Chapters 1-5 (9.6k words)

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Death 01

Should I call this paranoia?

Lately, my wife’s behavior has been suspicious.

Whenever I have a business trip out of town, she always gets ready to go out.

“Who are you going to meet?”

“My high school friend, Sera. You met her once before, remember?”

“Oh, the one who runs a boutique?”

“Boutique? How old-fashioned… She’s a designer. She even has a shop in Cheongdam-dong.”

“Right, a designer. But didn’t you see her just last week?”

“Yes. She’s a close friend, so I see her often.”

***
Seeing her put in so much effort, ominous thoughts start to creep in.

“…Aren’t you going to be late for your train?”

“Oh, look at me spacing out.”

I check the time and hurriedly slip on my shoes.

“You’re coming back tomorrow evening, right?”

Her voice comes from the bedroom vanity.

She doesn’t even see me off.

“Yeah. The conference schedule is a bit…”

“Let me know before you come back, so I can prepare dinner.”

“Okay.”

I stood outside the door, listening to the sound of the door lock clicking shut. I left the house on my own two feet, so why does it feel like I’ve been kicked out?
***

I got in the elevator heading to the parking lot.

My reflection appeared in the mirror, probably put there for people to check themselves when bored.

An expensive-looking suit, designer shoes, a luxury watch.

And a key holder engraved with a foreign car emblem.

I’m a fairly successful man. I’m a senior researcher in the R&D department of a major corporation, and I have a daughter.

My salary is substantial, and I own quite a bit of real estate. The land my grandfather left me was released from greenbelt status, and I hit the jackpot. With that money, I bought an apartment in Gangnam and two commercial buildings, all in my name.

Financially, I’ve never lacked anything, but honestly, I worried a lot when my child was born. What if she inherited my plain looks? Thankfully, my daughter is the spitting image of my beautiful wife. If she’d inherited my short stature and ugly face, I would have wanted to die.

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