By Zephyria 
Lee Seon-jae grabbed the wrist of the General Manager, who was fearlessly lunging at him. Then, he asked Maria, who looked terrified and on the verge of collapsing, “Is this woman on Kim Sung-hwan’s side?”
Maria’s eyes widened at the name Kim Sung-hwan from Seon-jae’s mouth.
“Is this woman on Kim Sung-hwan’s side?”
When he asked again, Maria looked at the General Manager with a blank stare.
The General Manager, practically dangling from Seon-jae, shouted, “Anna, I’m okay. Run away!” Only then did Maria seem to come to her senses and say, “No. She’s on my side.” Her voice was small and somehow deflated.
“Does this woman know about Galilla?”
Maria reacted strongly to the name Galilla, shaking her head vigorously. Her terrified expression gradually changed to suspicion. She seemed to be asking who he was, how he knew Kim Sung-hwan, knew about Galilla, and even knew her name.
“Do you know Shim Kang-woo?”
Maria became confused when he mentioned Man’s name.
“You also know he’s living as Yoon Ki-beom, right?”
Maria nodded her head vigorously once more.
“You are Maria.”
Seon-jae muttered lowly and released the General Manager’s hand.
“Let’s talk. Just the two of us.”
Seon-jae said this and looked around. As expected, there were CCTV cameras inside. When he pointed to the CCTV with his finger, Maria nodded lightly. She mouthed the words ‘Operating’.
“Is it safe here? Or should we go somewhere else?”
Maria hesitated for a moment.
“Is there a safe place?”
She asked cautiously.
“Of course. Will you come with me?”
Seon-jae asked this without saying a word about who he was or why he had come here.
Maria looked at the General Manager. The General Manager was just as bewildered. She shook her head at Maria, meaning not to go. But Maria seemed to have other ideas.
“Sister, I’ll be back.”
“Anna.”
“It’s okay.”
Maria walked out of the kitchen with a sad smile.
Wearing a somewhat large blouse that didn’t fit her and baggy dark beige skirt, Maria looked five years older. A shadow fell over her pretty face.
“Thank you for everything, Sister.”
She said this and hugged the General Manager.
The General Manager teared up.
He only asked to have a little chat, but Maria and the General Manager were saying their final goodbyes. It was as if they would never see each other again.
What kind of life did she live to think like that?
Seon-jae frowned and sighed unhappily.
“General Manager, from now on, make sure to lock the door and don’t open it for anyone. Don’t answer the phone either. Not even for the Pastor’s wife.”
Seon-jae earnestly asked the General Manager.
The General Manager, thinking that Seon-jae was taking Anna hostage, nodded her head vigorously.
“I’ll do as you say. So please…”
The General Manager couldn’t continue speaking because of the tears that were pouring out.
Unlike the emotionally charged General Manager, Maria was calm.
“Let’s go quickly.”
She urged Seon-jae instead.
Seon-jae didn’t have time to clear up the misunderstanding, so he took Maria out of the care facility for the time being.
As soon as he put her in the passenger seat, he set off for Sojak Building.
“What’s your real name?”
“Uh… Lee, Young-hee.”
She seemed awkward, as if it were someone else’s name.
Seon-jae was convinced that Maria was giving a fake name.
That was the only conversation they had while going to Sojak Building.
To be honest, he couldn’t think of what to say, and the story he was going to share with Maria wasn’t appropriate to be had without looking at each other’s faces.
Seon-jae saw the man in Maria’s resigned appearance. Not often, but the man used to make that expression. The two of them probably learned how to resign and give up first. That must have been their way of surviving. It was a different kind of giving up than Seon-jae’s.
As they entered the underground parking lot, Maria clenched her fists tightly. She seemed to be preparing herself.
Seon-jae didn’t want such a misunderstanding, so he said just one thing before getting out of the car.
“I have that Kim Sung-hwan bastard with me.”
Maria didn’t seem to understand Seon-jae’s words properly and just nodded her head.
“I’m holding that Kim Sung-hwan son of a bitch captive.”
With these words, he got out of the car.
Maria also tried to get out, unfastening her seatbelt, but she couldn’t get out of the car. She was completely frozen.
She seemed to have belatedly understood what Seon-jae had said. She looked confused, not knowing how to interpret the meaning of those words.
“Aren’t you getting out?”
Maria clenched her fists and mustered her strength to barely get out of the car. She staggered. But Seon-jae left her alone. He didn’t want to touch her unnecessarily and scare her.
Maria was strong. She had already come to her senses and followed behind Seon-jae, running so as not to miss his wide strides.
She must have had many questions to ask.
They took the private elevator and arrived at the office where Kim Sung-hwan was being held. Of course, Maria didn’t know that at all, and couldn’t have known.
The executive office was pleasant. Seon-jae guided Maria to the sofa.
“Water?”
“…Yes.”
Seon-jae took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and placed it on the table with a glass.
Maria’s hands were shaking so badly that she couldn’t open the water bottle. Whether it was fear or excitement, she wasn’t in her right mind. Seon-jae opened the water bottle for her and put it down, saying, “I didn’t have time to introduce myself. My name is Lee Seon-jae. I’m Shim Kang-woo’s lover. Well, it would be more accurate to say Yoon Ki-beom’s lover.”
Maria, who was pouring water into the glass, dropped the water bottle. The water bottle hit the table and fell to the floor. Naturally, water soaked the carpet.
Maria immediately sat down on the floor and wiped up the water with the baggy skirt she was wearing.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
She apologized repeatedly.
Shit. Seon-jae frowned. He didn’t like Maria’s behavior.
“It’s okay. Just leave it and sit down. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t wipe it up right away.”
He spoke as gently as possible, but Maria didn’t get up. As if she hadn’t heard Seon-jae’s words, she used her skirt to wipe the wet carpet again and again.
“I don’t have time. I’m busy, right now.”
Seon-jae deliberately spoke coldly. Then Maria quickly got up and sat on the sofa. She didn’t even think about drinking water, and after putting her hands together like a well-behaved the child, she lowered her head deeply.
“Do you know Kim Cheol-soo? You even took a picture together, why. Ki-beom is in jail for killing that Man. Na Jin-soo confessed, and because of that, Ki-beom was also arrested, but at first he endured it well. He said he didn’t know a the man named Kim Cheol-soo, that he didn’t kill him. But the detectives showed him a picture taken with Maria. After seeing that picture, he immediately confessed. He said that he and Na Jin-soo killed Kim Cheol-soo together. That Maria is a woman he doesn’t know.”
Maria pondered Seon-jae’s words for a long time. It took her quite a while to understand everything.
“Where is Father, no, the Director?”
She asked with a blank face.
“Why?”
“Just… I need the Director here to know whether I should speak or not…”
Maria trailed off.
“What if Kim Sung-hwan is dead? Would that change things?”
Maria shook her head at Seon-jae’s question.
“It’s not that, but who would believe what someone like me says? Everyone believes it when someone with power like the Director speaks.”
Maria said quietly with a self-deprecating smile.
“I’ll believe you. But did you understand everything I said a little while ago?”
“What words…”
“Didn’t you hear? Ki-beom confessed to killing Kim Cheol-soo. He endured it well, but he confessed because of the picture you, the real Yoon Ki-beom, and Na Jin-soo took with knives.”
Seon-jae tried not to raise his voice.
Only then did Maria say ‘Ah,’ and she pondered Seon-jae’s words again. More slowly than before, rolling her eyes, she carefully examined what that the man had said, showing sincerity. And finally, she understood properly.
Maria trembled violently. Soon, tears fell onto Maria’s skirt. Maria was crying.
Seon-jae let Maria cry to her heart’s content. He was bothered by the way she kept wiping her tears with the back of her hand, so he handed her a tissue. Maria, who usually pulled out two or three tissues at a time, used each tissue sparingly.
That is, she would only pull out one tissue and use it until it was completely wet and could no longer do its job, and then she would very carefully pull out one more tissue. It wasn’t something she was doing consciously, but a habit ingrained in her body.
Even that made Seon-jae feel sorry for her, so he frowned, looked up at the ceiling for no reason, and then went to the large window to watch the splendid night view.
How long had he been standing there?
There were signs that the crying was subsiding. Seon-jae took a bottle of water from the refrigerator, filled her glass, and drank the rest straight from the bottle.
“How did you end up taking a picture with Kim Cheol-soo?”
Seon-jae asked what he was curious about.
“…Because of the name.”
Maria squeezed out her voice, which was severely hoarse from crying.
“Father, I called him Father back then. Anyway, Father called me for fun. He caught a the man named Kim Cheol-soo, and he thought of me. Cheol-soo and Young-hee. You know, the kids in the Korean textbook.”
Maria was calm, as if she were talking about someone else’s story, even though it was her own. It took her two or three times more effort than others to utter a sentence. The more she spoke at length, the more noticeable her clumsy speech became, as if she had forgotten how to speak.
“He called me and took a picture… He even gave me a knife… I really didn’t want to, but I was so scared that I had to do as he said. Anyway, my brothers and Father all… So, they all did it and I… at the end, just… the knife…”
She trembled when she talked about the knife.
“Blood…”
As if there was still blood on them, Maria spread out her hands and looked down at them.
Seon-jae closed his eyes tightly.
Kim Sung-hwan called an innocent girl just for fun, just because of her name. Maria, who was called because her name was Young-hee, was suddenly involved in killing a Man, and even had a picture taken, leaving behind irrefutable evidence.
Kim Sung-hwan. He was a bastard not even worth cursing.
“Um, Teacher, is Kang-woo okay?”
Only then did Maria ask about Man’s well-being.
“He’s not okay, that’s why I called you.”
Seon-jae answered honestly. He didn’t beat around the bush because it seemed like Maria only understood properly when he spoke directly.
“…What can I do?”
“First, have some water.”
It was Seon-jae’s consideration, but Maria took it as an order. As if she had forgotten something important, she looked down at the glass with an ‘ah’ expression. Her hands were shaking so badly that she chose to bend down and bring her lips to the glass instead of lifting it.
“Is there anything I can do to help Kang-woo? I’ll do anything you tell me to do, Teacher. I really will.”
Maria poured out her words. Her expression and heart seemed urgent.
“But when is the Director coming?”
Maria looked towards the door and asked cautiously. She stroked her stomach as if it were a habit.
“He’s not coming. Think of him as dead.”
Seon-jae said, sitting across from her to make eye contact with her.
Maria only blinked at Seon-jae’s words. She frowned slightly, as if he were a very strange person.
“From now on, please answer my questions honestly.”
Seon-jae said firmly. Then Maria nodded silently.
“The the child in your belly, is that Choi In-ho’s?”
Maria shook her head.
“Then Yoon Ki-beom’s?”
Maria made an absurd expression at the name Yoon Ki-beom.
“How can I be pregnant with a dead Man’s the child? Teacher, really.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Maria apologized, saying, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
She nodded her head as if she had committed some great crime.
Seon-jae sighed.
“Don’t apologize to me. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“…….”
“Then whose child is it?”
“…I don’t really know either. I had a procedure done.”
Maria said it was the first procedure she’d ever had. Usually, she got pregnant by meeting men who wanted children and having sex on her fertile days, but this time was different.
“It wasn’t at Doctor Choi’s hospital, but at a place that specializes in that kind of thing. I went with Doctor Choi and the director every time, but something didn’t work out, and I only managed to get pregnant on the third try.”
She spoke as if it were someone else’s story again.
“Didn’t they tell you whose child it was?”
“No. They just said it was a very important child. A child who wouldn’t have a chance to be born into the world if it wasn’t for this time.”
“Did they also say it was the last seed?”
Maria quietly nodded.
“Yes. I heard Doctor Choi say that to the director. The director also told me that this was really the last pregnancy. Well, they said that every time, though.”
Maria replied with a sad smile. Then, she bent down again and took a sip of water.
“I don’t know why Na Jin-soo did such a thing. Knowing that Ki-beom oppa is dead… Kang-woo doesn’t even know who Kim Sung-hwan is. He’s never even seen his face.”
Maria looked like she was dying of frustration.
“What if Father finds out?”
When she said this, Maria looked just like a seven-year-old the child.
“Did you continue to contact Na Jin-soo?”
“No. Not me, only the director. The director was managing Jin-soo oppa. She lent Jin-soo oppa money and occasionally visited him when she had something to ask him to do.”
“Then you must know that Na Jin-soo is in prison?”
“Yes. I heard it’s Anyang Prison.”
Maria answered in a much calmer voice than before.
“But what will happen to Kang-woo? Do people know that Kang-woo is Kang-woo? If not, he’ll be taking the blame for the crime Ki-beom oppa committed… He really didn’t do it. Kang-woo can’t even kill a fly.”
Maria’s eyes welled up with tears again. She fidgeted, as if she was getting impatient.
“Why did Jin-soo oppa do that? He’s always causing problems, even when he’s old… How much effort did Father put in for him?”
She muttered to herself and stamped her feet.
It was impossible to tell who Maria was worried about.
Could the woman in front of him really betray Kim Sung-hwan? Could she follow the words of someone other than Kim Sung-hwan? Seon-jae suddenly had that question.
It had been 15 years of being brainwashed and oppressed by Kim Sung-hwan. It couldn’t be said that she was free during the three years Kim Sung-hwan was in prison. Kim Sung-hwan probably entrusted Maria to Choi In-ho or his own wife during those three years. So, Maria had been under Kim Sung-hwan’s influence from the young age of sixteen until she was thirty-one.
She must be afraid of Kim Sung-hwan, but on the other hand, she might be relying on him.
He felt suffocated.
“I heard that Choi In-ho has the evidence that Kang-woo is not Yoon Ki-beom.”
Seon-jae said.
“……Huh?”
Maria reacted three beats late.
“You know that Choi In-ho loved Yoon Ki-beom like a religion, right?”
“Ah… yes.”
“I heard that he has a part of Yoon Ki-beom’s body. Of course, I haven’t confirmed it myself.”
Maria just blinked, not understanding what Seon-jae was saying.
“We’re going to do a DNA test. We’ll also compare it to the dental chart in that orphanage’s medical records.”
“Ah…”
She let out a short exclamation, but immediately asked, “Can he get out with that?” It was as if she was hearing about DNA testing for the first time.
“For now. There’s no evidence other than the confession anyway, and Kang-woo’s fingerprints or blood weren’t found on the murder weapon.”
Only then did Maria nod her head vigorously.
“But how did they find it?”
Maria asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Kim Cheol-soo’s body and the knife.”
Seon-jae, who hadn’t paid much attention to the circumstances of the body’s discovery, recalled what he had read in the police report.
“Na Jin-soo confessed, they said.”
“…That’s strange. Jin-soo oppa wouldn’t have known where it was.”
Maria tilted her head.
“What do you mean by that?”
Seon-jae asked, narrowing his eyes.
Maria hesitated, wondering whether she should answer or not, before blurting out.
“Only the director knew where the body was buried. She burned all the babies, but she buried what should have been burned in the ground. Along with the knife. Ki-beom oppa too. Only Father knew the location of the burial. Father said that if we didn’t listen to him, he would dig up the bodies. Then we would be locked up in prison until we died. That’s why Jin-soo oppa obeyed Father. Well, I always listened to Father anyway. I’m a very good listener.”
When she said the last sentence, Maria’s expression even showed a hint of pride.
“Na Jin-soo didn’t know where the body was buried?”
Seon-jae raised his eyebrows.
How could Na Jin-soo, who didn’t know where the body was buried, have confessed? It was strange, as Maria said.
“Yes. If oppa had known before he was imprisoned, he would have dug up the grave and burned the body or dumped it somewhere else. He’s not stupid, so there’s no reason for him to leave evidence that he’s a murderer. If that’s gone, he doesn’t have to listen to Father. Jin-soo oppa was so desperate to get away from Father. It doesn’t make sense.”
Maria spoke quickly, almost chattering.
Seon-jae immediately picked up his cell phone and called Lawyer Park Soo-nam. Even though it was late, Lawyer Park’s voice was as clear as day, as if he hadn’t fallen asleep yet.
“Lawyer Park, this is Lee Seon-jae. I’m calling because I need the list of visitors to Na Jin-soo.”
Yes. But why do you need that at this hour?
“Is there a name Lee Sang-hoon on the list?”
Just a moment.
Lawyer Park shuffled through some documents for a moment before returning to the receiver, saying, “Let’s see.”
No, it’s not there.
“What about Kim Sung-hwan?”
That name isn’t there either.
“Kang Eun-jeong or Lee Young-hee?”
No.
Then who went?
“Is there anyone who visited recently, other than the lawyer?”
There is. The day after the lawyer visited.
“Who is it?”
Yang Kyung-seon. It says she’s his aunt.
Seon-jae asked Maria, “Do you know someone named Yang Kyung-seon?”
“…That’s, General Manager… unni.”
Maria answered hesitantly.
Shit. Kim Sung-hwan sent the General Manager of the unwed mothers’ protection facility to Na Jin-soo. Right after he met with the lawyer hired by Lee Seok-doo.
Probably to tell him where Kim Cheol-soo was buried.
But why? There wasn’t anything particularly suspicious. Yang Kyung-seon has visited a total of four times in the past two years. She also put money in his commissary account.
“I’ll tell you the reason later.”
Seon-jae hung up the phone.
It seemed that Na Jin-soo had contacted Kim Sung-hwan as soon as he received the offer from Lee Seok-doo. To accept that offer, which was most likely money and quite tempting, he needed to know where Kim Cheol-soo was buried. Since Na Jin-soo didn’t know anything, he had no choice but to ask Kim Sung-hwan. It was a very satisfactory condition for Kim Sung-hwan, who needed money anyway.
But Kim Sung-hwan was a cautious man. He used the General Manager of the unwed mothers’ protection facility to prevent himself from being exposed.
Maria glanced at Seon-jae, fidgeting as if she had made a big mistake.
“Are you sure Yang Kyung-seon isn’t in cahoots with Kim Sung-hwan?”
At Seon-jae’s question, Maria shook her head vigorously.
“That unni probably just did as she was told. She ended up coming to our facility because the director had a weakness of hers and she had no choice…”
Maria whispered, looking around.
Son of a bitch.
Kim Sung-hwan only picked on the weak, especially women, and shook them by their weaknesses.
General Manager Yang Kyung-seon was a woman who had obviously been abused by her husband, lover, or family for a long time. He even found a weakness in such a woman and used her thoroughly. He was a piece of trash. He no longer had any intention of letting that bastard live.
Now that Maria was in Seon-jae’s hands, and since it seemed certain that she was pregnant with Yoon Ki-beom’s child, there was no need for Kim Sung-hwan to exist. That bastard deserved to die anyway.
Seon-jae decided to take care of Kim Sung-hwan right away.
“Maria, I know it’s inconvenient, but I think you’ll have to stay with me for a while.”
Seon-jae said to Maria as he stood up.
“This isn’t a request, it’s an order.”
Maria looked up at Seon-jae with a blank face.
“Um, I… I know where Ki-beom oppa is buried.”
She said out of the blue.
“Yes? What do you mean by that?”
This time, Seon-jae, on the contrary, did not properly understand Maria’s words.
“He probably didn’t even know he told me. Because he was drunk.”
Maria whispered, looking around.
“I didn’t kill Ki-beom oppa anyway, so it had nothing to do with me. I didn’t tell Jin-soo oppa on purpose. That oppa was always thinking about using me, so I hated him. Do you think this will help Kang-woo?”
Unlike before, Maria was overly cautious. She had been talking so well, but suddenly she was worried that Seon-jae might be a trap, and she was extremely wary of Kim Sung-hwan listening to her.
Seon-jae sat down again.
“Is it safe? Are you sure Father isn’t listening?”
Suddenly, Maria looked up at the ceiling and asked. She didn’t know that the CCTV was attached to the bookshelf.
“Yes. It’s safe. I told you, I have that Kim Sung-hwan bastard with me.”
Maria’s eyes widened.
As if it was the first time she was hearing about it, she looked bewildered.
Maria’s mental state didn’t seem normal. Honestly, it would be strange if she was normal, having lived half her life mortgaged to Kim Sung-hwan.
“I have Kim Sung-hwan with me. He’s not in a free state like Maria and me, he’s imprisoned. Locked up.”
He didn’t say he was right next door.
Then Maria quickly covered her mouth with both hands, as if she was about to scream.
“Will you help me?”
Seon-jae asked.
Maria nodded with her mouth covered.
“Where did you bury Yoon Ki-beom?”
Even though he said that Kim Sung-hwan was imprisoned, Maria couldn’t open her mouth easily. She kept looking around and looking up at the ceiling.
Seon-jae had no choice but to hand her a pen and a notepad.
Maria suddenly leaned over the table like a child taking a test, blocked the notepad with her whole body, and began to write something diligently. She was shaking so much that he was worried if she could write properly.
Fortunately, the contents written on the notepad were legible.
The address was familiar.
It was Lee Sang-hoon’s ancestral burial ground in his hometown. He was a clever bastard. It was natural for a dead person’s bones to be in the ancestral burial ground, and even if the grave was exhumed, it would take time to confirm whether the bones that came out of it were Yoon Ki-beom’s or Lee Sang-hoon’s grandfather’s or relatives’. Moreover, it was not something that Seon-jae could do by hiring people on his own. This unconditionally required the permission of that family.
But it was definitely very valuable information. It would take time, but if Maria’s words were true, it was more solid evidence than Yoon Ki-beom’s DNA that Choi In-ho had. It was worth believing. Even if it wasn’t, there was nothing to lose.
Seon-jae stood up. There was no longer any reason to keep Kim Sung-hwan alive.
He picked up the receiver on the desk in the executive office.
“What is Kim Sung-hwan doing right now?”
He’s sitting.
Mr. Kim replied in a dry tone.
“You must have untied him?”
“Yes. He solved it less than five minutes after you left, sir.”
I knew it. And yet he just sat still?
“Any escape attempts?”
“He did. He tried for over 20 minutes, but after realizing there was no way out, he sat back down in the chair. He’s pretending to be tied up now. I think he’s planning to attack as soon as you go in, sir. He’s holding the rope tightly in both hands.”
Of course, he would.
Kim Sung-hwan must be eagerly awaiting Seon-jae’s return, his heart pounding. He must be excited at the thought of showing off his power, filled with the hope that he could control Seon-jae as he had controlled Na Jin-soo, Maria, the General Manager, and Choi In-ho and his wife. That’s why he was released in the first place.
“Bring the tools. I don’t want to waste time on trash, so how about we warm up together?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be right up.”
Mr. Kim remained unfazed. Even when it came to killing someone.
“Oh, and bring Mr. Park to look after our guest. Let’s close the building doors for just three hours.”
Maria only rolled her eyes, watching Seon-jae and listening to the conversation.
As soon as Seon-jae hung up and turned around, her eyes returned to the front.
That must be how that woman survives.
That’s what Seon-jae thought, so none of Maria’s actions bothered him. Even the slightest movements, which he would have found creepy if someone else had done them, were understandable. The rambling conversations, the awkward speech that became more apparent the more she spoke, and even her lack of understanding were all more than understandable.
“Maria, you’ve been through a lot. You are now free. Of course, I’ll keep you until Kang-woo is released, but I won’t abuse or imprison you like Kim Sung-hwan did. If you want to be with someone, I’ll bring that person too.”
Seon-jae declared.
You are now free.
But Maria showed no reaction.
She just stared blankly ahead, as if she hadn’t heard anything.
Is it because she doesn’t believe it? Seon-jae thought that maybe he would have to show her Kim Sung-hwan’s corpse for her to believe him.
“From now on, I’m going to kill Kim Sung-hwan. If you want to see the process, I’ll let you. Of course, if you want.”
Seon-jae added.
It was a very light tone, as if he were just killing a mosquito.
Then Maria slowly turned her head and looked up at Seon-jae.
“Kill, him?”
“Yes. I will kill him.”
Maria moved her lips as if she had something to say, but gave up. Instead, she let out a big sigh, as if her whole body was sinking to the ground.
“Is it true? Do you really have my dad?”
Maria asked.
“Yes. I have him.”
“And you’re going to kill him?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I know everything. What that bastard did.”
Seon-jae replied briefly.
Maria rolled her eyes again.
She kept moving her lips as if she had something to say, so Seon-jae waited patiently. Until she was ready.
Just like when she understood Man’s story earlier, very slowly, and even more time passed before Maria’s body began to tremble. No matter how hard she held her hands together, the trembling did not subside.
“This is my eleventh pregnancy.”
Maria said something she hadn’t been asked.
“I’ve had a total of seven children.”
Even her voice trembled.
“So, I’ve been pregnant eleven times since I was sixteen… so… that means, except for the three years my dad was in prison, I’ve been pregnant every year.”
Maria’s Adam’s apple moved greatly.
“I wanted to run away, but I never tried. Because I know what happens if I get caught. I was very scared. I wasn’t tough enough to take my own life like my friends. And honestly, I didn’t want to die either.”
Maria’s words became faster and faster.
“I wanted to live. I wanted to live like a human being, even if it was just for one day. So… I just lived.”
Maria went out of her way to explain why she was still alive, even though she didn’t have to.
“If I die, I can’t help it, but since I didn’t die, I lived. That’s all.”
Maria chuckled.
“Everyone told me that I should have just died, that they didn’t know how I could want to live after being treated like that. But I didn’t really know if the way I was being treated was that bad. At least I didn’t have to starve when I was pregnant. And if something happened to the baby in my belly, it would be a big deal, so the most I got hit was on the cheek. I got kicked in the shins sometimes, but that’s nothing.”
Maria cried. Tears streamed down her face, but she didn’t stop talking.
“They took the children as soon as they were born. I never held them in my arms, except for Ji-hye. She was the first child I ever held. The first child I ever breastfed. I was so happy when they said they were sending her to Kang-woo. Kang-woo is a really good kid. I had so much fun when I lived with him in the church orphanage. Especially when Kang-woo imitated comedians, everyone laughed their heads off. Of course, he seemed like a different person when I met him again in Galilla… But Kang-woo’s nature was still the same. He was still kind, probably because he was born that way. He was gentle. So I was so relieved. That the first child I ever held and breastfed went to Kang-woo. I was so happy imagining Kang-woo making the child laugh so much. I was so stupid that I liked it while entrusting the the child to Kang-woo without even knowing that he was a hostage.”
Maria was sincerely sorry to Man.
Even if Maria had wanted to stop it, there was nothing she could have done. Nevertheless, she thought that all the tragedies that had happened to Shim Kang-woo were because of her.
“What’s your fault? It’s Kim Sung-hwan’s fault. What could you have done?”
Seon-jae snapped coldly.
Maria quietly looked up at Seon-jae. She seemed to resent him. She seemed to be resentful of hearing from a stranger something that she already knew.
Maria wailed. No matter how hard she covered her mouth with both hands, she couldn’t stop the sobs from escaping.
Again, Seon-jae let her cry. He soothed his burning insides with water.
Maria, who had become so dull that she didn’t even know what was bad or what was wrong, even after spending those terrible years, said, “I still wanted to live.” She just wanted to live. Her dream was to live like a human being just once before she died.
So when Kim Sung-hwan said that he would let her go after this last childbirth, she readily agreed. He had never kept his promise to Maria, but she decided to believe him, even if she was being deceived. There was no way to escape his grasp anyway, but she did so because she wanted to live so badly.
Perhaps the man had survived with the same feeling as Maria. He must have wanted to live even more because he had a the child.
There was a knock. Maria didn’t hear it because she was crying.
The door to the executive office opened and Mr. Kim appeared. He was holding two butcher knives and a nail gun in both hands. Mr. Park was standing behind Mr. Kim. Hearing the woman’s cry, Mr. Kim carefully closed the door.
Seon-jae poured water into Maria’s glass. Maria cried for a long time before wiping her tears and blowing her nose with a tissue. Then, in that same crouched position, she brought her mouth to the glass of water on the table.
Seeing that she seemed to have calmed down to some extent, Seon-jae whistled.
Then the door to the executive office opened again and Mr. Kim and Mr. Park entered in turn.
Seon-jae introduced them to Maria, worried that she might be surprised.
“These are my friends. Don’t be afraid.”
Maria glanced at the two men in security uniforms with her swollen eyes. Maria’s gaze lingered on the knives for a long time.
“Can I join you?”
Maria asked with her eyes swollen from crying.
“In what?”
“That, Dad… I mean. With the knife.”
It was an unexpected suggestion.
“You want to participate?”
At Seon-jae’s question, Maria nodded very slowly. The speed was slow, but the movement was large and firm.
“Okay, then.”
Seon-jae readily agreed.
“But if you do that, I’ll have leverage over you. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes. I’m okay with it.”
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. He’s a dangerous guy, so we’ll wear him down first. Maria, you can finish him off.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Maria bowed politely.
* * *
Kim Sung-hwan couldn’t even put up a proper fight.
The hope that he could beat Seon-jae disappeared nicely.
Seon-jae didn’t give him a chance. Neither did Mr. Kim.
He didn’t know what confidence he had that he could beat Seon-jae. He must have watched too many Hollywood movies. Kim Sung-hwan was still wearing his helmet and struggling on the ground when he was shocked to see Maria appear.
That bitch, that fucking bitch, he cursed at Maria even in the midst of it, so Seon-jae kicked the helmet with his foot. Kim Sung-hwan was thrown back about 1 meter.
“Please turn on the lights.”
Maria requested.
“I want to see his face.”
“Okay.”
When Seon-jae turned on the lights, Kim Sung-hwan’s eyes widened. Normally, his eyes would be closed because of the glare, but Kim Sung-hwan’s eyes were shining as if he would clearly see who it was, even if he was dazzled.
His eyes, looking at Seon-jae and Mr. Kim, except for Maria, were full of suspicion.
“Who are you guys? Do you know who I am?”
He asked in a shrill voice.
Seon-jae wiped the knife with a leather glove and handed it to Maria.
“Where are you going to stab him?”
He asked cheerfully.
Maria pointed to her heart.
“Okay. Mr. Kim and I will step on him so he can’t move.”
Seon-jae and Mr. Kim moved at the same time.
Kim Sung-hwan quickly turned his body over and crawled hard to avoid the two men. But he didn’t go far before Seon-jae and Mr. Kim grabbed his arms and legs.
“Damn it, he’s strong.”
Seon-jae grumbled.
Maria approached Kim Sung-hwan. She wasn’t shaking at all.
“You fucking bitch! Stab those guys! Stab those fucking bastards first!”
Kim Sung-hwan ordered Maria with all his might.
Seon-jae was momentarily nervous.
That Maria might listen to Kim Sung-hwan, and that he might hurt Maria.
But it was a needless worry.
Maria lowered her head towards Kim Sung-hwan and stabbed the knife into Kim Sung-hwan’s heart with all her might.
“Goodbye, you bastard.”
Maria’s beige skirt, which was soaked in tears and had become darker in color, was stained with blood.
That blood was also dark in color, like tears.
That’s how Kim Sung-hwan died.
He was stabbed in the heart by Maria’s knife and took his last breath.
218 – Chapter Title Without Number