Chapter 108: Confinement-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Confinement-3
Growl.
Even in this dire situation, my autonomic nervous system made sure to let me know it was functioning perfectly well.
Having missed dinner, I leaned against the bed, trying to soothe my famished stomach.
The chain binding me was long enough to allow me to move around the room, but I didn't feel like turning on the light. Deep down, I hoped this darkness filling the room would hide my existence.
Beyond the closed door, a racket broke out as if someone were preparing for something major.
In moments like this, I regretted living in such a well-soundproofed apartment. If the noise bled through the floors, the neighbors downstairs might have come up to complain, and I could have screamed for help.
Well, it’s not like I chose this place myself, so what was the point of regretting it now?
I heard the sound of nails being driven and a drill whirring.
I tugged on the chain a few times. It remained taut, anchored to the wall, refusing to budge. Looking closely at the connection point between the wall and the chain, I saw a padlock.
It looked like a structure that could be detached from the wall if the lock were opened.
I didn't have to wonder for long why it was made to be detachable. It was likely related to that loud commotion outside.
Garam was probably setting up anchor points throughout the house so the chain could be moved.
"So I'll be able to move freely within the house, at least."
It was the moment a damnably large prison was being completed.
Ha...
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
I moved my feet aimlessly, indulging in the delusion that the lock might miraculously pop open. As always, reality was cold, and the pain of the chain tightening around my ankle only grew.
I lay back down.
Thanks to the plush mattress, my body bounced slightly before settling.
"Ah... what do I do?"
The words slipped out reflexively, without a thought.
But seriously, what was I supposed to do?
I tapped my foot to the rhythmic sound of hammering. If the hammering and drilling counted as one set, she’d already finished five.
Whirrr—
Make that six sets. The noisy racket was making my stomach churn.
Then, the noise suddenly cut off. Now, all I could hear was the sound of heavy objects being moved and organized.
"Phew..."
The sound of someone exhaling in self-satisfaction after a grueling workout drifted through the door.
Ah, the work must be finished. She wouldn't make such a refreshed sound otherwise.
Footsteps approached the door.
Knock, knock.
She knocked. Wondering why she was suddenly being polite, I sat up.
Knock, knock.
"Dad, are you asleep?"
Do you think anyone could sleep in this situation?
Knock, knock.
"I'm coming in."
Without waiting for an answer, the door swung open.
The bright light from the living room flooded in, making me wince. Garam stood before me, dressed in the same clothes as before.
The only difference was that she was sweatier, and the bloodstain on her neck was gone.
"Oh, I didn't wake you, did I?"
Seeing my open eyes, she asked while covering her mouth with her hand.
I found myself nodding instinctively at this bizarrely mundane conversation.
"If you're awake, give me an answer."
She sat on the edge of the bed, her hips resting near my feet.
Growl.
My tactless stomach rumbled again, announcing its hunger.
"Pfft. Are you hungry?"
"As you can see, I haven't eaten. If it's okay, could you bring me that jjajangmyeon? It’s a waste to just throw it away..."
"No. Eating things like that at this hour is bad for your health."
And kidnapping someone is good for their health?
The words surged up my throat, nearly bursting past my teeth, but I swept my tongue against the back of my teeth to hold them back.
"Then at least give me something else."
"I looked through the things you hid in the pantry, and they were all unhealthy."
Garam looked at me, puffing out her cheeks.
I really wanted to slap her.
"Just starve for today, and wake up early tomorrow for some chicken breast salad. I'll make it delicious for you."
She spoke with the stern face of a supreme court justice.
No, chicken breast tastes like cardboard; how exactly was she going to make it "delicious"?
I was being kidnapped, and now my diet was being controlled too?
One of those would be hard enough, but doing both at once? The world had truly gone mad.
Wait, if she was controlling my diet, that meant...
"I'm just asking, but what do you plan on doing tomorrow?"
"Hmm... well, I can't just leave the center empty. I have to go out in the morning. Oh, but before that, I can do some bodyweight exercises here with you, Dad."
Confinement, diet, and exercise.
Facing this triple crown of misery, I contemplated suicide for the first time.
"So, let's get to sleep early."
Garam gave me a light push.
Realizing resistance was futile, I lay back down, and she pulled a thick duvet over me.
"I'm going to go wash up."
Leaving behind those cryptic words, she left the room.
Wait, she's washing up? What does that mean?
Before long, Garam returned, dressed in even more comfortable clothes.
Wearing a white tank top and black shorts, she walked slowly along the edge of the bed where I lay, then circled around to the other side.
Then, without warning, she crawled under the covers and lay down beside me.
"Heave-ho."
Wriggling into the blankets, Garam pressed herself tightly against my side. Her body heat transferred through my arm.
It was warmth I hadn't felt in a long time, but instead of being comforting, it felt damp and unpleasant.
"Heehee, I didn't know I'd end up sleeping next to you like this."
"Me neither."
She turned her body, hugging me like a bamboo wife.
Her right hand came to rest on my chest.
Like a living snake, that uninvited hand slithered stickily across my skin.
"Dad... you don't have to hold back."
In the total darkness, she whispered into my ear.
Without a word, I turned my body away, giving her my back.
Despite the firm rejection, she began doodling on my back with her fingers.
"If you want to, just tell me anytime. I'll be waiting."
Garam spoke as she pressed herself against my back. I remained silent until I eventually fell asleep.
It was autumn.