Gaslighting
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"……."
I knocked on Chaeyu’s door, but there was no response. "Chaeyu. It’s twelve o'clock." I mustered the courage to speak, but again, silence. It was definitely because of *that* incident.
"Park Chaeyu—"
"What."
"Whoa."
Chaeyu suddenly threw the door open. Her eyes were filled with pure fury. "Why are you calling me?"
"It’s twelve."
"So what?"
"You said we should go out."
"Do you think this is a situation where we can just go out?"
Sunday had arrived, the day I’d promised to go out with Chaeyu. We’d had so many moments of bad luck lately that we hadn't been able to have any proper intimacy, so this was supposed to be our day.
"How… how could you do that…?"
"I told you I was sorry…."
"This isn't something that ends with an apology, Oppa…."
"……."
On such an important day, I’d ended up in a massive fight with Chaeyu.
The incident started two days ago, on Friday, when I came home from work.
"Welcome ho— …me."
"Why does your expression change like that when you see Mom?"
"It’s nothing. Forget it."
It had been a while since Mom and I got off work at the same time, so we’d commuted together. That was why Chaeyu was reacting that way. Usually, on days I got off early, she’d be the one waiting for me.
"*Yawn*…."
"Are you sleepy? Want a massage?"
"No, I’m fine. I’m sweaty, I need to shower."
"Okay."
The weather was starting to make it clear that summer was approaching. It was one of those periods where it rained on days it shouldn't, and never rained on days you actually wanted it to.
"*Haa*… now I feel like a human again."
My body, which had been dizzy from the heat, finally felt like it was returning to normal. Even though the office and the car were so cold that you couldn't survive without a cardigan, I was feeling firsthand that artificial air wasn't great for the human body. The house was relatively cool, so I could still manage with the natural breeze for now.
"Oh, right, Oppa. I looked it up, you know?"
"What? Oh, that thing?"
Maybe it was the influence of Mom and Chaeyu, but I’d been wearing the same cardigan until it was threadbare, and I was sick of it, so I decided to buy a new one.
"How about this one and this one?"
"…What’s the difference?"
I’d asked for a recommendation for a light-colored cardigan, and she’d suggested two identical light gray ones. I thought they were the same product, but they had different prices.
"This one is 100% merino wool, and this one is a wool-cashmere blend. The buttons are different, too… and this one has a baggier fit."
"Aha."
Just as Chaeyu said, you had to look closely to see the differences.
"I guess I really should go see them in person."
"Obviously. It’s best to see clothes with your own eyes before buying."
"Are there any others?"
"There’s this one, too. Personally, I don't like it."
"Aha. This one."
It was a cardigan from a famous four-stripe brand. At some point, it had been branded with a "tacky" image, and it wasn't really a brand people sought out in Korea anymore. Of course, I didn't care about that; I just wanted to wear it. If the fit was good and it felt nice, that was all that mattered. The more people avoided it, the more it stood out when you wore it.
"Why don't you like it?"
"The image, for one… and there are so many people who just buy that one cardigan and act like they’re fashion experts."
"Aha…."
Just as Chaeyu said, while they might not be "clothes-poor" in the same way some are "car-poor," there were people who thought wearing that one item made them well-dressed. And most of those people were highly likely to be the type who judged others by their appearance.
"I hate people who dress half-heartedly and just throw that one thing over it."
"I feel a bit called out…."
"Are you like that too, Oppa?"
"No, it’s just that I have a lot of days where I dress casually and just throw on a cardigan…."
"It suits you, so it’s fine."
"I’ll admit to that much—"
"Eek?!"
*Crack.*
The moment I sat on the sofa, I heard a strange sound. Something had made contact with my backside, and there was a crunching noise. Something slightly hard yet brittle had been crushed.
"What are you doing!"
"Huh? What is this?"
"That was an ornament I put there to show Mom…."
I looked at where my butt had been, and the sight was horrific. The cute puppy ornament was, quite literally, smashed to pieces.
"Is this expensive…?"
"Of course it’s expensive! Do you have any idea how expensive it is!"
"Oh my, is that… a limited edition?"
"Yes, that’s right! It’s a limited edition of 3,000! I finally managed to buy it and it arrived today, I was going to show it off…."
"I’m sorry…."
"No, how could you think to sit there? Didn't you see it?"
"I could have missed it… it’s as small as a palm."
"How could you… *haa*…."
Chaeyu scolded me, looking truly furious. Her expression was filled with all sorts of anger and resentment.
"I’ll fix it, so just calm down—"
"What makes you so confident you can fix it?"
"Can’t you get it repaired…?"
"There’s no way that’s possible!"
"Chaeyu. Just calm down."
"Ugh!! I don't know, seriously!"
"……."
In the end, Chaeyu couldn't contain her anger and went into her room. She slammed the door so hard it was clear how mad she was.
"Park Chaeyu! Who told you to slam the door like that!"
"……."
I tried to piece together the shards on the sofa. Of course, it was useless; they just kept falling apart.
"*Sigh*… why did you leave it on the sofa? There’s a dining table, too."
"Mom… how much is this…?"
"From what I know, the retail price alone is over a million won…."
"……."
No wonder she was that angry. Since she said it was a limited edition, the resale value would be astronomical.
I really am an idiot. Why did I have to be the one to break something so expensive?
"One point five million…."
I took a picture and searched for it, and the price that came up was an unimaginable 1.5 million won. The exact name of the golden puppy was the Gold Mini Prairie Dog Statue 20th Anniversary Limited Edition. On the second-hand market, I could easily see people listing it for over 3 million. I felt even more sorry for Chaeyu.
"What should I do…?"
"*Haa*… I know someone related to the brand. I’ll try talking to them."
"Really?"
"Yes. I’ve been to a few meetings with that brand."
"Phew… that’s a relief."
"Still, I don't know if they have any left. These premium products are often sold very strictly because people talk, so most of the time they’re sold honestly."
"Aha…."
"For now, try to soothe Chaeyu. She might sulk for days again."
"Okay…."
And thus, the cold war between Chaeyu and me began.
"How did it go?"
"Hmm… they said they’d look into it, but it doesn't seem like it’ll be possible by tomorrow…."
"*Haa*…."
The next day. I hadn't been able to talk to Chaeyu at all. Mom had contacted the person in charge, but the answer was negative. We failed to find a new product.
'Is that the only way…?'
The last resort. Buying it at the resale price. It had only been a day, but it had already jumped to 5 million. The people who had initially listed it for 3 million had all taken their posts down and relisted it for 5 million.
"*Haa*…."
Of course, it wasn't that I didn't have that kind of money, but I didn't have it on hand right now. To buy this statue, I’d have to go to the bank and withdraw it. I wasn't a VVIP at the bank, and I couldn't make the employees come in on the weekend. Mom and Dad wouldn't have that kind of cash lying around either.
"How about trying to assemble it again?"
"Do you think Chaeyu will forgive me?"
"You can’t buy a new one anyway. You can’t just leave it like this. What are you going to do?"
The very last resort. I’d fix it myself. Fix it or break it further—it was a "do or die" situation.
"…I’ll give it a try."
Looking at the statue’s page, I started using wood glue to piece it back together. As expected, the pieces kept falling off. In a fit of frustration, I thought about using tape, but decided against it because that didn't seem right.
"……."
How many hours had passed? I kept sticking and sticking, and except for the cracks that were still visibly broken, I’d managed to fill most of it. Still, it looked a bit crude. Well, I wasn't an expert, and there was no way I could perfectly repair a product without a manual.
"All done…."
When I finished and looked out the window, the sun was starting to rise. I was so sleepy I could have fallen asleep the moment I closed my eyes.
"Let’s go, for now. You said you didn't have time to play, right?"
So, back to the present. I’d come to deliver the statue to Chaeyu.
"What can I do to make you stop being mad?"
"It won’t happen. It’s already too late. I looked up the resale price, and it’s over 5 million. Do you have that much money, Oppa? Are you rich?"
"……."
I had nothing to say, so I kept my mouth shut. Of course, she’d already looked it up.
"I’m not in the mood to play right now, so if you want to go that badly, go by yourself."
"That’s not the problem…."
"Then what is the problem?"
"That I broke your thing."
"Knowing that—"
"Here."
"…?"
I pulled out the golden puppy. The Gold Mini Prairie Dog, et cetera. The truth was, it was called "gold," but it was actually a glass statue covered in gold-colored paint. Looking at the description, it was cheap for a luxury item, to the point where the brand even advertised it as a "reasonable price." Well, if it had been real gold, it would have been 15 million, not 1.5 million.
"I fixed it."
"……."
I’d spent all of yesterday, pulling an all-nighter to fix it. Fortunately, I hadn't lost any parts, so I’d succeeded in restoring it to the point where you wouldn't know unless you looked closely. As long as Chaeyu didn't inspect it too carefully, it would be fine. The problem was that there was no way she *wouldn't*.
"……."
Chaeyu took the statue and, as expected, started examining it closely from every angle. I wasn't an expert, and I had zero knowledge of such things, but I felt nervous for no reason.
"…Did you do this all day yesterday?"
"Yeah. It’s super expensive. And it’s not like you can just get another one even if you have the money."
Mom had checked, but the answer was that it was impossible to find. So, in the end, I’d fixed it myself.
"*Haa*…."
Chaeyu let out a deep sigh and went into her room with the statue. I didn't know where she put it, but she came back out a moment later.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you dressed?"
"…What?"
"We said we were going out together."
"Are you not mad anymore?"
"I’m still mad."
"You said you didn't want to go."
"I just… I’m so angry that I want to go out and let it out."
"…Okay."
Chaeyu’s expression as she said that held a slight smile. Of course, she wasn't completely over it, but I was relieved she’d at least calmed down a little.
"…But be prepared."
"For what?"
"I’m going to do everything we couldn't do all this time."
"……."
At Chaeyu’s bold declaration that she was going to devour me, the thought that I was screwed once I fell asleep today flashed through my mind.