The Umbrella and the Debt
Kim Seung-ju prowled close, watching every move, every chance. Yu-won threw everything she had into driving him away each time. And Kim Hak-yeon soon showed his true colors.
“I’ll pay what I can myself. The hospital bills are mine to take care of now. So just return them in my name.”
When Yu-won pressed the point, Kim Hak-yeon laughed and grabbed her by the collar. <“Really? Then deposit every single won I’ve poured into the company over the past years. Right now. Then I’ll drop you from the guarantee.”
Kim Hak-yeon had already put her name down as the guarantor at the hospital. He knew perfectly well that Yu-won couldn’t pay off those enormous debts he claimed to have “covered” all at once. <“Can’t you? Then shut up and do exactly as I say. If you don’t want to see your mother sitting on the street in the gutter this afternoon, you’d better obey.”
Yu-won had been forced to her knees more times than she cared to count under Kim Hak-yeon’s threats. Mom had been in a vegetative state for four years now. After graduating university, Yu-won had taken any job that came along, but every salary had to be stripped away by Kim Hak-yeon. For her mother’s medical bills and caregiving, or sometimes as “company funds.”
“Are you okay, miss?” The taxi driver glanced back through the rearview mirror, worry etched across his face. <“No. Nothing’s wrong.”
That was what she’d started to answer before she realized her eyes were burning. <“Just… the night lights are too bright for my eyes.”
“That’s not it. Night lights aren’t even that pretty. Why would you look like you’re about to cry?”
“Yeah… they really are pretty.”
Yu-won forced a smile and closed her eyes. She still wasn’t exhausted enough to break. There were too many things left to fix. ***
“Huh? What did you just say?”
Yu-won raised her voice. The hospital desk staff shook her head, clearly embarrassed. <“The caregiver’s salary has been overdue for weeks. She couldn’t take it anymore and quit a few days ago. You had no idea?”
“...I didn’t know.”
“And you’re also behind on the hospital bills. If they go into long-term arrears, we’ll have no choice but to discharge your mother immediately. You understand, right?”
It felt like she’d been slammed with a sledgehammer. Yu-won gripped the desk to steady herself so she wouldn’t sway. Anger and despair surged inside her. She snatched up her phone and dialed Kim Hak-yeon at once. <“What the hell is this, huh!”
—What’s up with you? Yelling before we even finish the sentence? Kim Hak-yeon roared on the other end of the line, but Yu-won refused to back down. <“What about the caregiver’s salary and hospital bills?!”
People walking past in the hospital corridor stared. Yu-won didn’t care. <“How dare you!”
—Hey, I thought you were calling about something else. It was because the company needed urgent funds. You want me to let the company go bankrupt? <“..........”
—You really should remember how much your parents loved that company, right? <“Still… still, the hospital bills……”
Her breath caught. Yu-won sank onto the floor right there. <“I’ll take care of the urgent stuff first. This week I’ll pay the hospital bills and find a new caregiver.”
Kim Hak-yeon’s tone suddenly softened, almost coaxing. <“So, Yu-won, dig out every little weakness of that Woo-jin guy. There’s a bonus waiting you can’t even imagine. Why are you being so stubborn? Right now you’re just passively watching. Start moving actively instead.”
“......”
Yu-won stayed silent, and Kim Hak-yeon’s voice turned sharp again. <“Just close your eyes for a second and your mother lives, and the factory workers live. You just need to pretend you’re clean, that’s all?”
“......Please make it happen by this week. Otherwise I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Yu-won barely managed to speak the words before she hung up without waiting for his reply. <“Are you all right?”
A passerby offered her a hand. <“I’m fine. Thank you.”
Yu-won shook her head, braced against the wall, and slowly pushed herself up. If she cried too much, would her tears stop flowing? Nothing came out anymore. She staggered forward.
A year ago Kim Hak-yeon had summoned her with rare excitement. It was around the time his son Kim Seung-ju had just been locked up for assault. <“Yu-won, I have something for you to do.”
The order had been simple. Quit her current job and become the secretary to the CEO of Taekyung Group’s subsidiary, Moment. The procedures had already been taken care of from headquarters, so it was all formalities. <“But I didn’t force you into that position for simple reasons.”
“Monitor every single move of the newly appointed CEO, Woo-jin. Who he meets with, what documents he stamps—nothing escapes you.”
The one who gave the orders was Lee Min-gyu, the Vice Chairman of Taekyung Group and Woo-jin’s uncle. When Yu-won had overheard their phone calls, it was clear the two men met on gambling tables, paid money, and each other’s debts. Of course, Kim Hak-yeon was the one clearing the debts. <“If you handle this well, the company will be fine, and your mother’s hospital bills won’t be a worry!”
Kim Hak-yeon had clenched his fist in excitement and made grand promises. <“I’ll return Ian to your name too. Drop the guarantee. From now on, Yu-won, your life is yours.”
In the end, Yu-won had no choice. Her uncle had demoted her to a failing subsidiary because he feared her nephew’s talent, and then he’d even blackmailed her. Yu-won had felt a flicker of pity for Woo-jin. At least she’d wanted to see him up close. <“Hello. My name is Shin Yu-won. I’ve taken over the secretary duties as of today.”
He might be just as pathetic as her. She’d felt hopeful. <“It’s me, Woo-jin.”
Her guess shattered with those few words. Not even a greeting—just a single sentence. Every word and every step carried arrogance that went far beyond confidence. No sign of defeat at all. He had always won and would always win. Yu-won felt it instinctively. With her mother’s hospital bills hanging over her head, she had no room for guilt or morals, but the ache in her chest for him kept growing. <“Do you have a boyfriend?”
Only once had he asked a private question. <“Yes, I do.”
The only thing she could do to hold back the flood of emotion was to lie. Her feelings for him had grown stronger. Watching Moment slowly recover, she felt a strange satisfaction in her work. So she sometimes skipped reports and started manipulating them. She had no idea how much longer she could keep it up. [Room 2004]
Yu-won stopped in front of her mother’s familiar room. She had stubbornly refused the hospital’s suggestion to move her to a multi-bed ward and insisted on a private room. It had become a perfect excuse for Kim Hak-yeon to take every won she earned, but she had no choice. It was the only thing she could do for her mother. The sharp smell of disinfectant and medicine was nothing like the comforting scent that used to linger from her mom. <“Mom, I’m home.”
Still, Yu-won lifted her voice as much as she could. Even if her mother couldn’t hear, the powerless sound would surely upset her. <“The caregiver suddenly quit? Your mom must have been so uncomfortable.”
Yu-won soaked a towel in water and began wiping her mother’s thin limbs. The skeletal frame made her throat tighten. <“Just hold on a little longer. Mom, can you wait a bit?”
No answer came from the bed. Yet Yu-won kept talking as if her mother could hear every word. <“Mom, do you remember the person I mentioned back then?”
It had been shortly after she started at Moment. She’d accompanied Woo-jin to an external meeting and suddenly found themselves caught in a downpour. Yu-won had raised her heels as high as she could, desperately trying to shield the one umbrella to Woo-jin. But there was no way a twenty-centimeter height difference could be overcome. <“I’m the one who should hold the umbrella, right?”
Woo-jin spoke and at the same time snatched the umbrella from Yu-won’s hand. <“Ah, I see. Fine.”
Yu-won quickly stepped behind him. Rain hammered down hard. <“What are you doing?”
Woo-jin looked back at her with a puzzled expression. <“Huh? You said you wanted to use it yourself……”
LT__“Is the boss-family’s high-handedness the point?”
LT__“No, that’s not it.”
An umbrella descended over Yu-won’s head. <“Or we can share it.”
The faint scent of his cologne and cigarette always clung to him. Her heart beat so hard her ribs ached. <“It’s fine. Just hang in there a little.”
Yu-won stood stiff as a board. Woo-jin spoke calmly. The rain was loud; she doubted he could hear her own heartbeat. That was fortunate. Rrrr. Her phone vibrated, pulling her out of her daze. When she saw the name on the screen, her face twisted. [Kim Seung-ju]
Yu-won quickly rejected the call. If she answered, he’d no doubt threaten or blackmail her again. <“Hah.”
Everything suddenly felt exhausting and drained. She was standing at the edge of a cliff. <“Mom, I……”
This was her limit. She buried her face in the bed, swallowing the words she couldn’t bring herself to say aloud. The events of the past few days tangled together in her mind. Kim Hak-yeon’s threats, Kim Seung-ju’s violence, her mother’s hospital bills. And Woo-jin’s proposal. ......If she was already at the bottom, why not? Yu-won slowly lifted her head and, in a trance, entered the contact list and pressed the call button. Just for today, he could pretend not to know what she was doing. Just one day. “......”
The longer the ringing went on, the drier her mouth became and the more anxious she felt. Finally, on the verge of giving up and hanging up, a smooth, pleasant voice flowed out. <“Hello.”
The moment she heard Woo-jin’s voice, her mind went blank. So she spoke a beat late, lips parting. <“It’s me, Shin Yu-won.”
LT__“I see.”
The voice came through perfectly calm, as always. <“I called because I wanted to ask you something.”
LT__“Tell me.”
Yu-won took a deep breath. <“Is the proposal from last night still valid?”