Chapter 79
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79
Several more days passed, but life continued much as it had before.
As always, I would wake up, eat, wash up, pass the time, then eat again and go to sleep.
The routine was the same as ever, and today was a day for her to catch up on her manuscript.
Watching Eun-ah write, Dokyun recalled the doctor’s words.
‘You have to make her recognize Go Eun-chae.’
The method for separating Go Eun-chae from her.
As he thought about it, Dokyun felt his brow furrow on its own.
It’s easier said than done.
He kept looking for an opportunity, wondering how he should even bring it up, but Eun-ah never gave him the slightest opening.
Once, he’d tried to set the stage by staring blankly at the electrical tape covering the window.
“It’s dark outside.”
“Uh-huh… I-It’s nighttime…!”
She’d given a nonsensical reply, seemingly unable to even perceive the electrical tape.
He had asked the question in the middle of the day.
Another time, he’d tried fiddling with the restraints that were still attached to various pieces of furniture around the house.
“This is really sturdy.”
“Uh-huh…! Y-You’re sturdy too, Honeybee…!”
Again, the reply that came back was completely off the mark.
It was a fact he might have been ignoring all this time.
She was incapable of perceiving any information that was unnecessary for maintaining the world inside her delusion.
Looking back, when he was first brought here, she had handcuffed him and restricted his movements as if it were the most natural thing in the world—as if it were a commonsense act of goodwill.
She perceived his presence here as something that was simply meant to be.
At first, he’d been too busy playing along with her words and actions, and later, he’d been too captivated by her to pay it much mind.
But now, he could say with certainty that she was ignoring the fact that she had kidnapped and imprisoned him.
The reason he was here was information her delusion didn’t need.
I have to do something…
It wasn’t easy.
Her delusion was a precarious sandcastle.
It was a flimsy tower, where shaking just one of its constituent elements could bring the whole thing crashing down.
That was why he couldn’t approach it recklessly.
If he handled it even slightly wrong, her stress levels would exceed their manageable limit, and Go Eun-chae would burst out.
The Eun-chae who emerged would undoubtedly engage in an episode of self-harm. Afterward, Eun-seol would appear to clean up the mess, and Eun-ah would fall into a deep sleep.
That period would last for at least a week.
Consequently, a new wall of delusion would form in her mind to erase the time gap, which would ultimately only worsen the situation.
Therefore, managing her stress was essential.
He had to make her face reality, but only within a range that wouldn’t agitate her.
The thought made his head spin.
Ugh…
He had no idea where to even begin.
As his thoughts raced, a maddening realization struck him: he still knew very little about the person named Go Eun-ah.
He knew her superficial traits—what she liked, her personality, her habits.
But he knew nothing about her background—what kind of people her abusive parents were, why she was so suspiciously wealthy, who was in her life, or if there was anyone at all.
That was the problem.
A thoughtless word from him could act as a trigger.
He couldn’t speak carelessly to her because he had been given too little information.
The result was the current stalemate.
Even after a private consultation with the doctor, the way to cure her illness remained shrouded in fog.
Should I take a gamble?
He considered just going for it, letting the chips fall where they may, but he immediately shook his head.
It was a matter of self-confidence.
Dokyun couldn’t be sure that he was the kind of person who could protect her happiness in Go Eun-chae’s place.
It was true that he was building a connection with her, but he couldn’t be certain that it was a bond deep enough to replace Go Eun-chae, the refuge she had used her entire life.
As his thoughts and worries deepened, Eun-ah, having finished her manuscript, let out a great stretch.
“Uuuugh…!”
“Are you finished?”
“Yesss…!”
She answered his question, then looked up at him with eyes full of expectation. Dokyun smiled and gently squished her cheeks.
“You worked hard.”
“Mmphh…!”
Her face flushed a bright red as she made a muffled sound. She then buried her face in Dokyun’s chest and continued.
“S-Since I worked hard, more praise…!”
She smiled brightly as she spoke.
Deciding that for now, he should just focus on her, Dokyun patted her back and kissed her forehead.
*
A few more days passed.
His worries about Go Eun-chae continued, but no clear answer emerged.
Of course, it wasn’t as if he did nothing.
He constantly felt the need to shatter her delusion, so he had been subtly dropping hints, trying to make her recognize the abnormal elements throughout the house.
But even though he spoke as gently as possible each time, his heart pounding, he had no confidence that he was saying the right things.
Her delusion was beyond his comprehension, and since only she knew what that world looked like, it was impossible for him to feel confident.
However, he couldn’t say his efforts had been entirely without effect.
“What are you doing?”
“H-Huh…? N-Nothing…”
There was a definite change in her behavior.
Dokyun looked at Eun-ah, who until a moment ago had been staring blankly at the window wrapped in electrical tape.
The moment he spoke, she ducked her head and leaned against him. Patting her back, Dokyun noticed the faint anxiety in her expression and realized she was feeling stressed. He held her a little tighter and spoke.
“Are you sick? You don’t look well.”
“Nn-nnh…”
She shook her head and buried her face in his chest. Feeling a lurch in his stomach, Dokyun rested his chin on the top of her head and began to soothe her in the gentlest tone he could manage.
“If you have any worries, tell me. I’ll listen to all of them.”
“…Okay…”
Her reply came a beat late.
Dokyun tapped her back gently and spoke again.
“I don’t want you to be sad, Eun-ah. When you’re sad, I get really sad, too…”
“I-I’m not sad…!”
Startled by his words, she rushed to reassure him. A small smile finally broke onto Dokyun’s face, and he kissed her forehead.
“Really?”
“R-Really…!”
Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, her gaze filled with sincerity.
“If you ever have any worries, you have to promise to tell me.”
“Okay…! I-I promise…!”
She held out her pinky finger. Dokyun let out another laugh and linked his own pinky with hers.
He had to change the situation by soothing her, little by little, slowly.
The most important thing was the connection.
He had to constantly make her aware that he was by her side, so she wouldn’t be buried by stress as things changed.
*
A few more days passed.
“Eun-ah?”
Dokyun called out to her. She was leaning against him, staring blankly at the ceiling.
When she remained dazed even after his question, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over him. He raised a hand and tapped her shoulder.
“Eun-ah?”
“…Ah.”
Finally snapping out of it, she shifted her gaze to him and tilted her head.
“Yes…?”
“You were just staring into space. I was worried you weren’t feeling well.”
“Uh-huh…”
She gave a slight shake of her head in response. Feeling a little relieved, Dokyun let a smile form on his lips.
“If you feel sick, tell me. I’ll take care of you.”
“T-Take care of me…”
She mumbled the words, glancing at him. A laugh escaped through Dokyun’s teeth, and he nodded, adding an explanation.
“Yes. You can lie down, and I’ll make you food, wipe your sweat, and hold you tight.”
“H-Hold me…”
Blushing at his continued explanation, Eun-ah fidgeted for a moment before swaying slightly and leaning into his chest.
“O-Oh… S-Suddenly my head feels dizzy…?”
After saying that, she peeked at him again, her expression full of expectation. Feeling a laugh bubble up, Dokyun lifted her into his arms and stood.
“Then I guess I’ll have to take care of you.”
“I-I think you’ll have to…!”
She let out a little ‘Hmph!’ through her nose.
He smiled, thinking how terrible she was at acting, but then his heart fluttered as she snuggled against him with a bashful grin. He carried her toward the bedroom.
There were no signs.
Her responses were still immediate, and her expression was full of life.
*
A few more days later, Dokyun lay in bed, holding her with his eyes closed.
Had his stamina dropped recently? Even though he’d moved more gently than usual, his back was screaming.
Should I start working out?
Dokyun gave a small nod at the thought.
He really had been cooped up inside for too long.
Starting tomorrow, he should go out to the garden and do some light jump rope.
As he thought this, he glanced down and saw her nestled in his arms, a look of utter satisfaction on her face.
“Hooo…”
A chuckle escaped him at the sight of the sweat beading on her completely relaxed face. He gently wiped it away with his finger and spoke.
“Eun-ah.”
“…Nyeheheh.”
Her voice was a languid drawl.
Did I go too hard? I thought I was being gentle.
He looked at her, and her half-lidded eyes gazed back up at him.
Dokyun let out a soft laugh and finished wiping away her sweat before speaking again.
“Should we try working out starting tomorrow?”
“Huuuh…?” she asked, her face blank.
“Working out. I feel like my stamina has really dropped lately, so I was thinking we could do some jump rope out front.”
“…Hmm…”
She mulled over his words for a moment before giving a slight nod in response.
Then.
“Heehee…”
Having given her answer, she giggled and her hand began to sneak toward his lower body.
He narrowed his eyes at her, and she just gave him a bashful, dopey smile, trying to look innocent.
Up to this point, there had been no signs.
*
“Ughhh…”
A groan, thick with exhaustion, escaped his lips.
Had he been too eager? The thought of moving his body after so long had made him antsy, and he’d overdone it.
This was the result.
“H-Honeybee, here too…”
Dokyun let out another groan as he felt the cool sensation of the pain relief patch she was placing on his lower back.
“Ughhh…”
“Pfft…!”
A sound like air escaping a balloon. Dokyun turned his head to see her laughing at the sight of his limp form.
Then, she started poking at the sweat-soaked fat of his stomach, her voice full of laughter.
“B-Boiled pork…!”
He flinched.
Isn’t calling a person boiled pork a bit much? he thought.
“Haha…”
But unable to actually say it, Dokyun could only manage a hollow laugh.
“Aren’t you tired, Eun-ah?”
He was sure they had exercised together, but she looked so energetic. At his question, she blinked and then nodded.
“Nope…! I-I’m fine…!”
Is this what youth is?
He thought as much and offered her a compliment.
“You’re amazing, Eun-ah. There’s nothing you can’t do.”
“Heehee…”
A shy laugh escaped her.
Even up to this point, there had been no signs.
*
That’s right. There had been absolutely no signs.
The light in her eyes had never dimmed.
Her expression had never shown a hint of awkwardness.
She had never once referred to herself in the third person.
He had avoided her triggers as much as possible.
One could argue that his actions had touched upon those triggers, but he had been extremely careful about that.
In fact, even while he was making her recognize things that contradicted her delusion, she had shown no abnormal reactions.
That was why Dokyun truly could not understand this situation.
Waking up to find his body bound.
Her, sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking his cheek.
The dark bedroom, and the box cutter in her hand.
When he woke up.
“Are you awake?”
“…Go Eun-chae.”
Go Eun-chae was out.