[Sim Himchan]

The moment I lay the two notes on the table, Daegwang and Seju roll their eyes and groan. They, especially the former, have had enough of them. It's understandable, but it's not their fault or mine either.

"This is Seo Saejeong's doing!" I exclaim, putting emphasis on her name and not hiding my contempt one bit. "And, guess what? She came to me a few days ago with an outrageous offer: one of us men have to marry her, or she'll make sure we lose our share of the family inheritance to... you know who..."

"Him." Daegwang's resolute glance masks his hatred for the person he mentions. Park Eunil, our maternal cousin. He and his close knit circle believe they're entitled to inheritance. His close family hate Dad and think he drove Mom to "a point of no return." Bullshit.

"Do you think Eunil got to know some of our friends, even indirectly?" asks Seju, planting questions in my mind. How much has Saejeong told him? Has she turned to me and Daegwang because he rejected her? All of these are assumptions, but I think it's fair I make them because there's no way Saejeong will be open with her intentions unless it comes to muddying waters.

"Well, he can look at our social media," I point out. "We have to be extra careful. He can use anything against us."

Seju stands resolute by her point. "He won't, though. We'll stop him."

Daegwang and I nod in agreement. I suggest. "He'll expect us to try and dodge the fire to save our asses. Well, we'll do the exact opposite. We'll dive deep in the fire."

"So, what do you want to do?" asks Daegwang, fearing I might pull an extremely intricate move. Actually, what I plan to do is much simpler.

"I'll play along with Saejeong. I want to see how dirty her conscience is, but I have to stoop to her level to do so." I flash a smile at my younger siblings in an attempt to reassure them. It works on Seju, not so much on Daegwang.

I pat his shoulders. "Relax. If it doesn't work the way I want, I can whip up a backup plan. Have you forgot what Dad has told us since we were kids?"

"No, no. It's just that... Be careful. Don't get burnt, okay?"

"A little burn won't scare me. I'll freeze her before she can set fire to everything." My confidence reaches a new peak. I know what to do and how to contrast Saejeong and her malicious intentions. Then, if things evolve differently, it means I've discovered more unsettling layers of her personality or her emotions. All I have to do is to keep my composure, knowing my integrity and our family's unity are at stake.

***

Strangely enough, Saejeong is nowhere near in sight today. She must've gone back to hiding. I don't know what she hopes to bargain with her marriage proposal. I don't even know what she actually thinks of Eunil. I have to find out if I want my plan to work as I desire.

What I see, however, is far more unsettling. The block is full of posters with Bernina Ha's face. I don't know what the fuck is going on—the only thing I'm aware of is that she's in a toxic as hell marriage and needs to get out of it no later than today.

The posters have an identical picture of hers and the exact same text. They recite, 'Beware this gold digging whore. She claims she simply loves living the high life... Well, she loves life. A double life. She acts lovey dovey with Alivia Colson and dreams of being with her all while enjoying Bret McCullum's money without respecting him and his efforts to make her happy.'

This has to be his doing. What a scumbag. He could've at least pretended to be nice to his poor wife. I mean, I'm not surprised since he likes treating women as dolls. I tear all the posters except one and make confetti out of them.

The lone poster still hanging on a pole? Well, I realize there's a QR code on it. I scan it with my phone. There's a video. I watch it. It's a two hour long montage of Bernina entertaining herself with Alivia. Apparently nothing serious in the first half.

But, then, it becomes way more disturbing as it moves forward. Between scenes of Bernina and Alivia having fun their way, and the former speaking to other people on how she plans to ruin Bret financially and emotionally, it's like I have a hard time distinguishing the pure truth from malicious distortions.

Of course, I go to Seju's with the full video. She and Kevin are disgusted at what they see, but not because they're disappointed in its protagonist. "It's all Bret's doing. This isn't just libel, it's borderline revenge porn!" is Seju's indignant comment.

"This shit alone has to be enough for that scumbag to be sued," I reply. "He'll see his fortune crumble before everyone can realize how much of a piece of shit he is."

"Wait, we have a lot more evidence," adds Kevin. "By the way, Nina expected this. She's already preparing the counterattack."

I smile in satisfaction. "Good. I can't wait to see it."

My enthusiasm for a potential revelation of this stage of the plan, however, quickly fades as I receive a phone call from the last person I want to hear from. Saejeong.

"I don't want to take this call, but I have to," I explain, trying to sound vague but actually not succeeding. Seju and Kevin both frown at me in a puzzled way. I guess the only way for them to see what trouble I'm getting into is for them to listen actively to this conversation.

Therefore, I take it. "Saejeong, Saejeong... I've been wondering what you're up to today. I haven't heard of you all day long. How are you?" My voice drips pungent, bitter sarcasm. I'm sure she'll appreciate it.

"It's not nice of yours to try and act all sweet when you yourself know you don't like me at all. No, no, that's not fair." When will Saejeong ever stop playing her stupid mind games and start being honest in her intentions?

"I know you're desperate for settling down. But have you thought that, to do that, you need to be with the right person?" She doesn't answer, which allows me to continue. "As in someone you love? When I mean love, I mean it for real. Loving the person for who they are. Not their possessions, bank account, social status and all that shit."

She sounds offended in her reply. "Do I sound like a gold digger to you?"

"Yes." Clear. Precise. Straightforward. I don't leave room for alternative interpretations of that simple word.

"Too bad you think that low of me, because I..." She hesitates. She hardly ever crumbles under pressure and has proven to have steel like nerves over her multiple cunning schemes. Something's wrong with her, as if someone is keeping her on their chokehold.

"Listen. I have a question for you. I'm sure you won't have trouble answering. Do you know Bret McCullum?"

"Yes, I do. That piece of scum." Good to know. She has an extremely low opinion of him, like us. At least we have one thing in common. As much as it'd cost me a lot to admit, I have to convince the others to work side by side with her.

Saejeong finishes. "I have something really scandalous on him and his minions. If you want to know... Well, I won't tell you now. But I'll make sure you're informed. Stay tuned." She hangs up, leaving me and Seju confused. All I know is that, unless she made it up, her alleged information on Bret can be a true game changer.

Hopefully, this marks the beginning to the resolution of all the drama.