Ephphatha Chapter 7
by Ariana“Why…!”
Seul-ah sprang up in shock and instinctively took a step back. She wouldn’t have been this startled even if she had seen a ghost. This was impossible. How?
“Why… why are you here? How….”
“What was that lock? Morse code?”
She tried to escape to the corner of the living room to avoid the man approaching her without hesitation, but his speed was far superior. He stepped on the living room table and crossed it in an instant, reaching Seul-ah in no time.
“Tada.”
“H-how….”
“You saw me unlock the door and come in.”
“H-how did you… Why… h-how do you know our house’s passcode?”
As she stammered out her question, Seul-ah’s gaze suddenly turned toward the corner of the sofa. A white phone lay at an angle. Come to think of it, she had briefly wondered why it was in the house. She had naturally assumed her mother had left it there…
As she looked up at him with incredulous eyes, Kwak Chi-gyeom suddenly grabbed her cheek with one hand.
“Mmfh, what are you—”
“At this rate, when are you going to finish chewing?”
Before she could pull away, he pressed her cheek tightly. The cherry tomato in her mouth burst instantly, filling it with a tart, fresh scent as juice dribbled from her lips.
Chi-gyeom slowly ran his thumb around her lips, then licked his own finger leisurely with his tongue. Then, without hesitation, he took another tomato from her hand and pushed it into her mouth, grabbing her cheek again.
“Stop…!”
Seul-ah frantically grabbed his hand and pushed it away. The four tomatoes she had been holding tumbled to the floor.
“You were chewing too slowly, so I was trying to help. So cruel.”
“I asked you how you know the passcode!”
“How do you think? You didn’t call the cops, so I’m guessing you watched the video.”
No way. Seul-ah looked at him, disbelief evident in her expression.
“Are you saying… my mom told you?”
“Judging by the circumstances, yeah.”
“……”
“We have a long road ahead of us, so don’t glare at me like that.”
Chi-gyeom shook the hand she had grabbed, pretending to be playful. Only then did Seul-ah hastily release his hand and crush the tomato in her mouth between her teeth.
Why? How?
Her mother had given someone like Kwak Chi-gyeom the house’s passcode? She couldn’t believe her mother’s choice. How could she trust such a rough-looking man around her?
As she stared down at the fallen tomatoes, a sudden thought made her lift her head.
“You said my mom made a contract to marry me off, with you.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Why you?”
Click. He tutted his tongue.
“Because your mom used what I want as leverage?”
“…And what is that? What’s in the safe that made you agree to this contract with my mom?”
“You’ll probably find out once you walk down the aisle with Seo Han-seong.”
He didn’t look like he had any intention of telling her. Seul-ah narrowed her eyes and changed her approach.
“Then what are the conditions for breaking the contract?”
Chi-gyeom clicked his tongue again, smiling.
“Breaking it?”
“I don’t think my mom would have told me to just trust someone like you… There must be specific terms for breaking the contract, right? That’s how contracts work.”
Seul-ah took another step back, keeping her guard up. Chi-gyeom looked at her for a moment, then exhaled a breathy chuckle.
“Hey, want to come work under me?”
“What?”
“I mean, you’re sharp.”
He brushed his index finger along her chin, flicked a small tomato seed into the air, and then strolled over to the sofa. He sat down, crossed his legs, and bounced his foot up and down as if he owned the place. It was ridiculous, but keeping some distance was better than having him too close, so she let him be.
Today, he was wearing a yellow shirt speckled with leopard print. With the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, his thick forearms were fully exposed. His build was easily three times hers, making Seul-ah instinctively inch further back.
She shouldn’t be in the same house as this thug. No matter how much her mother trusted him. But why on earth would she even give him the door lock passcode…?
“Well, there’s something similar.”
Chi-gyeom’s words pulled her from her thoughts. Seul-ah took another step back and stared at him warily.
“What is it…?”
“If you report to Ephphatha, saying, ‘This bastard bullied me, boohoo, I don’t want to do this anymore,’ then the contents of the safe will be destroyed, and our relationship will be automatically terminated.”
“What?”
“It means it’s up to you.”
She blinked slowly.
“That simple?”
“That’s how Han Ji-seon set it up.”
“Then if I… break the contract, what happens?”
“You’ll just have to scrape by on the money from selling this house, and I’ll be pissed because I won’t be able to find what Han Ji-seon hid in the safe.”
“……”
“Shit, I’m the only one who stands to lose. It’s fucking unfair, but since it’s a safe Han Ji-seon set up, there’s nothing I can do.”
Of course. There was no way her mother would have tied her to a thug without any safeguards in place.
Living off only her mother’s inheritance felt a little precarious, but since she was living alone anyway, she could sell the apartment and move into a one-room place, living carefully and frugally. Maybe she could manage to get by…
“But, my client, you need to think about this.”
Chi-gyeom suddenly interjected, disrupting her train of thought.
“If you break the contract, you know? Ah, of course, I didn’t bully you, but if you throw a fit and tear up the deal—”
“……”
“Then, I’ll have wasted my time and still won’t have found my stuff. That would really piss me off, wouldn’t it?”
“……”
“So, what do you think I’d do to you then?”
His voice sank low.
“If you are freed without any conditions, wouldn’t I actually start tormenting you for real?”
Seul-ah instinctively sucked in a breath. Tilting his head down to look at her, he exuded an eerie chill, like a wild beast. Whether it was his clothes or simply his presence, she couldn’t tell. The air was so tense that she even coughed, and at that, Chi-gyeom shrugged and sank deeper into the sofa.
“Who said I’d eat you alive?”
“……”
“As long as you cooperate and help me retrieve my stuff, I won’t bother you. So don’t be so scared.”
“How… how can I trust you?”
“What, do you think I’d beat you to a pulp? Or strip you naked and force myself on you?”
She flinched and retreated further. Something squished under her foot and burst—one of the cherry tomatoes she had dropped earlier. Her sole was instantly damp, and she didn’t know what to do with it, so she only bit her lips in frustration. Then—clap! A sudden sharp sound made her look up.
“Enough of that. I’m busy enough trying to get you married off quickly. What’s in that safe is far more important to me than you think, and I need to get my hands on it.”
“……”
“I’m not so starved that I’d beat up and violate a girl who shrinks away just from eye contact.”
“……”
“So why don’t you stop glaring at me and sit down already? If you keep keeping your distance like that, when are we supposed to have a conversation? I’m even holding back on smoking for my dear client’s sake.”
Now that he mentioned it, there really wasn’t a cigarette smell. But she wasn’t foolish enough to believe he was doing it for her. He had probably just run out. Even as doubt lingered, Seul-ah stole a cautious glance at him.
“Sit.”
Chi-gyeom nudged the sofa with his foot and ordered her. After hesitating for a moment, Seul-ah first lifted her foot off the squashed tomato. The damp, sticky sensation was unpleasant, so she hopped on one foot toward the tissues on the table. His gaze followed her every move.
Seul-ah pulled out a tissue and wiped her wet sole. She decided to clean the floor later. After firmly planting both feet on the ground, she turned to face Chi-gyeom. He raised an eyebrow slightly. Under the fluorescent light, his pupils looked exceptionally dark.
“So… why did you come here?”
“Let’s go see Seo Han-seong on Saturday.”
“Huh?”
“I finally have a reason to meet that boring bastard.”
Seul-ah clenched the damp tissue in her palm.
“Is there… no other way besides marriage?”
A faint trace of irritation crossed Chi-gyeom’s face.
“Why are we going in circles again?”
“H-How am I supposed to marry someone I don’t even know?”
“That’s why you should start getting to know him now.”
“Marriage is too soon…”
“Didn’t Han Ji-seon have you at your age?”
“……”
“Children follow their parents’ fates.”
She frowned, displeased at the way he so carelessly mentioned her mother, but Chi-gyeom only shrugged nonchalantly.
“Look at it in a positive light. Instead of living alone in this big house, pecking at your meals like a lonely little bird, wouldn’t it be better to have a handsome husband, call each other ‘honey’ and ‘darling,’ and, you know, have some fun together? Sounds good, right?”
“But…”
“Or you can destroy my belongings and live a life of torment. But with that body of yours, playing with me won’t be easy. I think I’ll torment you a lot. That’s just the mood I’m in lately.”
“……”
“A peaceful married life with Seo Han-seong or a scratchy throat from inhaling my cigarette smoke every day while I make your life hell—which one do you prefer?”
He raised his index and middle fingers as if presenting her with options.
“Oh, by the way, Seo Han-seong doesn’t smoke. He’s ridiculously health-conscious. You two would be a perfect match.”
“……”
“Choose. After all, in this contract, you’re the one in charge, so I have to do whatever you decide.”
The audacity. He was threatening her and yet speaking as if she held all the power. Seul-ah glared at him in frustration and tossed the tissue, now damp with tomato juice, onto the table. The way it landed limply felt exactly like her own situation. Chi-gyeom seemed to take her silence as an answer and lowered his hand.
“If you have time, bring me something to drink. Your hospitality is seriously lacking.”