Special Side Story 09
Heeju felt a pang of unease and spoke up, unwilling to simply give in and retreat.
“Didn’t we agree to be honest with each other? To share our true feelings openly? You remember that promise we made after we fell into the river?”
“I do.”
The words muttered back then had turned into a distant memory.
“But Heeju, at that time… I didn’t know.”
“What?” she wanted to ask back but her question abruptly cut off as his lips descended on hers.
Sa-eon cut off her question with a forceful kiss. A warm sensation filled Heeju’s mouth. As if he were trying to swallow the unspoken secret, his tongue ventured deeper and deeper.
As their saliva mingled, Heeju wondered what those dissolving words might have been. It was such a desperate kiss that she could feel his struggle.
‘He’s hiding something.’
No, he’s eagerly trying to keep it hidden. As she held him close, Heeju felt certain of it.
***
The murky river water choked him, and the relentless waves kept him trapped beneath the surface. The world was swallowed by darkness, illuminated only by the chilling, predatory gleam of Baek Jang-ho’s eyes.
“This monster… This monster must die here…!”
“……!”
“This is the only way to protect everyone!”
The grandfather submerged the child beneath the river’s surface, the child’s feeble struggles creating ripples in the water. This act of violence elicited a profound sense of unease.
The scenery changed. Now the culprit Baek Jang-ho’s face morphed into Gyo-eon’s. His hands moved of their own accord, defying his will.
The boy’s mouth gaped open, releasing a stream of tiny bubbles as the agonizing expression on his face burned itself into his mind forever.
“Dad…”
The dreadful words soon turned to foam.
“Dad, save me….”
Gyo-eon began to crumble bit by bit.
In the end, the posture shifted, and an unfamiliar boy in her view was now strangling him. Water poured into his lungs, drowning him. He was trapped in the labyrinthine-like river.
Shrouded in perpetual darkness, this place, a monument to Baek Jang-ho’s twisted ambition, was a decaying tomb of materialism. No light could pierce the suffocating gloom.
This bond had to be broken by his own hands. Baek Gyo-eon fought with all his strength. When he managed to break the chain-like fingers tightening around his neck—
“――!”
Baek Gyo-eon gasped awake. Cramps racked his toes, and cold sweat poured down his face. He frantically surveyed his surroundings before calming down.
“Heeju. Hong Heeju…”
With bloodshot eyes, he repeated the name, a single anchor in the raging sea of his thoughts. It was a beacon, guiding him back to shore. He gazed longingly at Heeju, sleeping peacefully beside him, finding solace in her presence.
Reverently, Gyo-eon kissed the soft curve of her shoulder peeking out from the blanket. His lips, slowly moving upward, soon passed her nape and reached her ear.
The brief, light touch of his lips seemed insufficient, so Baek Gyo-eon ended up deeply kissing her neck.
“Uhm…”
As Heeju stirred, he soothed her by gently brushing her hair. The soft strands beneath his fingers filled him with tenderness. For a while, the man watched his wife’s sleeping, innocent face, oblivious to the passage of time.
She was his refuge from every nightmare. His life, once a tattered mess, had become a sweet miracle. He desired nothing more.
Out of habit, he kissed the back of her hand. Then, carefully he got up from the bed.
Yet, the dream, extinguished for a time, rekindled…
‘Was it from the day I saw the pregnancy test on Heeju’s dresser?’
Baek Gyo-eon dragged himself into the bathroom. Turning the shower lever, cold water began cascading down. The pregnancy test, still in its box… Had he retreated at that moment, or perhaps…
As the water pummelled him, the memory of the riverbank returned. The cursed bloodline, a constant reminder of his monstrous potential, threatened to consume him.
‘Monsters are not only created—they are also born. And the blood flowing in me belongs to Baek Jang-ho…!’
Baek Gyo-eon remained under the shower until Hee-joo softly called his name upon waking.
***
“Sister, how do I investigate someone?”
Hong In-ah spat out water, letting it trickle down her chin. She glanced at Hee-joo, who was nibbling on a straw with a faint blush on her face.
“What happened…?” Hong In-ah asked as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Her mischievous smile was perhaps unnecessary.
“Who do you want to investigate?”
“Baek Sa-eon.”
In-ah coughed again.
“What? Why are you investigating your husband? Do you think he’s cheating on you?”
“No.”
Heeju firmly shook her head. Her husband arrived home only at dawn, then spent time gently caressing her until she awoke, at which point he abruptly excused himself to the bathroom.
She could have confronted him, but she hadn’t. Because Baek Sa-eon was the type of man who, if he wanted to deceive her, would do so effortlessly, without batting an eye.
Instead of confessing his secrets, he would rather kiss her or bite his tongue— he was that kind of man.
Heeju’s lips were constantly chapped, a predictable side effect of their interactions. He would often silence her scolding by slyly rubbing her lips. So, to uncover the reason behind his sealed lips, she had to act covertly.
“It’s not that he’s cheating on me… but it feels like he’s hiding something.”
“That sounds weird..”
“Hmm.”
The snort and sharp look she gave felt like those of a seasoned journalist. By this time, Heeju had gathered a little more misplaced courage.
“Actually… I want to hire a detective to look into my husband.”
“My my! Is our Heeju diving into illegal territory now?”
Heeju blushed deeply and lowered her head. Noticing her embarrassment, Hong In-ah stopped teasing and thoughtfully stroked her chin.
“Well…That’s a standard practice at the newspaper.”
“At your company?”
“It’s something like paparazzi work. We take photos of politicians—who they meet, and what events they attend. It helps us uncover unexpected connections. Sometimes, we even collaborate with the prosecution…”
Hong In-ah’s voice trailed off as she asked, “So… what do you want me to do for you?”
The clear sound of a beer bottle being opened echoed in the air.
“Do you want me to follow Baek Sa-eon?”
***
Consumed by rage, Heeju’s vision blurred and her breath quickened. Her torso tensed, and she violently jerked the steering wheel. Her palms were slick with sweat. At that moment, In-ah’s nervous voice came through the car’s speaker.
— “Heeju, calm down. Maybe this is a misunderstanding—give me more time to…”
“No, that’s enough!”
With every breath, the air grew heavier, and her heart pounded faster. It was too late to calm down.
The haunting image from her sister’s file replayed in her mind, trapping her in a cycle of distressing thoughts. Impulsively, she grabbed her keys and sped off.
Realizing her sister’s state, Hong In-ah desperately tried to calm her down further.
— “Heeju, please stop and breathe. A man visiting a urology clinic could have plenty of reasons—it doesn’t have to be what you’re imagining. If you keep going like this, you’re going to cause trouble. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment; it would be better to consult a lawyer.”
Her sister’s desperate advice only tightened Heeju’s grip on the steering wheel. Her mind, already a maelstrom of dark thoughts, became further clouded by her sister’s words.
— “A lawyer? Why would a lawyer come into this?”
In-ah shouted,
— “Sexually transmitted diseases are 100% contracted from outside sources!”
Fueled by her sister’s anguished outburst, Heeju’s driving became increasingly erratic, her speed spiraling out of control.
TL/N:
In the side stories, the author switches between Sa-eon and Gyo-eon as the male lead’s name (like in political, official stuff he’s addressed as Sa-eon and other times Gyo-eon). I wanted to stick with one to maintain consistency but I had to use Baek Gyo-eon for the nightmare part… As the main choking scene involved the “real Baek Sa-eon” in earlier chapters.
