But she had meant it. She really had. Dahye envisioned scraping everything out from inside her body—heart, liver, kidneys—and placing them into the jar. He was her beloved, andshe had been willing to give all of herself to him without reservation. She peeled her fingers from the window, leaving behind a damp print on the glass.
How foolish Dahye had been. Hyukjoon hadn’t needed her permission. He’d been planning on taking everything he wanted from her all along.
Hyukjoon threw his head back and laughed. One arm was slung carelessly around Seoyeon’s shoulders. The other was resting on the table, the stem of a wine glass tight between his fingers.
The couple was sitting inside a quiet, dimly lit bar with a group of friends, and outside, hidden from their view, Dahye watched. Earlier in the night, her phone had vibrated, the tracker notifying her that Hyukjoon’s car had begun moving again, and she had quickly followed him to Cheongdam.
Hyukjoon and Seoyeon’s friends were equally rich and beautiful. Like Hyukjoon, the two other men sitting at the table were tall and broad-shouldered, well-dressed, their hair meticulously styled. Each of the three women had a vague resemblance to Seoyeon and held Chanel bags in their laps. Their fingers and wrists dripped with gold. Dahye recognized a few of their bracelets—Van Cleef, Cartier. She remembered the time Eunhye had purchased a fake Cartier bracelet from a little jewelry storein Hongdae. After a week of wearing it, her wrist had turned green.
Bottles of wine kept appearing at the table and were just as quickly drained and taken away by the servers. When the group was done, Hyukjoon got up to pay, and the group stumbled out. Hiding in the darkness of the alleyway, Dahye eavesdropped on their conversation.
“Congratulations again,” a woman gushed, squeezing Seoyeon tightly. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“It’s going to be the wedding of the century,” one of the men said.
Dahye peered out. Everybody looked happy except Hyukjoon. Nobody else seemed to have noticed, but he was staring at one of the women in the group, his expression almost pained. The woman looked back at him, then looked away. Seoyeon caught the tail end of the exchange, and her face darkened.
Slowly, the crowd faded away until only Seoyeon and Hyukjoon were left. As soon as they were alone, Seoyeon gave him a hard shove. Hyukjoon stumbled off the curb, his cigarette flying from his hand and onto the ground. Embers scattered across the asphalt.
“What the hell was that?” Hyukjoon asked angrily.
“You know what,” Seoyeon snapped. “You were looking at Jia again. I saw you staring. You aresucha fucking prick!”
“Stop it, Seoyeon. You’re acting crazy.”
“Crazy?” Seoyeon’s voice climbed several octaves. “You’ve already embarrassed me once. Don’t tell me you forgot.”
“We’ve talked about this a thousand times,” Hyukjoon said. “You said you weren’t going to bring it up anymore. I fucking proposed like you demanded. I got on my knees and begged, and you said—”
“Too bad. I changed my mind.” She turned to go, but before she could, Hyukjoon grabbed her wrist. His features were twisted with fury.
“You’re not leaving until I say you can,” he hissed. His nostrils flared as he spoke. Dahye thought Seoyeon would acquiesce, but she wrenched her hand out of Hyukjoon’s grip with a violent jerk and slapped him across the face, the sound ringing through the empty street.
“I leave when I want,” she spat. “Don’t forget. You need me more than I need you.”
With that, she spun around, storming down the street. Hyukjoon watched her go, his jaw clenched. Even from a distance, Dahye could see the imprint of Seoyeon’s hand on his cheek.
“Stupid bitch,” Hyukjoon muttered, loud enough for Dahye to hear. He fumbled in his pocket for another cigarette as Dahye, still hidden, waited for Seoyeon to return. The minutes passed. Hyukjoon didn’t seem to care. He continued to stand there, smoking quietly, his attention focused on his phone, and Dahye saw her chance.
She stepped out from the shadows. With measured uncertainty in her voice, she said, “Oppa? Is that you?”
Hyukjoon looked up. At first, his expression was blank. Then recognition dawned on him. “Dahye?” he asked incredulously.
“Oh my god,” Dahye gushed. “I thought it was you! I’ve missed you so much! When did you get back?”
“Get back?” Hyukjoon looked confused.
“From New York?” Dahye asked, raising an eyebrow. “You told me that, with everything going on, you were going to lay low for a little while.”
“Right, right,” Hyukjoon said hastily. “Sorry, jet lag.” He chuckled. “I got back late last night. I was going to call you, butI didn’t get an opportunity. It’s been busy. You know how it is.” He glanced in the direction Seoyeon had gone.
“I completely understand,” Dahye said sweetly. “I’m just happy to see you.”
“Me too,” Hyukjoon said. He leaned in to hug her, and Dahye fought the revulsion sweeping through her body. She held her arms limply around him as he rested his chin on her shoulder. His familiar scent filled her nostrils. It dawned on her then. He always smelled like money. Closing her eyes, she remembered:All bitches have a price …
She cleared her throat and let the words dissolve into the air. “Did everything turn out okay?” she asked. “With your dad?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. Listen.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but there have been all kinds of rumors going around since I left.” He let out a dramatic sigh. “It’s crazy, seeing the stories people come up with.”