Part 1 - Fake Leash(4)

4:30 AM.

Inside my studio apartment, only the sound of laptop typing rang out neurotically.

The steady sound of the keyboard felt like a hammer striking my brain directly.

I forced my bloodshot eyes open and sat leaning against the headboard.

At my feet, on the cold floor, Do-hee-sunbae was kneeling as always, looking at the laptop screen and editing the manuscript.

"Sunbae, the emotional line the protagonist feels there is too monotonous. Do you intend to just gloss over it with a one-dimensional word like 'despaired'? I told you to describe in detail how goosebumps rise on the skin and how labored the breathing becomes when receiving someone else's touch while trapped and unable to move."

At my rasping shout, Sunbae's shoulders flinched and stiffened.

After days of my sadistic feedback, Sunbae looked completely demoralized.

She bit her bloodless lips under the hood of her hoodie pulled low and made excuses in a voice that was barely audible.

"S-sorry, Yeon-woo-ya. I really lack experience in this area... I know it in my head, but when I try to put it into writing, the sensation doesn't come alive. Can't you tell me a little more specifically how to fix it?"

A pitifully trembling voice.

That arrogant Cha Do-hee, who usually stood with her back straight and looked down on her juniors like they were bugs, was now prostrate on my studio floor, begging.

I felt like I was going crazy from the sleepiness, but this overwhelming taste of power triggered my dopamine more strongly than any high-caffeine drink.

I wore an arrogant smile and stretched one foot under the bed to poke Sunbae's shoulder.

"Haa, you're really frustrating. If you don't have experience, you should at least use your imagination. Or do you want to experience it firsthand? If I tie your wrists right now and reenact that scene you just wrote, will the description come out a bit more juicy?"

"N-no...! That's really not it, Yeon-woo-ya. Please. I, I'll stay up all night and fix it somehow to capture the feeling. So please, don't be angry..."

Looking down at Sunbae, who was trembling with shame and fear, I was swept up in a thrilling sense of conquest.

A toy placed perfectly under my control.

I clicked my tongue and leisurely picked up my smartphone.

"Fine. Then, just keep refining the manuscript for now. I'm thirsty, but I don't even have the strength to lift a finger. You order delivery, Sunbae. I've already opened the delivery app on my phone."

I tossed the smartphone with the screen on onto Sunbae's lap.

Sunbae carefully picked up my phone and started operating the app.

When the screen turned off in the middle, Sunbae looked up, looking flustered.

"Uh... Yeon-woo-ya. The screen is locked... what's the password?"

"Ah, seriously, so annoying. 0229. My birthday."

"Ah... I see. February 29th. Got it."

Sunbae nodded and entered the password.

While ordering the delivery, Sunbae continued the conversation very carefully and naturally.

"By the way, Yeon-woo-ya, about that emotion in the isolated state you mentioned earlier. I've never really relied on someone perfectly or been thoroughly isolated in my life, so maybe that's why I can't immerse myself well. You have a good reputation in the department and you're well-connected. Who is the person you rely on the most? I thought it might help with the description if I imagined being cut off from that person..."

I firmly believed that the question was just the academic zeal of a stupid novice writer seeking advice.

So, without any suspicion, I spilled the information fluently, as if to show off that I had the upper hand in human relationships.

"As for me, among my peers, I'm closest to Ji-min. You know her, too, Vice-Class Rep Kim Ji-min. I eat with her every day, we do group projects together, and Su-jin-sunbae cherishes me a lot, too. Since I'm so diligent, it's natural that there are many people around me. If I were to lose contact with those people overnight? Obviously, it would feel like the world is collapsing. I'm telling you to project that despair and isolation onto the character."

"I see... Ji-min and Su-jin-sunbae. They're like the center of your world."

Sunbae muttered with her head bowed low.

Her expression wasn't visible because it was hidden by the hat, but her typing speed seemed to have slightly increased.

I felt my eyelids getting heavy and yawned widely.

"Ask about the trivial stuff later, just finish the manuscript quickly for now. I have a presentation tomorrow morning. I haven't even been able to memorize the script properly because I've been taking care of you, Sunbae."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm almost done. Yeon-woo-ya, get some sleep. I'll wake you up when I'm finished."

Taking Sunbae's soft voice as a lullaby, I fell asleep.

Beep, beep, bee-beep!

When I opened my eyes to the loud ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alarm, I groaned and rolled around in extreme pain, as if someone had struck my head with a blunt object.

The clock pointed to 8:30 AM.

I had slept for only two and a half hours.

In the room, the only traces of Sunbae were two empty coffee cups from the night and a thin blanket neatly tucked over me.

Every bone in my body was screaming. My vision was dizzyingly wavering, and my stomach was nauseatingly twisted due to extreme sleep deprivation.

In the bathroom mirror stood a woman with a corpse-like appearance, with dark circles under her eyes and dry, flaky skin.

Even while looking at that horrible sight, a smirk leaked out from the corners of my mouth.

Because it was a medal of honor for having Cha Do-hee kneeling on my floor and obeying me all night.

‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I bought two cans of energy drinks at a convenience store, downed them, and headed to school in a forced state of alertness with caffeine coursing through my veins.

Today was the day of the midterm group presentation for my major subject. I was the leader and presenter of our group.

As I opened the lecture hall door and walked in, I saw the back of Do-hee-sunbae sitting in the center of the front row, as always.

Even though she must have slept much less than me, her black hair was glossy, and not a trace of fatigue could be found on her face.

I got goosebumps for a split second at her bizarre perfection, but I soon trampled her in my mind, calling her a hypocritical woman who only acted so noble outside.

"Now, then, Group 3 leader student Jung Yeon-woo, come out and start the presentation."

At the professor's call, I put strength into my thighs and walked out to the podium.

As the intense light of the beam projector stabbed my eyes, severe dizziness arose. I swallowed dry saliva and grabbed the microphone.

"H-hello. I am Jung Yeon-woo, in charge of Group 3's presentation. In this presentation, our group explored the inner aspects and reality response patterns of intellectuals in colonial Joseon in the 1930s. The 1930s was a period when Japanese colonial rule became harsh and colonial capitalism was introduced in earnest, causing intellectuals in colonial Joseon to experience extreme confusion of values and helplessness. Our group analyzed... six novels representing the literature of that time: Park Tae-won's , Yi Sang's <The Wings>, Yu Jin-o's <Lecturer Kim and Professor T>, Kim Nam-cheon's <Beating the Wife>, Lee Hyo-seok's <The Sick Rose>, and Chae Man-sik's <My Innocent Uncle>."

My voice was trembling and cracking much worse than I thought.

The fingertips holding the script were twitching minutely like a patient with a tremor.

My head felt like it was covered in thick fog, and the next sentence wouldn't come to mind at all.

As the silence lengthened, the air in the lecture hall began to sink coldly.

Cold sweat flowed down my face.

The moment I looked ahead, taking a deep breath to try and pull myself together, I made direct eye contact with Do-hee-sunbae sitting in the front row.

Sunbae didn't move a muscle seeing me frozen in panic.

She just stared at me head-on with an expressionless gaze, while her long, white fingers slowly reached for the silver thermos on the desk.

Click.

Inside the quiet lecture hall, the sound of Sunbae opening the thermos lid struck my eardrums. And the next moment.

A bitter citrus scent that pierced the tip of my nose.

It was that very scent that had filled my studio apartment every night for the past month, dominating me.