His molars ached. Suppressing his anger was incredibly difficult. If he had realized that holding back his rage would be so difficult, he would not have held back. He would’ve invaded that guy’s hotel room, smashed his head with the telephone, stuffed his mouth with the pillow, and strangled him. That would make him feel a lot better and would allow him to get some sleep.
“Let’s start again.”
Giwoo looked at Maru getting into position again after listening to director Park’s words. He clenched his teeth so hard whenever he saw that face. If he didn’t, he would’ve uttered all sorts of cuss words. That guy was despicable and sneaky. He wanted to bite that guy’s neck out along with the dog that he saw in the dog shed. Maru muttered to himself while leaning against the bed, as though recalling the past. How many deep conversations with Gaeul would he have had with that mouth of his? How far did he touch her with those hands of his? How much would those eyes of his have seen?
The photo he saw in the hotel room floated in front of his eyes. It had been five days already. Whether it was when he was eating or having a shower, that photo did not disappear from his vision like a sticker. It was so vivid that he felt like he would be able to paint it with his eyes closed. The photo that his investigator sent him contained a couple who were grabbing hands in front of an apartment. At first, he didn’t realize who they were. They were both wearing hoodies after all. In the next photo, he realized their identities, as well as how much detail modern cameras could capture. Those two walked into the same apartment building. From the photos sent to him at various hours, it wasn’t just a simple visit. They could practically be considered living together.
What hit him hard was when Kim Suyeon walked out of that apartment. Not only that, it was the three of them walking together. How many times would Han Maru have laughed at him from behind? How many times would that guy have looked down on him for having made guesses from the act that Kim Suyeon and he put on?
It was five days ago when he realized that extreme anger can result in a chill. He needed to find a way. A way to punish the two people for their crimes of spending sweet time together after making a fool out of someone. Just leaking it to the media was not enough. They were already living in one house. He could not be satisfied with just giving a blemish to a young actress. The wound he received was not on the same level as that. His love — the obsession that she mentioned — was not something that he could console with just that.
He watched Maru acting before turning around to look at director Park. He was looking at Maru with eyes that belonged to someone handling a precious item and yet his eyes were filled with glee. It wasn’t just the other actors. The staff was the same. Maru’s acting was captivating them. It was a truly detestable thing. Giwoo left the scene, pretending to pick up his phone. Being in the same place as that guy receiving respect was practically torture.
It was December 30th. He got an alarm notifying him that it was the birthday of a chaebol friend of his. As he had been in and out of his mind for the past few days because of the boiling rage, he didn’t even check the date properly. He sent a simple text message. Although he was told to attend the party, now was not the time for that. Getting drunk on alcohol and drugs was something he had to do after solving the problem.
He walked around the building while trekking on the snow that had yet to melt. He thought about dozens of ways to get revenge, but all of them seemed insignificant. He needed a method to make them shed tears of blood. It would be great if they regretted while recalling the past before throwing themselves into the Han river.
The sense of touch from his hand — the one grabbing his phone — because numb. It was because of the frosty winter wind. He blew warm air onto his frozen hand. Just then, he got a notification. Han Gaeul had uploaded a new post on Instagram. His eyes flipped. He was about to swipe away the message in anger, but he decided to check the photo. It was a photo where she was smiling with some snow in her hands. Her smile was as white as the snow. There was a small message as well, saying, ‘I’m attending an award ceremony tonight.’
The sense of displeasure pressing down on the back of his neck disappeared while he was looking at her smile. Giwoo swiped the screen up and down with his thumb and checked the photo. Then he raised his head. He could see his reflection in the window of a store that had closed down. He saw his own face with a pleasing smile.
He loosened the strength in his jaw that was clenching tightly. A sigh escaped his slightly open mouth. He realized something. Han Gaeul was his first, whether it was pushing him into the depths of hellfire or being able to disarm him in an instant. That was when the name Han Gaeul disappeared from his revenge scenario.
Giwoo wanted to see her in pain because of Giwoo himself, but not because of Han Maru. What would change even if he pushed them both off the cliff? They would grab each other’s hands and look at each other as they fell. He had to separate them. Everything had to come after that, whether it was to capture her, throw her away, or trample on her.
On his way down to Ulsan, his manager told him that there is no couple who does not fight. He looked back at the women he met until now. They did not fight him. They were docile, and sometimes even subservient. They might have sworn at him behind his back, but they never did something like going against his words or disagreeing with his opinions even once. Perhaps it was a natural outcome. That was the kind of woman he wanted, just like how he removed that girl who smiled all smug at him when he was crying over a broken pencil case.
With Han Gaeul, everything was new; it was a humiliating kind of new, a kind of new that made him want to take on the challenge. He did not want to give up on this symbolic meaning. He didn’t care about her purity. The man by her side at the end would be the winner. Memories would eventually disappear, and the real deal would be eternal.
He confirmed where he should be pointing his arrow of rage at. He removed Han Gaeul from his crosshair. Thinking back, there was no way she could’ve done something like deceiving him with that reckless personality of hers. It was obvious that she must’ve been under someone’s orders, and there was only one possible culprit. It was most definitely true that the two were in love right now. But was love eternal and undying? What was more volatile than love? With the right conditions, Han Gaeul’s love would also meet a turning point. If ‘Kang Giwoo’ was that turning point, it would be perfect.
He felt like his head had cleared. It was a simple situation where he had to remove just one thing. Moreover, the situation was quite decent as well. He had not approached Han Gaeul for a while now. He intentionally showed her that his interest in her had dropped. Even if something bad happened to Han Maru, it was not likely that he would buy her suspicion.
“That’s not right.”
He needed some more time. From Han Maru’s attitude, it was clear that he had not completely put aside the possibility. There was a need to put in some effort if he wanted to deceive the smart scammer. How about setting up the same trap that he created before? Giwoo quickly went through the list of women he knew in his mind. He thought of a few women who had very low self-confidence, were extremely obedient, and were highly reliant. Women who were pure and innocent enough to accept breaking up with just a word from him.
He quickly contacted them. Two of the three gave him a reply in less than 10 seconds. The other one soon sent him a reply as well. They were women who led him to the bed when he whispered love into their ears as a joke. They were tight-lipped and didn’t cause any trouble until now either. Though, there was also the fact that they were keeping each other’s secrets since they all had pretty high statuses.
They, who had grown up with a silver spoon in their mouths and grew up while seeing only the good things, were very far from the ‘arrogant and immature children of chaebols’ image. In fact, they were raised under strict patriarchy and education, making them very passive and innocent. It would be different for women who had jumped into the frontlines of business, but the ones who grew up under the protection of their households all had clear and innocent eyes like a newborn calf. In other words, they were perfect to use as hunting dogs which could be thrown away later. He called one of them.
“Yoonseon, it’s been a long time.”
* * *
The clear skies seemed to become darker until they soon started spewing snow. The shoot that began at 4 in the afternoon had to come to a close at 9.
“The weather wants us to rest, so we should. Get some good rest and see you again tomorrow,” director Park said as he looked at the sky.
Only head manager Moon, who was next to him, rolled his feet while worrying about the budget. After taking a shower, Maru raised the TV volume. Today was the 30th of December, meaning that the end-of-year awards for RBS was being held today. Celebrities on the red carpet appeared before the ceremony officially started. There were actors who wore creative clothing and some who wore formal attire.
-Please open the door.
It was a text from Yoojung. Maru opened the door. Gyungjin and Yoojung were standing outside holding plastic bags with the convenience store logo on them. He smiled in welcome, but his eyes scanned Kang Giwoo, who stood behind the two. He had predicted this somewhat. In fact, it was a good thing. It was much better to have him nearby where he could see him.
“Why did you buy so much?”
“At most, it’s some nuts, low-calorie fruits, and some beer, and low-calorie ones at that. Although we don’t need to watch out for our weights, we can’t be putting on weight between cuts,” Yoojung said, waving the plastic bag.
“I’m okay though since I don’t put on weight easily.”
As soon as he said those words, Yoojung gave him a slap. Maru rubbed his arm and looked at Giwoo who followed them in.
“It feels like it has been a really long time since I drank with you.”
“It really does.”
Giwoo picked up a beer can with a smile.
