Chapter 9: Navigating Lewdness

What is life? I love those old, rotten, yellowed questions.

Everything that is old or rotten, except for food, is generally good.

It means that people have made good use of it over time.

Questions like the meaning of my existence, the reason for proof of existence, or what life really is.

Thinking about these things can make hours disappear in an instant.

What does that imply?

It means it’s very easy to escape reality.

I sat with my legs crossed, then suddenly fell back as if I were collapsing.

Thud, my back hit the mattress, soft yet firm.

I sighed deeply.

Blowing away a strand of hair that brushed against my lips.

Ah, I’m screwed.

I’m really screwed.

I picked up the phone I had discarded and opened Google.

Then I typed on the keyboard.

“Communicating lewdness.”

Some say sexu*al crimes are more heinous than other crimes.

But whether it’s a sexu*al crime or just a crime, it doesn’t matter to me. For me, social suicide has long lost its meaning.

Communicating lewdness is a sexu*al crime. I know it can limit job opportunities to some extent.

So what?

I never planned to engage in anything that requires morality in the first place.

If I get caught for communicating lewdness, wouldn’t I be embarrassed in front of my parents?

No? I’m an orphan.

If I get caught for communicating lewdness, wouldn’t I be unable to hold my head up?

No?

I’m a woman.

When it comes to sexu*al crimes, my gender is one that is infinitely lenient, both sensibly and legally.

There aren’t many who despise my sexu*al sensibility just because I was fined for communicating lewdness.

Unless they see me as a crazy woman.

So I don’t care.

But what really matters is that.

I added two more letters to the words in the search bar.

“Communicating lewdness fine.”

I took a deep breath.

And then, I searched.

The top result was from NamuWiki.

Communicating Lewdness via Telecommunications

Anyone who causes or satisfies sexu*al desires for themselves or others through words, sounds, writings, pictures, videos, or objects that induce sexu*al shame or disgust, using phone, mail, computer, or other telecommunications, shall be punished by imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won.

What the f*ck!?

What!?

Are you telling me that just a few incidents of sexu*al harassment could lead to a fine of up to 20 million won?

No, for this kind of thing, I need to look for cases rather than just the maximum fine.

Even littering is a fine of up to 1 million won.

I searched “Communicating Lewdness stories” on DC.

In this dump of a place, there are many ex-convicts.

“Burned 2 million won and came back.”

“Is it real that a fine for communicating lewdness is 5 million won? What the f*ck, this is really driving me to suicide.”

“Paid 500,000 won and came back.”

I stared blankly at their criminal records and experiences.

Does this make sense?

How can the fine for cyber sexu*al harassment be this ridiculous?

Then, shouldn’t they create a crime for hurting someone’s feelings?

Those bell-ringing bastards just threw my 30 minutes into the trash.

Just because those idiots are carelessly running around with their bodies, I have to pay my precious money? I wish they would make some sense.

…

No, more importantly, what am I being sued for?

Is my specialty surfing? Have I ever crossed the line?

As I thought about this, I recalled the last time I… started my period.

When I rang the bell, I was unusually angry.

Yoo Ji-eun, Ji-eun, Ji-eun, Yoo, and Gesar Burger or whatever. I cursed at them a bit.

… I had been more intense than usual. The frustrating feelings I had were something I couldn’t control.

And when I was intense, I hit someone.

Both the person who was hit and I were one and the same.

As I engaged in this kind of self-talk to deny reality,

I quietly opened my phone and entered my online banking.

“32,000 won.”

A fine of up to 20 million won.

“32,000 won.”

A fine of up to 20 million won.

“F*ck…”

My mind was going blank.

It doesn’t matter that communicating lewdness is a sexu*al crime.

I don’t care if a red mark is drawn against me if I’m not careful.

But my money.

It’s dozens of times more than my entire fortune right now.

How am I supposed to pay that?

I’m already anxious about how to pay my rent, which is due in ten days.

Isn’t something wrong here?

The severity of the crime and the punishment don’t match.

Where did democracy go?

Since when did South Korea become a harsh punishment country?

As I complained to myself, I buried my head into the mattress and walked around my room.

Suddenly, one question popped into my head.

Who was I being sued as?

Was it when I was a man?

Or now, as Moon I-hyun?

If it was the former, shouldn’t I not have to go?

As that hope arose, I jumped up and rummaged through my ID.

Anyway, I had thrown it into a corner since I wouldn’t need it anymore.

After searching, it came out quickly.

Mun Hyun

XXXXXX-4XXXXXX

Diligently, it had been changed to Moon I-hyun.

Moon I-hyun is the name I created.

I looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

Of course, there were no surveillance cameras.

“… Sigh.”

It’s fine.

Just having become a woman, I had grown accustomed to the supernatural phenomenon.

It wouldn’t be strange if my ID suddenly changed to the name I created.

But what bothers me is…

…

What is this?

It seems like my age is wrong.

Well, since my previous self was 21 years old, I understand that it changed from 3 to 4.

But why is my age?

Isn’t this not how it’s supposed to be?

Why did I become younger?

Even if I got younger…

No.

As I agonized over the lawsuit and my ID,

Time passed, and it was already past midnight.

…

But thinking about it, if I had been charged as a man, this house would have been foreclosed.

The next day, early morning.

It finally came.

Walking that long distance to save money, various thoughts filled my head.

“Daenam Police Station.”

As I turned the corner, a rectangular building with that written in large letters greeted me.

I wore a black hoodie and black pants. The hoodie was oversized and looked somewhat decent, but the pants didn’t fit well, so I tightened them with a small belt.

I crossed the gate in front of the police station. The gate, simple between stone pillars, felt like a path dividing this world and the next.

“Shit, shit… shit…”

I began to resent that bastard.

In that interval when I rang the bell, there were really only men.

No, what kind of man is suing me for a few counts of sexu*al harassment?

Can’t this be a counter-sue?

Wasn’t that false accusation?

I walked across the parking lot.

After taking a deep breath,

I opened the door.

The inside felt overall similar to a community center.

The people moving around were dressed differently, but they wore police uniforms.

Since I came early in the morning, I could approach the counter directly without needing to take a number.

I spoke with a trembling voice, stating my purpose.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

A female officer greeted me with a friendly smile.

“I was told to appear at eight o’clock, so I came regarding communicating lewdness…”

“Ah, yes. Are you here to inquire about a complaint regarding communicating lewdness? If so, please fill out this form—”

“Ah… no.”

The next words wouldn’t come out for a while.

I realized that the social shame within me, which I thought had already died the night before, was still pulsating strongly and alive here.

Ah, I want to die. Really.

I thought of the old man.

The old man I’ve grown attached to. I wonder what he’s doing now.

With a voice that wouldn’t open, I barely managed to speak.

“I… I’ve been charged with solicitation…”

“Yes?”

Following the instruction to enter a certain room, I did so.

The shocked look in the female officer’s eyes is something I will never forget.

Sighing, I sat down on the black metal leather chair.

A middle-aged man in a suit entered the room.

He had the typical physique of a detective, his waist seeming to be twice as wide as mine.

A bit of fear began to creep in.

“Are you Moon I-hyun? I’m Detective Lee Yong-seok. Nice to meet you.”

“Y-yes… Nice to meet you…”

At first, he looked at me with the same bewilderment as the female officer, but soon regained his composure and skillfully guided the conversation.

“Your username is ‘Die by Death’ right?”

“Yes…”

Shit.

“A few days ago, you sent a chat containing sexu*al insults, correct?”

“Y-yes…”

Shit. Shit…

My head was starting to droop more and more.

“Let me see, hmm, where was I…”

The detective said this and grabbed a piece of paper next to him.

Then he started to recite my chats.

Ah. Wait a minute.

The detective converted the “ㅋㅋ” (Korean equivalent of “LOL”) into a sound.

“Hey guys.

Stop dying already.

I really want to kill you.

It’s so disgusting.

Your nicknames, like those of girls, matched perfectly.

Where’s the man in there?

Or are both just worthless… Hmph. Are they girls? Such a pain in the ass ㅋㅋ

Who’s the top and who’s the bottom? ㅋㅋ Oh, do girls have those roles?

Do you think that love will last long?

It’s fundamentally a contradictory love ㅋㅋ You’re disgusting, flaunting around.

…

And, cough. Hmm…”

Even the detective seemed startled by the explicitness of the chats, coughing lightly before continuing.

“If you’re a woman, how much is it?

I’m in the mood for a three*some.

I have tattoos and blonde hair, how does that sound?

It’s quite large there too.

… Hmm. And lastly.

Screw you, idiot.

I’ve said everything I needed to say, so I’m leaving.

Live while sucking with your girlfriend…”

The detective looked at me with a shocked expression.

It was as if he was amazed by what he was reading again.

“These chats, are they all written by you, Moon I-hyun?”

“Are you aware that these chats could cause the other party to feel sexu*al humiliation?”

“Yes…”

“Umm…”

“Yes…”

“But this is…”

Cough…

The detective kept alternating his gaze between the documents he held and my lowered head.

I felt like dying.

However, I had to ask something even if I died.

“What’s the probability of getting convicted?”

The detective frowned while looking at the paper and opened his mouth.

“Umm, well, I can’t really say for certain…”

He trailed off, but his expression couldn’t hide the truth.

The probability of a bad outcome was likely high.

My heart sank.

“W-what should I do?”

I don’t have money.

I’ve seen that without money, you’d have to work in a detention center.

Reality started to hit me hard that I was really screwed.

“I… I don’t have money. Huh… I was wrong, so please just this once…”

“Calm down.”

“Calm down, please… I might end up on the street, or rather, in a cell…”

How would I spend a day there?

I’ve heard that women’s prisons are scarier.

They say sexu*al crimes among women happen openly.

As the approaching reality began to fill me with fear, I couldn’t stop my tears.

Ah, nothing goes right in my life.

I just wanted to be a woman. Now I’m being charged.

Just causing chaos and ringing the bell would have been enough for me.

“First of all, it seems the other party is willing to reach a settlement. When they filed the complaint initially, they mentioned that if they were willing to settle, they would give you their contact information…”

“Really?”

With that glimmer of hope, I lifted my head.

“Yes. I’ll give you the contact information. Here, take this tissue…”

“Thank you. Sniff.”

“I’ll see if I can get a delay, so please talk to the victim. They seem willing to settle…”

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

He comforted me for dozens of minutes.

8:13 Please, just this once. I really don’t have money.

8:14 I sincerely regret it. I won’t use any words that could cause sexu*al humiliation again. I’m sorry… sob.

8:16 Please reply…

[8:34 I’m sorry, I just saw this.]

8:34 Oh, it’s okay.

[8:49 If you apologize in person, I’m willing to settle. What do you think?]

8:49 I can meet right away. Please consider a lenient settlement… I don’t have money.

[8:56 Where would be a good meeting place? Are you near Seoul?]

8:56 Yes… I can go anywhere in Seoul.

[9:10 You can decide the location as long as it’s near Seoul.]

9:10 How about the fountain in Seoji Park…?

[9:16 Okay, that’s right in front of me. See you at 10:00 sharp.]

The place I chose for our meeting was a very quiet park.

I was the legal offender, but at this moment, I was the physical weaker one.

I decided to meet at the park fountain so I could run away or seek help if she tried to retaliate.

After several minutes, standing by the fountain, it was exactly 10:00.

I was able to spot the person I was supposed to meet right away.

There was only one other person around the fountain besides me.

A woman, a bit taller than me, wearing a neat beige dress.

She held a luxurious leather handbag that was a shade darker than her dress.

Her long, downward-sloping eyes gave me the impression that she must be kind.

…

She was a woman?

“Excuse me.”

I took a deep breath and called her from a short distance.

She turned around to look at me and smiled as she said,

“Yes?”

I guess she didn’t know who I was.

After all, it was mentioned that the speaker was a blonde with tattoos, so no one would guess it was a woman…

“Um, about the settlement regarding the solicitation…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

The woman smiled and stepped closer to me.

I momentarily panicked and stepped back, but then I gathered my courage and said,

“I came because you said you’d settle the solicitation matter…”

“Ah?”

She seemed startled for a moment and stepped back, momentarily forgetting her rudeness as she looked me up and down with astonishment.

“Wait, you’re ‘Die by Death’?”

“Yes…”

“It was a woman…?”

She verbalized the same thought I had.