Chapter 106: Confinement-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106: Confinement-1
[Customer, I’ve sent everything. I’d appreciate it if you could send the remaining ten grand, excluding the down payment.]
I replied cheerfully to the man’s gravelly voice.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work. I’ll send it right away, so please check it on your end."
I transferred the money via mobile banking.
"Sent. Please confirm if it went through."
There was silence on the other end for a moment, presumably as they checked the deposit.
A short while later, they confirmed the payment, told me to use their services again, and hung up.
A new mail had arrived in my inbox.
I downloaded the PDF file and opened it.
This was the first time in my life I had ever used a private detective agency.
I had approached them and made the request in secret, fearing Ho-cheol might worry, but it seemed money really was the best solution.
The agency president, who initially thought I was there to investigate a cheating wife, had tapped away at his calculator after hearing my request—which was larger in scale than he expected—and quoted a fairly steep price.
It was a significant amount, but since I preferred a thorough investigation, I intentionally paid extra and demanded precise information.
The president, who had seemed somewhat flippant at first, became incredibly respectful the moment I added the bonus.
Their work was precise, and today, the perfectly organized information landed in my hands.
A lot of money went down the drain, but... well, what can you do? There are many things in this world more important than money.
After the incident with the cafe staff, I realized she had been going around doing things behind my back without my knowledge.
Since she was bound to cause physical harm, I decided to hire people to verify the extent of the damage.
Because of this, I had to spend a lot of my own time on the matter, which naturally led to me becoming physically distant from Garam.
The reason I chose a background check over confronting and blaming her directly was to find out exactly how much evil she had committed.
And depending on the severity, I intended to change how I dealt with her.
If it wasn't too severe, I would continue to teach her where the boundaries were, just as I had been doing.
If it was, I planned to take her to a psychiatric hospital or let her face the proper judgment of the law.
I scrolled the mouse wheel, checking the data provided by the agency.
The recent status of people who had been directly or indirectly involved with me was as follows:
The man who had shouted at me at the bowling alley.
The employee who had tried to bring me dessert.
The employee who had been annoyed with me when I asked about a kiosk malfunction.
The person I had a dispute with because the tire replacement cost was absurd.
And many others.
Bad things had happened to everyone I’d had even a minor friction with.
Should I consider it a blessing that no one died?
I naturally clicked my tongue.
"Garam..."
I had suspected it, but I didn't realize it was this serious.
It felt as though all these problems stemmed from my own arrogance.
This was already my fifth dimensional transfer.
I thought I had grown used to death and the types of people who became obsessed with me.
That was why I believed I could control them.
While the first two had killed me before I could even do anything, I could actually communicate with Mina and my Master, which had solidified that belief.
I can control this situation. I can dominate these women's emotions.
That was why I was so certain I was adapting well to this damn world.
However, that pigeon bitch who gave me this trial was truly malicious, and Garam’s obsession was slightly different from the types I had encountered before.
Her aggression wasn't directed at me. But just because it wasn't directed at me didn't mean that aggression didn't exist.
It meant my strategy had been flawed from the very beginning.
— Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. It was likely the jajangmyeon I had ordered for dinner.
Perhaps because I hadn't eaten properly all day, my stomach let out a growl.
Right, I’ve grasped the situation for now. Let’s think while I fill my stomach.
"Have I been ordering delivery too much lately?"
I headed toward the entrance, rubbing my belly, which had started to gain weight again.
Fine, I'll eat today and then get back to working out hard.
Now that the investigation is over, I can just continue my exercise routine. For the time being, I’ll have to stick close to Garam and make sure she doesn't stray.
I slipped into my slippers and opened the door slightly.
I reached out to grab the jajangmyeon bowl visible through the gap in the door.
As I crouched down to bring the bowl inside, a familiar voice drifted down from above me.
"I told you that you shouldn't eat things like that."
Startled by the voice, I fell back onto my rear and looked up. A sweat-drenched Garam was looking down at me.
And in that moment, I felt it.
I must never let her into the house.
I scrambled to my feet and yanked the door shut.
The door, which had been pulling toward me, suddenly stopped.
"Is it because you aren't dressed properly? It's okay. I don't mind."
The door that I was pulling began to be dragged back the other way.
The door shrieked, making a grinding metallic sound.
I grabbed the handle with both hands and leaned my entire body weight back, like a game of tug-of-war at a school field day.
And so, our stalemate began.
I planted my feet firmly on either side of the doorframe and poured in more strength, while Garam occasionally called my name as she pulled the door.
When I pulled, she pulled back.
When it closed a little toward me, it was immediately yanked open toward her.
Then, when I used all my strength to close it again, she used hers to pull it open.
If I could just close the door, the electronic lock would engage.
Then I would have time to call the police.
No matter how strong Garam was, she wouldn't be able to break through this thick steel door.
I just needed to close it.
Just as I put every last ounce of my strength into one final push to close the door, I felt something rising from the back of my neck.
"Ah... no way..."
Because I had exerted myself too much, my blood pressure spiked, and the world began to spin.
Even as my vision faded to black, I kept pulling the door, but as my consciousness drifted away, I felt myself falling backward.
*
"Hah!"
When I opened my eyes, I was still in my house.
I was lying on my bed.
Wondering if everything that just happened was a dream, I blinked and retraced my memories.
I must have hit the back of my head hard when I fell; there was a large lump on my cranium.
It was painful to the touch.
That pain told me that what happened earlier was no dream.
I looked around. Garam was nowhere to be seen.
I got off the bed and tried to walk.
— Clink.
Along with the sound of a metal chain, a shackle around my ankle pulled me back.