Afternoon, September 9
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[Chat Board Notice]
[Chat] Something absolutely insane just happened to me;
ksj98 | 20xx. 09. 09. (16:20)
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I’ve been taking care of my mom lately…ㅠㅠ She has cancer. They found it pretty early, so the doctors said she should be okay if she gets surgery and treatment, but my family’s financial situation isn’t exactly great… Of course, I don’t let my mom see that I’m worried;
It’s just my mom, my older sister, and me living together. My father was an alcoholic piece of trash who used to beat my mom, my sister, and me…. Once I got big enough to overpower him, he left the house; At this point, he’s basically gone for good. My sister graduated from college and just started working, but almost her entire paycheck goes toward living expenses and Mom’s hospital billsㅠㅠ I’m still in college…. Honestly, going to school feels like a luxury with how things are now, so I thought about dropping out and getting a job instead, but both my mom and my sister got angry at meㅠㅠ So I just took a leave of absence for now, but I’d been feeling really frustrated.
So while my mom was sleeping, I went outside for a walk. I was just wandering around, worrying without getting anywhere, when I noticed this guy standing in front of me who looked kind of intimidating. I was wondering if I should avoid him or just head back inside, and I looked up at the hospital building….. Then all of a sudden I got this really bad feeling. So I looked again more carefully.
Holy shit. There was a flowerpot or something perched precariously on the windowsill, swaying back and forth. It looked like it was about to fall any second. And if it did, it looked like it would land right on that guyㅠㅠ I completely panicked… It seemed like it’d be too late if I just yelled for him to move. Honestly, I think my body moved before I even had time to think. The guy was huge, but I sprinted over, shoved him out of the way, and we both went tumbling onto the ground together. Right after that, the flowerpot crashed down exactly where he’d been standing with a loud smash.
The guy suddenly went, “Fuck,” and I got scared. But I think he’d just been startled too….. I got kind of nervous;; When I looked at him, he immediately bowed his head and said, “I’m sorry. That surprised me…” He apologized for swearing and helped me back to my feet.
Then he said, “I’ll help you get treated,” and practically dragged me into the hospital. While we were walking, he made a phone call and told some man he called a secretary to get over here immediately.
As soon as we entered the hospital, a bunch of men in suits who looked like bodyguards came out, and that scared me all over again; The guy handed me over to the oldest-looking man among them (he gave off this really elite vibe, so that made me feel a little more at ease). He told me to get treated, and when he explained to the man what had happened with the flowerpot, every single one of them turned pale. The guy ignored everyone telling him to get treated himself and disappeared somewhere.
Then the elite-looking man helped me get medical treatment…… Instead of going upstairs and waiting like everyone else, I was treated separately. That’s when it started to click.
This guy must be insanely rich…
I’ll be honest…. I kind of got my hopes up…. Maybe it makes me sound shallow, but I started wondering if I might get some compensation….. If I did, I figured we wouldn’t have to worry about hospital bills for a while;
The elite-looking man thanked me and asked what had brought me to the hospital. So I told him my mom was hospitalized here because she’s sick…. I’ll be honest, I did play up how pitiful our situation was a little.
The elite-looking man told me to wait a moment and stepped outside. He came back not long afterward.
Then he told me they’d cover all of my mom’s medical expenses; Everything we’d already paid, the surgery, the hospitalization, and every medical bill after that…. I’d had those shallow thoughts, sure, but I honestly hadn’t even hoped for that much; I was so shocked I couldn’t even get my words out, but he told me not to feel burdened by it. Then he even gave me additional money, and it was a pretty large amount too…… I figured nobody would believe me, so here’s proof.
(Photo)
(Photo)
The first one is the old six-person hospital room we had…. And the second is the private room the man switched us to, along with the compensation moneyㅠ This all happened only about two hours ago. The person I saved stopped by just a little while ago to thank me before leaving. He also said the compensation was really nothing, so I should accept it. He even said he might be able to help us more later.
Things turned out well, but I still feel kind of guilty….
It’s okay for me to accept this, right?ㅠㅠ Please tell me it is….. I know this is basically me asking for the answer I want…… I mean, of course I should accept it. My mom is sick, and my sister’s been through so muchㅠㅠ But I still feel guilty…..
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Comments
(16:28)
Whoa, congratulations. That’s incredible….
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(16:30)
It’s for your mom, so just accept it! It’ll make things easier for your sister too. I’m so glad things worked outㅠㅠ
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(16:31)
If they offered that much, it’s because they can afford it~ Your mom must’ve been worrying a lot too. Once she can stop worrying so much, maybe she’ll recover faster! She’ll probably be shocked, though, so explain everything to her carefully. It’s not like you did nothing—you saved someone’s life. If that flowerpot had fallen from that height, you were literally his lifesaver…..
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(16:31)
He must’ve been ridiculously rich. I wanna save a rich person too.
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(16:33)
A lot of people would’ve tried to squeeze every last penny out of someone in that situation, but the fact that you even made a post asking about it….. Maybe this happened because you’ve lived as a genuinely good person. I mean, you could’ve gotten hurt yourself trying to protect him. Just accept it with peace of mind!
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(16:36)
It’s nice seeing something heartwarming for a change…. I hope your mother makes a full recovery.
***
A random person has entered the chat room. Feel free to chat~
Stranger: hi
You: Hello.
Stranger: lol
Stranger: ?
Stranger: What are you doing?
You: I was waiting
You: so I could leave if you started saying anything weird.
Stranger: sounds like you’ve run into perverts before lol
Stranger: Same here.
You: Yeah.
You: I just wanted to talk to someone else.
Stranger: Guess you don’t have any friends either lol
Stranger: I don’t.
You: Don’t people with lots of friends use this too?
You: Someone I know does.
Stranger: They just do it ’cause they’re bored.
Stranger: You’re different.
You: Oh.
Stranger: lol
Stranger: No friends?
You: No.
Stranger: LMAO
Stranger: I don’t have any because I got bullied.
Stranger: What about you?
You: Me…
You: My boyfriend didn’t like me having friends.
Stranger: Oh, come on.
Stranger: Just talk to your boyfriend. =.=
You: He died.
Stranger: I’m sorry.
You: It’s okay.
Stranger: So was your boyfriend
Stranger: kind of the possessive type?
You: Something like that.
You: We fought because of it.
Stranger: How’d you fight?
You: Well… everyone around me is getting married.
You: Then it suddenly hit me that all the wedding invitations I receive are from my boyfriend’s friends.
You: Even if I got married someday,
You: when it came time to take photos,
You: I don’t think there’d be many people who could come as my friends.
Stranger: Are you doing okay socially?
You: I do have coworkers…
You: Though I don’t think that really counts.
You: I don’t know.
You: Maybe you’re right.
Stranger: Have you always not had friends?
You: I did in middle school.
You: But after I started dating him in high school,
You: they all disappeared.
Stranger: ^^
Stranger: Don’t think of it as them disappearing.
Stranger: Just think of it as getting rid of people you didn’t need.
You: They weren’t…
You: unnecessary.
You: Friends are…
You: Besides…
You: What about you? Did you have lots of friends?
Stranger: Your boyfriend’s friends were genuinely just friends.
Stranger: But who’s to say your friends were purely friendships?
Stranger: Maybe they had ulterior motives.
You: My boyfriend used to say things like that a lot….
You: But they really were just friends.
Stranger: Are you a hundred percent sure?
You: ……
You: No…..
You: Maybe my boyfriend was right after all….
Stranger: Exactly.
Stranger: So why are you only doubting it now?
Stranger: You said your boyfriend’s already dead.
You: I’ve thought something was strange for a while now….
You: After he died, I was sorting through his assets and found out he’d bought a cabin in the mountains.
You: He always used to joke that he wanted to lock me away somewhere, so….
Stranger: I see.
Stranger: Is that all?
You: We fought a lot too….
You: And when he got angry…
You: he was really terrifying.
Stranger: Haha.
Stranger: And?
You: That’s not what I wanted to talk about;
You: It feels like I’m speaking badly about him….
You: He was a good person.
You: Nobody’s perfect.
Stranger: I see.
Stranger: Then what did you want to ask some stranger for advice about?
You: Well…
You: I mean…
You: ……
You: I’m a little confused.
You: There’s someone new who’s started catching my attention, and…
You: It feels like I’d be betraying my boyfriend.
Stranger: Of course it’s betrayal, Heesoo.
Stranger: You really want to die, don’t you?
You: ……
You: Taeyoung?
Stranger: You go around seducing anyone without even realizing it, and now you’re saying this?
Stranger: If it weren’t for me, do you really think you could’ve lived your life like this?
Stranger: Some fucking pervert would’ve gotten his hands on you long ago and fucked you until your ass was completely wrecked.
Stranger: Who do you think saved you from that?
You: Taeyoung.
You: Yesterday—
Stranger: Fuck. Did it feel good getting fucked on some other bastard’s dick, moaning like that?
Stranger: Lee Heesoo.
Stranger: If I’d known it’d come to this, I never would’ve let things end with just talking every time.
Stranger: You’re seriously pissing me off…..
Stranger: But our Heesoo kept thinking about me,
Stranger: kept loving me,
Stranger: kept calling for me,
Stranger: let me hold you again,
Stranger: so thanks to that, I’ve regained a little strength.
Stranger: Honestly, that was me protecting you too.
Stranger: Being with Song Gitae isn’t a good thing, Heesoo.
Stranger: I have no one but you.
Stranger: And you have no one but me.
Stranger: So I’ll kill him for you.
Stranger: …….
Stranger: I’m still too weak.
Stranger: I need to become a little more certain…..
Stranger: I need enough strength to kill him.
Stranger: So keep accepting me, Lee Heesoo.
Stranger: Got it?
The conversation has ended.
***
- Around 2:00 PM: Hyung started a conversation with Conversation Partner A through a random chat service on his laptop.
- Partway through the conversation, the other person’s way of speaking began to change subtly, but Hyung didn’t think much of it.
- During the chat, the other person asked him about it, so he vented the frustrations he’d been feeling toward Kim Taeyoung. It’s presumed that this was the point when the conversation partner became Kim Taeyoung.
- Hyung refused to tell me much about what they talked about afterward and kept giving vague answers. I suspect he said some things that weren’t exactly good.
- He said he got up after hearing something threatening directed at me…. (The writing becomes illegible here.) Then he apparently collapsed on the spot.
- When I found Hyung unconscious in his hospital room afterward, there were distinct handprints on his cheek and neck (currently bruised), and he had a slight fever.
- Hyung claims he doesn’t remember exactly what happened. ← Really?
- There’s a high probability that Kim Taeyoung was lingering around Hyung from the beginning.
- Once Song Gitae approached him somehow, Hyung became frequently exposed to the spirit realm, giving Kim Taeyoung an opening to interfere.
- On top of that, because of his anxiety, Hyung had been seeking out Kim Taeyoung himself, which likely made it easy for Kim Taeyoung to come and go.
- Both Song Gitae and Kim Taeyoung are active at times that are relatively close to 2:00, but they’re operating outside their previously established time window.
- They’re also exerting direct physical force. The situation has entered a dangerous stage.
- Hyung said he didn’t want to stay at the hospital, so we’re going home instead.
(The following sentence appears to have been written hastily.) - He said that one of the protective talismans attached beneath the bed had been torn.
- Maybe what I saw yesterday wasn’t my imagination after all.
***
[Texts]
—
Baek Seunghyun
Maknae.
Our maknae.
Our adorable maknae~
Why aren’t you answering my calls? You keep hanging up on me.
I heard something serious happened.
—
– Don’t call.
– Someone’s sleeping next to me.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Lee Heesoo?
—
– Wait, how do you know?
– Does everything that happens to me end up getting reported to hyung?
– Are you spying on me now?
—
Baek Seunghyun
No;
Why would I spy on you?
—
– You bugged our second hyung before.
—
Baek Seunghyun
That was different.
That bastard Woohyun kept acting suspiciously.
Our maknae isn’t like him.
—
– Then how do you know?
—
Baek Seunghyun
I heard something big happened today.
The report even made its way up to me.
—
– It wasn’t a big deal.
– I wasn’t hurt.
– I’m fine.
—
Baek Seunghyun
You think that’s all that matters?
If that flowerpot had fallen just a little differently…
If that person hadn’t helped you…
If you’d been alone…
You could’ve died.
You barely escaped with your life.
—
– I know.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Maknae.
If something happens to you,
Mother will collapse.
—
– …….
– I’m sorry.
– But I’m okay.
– Don’t tell Mom.
—
Baek Seunghyun
I won’t.
I won’t tell Father either.
I’ve been worried about him too—his blood pressure’s been high lately.
—
– Okay.
– I’ll be more careful from now on.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Good.
Our maknae, let’s see each other sometime.
I’m worried about you.
—
– I’m busy.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Aren’t you free?
I heard you’ve basically been glued to Lee Heesoo lately.
—
– Yeah.
– That’s why I’m busy.
—
Baek Seunghyun
I see.
I’m only asking just in case…
When you say you’ve been seeing Lee Heesoo often these days…
By “seeing,” I just mean you’ve been meeting him a lot.
—
– We’re not dating.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Oh, I see.
—
– I’m trying to win him over.
—
Baek Seunghyun
What?
What are you talking about?
—
– Is that not allowed?
—
Baek Seunghyun
Mother’s going to collapse.
Why do you keep causing trouble?
—
– Mom said she’s fine with it.
—
Baek Seunghyun
What?
Seriously?
—
– Yeah.
– She said as long as I’m happy, she’s okay with it.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Good grief……
When did you even have that conversation?
—
– Last time.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Our maknae really doesn’t hold back….
What about Father?
—
– Don’t care.
– It’s not like I’m trying to take over the company.
– You should be the one worrying about him.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Our maknae…
I was going to try to stop you,
but you’re so confident
I don’t even know what to say.
—
– So what?
– Don’t tell him.
– It’s my life, so leave me alone.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Alright, alright.
Come to think of it, that brat Woohyun dated a man for a while too.
I think he was twenty-five.
He was dating some actor or whatever.
I asked him if it was a sponsorship arrangement, and he went absolutely ballistic, insisting it wasn’t—that they were genuinely in love.
In the end, they broke up.
—
– I’m going to marry him.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Alright, alright.
—
– =.=
—
Baek Seunghyun
Then again, that’s not even the biggest problem.
Dating a man is one thing.
But it’s dangerous.
I heard you even met with a shaman.
—
– Just how much have you heard?
—
Baek Seunghyun
Almost everything…..
—
– Chief Secretary Yoo.
– Is that why you assigned him to me?
—
Baek Seunghyun
Because I was worried about you….
Sure, our maknae’s all grown up now,
but to your parents and your hyungs,
you’re still a kid.
Even now, my hands still shake whenever I remember the time you almost got kidnapped.
—
– How much longer are you going to keep bringing that up?
– I was six years old.
– Enough already.
– Then I guess you also know it’s almost all been resolved.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Hmm.
The Ha-neul Truth Church, huh.
Want me to help?
—
– Yeah.
– There are plenty of angles we can use against them.
– It looks like they’ve been covering things up by throwing money around.
– If you help, hyung, it’ll go even faster, right?
—
Baek Seunghyun
Got it.
Just leave it to your hyung.
—
– Yeah.
—
Baek Seunghyun
You’re really okay physically?
—
– I told you I’m fine.
– If you’re that worried, just give me some spending money.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Our maknae……
You used to say all you needed was your hyung.
Now you like money more.
—
– You like the company
– more than me, too.
—
Baek Seunghyun
That’s a misunderstanding.
—
– It’s okay.
– I like Heesoo-hyung more than my eldest hyung too.
—
Baek Seunghyun
You’re so cruel.
—
– LOL
—
Baek Seunghyun
You’ll come home for Chuseok, right?
—
– Yeah.
– By the way…
—
Baek Seunghyun
Yeah?
—
– If I bring Heesoo-hyung to our house with me…
– Heesoo-hyung would probably pass out, wouldn’t he?
—
Baek Seunghyun
That’s a silly question.
Of all places,
he works at SH……
—
– Then maybe we’ll just stop by for a little while.
—
Baek Seunghyun
Sounds good.
I even bought you a present.
See you then.
—
– Okay.
***