Chapter 109: Confinement-4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: Confinement-4
Sleeping next to someone else always makes for a restless night.
Whether it was because my mind was a mess from this absurd situation, or because there was a living heater beside me sharing its warmth, I only managed to drift into a light, shallow sleep.
Perhaps the flexible work system that had been trending lately under the guise of work-life balance had been applied to the sun as well, for it was still dark outside.
I blinked my bleary eyes, my brow furrowing at the dull headache beginning to tighten its grip.
Maybe it was because I’d slept on my side, but my left flank felt heavy and constricted.
After rolling onto my back, I stared up at the ceiling, a sight that was slowly becoming far too familiar.
"Did you sleep well?"
Garam must have been awake for a while; she offered a morning greeting in a relatively clear voice.
Ah, so it wasn't a dream.
Along with her voice, the cold temperature of the shackles traveled up from my ankles.
"You were already up."
At my raspy voice, Garam pressed herself against me, rubbing her face against my side.
Goosebumps erupted wherever her breath touched my skin.
"Garam, I need my medicine."
"Medicine?"
"Yes. There should be some pre-portioned doses in the study. Please bring them to me."
Garam, who had been busy marking her territory on my body, scurried out of the room. She returned shortly with a water bottle and a small container holding a day's worth of pills.
I poured the pills into my palm and counted them.
One, two, three... six. Good. None missing, shapes are correct, colors are right.
I tossed them into my mouth, took a swig of water, and closed my eyes as I forced the tablets down my throat.
I could feel the objects intended to prolong my life sliding down my esophagus.
"……"
As I drank the remaining water to clear the aftertaste, I felt Garam’s gaze boring into me.
In the past, I would have said something, but perhaps because my heart was so weary, no thoughts came to mind.
"Do you have to get this medicine regularly?"
"Yes. Once every three months."
"Is proxy pickup allowed?"
I could guess her intention behind the question.
"It is."
For a moment, I considered lying. But it wasn't as if she wouldn't investigate on her own, and there was no point in telling a lie that would be exposed so soon. So, I told her the truth.
"That’s a relief. Now then, shall we get up?"
She unlocked the padlock on the chain and wrapped the end of it once around her hand.
She looked exactly like an owner taking a dog out for a walk.
"Get up? For what?"
"We agreed to do some simple bodyweight exercises, didn't we?"
She shot the question back at me with an expression that suggested I was asking something incredibly obvious.
Living in my original dimension, I had heard of the term 'Confinement Pure Love.'
But why on earth did I have to be the one to personally experience this bizarre new concept of 'Confinement PT'...?
Before I knew it, Garam was standing by the door, slowly tugging on the chain. My body was dragged toward the living room against my will.
God... what a total shitshow.
*
Confinement. It’s a terrifying word, but personally, it felt more annoying than scary.
After stubbornly forcing me through a morning workout, Garam prepared breakfast while I washed up.
I had hoped she would do something about these damn shackles when I went to the bathroom, but it seemed I had underestimated her.
I didn't realize she knew how to install a hook inside the bathroom as well.
Honestly, with this level of skill and preparation, how did her gym ever go out of business?
The thought made me feel a surge of irrational resentment.
Claiming that hygiene was also important, she kindly moved the shackles to the opposite leg, allowing me to wash both ankles thoroughly.
Ah, Garam is so very kind. Goddammit.
She had already left for the center.
Since my captor was gone, I needed to either break this cursed chain or find a way to contact the outside world.
The former was impossible because the chain was too sturdy to break without tools, and the latter was out of the question because every single device capable of communication had been smashed to pieces.
It seemed that her drilling and hammering yesterday hadn't just been about bolting hooks into the walls; it had also included the systematic destruction of every electronic device in the house.
Regardless, after eating a breakfast consisting of celery and chicken breast, I spent the entire time tied up in the living room, lying on the sofa and mindlessly counting the patterns on the ceiling.
Without a phone or a computer, the boredom was excruciating.
It wasn't like the previous dimension where I simply didn't have access; having them right there but being unable to use them made the sense of loss feel even greater.
"What am I going to do?"
Muttering the words that had become a habit, I tried to think of a way to escape this life.
Ironically, now—when my captor was absent—was the hardest time to escape.
Then, conversely, would an opportunity to escape arise when she was present?
There was one. When moving to another room, she inevitably had to unhook the chain from the wall.
At that moment, I wouldn't be tethered to anything. I could overpower Garam and run straight out the door.
Overpower Garam... To be honest, I didn't have the confidence to win in a fair fight.
In that case, I would have to push her down and bolt, but the chain was long enough that there was a high chance she’d catch me.
Wait...
Could I use this long chain to strangle her?
She always walked ahead of me when we moved. If I approached her from behind and looped the chain around her neck, it was possible.
Even if there was a difference in strength, if I hung onto her from behind while choking her, she wouldn't be able to do much.
But... was I prepared to kill a person?
This was different from the time with Namgung So-yeon.
I wouldn't be indirectly involved in a death; I would be silencing a life with my own two hands.
"……"
Even in this situation, I felt frustrated by my own hesitation.
*
Garam returned home past 11:00 PM.
I had already heated up and eaten the lunch and dinner she had left for me.
Garam checked to see if I had done my afternoon workout.
Since I had exercised specifically to avoid upsetting her, she gave a satisfied smile.
She urged me to get to bed, saying that sleeping early was the key to losing weight.
We went into the bathroom together to brush our teeth. In the mirror, the contrast between her complexion and mine was as stark as heaven and hell.
"Now, let's go to sleep."
Garam unhooked the chain from the wall and began walking toward the bedroom first.
The opportunity had finally come.
Just as I had simulated all afternoon, I quietly gathered the chain dragging on the floor and moved right up behind her.
Holding the chain in both hands, I raised it above the back of her head.
Now, all I had to do was drop the chain over her throat and pull back.
Yes, that was all I had to do.
But my hands wouldn't move.
What are you hesitating for? Just drop it and pull. That’s the only way you survive.
Even as I urged myself on, my arms remained frozen as if someone else was controlling me.
"……"
In that moment, I realized the truth: I wasn't ready to kill a person.
Even in a situation like this.
I quietly lowered the chain again and followed her into the bedroom.
Garam secured the chain to the bedroom wall and then turned toward me.
She opened her arms and stepped into my embrace.
Though startled by the sudden physical contact, I reminded myself not to expect anything resembling common sense from her.
Burying her face in my chest, she looked up at me and spoke.
"Good choice. That wouldn't have worked anyway."
A cold sweat trickled down my spine.