He dropped the bra when he saw what was at the bottom of the pile. It was her underwear. Her glorious panties. He grabbed the first pair and brought it to his nose, taking a deep whiff. It smelled like heaven. He picked up another and then another, growing dizzy from inhaling the sweet scent of her pussy.
Delicious. De-fucking-licious. He shoved one into his pocket and took one last look around her bedroom before walking out. In the living room, his eyes rested again on the knife, and he was reminded of the memories of the finger, the bloodstained clothes, and the missing chaebol son.
Maybe he had imagined the whole thing. Maybe Jang Hyukjoon’s disappearance was merely a coincidence. Maybe it had nothing to do with her. Junyoung could see nothing out of the ordinary. The unit was empty, but that in itself wasn’t a crime.
Standing in the middle of her living room, Junyoung wanted very badly to feel close to Dahye. To know every part of her. He opened one of the drawers in the kitchen. It was filled with disposable chopsticks, crumpled napkins, a few dusty candles. He closed it and went to the fridge.
It was mostly bare. On the top shelf were strawberry yogurt, two beers, a carton of soymilk. On the second shelf, a small package wrapped in paper towel and clingfilm.
The sight of the empty shelves made his heart ache. Dahye had grown noticeably thinner since moving out, and suddenly he was worried that she wasn’t taking care of herself properly. He thought about stopping by a convenience store and leaving her with some ramyun and rice. Bending over, he reached for the package on the second shelf.
As he unwrapped the clingfilm, a fetid smell hit him square in the face. Junyoung’s eyes watered. He peeled away the paper towel to reveal a grayish slab of wrinkled meat. It was cold and damp. He examined it, wondering what animal it had come from. Then realization dawned on him. Junyoung’s grip slackened, and the meat tumbled out of its wrapping and onto the floor.
It was a severed penis.
At first, all Junyoung felt was revulsion. Waves of nausea crashed over him as he stood rooted to the spot, staring unblinking at the floor. But gradually, the room stopped spinning, and as he returned to his body, Junyoung threw his head back and laughed. He laughed until his stomach hurt. This was better than the proof his mother had thrown away. In fact, it was better than anything he could have ever dreamed of. Because not only had DahyekilledJang Hyukjoon, a member of one of the most wealthy and powerful families in Korea, she had also taken his manhood. He practically owned her now. Grinning, he ran his tongue over his teeth and began to take pictures of the severed member. When he was done, he wrapped it back up, placed it gently back in the fridge, and turned to go.
His hand had just tightened around the doorknob when he heard keys rattling on the other side. She was back. Junyounglooked around frantically, but the room was so empty that there was no place to hide. He dove into the bedroom, yanking the door shut just as she entered. The floorboards creaked under his feet. Breathing hard, he threw himself into the closet and burrowed under her clothing. He listened. It sounded like she was still at the door, slipping off her shoes.
Something was wrong. She could sense it as soon as she stepped over the threshold into the living room. Glancing around, Dahye spotted a line of water trailing from the front door all the way into her closed bedroom.
Closed? Had she left it closed?
The back of her neck prickled. Dahye thought about the man she had seen at her door yesterday. Her stomach clenched tightly. She had been dismissive of Eunhye’s suspicions, but maybe Eunhye had been right. Maybe he was an investigator or a detective. It had been five days since she had murdered Hyukjoon, and every time she went outside, Dahye saw his face splashed across billboards scattered around the city. The search was ramping up, and still nobody had come to question her. She had convinced herself, perhaps foolishly, that she had gotten away with it.
Dahye picked up the knife from the kitchen sink and tiptoed toward her bedroom. She opened the door and frowned when she saw Eunhye standing silently in front of the closet, facingaway from her. Her head was cocked. Hearing Dahye’s footsteps, she turned around.
“He’s inside,” she rasped.
“Who is it?” Dahye mouthed.
Eunhye shrugged, her eyes narrowed. “The same guy from last time.”
Dahye held the cleaver up and reached for the doorknob, but Eunhye stopped her. Pressing a wrinkled, swollen finger against Dahye’s lips, she began to lead her out.
Dahye followed, a question in her eyes. Eunhye gave her a meaningful look, and Dahye understood. They walked toward the front door together.
+
Huddled underneath Dahye’s soiled clothes, Junyoung fought to quiet his breathing. She was so loud. Every sound was amplified in that little closet, the vibrations coming through the floorboards. Was it the same on the other side? Could she hear him, too?
As he listened to her footsteps approach the closet, a terrible thought struck him. What if she cut offhiscock and kept it in the fridge? His hand shot down to his groin. He squeezed, as though checking to make sure it was still there. It was. He felt a fleeting relief.
Please, he begged, his eyes tightly closed, one hand still crushing his member.Please don’t let her come in. Make her turn around. Make her leave.
The faint stripe of light under the door disappeared, and Junyoung’s heart began hammering so loudly he was sure Dahye could hear it from where she was standing. Any second now, she would open the door and catch him red-handed, lying under her dirty laundry, her panties in his pocket.
If he was quick, he could overpower her. Run before she had enough time to register what was happening. He could make it outside and call the police before she could have a chance to find him.
And if he couldn’t make it?You’re a man, he reminded himself.You’re stronger than her. Smarter. Better in every way.He would tackle her, wrestle her to the floor. Then he would call the police.
He closed his eyes. If he called the police, they would find Jang Hyukjoon’s severed penis in her refrigerator, and she would be arrested. He would lose her forever.
No. No police. He would catch her off guard, surprise her, and run.
Silently, Junyoung rolled onto his stomach, his palms flat against the floor. He was prepared to jump to his feet and run for his life—for his dick, really—but Dahye did not open the door. Instead, a strange thing happened: An intense cold swept over him, as though a clammy, damp hand had pressed against the center of his back. The feeling penetrated his skin, down into his bones, and a shiver ran down his spine.
The feeling vanished as suddenly as it had come. Junyoung lifted his head slightly, his mouth open, breathing shallowly. The collar of his shirt felt wet. On the other side of the door, he could hear Dahye’s retreating footsteps. She had walked away.