Bad addiction

A Summer of Intense Heat

The humid weather was enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

The sky, which had been ominously cloudy since morning, finally opened up, releasing a heavy downpour.

“It’s finally coming down.”

As soon as Ha-eun saw the thick raindrops, she struggled to suppress the memories that surfaced. But it wasn’t easy.

The sound of the rain mixed with the deep sighs he had let out.

“Damn it… it’s happening again.”

Ha-eun tightly shut her eyes, looking distressed.

Three years ago.

She had spent her first and last night with Do-jun, thinking it would help her forget him completely.

But instead of fading, her longing for him only grew stronger.

That night, after sharing multiple moments together, she had fallen asleep in his arms.

The sky had roared endlessly with thunder and rain.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

Whenever that happened, Do-jun would gently stroke her back and whisper softly in her ear.

His soothing voice had calmed her like a lie.

That memory was so vivid that whenever it rained, it felt like it pulled her out of hell—only to throw her into another one.

Because of that, her feelings for Do-jun had only grown stronger.

“I should stop thinking about this and focus on work.”

If she let these thoughts consume her, it would only hurt her more.

She tried to shake it off and moved her hand toward the mouse.

Bzzzz

A short vibration came from her phone on the desk.

She already knew who it was without checking.

She tried to delay looking at it, using work as an excuse. But then, another vibration.

Sigh

Letting out a silent breath, Ha-eun finally checked her phone.

[Come home today.]

[You’re not the only one with a job. Contact me when you see this. I never taught you to keep elders waiting.]

The sharp words in the message came from her stepmother, Soon-young.

Even before she replied, Ha-eun already felt uneasy and bit her lip anxiously.

Her fingers hesitated as they hovered over the screen.

[Okay, I understand.]

Just six words, yet they were hard to type.

Knowing she had to go to her family home after work already made her head ache.

Because she knew this message had a purpose.

Soon-young was Ha-eun’s stepmother.

After Ha-eun’s biological mother, Yoo-jin, passed away in an accident, her father, Jong-won, remarried within months.

Their new home was a luxurious house surrounded by high walls, completely different from the small semi-basement room where Ha-eun had lived with her parents.

“Dad, you’re home?”

“Do I really have to live with you now?”

As soon as they entered, Soon-young and her daughter, Yena, ignored Ha-eun and only greeted Jong-won.

Even at just eight years old, Ha-eun could tell something was wrong.

She tried to stay out of their sight, but Yena constantly picked fights with her.

“Why do you have to come when we eat out as a family? If you’re coming, then I won’t go. I don’t like it.”

Yena, two years younger than Ha-eun, was cunning and cruel, always finding ways to hurt her.

Jong-won knew everything but did nothing.

As Ha-eun’s feelings of betrayal grew, she learned a shocking truth.

Jong-won and Soon-young had been in a relationship long before Yoo-jin’s accident, and Yena was their biological daughter.

Her late mother had been the only victim in this situation.

It was impossible to have good feelings toward Soon-young, especially after what she said when Ha-eun got her first period a little later than others.

“Now you can get pregnant, so don’t throw yourself around. A woman who’s been used too much loses her value.”

At the time, Ha-eun didn’t fully understand what those words meant.

But later, she realized the truth.

When Soon-young’s business faced trouble, she had tried to sell Ha-eun off to another family through an arranged marriage.

“If you get married, I’ll tell you where your mother is buried.”

When Ha-eun refused the marriage, Jong-won used that promise to force her into it.

After her mother’s funeral, Ha-eun had only visited her resting place once.

As a young girl crying to see her mother, Jong-won had firmly refused.

“If I tell you, you’ll visit too often and won’t bond with your new family.”

“I’ll tell you when you’re an adult. It’s for your own good.”

But that promise was never kept.

Instead, he changed his words, saying she could only find out if she got married.

For six months now, she had been forced to attend blind dates.

All the men she met were similar.

Last month, she even met a businessman ten years older than her with a child.

How could a father do this to his own daughter?

“Maybe getting married and leaving that house really is what’s best for me.”

She tried to comfort herself, deciding to at least give this next meeting a chance.

Frustrated, Ha-eun shoved her phone into her bag.

“Annoying.”

Why is my life like this?

To calm herself, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Shhhhhh

The sound of rain filled her ears.

“I’m going to explode.”

“Director, faster.”

And just like that, the memories of that impulsive night replayed vividly in her mind.

Even though it happened two years ago, it felt like just yesterday.

“Then let’s leave this as a one-night thing.”

Do-jun had said those words and truly forgotten about that night.

Meanwhile, Ha-eun was still stuck in it.

Rain could never be a good thing for her.

⸻

That Saturday morning, Ha-eun’s phone buzzed again.

[5 PM. Kim Yun-han.]

A sigh escaped her lips.

She decided to take a shower first, but just as she got up, the door opened.

Her best friend, Soo-ah, walked in with shopping bags in both hands.

“My mom told me to bring you food because your fridge is empty.”

“Again? I haven’t even finished what she gave me last time.”

Since Ha-eun was always working late, she rarely cooked.

“My mom seriously likes you more than me. I swear, she treats you like her own daughter.”

“You better be nice to her, or I’ll steal her from you.”

The two laughed as they put the containers into the fridge.

Soo-ah’s mother, Hye-sook, had been childhood friends with Yoo-jin.

They had gotten married the same year and been pregnant at the same time, making Ha-eun and Soo-ah friends before birth.

After Yoo-jin passed away, Hye-sook took care of Ha-eun as if she were her own.

Without her, Ha-eun’s teenage years could have gone in the wrong direction.

“I bet this was hard to prepare.”

Each container was heavy.

After finishing, they sat down with coffee.

“Did you eat lunch yet?”

“No.”

“What should we eat?”

As Soo-ah took a sip of her latte, Ha-eun raised an eyebrow.

“Obviously, we should eat what your mom sent.”

“Ugh, I already had that for breakfast. Let’s eat something else. Oh! That dried squid would be perfect with beer. Let’s save it for later.”

Ha-eun hesitated, then awkwardly smiled.

“…I have plans tonight.”

She had planned to keep the blind date a secret, but Soo-ah immediately frowned.

“Another blind date?”

“Yeah… it happened.”

Even though she acted casual, it wasn’t easy.

Soo-ah’s eyes filled with frustration before Ha-eun could explain.

“I get that he’s your father, but this is too much. How can he use your mother’s grave as a bargaining tool?”

Ha-eun just smiled weakly and sipped her coffee.

“Can’t you just refuse?”

“It’s better to marry, find out what I need, then get divorced as soon as possible.”

Her voice was calm, but Soo-ah still looked unconvinced.