The city of Seoul never truly slept; it just changed its appearance. From my balcony, the lights looked like a circuit board, humming with the energy of millions of people. Among them was me, Vivian Ahn—the orphan who had turned a lonely voice into a digital empire. To my fans, I was a comfort. To the industry, I was an asset.
I looked down at the velvet invitation sitting on my lap. The gold embossing caught the light: Han Department Store – Grand Opening.
My stomach twisted. I had rejected Assemblyman Han's private invitations three times already, but this wasn't a private request—it was a public stage. My fans were already tagging me, demanding photos from the event every celebrity was attending. In the world of influencers, silence was social suicide. I had to go.
The event hall was a palace of glass and gold, blinding with the constant rhythm of camera flashes. At the center of the storm stood Assemblyman Han. He wore a mask of a gentleman, but when his eyes found mine, the mask slipped just enough to show the predatory hunger beneath.
"A special welcome gift for our loveliest guests," he announced, his voice smooth as oil. He began handing out small, midnight-blue velvet boxes.
When he reached me, his fingers brushed against mine, lingering a second too long. I opened the box to find a ruby ring. The stone was a deep, bruised red—the color of a secret. I forced a smile for the cameras, sliding the cold metal onto my finger, feeling the weight of it like a shackle.
Assemblyman Han's face turns dark as he leans towards his assistant "Block every woman's bathroom and make sure she gets a drink spilled on her".
Assistant nods, his expression cold and unreadable "Understood".
I didn't care about what he wanted, I was too busy catching up with the other influencers and celebrities... That's when a waiter carrying a tray with glasses of wine stumbled into me and soaked my expensive designer dress.
"Ah—! My dress..." I gasped, the smell of fermented grapes rising from the silk.
"I'm so sorry, miss! But the bathrooms are all full," the waiter stammered, his eyes darting toward the hallway.
Before I could protest, Assemblyman Han's Assistant appeared like a ghost. "Is there a problem?".
"I need to wash this off," I said, my frustration peaking.
"There is a restroom under construction near the back," he said, offering a fake, helpful smile. "No one is using it. It's quiet enough for you to wash up in peace.".
I should have known better. But the social pressure of the room was suffocating, and the wine was staining the only armor I had. I nodded and followed his directions into the shadows.
The construction bathroom was dim, smelling of sawdust and cold marble. A single matchstick box sat on the edge of the sink, a strange detail I barely noticed as I began scrubbing at the wine.
SLAM!.
The door hit the wall with a violence that made my heart leap into my throat. Assemblyman Han stood there, his charm replaced by a dark, drunken intent & predatory eyes.
"S-sir? What are you—".
He didn't answer. He lunged, his hand gripping my wrist with a force that made my bones ache. "I told you I wanted you, Vivian. Why do you keep running?".
"Let go of me!" I screamed, struggling against him. I shoved my hands forward, trying to create distance between his body and mine.
The ruby ring caught the dim light.
SHHNK—.
A thin, razor-sharp blade hidden within the setting of the ruby sliced across his throat. For a second, there was no sound—only the sight of a perfect red line appearing on his neck. Then, the spray hit me. It wasn't wine this time. It was hot, thick, and metallic.
He collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. I stood frozen, my hands shaking so hard I thought they might shatter.
The door swung open. His wife stood there, eyes wide and glazed with alcohol.
"Ma'am you can't go in there! Behind her, the Assistant rushed in, his face a mask of calculated alarm.
"I-It was an accident!" I stammered, backing away from the body. "The ring—I didn't—".
I didn't wait for them to answer. I grabbed my coat, wrapping it tightly around my blood-soaked dress, and fled into the night.
I spent the rest of the night in a fever dream. I burst into my luxurious apartment, scrubbing at the dress until my knuckles bled. It's not my fault. It's not my fault, I chanted like a prayer. I washed my hands until the skin was raw, eventually collapsing on the floor in a heap of silent, jagged sobs.
DING DONG..
The sound of the doorbell at dawn felt like a gunshot. I checked the screen. The Assistant was standing there, looking directly into the lens.
I held my breath pretended I wasn't home.
"I know you're in there..Do you want to get arrested?" his voice crackled through the speaker, cold and devoid of mercy. "If not... open the door.".
I opened it. He walked in, sitting on my worn couch as if he were a king on a throne. He didn't look at the water I brought him with trembling hands.
"Assemblyman Han's wife will say it was an accident," he began. "An archery mishap. An arrow that bounced back..everyone in the country knows archery was one of his hobbies".
"Accident?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"He abused his wife," the Assistant said, leaning forward. "She wanted him gone. But in return for her silence... you must disappear.".
"Pardon?".
"Pay 5 billion won," he said, his eyes locking onto mine. "And then vanish.".
"I don't have that kind of money!" I cried out, desperation clawing at my throat. "Even if I sell everything..Those designer things I get as PRS—".
He smiled. It was the coldest thing I had ever seen. "Do you want to live?".
I bought my silence with my future. I reached out to the only people who would give money to a girl with a bloody dress—the loan sharks. As the money transferred, I knew Vivian Ahn was dead. I was just a ghost now, waiting for the debt to come due.