Chapter 370: The Reason for Confinement.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 370: The Reason for Confinement.
Alright, let’s make a run for it.
It had already been four days since this mind-numbing life of confinement began. I thought I’d held out pretty well, but I’d finally reached my limit.
I had decided to escape.
No matter how much I’d messed up, this was just wrong.
Far from fading, their symptoms of obsession were worsening by the day. If I didn’t get out of here soon, it was clear this confinement would continue even after we left Hell.
No, really, I’m not exaggerating. First, let’s look back at what happened during dinner the day before yesterday.
‘Um, why am I the only one without utensils? Did I commit so many sins that I’m not even allowed to eat? Or am I supposed to eat with my bare hands…?’
Sitting before the dinner table, I noticed that, strangely enough, only my place setting lacked utensils. When I asked that perfectly reasonable question, I received a truly innovative answer.
— So-hyun, I’m going to feed you, so don’t worry.
‘Why…?’
I couldn’t understand why I had to be stripped of my free will regarding meals when my arms were perfectly functional. However, it was right after a major incident.
Besides, the way Cathy Noona looked at me, as if asking if she couldn’t, was so cute that I didn’t resist and just accepted the food. That was the problem.
— Do you want to eat this?
Actually, to be more precise, the problem was that I failed to predict how the others would react when they saw that.
When I saw there were no utensils at the next meal either, I looked around. While everyone else avoided my gaze, only Ha-ni approached me with a bright smile.
— It’s my turn this time. Aang. Now, you have to open wide, right~?
‘No, can’t you just let me eat by myself…? Is that really too much to ask?’
— Oh, so you can eat what the Professor gives you, but you can’t eat what I give you?
‘That’s not it at all.’
As I obediently accepted the food, Ha-ni’s cold, stiff expression melted into a radiant smile.
— Good boy. I should give you a reward later.
Yeah, and it didn’t stop there. Ga-eul insisted she wanted to feed me too, Master said I must be tired and offered massages, and Baek Seol subtly tried to push alcohol on me.
Professor Park A-ram tried to sneak in while I was washing, only to get caught by Cathy Noona, who was trying to do the exact same thing. It was a total madhouse.
I mean, fine, all of that was okay.
Everyone was doing everything they could for me as if they were in a competition, but let’s just say that was fine.
To be honest, having realized my own tendency to act spoiled, I actually kind of liked seeing them all try so hard for me.
…But even so, I believe there should be a limit to everything.
Since these people now do whatever I want the moment I put a little pressure on them, they’ve completely lost their sense of moderation.
I realized that just a moment ago.
— So-hyun, I’ve been thinking. What if you just took care of your bathroom business inside the room?
‘Haha! That is a truly creative and terrifying joke!’
— Does it sound like a joke?
‘…It is a joke, right?’
That was it. That was the conversation I just had with Cathy Noona, and it was the moment I realized everyone needed to regain their cool and end this overheated competition.
What? You think I’m overreacting to a joke?
“…I hadn’t thought about the bathroom.”
Even when Ha-ni, who was currently guarding me, didn’t treat Cathy’s words like nonsense and was staring at me intently?
Fine, I’ll admit it. I really caused a huge mess this time.
That’s why I’ve put up with almost everything. But the bathroom is crossing a serious line…!
“Ha-ni.”
“Yeah? You want to touch my breasts?”
For a second, I was almost tempted, but fortunately, I managed to restrain myself.
If I touched them now, I’d be forced to keep my mouth shut.
“No, that’s not it. It’s just, I think everyone’s lost their minds…”
“Hm? I never told you to refuse.”
Wait, that’s weird. I’m pretty sure I refused, so why is she starting to unwrap her bandages?
I couldn’t figure out the reason no matter how hard I thought, but it was clear everyone had gone crazy.
There’s no way people would go this far just to keep someone around, right…?
* * *
In truth, it was a given, but they weren’t doing these abnormal things because they truly wanted to keep Kang So-hyun locked up.
…Well, of course, it was also true that they’d started to enjoy it as they went along, but there was a proper reason why this bizarre behavior started in the first place.
To understand how it came to this, one has to go back to right after Kang So-hyun first obtained the Golden Hoop and collapsed from exhaustion.
“…You’re saying you won’t meet So-hyun?”
“Yes, I have my reasons.”
On that day, the Witch of the Time Flower and Kang So-hyun’s mother, Yu Ha-na, spoke with a bittersweet expression.
“…Why?”
It was an incomprehensible decision, but they maintained their composure and asked.
The look in her eyes as she watched her unconscious son was so full of warmth that it was obvious she wanted to reach out to him right then and there.
She surely had a real reason.
“I’ve done something wrong. I can’t meet So-hyun until I’ve fully atoned for it. Originally, I was going to just meet you all and leave quickly, but the entrance to Hell is a mess, so I can’t leave yet.”
“Even so, just for a moment…”
“…For both my sake and So-hyun’s, this is for the best.”
She smiled bitterly for a moment, but soon returned to her bright, playful demeanor.
“Anyway! So, until the final day, I’d like you to cooperate a little so that So-hyun doesn’t run into me!”
Of course, at the time, many of them wondered if this was really right.
Regardless of the circumstances, wouldn’t it be okay to just see his face for a moment?
Well, the problem was that, like mother, like son, she had already figured out how to handle them to some extent.
“It would be a bit much to just ask for your cooperation, so for the person who keeps So-hyun contained the longest, I’m thinking of calling her my ‘first daughter-in-law’ in my heart and treating her like family.”
They flinched, their bodies trembling.
“I wonder who will be the first one I call my dear daughter-in-law~?”
And so, this crazed war began.
* * *
Well, of course, it had become a bit overheated.
The bathroom idea was intriguing, but it did feel like crossing a line.
While acknowledging that they had teased him too much, Kang Ha-ni blocked him as he tried to escape.
“Please, just move… I feel like I’m going crazy…”
The way he grumbled about it being too much was a bit cute and even pitiable, but she couldn’t allow it now.
“So-hyun.”
“…What?”
“There are some things in life that a person simply cannot compromise on.”
If he went out now and ran into his mother, the opportunity would be gone for good.
“Is that something you want to achieve even at the cost of my dignity…?”
“Dignity is going a bit far. I’m sure Professor Cathy wasn’t being serious.”
“…Did you see the look in her eyes?”
“To put it bluntly, even if it were true, we’ve already seen everything there is to see anyway…! It’s not like you’ll wear out if we see a little more!”
“No, are you seriously turning this around on me…? I really didn’t see that coming.”
“So-hyun, please! It’s my lifelong wish, so just stay still!”
As she lowered her head, his defiant energy finally weakened, and he flopped back onto the bed.
“…If it’s your lifelong wish, what choice do I have but to give in?”
She knew that, in the end, he would yield if they truly asked.
She knew, but Kang Ha-ni was feeling a strange sense of guilt at his current state.
No matter if it was the mother’s request, she worried that preventing him from seeing her when she was right there was a betrayal. She also felt sorry for tying him down for her own greed.
In fact, it wasn’t just Kang Ha-ni; everyone involved in this war felt the same way.
The image of him sobbing while shedding black tears was still burned into their minds, so it was only natural they didn’t want to burden him.
If only they could just tell him the truth, their hearts would be at ease.
Ah… seriously.
“Want to touch my breasts?”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly making that offer? I said I’m not going out…?”
No, that wasn’t right.
Because she felt sorry for not being able to be honest, the best thing she could come up with to cheer him up was ‘Want to touch my breasts?’ Of course, he would love it, but still, it was a bit much.
Quite some time after she asked the question, he shook his head.
“…I’m okay on the breasts for now.”
“You were still thinking about it…?”
…If I ask one more time, he’s definitely going to touch them.
* * *
Anyway, the days passed faster than expected.
Ha-ni continued to test me with her breasts while looking strangely apologetic.
Cathy Noona, who had given up on watching me in the bathroom, held me tight in bed instead.
While it felt like she was soothing a child, there was something strange about her slightly trembling touch.
Ga-eul told me interesting or silly stories with utmost devotion, yet she seemed to be walking on eggshells.
Baek Seol listened intently to everything I said, asking if there was anything I wanted to talk about. Professor Park A-ram closed the distance between us to an almost excessive degree, and Master hesitated before apologizing to me for something.
What on earth was going on?
Even though I knew everyone was acting unnaturally, I tried to ignore it, thinking it was for my own good. Then, I heard the news that we might be able to return tomorrow.
“Ah, hello? Are you feeling alright?”
And the person who brought that relatively welcome news was now standing before me.
She was much larger than a normal human, though not quite at the level of being called a giant, and she was smiling at me.
Did they say this person was the Great King Yama of this generation?
“Actually, there was something I was curious about, so I really wanted to meet you. I hope I’m not disturbing your rest?”
“Ah, no. Not at all. I’ve been resting so much it’s actually a problem.”
She handed me some beautifully packaged tea leaves as a gift, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke again.
“I’m not very good at beating around the bush, so I’ll just ask directly. Who exactly are you?”
“Pardon? So suddenly?”
“Forgive me, but you’ve felt so peculiar since the first time I saw you that I checked the Book of Life and Death. I wanted to see if I was misinterpreting something.”
The Book of Life and Death… wasn’t that the book where one’s innate lifespan and death were recorded—the records of life and death?
It was a famous artifact of Great King Yama; the story of Sun Wukong erasing her own name to prevent natural death was a well-known legend.
“But no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find your name. As I thought, my intuition wasn’t wrong. You are far too heterogeneous. What exactly is your true identity?”
Even for a deity, unless they had reached the state of eternal youth and immortality, their name should be recorded there. Yet, she couldn’t even find my name.
Actually, it wasn’t that strange.
Kang So-hyun was someone who should have died long ago, and strictly speaking, I came from another world, so it made sense that my name might not be there.
So, if I had only heard up to that point, I could have handled it smoothly.
“Is it because of your mother’s influence after all?”
However, I couldn’t maintain my composure at the words that followed.
At first, I thought I’d just heard a sudden insult about my parents and almost got angry, but I soon realized that wasn’t the case.
There was only pure curiosity in the way she looked at me, without a hint of hostility.
It was as if she didn’t think asking me such a question was rude at all.
“…My mother?”
“Yes. It’s extremely rare for the Witch of the Time Flower to maintain her past memories or her reason. To be honest, I didn’t believe it until I saw her in person this time.”
The pieces of the story weren’t fitting together.
“As you probably know from experience, usually when a human becomes a god, they lose all their connections from when they were human. And yet, she even paid a price to come here personally to save you.”
Based on those words, it sounded like Mom was right here somewhere.
It wasn’t a certainty, just a thought, but seeing the rest of my group rushing in to shut her up made me certain.
The reason they had been acting so unnaturally.
The reason they had gone to such excessive lengths to keep me from going outside.
I was now certain that the reason was related to my mother.