Hwang Jo-yoon struggled, but his limbs were bound so tightly it was impossible to even shift his weight, let alone stand. With every squirm, the acrid smell of fertilizer that clung to the ropes stung his nostrils.
He tried to scream, but the gag muffled the sound into a pathetic whimper. The rough texture of the cloth, a constant presence in his blurring consciousness, made his throat itch. He was going to be sick.
“You did a good job with these knots,” a man said, kneeling to examine the bindings.
“I figured the skill might come in handy one day.”
“How did you catch him?”
“With a pepper spray gun,” Ji-woo said. “I bought it for pests. I knew Hwang Jo-yoon would be stalking me. It’s almost funny, really. All it took to bring him down was a little vegetable extract.”
“I’m very proud of you, Ji-woo.” The man looked up at her, his expression full of warmth. Hwang Jo-yoon glared from the ground.
Why was that bastard coming out of her house? Hwang Jo-yoon thrashed again, a low moan escaping the gag. The two of them stared down at him as if he were a vile cockroach that had scuttled into their home. There was no humanity in the man’s gaze, none at all. He looked as if he could disembowel Hwang Jo-yoon and not even blink. A cold sweat trickled down Hwang Jo-yoon’s face.
“I’ll take it from here.” He stood, his eyes never leaving Hwang Jo-yoon. Ji-woo clutched at Seo Tae-joon’s sleeve.
“You can’t tell the cops! They’ll just release him. They never helped me. There’s a CCTV camera in the yard—it must have filmed me attacking him. No one will see it as self-defense. The police are on his side. He has connections, money, a powerful family.” She stared up at Seo Tae-joon, her eyes wide with panic.
The man gently caressed her hair, then leaned in to stroke her cheek. “I won’t report it. I promise.”
Ji-woo still looked unconvinced. “Did you forget? I only do what you tell me to. So, don’t worry,” Seo Tae-joon urged. “Just tell me what you want me to do to him.”
“If you tell me to beat him, I will,” Seo Tae-joon said, his voice low. “If you tell me to pull the bones from his body, I will.”
She trembled. “Just…”
“Yes?” Seo Tae-joon prompted gently.
“I just don’t want to see him ever again!” she cried out.
Seo Tae-joon nodded. “That’s good enough. It will be done.”
“I’m not telling you to kill him, though! Don’t kill him!” With Seo Tae-joon, she knew she had to be perfectly, explicitly clear.
He smirked. “I won’t kill him.”
Ji-woo watched him, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words, behind that unnerving smirk. But his gaze on her was nothing but fond. Maybe Mi-sook had been right. Maybe Seo Tae-joon truly was an empty vessel now, his nature shaped by his surroundings.
“How could I possibly do that here?” he said with a placid smile. “This isn’t a very suitable place to kill someone.”
Ji-woo’s thoughts scattered. Here she was, thinking he was a new man, this empty vessel, and he…
“I… I don’t want anyone killed! I don’t want to be arrested as a murder suspect!”
Seo Tae-joon chuckled, and she realized with a jolt that he was teasing her. “I won’t do anything like that. I’ll just persuade him not to bother you again. You should go inside and take a nap. I’ll be there soon.”
Ji-woo hesitated. “Seo Tae-joon, don’t forget I was the one who caught him. I’ll be the first one they suspect.”
Seo Tae-joon simply raised an eyebrow. “Please don’t get angry and lose your head. Don’t get overexcited, either! You… you might get a headache, and that would be terrible!”
He laughed. “Don’t laugh. You still haven’t recovered completely. I promised we would only see good things together, and I’m sorry I broke that promise by making you deal with this.”
He found her utterly adorable. “He never believed we were married,” she continued, her voice small. “That’s why I wanted to show him. That’s all. Nothing more than that, do you understand?”
“I understand,” he said, scratching his eyebrow with his thumb to hide the smile tugging at his lips. She was just too endearing. He wanted to scoop her up and carry her back inside. At last, seeing the relief on her face, he watched as she walked reluctantly back to the house.
Hwang Jo-yoon writhed on the ground as he watched her leave. He tried to shout, but only muffled whines came out. He hadn’t understood a word they’d said. He had wandered around her house so shamelessly because he’d thought her helpless. She had always been helpless, capable of nothing more than trembling in fear.
He’d climbed up to the window and watched her face pale as she saw him. I still have power over you, he had thought. He’d kept watch, and when he’d peeked through the window again, she hadn’t been afraid. She’d been angry. She had marched toward him with firm steps and sprayed the pepper directly into his eyes. As he screamed from the blinding pain, she had picked up a shovel and beaten him senseless.
She had looked murderous. Why had her eyes looked like that? Her face had been pale, but her eyes…
“Hwang Jo-yoon,” Seo Tae-joon said, crouching to meet his gaze. He grabbed his chin, his grip brutally harsh in a way that didn’t match his serene expression. “Where do you live?”
He tried to resist, but he couldn’t shake the man’s grip. “I asked you where you live,” Seo Tae-joon repeated, his grip tightening. He still looked serene. Almost bored, as if he might yawn at any moment.
Contrary to his calm demeanor, his hand felt as if it could crush Hwang Jo-yoon’s jaw.
“Uhhh…!”
“Ah, my apologies,” Seo Tae-joon said, glancing at the gag. “How could you answer with this thing in your mouth? It’s so thick. Ji-woo really knows her work, don’t you agree?”
Seo Tae-joon let go of his chin and untied the gag. Hwang Jo-yoon coughed violently, clearing his throat as a string of nauseated drool spilled from his lips. “But where did she get the nerve to bite back so hard?” Hwang Jo-yoon sneered. “I’m going to sue you both. Are you really Han Ji-woo’s husband?”
The man, who had been staring into the middle distance, suddenly focused on him, his eyes sharp. He was quiet, but the air in the yard grew heavy, centered entirely on him. Hwang Jo-yoon instinctively tried to shrink away.
“Show me proof, then,” he spat. “Documents, legal forms, anything! Just show me.”
“I don’t like asking a third time,” Seo Tae-joon said, his voice flat. “Where do you live?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m not telling you anything until you bring me proof. There’s no way you’re married to Ji-woo.”
“Should I guess?” Seo Tae-joon asked. He stood and grabbed Hwang Jo-yoon by the collar. With his hands and feet still bound, Hwang Jo-yoon was helpless as Seo Tae-joon began to drag him across the yard.
“Ah…! Let go! I said let go!”
“Shut up.”
“Ji-woo! Ji-woo!” Hwang Jo-yoon screamed.
Seo Tae-joon’s face hardened. “I told you to stop calling her name.”
“Ji-woo!” He struggled frantically. Seo Tae-joon stopped, grabbed a handful of sharp-edged stones from the ground, and shoved them inside Hwang Jo-yoon’s open mouth.
“Ughh… uughh…!”
“When I warn you kindly, you don’t seem to listen.”
“AAAAH!”
“Shut your mouth. Don’t wake Ji-woo.” Seo Tae-joon clamped a hand over his lips, clenching Hwang Jo-yoon’s jaw shut. The stones ground between his teeth, sending unbearable shards of pain through his skull. Hwang Jo-yoon began to scream, a hysterical, muffled sound of pure agony.