[first of all, i think this chapter shall be trigger warned, so please do proceed with caution if you may be triggered >< involves verbal harrassment]
"mummy.." sodam greeted her mother as soon as she answered the call.
"hi, sodam. how are you doing with bang chan?" her mother went straight to the point.
the daughter went silent for a few seconds, trying to decipher the question. huh?
she scratches her head, unsure of what to say. at last she could only hum in response to her mother's curiosity.
"are you behaving well there? you should remember that you are now his wife. mind your manners and respect him, okay? it has been like 3 months too.. so i'm really hoping that you can accept him. i know it was so sudden, but i believe that my daughter will manage no matter the situation." her mother has started her little talk session.
to be transparent, sodam felt hurt when her mother spoke that way. sure, she said that she 'believes' in sodam, but at the same time she kept on reminding sodam of what to do. for example, respect her husband? when did she ever not do that? hope that she can accept him? she had surrendered to her fate and accept him despite everything. if anything, chan is the one who refused to accept her and basically built a huge wall between the two of them.
sodam accidentally let out a big scoff when she remembers chan with his attitude towards her. "mummy.. you said you trust me right? i have accepted him ever since we got married.. i do respect him, okay? you don't have to worry so much.." of course, she couldn't tell her mother about chan refusing to accept her.
"fine, i'm sorry. i trust you, really."
'sure.' sodam thought.
after several more reminder to treat chan well, aside from them briefly catching up with each other, the call was concluded.
"sodam, i have an important notice for you", ms. han interrupted sodam's train of thought.
oh, if there was anything good that happened between the 3 months that have passed, it was that yang sodam managed to convince the helper to just address her as 'sodam'. in addition, they have started forming a good bond too!
"yes, ms. han?" the younger one smiled, though her raised eyebrows shows that she is dead curious of what the important notice is about.
"mr. bang said that his co-workers will be visiting the house today, so he asked to remove your things elsewhere from the living room." there goes the important notice.
the younger one blinked, trying to process the words.
"uhh.. so i should hide the things so that the place will look more presentable?"
"yes, sort of.. you can put them in my room or the empty store room for the time being." ms. han elaborated further.
sodam looks down, slowly nodding, understanding the instruction.
then, she looks at the direction of the house helper with a smile. one question strucked her mind. so before she forgets - "do i need to hide myself as well?" - she grins cheekily at the dumb yet necessary(for her) question.
"i believe you don't have to do that.. they all are at least aware that mr. bang has you as his wife", ms. han said reassuring the younger one that she doesn't have to go that far.
has her as his wife huh.. but if so, why doesn't it feel that way?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
the day slowly passes by, exchanging shift with the night time.
after done helping ms. han with the others in the kitchen, sodam rushed to take a quick shower before chan and his guests get there. thankfully, she managed to have some time to herself too afterwards.
while she was chilling at the living room, the door was knocked several times. voices can be heard from the outside.
'oh, that must be them', she thought.
in a hurry, she rushed to open the door and welcome them in. she gave the group of men a smile and slightly bowed as they entered the place. chan is the last one to come in and of course, he pretendeded not to see her and only focused on his co-workers.
sodam gritted her teeth, unsatisfied. she tries hard not to slam the door as she shut it.
as sodam stepped into the living room, chan has excused himself to change first. now it's only her with the men there.
"oh, aren't you his wife?" one of them spoke up, trying to strike a conversation with her.
"yes.. that's me", she rubs her nape, feeling all awkward since they are all focused on her.
"do have a seat! join us, won't you?" another one said.
sodam took one of the empty seat and sat down. she clasped her hands together, feeling uneasy.
"you know.. we were really surprised when bang chan suddenly got married. it was just so sudden. he never mentioned anything and out of nowhere, we suddenly received the invitation"
hm, this doesn't sound like it will end good at all.
[TW // verbal harrassment]
"yeah, he's right. it's actually rather.. suspicious, don't you think so?" another one elaborated.
"oh.. and why is that, if i may ask?" sodam tries to keep her cool.
"don't take it personal, but we are just concerned for him. he ended his bachelor years in an abrupt. did you like threaten him or something?" one 'joked' around.
the others unfortunately laughed at his actually insensitive joke.
"nah.. the bang chan we know isn't easily threatened, so it can't be that" one added.
"hey, tell us, what's your secret? how did you manage to tie him down into marriage?"
"excuse me..?" her eyebrows twitched at their words.
ignoring the unpleasant in her tone, they continued to say some insensitive words.
"guys.. bang chan is obviously a well off man. maybe she's after his wealth, hence she seduced him into this marriage" one began to make a theory.
"you actually have a nice body.. perhaps you can satisfy me as well? what do you think of being with me? i can offer you wealth too if you wish" the theory maker eyed her up and down with a disgusting look.
alright, that's it. she's not going to let them disrespect her right in front of her. they're really asking to be beaten up.
her expression gloomy, she stands up from sitting.
"you know.. are you actually concerned for him? is this your way of concern? making comments on me accusing that i wrongly seduced him? you're all disgusting, especially you -she points at the theory maker- mister. did you come here just to put me down that way? you're just a guest here, show more respect!" she said sternly.
cat got their tongue it seems.
she looks at them with hatred. they really went over their limit. she had to put them back in their place.
"yang sodam" a stern voice pulled her back to reality.
her eyes widened as she sees chan who just came downstairs. uh oh.. he surely looks pissed off with her right now.
"we need to talk. now" he emphasised the word 'now', before heading off towards the kitchen that's a bit secluded from the living room.
she takes a last glance at the disgusting men and rolled her eyes before following after chan's footsteps.
at the kitchen, chan tried his best to control his volume.
"what do you think you're doing? being disrespectful to my guests? were you trying to embarrass me or something?" he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt; pulling her closer towards him by force.
sodam is almost choked from the sudden grab, she tries to loosen his grip.
"i was defending myself! is that wrong?" she yelled at him.
"defending yourself what? i clearly saw and heard you calling them disgusting. you even tried to teach them to show respect? i think you're the one who needs to learn about respecting people" chan said before harshly releasing his grip on her shirt, causing her to almost fall down.
she scoffed at his words. "that's because you came down late, chan. maybe if you were there earlier i wouldn't have to put them in their place!" she crossed her arms, not regretting what she said to his guests.
"who taught you to be so manner-less? they are guests for goodness sake!"
"hold on, manner-less who..? they freaking belittled me, chan! should i have let them keep humiliating me then? i have my dignity too, you know! you said they are guests, right? were guests supposed to be accusing and talking bad about the homeowner when they are visiting? isn't that rude?" she questioned.
"excuse me, you're a nobody. i'm the homeowner here" he corrected her.
those words really made her speechless. it felt like a pang straight to her heart.
"..i know that i'm a nobody to you.. but i still live here, right? and they're visiting here.." she muttered.
tears start to pool in her eyes. "you know what? i just wanted to defend my dignity. it's fine if you don't get it, but they even said such stuff like i seduced you and i'm only after your wealth.. one even 'joked' that i can satisfy him and he would offer me his wealth.. do i look cheap, chan?" she smiled sadly, desperate for his understanding.
it's alright if he won't back her up and scold them for saying such insensitive words, but she would be glad if he would at least understand that she has her dignity to protect too. she's not asking for much.
"look, i'm sorry if i was disrespectful to your guests. but please, chan.. i beg your pardon. i never even seduced you, so how can i accept their ridiculous theories? i'm not after your wealth.. i'm not a gold digger too.. heck, i did not even know who you were at first. i was just forced to be yours.." she turns away from him, tears starting to run down her cheeks.
"..i never asked for all this to happen to me" she continued for one last time before leaving the kitchen.
thankfully ms. han along with the other helpers are resting in their room for a bit. otherwise, it would be a lot more embarrassing for her to be scolded by her husband for trying to protect her dignity.
anyway; unfortunately, to chan, her words are meaningless. they did not leave an impact to him. she's just wasting his time, that's what he's thinking of.
after chan returned to the living room, he apologised for sodam's behaviour and invited his guests to have dinner. the whole time, sodam stayed still in ms. han's room. her heart hurts a lot after chan dismissed the fact that his acquaintances completely humiliated her. all he cared about was that she 'disrespected' them by trying to put them back in their place. really, what about her dignity? is this really the kind of man her mother told her to respect? a man who would stay silent on such disgusting behaviour?
even if she's a 'nobody' to him.. she's still a human being that has feelings and dignity. how low is he to side with people on the wrong side?
she's beyond unsatisfied with them all. just what is her luck to get stuck in such a mess?
after she managed to dry up her tears, she decided to go to the bathroom and wash her face. perhaps that can help cool her anger down.
boy was she wrong..
[TW // attempted sexual harrassment]
right after she stepped out of the bathroom, she got trapped in a corner by one of the men she met earlier.
"what are you doing?" she asked nervously.
she then noticed he's looking down directly on her now loose shirt neck, thanks to chan. he's staring at her slightly exposed self..
"you're such a pretty a doll.." he licked his lips as he keeps on staring at her like a creep.
she tried to escape but he was quick to block her way, refusing to let her go. even when she tried to push him away, he pinned her arms on the wall and locked her legs in between his, causing her to panic.
"hmm.. you smell so good" he even had the audacity to sniff her hair. that's how close he got.
"ch- chan? please help me.." she squeaked out, nearly crying as she can't even avoid if he decides to do anything funny.
her breath gets heavier as she struggles to free her wrists from his hold.
he shushed her. "come on, there is no need to call him. can't i have you just for a bit? i will reward you for it, you know" he caressed her cheek after holding onto both her wrist in one hand.
she turns her head away from his touch; but of course, he can easily grab onto her face and make her face him.
"bang chan!" she tried to scream out her husband's name before the man could shut her mouth.
"why are you screaming at night?" chan appeared looking annoyed.
relief quickly washes over her as that's her que at escape.
sodam quickly shoves the man off her, as hard as she can, when he was caught off guard. then, she pointed at the man.
"you may go to hell for trying to do such disgusting thing" she spitted out.
chan obviously is confused at the sudden scenario. sodam on the other hand has started secluding herself in ms. han's room. luckily this time the helper has gone outside. she really needs some time alone.
so many thoughts are running through her mind.. like, what if she couldn't escape earlier? what if chan never heard her? what if that disgusting man managed to do something worse? what if.. the never-ending list goes on.
the saddest thing is that: chan will most likely dismiss her if she tells him about it. will he blame her? will he just say that it can't be helped?
whatever it is, she doesn't feel safe. not at all. worst of all, there is no one she can really turn to for comfort at the moment.
"..sodam? why are you here?" ms. han is surprised to see the younger one curled up in the corner.
no response was given though.
"are you okay? what's wrong??" the helper tried to shake the younger one by the shoulder.
sodam shakes her head, hiding her face in her knees. she's worried she might go through a breakdown. everything is too overwhelming.
ahh, should she just disappear from the world..? no one will care anyway, right? even her own mother minds chan better than her ever since he appeared.
"do you need some time alone..?" another question was asked.
"it's okay.. just tell me once they're all gone.. i'll leave by then. sorry to disturb you here.." sodam whispered.
"okay.. i will let you know once they have left" ms. han said before stepping out.
once those rotten men left, and chan had gone upstairs, sodam went to help the helpers clean up for a bit. after all had been done and the helpers have gone to their own respective room, sodam went into the bathroom. she wants to just stay still and hide in the bath tub.
[ TW // drowning ? ]
after some time passed though, she started to get disgusted with her own self.
with her clothes still in tact with her body, she turned the water tap on, filling the tub with cold water. then, she did the same as earlier; she stayed still in the tub now filled with water.
should she just try to drown herself this way?
whatever happens, she just wants to find a piece of peace. she desperately needs some peace in her life. it's all slowly becoming unbearable for her to handle on her own.
.
.
.
.
the door to the bathroom is knocked loudly. "is anyone in there? i need to use the bathroom.."
no response.
"weird.. it can only be locked from the inside.. who is in there? please open the door.."
the knocking gradually increased and became louder. however, the other end remained silent.
"what's with the commotion? it's 2 am" ms. han who was awaken by the noise came out of her room and questioned her subordinate.
"i need to use the bathroom, but it's locked... who could be inside though? no one responded when i asked" the subordinate whined, desperate for bathroom.
"how about you go to the one on the upstairs? i will try to check if anyone is not in their room right now.." ms. han offered to check.
after a few minutes of checking, it seems like every other helper is deep in their sleep. so how can the bathroom be locked?
hmm..
wait.. is sodam in the living room?
after seeing the living room, there seems to be no sign of her. did she went to sleep upstairs?
"hey, did you see mr. bang's wife going upstairs or something? where is she sleeping?" ms. han stopped her subordinate from earlier from going back into her room.
"uh.. no, i didn't see her. i think she was the last one to sleep?"
"..i don't feel good" ms. han confessed.
"why?"
"is there a way we can unlock the door?" ms. han partially panicked that she can't think clearly.
"call someone to deal with the door..?"
"what if she's sleeping in there?" she looks at her subordinate, before continuing, "sleeping on the couch is one thing.. but in the bathroom? i don't think she's okay"
the subordinate furrowed her eyebrows.
"should we tell mr. bang then?" she suggested.
ms. han shakes her head. "he might be pissed.. how about you try calling the security guard outside. i think breaking the door is our best option right now" she tried her best not to panic.
thankfully, there is the tough security guard outside the residency.
wasting no time, they all rushed to open the door to the locked bathroom.
"oh my god" the subordinate from earlier gasped.
"oh no, sodam.. what did you do?" ms. han rushed to close the water tap and pull sodam out of the bath tub full of water.
with the help of the security guard earlier, sodam is carried to the living room. ms. han is unable to stay calm anymore and goes into panic mode.
sodam is literally unconscious; her face is pale.
how long had she been in the water?
"chaeyeon, please get mr. bang now. as much as i would like to avoid disturbing him.. we have no right to bring his wife to the hospital on our own" ms. han sends her subordinate away.
"yes, ms. han. i'll go and get him now" the subordinate called chaeyeon rushed upstairs to where chan is.
after chan received the news, he had no choice but to go along with the flow. if anything happens, he will be the one to be questioned.
only ms. han followed along with them to the hospital. on the way, she made sure to keep checking on sodam and keep the unconscious girl warm.
once sodam had been rushed to the emergency room, chan turned to ms. han. "ms. han, you know that i can't stay for too long right? i still have to go to work in the morning" he crossed his arms.
"uhh.. i'm sorry, mr. bang.. i know that this is not my place to say.. but can you at least wait until the doctor comes out with news on her? we don't know if she'll be okay for now.." she avoided chan's gaze.
anyway, sodam should be fine, right?
chan stayed silent and went on to focus on his phone.
*time skips*
"can i go now?" chan raised an eyebrow, asking ms. han since sodam has been admitted to a private ward.
"well, i can't really stop you, can i? but don't you want to wait until she wakes up?" ms. han hesitantly asked.
chan looks at the current time, it's nearly 5 am. "we'll see" he said.
"you can sleep first if you want..? i'll wake you up once she's up" ms. han muttered.
he simply hummed at the helper's words.
finally, sodam regained her consciousness around almost 9 am. her head is throbbing hard as she tries to keep her eyes open. as she struggles to look around the foreign surrounding, ms. han rushed to her side.
"oh my.. sodam, are you okay?" she looks at the younger one with concern in her eyes.
sodam wanted to reply, but her voice won't come out.
while she struggles to speak, ms. han had already went towards chan to notify him of sodam's awakening. he was outside the room, answering a call from work.
"ah.. okay. can you wait outside for a moment, ms. han?" chan slips his phone away into his pocket.
"yes, of course.." ms. han could only obey.
after closing the door, chan approached the confused looking sodam.
wasting no time, he said it. "can you stop wasting my time? are you that desperate for attention? i have to be late today all thanks to you. please stop burdening people." -his gaze on her is beyond cold, it terrifies her- "and you know.. if this ever happens again, you're on your own, sodam" that's all were said.
then, without turning back at all, he left the place.
sodam is at a loss for words.
???
like literally, what just happened?
most importantly, why didn't she just lose her life back then? so that she doesn't have to hear his mean words anymore?
without her noticing, tears have gone down her cheeks. her heart hurts a lot..
desperate for attention, huh.. is that what she is to him?
a nobody.. an attention seeker..
will he even take her seriously if she happens to die? or will she still be blamed?
ms. han who heard some bits of chan's words feels guilty. perhaps she shouldn't have asked him to stay in the first place.. he's only throwing dagger-like words towards her.
"hello sodam.. i won't ask why you did that, but please know that i'm here for you, okay..?" ms. han muttered as she gently forced the younger one to go back to resting.
sodam stayed silent, embarrassed with the helper. she feels so low.
"i'll go back for a bit to bring you some porridge, okay? you caught a cold. the doctor said that you should stay here for a day or two too" ms. han smiled, trying to reassure her that it's all fine.
"well.. that's better than staying at home, right?" sodam let out a sad smile.
she just feels so pathetic at the moment.
she needs some time to feel better, that's for sure. so in the meantime, she will make sure to use the time that she has at the hospital to the fullest.
-t.b.c-
a/n; almost 4k words.. bYE :(((((((
honestly i'm so uncomfortable with that one scene and it's so suck-ish too i'm sorry </3
also ff chan you heartless man
done written on; 6oct20 5.45 am
published on; 6feb21 2.07 am