Chapter 114
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 114
Dokyun tensed up as he removed the gag from Eun-chae’s mouth. He was worried she might use the opportunity to bite her tongue.
He swallowed nervously.
Placing the gag on the bed, Dokyun slowly backed away, staring straight into her eyes to apply silent pressure.
It was a look that meant, Don’t try anything stupid.
As the atmosphere grew sharp and their gazes locked, Eun-chae opened her mouth.
“The frog… should I punish it?”
“…Huh?”
“The frog. It scared you, Honeybee. Should I punish it?”
What is she talking about? Dokyun tilted his head in confusion, then remembered he had mentioned a frog and let out a belated, “Ah.”
“Uh… no. That was a long time ago…”
“You’re not scared of it now?”
“Right… I guess?”
Dokyun replied, his eyes darting around. He was flustered by her bizarre question.
“Really? Then I guess I won’t punish it.”
With that, Eun-chae stared blankly at the ceiling.
Watching her, Dokyun felt another question rise. He thought they were going to talk about her, but all she asked about was a frog. It was impossible not to be confused.
The tension in his body drained away. He let out the breath he’d been holding, sat down in a chair, and spoke again.
“…Now, I’d like to hear about you.”
“Huh?”
“I told you. I wanted you here because I wanted to talk to you.”
She wasn’t showing any immediate signs of having an episode. The more he spoke, the more the atmosphere relaxed, and at some point, her eyes had taken on that vacant look.
Dokyun waited for Eun-chae’s answer, thinking that now might be the time he could finally hear something from her.
“Eun-ah doesn’t want Honeybee to be in pain.”
The third-person speech again.
Why is she so obsessed with calling herself ‘Eun-ah’?
With that thought, Dokyun frowned slightly and said, “I’m not in pain. And you’re not Eun-ah, you’re Eun-chae.”
“No. I’m Eun-ah.”
The rebuttal came again. As Dokyun narrowed his eyes, Eun-chae’s lips curled into a creaking smile as she continued.
“Because I take the punishment, because I feel the pain for her, I am Eun-ah.”
Thump—.
Dokyun’s body froze.
A lot was left unsaid, but the meaning came through with perfect clarity.
So…
Because she takes Go Eun-ah’s ‘punishment’ and feels her pain, she believes she has the right to call herself that. That’s what she’s trying to say.
As this inference dawned on him, Dokyun’s expression began to crumble. Eun-chae, who had been watching him intently, asked another question.
The creaking smile was still on her face.
“Is Honeybee in pain?”
“I’m not in pain.”
Dokyun gave the same answer as before, clenching his fists.
He just wanted to tell her. That it was okay for her to be Go Eun-chae. That she didn’t have to feel pain for someone else anymore.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words, because he wasn’t sure if he was the right person to say them.
Wasn’t it true?
He didn’t have a deep emotional connection with Go Eun-chae. How could he be sure this twisted girl would understand his true meaning?
It was something he desperately wanted to tell her someday, but saying it now would be a rash decision.
Dokyun decided that building trust so Eun-chae could rely on him had to come first, and he spoke again.
“I was never in pain. And I won’t be in the future. So all that matters now is that you aren’t in pain.”
“If Honeybee isn’t in pain, Eun-ah isn’t in pain.”
Twitch, twitch.
Eun-chae’s eyes slowly began to curve into crescents.
It might have been meant to look like a smile, but it became a bizarre expression that would make anyone swallow in fear. Still, Dokyun could tell it was her own way of expressing herself.
She usually made that face when she spoke to him.
Seeing her expression, Dokyun let out a deep sigh.
“…Forget it. Let’s just not talk.”
Having said his piece, Dokyun checked the time, realized it was dinnertime, and stood up.
“Wait here. I’ll go get some food.”
“Is Honeybee hungry?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.”
She asked, tilting her head. After giving a rough answer, Dokyun picked up the gag and brought it to her. Eun-chae opened her mouth with an “Ah” and obediently accepted it.
What’s with the change of heart? She’d been having fits this whole time, but now she was being so compliant. It made Dokyun vaguely uneasy. He narrowed his eyes, and Eun-chae curved hers again.
“Don’t try anything. I’ll be right back.”
“Hh-heh…”
The only reply was a muffled sound.
*
Dokyun returned to the room with some porridge he’d made and let out a groan.
Ugh…
He couldn’t figure out how to feed her.
Eun-chae was tied to the bed, lying flat on her back. If he just poured the porridge into her mouth like this, it could go down her windpipe and she could choke.
“Huhu…!”
Hearing the sound, Dokyun met Eun-chae’s eyes. She had curved them into crescents the moment he returned.
Seeing how calm she was now, Dokyun wondered if he could untie one of the straps around her shoulders.
Her wrists and ankles are handcuffed… and her waist and legs are tied down, too.
It should be fine, right?
After narrowing his eyes and staring at Eun-chae for a moment, Dokyun removed her gag and warned her in a low voice.
“I’m only going to let you sit up while you eat. And just so you know, don’t even think about trying anything stupid. I’ll tie you right back down.”
“Food?”
Dokyun tilted his head at her question. He wondered why she was getting stuck on that word.
As he mulled it over, a thought occurred to him. …Could it be?
He realized it a moment later.
“Have you never eaten before?”
“Eun-ah doesn’t need to eat.”
“…”
Dokyun’s brow furrowed at her answer. It made sense, if he thought about it for a moment.
She probably never controlled the body for long, and when she did emerge, she immediately had fits, so there would have been no opportunity to eat.
Why did things have to be this way? Thinking this, Dokyun felt a sudden pang in his chest and spoke to Eun-chae.
“Just eat.”
“Okay.”
Her obedient agreement. It made Dokyun suspicious once again.
What is it? What’s the logic behind her actions?
She has fits at the most unexpected moments, yet when he’s on high alert, she’s completely compliant.
Am I missing something? Lost in thought, Dokyun watched Eun-chae grab the spoon with her cuffed hands as if she were making a fist, and sighed.
“That’s not how you hold it.”
“Huh?”
Realizing Eun-chae didn’t even know how to hold a spoon, Dokyun placed his hand over hers, corrected her finger placement, and continued.
“Hold it like this and eat. If you hold it like before, the food will spill everywhere.”
After helping her hold the spoon correctly, Dokyun turned his head, only to jump in surprise when he saw Eun-chae’s face right in front of his.
“Agh!!!”
Dokyun leaped back like a fish out of water. Watching him, Eun-chae tilted her head and asked a question.
“Is Honeybee in pain?”
“Fuc—”
Just as he was about to curse, Dokyun gritted his teeth and held it back.
He knew from their previous encounters that if he swore, she would have an episode. The fear of that was enough to make him stop.
Forcing down the rising curse, Dokyun clenched his fists and shot back at Eun-chae.
“I’m not in pain! Stop talking nonsense and just eat!”
He couldn’t even speak freely, and the frustration was boiling inside him.
He had no idea what she was thinking, so he had to be careful with every single action. The stress from it all was immense.
Dokyun wondered if he was going to get stress-induced hair loss from this. He clutched his throbbing head, thinking he might end up on the same path as Geun-tae.
His eyes twitching from the mounting stress, Dokyun glared at Eun-chae. Seeing her push the porridge into her mouth, he tossed out a question in a blunt tone.
“Is it good?”
“Is it good?”
Why are you asking me?
He stared at her blankly with that thought, and the corners of Eun-chae’s mouth began to rise.
That creaking, awkward expression. Dokyun sighed again.
“Yeah, yeah. Just eat.”
What was I even expecting? It’s probably better for my mental health if I just don’t think about it.
*
After feeding her, an even greater trial than the meal awaited Dokyun.
…How am I supposed to wash her?
He could probably put off a shower for a day, but he had to at least make her brush her teeth.
Dokyun looked at Eun-chae lying on the bed, staring at him, and let out a groan.
His head was throbbing.
It seemed she’d never brushed her teeth before, and he doubted she could do it properly herself.
The only conclusion was that he would have to brush them for her.
Dokyun suddenly remembered Eun-ah brushing his teeth when he first arrived here.
That was when she was mixed up with Go Eun-chae. The thought that he now had to perform the same act, one that had been the peak of creepiness, filled him with a sense of gloom.
Just then.
Wait a minute. If she brushed my teeth when she was mixed with Eun-chae, then technically, hasn’t Eun-chae done this before?
He looked at Eun-chae with this thought.
“Huhu…”
Seeing those meaningful eyes, he figured he shouldn’t get his hopes up.
With a deep sigh, Dokyun brought over the toiletries, sat down in front of the bed, untied the straps on her upper body and removed the gag, then spoke.
“Do you know how to brush your teeth?”
“Ahhh~.”
Her answer came in the form of an action.
Dokyun narrowed his eyes and glared at her.
…I think she knows how.
How could she open her mouth right away at the mere mention of brushing teeth? Suspicion grew, and he glared at her more intensely. Eun-chae just tilted her head and opened her mouth wider.
“Ahhhh~.”
“…”
Seeing her thrust her face toward him, Dokyun sighed deeply and picked up the toothbrush with the eyes of a dead fish.
Right, it’s better for my peace of mind if I just do it myself.
If he left it to her and she jammed the toothbrush down her throat or something, it would be a disaster.
Resigning himself, Dokyun put the toothbrush in Eun-chae’s mouth and began to gently brush her molars.
Just then.
Gulp—.
Eun-chae clamped her mouth shut and swallowed the toothpaste.
Dokyun’s face filled with disbelief. Receiving his gaze, Eun-chae’s face contorted into that creaking expression as she opened her mouth again.
“Uegh…”
“Why would you eat that?”
Completely baffled by her incomprehensible action, Dokyun asked the question. Eun-chae just tilted her head and stared at him with a blank face.
Dokyun let out a sharp sigh and pushed the toothbrush back into her mouth.
“Just stay still. Please.”
“Eh.”
Such a fluent reply, he thought sarcastically.
Dokyun turned his attention back to her mouth, focusing all his nerves there.
He couldn’t just brush carelessly like it was his own mouth. He was worried he might poke her gums or jab her throat, and the mental toll was immense.
It was a good thing she wasn’t moving at all; if she started to move even a little, it would be a catastrophe.
He continued brushing with a level of concentration he’d rarely mustered in his life, when she began to stir.
A sense of dread began to creep in.
His gaze flickered upward.
“Achoo—!”
Eun-chae sneezed, spraying toothpaste-laced water all over Dokyun’s face.
Blankly feeling the foam run down his face, Dokyun registered his situation a moment too late and let out a curse.
“Fuc—!”
His blood pressure was skyrocketing through the roof. The sheer rage was comparable to his first meeting with Eun-ji.
He glared at Eun-chae with glistening eyes.
“Is Hunnybee in pain?”
Eun-chae asked, tilting her head, her words muffled.
Even as his shoulders shook with rising anger, Dokyun somehow managed to suppress it, gritting his teeth to force out a reply.
“I’m… n-not…!”
The man, Chae Dokyun. He’d grown a lot.