korea I can’t get into?”

Her voice was so casual, almost condescending, as if they were on intimate terms. The reality of the person in front of her, Lee Seo-kyung, was gradually becoming more real to Choi Hong-seo. And the more real it became, the faster Choi Hong-seo’s breath quickened.

The tight shirt that strangled her neck and wrists, the obsessive outfit where even the hem of her pants lifted as her legs crossed, leaving no skin exposed—Lee Seo-kyung’s attire was tight like a corset or armor. Choi Hong-seo’s breath was suffocating.

“It’s been so hard to see you, Hong-seo. So, I decided to come directly.”

Lee Seo-kyung stood up from the armchair, leaning on the armrests. Choi Hong-seo could clearly see her coming closer, but she couldn’t take a step back. All she could do was exhale in short, frantic breaths, unable to do anything else.

Lee Seo-kyung stopped just a couple of steps away, bent down, and matched her gaze.

“You’ve gotten even prettier.”

With a smile and gaze that seemed to be reserved for someone dear, Choi Hong-seo felt a chill run down her spine. Lee Seo-kyung’s hand reached out and grabbed her chin.

“Nothing’s really changed, huh? It’s been so long, but who would guess you’re twenty-seven? My taste is on point, huh?”

Just her hand on Choi Hong-seo’s chin left her feeling completely restrained, unable to move an inch. She couldn’t resist or fight back. She was paralyzed by the fear she felt from the man standing before her.

No, it wasn’t just fear—Lee Seo-kyung was death itself to Choi Hong-seo. He was the one holding her life in his hands.

The affectionate smile slowly turned colder, and the thin lips twisted into an expression of irritation.

“I hear you’ve been getting some attention lately? So, are you and President Myung treating me like a side dish now?”

“B-because… I had to leave… for an overseas… schedule…”

Her trembling lips could barely form an excuse.

It was true that she had no choice but to obey even when dealing with President Myung, but he wasn’t scary. Lee Seo-kyung, however, was terrifying. She didn’t want to admit it, but her body and mind had already responded to him that way. President Myung had exploited her, but he was a thorough heterosexual and had never directly touched her as a “product.”

But Lee Seo-kyung…

After Lee Seo-kyung, the numerous “entertainment” meetings she had been forced into under threats were nothing compared to this man. No one, no matter how vile, could surpass Lee Seo-kyung. In fact, all the disgust from those encounters didn’t even come close to matching the terror he instilled in her.

Lee Seo-kyung wasn’t human in Choi Hong-seo’s eyes. What he had done to her wasn’t something that could happen in the human world.

She was terrified of him. She didn’t want to feel this way, but there was no escaping it.

Sighing deeply, Lee Seo-kyung exhaled right in Choi Hong-seo’s face.

“See, Hong-seo? You’re trembling like this, and yet you still made me angry? Hmm?”

“……”

“If President Myung was being like that, you should’ve snapped out of it.”

Lee Seo-kyung looked at Choi Hong-seo, as if pitying a subordinate who had made an unintentional mistake. She clicked her tongue as she looked at Choi Hong-seo, who couldn’t move.

“Hong-seo.”

Choi Hong-seo wanted to shut her mouth, scream, and curse at her.

“I really liked you. I almost fell for you at first sight. That’s why I waited so long to be with you, to sleep with you for the first time.”

“……”

“You know, but I really dislike it when people do things forcefully…” I’m someone who really dislikes it. “But since Hongseo kept insisting that the second round was absolutely not allowed, there was nothing I could do at that time.”

Lee Seokyung shrugged her shoulders and made a regretful expression.

Lee Seokyung was talking about the incident from seven years ago. Choi Hong-seo’s entire body began to tremble once again. It was the body’s reaction to being suffocated by fear.

“You know I don’t like leaving evidence like filming and stuff.” But… Sigh… If they aren’t set up to come on their own, there’s nothing I can do about it. You need to have insurance to avoid any repercussions.

Lee Seokyung’s hand was lightly placed on Choi Hongseo’s shoulder.

“At that time, I had no intention of forcing you to do anything, did I?” “Do you understand?”

The third-generation chaebol Gucci customer who is constantly pressuring CEO Myung to go for a second round with Choi Hong-seo, making things difficult for him.

No, according to Myung Do-hoon, it wasn’t just Gucci, but Hermes and Chanel, right?

Myung Do-hoon had told Choi Hong-seo to meet him in person and refuse, as there was a limit to how much he could keep rejecting him on his own. Since he felt sorry for Myung Do-hoon, who had been constantly troubled by that third-generation conglomerate heir, Choi Hong-seo had no choice but to agree.

The meeting place was a private room in a high-end restaurant attached to the hotel, and for Choi Hong-seo at that time, the idea that something major could happen in such a place was unimaginable.

However, the world that Choi Hong-seo, who had just turned twenty, could not imagine was limitless.

In the hotel room where the restaurant was located, Choi Hong-seo was raped multiple times, and the then twenty-year-old Choi Hong-seo, who had never heard of such unspeakable acts before and has never heard of them since, was forced into all sorts of perverse activities, with every single step of the process being filmed.

That was the weakness that Choi Hong-seo had against Lee Seo-kyung and Myung Do-hoon. The first weakness.

And they began to use it to coerce Choi Hong-seo into ‘entertaining’ them. In that way, second, third… Twentieth… They continued to accumulate their fiftieth weakness.

At that time, Choi Hong-seo could choose one of the two.

Doing what they tell you to do. And instead of refusing to do what they say and reporting it, the photos and videos taken are made public all over the world.

Even if we set aside President Myung, Lee Seok-kyung was the son of a great chaebol family, someone no one in South Korea didn’t know. Even if she stood up to such a person and reported him, Choi Hong-seo couldn’t even entertain the hope that she could win.

While gently massaging Choi Hong-seo’s shoulders, Lee Seo-kyung cast a light glance.

“I’ll give you 30 million won, so let’s go for round two. How many times have I said that through Manager Myung?” If you had just chosen to come on your own, it would have been more comfortable for both of us, right? Tsk.

There’s no option not to do it, so how can that be a ‘choice’?

In my mind, I was shouting countless times, but I couldn’t move my tongue to speak.

I wanted to resist, I wanted to scream, I wanted to confront, but my body wouldn’t listen. It was humiliating to realize that he felt fear towards this trash, who was even worse than a beast.

Lee Seokyung suddenly applied strong pressure with the hand that was massaging her shoulder. And then, tilting her head at an angle, she glared at Choi Hong-seo.

“Anyway, what I want to say is that you were a special person to me in every way, an exception.” “Right?”

“……”

“But if you treat me like this, I’ll be really hurt.” Right?

Lee Seokyung, who had placed her hand on Choi Hongseo’s shoulder, took a few steps back. And then he took out his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket and started typing something.

Without even looking this way, and while staring at her phone, Lee Seokyung casually said, as if it were not a very important matter.

“Hongseo, I know exactly who you guys are messing with.”

“……”

The words spoken casually shattered Choi Hong-seo’s heart as if it had been thrown against a solid wall.

Lee Seokyung was clearly the one holding Choi Hongseo’s life in their hands.

“That brother of mine, really…” He wasn’t the kind of person who would be hanging around in such low places. That model student ended up being a celebrity sponsor. Haha… Well, now you finally know how to spend money. Come to think of it… Our Hongseo is really amazing, isn’t she?

“That’s not it.”

It was the first time words had come out of Choi Hong-seo’s mouth so clearly. Lee Seokyung, who had been looking at her phone, just turned her head to look this way. However, her expression was still nothing special.

“The vice president has never paid me any money…” He doesn’t even intend to do that. President Myung… He’s just deluding himself and beating the drum and the janggu all by himself.

Still trembling, I looked straight at Lee Seokyung and spoke. Until then, the lips that had stubbornly refused to part no matter how hard I tried, and the tongue that had remained motionless, finally managed to speak, albeit stiffly.

A smile flickered across Lee Seok-kyung’s previously expressionless face. If someone who didn’t know Lee Seokyung saw it, they might even think it was kind and warm—such a chilling smile.

“What? Has our Hongseo fallen in love too?

The expression “Hong Seo-do” was grating on my ears, but I didn’t have the luxury to think deeply about it. As if unable to contain his joy, Lee Seokyung chuckled and approached again. And then, she tightly squeezed Choi Hong-seo’s cheeks with one hand.

“Are you covering for the vice president because you’re in love?”

When she tried to shake him off, Lee Seokyung tightened his grip even more. The face and gaze right in front of me made me feel nauseous.

“Hey…” Really… It’s so adorable that I’m tearing up, I’m tearing up.

Lee Seokyung made an annoyed face and pushed Choi Hongseo’s face away with her palm.

“I told the truth.” If you don’t believe me, you can just look it up!

Taking a few steps back, Choi Hong-seo moved closer and this time kicked the shopping bag with his foot.

“Here or there…” “Seriously, why is everyone acting like a bunch of idiots?”

Choi Hong-seo hugged the shopping bag to her chest.

“Do you think I came here without even knowing whose house this is?”

“This, this house…” That’s not it… Ugh!

As Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder was pushed back and touched the front door, Lee Seo-kyung violently crushed Choi Hong-seo’s right cheek against the front door.

“Just because they gave you a little bit of understanding, do you think you’re something special now?”

And then, insultingly, he kept tapping Choi Hong-seo’s cheek. The cheek that Lee Hae-sung had cherished so dearly, like a fragile piece of art.

“If I understand, so what?” Do you think he would go through the trouble of cleaning up after a filthy stray dog? Does ARA’s understanding seem like someone who has that much free time? Even after going through all that hardship, are you still so naive, Hongseo? “Uh?”

“I’ve never asked the vice president for anything like that.”

“Oh my, damn, really?” “Are you really experiencing such noble love?”

“……”

“Here or there…” It’s really funny, I’m dying.

Lee Seokyung, who had been cursing, raised her arm and scratched her forehead. And then, with an irritated and anxious stride, she walked around the elevator hall while looking at her phone again.

“Hong Seo-ya.”

Then, in an instant, he stepped forward again and held the phone screen right in front of Choi Hong-seo’s face.

“Shall I share some of our memories with our beloved vice president?” “Okay?”

“……”

The photo on the screen was one of the dozens, if not hundreds, of photos taken by Lee Seokyung seven years ago. The moment she saw it, Choi Hong-seo bent over, clutching the shopping bag tightly, and started gagging.