Pursuit Of Fate

Chapter 13

Ice tumbled out from the ice machine into the storage bin. Seong Im slid open the cover of the metal bin and scooped out some ice into the blender. She added in the chocolate milk mixture and some chocolate chips and turned the blender on. She poured the blended mixture into the cup and served it to the customer.

"Thank you and see you again!" she said with a smile.

Her smile faded as the customer walked away. While cleaning up the stain on the counter, she accidentally knocked over the empty cups, scattering them all over the floor. Thankfully, the cups were made of plastic.

"Making a mess again?"

She recognized that voice. Oh no, she thought. She hurriedly picked up the empty cups and stacked them beside the counter. "It was an accident." she quickly apologized to her boss.

"This is the third time for today! If you're not in the mood to work, just go home!" Jae suk shouted at her. He shook his head at her and sent her to clean the tables. Seong Im nodded her head to his instructions and took the cloth and sanitizer from the counter.

"Kwang Soo, keep an eye on her. I don't want to see any of my stuff breaking." she could clearly hear what he said while cleaning the tables. She took a deep breath with her back still facing them before turning around to walk back to the counter. Jae suk was gone by then.

"Wow noona, you just broke Eun ri's record of being scolded by Jae suk hyung the most." Kwang Soo remarked.

"Should I be happy about it?" she sarcastically replied to his senseless remark and glared at him. He immediately apologized and offered her a canned coffee. Seong Im took it from his hand and pull up the aluminium tab.

"You don't look like your usual self today," Kwang Soo told her while munching the sandwich that he took, or maybe stole, from the fridge.

"Maybe I just didn't have enough sleep." she replied.

"Spent the night having fun with your boyfriend?" Seong Im slapped the back of his head for having such weird thoughts. He almost spit out the lettuce in his mouth.

"I don't have a boyfriend. You're gonna get it from me if you continue to say that." she shoved her fist in front of his face and walked out of the pantry.

"You're really scary.. " he mumbled.

"I heard that!" she shouted as she walked to the counter.

***

Seeing the car parked at the roadside, she felt jittery all over her body. Judging by the way she was told to dress, she was afraid that Suk Jin wants to satisfy his own pleasure again. It had been a few days since it happened but to her, it felt as though it just happened yesterday. She slowly headed to the car and entered.

"Dong Hoon isn't free today. So I came instead." Hee Gun told her.

"Hmm." She took off her cardigan, exposing the navy blue tube dress that she was wearing. He looked at her and then shifted his attention to the faint bruises on her wrists. The thought of how much she struggled to break free from his boss's grip that night came into his mind.

"Aren't we moving off yet?" Seong Im lifted her head and caught him looking at her.

Hee Gun turned on the car engine and drove off. Halfway through the journey, Seong Im realised that the time taken to reach the cabin seemed to be longer than usual and it didn't looked like they were on the route that they usually took. Sensing something was amiss, she told him to stop the car. Ignoring her request, he continued to drive on and stepped on the accelerator harder.

"Stop the car right now!" She shouted at him and grabbed his arm. He drove over a hump and made a sharp left turn.

"Hee Gun ssi!" she yelled. He stepped on the brake and the car screeched to a halt at the road shoulder. He unbuckled his seat belt and alighted from the car, and slammed the door shut. Seong Im followed suit and stood behind him.

"What were you trying to do?" Seong Im asked. Her voice sounded shaky with a hint of anger. There was no response from him.

"I'm talking to you!" She went up to him and tugged his arm forcefully.

Hee Gun slammed his hands down on the metal road barrier and turned to face her. Frustration flashed in his eyes along with a gaze that she never seen before. A helpless gaze. "I'm trying to save you from entering the lion's den! Don't you understand?"

"There isn't a need for you to do that! I don't need you to save me! I'm doing all this on my own accord!"

"On your own accord? Stop fooling yourself. You were scared, you didn't want to have sex with him. He forced you to do it. Do you think that I didn't know? Even a blind person could tell!"

She hate to admit but he was right. He saw right through her. "I have to pay the debts. I can only obey his instructions." she retorted.

He shook his head at her and looked away briefly before looking back to her. "There's no difference between you and a prostitute. No, wait, there is. Even a prostitute would be paid more than what you get."

Seong Im was taken aback by his comment. She took a step backwards, her lips trembling and tears rolled down her cheeks. Hee Gun was surprised by his own words as well. He said it in a fit of anger. He didn't mean it at all but the damage was already done.

"So that's how you see me as?" She looked at him in the eyes and said. "As someone who can't even be compared to a prostitute. Then why do you like me?"

"You heard the conversation between-"

"Yes, I heard everything. There's absolutely no reason for you to like me. A tainted, cheap woman and in your own words, a prostitute."

Hee Gun regretted every word that he said. He apologized and stepped forward but the more he moved forward, the more she stepped backwards. "You don't have to apologise. You're right with whatever that you said." She wiped away the tears on her face with the back of her hand and managed a fake smile.

"I guess you won't be sending me to the cabin, am I right?" She turned to walk away without waiting for his reply. There was no way he would allow her to travel to the cabin, alone, at such timing. Slamming his fist against the metal barrier, he looked up at the dark blue sky and exhale deeply. He reluctantly ran after her and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her back into the car.

"I'll send you there." he said.

***

Jong Kook was pacing around at the front porch, glancing at his watch every few seconds. The car headlights shined towards the exterior of the cabin as Hee Gun drove in. He switched off the engine and both of them alighted. "You're twenty minutes late!" Jong Kook yelled at Hee Gun. He lied that there was a traffic jam on their way to the cabin.

"Is your boss waiting upstairs?" Seong Im interrupted and looked at the room on the second floor. The light was on in that room.

Jong Kook nodded his head and accompanied her to the room. Upon entering the room, she apologized to Suk Jin for being late. She drank the glass of wine that he offered and proceed to lie down on the bed as instructed. She was like a puppet to him. Her lips stayed in place as he smashed his lips against hers. She did not resist or struggle as he unzipped the side zip of her dress. It's her fate. She resigned to it. Tears streamed down her face but it wasn't because of what Suk Jin was doing to her. The hurt that she felt.

The person that she thought was different from the rest in this ruthless organization. The person that she felt she could trust and perhaps rely on, actually see her as nothing but just a prostitute.

Hee Gun stared at the room from outside the cabin while leaning against the car. He bit his lips and looked on with sadness and guilt in his eyes.

The person that he wants to protect but failed to do so. The person who he hurt more than he could even love and be with her.