WW | Episode 40

She kept messing up all day. She misplaced items, registered orders incorrectly, and even forgot the boss’s instructions. Eventually, her boss, who’d only stopped by briefly to check in, spoke up.

“Yul, is something going on at home?”

“No, not at all.”

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“Then did you break up with that handsome boyfriend of yours?”

Her boss’s eyes sparkled with curiosity about Yoonjo, who showed up in front of the store twice daily. Initially, his constant questioning had annoyed her, so she had told him off in front of Yoonjo. It seemed he had overheard because he had stopped asking altogether after that. She had thought he’d lost interest, but apparently, he had continued watching closely.

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“It’s nothing. I just feel a bit out of it today. I’m sorry.”

Feeling embarrassed, Yul bowed her head. She was usually meticulous and rarely made such mistakes. She didn’t understand why she was so off today. Not wanting to be a burden, she felt even more ashamed.

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“Of course, that’s not like you. You don’t act like this every day, so don’t worry. Just try to stay focused, okay?”

“Yes.”

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She quickly responded, grabbing a rag. A customer had spilled ramen broth in the microwave earlier, and if it wasn’t cleaned up soon, the convenience store would reek. After wiping it up, she sprayed disinfectant and wiped it again. As she rolled up her sleeves to rinse the dirty rag, her phone started vibrating.

Oh no, she’d forgotten to turn it off. She smacked her forehead and picked up her phone, only to freeze. She only knew four people who had her number, but this was an unknown number. It could be a wrong number, but her situation made her heart sink. Hesitating, she cautiously pressed the call button.

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“Hello?”

“Long time no see, princess.”

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A sly, mocking voice clung to her ear. She didn’t have to ask who it was—her body reacted first, turning cold.

“Did you think you could run away and not be found, you damn bitch?”

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It was the thugs from Yonghoon Construction, the worst among her creditors.

“Don’t come here, girl!”

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Kyeong Ja’s voice screamed in panic on the other end of the line.

Yul ran like mad, her heart pounding as if it would burst. She wondered if her heart might just shatter and kill her right there. Why had she told her grandmother not to go out? Dealing with ruthless thugs was much worse than selling vegetables in the cold.

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The fact that they had shown up was clear from the people gathered outside her apartment, watching as if there was something entertaining going on. Sharp sounds from inside filtered out through the crowd—the shrill voice of Kyeong Ja, the men’s curses, and the crashing of broken items. The ugly face of poverty she’d almost forgotten had surfaced again, in its rawest form.

“Could someone call the police, please?”

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She asked a woman who seemed sympathetic and then hurried down to the basement.

The door was open. As she rushed in, she stopped, speechless at the sight. Everything was scattered across the floor, drawers were yanked out, their contents strewn everywhere.

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Among the chaos stood three gangsters she recognized from before. One leaned against the wall, another was chewing gum loudly while glancing around, and the last one, a man with a snake tattoo on his neck, sneered as he looked at her.

“Oh, long time no see, pretty girl.”

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“Grandma!”

Yul shoved him aside and ran to Kyeong Ja, who was lying on her side, groaning. Her white hair was a tangled mess, her lips parched and dry. Yul could imagine what had happened—her grandmother had probably tried to intervene and ended up getting pushed and kicked.

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Those bastards.

Yul clenched her teeth and glared at the thug approaching her.

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“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What do you think we’re doing?”

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The thug answered mockingly, crouching down in front of her and Kyeong Ja. Tilting his head, he gave a twisted smile, his dark eyes filled with anger, satisfaction, and twisted desire. He grinned again and grabbed her chin.

“You stupid bitch. Did you think you could just run off and not get caught? If the old hag’s too senile to make smart choices, you should’ve kept her in line. Right?”

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“L-Let go!”

“There are hundreds like you, people who try to dodge paying what they owe. We find every single one of them. Oh, well, maybe just one we didn’t.”

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He paused for effect, smirking as he continued.

“She lived alone, with no family to track. In the end…”

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He made a slicing motion across his neck and winked.

“She went and died on her own. Dumb bitch should’ve sold herself if she was going to end up like that.”

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The thug clicked his tongue in mock sympathy, then lightly slapped Yul’s cheek. The first was soft, the second harder, and by the third, he hit her hard enough to make her cry out. Her pale cheek instantly swelled and reddened.

These damned monsters. Kyeong Ja tried to move, eyes wide with fury, but Yul pulled her back. Dealing with these dangerous men was her burden to bear. Even though she’d just been slapped, she looked back at the thug defiantly.

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“Why do we have to pay you?”

She shouldn’t antagonize the thug, but the words came out on their own. She was sick of it. Day after day, she struggled just to survive, but things never improved. Poverty clung to her like a curse, always lurking, waiting to ruin her peace the moment she felt she could finally breathe.

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How long would she have to live like this?

“Look at this stubborn bitch. Fine, let’s see what happens to you today. Do you have any idea how much I’ve lost because of you and the old hag?”

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Seemingly angrier than ever, the thug raised his hand high, exposing the tattoo that ran down his arm. This one’s really going to hurt, she thought, closing her eyes tight.

A loud thud sounded, different from the previous blows, heavier, more destructive. Fear doubled, but the pain didn’t come. The scream wasn’t hers—it was his.

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When she opened her eyes, the thug was on the floor, trembling. Lifting her head, she saw someone she hadn’t expected.

“Yoonjo!”

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“You okay?”

“Damn it.” Yoonjo cursed, unable to contain his rage as he stared at her swollen face. Turning around, he swung a punch at one of the other thugs charging toward him, sending him crashing to the ground.

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“Yoonjo, stop!”

Her voice shook as she shouted. She wasn’t scared facing the thugs alone, but seeing him fighting made her hair stand on end. Yoonjo’s eyes had already gone wild, and he wouldn’t stop. And while the thugs had held back against an old woman and a young woman, they wouldn’t hold back against him.

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Or… would they?

When one thug swung a punch, Yoonjo dodged lightly, his counterpunch landing squarely in the man’s side. The thug let out a primal scream, violence echoing through the room. The thug who had slapped Yul regained his senses and pulled a small knife from his pocket.

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“Yoonjo, watch out!”

The sight of the weapon made Yul scream instinctively. The thought of it being used against Yoonjo filled her with dread. Even if Yoonjo had held up well, if he couldn’t defend against that… if it hurt him…

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The thug lunged forward with the knife. Yoonjo leaned back, swinging his leg to kick the thug’s ankle. The thug lost his balance and stumbled, dropping the knife as he fell. Yoonjo grabbed a nearby book and ran at him, smashing it down on him without mercy. The book quickly stained with blood, and the thug’s face became an unrecognizable mess.

“Yoonjo.”

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Yul ran over, releasing her grip on Kyeong Ja and throwing her arms around Yoonjo’s waist, calling his name over and over.

“Stop. That’s enough.”

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At her desperate plea, Yoonjo froze, still holding the book. He looked at her with a blood-splattered face and asked softly.

“Are you… okay?”

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As soon as he spoke, the sound of a police siren blared outside.

With the thugs gone, there was nothing left to investigate. When the police asked if she wanted to file a report, Yul shook her head. She had reported them before, but it hadn’t helped. Instead, they had returned, even more vicious. And this time, with Yoonjo involved, she didn’t want to escalate things further. Even though it had been self-defense, she didn’t want to drag him into a police report. He already had a complicated past; she didn’t want it dredged up.

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The police, acting as if this was a routine incident, took a few notes and left.

Yul helped her grandmother into bed, gathered a few medications, and went outside. Yoonjo was sitting on the edge of the villa’s flowerbed. When she approached and sat beside him, he stretched out his legs and asked.

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“Is your grandma okay?”

“Seems like it. I’m planning to take her to the hospital tomorrow.”

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Other than the injuries from the fall, her grandmother seemed fine. In fact, she had been so curious about who Yoonjo was that she’d started interrogating Yul.

Suddenly, a male friend had appeared at her side and even charged into the house to help, which had clearly startled her. Yul had told her they were just friends, but her grandmother had insisted she should bring him by for a meal sometime as a thank-you.

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She wouldn’t tell him that, though; if she did, he’d probably show up for real.