Vol 2 Ch 15

Click, click, click, click. The sharp sound of heels echoed through the empty space. As Lee Hyewon exited the entrance, she wasted no time pushing the cart forward. She even had a casual conversation with a passing employee.

“Hyewon, haven’t you finished your shift yet?”

I recognized the voice immediately—it was Jin-seok. From his tone, I was sure of it. Without missing a beat, Lee Hyewon replied smoothly.

“No, I just have a bit more cleaning up to do before I go.”

“Alright, take care.”

The cart rolled smoothly for a while but then clunked as it passed over the doorway and continued down the rough path. After enduring all the bumps and jolts, the cart finally stopped. Moonlight filtered in above us, and Hyewon lifted the lid off completely.

“This is a blind spot for the CCTV. You can come out now.”

I was in total darkness, unable to see even my own hands, but now I stretched out from my cramped position. The cold wind cooled the sweat on my neck.

My uniform was soaked with sweat and rain, a complete mess. I didn’t care about being sticky given the situation, but the problem was the large logo printed on the back of the uniform.

Crossing my arms, I quickly pulled off the top and grabbed something to wear from the pile of clothes in the linen cart. As I buttoned the shirt with quick fingers, the woman spoke again.

“If you walk down this road, a black sedan will come for you.”

I nodded, retrieving the bundle wrapped in sheets. I handed the pre-counted money to Hyewon. She counted the bills carefully to ensure the amount was correct, while I kept a vigilant eye out, making sure no one was approaching. Then, I removed my watch.

“Hey, can I have that watch?”

“…No, I can’t give you this.”

She let out a small “Hmph” as she gripped the handle. It seemed like she had asked just out of curiosity. Finally, the hook of the watch snapped open. Grabbing the watch tightly, my gaze briefly met hers.

“……”

“……”

Without a word, we turned away from each other simultaneously. The sound of her high heels and my hurried footsteps created a dissonant rhythm. Before long, her footsteps faded away.

Thud, thud, thud. I sprinted at full speed. Gasping for breath, I pressed on relentlessly towards my destination.

“…Huff, huff.”

The golf course behind me loomed ominously large, no matter how far I ran. It felt like it was constantly right behind me, looming over me, crushing me with its weight.

I fled from it as if being chased, desperate to escape.

At last, I reached the road and stopped. Panting heavily, I watched as a car’s white headlights approached from a distance. It was a black sedan, just as Hyewon had arranged. In this deserted place at this late hour, it had to be the car. The pitch-black color of the car gave me an ominous feeling. I had grown to dread anything black.

“……”

Even though I had asked Hyewon for help, she was still someone who worked at Royal. There was a chance she might have betrayed me and told Mr. Jang about my plan, so I decided to let the car pass by.

I loosened my grip. The watch fell to the side of the road with a soft thud. Despite just abandoning something worth millions, I felt no regret. Instead, I felt a strange sense of relief. After all, I had already messed with the vault. There was no way I hadn’t done the same with the watch.

I sprinted down the road, disappearing into the mountain that, in the dark, looked like one large beast.

“…Huff, huff.”

Though the mountain was small, the pitch-black night made it treacherous. The rain-soaked grass clung to my shoes, and the branches blocked my path at every turn. I squeezed out the last of my strength, running like a madman.

Finally, through the tangled branches, I saw the road again. Overcome with excitement, I hurried down the slope, only to trip on a tree root exposed by the rain and twist my ankle.

“…Argh!”

The pain was sharp, but I quickly forgot it. I scrambled back to my feet and rushed toward the road.

Standing in the middle of the road, I saw a white light flashing from afar, growing brighter until it lit up everything around me like midday. Shielding my eyes with my arm, I lowered it to see an old, rickety truck chugging towards me. I quickly opened the left door and threw myself inside.

The truck, with me inside, immediately sped off down the road.

A familiar but no less unpleasant stench filled the air. It was worse than the smell from a garbage bin, making my head pound and my lungs feel like they were being crushed.

My uncle’s eyes, which I hadn’t seen in years, roamed up and down my body. A shiver ran down my spine as it felt like centipedes were crawling under my skin.

His toad-like hand moved from the gear stick towards me, his rough skin brushing my cheek. His voice, as foul as the smell in the truck, oozed into my ears.

“You still look good, don’t you?”

Frozen in place, I slowly turned my eyes toward my uncle. His greasy eyes gleamed disturbingly under layers of fat. His thick lips moved as he pronounced my name.

“Yewon. Seo Yewon.”

My uncle’s deeply buried eyes touched my neck. When he spotted the sheet bundle I had tucked under my arm, his eyes gleamed ominously. Instinctively, I curled up to protect the bundle.  

A strange sound of admiration, “Hoo,” escaped from my uncle’s mouth, surrounded by a dark blue stubble shadow.  

It was only then that I became aware of the bruising around my neck. I quickly withdrew my neck like a turtle, but it was already too late. My uncle had already grasped the situation and laughed, a metallic sound scraping at my ears. It was like the creak of an unoiled iron door, drilling into my head.  

Whether it was because my body was wet or due to a visceral disgust, chills crawled up my spine like insects.  

“You were quite the pretty face as a child, just like your mother.”  

My uncle’s repulsive hands didn’t stop there. He stroked my face, running his fingers along my skin, and with his thumb, rough like sandpaper, he rubbed at my ear, lingering for quite a while.  

A shudder ran up to the top of my head, and I gripped my thigh tightly with my hand. I lowered my gaze. On the back of my pale hand, goosebumps stood up like little sprouts.  

“…”  

A wave of fury stirred inside me. But all I could do was imagine slicing off the part of my body he touched and throwing it out the window. I couldn’t retaliate in any way. I sat there like a statue, my spine rigid, helplessly exposed to his terrible touch. Finally, my uncle gave my cheek a hard pinch before pulling away.  

“I always thought you’d get by no matter where you went.”  

“…”  

“So, where will you go now?”  

I kept my lips firmly shut. Then, shifting my gaze, I motioned toward the small storage compartment between the driver’s and passenger seats. Three pieces of paper that looked like receipts were scattered inside. My eyes were drawn to the writing beside the depositor’s name on one of them.  

*Come to me*.  

Those were the words I had written when I sent the money. The address of a golf course was scribbled on the other two receipts. I stared at them blankly before turning my back on my uncle and looking out the window. The flood outside was still raging. My uncle seemed to realize that his question hadn’t been serious after all, and he fell silent.  

I heard rummaging sounds from beside me, and then my uncle pulled a cigarette pack from inside his jacket and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. Soon, the cheap smell of tobacco brushed against my nose.  

Hoo, hoo. The coarse sound of his exhaling, along with the acrid smoke, filled the silence.  

“…”  

As I stared out the window, CEO Jang suddenly came to mind. …I wonder if he’s awake by now. Maybe he’s already looking for me. Just the thought of it made my heart feel heavy, like a lead weight was pressing down on it.  

“…Damn it.”  

With a rough curse, my uncle dropped a crumpled cigarette pack at my feet. It was empty. Realizing he was out of cigarettes, he seemed unable to contain his frustration. I glanced at the crude handwriting on the cigarette pack.  

“…”  

I wondered why my thoughts had drifted to CEO Jang. It was because the bitter smell of my uncle’s cigarettes was the same as the smell of the ones CEO Jang used to smoke when he returned home late at night.  

…That detestable bastard. No matter how hard I tried to shake him from my mind, it wasn’t easy. He was deeply etched into the back of my eyes, clinging like gum to the sole of my shoe, always getting in the way. I shook my head furiously, trying to erase the man from my thoughts.  

For tens of minutes, or perhaps hours, the truck sped through the dark road. Yet the scenes imprinted on my retinas remained unchanged. The pitch-black outside. The cold rain swept away the grime on the window again and again, like a broom.  

It was as if I was cursed, endlessly circling the same place. I felt like I might be trapped in that small space forever.  

***  

As time passed, a faint red light began to pierce through the thick clouds that had been dominating the sky. The streaks of rain on the window became noticeably lighter.  

The truck groaned like an old man and passed through the arched entrance of the ferry terminal. With a snort, the truck stopped at an appropriate spot.  

I tucked the bundle inside my jacket, making my belly bulge, and slid out of the passenger seat.  

Whoosh. The cold morning breeze wrapped around my body. Feeling the wind pat my cheeks, I lifted my head. The port, shrouded in mist, came into view. My heart pounded. The veins under my wrists throbbed furiously. At that moment, I finally felt like I had truly escaped. My chest swelled with a bit of joy as I took a step forward.  

“Yeonwoo.”  

Startled by the voice behind me, I flinched and hunched my shoulders before turning around. My uncle, who called my unfamiliar name like it was an old school uniform he hadn’t worn in ages, stood by the decrepit truck.  

“Never.”  

“…Yes.”  

“Don’t ever come back.”  

I had no intention of coming back, nor could I even if I wanted to. Without blinking, I turned my back on him and issued a warning.  

“As long as you promise not to fall behind on the hospital bills and pay the interest on time, that is. If you keep wasting money on gambling, you won’t get a single cent from me anymore.”  

He mumbled through a tongue thick with the stench of tobacco.  

“Don’t worry about that.”  

Then he let out another nasty laugh, baring his yellow teeth. I quickly turned away from his repulsive face and walked briskly forward. I heard the engine of the truck sputtering to life again behind me, but I didn’t look back.  

I headed straight to a nearby corner store, where the owner was swatting away flies with a water-filled plastic glove. I bought a sturdy plastic bag and slipped into a bathroom stall reeking of urine. Pulling the bundle from under my shirt, I placed it inside the bag and tied it securely.  

Hugging it close to my chest, I headed toward the ticket counter. The ferry, which I thought would be canceled due to the storm, was miraculously still running. I bought a ticket.  

I spent some time sitting blankly in a chair. The sky had cleared, as if the rain had never fallen, and the sea looked calm, save for a few small ripples.  

“The ferry to XX Island will soon depart. All passengers, please board in advance….”  

I rose from my seat and joined the crowd heading toward the ferry. There weren’t many people traveling, so the ferry itself wasn’t large. But I didn’t care about any of that. Instead of sitting inside, I stood by the railing outside.  

With a loud horn, the ferry set sail.  

As the land receded behind me, I turned my gaze to the horizon. The rising dawn cast a fiery glow, scattering fragments of sunlight over the rippling sea.  

Every moment, the word I could never fully grasp washed over me like a tide.  

Freedom.  

Overcome with emotion, I lowered my head. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks.  

<To be continued in Volume 3>