Invitation (2)
A mysterious something, shaped exactly like a message window from a game, floated lazily in the air.
…What the hell is this…?
I wondered if I was still trapped in a dream, so I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again.
“…”
But the unidentified ‘message’ didn’t disappear. It remained suspended in midair, bobbing gently.
It was strange, sure, but that was about it. My interest faded almost instantly, and I tried to lie back down on the bed. There was no point in staying awake.
Just as I burrowed under the covers again, ready to slip back into sleep—
Flash—
The ‘message’ emitted a brief burst of light and began to change.
[Hello.]
The letters that had been written before were erased one by one, replaced by new ones. It really looked like a private chat window from a game.
[Did you know there is no paradise in running away?]
The completed sentence felt like it was picking a fight with me. No matter how much you run into dreams, a dream is still just a dream.
“…”
I unconsciously frowned and swung my fist at the ‘message’ in irritation.
Whoosh—
My punch sliced through empty air without hitting anything. The ‘message’ continued to float mockingly in front of me.
…This is annoying.
Slightly angry now, I whipped my head away in a huff. But the ‘message’ had no intention of giving up. It followed my gaze and changed again.
[I came here to help you.]
…I’m not interested, and I don’t need any help.
[Are you really okay with that?]
The way the ‘message’ kept changing instantly, as if it could read my mind, felt strangely unpleasant.
“…Get lost.”
I muttered a low curse into the air and burrowed deeper under the blanket. The ‘message’ stubbornly followed me inside.
[Does running away like that make love come true? You are someone who deserves to be loved…]
Deciding it wasn’t even worth responding to, I pulled the blanket all the way over my head. In the darkness, I curled up as if protecting myself and closed my eyes, trying to fall back asleep.
But…
“……”
Whether because of the ‘message’ or because I’d already woken up, sleep refused to return. Instead, useless thoughts kept flooding in.
Yu Jihwan, who had warmly embraced me.
Yu Jihwan, who poured his desire onto another woman.
Yu Jihwan, who always smiled at me so gently.
Yu Jihwan, who roughly pinned women down with a fierce expression.
My head was completely filled with thoughts of Jihwan. No matter what I did, sleep wouldn’t come.
Whoosh—!
I kicked the blanket off and shot upright, staring at the ‘message’ that was still floating in the air.
[Betrayal refers to the act of violating a physical or non-physical contract concluded with the consent of both parties, or an implicit agreement based on mutual moral trust…]
It looked like something copied straight from the internet. I let out a short sigh and muttered.
“…What do you want?”
The ‘message’ immediately responded as if it had been waiting.
[How does it feel to be betrayed in love?]
Love. Betrayal. Even though I knew it was just provocation meant to draw a reaction out of me, it still irritated me.
How does it feel to be betrayed in love?
I want to die. I’d rather die and cleanly forget all these horrible memories.
[If you die, does the fact that you were betrayed disappear?]
It sounded like it was pointing out that dying was no different from running away.
Squeeze—
I unconsciously clenched my fists and glared at the ‘message.’
“…What do you want me to do about it…?”
I don’t want to run away either. But there’s nothing I can do…
Even though I had thrown my body at him to seduce him, Jihwan had pushed me away. What more was I supposed to do in a situation like this?
Once again drowning in helplessness, I let my head drop—
[Then die.]
The ‘message’ began to corner me.
[If you die, that woman will live happily with Jihwan.]
“…Ugh…”
I wanted to argue back, but I had nothing to say. If I died, Jihwan would probably be sad. But not sad enough to follow me. In the end, he would live happily with that woman in a world without me. For the rest of his life.
[Doesn’t that feel unfair?]
Of course it does. It feels so unfair my chest might burst.
[Then why are you just sitting still?]
“…Huh?”
I let out a dazed sound without meaning to.
…Why am I just sitting still…?
Well… because to Jihwan, I…
[Did that man cut ties with you?]
…No, that’s not it…
[Or is there a reason you can’t meet him?]
There isn’t. The only reason I don’t want to meet Jihwan is pure fear. The fear that he might completely reject me.
[Then there’s no problem if you take that man from her.]
Take Jihwan…? Me?
[To be precise, it wouldn’t be taking him. It would be taking him back.]
Not taking. Taking back.
“…Ah…”
The realization hit me like a hammer. I let out a low groan, cursing my own stupidity.
I had been so lost in despair that I had forgotten something so obvious.
Jihwan, who was supposed to be by my side from the beginning, had been stolen by that bitch.
And it wasn’t just stolen, was it? The USB. The fact that I had seen that hateful USB wasn’t a coincidence at all.
“…Yeah… something was off from the start…”
It never made sense that Jihwan would push me away. The man who cherished and loved me so much—why would he suddenly reject me? That rag of a woman must have realized I existed and cleverly schemed behind the scenes.
…What a shameless bitch.
Just because you slap your name tag on something you stole doesn’t make it yours.
Grind—
I have to get Jihwan back. No matter what.
*
“…Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I gave my wife a bright smile in response to her worried question.
“I’ll be fine.”
But she still didn’t seem reassured. She looked at me with anxious eyes and stepped closer. Standing on her tiptoes, she pulled my head down and gave me a quick kiss.
Chu—
Even after the brief kiss, her face remained full of worry as she spoke softly.
“…Come back early.”
I gave a small nod in place of an answer.
After parting with my wife, I hurried toward Soyeon’s house.
“Haa…”
In the end, I hadn’t told my wife about Soyeon. I thought it would be better to have a serious talk with Soyeon first… but honestly, I still had no idea what to do.
After agonizing over it again and again, I had reached one conclusion: from Soyeon’s perspective, I was nothing more than a close male friend. Not a guardian, but a classmate. Because I had treated her too intimately—like a child I was protecting—and because she had no experience with men, it wasn’t completely strange that she would develop feelings for me, someone so close to her.
Of course, the fact that she had thrown her body at me was incredibly shocking… but I had to chalk it up to a mistake made by a girl in the prime of youth whose heart had gotten ahead of her reason.
That was why, if we talked seriously, there was still room to remain as close friends.
But…
The real problem was that I had gotten aroused by her.
Just like my wife had said, maybe my body really had grown younger and my mind had followed. The sight of a disheveled Soyeon had made me feel a flicker of excitement.
I couldn’t understand it no matter how I thought about it, and I couldn’t find an answer. How was I supposed to accept that I had seen Soyeon as a woman?
Of course she was incredibly beautiful because she took after her mother, but still…
“…Haa…”
Anyway, I couldn’t stay away from her, so I would just have to be careful.
After taking a taxi to Min Soyeon’s house, I stood in front of the gate with nervous steps.
Of course I could just open the door and walk in. But I couldn’t do that anymore. From now on, I had to act as a ‘friend,’ not a guardian. This was the first step.
“…I can do this…”
Even so, my heart wouldn’t calm down. I muttered to myself under my breath and slowly reached out to press the intercom.
And then…
[…]
The intercom light turned on. I swallowed nervously and, trying my best to sound calm, spoke carefully.
“…Sorry I’m late.”
With a mechanical click—, the gate lock released and the intercom turned off.
Letting out a sigh filled with complicated emotions, I slowly walked through the gate and entered the house.
I crossed the familiar yard and reached the front door. After taking a deep breath, I carefully knocked.
A moment later—
Click—
The door finally opened.
There she stood in the entryway, quietly looking at me.
“…”
Min Soyeon was wearing dolphin shorts that revealed almost all of her thighs and a tight-fitting gray tank top. She didn’t seem to be wearing a bra; the prominent outline of her chest forcibly stole my gaze.
Faced with an obstacle right from the start, I turned my eyes away as naturally as possible and offered an apology.
“…I’m really sorry for being late.”
Min Soyeon, who had been staring at me blankly, seemed to notice where my eyes had gone. She glanced down at her own outfit.
And then, instead of screaming—
“…Come in.”
…Huh?