Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Ch. 2 .｡.:✧Acclimatization to the Strange Phenomenon - 1 ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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I don’t know if it’s still like this these days, but back when I was in school, there was something called classroom beautification at the beginning of the semester.
Led by the homeroom teacher, kids would gather in small groups to decorate the classroom, but it wasn’t a particularly fun time for me, someone lacking in dexterity.
I often ended up cutting my own hand with a box cutter while trying to cut paper with my little fern-like hands.
Why am I talking about this?
Because I’m terrified of blades… you know, sharp things that seem likely to draw blood.
The chilling sensation of being cut gives me the creeps.
That’s why this woman holding a knife in front of me is so terrifying right now.
“In-ho, why did you suddenly curse? You don’t believe what that woman said, do you? Huh? Huh? I told you… everything that woman says is a lie. A blatant lie meant to ruin our relationship.”
The woman twirled her hair with her fingers and darted her eyes around.
She seemed emotionally unstable.
“Who are you?”
Oops, that was a stupid question.
The woman tilted her head and stared at me.
Like a chameleon’s eyes, which had been darting around, suddenly locking onto its prey.
She glared at me with a subtle, smoldering rage.
“What are you talking about?”
Frozen by her intensity, the words I was about to say caught in my throat.
“What are you talking about? Huh? Huh? Huh? Are you pretending not to know me now? I’m Hye-jung! Your girlfriend, Lee Hye-jung. Did that bitch tell you to do this? Or do you want to see me go crazy? Answer me, In-ho. Huh?”
The woman’s head rattled like a broken toy robot.
And she started coming closer.
With that ominous blade.
“That’s not… uh…”
I tried to say it wasn’t like that.
But I couldn’t finish my sentence because of a sudden foreign sensation.
Oh… it hurts…
Am I being stabbed right now?
Oh… it hurts…
The woman gripped the knife handle with both hands and started churning my stomach as if grinding a millstone.
“Oh… it hurts…”
Pain that makes it impossible to form a coherent sentence.
An expression of pain stemming from primal emotion.
But this voice doesn’t reach her.
“It hurts? I hurt more… When you ignore me, my heart rips apart. It hurts a hundred, a thousand times more than being stabbed with this measly knife.”
No… shit… It fucking hurts…
The foreign sensation intensifies, and blood gushes from my mouth.
The pain blossoming from my abdomen alternated between cold, burning, searing, and heavy.
My vision suddenly went dark, as if a black cloth had been placed over my eyes, and in my fading consciousness, I heard clearly.
“Ah… these are In-ho’s insides. Beautiful.”
Crazy bitch.
My consciousness sank rapidly, like something submerging in water.
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“Uwaaagh!”
I woke up with a start and sat up in a bed.
Sunlight streamed warmly through the curtains, and an unknown needle was stuck in my arm. Judging by its appearance, it was probably an IV drip.
But what is this?
Am I alive?
No, before that, how did I get out of there?
“Huh?”
I felt my body with my hands, and it was strange.
After being stabbed that much, I should at least have bandages on my stomach, but strangely, my stomach was clean.
Instead, my legs and head were wrapped in bandages.
What the hell is going on…?
The door opened with a click.
“In… ho?”
A woman with long brown hair called my name.
Judging by her school uniform, was she a student?
“It’s In-ho, right?”
Her gray eyes shook intensely, as if she had seen a ghost.
She slowly approached and reached out to touch my cheek.
Hmm… her hands are soft.
Starting from my cheek, her touch moved to my chin, neck, and shoulders, like a master craftsman handling a luxury watch.
“In-ho…”
Tears welled up in her large eyes.
“You woke up… In-ho…”
She smiled brightly and hugged me.
It felt awkward to leave my hands idle, so I lightly hugged her back.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I felt I needed to play along for now.
As if overcome with emotion, she buried her face in my chest and sobbed.
I patted her back, clueless, and every time I did, she cried harder.
After what felt like 30 minutes, she seemed to have calmed her intense emotions and pulled away from my embrace and looked at me with reddened eyes.
She still hiccuped occasionally, as if not entirely composed.
Her appearance was cute, so I gave a slight smile.
Alright, now let’s figure out what’s going on.
First, I needed to figure out how I got here.
What was that crazy bitch’s name again?
Right, Lee Hye-jung.
I needed to ask how I ended up in the hospital after being clearly trapped in what seemed like a basement.
“Um… I have a question.”
“Yes! What are you curious about?”
“Do you know… someone named Lee Hye-jung?”
I asked as carefully as possible, so as not to arouse suspicion.
As if to say, ‘The Lee Hye-jung that you and I both know.’
“Lee Hye-jung? Who’s that?”
Ah, she doesn’t know.
Then I’ll change the question.
“No, I must be mistaken.”
I tried to switch to a different question, but she grabbed my hand.
“I’m asking you. Who is Lee Hye-jung? Why do you know a woman I don’t know?”
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