Was Hyukjoon—herHyukjoon—capable of doing something so terrible? Hyukjoon, who surprised her with gifts, who planned elaborate dates, who always took the long way home.
“You must be mistaken,” Dahye heard herself saying.
“I’m sorry, Dahye, but it’s the truth.”
Dahye shuddered. When she looked at her hands, she saw that they were shaking.
“We need to go to the police and file a report right away,” Bora said. “We can’t let this asshole and his asshole family get away with it. We can’t let the bad guys win.”
“It doesn’t matter if I go to the police,” Dahye said numbly. “You said it yourself—he’s rich and powerful.”
“He’s committed a crime. Nobody is above the law. Come on. The police can help you.”
“Leave me alone.”
Bora reached over to hug her. “Everything will be okay,” she said. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now. But trust me, it will get better.”
Dahye saw the pity in Bora’s face and hated it. In that moment, she hated Bora more than anything. She wanted to kick and smash everything in Bora’s room, to rip apart her meager possessions. She heard none of her friend’s empty platitudes, which seemed to repeat on a loop for several long hours in spite of the fact that Dahye had nothing to say in response. When Bora finally tired herself out, crawling into bed and promptly falling asleep, Dahye found that she was relieved. She had known Bora since they were girls, having met in elementary school, and Dahye had always felt that they understood each other better than they understood themselves.
Now? She wasn’t so sure.
Dahye crawled to the outlet where her phone was charging. Out of habit, she dialed Hyukjoon’s number. He didn’t answer.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, she thought. It was one of Bora’s favorite sayings. Annoyed, Dahye pressed her back flat against the wall and went to Naver. Bora had made her promise not to look for the screenshots, but Dahye didn’t care.
It took a little over an hour, but finally she was able to locate the exact post that Bora had referenced. It contained dozensof screenshots of the conversations between Hyukjoon and his friends. The anonymous person who had leaked them wrote:
I can’t reveal how I came upon these messages, but I can no longer in good conscience keep them to myself. These animals must be punished to the full extent of the law. Every effort I’ve made to expose them has led nowhere. The press, the police, the government, none of them are willing to do anything. Please help me get the word out.
Dahye clicked on the first screenshot.
Hyukjoon:fucked her, just like I said I would. you guys owe me money
Donghyun:yeah right. where’s the proof?
Hyukjoon:I already sent it to you, dumbass
Donghyun:I didn’t get it. send it again
Hyukjoon:[VIDEO THUMBNAIL]
Dahye tried to zoom in, but the thumbnail was blurred. She continued reading.
Donghyun:ha. delicious
Seungmin:the fuck? she sleeping?
Hyukjoon:she wasn’t … until I gave her a special cocktail. haha
Seungmin:that’s cheating. we agreed no drugs
Hyukjoon:don’t be a sore loser
Donghyun:lol you’re a pig. send another one when she’s awake and I’ll pay up
Hyukjoon:you’re telling me you’re not a pig?
Hyukjoon:how am I supposed to take a pic when she’s awake?