Chapter 3. Ready (2)
No one could have known. No one but me could possibly have known that On Suhyeon, the star of this event, was staring right at me. To anyone else, it must have looked as if she were merely scanning the banquet hall, taking everyone in with those gorgeous, languid eyes.
“What are you doing? Sit down.”
Only after my husband nagged me did I realize On Suhyeon had finished speaking. She descended slowly, bathed in the same thunderous applause that had greeted her as she took the stage. Even a war hero coming home wouldn’t have received such acclaim. Hell, forget a country. You could save the world, and you still wouldn’t earn such dazzling praise.
In my head, my husband’s description of her as “good-for-nothing” clashed violently with the beautiful woman I had seen with my own two eyes. The two phrases couldn’t coexist. At least, not in my mind.
If anything, she was closer to a queen bee. A ruler of countless drones who hauled pollen and stored honey just for her, drones that wouldn’t hesitate to throw their bodies on the line to defend her against outside threats. Royalty revered by that endless swarm, special just for who she was. A creature entirely different from me.
Flaunting her slender figure, On Suhyeon began making her rounds among the tables in front of the podium. It was where all the prominent businessmen and politicians were stationed, faces anyone would recognize.
Firm handshakes followed. Every time On Suhyeon greeted them with polite deference, the women laughed a little too loudly. If this event had been arranged to introduce her, it was a resounding success. Even the clinking of utensils and glasses as people dined sounded like music, so of course it was.
“Honey, pass the pepper.”
My husband was completely engrossed in his food. If nothing else, you had to give him credit for throwing himself into everything with his heart and soul. A perfectly cooked steak the size of a palm had been bestowed upon every guest. The old chairman had thrown a jaw-dropping banquet for her daughter, and those who spared no effort for the company were meant to savor the bounty granted to them.
Everyone laughed, chattered, ate, and drank. The only ones not enjoying themselves were three. On Suhyeon, her girl, and me.
“Looks like that rumor’s true.”
Before my husband even finished speaking, the people gathered around the table turned toward the woman trailing behind On Suhyeon. The backless dress and long, flowing hair were unmistakable. She was definitely the girl who had sucked On off.
“There’ve been rumors that they’re dating, right?”
“Didn’t that actress’s latest movie break ten million tickets?”
“Even the chairman loves her more than her eldest son. I bet women line up for her.”
“Just women? I bet men do too.”
“Man, I’m jealous.”
The gossip almost sounded friendly. The people at the edges of the room, my husband included, lifted their half-full wine glasses to match the warm, friendly atmosphere and clinked them together in a toast, wagging their tongues over rumors about On Suhyeon. Promiscuous, filthy, sordid. Sex and drugs seemed to be her vice. No wonder they called her good-for-nothing.
My head spun. The steak wouldn’t go down my throat, and the wine I had chugged trying to force it through had already pushed me past my limit.
“Aren’t you drinking way too much?”
My husband spoke with a tone that sounded surprisingly concerned. But with how slurred his words were, it was clear he was drunk too. This whole event was driving everyone to intoxication one way or another. I had to keep my senses about me. If not him, then at least me.
I fumbled across the table for my phone to get up. My heart wasn’t pounding normally, and not because of all the wine. It was because the subject of everyone’s chatter was walking right toward our table. Uh… Uh… People just stammered in shock and awe like muffled screams.
“There you are.”
Before I knew it, On was standing right in front of me, looking straight at me as she spoke. The dark shadow she cast swallowed my face, the woman who had been trailing her nowhere to be seen.
“Congratulations, ma’am!”
My husband leapt up and frantically bent over to bow to On Suhyeon. Everyone at the table stood up, following his lead, and did the same. I probably should have, too, but my frozen body refused to move.
“What are you doing, dear? Get up and greet her.”
My husband dragged me up to my feet as On’s eyes tracked me relentlessly. Why are you doing this to me? That was the first thing I wanted to ask. You aren’t planning to spill what happened, are you? And that was the second. My pupils quivered with anxiety, and deep between my thighs, the heat that had briefly settled down began to throb and burn again. Swallowing down a faint groan, I barely managed to bow my head to On Suhyeon.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
On Suhyeon asked in a surprisingly tender tone. She even went out of her way to tilt her head and meet my eyes.
Terrified, I had to hide my trembling hands behind my back. Hearing my husband chatter away in an exaggerated attempt at flattery was a relief. For someone who had called her good for nothing, his ears turned red like a boy in love as he tried desperately to make eye contact with On Suhyeon.
“Mr. Kim, if I recall correctly, you mentioned your wife designs bags…”
My eyes widened as far as they could go as I turned to my husband. Flush-faced and flustered, he forced an awkward smile. Liar. I wanted to slam my fist into his back. But regardless of what lies he had fed her, On Suhyeon had asked, so I had to answer. Under the circumstances, saying yes seemed like the only way to smooth things over.
“Yes. I did for a short while before getting married, but not anymore.”
I stammered, squeezing the words out as sweetly as possible. My husband beamed from ear to ear, enthusiastically chiming in to agree.
“There’s an urgent matter regarding my girlfriend. Could you spare a moment?”
“…Um, sorry, what?”
“It’s a bit too complicated to explain here.”
On Suhyeon had addressed my husband, not me. She knew perfectly well that he couldn’t refuse her. Her confident phrasing wasn’t a request. It was an order. All my husband had to do was give her the answer she wanted.
“Um. Miss On…? I’m sorry, but if it’s about your partner’s work, perhaps someone else should—”
“Ah, yes, of course, Miss On! Absolutely. I do hope my wife can be of help.”
Help? What help? I turned to my husband in utter shock, but he avoided my eyes. Don’t screw up. The warning he had repeated echoed in my head.
“This way.”
As soon as he said yes, On Suhyeon turned to lead the way. She was practically gliding on her heels. Her long ponytail swished against her back, tied high. No time to hesitate. Behind me, my husband was nudging my back, and ahead, On was waiting by the exit doors.
Time seemed to come to a crawl. The hesitation before taking a step toward On Suhyeon was brief, but that split second felt like an eternity. Pair after pair of eyes turned toward me as the whispers grew louder. With someone impossible to ignore standing right ahead, all that attention was bound to follow.
What should I say? Should I apologize for looking at that impressive piece of hers without permission?
I was so afraid I couldn’t help but tremble. Every single step toward On Suhyeon felt like walking on thorns, as if the soles of my feet were tearing open. I knew I had to go along with it to avoid humiliating my husband, but I never had the nerve or stomach for something like this. Did I really have to get punished like this for accidentally stumbling across someone’s intimate moments and staring in shock?
By the time I drew close to On Suhyeon, I could taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. I had bitten my tongue. I wanted to bite down harder and just collapse on the spot. But just as my knees buckled and I stumbled, On caught my arm in her large hand and guided me out of the banquet hall.
The cold outside air washed over my face. I gasped like a drowning person coming up for air. Only after stepping outside did I realize how feverishly hot I was. My cheeks and ears felt ready to burst.
Unbothered by my state, On kept her hand wrapped firmly around my arm as she walked down the hallway. Despite having been in the same room, her hand was icy cold.
“Where are we…”
“Not far.”
“Um, there’s something I need to say. I mean, I should apologize—”
The soft sound that echoed next was definitely a laugh. On Suhyeon was laughing.
“W-Why are you laughing?”
“Because you look so terrified. It’s hilarious.”
“You can’t intimidate someone and then laugh at them for being scared.”
“If you’re so easily frightened, how on earth did you watch someone else having sex without so much as batting an eye?”
“That… that was… That’s why I’m trying to apologize…”
Her languid laughter drifted out once again. It creeped me out so bad I couldn’t help but squeak. Soon, we passed through an empty hallway, slipping past doors behind which no sound could be heard.
I was about to ask her where we were and where she was taking me, but before I could open my mouth, she pushed open the third door from the end of the hallway with her shoulder and walked inside.