Chapter 30
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30
It was absurd. The very hand that had gripped his cheek and torn at his wrist was now touching him, and yet, in this moment, he felt no fear.
The slender hands wrapped around his waist felt cute.
The small body clinging to him felt frail.
This was dangerous. The thoughts that should have been keenly focused on escape were instead fixating on her.
Every nerve in his body was focused on the warmth touching him.
Dokyun sensed that something was off about his own state. He opened his mouth, trying to shake off the strange emotion coiling around him.
“Does it feel that good?”
“Yeees…”
Eun-ah, who had buried her head in Dokyun’s chest, answered in a languid voice.
“I-It’s warm… and soft… s-so… I like it…”
Suddenly, the words from the diary he’d read the day before overlapped with her voice.
[Mother praised me and gave me a tight hug.]
[It was so soft and warm, I loved it.]
He flinched.
His fingertips trembled.
The sentences he had tried so hard to erase from his mind shook him once more.
He knew it. He shouldn’t have read it.
The crooked, bouncy handwriting, caked with emotion—the traces of her past pricked at Dokyun’s conscience.
“Haha…”
He’d said the wrong thing. The unsettling feeling that had weighed on his heart seemed to be rearing its head again.
Think about something else. Something different.
He had to think about escape, to find a clue for his escape. He couldn’t focus on this feeling any longer. His instincts were screaming at him.
Fortunately, Dokyun had a suitable excuse to redirect his thoughts. His mouth began to speak, following that train of thought.
“Eun-ah.”
“Yeees…”
“Eun-ah, is there anything you’re curious about me?”
“Humm…?”
Her head, which had been buried in his chest, lifted. Her eyes, tinged with curiosity, gazed up at him.
Dokyun met her gaze and continued.
“Come to think of it, I feel like there’s still a lot we don’t know about each other.”
“Umm…”
At his words, her head tilted to the side. Her eyebrows furrowed, a look that said she didn’t want to admit it.
“Am I wrong?”
“Ugh… N-No, you’re right…”
When Dokyun pressed her again, Eun-ah, seemingly at a loss for a rebuttal, affirmed his statement. Dokyun, sensing his ploy was working, delivered his prepared line.
“So, how about we ask each other questions, one by one?”
“A-A Q&A…?”
“Yes, a Q&A.”
“Hmm…”
At his words, Eun-ah rolled her eyes in thought, then, as if she’d made up her mind, nodded firmly and replied.
“O-Okay…!”
Watching her, Dokyun cheered internally.
Yes!
It worked.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to suspect his motives for asking.
Dokyun hadn’t brought this up just to evade the current situation.
It was a method he’d devised while trying to figure out the eight-digit passcode for the front door—a clue he’d gained from her outing the day before.
Since eight-digit codes were often birthdays, he’d planned this Q&A as a good excuse to find hers out.
Even if the code wasn’t her birthday, learning more about her through this Q&A would help him avoid her triggers, which he might otherwise set off unknowingly. Either way, it was necessary for him.
Feeling pleased, Dokyun raised the corners of his mouth and spoke to her as she watched him.
“Shall I ask the first question, then?”
“Yeees…!”
“Then… Eun-ah, how old are you?”
First, the year. Asking for her full date of birth at once would feel too unnatural, so he had to ask for it piece by piece.
Dokyun put on what he thought was his gentlest expression and looked at her.
“Umm…”
Eun-ah lowered her head, stealing glances at Dokyun, before holding up her index and middle fingers.
“…Two…”
“Twenty-two?”
A nod.
Her head gave a small nod. Dokyun felt a flicker of surprise.
She’s younger than I thought.
From the atmosphere of her writing, he’d assumed she was older. Plus, it was hard to tell since she was so thin and her hair covered most of her face.
Dokyun hid his surprise and spoke in a teasing tone to the girl whose head was bowed low.
“Just a baby.”
“N-No, I’m not…”
Squeeze—.
The arms around his waist tightened. Her face, which had been looking up at him, buried itself in his chest again.
“I-I’m an adult…!”
It seemed her pride was wounded by being younger than him.
Her reaction was amusing, but if he pushed any further, she looked like she might cause a scene, so it was best to stop here.
Having decided, Dokyun gently stroked the top of her head to soothe her and then spoke.
“Is there anything you’re curious about me, Eun-ah?”
Since they were doing a Q&A, he had to follow the rules, asking and answering one by one. He had to distract her so she wouldn’t find his questions strange.
Soon, her mouth opened and a question popped out.
“Th-Then… what’s your favorite color…?”
Color. It was the kind of question that felt a bit off for a first question, the kind that would tank your appeal on a blind date.
However, this wasn’t a blind date, and he was in a position where he couldn’t afford to get on her bad side, so he had to hide his true thoughts.
“I… like white. It feels clean and cozy. What about you, Eun-ah?”
He returned the question. It was best to maintain the flow to keep the mood going.
When Dokyun tossed the question back to her, Eun-ah seemed to ponder for a moment before tightening her arms around him and giving her answer.
“H-Honeybee-nim’s color…”
“Aha…?”
What color is that?
What could it be? What was his color? Was she talking about his skin tone? Was this woman actually a racist who judged people by their skin color? A thousand questions flashed through his mind, but Dokyun suppressed them, maintained his smile, and continued.
“What else? What else are you curious about?”
“Umm… W-What’s your favorite food…?”
A safe question.
The appropriate answer was…
“Hmm… Since I’ve lived alone for a long time, my favorite food is anything someone else makes for me.”
“Humm…?”
Eun-ah’s head tilted. Watching her, Dokyun stroked her hair again and continued.
“I’m saying the food you make is my favorite.”
“Heh…”
At Dokyun’s answer, Eun-ah’s earlobes turned red as she lowered her head.
His policy for answering questions was to tailor his responses to please her as much as possible.
Dokyun gave a faint smile at the shy Eun-ah, then opened his mouth to ask his question. It was his turn.
“Then what’s your favorite food, Eun-ah?”
“I-I…”
Beneath her deeply bowed head, her lips, just barely visible, twitched.
“H-Honeybee-nim…”
“Yes?”
“Honeybee-nim is my… my favorite…”
“That’s… not something you can eat, is it?”
Dokyun said, a look of bewilderment on his face.
“Hehe…”
A small laugh could be heard. Eun-ah pulled back the arm that had been hugging Dokyun and began to rub his chest as she continued.
“Y-Yes, it is…”
Shudder—.
This bitch?
Only then did Dokyun fully understand what she meant.
The woman couldn’t wait and was making a move on his body again. He felt a cold sweat run down his back.
Dokyun forced the trembling corners of his lips into a smile and replied.
“Ha, haha…”
“Hehe…”
The finger rubbing his chest crept slowly toward his nipple.
“So!”
“Humm…?”
“I-It’s your turn now, Eun-ah, isn’t it?”
Feeling the finger heading for his nipple, Dokyun hastily spoke to distract her.
“Umm…”
The face looking up at him was once again clouded with thought.
That woman had just been sizing him up. It was a sharp kill angle; he couldn’t let his guard down for a second. He’d almost been dragged to bed.
L-Lewd…
As Dokyun narrowed his eyes at the top of her head, her next question finally came out.
“F-Favorite book…?”
“Favorite book, huh…”
This one was a little unexpected. Favorite book.
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If he said it was a fresh hakko novel, the light would probably vanish from her eyes, so he had to give a different answer.
“[The Girl Who Catches Bugs].”
“Heeheehee…”
A silly, giddy laugh came from her.
I’m sorry, my babies…
I couldn’t bear to speak the truth and face the consequences, so I abandoned you.
Dokyun felt a bitter pang, as if he might cry, but he shook it off and thought of a question.
Seeing how she was acting, he figured it was about time to lay the bait.
Having made up his mind, Dokyun’s mouth opened.
“What’s your favorite season?”
“Umm… Summer…?”
“Ah.”
She took the bait.
Dokyun smiled warmly at her wide, innocent eyes and said.
“That’s the season I was born in.”
The face looking up at him blushed shyly as she nodded. She already knew.
I knew you would.
Would a woman who found his personal information and home address not know his birthday? He’d worried she might name a different season, but thankfully, she gave the answer he wanted.
Now, it was time to reel in the line.
“Come to think of it… when is your birthday, Eun-ah? Ah, wait, is that two questions?”
Dokyun put on an ‘oops’ expression and gave a troubled smile. Looking at him, Eun-ah hastily shook her head and answered.
“A-April 16th…!”
“Ahh… Spring, then?”
“Yeees…!”
22 years old. April 16th.
20000416.
If the calculation was correct, that should be it.
Next, he had to create an opportunity to test that number.
Recognizing that his ploy had succeeded, Dokyun felt a surge of satisfaction and spoke again.
“I’m sorry. Since I ended up asking two questions, you can ask two as well.”
“Okay!”
After a moment of humming in thought, Eun-ah opened her mouth again.
“Th-Then, your favorite clothes and…”
“Clothes and?”
“Y-Yo-your…”
Her face was red as she hesitated, the words held in her mouth. The hand gripping his collar was trembling.
Dokyun smiled and patted her on the back, soothing her obvious nervousness.
“Go on, say it. I’ll answer anything.”
Gulp.
He could see her swallow. Then, squeezing her eyes shut, Eun-ah blurted out the question.
“W-What’s your ideal type…?”
He had the illusion of hearing a poof-. After she spoke, Eun-ah’s face turned so red it couldn’t possibly get any redder. Her eyes wavered, and she looked as if she might burst into tears at the slightest touch.
It was a face that screamed, ‘I’m so embarrassed I could die!’
A ridiculous expression. Dokyun fought back a laugh and gave his answer.
“Hmm, favorite clothes… I like neat clothes.”
“Y-Yes…”
“And my ideal type is…”
Gulp—.
Eun-ah’s swallow echoed loudly in the silence Dokyun had created. When he looked down, he saw her staring up at him, frozen, as if she were holding her breath.
Looking at her, Dokyun let a small smile play on his lips, tightened his arms to hug her close, and delivered his answer.
“You’re my ideal type, Eun-ah.”
“…”
There was no reaction. Wondering if he’d done something wrong, Dokyun quickly lifted his head to check on her.
“…Eun-ah?”
The face that met Dokyun’s eyes was…
…What the hell?
Her lips, twitching as if they were melting. Her pupils, trembling as if in an earthquake. Her small nostrils, flaring slightly.
It was, quite literally, a face that had completely melted.
“Eun-ah?”
When he poked her cheek, a completely dazed laugh escaped her lips.
“Hehe…”
Watching her, Dokyun uttered a single thought that rose in his mind.
Fucking easy.