592.

"What did he say? Was your father there? When are they letting us go?" Myeong-suk shot several questions as soon as Na-Ra entered the dimly lit room where they were confined. Her mother gripped the bars, putting her face in between the iron bars to speak. Na-Rae still didn't move. "Na-Ra, we're going out, right? That's why the attorney was here, right?" She looked delirious.

Na-Ra's annoyance flared. "Just the attorney. The Attorney said dad was in and out of interrogations but we don't know if he's locked up or not."

Myeong-suk's expression fell. "Why didn't he come sooner?" then she asked, her voice trembling. "You didn't tell me when they're letting us go."

"You have to allow me to finish first." Na-Ra entered the cell and the guard locked her up before leaving the room.

The cell was beginning to reek. There used to be someone stationed in the room initially but due to their constant pestering the cop on duty now stood outside the door instead of sitting inside. That left them alone to wallow in their misery.

"What's with the attitude?" Myeong-suk scowled. "I'm asking for all of us. I can't live in this shit hole for another day. This fucking hole stinks and I saw a bug under that sheet yesterday." She pointed at the sheet she'd thrown in the corner. "I did nothing to get locked up here!"

Na-Rae scoffed and whipped his head to stare at Myeong-suk with anger in her gaze. Her eyes were red and puffy, hair disheveled. Na-Ra had never seen her sister unkempt like this. She refused food and only consumed water.

Na-Ra took a seat on the ground and brought her knees close to her chest. "Attorney Kim didn't come despite his office handling all our legal affairs. He sent some freaking subordinate who just sat there and told me that I'm being accused of drug possession and trafficking. I've done nothing wrong except co-owning Na-Rae's apartment from where they found it." Her voice was extremely calm. She glared at her younger sister. "And this bitch won't even open her mouth to tell me what she did or what she did not."

"Drug possession and drug trafficking." Myeong-suk's hands trembled. "What are you saying?" She glanced at Na-Rae. "Na-Rae, why are you so silent? Explain!" She banged her hands on the bars. "Why the fuck are you so quiet? Where did the drugs come from? Answer me!"

Na-Rae slanted a glance at them but her mouth stayed shut. She scoffed but went back to stare at the wall aimlessly.

"What rights do you have to yell at her after doing everything?" Na-Ra asked cooly. Her calm, yet stern voice echoed around the otherwise silent room. "Why don't you tell us what you did first?"

Myeong-suk turned around with fury in her eyes. "What the hell did I do? I had no idea this bitch even took drugs!" she bellowed. "The only thing I told you both from time to time is to stay far, far away from that shit because it could ruin everything when you're in showbiz. She should have listened."

Na-Ra glared at Myeong-suk. "You still don't get it, do you?" she hissed. "Na-Rae is in this fucking position because of you!" She jabbed a finger in her direction. "She told me not to show you the photos but I was a fool. I believed you wouldn't be such an idiot to jeopardize everything."

Myeong-suk's eyes widened. "I did nothing." She glanced away.

"Jimin is behind all this," Na-Ra said without a hint of an emotion in her voice. She knew Myeong-suk wouldn't easily admit to her fault. "Looks like you have selective memory loss. Then let me remind you what you did." Na-Ra stood and approached the bars that divided her cell from that of Myeong-suk's. "Jimin told me that you spread the photos Na-Rae took to the entire elite circle and then hosted a dinner, where you talked shit about Jimin and his mother. Oh, that's not all. You had to confront her and try to humiliate her when our entire family's future relies on them. You had to rub it in her face, didn't you?" She pointed her index finger at her. "You ignored dad's warning and went ahead to do as you pleased. Guess what? This is how Jimin retaliates." She glanced at Na-Rae. "First, he withdrew all his investments with every company Na-Rae had signed up.Then he gave them an ultimatum. Either they should drop her and choose to get benefitted from his investments or can continue to work with her while facing a huge loss. They chose to drop her because she's expendable. If that's not enough, he had someone plant drugs in her apartment and then dragged us both into this to teach us a lesson. And you still want to pretend you did nothing?"

Myeong-suk's face went pale while Na-Rae stared at her with a shocked face.

Na-Ra scoffed. "Now even the attorneys don't wanna do shit about this. Attorney Kim and his associates are loyal to the Park family." Her chest heaved. "We're fucking stuck here for god knows how long and you have the fucking audacity to tell me that you did nothing?!" She shook the bars. "Open your mouth one more time and I'll strangle you! Do you hear me?! Huh?!"

The door burst open and a cop entered, banging the door loudly. "Quiet!" he hissed. "I'll lock each one of you separately if you don't stop yelling."

"Fucking lock me away then," Na-Ra growled. "I'm afraid I'll do something worse if I'm here."

Myeong-suk's bottom lip trembled and she didn't say a word. She took a few steps back only to be grabbed by Na-Rae who was behind her in another cell.

"You're so evil!" Na-Rae yelled. "How could you! I told you again and again that I was violating the rules and this shouldn't come out. How could you be so selfish?! You ruined everything!" She shook their mother. "How could you?!"

"Hey, stop that!" the cop hurried to her cell, smacking the bars with his baton. "I mean it."

Na-Rae released her but her pheromones were stinking the place. Her anger didn't seem to subside. "Are you happy now? You ruined my entire career," she blamed.

"What about the drugs, huh?" Myeong-suk growled. "I wasn't the one who put drugs in your home. What do you say about that?"

"It was a mistake!" Na-Rae yelled. "I had a party that weekend. One of the guests must have left it behind. I didn't get time to call the cleaner because I was working." Her chest heaved and she dropped to the floor. "The police wouldn't have checked my apartment if not for your stupidity. I was just minding my business but you had to ruin everything. My entire career is gone. It's all over!" She sobbed, sagging down to the floor.

Myeong-suk looked like she was struck by lightning while the cop shook his head, leaving them to their devices once again.

"I'll never forgive you for this," Na-Rae murmured. "I fucking hate you! You're not my mother anymore." She turned around, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. "I should have never clicked those photos," she sniffled. "I was fucking insane for wanting to share what I found and to trust this so-called family." Then her anger turned on Na-Ra. "I told you!" she screamed. "I fucking told you this woman can't shut her trap to save her life! You said she won't tell anyone."

Na-Ra clenched her jaw so tight that it hurt. "I was wrong." Her features hardened and she glared at her mother.

"Yeah?! You were wrong. Always wrong!" Na-Rae growled. "Always making bad choices and doing everything that you normally shouldn't. You fucked Jun-Myeon while you were leading on Jimin. He found out and booted you. But you continued to sleep around and kept begging Jimin to take you even after he rejected you a zillion times. Look at what he did? He made me sit here like an idiot. Then he brought you and her just because you were both involved by extension. How worse should this get? I should have never trusted you." She gripped her hair. "I'm an idiot." She slapped her face several times as she cried, chest heaving. "I'm done for. It's all over. I lost everything. How do I even show my face to others now?"

"Na-Rae..." Na-Ra called softly. "We will figure something out. Calm down. I'll talk to Jimin."

"No!" Na-Rae growled. "I will talk to Jimin." She clapped her hands in front of them in a praying gesture. "Whatever you have done so far is enough. Leave me the fuck alone!"

"Na-Rae, please stop."

"No!" Na-Rae bellowed. "Stop talking to me. I don't wanna see you or speak to you. I'm done with you."

Myeong-suk scoffed. "Fine. Whatever."

Na-Rae whirled around. She went to sit in one of the corners, facing away from them, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. Once again silence filled the room and it was heavy.

Na-Ra could only hope the attorney would do something faster and get them out of this hell-hole. 

593.

594.

***

That's it for today. See ya later!