The Cruel Beast’s Desire - Chapter 1

7 years ago.

“What are we going to do with our Hayeon now?”

Her mother’s listless voice, as if she had lost the world, sounded faint as a dream.

“What do you mean, what are we going to do? She’s still young, we need to get her a fresh start.”

Her father’s agitated voice pierced sharply into her ear.

The pungent smell of disinfectant and the chilling cold made her body tremble. She hadn’t fully woken up from the anesthesia, her mind was hazy, and she couldn’t move her body as she pleased. Hayeon lay still with her eyes closed, waiting for her senses to fully awaken.

“She won’t be able to swim again, will she?”

Swimming, huh.

Hayeon had retired as a swimmer with her pregnancy. And now, she was supposed to raise the child she had been waiting so eagerly to meet in her womb. She didn’t want to be separated from her baby even for a moment. Because Kang Hayeon was Tantan’s mom.

“Where did that bastard who ruined our daughter’s life go? Why isn’t he showing his face?”

“He probably went to a party to celebrate winning the gold medal.”

Shouldn’t they be happy that their future son-in-law won a gold medal? Her mother’s sigh made her already hazy mind even more confused.

Even in her hazy consciousness, Hayeon remembered clearly. The sight of her beloved touching the finish line first among ten swimmers. And his promise to marry her after the World Championships. Hayeon remembered it all vividly.

That’s why she couldn’t understand her parents, who were now pouring out resentment and anger towards Yoonjae.

“Did you contact him?”

“Of course! I told him Hayeon was at the hospital, going in for surgery. I called, texted, dozens of times.”

“And that bastard hasn’t even bothered to call back?”

Inbong’s voice, filled with anger, became clearer. Hayeon felt her senses slowly returning, and she frowned at the pain that came with it.

“What did I say? I told you he was a rootless guy, didn’t I?”

“Were you the only one who opposed? I also said I didn’t like it, I tried to stop her over and over. It was our daughter who was blinded by that guy and didn’t listen to her parents.”

“Even so, how can he just ignore a woman who’s carrying his child as soon as he gets attention for winning a gold medal? Ugh, he’ll be struck by lightning.”

Inbong’s anger was at its peak.

Her parents had always disliked Yoonjae, who was not only the child of an unwed mother without a father, but also poor.

But despite her parents’ opposition, Yoonjae and Hayeon’s love grew stronger. Hayeon resented her parents for still opposing her love even after she was pregnant and had given birth.

Besides, her parents had never been interested in her. These people, for whom only money was important, were now in her hospital room, pretending to worry about her, and their words felt so foreign. At least, the two of them had no right to speak ill of Yoonjae.

She needed to say something, but Hayeon’s body still wouldn’t move as she wanted.

“Am I the only medalist? Our daughter was also a promising athlete who won a gold medal at the Asian Championships. To think that the result of giving up her dream as a swimmer and choosing love would be like this… Ugh, it’s so frustrating.”

“Not only is her body damaged, but she’s lost her child. If she’s abandoned by that guy she can’t live without… what are we going to do with our daughter?”

At the tearful voice, Hayeon’s mind snapped awake. She remembered clearly what had happened before she came to the hospital.

A woman who not only had the same face as her but also came to Hayeon, heavily pregnant.

“Haa…”

With a hand that still lacked strength, she groped her stomach.

“Our Tantan…”

Her voice cracked roughly.

“Hayeon-ah! Are you awake?”

Hyejeong’s face, her mother, came into view, which had only shown the hospital lights. Following her, Inbong’s face, her father, also came into view.

“Don’t worry. The surgery went well. You just need to recover.”

“The baby…?”

She strained her eyes, which were getting hot, and looked at Hyejeong. Even at the sight of Inbong avoiding her gaze, Hayeon hoped and hoped that she had misheard.

“Hayeon-ah…”

“Where’s my baby?”

Hayeon shouted almost hysterically.

“It died.”

Inbong said shortly and strongly, instead of Hyejeong, who was avoiding her eyes.

“What… what did you say?”

“It was already dead in your womb.”

“Honey, Hayeon just woke up from anesthesia. She’ll be shocked.”

Hyejeong pushed Inbong away from the bed as if to stop him from telling the cruel truth. Then, she stroked Hayeon’s pale cheek.

“Hayeon-ah…”

“Mom, you’re lying, right?”

“Let’s forget it, Hayeon-ah.”

Forget it?

The baby’s movements she had felt were still clearly in her body. Just this morning, it was sending her signals not to forget that it was growing strong in her womb with vigorous kicks. Hayeon couldn’t believe that it had died without even seeing the light of the world.

“The shock you received went straight to the baby.”

“That can’t be true.”

“If you just take care of your body and get healthy, you can always have another baby.”

“Where’s our Tantan…?”

It was the only one in the world.

She couldn’t accept that it was gone.

“We already cremated it and scattered the ashes in the sea.”

“Dad!”

Tears finally streamed down from her eyes, which were filled with hot pain.

“It’s my baby. How could you… sob.”

“Then what should we have done? You couldn’t wake up, and the father couldn’t be reached. Should we have left that little thing in that cold place!”

Inbong shouted, forgetting that it was a hospital room.

“Your mother and I have only looked after you all this time. We thought we were finally seeing the fruits of our labor, but you fell in love with a rootless guy and ruined your own life. What did we do wrong that you’re yelling at your parents!”

At Hyejeong’s dissuasion, Inbong roughly opened the hospital room door and left. In the now quiet hospital room, Hayeon writhed in pain as if her whole body was being torn apart.

Above all, the fact that Yoonjae wasn’t here even though the World Championships must have ended was also plunging Hayeon into despair.

“Haa, haa.”

Her breathing became rough, and her vision blurred with the tears streaming down. For Hayeon, who had just regained consciousness, the series of shocks was an unbearable pain.

“Oh my, Hayeon-ah! You have a fever. Doctor! Doctor!”

Her mother’s voice became more and more distant, and Hayeon’s eyelids drooped heavily.

Intoxicated by the terrible medicine, crossing between reality and unconsciousness, Hayeon prayed and prayed that this reality was a terrible nightmare.

But the next day, the moment she faced Yoonjae’s cold face, Hayeon realized. That the child, whom they had called Tantan because it would firmly connect their love, was no longer in this world.

Still not recovered enough to get out of bed, Hayeon looked at Yoonjae with only her upper body raised.

“Yoonjae-ya.”

“…”

“Our Tantan…”

“I heard.”

There was anger in Yoonjae’s voice, which cut off her words and spoke concisely. It wasn’t that he had just heard about the baby. He knew everything, but he didn’t hug Hayeon.

His expression, as if suppressing his anger, crushed Hayeon’s guilt. Her motherhood, which had failed to protect her child, screamed.

“Seo Yoonjae… how can you… be like this?”

He only furrowed his brow and said nothing. He stood by the bed and looked down at Hayeon. Hayeon couldn’t understand the anger flickering in his calm eyes.

“Isn’t I the one who should be angry?”

“So?”

His low voice echoed softly in the hospital room. His voice, which had warmed Hayeon’s heart and sometimes made it burn, felt foreign and pierced her heart.

“Why are you angry? I’m the one who had the baby in my womb, and I’m the one who lost the baby. I’m the one who had the surgery, not you!”

Hayeon looked up at Yoonjae’s distorted face with angry eyes. Unlike Hayeon, who was showing her intense emotions, he only revealed his quiet anger with his eyes.

“Kang Hayeon.”

He called her name with his teeth clenched.

“Do I look like I’m angry right now?”

You don’t have to shout and express it to be angry. With that contemptuous look and cold expression, he was clearly angry.

“I’m not angry.”

“Then what is this situation?”

“I’m… despairing.”

“More than me? More than me, who felt the baby’s movements and communicated with it!?”

Tears streamed down, blurring Yoonjae. But even so, the cold energy he exuded became a blade, stabbing Hayeon’s body and mind. From the torn wounds, the hot love that had filled her heart flowed out and cooled down, like Seo Yoonjae’s eyes.

“You’re shameless, Kang Hayeon.”

“What?”

Her face, which had been distorted by pain, was now stained with shock.

“Wasn’t Kang Hayeon the one who said she would protect the baby no matter what?”

“Seo Yoonjae!”

“I didn’t know you would give up so easily…”

Hayeon couldn’t understand what he was saying she had given up. The only thing she had given up the moment she found out she was pregnant was swimming.

“Here.”

Yoonjae threw an envelope onto the bed. She didn’t know what was inside, but she didn’t want to touch it.

“What is this?”

“I’m giving you the price for ruining your life.”

“What?”

“It’s the price for enduring a rootless guy like me.”

Suddenly, an ominous premonition flashed through her mind. Hayeon picked up the envelope with trembling hands and checked what was inside. Even with her tearful, blurry eyes, she could clearly see that there were many “0”s attached to the check.

“Was our love only worth this much?”

“Should I give you more if it’s not enough?”

“Seo Yoonjae!”

The hot love was rushing towards its end. Unlike her torn heart, Hayeon’s heart was still reacting hotly to Yoonjae. She wished this heat would disappear quickly.

She didn’t want to say goodbye like this, leaning against the bed like a patient. Hayeon endured the pain and got out of bed, standing in front of Yoonjae. Hayeon looked up at Yoonjae with wet eyes. And without hesitation, she swung her right hand at his cheek.

-Slap!

Yoonjae’s face, which had turned to one side, slowly returned to its original position.

“Listen carefully. You didn’t ruin my life.”

“Haa.”

Yoonjae’s long exhale contained ridicule.

“You ruined our love. In a very cruel way.”

“That’s… me?”

“I guess you don’t want to admit it. But it’s you. Don’t ever fall in love again. You’re not qualified.”

Hayeon clenched her fists to keep from crying.

“The unqualified person is Kang Hayeon, you. You have no right to be loved, no right to love someone, none, you.”

“Let’s… let’s never see each other again.”

“That’s what I wanted.”

As Yoonjae turned around, a cold wind blew. Even though it wasn’t enough to blow a single strand of hair, Hayeon staggered.

Yoonjae, who had stopped at the hospital room door, delivered the final blow.

“You’re trash who doesn’t even deserve to be a mother.”

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