Chapter 20
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20
I sat at the table, a collar around my neck, and began to eat the meal that had been prepared for me. I was still in handcuffs, but being able to eat with my own hands was a definite improvement over the last meal.
“P-Please, eat…”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for the meal.”
“Hee hee…”
Saying ‘Thank you for the meal’ before eating was one of the rules here. Dokyun offered her a smile in return and picked up his spoon. Though he had made a grim resolution, his actual plan of action hadn't changed all that much.
“This is delicious. Did you learn to cook somewhere?”
“Hee hee…”
Be kind. Use a gentle tone. Shower her with praise. That was the basic strategy. He had to make the most of the goodwill she felt for him. With that in mind, Dokyun complimented Eun-ah before lowering his head and continuing his meal.
But it really is delicious.
He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks. The marinade had seeped in perfectly, creating a harmony with the juices that burst forth with every chew. The subtle smoky flavor from the high-heat searing added to the savory taste.
At least I won't have to worry about food.
It seemed he wouldn't have to worry about starving before he escaped. In fact, he even wondered, ‘Am I eating better now than when I lived alone?’
As Dokyun continued to eat, Eun-ah spoke from across the table.
“W-Would you like some more…?”
“Ah, yes. Please.”
Dokyun smiled and nodded. After a full day, eating with his own hands felt exceptionally special. Being fed while tied up had been accompanied by an inescapable sense of discomfort and shame.
Dokyun watched Eun-ah take his bowl and head toward the rice cooker, then turned his gaze back to her spot at the table.
She’s barely eating.
He hadn’t seen her eat this morning, either. Considering she had been stuck to his side almost all day, this had to be her first meal, yet she had only picked at her food with a few spoonfuls at the beginning and had been staring at him ever since.
Anorexia? Loss of appetite?
Her body was so gaunt that he felt she would look better, both for her health and appearance, if she ate more and put on some weight. He didn't know the reason, but she didn't seem to consider her own meals very important.
It wasn't his business, but her unblinking stare as she neglected her own food was becoming a burden. Dokyun decided to ask about it.
“By the way… Aren’t you going to eat more, Eun-ah?”
Having already returned with a fresh scoop of rice for him, Eun-ah’s cheeks flushed red as she smiled and replied.
“I-I’m ha-happy just watching you eat, Honeybee…”
“Haha…”
She sounded just like his own mother, pulling out the classic ‘I’m full just from watching you eat.’ Dokyun let out a troubled laugh.
This is so uncomfortable…
The way she watched him, her eyes sparkling, was too much pressure. The food itself was delicious, but her gaze felt like it was giving him indigestion. Dokyun wiped the look of trouble from his face, replaced it with one of feigned concern, and spoke to her once more.
“Still, you have to eat. If you were to collapse, I would be so sad.”
“Hahh…”
At his words, Eun-ah, who was sitting across from him, let out a strange noise and ducked her head.
“B-But still…”
“We’re eating together, aren’t we? I think I’d be really happy to see you enjoying your food, too…”
This is insane. I’m getting goosebumps just saying this stuff. What kind of lives do people who can say these things without batting an eye even live? Being a top-tier host is a wall too high for me to climb.
“O-Okay, then…”
Thankfully, his cringeworthy line seemed to have worked. She picked up her spoon and began to eat the rice in front of her, little by little. Now for the finishing blow.
Once. Just endure it and say it one more time.
Dokyun suppressed the churning in his stomach, which felt like it was about to bring up everything he’d just eaten, forced a smile, and spoke.
“Eat a lot. You’re cutest when you’re eating.”
“Heut…”
Seeing Eun-ah blush all the way to her neck, Dokyun knew his efforts had paid off.
At the same time.
Squeeeze—.
Dokyun’s toes, hidden beneath the table, curled as tightly as they possibly could, speaking for his true feelings.
Fuck…
He wanted to die.
Dokyun buried his head and focused on eating. If he thought about it any longer, he felt like he might actually die of shame.
The meal continued, and soon, both of them were finished. Only after she had cleared the table was the collar around his neck unfastened, allowing him to move.
“N-Now…”
“Time to brush our teeth, right?”
“Yes…!”
Eun-ah nodded enthusiastically, as if his answer was deeply satisfying. Having gone through such a harsh ordeal on the first day, Dokyun was determined not to make the same mistake twice.
He walked over to the bathroom and began to brush his teeth. It was awkward with his hands cuffed together, but not impossible. At least he could move his own hands.
Even while he was brushing, her furtive gaze pricked at him. To be precise, the way her eyes slid down his body and eventually settled on his lower half was terrifying.
He tried twisting his body, looking back at her, and clearing his throat to divert her attention, but the moment he looked away, her eyes would drift back down to his groin.
He endured it, pretending not to notice as best he could. He scrubbed at his mouth, thinking only of finishing as quickly as possible.
Somehow, he managed to finish brushing his teeth safely and returned to the room where he had slept the first night. Compared to the living room just beyond the door, the room was utterly dark.
Back in the room, Dokyun lay down on the bed and focused all his attention on Eun-ah, who was lying pressed tightly against his side.
If I’m going to steal the key, now’s the time…
She was within arm’s reach, and this was the moment she’d be off her guard. He had to take the key from her dress pocket while she was asleep.
The problem is…
She wasn’t sleeping. Unlike yesterday, she didn’t fall asleep right away and was still clinging to his body, letting out soft giggles.
Should I pretend to sleep first?
That seemed like the best plan. She had to sleep eventually. Once she thought he was asleep, she would probably try to sleep as well.
Having made up his mind, Dokyun let out a loud yawn and spoke to Eun-ah.
“Haaah, should we get some sleep? I’m so tired.”
“Ah, yes…!” Eun-ah, who had been clinging to him and giggling, replied.
“H-How was today…?”
“…It was great. Because you were here.”
He forced out a fabricated answer. A deeply satisfied laugh escaped her lips. After laughing for a moment, Eun-ah continued in a murmuring tone.
“I-I had a great time, too…!”
“I-I’m so, so, so, so glad I met you, Ho-Honeybee…”
“N-Now we’ll always be to-together…”
“We’ll ne-never be apart…”
“E-Eating… working… wa-wa-washing…”
“As long as I’m with you, Honeybee, anything makes me ha-happy…”
“N-Now I can go on li-living again…”
“Tomorrow, and the day after, and fo-forever…”
Did she have that much to say? Her words flowed on and on with no sign of stopping. Setting aside the creepy and unsettling nature of her words, Dokyun was more concerned by the fact that she didn't seem the least bit sleepy.
Just go to sleep…
Honestly, he was exhausted. Spending the entire day catering to her mood was not something he could jokingly call easy. The constant tension had left him feeling utterly drained, his body heavy with fatigue.
If this is how it’s going to be…
He would pretend to be asleep now. He had to do it naturally, as if he had drifted off while listening to her talk.
Dokyun closed his eyes and began to even out his breathing. He had to convince her he was asleep so she would soon follow.
He focused all his senses on the presence beside him. She didn't fall asleep right away, but continued to talk while tapping his arm with her fingertips.
“And, and…”
Please, just sleep…
He willed her to fall asleep quickly, trying to ignore the sensation of her touch. A long while passed. The fatigue was now so overwhelming that Dokyun began to worry, ‘Am I going to fall asleep before she does?’ He tried to hold onto his consciousness, but it was a losing battle.
When you close your eyes, there are sounds you begin to hear. The pulse of your own body, the small noises in your surroundings. Things that only reveal themselves when you are no longer chasing them with your eyes began to touch Dokyun’s senses.
Haaah… Haaah…
The sound of soft, shallow breathing.
Thump. Thump.
The slow pulse of a heartbeat.
Tap. Tap.
Her fingers, tapping against his arm.
“A-And…”
Her faint voice, seeping into his ears as if it would break at any moment.
A sense of peace washed over him. His body, of its own accord, was releasing its tension, his consciousness scattering.
…I have to stay awake…!
He had to hold on, but sleep was already crashing down on him. Any sudden movement would be an admission that he was still awake.
Was he just too tired? His limp body dragged his mind down into the abyss he was falling into. The thought of stealing the key grew fainter and fainter.
Ah…
In the end, Dokyun couldn't fight the encroaching slumber and fell asleep.
*
“…Ho-Honeybee…?”
Her head lifted on its own. Through the faint light, she saw his face, sleeping peacefully.
“Ah, ah…”
He fell asleep. A pang of disappointment washed over her; it felt like she had been the only one talking.
“Ugh… N-No…”
She pushed the budding disappointment back down.
T-Today isn’t the end…
That’s right. Today wasn’t the end. There was tomorrow, and the day after, and every day after that. They could be together. She wasn’t alone anymore. Now that she had him, she didn’t have to be lonely.
She closed her eyes and heard the low thrum of his heartbeat. She felt his warmth, the pleasant scent of his body that she had been smelling all day.
It was strange. They had definitely used the same body wash, yet a different, warm and comforting fragrance bloomed from his body. It was a ridiculously addictive scent, one that made her want to bury her face in him and focus on nothing else.
As she savored his scent, her mind grew hazy. Something was missing. She wanted to be filled with it more, feeling as though she would only be satisfied if her entire body was saturated with his fragrance. But cruelly, the scent was only released in small wisps, not enough to quench her thirst, but enough to make it grow even stronger.
Her head lifted. The man sleeping so soundly suddenly seemed detestable. She was in such agony, feeling so empty inside she thought she might wither away and die. The sight of him sleeping so peacefully was just so, so detestable.
His mouth had fallen open as he slept, lost to the world. She could see his bright red tongue between his parted lips.
Gulp.
She swallowed hard. The thoughts in her head replayed the event from that morning, the image that had been haunting her all day.
“Heut…”
It was embarrassing, so embarrassing, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. His blushing face, his large body that she wanted to be held by…
“Huuuh…”
Ah, there it was again. The heat that had tormented her all day had found her once more. A strange heat, rumbling from the pit of her stomach, began to swell as if to burn her whole body, its tongue starting to flick out.
“Th-This is all your fault, Ho-Honeybee…”
She felt like she was going to cry. She was so hot she thought she might die, her head was getting strange again, yet the person in front of her was sleeping in perfect comfort.
“I-I didn’t do anything wrong… It’s all Ho-Honeybee’s fault…”
So, you can’t blame me.