A Glimpse of the Human Flesh Market
by Kwon Gu-hyeon
5
But in the end,
Ok-hwa's thoughts returned to herself.
Her future life.
Her future days.
No matter how hard she searched for a path, there was no light anywhere.
It was the same even if she wandered in ten or a hundred directions.
Before her, only dark hands surged.
Demonic hands trying to grab and pull her down.
Endless darkness.
That was all there was.
Ok-hwa turned her face back to the window to hide the tears that seemed about to fall at any moment.
The electric light flickered dimly like sleepy eyes.
Through it, the rain was still falling.
Drip.
Drip.
At the doorway of a house across the way, two or three men who looked like rickshaw pullers were gathered.
They were chattering in drunken voices.
Their gestures alone were rough,
And their laughter was unpleasant to hear.
Ok-hwa's heart sank as soon as she saw them.
Oh dear.
What if those kinds of people come here?
The moment that thought crossed her mind, her heart plummeted as if she had encountered a terrifying thief right before her eyes.
Her face flushed hot.
She turned her head further towards the window.
She knew.
Though it had only been a short experience of a few days,
She knew that such types would inevitably drift into this place.
It was less a premonition and more a certainty.
And—
Her premonition was not wrong.
They really came.
Rickshaw pullers wearing raincoats.
They walked, staggering and leaning on each other's shoulders.
Their tongues were already soaked with alcohol and couldn't articulate properly.
Just by watching them babble a few words, she could tell they were so drunk it made her stomach churn.
Ok-hwa couldn't even breathe properly.
Her chest fluttered like a chick.
Like a chick hiding under the shadow of an eagle.
But—
They chattered a few words and then just passed by.
They didn't come in.
It was just a tease.
They had just looked around playfully and passed by.
Only then did Ok-hwa breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if her heart would fly away.
She was alive.
She truly thought so.
But soon, she heard complaints from other women beside her.
“Ugh, they just looked and left without coming in.”
“We just wasted time.”
“How unlucky.”
Looking at their faces, Ok-hwa felt a strange sensation.
She could understand why they were angry.
Even if their bodies rotted away,
they had to scrape together any money and offer it
to avoid the owner's frown.
This was such a place.
So, even a customer just passing by was a sin.
It didn't feel like someone else's problem.
No.
It was already her problem.
Ok-hwa tried not to think anymore.
The more she thought, the more tormented she became.
Perhaps it was despair.
Just—
stopping her thoughts was the only way to breathe.
Time passed slowly.
After midnight,
as one in the morning approached.
Everyone was exhausted.
Someone yawned,
someone rubbed their eyes.
Even the light seemed tired.
It was then.
Another shadow appeared at the door.
It was a young man.
Very, very young.
He was wearing work clothes with a little grease stain.
He was holding an umbrella,
but his pants were soaked up to his knees.
It seemed he had rushed through the rain.
He stepped inside the door.
He didn't say anything.
He just slowly looked around the room two or three times.
And then—
as if calling someone familiar,
he gestured towards Ok-hwa.
Casually.
As if it were natural.
Then he started taking off his shoes.
At that moment,
Ok-hwa's mind spun.
Her mind went blank.
My body froze.
How I should act,
what I should do,
nothing came to mind.
However, sharp voices were already erupting from both sides.
"Hey, escort the guest!"
"Are you out of your mind?!"