ep.01
by_Lee Sae-ah
***
Utopia, a perfect society with the best conditions imaginable to humans. And a place that exists nowhere else. I and we desire a pleasant place where we can live comfortably, without any suffering or pain. We desire a place where everyone is fair and equal. Yes, a place like paradise.
Yoon Yeo-ju's life was utterly miserable. Her family was desperately poor, and no matter how well she studied, how diligently she worked, or how hard she tried, she found no rewards. The reason she couldn't get into Seoul National University, the university she so desperately wanted, was because her parents, who were well-off, used money to buy grades and teachers.
Yoon Yeo-ju, with no money or talent, was neither welcomed nor recognized anywhere. At first, she believed that hard work was all that mattered. Even without parents, money, or friends, she believed that if she just worked hard, everything would work out.
Even when her homeroom teacher told her that Seoul National University was out of the question, and when she was told that even if she was the top student in her class, she lacked talent and should choose another school, Yoon Yeo-ju simply believed in hard work and continued to study. Who said hard work never betrays? Yoon Yeo-ju believed in that and continued to put in the effort.
But what made Yoon Yeo-ju give up on trying was when a classmate with much lower grades than her and who only played around got into Seoul National University, which even Yoon Yeo-ju couldn't get into, and when she realized that it was all because of money, and when she realized why her homeroom teacher insisted on going to a different university than Seoul National University.
Hard work never betrays. The belief that Yoon Yeo-ju had held for 19 years was shattered that day.
***
After that, Yoon Yeo-ju worked every part-time job she could, struggling to survive. But even so, she didn't put in the effort. Without effort, nothing worked, and her life slowly began to fall apart. She had no money, and nothing she could do. Ultimately, she ended up doing something she shouldn't have done.
In a crowded place, I snatched the wallet of someone who seemed to have a lot of money. That was fine. But what happened next was the problem. The man was so quick-witted that he immediately came to Yoon Yeo-ju, demanded her wallet back, and beat her up. Yoon Yeo-ju had picked on the wrong person.
It's fucked. That's how Yoon Yeo-ju defined the entire situation. If you asked her what was fucked up, she couldn't even count them on one hand. She would be lucky if she could escape this man without breaking a thing. Yoon Yeo-ju squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to just stay alive. At that moment, she heard a dull thud.
"Are you crazy? Does it make sense to hit a woman like this?"
"Hey, are you okay?"
"He looks like a middle school student, but he's crazy."
"Let's take him for now. He seems a little hurt."
There were four hands before Yoon Yeo-ju's eyes. Yoon Yeo-ju doesn't trust people. From the moment her beliefs were shattered, she hasn't trusted anyone even once. Damn it. Yoon Yeo-ju cursed softly and hurried out of the alley. No matter what she heard behind her, she never looked back. Never.
***
After learning the ugly truth, Yoon Yeo-ju's heart was filled with cracks. She defined her life with those three words: "necessary evil." If there was one truly regrettable thing in her life, was it that the devil, not God, reached out to her?
Yoon Yeo-ju's script, filled with nothing but hard work, was completely ruined, and as a result, the play that is Yoon Yeo-ju's life falls into catharsis. Had things gone as planned, it would have ended. But Yoon Yeo-ju's life, having taken the devil's hand, was turned upside down in an instant.
"Come with us, we think the same way."
"You won't regret it. We too dream of utopia."
"Make a decision quickly, we don't have much time."
"Come on, come with us."
Yoon Yeo-ju took their hands. Holding their hands brought her to perfect catharsis. Already plunged to the bottom of the abyss, Yoon Yeo-ju had no other option. She couldn't even think sexually, and there weren't any other options.
Yoon Yeo-ju decided to believe in the demons who reached out to her.