Chapter 22
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22
My gaze bored into the back of her head as she moved around the kitchen.
Something’s off…
Ever since I woke up this morning, she had been far too quiet.
Suspiciously so.
My eyes narrowed. Based on her pattern so far, she should have been clinging to me the moment I woke up, smiling slyly or drooling while she scanned my body. But today, she had been moving about quietly ever since she got up.
My body feels so heavy and stiff…
Every muscle ached. I still wasn’t used to sleeping while tied up, and for the past few days, my muscles had screamed in protest every time I woke.
On top of that…
Did I sweat too much in my sleep?
I felt clammy all over. The sticky feeling was especially bad on my arms and the nape of my neck, an unpleasant sensation, as if the very air was clinging to my skin. A frown formed on my face automatically. The clamminess clinging to my body dragged my already foul mood even lower.
It’s almost winter, is it supposed to be this hot…?
It was already the beginning of December. The heat should have subsided long ago, but the air in the house was so warm that the sticky feeling wouldn't go away.
To be fair, it was normal to have the heat on like this in the winter, but my mood was so low that even that felt unpleasant.
If it’s this hot, why does she look perfectly fine?
My irritation-filled eyes glared at the back of her head again. I watched her intently, trying to find something I’d missed, but I couldn't uncover anything new. The only thing I learned was that she didn't seem to get hot easily.
If she slept next to me, she should at least show some sign of being sticky.
But she looked fresh and clean. Her skin was practically glowing. Unlike me, who was squirming from the clammy discomfort, she looked to be in a great mood. One glance was enough to see how refreshed she looked.
As Dokyun was suppressing his boiling irritation, Eun-ah, who had finished preparing the meal, began placing the dishes on the table one by one.
“I-It’s ready…!”
“Ah, thank you.”
By the third day, I’d gotten used to hiding my expression. Even when my mind was elsewhere, my body would react on its own whenever she looked at me, plastering a smile on my face. Dokyun kept his smile fixed as he looked at the table.
Kimchi stew.
And a fried egg. A classic combination. The spicy aroma wafting to his nose seemed to stir his hunger. Dokyun lifted his head and spoke to Eun-ah, who was sitting across from him.
“This looks great. You should eat, too, Eun-ah.”
“Hehe… Okay…!”
Soon, they picked up their spoons and began to eat. He took a spoonful of the stew, and the sharp, spicy flavor as it went down was exquisite. The spicy taste warmed him from the inside, and he felt his irritation subside, if only a little.
Dokyun was savoring it when he felt a gaze on him. He looked up in its direction. Across from him, Eun-ah was watching him with a nervous expression. Judging by her behavior so far, it was the face of someone waiting for a critique.
Dokyun put a smile on his lips and spoke to her in a gentle tone.
“This is really delicious. The broth is so rich, it’s exactly how I like it.”
“Hehe… Th-That’s a relief…”
It was a flavor you could never imagine coming from that unhinged woman. Watching Eun-ah giggle, Dokyun felt that now was the time to ask the question that had been on his mind. He opened his mouth and posed his question.
“By the way, did you learn to cook somewhere? This doesn’t seem like a level you could reach by teaching yourself.”
It wasn’t a question about escaping. It was simple curiosity about her. Her cooking skills were far superior to what you’d find in most restaurants; it didn’t feel like a level one could reach through self-study.
Eun-ah flinched at his question, then mumbled and nodded her head.
“Yes…”
The answer was an affirmation. Dokyun, sensing his guess was correct, continued his questioning.
“I knew it. Your skills are extraordinary. Where did you learn? A cooking academy? Or…”
“P-Please, stop…!”
“…Pardon?”
“P-Please, just finish your meal…!”
Just then, Eun-ah, with a slightly horrified expression, her pupils trembling, cut him off, making it clear she had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Only then did Dokyun, thinking he might have asked a dangerous question, put on an embarrassed expression and quickly shut his mouth.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Was that too sensitive a question?”
“N-No…! It’s just, the food is getting cold…”
Shaking her head vigorously, Eun-ah denied his words before lowering her head and continuing her meal. Dokyun watched her, replaying their brief conversation in his mind.
She doesn’t want to talk about it. But…
It wasn’t a trigger.
It’s a topic she wants to avoid.
It felt strongly like something she didn’t want to recall. A faint fear flickered in her pained, scrunched-up expression.
Something she’s afraid of?
It was a little surprising. He hadn’t even considered that such a thing could exist for her. In his surprise, Dokyun realized anew just how much he had feared her.
He swallowed the scoff that threatened to escape.
No, it’s only natural for a person to have things they’re afraid of.
No matter how crazy she was, as long as she was human, she couldn’t be completely fearless. It was just that her actions here had made Dokyun see her as an unstoppable monster.
Can I… use this?
His thoughts continued even as his hands moved to finish his meal. A way to control her. A joker card that could flip this power dynamic, even just a little.
Based on her behavior, the person who had educated her—the one who taught her the etiquette, cleanliness, and cooking she was so pathologically obsessed with—that had to be the clue.
The most likely possibility is…
Her parents.
The people who had given birth to her and built this house, whose very existence, dead or alive, was unknown. If they were the ones who raised her to be like this…
Is that why she’s so messed up?
It was a problem you could accept if you just chalked it up to her being a lunatic, but…
It feels off.
This wasn’t the physical clamminess enveloping his body, but an emotional unease blooming in a corner of his heart. Every result has a cause. Every process creates an outcome. Dokyun was a man who believed in cause and effect, not in some omnipotent, grand destiny.
It wasn't certain. It was just a flicker of suspicion that such a possibility might exist.
This is something I’ll have to watch more closely to find out.
She was incredibly impulsive. She made little effort to hide her feelings, so every single one of her actions was tinged with potential clues. Don’t they say if you know your enemy, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles? If I observe her, I might just find a clue to get out of this house.
He continued eating. As he was contemplating how to use what he’d learned from their conversation, he heard Eun-ah’s voice from across the table, where she had been eating in silence.
“Ah, r-right…!”
Dokyun’s head snapped up. The Eun-ah he faced looked as if she’d just remembered something she’d forgotten. Her eyes were wide as she muttered to herself, then she saw him looking and continued.
“I-I have to go out today…”
“You do?”
“I have s-something to do outside…”
Outside. Something to do. Going out.
Her words were so unexpected that it took Dokyun a moment to process their meaning. Then, he fully understood.
This is my chance!
She was going to leave him alone in this house and go out. In other words, he would have a chance to explore the house without her watching him.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart began to race. The corners of his mouth twitched, threatening to rise on their own.
Dokyun wrestled the rising smile down and put on a sad expression to answer her.
“Oh, you’re leaving…?”
He composed his face, imagining a dog abandoned by its owner. He had to look this disappointed to erase any suspicion she might have.
“Hng, hnggg…”
A whimpering sound. The moment a sad look appeared on Dokyun’s face, Eun-ah’s expression crumbled and she began to cry. Her tear-filled voice followed.
“I-I don’t wanna be apart…”
“I-I don’t wanna go…”
“I wanna stay t-together with you…”
Her mood swings were truly a marvel. He had expected something like this, but seeing it in person still filled him with a sense of utter incomprehension.
Even as he felt this, his mouth moved diligently, playing along with her words.
“I’m okay… You’re coming back, right?”
“Yes… hic…”
“I’m good at waiting. Don’t worry and go.”
“Hnggg…”
She was about to burst into tears again. Seeing this, Dokyun brightened his expression slightly and soothed her. He had to end this situation quickly, finish the meal, and get her out the door.
And also…
Make sure to grab the key before she leaves.
He had to swipe the key from her pocket and find a way to escape while the house was empty.
“I don’t want to be apart from you, Eun-ah… but it’s for work. I’ll wait for you here.”
“Heu…”
Listening to his continuous reassurances, Eun-ah eventually stopped crying. Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she spoke.
“W-Wait for me… I-I’ll buy you a present as a thank you…”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
A present. The word had an ominous ring to it. He hoped to God it would be a present for him and not for her, but that seemed unlikely. He’d have to brace himself.
After finishing the meal, he went to wash up, just as he had the day before. His entire body was tense, worried that the same thing as yesterday might happen, but just as she had been all day, she defied his expectations and did nothing.
Of course, she still kept glancing at him in the shower, her eyes darting around trying to steal a peek at his lower half, but she didn't lay a hand on him.
That fact was unsettling in its own way, but he let out a sigh of relief, thankful to have survived the immediate crisis.
Dokyun watched her as she finished getting ready to leave.
She wore the same one-piece dress she wore at home, with a cardigan over it. A hat was pulled down low over her head, and a mask covered her face. She had the perfect look of a patient with severe social anxiety. As he watched, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
She’s not going commando out there, is she…?
His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Surely not.
…Probably.
“W-Well, I’m leaving now…”
With her face completely covered, she looked like she was off to bury a body, but Dokyun did his best to ignore it and see her off.
I have to steal the key…
A moment ago, she had handcuffed him to the living room sofa. The key was in her cardigan pocket. Thinking of this, Dokyun stood up from the sofa and raised his arms toward her.
“How about a hug before you go?”
“N-Hyeh…?”
His arms couldn't fully extend because of the handcuffs, but Eun-ah stared at him with a dumb sound as he raised them to make a space for her.
Soon, as if realizing what his posture meant, she came scurrying over and threw herself into his embrace.
Thump—.
As Eun-ah fell into his arms, Dokyun lowered his arms to wrap around her. She was so gaunt that even in his embrace, there was plenty of room to spare. She was so short she barely reached his shoulder, and the deeply sunken collarbones visible through her slipped cardigan made her frailty all the more apparent.
Nestled in his arms, Eun-ah let out a dopey laugh.
“Ehehe…”
“Have a safe trip.”
The sight of her burying her nose in his chest and taking a deep breath was creepy as hell, but he needed more contact to achieve his goal. He rested his head on top of hers and hugged her a little tighter.
Seemingly satisfied by his complete embrace, Eun-ah rubbed her face against his chest, not even noticing that her hat had fallen off.
“Uung…”
A slightly slurred sound escaped her. Dokyun slowly, stealthily moved his hand toward her pocket. He carefully hooked his finger around the object inside and snatched it.
Got it!
A little longer. If he pulled away now, he might get caught. He held the position for another moment. After some time, Eun-ah, apparently satisfied, was the first to pull away.
Her flushed cheeks and slightly dazed eyes sparked a wave of anxiety that she might just pounce on him right then and there, but the key clutched in his hand filled him with a reassuring strength, scattering such thoughts.
“I-I’m really going now…!”
“Okay. Be careful.”
Eun-ah picked up the hat that had fallen on the floor, put it back on, and turned toward the front door.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Eight times. The sound of the keypad being pressed rang out eight times.
Biri-rick—!
The door opened.
Eight digits.
The password was eight digits long. He couldn't see the keypad from his position, so he didn't know the numbers, but this was a satisfying haul nonetheless.
And then.
Tiriri—.
The door closed. The surroundings fell silent. The only sound that echoed through the space was his own breathing. Only then did Dokyun realize he was truly alone.
He opened his hand. Two keys glinted in his palm. The corners of his mouth kept rising. Right now, for the first time in three days, he had found freedom for his own body.
The joy that filled him burst from his lips in a single word.
“Sex.”