Mari’s story was long. She talked about herself and her past: what kind of student she was, what kind of household she was raised in, as well as how she felt when she started working as a prostitute. He carefully listened to the story he wasn’t the least curious about while nodding and sometimes responding to her. He could not afford to have her stop talking after he finally got her to talk.

Mari was just like the stereotypical prostitute women Dongwook had met a few times before. Due to circumstances, she could not do anything about, she ended up finding shelter at a prostitute business and started earning money. He buried deep his meaningless question about whether there was truly nothing she could do. Instead, he asked a few questions to change the direction of the conversation that he barely got started.

“So that’s how you met that man. I’m sure you must have relied on each other a lot.”

“I was foolish. He was a really good man, but I didn’t realize anything until I was in this state. He helped me adapt in Japan, and I was foolish enough not to notice.”

“Was he a decent man?”

“If I look back, he shouldn’t...