DR 1

Nothing was worse than Sunday night—not even Monday morning. During the week, Ahyun could scrape by, clinging to the promise of the weekend. But Sunday night? It offered no such lifeline.

 

“So lonely…”

 

Ahyun let out a long sigh as she laid out tomorrow’s work outfit on the sofa. After tackling overdue cleaning, running the washing machine, and stocking up on food to survive the week, all that awaited her in eight hours was the grind of work.

 

Next to her budget suit, the C-brand lambskin bag she’d placed was starting to show its age, the leather peeling at the edges. Seven years ago, that bag had gleamed with pride. Now, it only screamed outdated vanity.

 

To Ahyun, the worn-out handbag felt like a mirror of herself. She tucked the C-brand bag away and replaced it with a cheap imitation she’d ordered online, setting it beside tomorrow’s outfit. The synthetic leather’s glossy sheen looked tacky, but the stitching was decent enough. 

 

These days, knockoff clothes and bags suited her better. Maybe they always had.

 

“How’s the leather peeling already when it cost that much?” 

 

Sure, Ahyun hadn’t exactly babied the bag, but lambskin couldn’t fight time. Neither could she. At twenty-nine, faint lines were creeping into the corners of her eyes.

 

She’d accomplished nothing, yet time seemed to speed up with every passing year.

 

“Getting old happens fast,” she muttered.

 

With thirty looming, Ahyun felt a growing weight of melancholy. It wasn’t about some superstitious “unlucky year,” but twenty-nine just wasn’t a fun age.

 

She climbed into bed, pulling the covers over her. Opening the bedside drawer, she took out a neatly stored vibrator. 

 

A wave of self-loathing hit her—what was she doing on a precious Sunday night? But if she didn’t chase an orgasm, she’d toss and turn all night. That small vibrator, fitting perfectly in her hand, was her only hope tonight.

 

Zzzzing.

 

She switched it on, the vibration buzzing against her palm. With practiced ease, Ahyun slipped it under her pajama pants, pressing it against her pussy hole.

 

“Haaah…”

 

The moment the vibrator’s suction tip grazed her folds, a moan slipped out. She didn’t bother stifling it. Living alone in her studio apartment, no one would hear her lewd sounds anyway.

 

Ahyun rubbed the suction tip against her clit with familiarity. The vibrator hummed, teasing her sensitive bud with rhythmic pulls.

 

She closed her eyes, picturing the hottest actor-idol of the moment. He was way younger than her, but good looks earned an automatic “oppa” pass.

 

“Mmm, oppa…”

 

She called out to her imaginary “oppa,” sliding the vibrator up and down inside her panties.

 

But the spark just wasn’t there.

 

The vibrator’s performance was top-notch, but a woman needed a story. No matter how gorgeous that actor-idol was, imagination and stimulation alone couldn’t rocket Ahyun to orgasm in one go.

 

When she first bought the vibrator, just pressing its suction tip to her pussy hole would finish her in fifteen seconds flat. But her damn body adapted too quickly for its own good.

 

Cranking up the intensity didn’t help either—it just stung her clit like it was being yanked off. Pleasure dangled just out of reach, leaving only frustration sloshing around.

 

Ahyun opened the bedside drawer again. She didn’t want the hassle of cleanup, but her pussy was as dry as a barren spring field, so she squeezed a slick stream of lube over it.

 

“What’s all this for, some grand life of luxury?”

 

A life without a man—was this what it came to? She could handle everything else solo, but sex? That was one thing where going it alone left her wanting.

 

Spreading the water-based lube across her folds didn’t change much. Worrying about the bedsheets getting soaked only broke her focus.

 

“Ugh, fuck…”

 

In moments like these, a man’s face flickered in her closed eyes like an afterimage.

 

She’d rather have a knife to her throat than think of him, but for tonight’s ecstasy, she needed Cha Suhyeok’s filthy mouth.

 

“Fuck, Yun-ah, your pussy’s so damn pretty.”

 

His face was blurry now. All she could recall about Suhyeok was his trashy, comforting dirty talk.

 

She was probably the only person in the world masturbating to a childhood friend she no longer felt anything for.

 

But using Suhyeok—once her friend, once her lover—as an imaginary dildo didn’t exactly feel like a moral crime.

 

It wasn’t hurting anyone.

 

If Suhyeok ever found out, he’d probably try to kill her for real, but—luckily or not—she’d never have to face him again.

 

“Hmm, suck it,” Ahyun mumbled to herself.

 

The vibrator slurped at her inner folds, buzzing wildly.

 

Slurp. Slurp.

 

The sound was obscene. Ignoring the crude noise assaulting her eardrums, Ahyun summoned Suhyeok’s deep, velvety voice again.

 

“Yun-ah, your pussy’s so deep. Feels like I’m all the way inside you.”

 

It was almost magical. Just thinking of Suhyeok’s vulgar lines—his face barely a memory—made her walls pulse in response.

 

“Haa, ahh!”

 

Her hips bucked. Slickness dripped down. Imagining Suhyeok alone flooded her with arousal, no extra effort needed.

 

Suhyeok and Ahyun had a story no movie star or idol could touch.

 

Sure, their story ended messily, but it didn’t matter. She could cherry-pick the good times and call it a day.

 

“Ugh, put it in, Suhyeok…”

 

Teetering on the edge of pleasure, Ahyun let his name slip out.

 

“…”

 

And just like that, the mood crashed.

 

Fantasizing was thrilling, but saying his name aloud? That was still too soon.

 

She switched off the humming vibrator, got up, and shuffled around.

 

A little more, and she could’ve tipped into orgasm—but the Suhyeok who’d fill her was long gone.

 

“Why do you keep popping up? It’s annoying.”

 

Funny thing was, she was the one who’d wronged him. Every time she jerked off thinking of Suhyeok, guilt crept in, snuffing out the thrill.

 

Suhyeok stoked her desire and killed it in one breath.

 

Ahyun trudged to the bathroom, rinsing the vibrator clean. She washed the lube-soaked mess between her legs with water. She thought about crashing but felt embarrassed by her drenched panties and swapped them out.

 

No orgasm, just a sopping pair of underwear to sum up her pathetic state.

 

“How did my life end up such a mess?”

 

Sighing heavily, Ahyun stood at the sink, hand-washing her panties. The sticky remnants of her arousal were too gross to toss in the laundry with her clothes.

 

Her hands turned red from the cold water. Washing killed the last of her drowsiness.

 

The shitty Sunday night dragged on.

 

Past midnight now—Monday.

 

Another week of slogging through, clinging to the thought of next weekend. But when it arrived, what would she have? Just more of this—masturbating, probably. At twenty-nine, her pathetic situation felt like a joke.

 

* * *

 

Voluntary Retirement Notice

 

Due to the acquisition of StreamTech Co., Ltd. by VisionVibe Co., we are implementing a voluntary retirement program for the first half of the year.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

– Eligibility: All StreamTech Co., Ltd. employees with 3+ years of service  

– Application Period: April 1 – April 11  

 

Standing in front of the CEO’s office bulletin board, Ahyun collected the long-expired voluntary retirement notice and fed it into the shredder.

 

The company she’d worked at for four years had been acquired by VisionVibe, an IT giant, prompting them to recruit voluntary retirees.

 

The generous severance package tempted her to consider quitting, but Ahyun trusted StreamTech. More precisely, she couldn’t walk away when just three more months would let her cash out her stock options—no severance could match that.

 

Sure, the KOSDAQ index could crash in those three months, but ever since VisionVibe’s acquisition, StreamTech’s stock price had skyrocketed.

 

Cashing out her options, combined with her savings and a loan, could buy her a small, older apartment in Gyeonggi-do.

 

“Last day, huh…”

 

Muttering to herself, Ahyun gathered the notices and stepped into the CEO’s office. Today was her final day assisting CEO Jeong Su-mun.

 

Starting tomorrow, someone from VisionVibe would take over as CEO, she’d heard.

 

As the CEO’s secretary, Ahyun began the day with a solemn sense of duty, determined to make her last day count.

 

She wiped down the recliner the cleaning crew had left dusty, checked the air quality monitor, and opened the windows for ventilation. She cleared out the wilting roses from the vase and replaced them with a fresh bouquet of white chrysanthemums—flowers symbolizing sincerity, gratitude, and truth—picked up from the florist that morning.

 

CEO Jeong Su-mun was a remarkable man. A solid, gentlemanly figure in his late forties, Ahyun took pride in serving him.

 

Working under someone she respected meant she’d never once considered jumping ship.

 

When she’d joined, the company was a tiny operation in a 30-pyeong officetel. Now, it owned an entire building.

 

As Ahyun grew with the company, it had soared, and she’d been granted stock options multiple times.

 

Per company policy, employees could sell their options based on years of service. In just three months, Ahyun would qualify to cash hers in. It wasn’t a lottery jackpot, but for her age, it was a hefty sum.

 

Parting with CEO Jeong was bittersweet, but endings always ushered in new beginnings.

 

Optimistic that something good awaited her, she left the CEO’s office with a hopeful heart.

 

Back at her desk, Ahyun sorted through handover materials for the new CEO starting tomorrow.

 

Though the board would handle most of the transition, her role as secretary carried heavy responsibility. The thought of kicking off the handover tomorrow sent a thrill of excitement through her.

 

She was organizing critical approval documents when CEO Jeong’s warm voice broke her focus.

 

“Good morning, Secretary Kang.”

 

“Good morning, sir.”

 

Ahyun stood, bowing deeply to CEO Jeong. Then her eyes landed on the man walking beside him into the CEO’s office—and she froze.