Rrrrr—
The phone kept ringing nonstop. Kim Min-seok let out a heavy sigh as he stared at the screen. The name displayed was Seo Chang-seop.
He had been calling relentlessly since morning. The number of missed calls had already piled up to over a dozen. His persistence was even worse than Ha Jun-seo’s.
In the end, Kim Min-seok switched his phone to silent mode. But even with the sound and vibration turned off, he couldn’t help but glance at it repeatedly. Seeing the screen light up incessantly made his stomach churn. Still, this man had raised Seo Ha-yoon—could he really just ignore him like this?
Only after a long while did the notifications finally stop. Cautiously, Kim Min-seok picked up his phone. Twenty missed calls. Just as he was about to lock the screen, a message popped up.
[Ha-yoon, pick up the phone. Ignoring your father like this is wrong.]
[You must not remember, but you can’t treat me this way.]
[If it’s really too much for you, just send 5 million won. I’ll make do with that for now.]
Reading through the flood of messages made his chest tighten. Seo Chang-seop knew Seo Ha-yoon’s circumstances and yet still hounded him for money. It was disgusting. Maybe this was Seo Ha-yoon’s fault too—maybe he never should have given him money in the first place.
Just as he was about to put the phone down, another message arrived.
It had an attachment.
A sense of unease crept over him. Hesitantly, he tapped on the image.
The moment it loaded, Kim Min-seok sucked in a sharp breath.
It was a naked picture of a young boy.
The boy had pale skin and a distinctive beauty mark beneath his eye. His delicate features were strikingly pretty, but what stood out the most was his vacant expression. He lay limp on a bed covered with an old-fashioned patterned blanket. A thick, rough hand was gripping his bare thigh.
The room spun.
The phone slipped from his hands.
A wave of nausea surged up his throat.
“Urgh…“
Clamping a hand over his mouth, he bolted for the bathroom.
“Uurk—ugh—“
The moment his face hovered over the toilet, his stomach heaved violently. Everything inside him came pouring out. He choked and retched, saliva and tears streaming down his face.
He kept vomiting.
And vomiting.
He lost track of time. His stomach had long emptied, yet his body still convulsed as if trying to purge something even deeper.
At last, the dry heaving stopped.
His limbs weak and trembling, Kim Min-seok slowly pushed himself up and turned on the sink. He splashed cold water on his face and brushed his teeth, scrubbing his tongue raw in the process.
When he finally dared to look in the mirror, his already pale complexion had turned deathly white. Only the rims of his eyes were flushed red, making his reflection look unsettlingly sensual. Even in this state, his beauty was undeniable. The absurdity of it all made him let out a hollow laugh.
Slapping his cheeks twice, he forced himself to take deep breaths. Then, gathering what little composure he had left, he stepped out of the bathroom.
Even looking at his phone made his heart pound erratically. Taking another shaky breath, Kim Min-seok picked it up.
With trembling fingers, he checked his notifications. There was a new message.
Another message arrived.
[Deposit 5 million won by 6 PM tonight. Or else, I have my ways.]
The threatening message was far from a plea. Seeing Seo Chang-seop’s blackmail, Kim Min-seok felt a strange calm. He sat on the bed and opened the photo again.
It was a nude photo of a minor, with a clear sexual undertone. The hand position suggested it was taken by a man. Given that Seo Chang-seop sent the photo, he was likely the one who took it.
“Seo Ha-yoon… what kind of life have you lived?” Kim Min-seok murmured. How did Seo Ha-yoon end up being blackmailed by Seo Chang-seop? If anyone found out that Seo Ha-yoon had such photos taken as a minor, they would be shocked and point fingers. Seo Ha-yoon must have been giving money to Seo Chang-seop because of this.
“Damn it…”
Suddenly, anger surged within him. After seeing Seo Chang-seop hugging Seo Ha-yoon in his dream, Kim Min-seok’s heart had softened. He thought Seo Chang-seop was the only family Seo Ha-yoon had left. But he was wrong. Seo Chang-seop was an abuser and exploiter. The photo’s implications were clear: Seo Chang-seop had sexually abused Seo Ha-yoon.
“This bastard…”
Kim Min-seok’s anger boiled over. He understood now why people could faint from rage. Without hesitation, he called Seo Chang-seop. The phone rang only a few times before Seo Chang-seop answered.
-Is that you, Ha-yoon?
“You fucking piece of shit. What the hell is this photo? Are you threatening me? Do you know what will happen if I take this to the police? In this day and age, if you sexually abuse your own kids, you’re fucked!”
-You little shit, you want to mess with me? You wanna end your life? You wanna see these photos and videos spread around?!
“And you think your life won’t be over too? What are you gonna do with this photo? Spread it around? Go ahead. Spread the photos, the videos, all the evidence of you abusing your own kids. I’ll hide my face, but you’ll be the one behind bars! You fucking piece of shit!”
-Ha! Looks like you’ve lost your memory and your damn mind too. Seo Ha-yoon, do you remember sucking my cock since you were a kid? Do you think your boyfriend will still want you if he knows you’ve been fucked by your own father since you were a kid? Who would want to be with such a filthy bitch?
Seo Chang-seop’s words hit Kim Min-seok like a blow to the head. He had cursed in anger, but the reality was stark: if Choi Sang-hyuk or Ha Jun-seo found out, it would be disastrous. This single photo could ruin everything, but how many more photos and videos did Seo Chang-seop have? From his words, it was clear that Seo Ha-yoon had been raped by Seo Chang-seop for years, starting from a young age. The thought of what other evidence Seo Chang-seop might have was chilling.
Click—
As the door opened, Ha Jun-seo stood there, bright and gentle as always.
