TMYRA Chapter 13

Slitting a Throat is Nothing

 

If Min Ihan had been right next to her, his voice was so forceful that it seemed as if he would have stripped her clothes off on the spot.  

 

The memory of that night by the sea, when he had come to her room, surfaced in her mind.  

 

In the silence, she could still hear the sound of a zipper being pulled down. Ragged breaths, the slick sounds of skin against skin, followed by Min Ihan’s quiet exhale.  

 

It still echoed in her ears.  

 

The cause of her insomnia was Min Ihan.  

 

The moment she fell asleep, he might force himself on her. Because of that, there were countless nights when Soo-ah couldn’t sleep and stayed up till dawn.  

 

“I hate it. I said I hate it!”  

 

No matter how many times she refused, he never listened.  

 

— Just wait a little longer. I’ll be there soon. Once I take care of this, you can express yourself as much as you want. You know that, right?  

 

“Stop it.”  

 

Soo-ah shuddered and shouted, but another woman’s voice overlapped from the other end of the phone.  

 

—Ihan, what are you doing?  

 

—Hm?  

 

—Why is this call so long? Did you forget Dr. Kim gave us a date today? He said today is the day we need to be intimate if we want to conceive a child.  

 

The firm tone he had just used with Soo-ah suddenly changed in an instant.  

 

—Oh, right. Yeah, we should do that.  

 

—Is it a woman?  

 

The sharp voice made it clear to Soo-ah who the woman was.  

 

It was Jang Yoon-ha, Ihan’s wife.  

 

—Soo-ah. I have something to take care of for a moment.  

 

—Moon Soo-ah? Isn’t she the daughter of that Kim Bo-kyung or whatever her name is? Why would you even be on the phone with her?  

 

—Soo-ah called because it was urgent.  

 

—Ihan, those people are just leeches clinging to you for money. How many times have I told you that cutting ties with them is what’s best for you?  

 

“……”  

 

While Soo-ah stayed silent, sensing the tense atmosphere, Ihan suddenly spoke into the receiver.  

 

—Soo-ah. That’s not something I can help with. You’ll have to take care of it yourself now.  

 

Then, the call was abruptly disconnected, and his voice disappeared.  

 

That was the kind of man Min Ihan was.  

 

He couldn’t let go of the wealth and power that Jang Yoon-ha had, yet he still raised his voice at Soo-ah.  

 

She had no interest in him, but he convinced himself they were in love. His blind obsession only intensified his madness.  

 

Exhausted by her suffocating reality, she had no motivation to continue her work. Then, she heard a commotion outside.  

 

“Moon Soo-ah! Where are you? Where the hell are you?! Because of you, everything is a mess! You can’t even hold onto a man properly!”  

 

The door banged open, and an enraged Bo-kyung stormed in.  

 

“Ihan says he can’t get a divorce! What are you going to do about it?! If Jang Yoon-ha gets pregnant and tells him to throw us out, then you and I will end up on the streets! Do you get that? We’ll be left with nothing!”  

 

Bo-kyung must have heard something from Ihan, because she immediately reached for Soo-ah’s hair.  

 

“I told you to do it right, didn’t I? I told you to do whatever it takes to make Ihan like you! What the hell did you do to him?!”  

 

Soo-ah quickly dodged, causing Bo-kyung to stumble before regaining her balance.  

 

“If Ihan won’t make a move, then you have to! Moon Soo-ah, if you had just stripped naked, shaken your damn breasts, and giggled in front of him—! If you had gotten pregnant, he would have divorced immediately, and we would be the ones moving into that house!”  

 

Driven mad by greed, Bo-kyung screamed in panic, fearing that Ihan might abandon them.  

 

For a brief moment, Soo-ah had been able to forget her miserable, sewer-like reality and enjoy a sliver of peace. But now, she was being reminded of it all over again.  

 

“Why are you even doing this useless crap?”  

 

Bo-kyung threw down the thread and dye, then went for Soo-ah’s work, ready to tear it apart.  

 

“Stop it! I said stop!”  

 

Soo-ah grabbed her, but Bo-kyung found a pair of scissors and pointed them at her threateningly.  

 

“Then do something! I don’t care if you have to strip naked and dance or jump him in the middle of the night! I’ll destroy all of this until you come to your senses!”  

 

Just as Bo-kyung shoved Soo-ah away and raised the scissors to cut her work—  

 

“Which bitch is causing a ruckus in my space?”  

 

A deep, heavy voice made Bo-kyung freeze.  

 

Seo Mun-hwon and his men appeared, quickly surrounding Bo-kyung.  

 

“I came home to get some rest for the first time in a while, but fuck, it’s too damn noisy. Annoying as hell.”  

 

Mun-hwon had clearly just taken a shower. He was wearing only a bathrobe, the front left open to reveal his muscular chest and a massive tattoo.  

 

“I—I mean, I’m Moon Soo-ah’s mother. I was just scolding my daughter because she’s being ridiculous. Stay out of this.”  

 

Even though she was intimidated by Mun-hwon’s large frame, Bo-kyung stubbornly talked back.  

 

“Hey, lady.”  

 

“What do you mean, ‘lady’? Do you even know who I am? I’m practically Min Ihan’s mother! I was the one who hired you for this job, so technically, I’m your client too!”  

 

Bo-kyung, overwhelmed by Mun-hwon’s presence, desperately tried to assert herself.  

 

“Hah. Mother? Even a stray dog would laugh at that. A client? Get real. Min Ihan’s mother died a long time ago. You’re just Chairman Min’s caretaker and, what, his side piece? That’s more like it.”  

 

Mun-hwon wiggled his pinky finger and smirked. Bo-kyung grimaced but couldn’t say a word.  

 

“You have the audacity to make a scene in my space and act like you’ve done nothing wrong?”  

 

Mun-hwon took a step closer, his expression turning cold. Bo-kyung, now trembling, shut her mouth.  

 

“There’s a reason for this! Moon Soo-ah did something wrong!”  

 

“Fuck. If you’re her mother, you should’ve raised her properly. Let’s be real, if you had done your job right, I wouldn’t have to be dealing with this bullshit. I’m already running around like crazy, and now you’re pissing me off too. Isn’t that right?”  

 

Mun-hwon held out his hand, and Jang Ji-cheol, standing beside him, handed him a cigarette.  

 

“By the way, Jang Ji-cheol, what did you do about those guys?”  

 

“I buried them for now.”  

 

“Killing them would be too much of a hassle, so don’t go that far. But damn, you really are a pain in the ass.”  

 

As the cigarette tip ignited, he slowly inhaled and then exhaled a long stream of smoke into Bo-kyung’s face.  

 

“Oi Lady. You’re still here.”  

 

“I’m… I was about to leave. But I still have something to say.”  

 

“Why? Are you here to apologize?”  

 

“Apologize? Apologize for what! That wench is the one who—”  

 

Mun-hwon cracked his neck from side to side and suddenly picked up a golf club beside him.  

 

“My body feels stiff today, so I was thinking of hitting some balls. Oi Lady, want to help me out?”  

 

“What do you mean?”  

 

“Aish, you old bitch. You don’t have any friends, no acquaintances. All you have is that one gathering where rich wives stuff their faces together, right? I don’t think anyone would care if you disappeared. Ah, wait. There is one person. Moon Soo-ah.”  

 

One of the staff members quickly placed a golf mat and golf ball in front of him.    

 

“As long as Moon Soo-ah keeps quiet, getting rid of one person is no big deal. Should I get some exercise after a while?”  

 

As Mun-hwon raised the golf club high, Bo-kyung let out a scream.  

 

“Kyaa! D-don’t do this!”  

 

Mun-hwon casually struck the golf ball and then looked at Bo-kyung with a smile.  

 

“What will it be? Will you apologize to Moon Soo-ah and promise never to show up in front of me again? Or do you want to become a human golf ball?”  

 

Bo-kyung quickly turned to Soo-ah and spoke.  

 

“S-Soo-ah. I said that for your own good, you know that, right?”  

 

“That doesn’t sound like an apology.”  

 

Mun-hwon flicked his cigarette onto the floor and put it out with his bare foot. Seeing this, Bo-kyung’s face contorted with distress.  

 

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”  

 

Bo-kyung glanced nervously at Mun-hwon before raising both hands in a desperate plea.  

 

“I apologized, so please, let me go. I’m begging you. I won’t look for Soo-ah again. Ihan has people taking good care of her, and I must have lost my mind to come here and provoke you.”  

 

Mun-hwon bit down on his cigarette again and looked down at Bo-kyung with an indifferent expression.  

 

At his cruel gaze, Bo-kyung’s body trembled.  

 

“What should I do? How can I make you believe me?”  

 

As Bo-kyung whimpered, Mun-hwon gave an order.  

 

“Ji-cheol, bring me some paper and a pen.”  

 

“Yes.”  

 

When Ji-cheol brought them over, Mun-hwon threw them in front of Bo-kyung.  

 

“Write. And don’t forget to stamp your thumbprint.”  

 

“W-what should I write?”  

 

Bo-kyung asked, bewildered.  

 

“What else? A written pledge that you’ll never show up in front of Moon Soo-ah again.”  

 

“But how can a mother—”  

 

As Mun-hwon lifted the golf club once more, Bo-kyung grabbed the pen.  

 

“Alright, alright. I’ll write it.”  

 

[I will never appear before Moon Soo-ah again.]

 

She was about to finish with just that, but Mun-hwon added more.  

 

“Add this: ‘If I ever get caught by CEO Seo Mun-hwon again, I will accept any punishment without complaint.'”  

 

Bo-kyung gritted her teeth and wrote down his words.