DM Chapter 106
She still feels like her long journey is not yet over. Sarin swallowed the breath she had taken in. She did this repeatedly whenever something rose up inside her.
There was no way she could leave them, like Karlena had said, and start a new life.
She wasn’t sure which choice was right, but she had a reason for returning from the United States to Korea.
Unclaimed body.
For whatever reason, if she died under the new identity Karlena had created for her, she would remain an unclaimed body. She didn’t want to die in a foreign land like that.
When those in the mansion picked up guns to survive, Sarin realized her situation. She could no longer return to Eden City.
The danger was right in front of her, and she didn’t think they would spare Hayan next to her.
Feeling weak, Sarin sat quietly on the floor. The light reflected off the floating dust, making it visible.
“…I want to go back.”
Her new life had already started in Eden City.
Words that no one could hear lingered in the old warehouse.
There was only so much she could do in a quiet village. When she finished tidying up the warehouse, it was already well past lunchtime. Realizing that she had missed another meal, Sarin stared at the now-cooled bulgogi on the table for a moment before sitting down next to it and looking up at the sky.
The sky was high and clear, like an autumn sky without a single cloud.
Listening to the distant chirping of birds on the nearby mountain and occasionally the footsteps of people passing by the house, Sarin waited for time to pass quickly.
The days before going to Eden City were short, and the day to pay interest came quickly. Sarin, remembering the times when the setting sun felt so unfair, thought she couldn’t just sit idly and stand up.
She put the bulgogi back in the refrigerator and checked inside to see if she needed anything, then grabbed her wallet and went out. To go to the supermarket, which is more than a 30-minute walk away, she had to walk under the scorching sun for quite a while.
“Oh, really? Did she spend over 8 million won on that?”
When she heard a familiar voice, Sarin instinctively hid behind a pillar.
She remembered what Mrs. Hong had said in the morning. It was clear that the person who had been lending private loans to people in the town’s market had come this far to meet her.
The quiet village became noisy due to the commotion they caused. Since most people were in the fields, the village was nearly empty.
“Looks like the kid’s dad has some money. Otherwise, how could she come back with a wad of cash and rent the house she sold?”
“Ah, boss. Anyway, 800 was a bit too much. Even if it’s only about 300…”
“Shut up, you idiot. Why don’t you shut up? Let’s just take everything we can. The interest is whatever we say it is.”
Sarin turned the other way, watching Yongsik’s gang head towards her house. Confronting them alone in a place where there was no one to help her would be a disadvantage.
Even though they were trying to dump the interest on her, she couldn’t argue about what was right or wrong at the moment. Owen had paid the money, but she had no receipt to prove it.
Remembering that she could seek help from Mrs. Hong, she headed towards Mrs. Hong’s house. Her body trembled instinctively.
“Ma’am!”
Seeing the green gate, she opened it and called for Mrs. Hong, but there was no response. She must have gone to the field, as repeated calls went unanswered.
“Hey, Lee Sarin!”
When she heard the voice calling out to her, she was more concerned about what kind of trouble they might cause than asking her to repay the money. This was the man who had tried to introduce her to a brothel, saying she could earn money more easily than paying back the interest. She couldn’t forget the lustful look in his eyes.
Without looking back, Sarin ran.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”
There was a small river in front of the village, and the only way to get out of town was to cross the bridge. Mrs. Hong’s field was beyond the bridge, so Sarin ran with all her might. She believed that if Mrs. Hong, who knew she had repaid the debt, saw her, she would help her.
She doubted that reasoning would work with those who had already decided to argue, but she had no choice but to try.
Knowing the village better than they did, she took advantage of the narrow alleys to evade them, running as fast as she could towards the bridge over the river outside the village.
“Ugh!”
“Damn, making us run in this heat.”
Eventually, Yongsik caught up to her, grabbing her by the hair from behind. In the throes of pain as her neck twisted, she staggered back halfway, and Yongsik caught her with his chest. Then he roughly turned her shoulders.
“Huff, huff.”
Her breathing became labored. Yongsik was laughing wickedly in front of her as she gasped for breath. Behind him, his usual gang members were rushing toward them.
“I’ve paid off all my debts.”
“Says who? There was a miscalculation, a miscalculation.”
“I heard everything you said earlier.”
“Damn it.”
Smack.
Sarin’s body was roughly pushed towards the railing of the bridge. She stumbled but managed to regain her balance. The sound of the water flowing below reached her ears. The water wasn’t very deep, but it was high enough that falling would be dangerous.
“The kid’s dad has some money, right?”
Yongsik approached closely, flashing his gold teeth as he smiled and asked. He lowered his voice, even though the only people listening were Sarin and his subordinates.
“Let’s talk about what’s good. Let’s say I still have some debt left, and when we get the money, you and I can…”
It was obvious what the loan shark in the countryside was up to. Yongsik was desperate to find a big source of money, and he was curious about the foreigner who had suddenly cleared all of Sarin’s overdue hospital bills and debts before disappearing with the child.
How wealthy must he be to mobilize bodyguards like this at a moment’s notice?
“Bullshit.”
Sarin glared at him as he spoke.
She had always seemed like a girl barely surviving, but after her trip, her eyes changed, staring him down intently. He barely restrained himself from hitting her.
“You must have returned with a cut for yourself, too. Think about it. You’ve taken care of the child, fed him, raised him, paid for hospital bills, and even borrowed money. And the fact that there is still interest remaining is real.”
He smirked. Then, his eyes swiftly shifted as he noticed Sarin’s necklace peeking above her clothes.
“I wasn’t in the office back then, so one of my guys must have made a mistake.”
In an instant, he snatched the necklace from her.
“What are you doing? Give it back!”
Sarin lunged at Yongsik. She pushed his chest and reached out for her hand, but he swiftly grabbed her neck and pushed her down.
“I have to somehow collect overdue interest.”
Several black sedans were quietly approaching the bridge from a distance.
“Even this village has cars like that?”
Yongsik’s men commented casually, not taking the confrontation seriously. As Sarin’s nails dug into Yongsik’s arm, he swore and let go.
Before she could attack again, he held the necklace up and inspected it with a sneer. Realizing it was just old silver, not platinum, he got even angrier at having his arm scratched for nothing.
“Damn it, is this really worth nothing?”
“Boss, boss.”
Yongsik’s men called out urgently.
“It’s not worth anything. Give it back. Give it back!”
Despite Sarin’s desperate shouting, Yongsik irritably threw the necklace over the river. She turned to look at it falling below, her gaze filled with despair.
The river swallowed the small object silently and without a trace.
Sarin’s lips parted, dumbfounded. Before she could even think it was a foolish act, her body moved first towards the lower part of the bridge. It had just fallen, so she should be able to find it.
Then, someone wrapped their arms around her waist with strong force.
“Ah….”
She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The strength in the embrace, the chest against her back, and the sigh above her head were all too familiar.
“It seemed you learned some new tricks to drive me crazy after running away.”
Chills ran from her toes to the top of her head. The cold voice reminded her of the wind in Eden City. She was afraid to turn around.
What if it wasn’t him? What if it was just a voice her mind had conjured?
“Sarin.”
The familiar voice called out to her, though she didn’t respond or turn around.
“You… who are you? Damn it. What are you saying in that gibberish?”
Yongsik stammered. Only then did Sarin realize this was real. If it were a figment of her imagination, others wouldn’t be able to hear it.
“Owen.”
As she tried to move her frozen body, he finally released his grip around her waist. Sarin turned around to confirm her reality. Owen stood there, with Yuri and the security team behind him.
Reaching out, Owen noticed the red marks on her neck where the necklace had torn off.
He grabbed Yongsik, a big man, by the collar and, without anyone stopping him, pushed him against the railing.
“Ahhh! Sa…”
Before Yongsik could finish his plea for mercy, Owen threw him over the bridge.
Splash!
The heavy sound of Yongsik hitting the water was much different from when the necklace fell, causing Sarin’s shoulders to flinch.
“What the….?”
“Now you understand what almost happened to you.”
