Life, Once Again!

“Yes, it’s me. Hello? Hello?”

Miyoon was about to throw her phone at the wall before barely managing to hold back. She had called all the important numbers saved in her phone book. There were two types of responses: one, they didn’t pick up, and two, they hung up after telling her not to call again.

“Damn those swines.”

Nothing went well. A supposedly competent lawyer she hired said that probation was going to be difficult the moment they met. She was about to retort, saying that he was nothing like ‘competent’ before deciding not to. It was hard to get a lawyer in the first place. That was because of the news that YM’s chairman and lawyer Park Sunggoo were involved in this case. If she chased out the only lawyer that was willing to help her out, the only option left would be to get a public defender. She had to avoid that at all costs.

She contacted some of her acquaintances who were judges and prosecutors, but their responses were cold as well. They swallowed whatever they were given, but they did not know how to cough up their own services. When she threatened them by saying that she would drag them down with her, they responded with a threat of their own, telling her to go ahead and try. One of the prosecutors even threatened her by saying that he would show her how close the bonds of prosecutors were. While she was frustrated to death, it was a foolish deed to fight them. After all, it was their job to prove the crime and to judge the crime. If she had power, it would be a different story, but now that she was stranded, she was afraid of the law more than any other time.

She put her fingers in her hair and clutched it lightly. Her hair, which had turned white from not being able to dye it, was pulled out like weeds. Miyoon screamed and shook her hand. It had been over ten days since she had not seen a mirror. Today was the 13th of January. The nightmare that began with New Years showed no signs of ending.

The phone she placed next to her pillow started ringing. Miyoon hurriedly picked up the phone, desperately hoping that someone took pity on her and was reaching out their helping hand.

-Actress Lee. How have you been doing?

“President Hong.”

She barely managed to speak. She had seen the news that president Hong was detained three days ago. It was very short; it was even shorter than the news that there was a traffic jam on some road somewhere. Now, people would no longer remember the prostitution case of an agency president. They would only remember the procuress crime that actress Lee Miyoon committed.

-The news is all over you. What a cruel world it is, don’t you think? It was just a few short weeks ago that you were renowned as a national treasure.

“It’s all because of you. You put me in this state. The chairman sold me out to cover you up! Do you even know that!”

-There, there, you’re making me feel sad. But the truth is like that, so I can’t really deny it. Thanks to you, it became quiet. Though, it’s a painful matter that I had to divorce my wife.

“Divorce? That’s it?”

-To someone riddled with failures like you, it might be ‘that’s it’ to you, but this means a lot to me. A flaw appeared on me for the first time. Serving a sentence, I can take as a consequence for something that’s of high return, but I can not with divorce. There is now a flaw to my clean human side of things. I’m extremely displeased about that.

“Bullshit. I won’t go down like this. I’ll go until the end. I’ll make sure that you cannot leave that place with ease. You got that?”

-Go ahead. Though, I’m not sure what you can do with what you have.

Her throat tightened. It suddenly became hard to breathe. The doctor’s words telling her to get absolute rest tickled her ears. The TV noises sounded distant.

-Also, I had someone I know do some tax investigations on you. You seemed to have earned quite a lot using the members of your family. You know? I keep to one principle. I return what I receive. I’ll make it so that you’ll wish that you’ll be detained like me.

The call ended there. Vain laughter escaped her mouth. Miyoon stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and looked at her face. A granny with a terrible face was staring back at her with exhausted eyes.

Knock, knock — there was a knock on her door. Miyoon slowly looked towards the door. What was her manager doing outside? Did he forget that she told him to stop anyone from entering?

“Uhm, ma’am, you have a guest,” said the manager.

A guest? Miyoon clasped her shaking hands. The fact that her manager gave way meant that the visitor came with good intentions and was a very important person. Perhaps the chairman had changed his mind and was helping her out? She pulled the door open in joy.

“It’s been a long time, Miss Lee Miyoon.”

“Y-you….”

Miyoon couldn’t continue speaking. The one in front of her door was Choi Miyeon. Why would this journalist come here? Despite saying hello quite boldly, journalist Choi could not enter the room. Miyoon saw her hands shaking minutely. It was clear that she was struck with fear.

Just as she was about to speak to find out her intentions of visiting, a man with a neat hairdo, a charcoal-colored suit, and an expensive-looking watch guided journalist Choi into the ward. Miyoon couldn’t even think about stopping them. The moment she saw the man who greeted her with a faint smile, she instinctively realized that she should not utter a word.

“Please excuse me. I’m Park Sunggoo, a lawyer.”

The moment she heard that name, she felt her knees give up. This man was one of the main culprits that put her in this state. Which meant that…. Her head turned to journalist Choi. She was standing there after placing the paper bag she brought on the cabinet.

It was hard to grasp what was happening. Why did Park Sunggoo bring that journalist here?

“It looks like I’m a bit late from my trip to the bathroom.”

The one that came in next was the chairman. Miyoon pushed journalist Choi aside and stood in front of the chairman. The chairman squinted at her. She kneeled immediately without even taking any time to think.

“Chairman, chairman. Please spare me this one time. I can’t go down like this. I can’t collapse like this.”

“Actress Lee, you have talent in putting people in a difficult spot. You should welcome your guests first. Journalist Choi is waiting over there.”

“J-journalist Choi, you say?”

“Stand up now.”

Miyoon hurriedly stood up. The marble floor pained her knees, but she had no room to show that on her face. Following Park Sunggoo, even the chairman showed up at the ward. This was not ordinary. Not only that, he called that bitch a guest.

“Miss Lee Miyoon,” journalist Choi called.

She had no idea what was happening.

“I hope you live like that for the rest of your life. Don’t ever become happy. Don’t even try to become happy. Just live like that, and pass on like that,” journalist Choi said with a shaky voice.

Her thought process, which had come to a halt due to her headache, had recovered instantly. Journalist Choi must have known that Lee Miyoon herself was the very cause that put her life in hell. Miyoon looked at the chairman and the lawyer from the corner of her eyes. She had completed her calculations. The one grabbing her lifeline right now was journalist Choi.

“Journalist Choi, no, Miss Choi Miyeon. I was in the wrong. I had no choice back then. I knew that you were a competent and upright journalist, but I couldn’t help you even though I wanted to.”

“And why couldn’t you?”

“I had inevitable circumstances. I’m a victim of this as well. I ended up putting you in hardship because of the inevitable logic of power. I’m deeply regretting that I deceived you back then even now. So please….”

Journalist Choi’s lips were glued together without a gap. Miyoon realized that her escape route had been blocked. Journalist Choi brought out a small vase from the paper bag she brought.

“Take it. I think it’s you who needs it now.”

Miyoon looked at the small vase. It was the vase she bought at journalist Choi’s flower shop. The writing that she wrote herself hit her eyes: I hope your business is successful. She felt like her bladder was being squeezed. It felt like every spinal bone was being twisted apart. Her hand started shaking. The vase she was holding fell on the ground, scattering dry soil across the marble floor.

“So this is inevitable too, right? The reason I’m in this state, and the reason you’re going to prison.”

Journalist Choi no longer trembled. Her voice also returned to that of the passionate journalist a few years ago. Miyoon collapsed to the ground. She could hear the chairman’s voice behind her.

“You should’ve lived a kind life.”

Tsk, tsk — the chairman’s tongue clicking sounded like handcuffs hitting each other. Journalist Choi nodded a little before trying to leave the ward. Miyoon walked over on her knees and grabbed her pants.

“Please, please just forgive me this once. Just once is enough. Please, think of it as saving this old woman, and give me mercy. You’re a kind journalist, aren’t you? Journalist Choi, journalist Choi. Please forgive me just this once. I’m the bad bitch. I’m trash. But people can change. If you let me go this once, I’ll live like a dead rat in the future. So please give me one more chance. Give me mercy this once,” Miyoon said as she looked up at journalist Choi.

Journalist Choi spoke as she looked at the corridor. Her eyes were not shaking even slightly.

“Why didn’t you give me that one chance six years ago? Then I wouldn’t have these scars.”

She showed her her wrist. Dozens of long and thin scars were drawn across her wrist. Miyoon couldn’t hold her back from leaving. She could not exert any strength into her fingers.

“Pay for your crimes, actress Lee.”

The chairman patted her on the shoulders with a smile.