Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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"Oppa, let me cook!"
"Ah, no way! You're a guest in my house—I can't have you getting your hands wet!"
No particular reason to refuse came to mind.
In the end, Soeun-i set foot in my house, but I absolutely refused to let her anywhere near the kitchen.
There were those long, sharp 'scissors' and 'kitchen knives' in there, after all.
Am I being too sensitive?
No way. Sure, she might look fragile on the surface, but this was the girl who'd once smashed Ungseok's little brother Ungtae in the head with a rock as kids—and more recently, stabbed a coworker's forearm with a ballpoint pen.
Overreacting was only natural.
Blissfully unaware of my intentions, Soeun-i circled the kitchen with a cheeky little pout, beaming innocently.
"Wow! I offered to cook, and you're still being so stubborn to the end... I really can't beat Oppa's stubbornness."
"Haha... I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is a compliment. Oppa always seems so caring up close."
Even the praise felt edged somehow.
I did my level best to hide my flinching every time she picked something up during our chat.
"Can't you just sit down?"
"Huh? Why?"
Because I now knew she was the type who might do anything—but obviously, I couldn't say that out loud. It was maddening.
I forced the corners of my mouth up in an awkward smile.
"Gotta concentrate to make the side dishes tasty."
"Everything Oppa makes is gonna taste good anyway, though?"
"Cooking's all about that final 'ta-da' moment."
"Ah! Totally agree!"
She practically skipped to the dining table over that nonsense.
I snuck a sidelong glance, then let out a long sigh.
Ha...
After hearing Ungseok's story, I'd gone back over my memories.
More than one or two things struck me as off.
She'd visited my place multiple times in such a short span—not to mention her words and actions constantly sending signals.
I'd been in denial deep down, telling myself a divorced guy like me couldn't possibly be her type, but come on—wasn't this suspicious enough for anyone?
And on top of that...
Last time, I'd written it off as drunken nonsense, but she'd vividly recalled how she'd "jumped for joy over the promise that you'd marry me when I grew up," then shot me that chilling look while asking, "But why didn't you keep your promise?"
Memories like that kept churning through my head, leaving me nothing but uneasy.
Swipe.
I snuck another glance at Soeun-i.
Good—my expression control held; no suspicion aroused.
Maybe I should just ply her with drinks and send her home?
I slumped my shoulders a touch and spoke up.
"Right, let's not drink too much tonight."
"Feeling sick somewhere?"
"Kinda got that cold vibe going."
"Ah... then we'll keep it light."
Damn it—in a situation like this, shouldn't she say something like "Aw, too bad—rain check?" or "I'll just eat and head out"?
Once the negative thoughts started, they snowballed endlessly.
The day was nearly done, and who knew when some goddamn luck or fortune would finally show up...
"Yeah, sounds good."
Even with the sides finished, the frosty vibe lingered.
Unlike me, though, Soeun-i kept up her usual bright smiles.
"How come Oppa just keeps getting handsomer?"
"...Come on, cut the silly talk."
"It's true! You're awful!"
I couldn't take her compliments at face value anymore.
If anything, they unsettled me.
To switch gears, I waved it off and pivoted topics fast.
"Anyway, you heard about those five households that moved into the neighborhood today, right?"
"Yeah, Grandma Choi mentioned it when I swung by the supermarket for booze earlier."
"Weird, huh? All five moving in at once like that."
"Now that you say it, it is. We haven't had any move-ins or move-outs around here for ages."
"Phew! Even with all those people coming in, nobody's gonna buy that plot behind my house, that's for sure."
There was this pretty big empty lot behind the house, been there since I was a kid.
Grandpa had snapped it up cheap back in his day, but it was too small for proper farming—and way too iffy to sell.
Our house blocked the front, and the mountain cut off the back view.
In a word, it was a total chicken rib—useless enough to ditch, but too bad to just toss.
I sighed, and Soeun-i smiled faintly over her glass.
"You wanna wrap everything up and head back to Seoul?"
"Better to unload useless land ASAP."
"Makes sense when you put it like that."
"You got no plans to go back to Seoul?"
"Hmm, I'm liking it here for now. Seoul air's way too stale."
"Totally get that. City to countryside? The air here's on another level."
Soeun-i layered thin-sliced cabbage over a seasoned dumpling, spearing it with her chopsticks as she peeked her tongue out just a bit.
"Looks yummy. Digging in!"
"Go for it!"
She popped the dumpling I'd made into her mouth and chewed away happily.
Watching her like this, it was hard to picture her doing those awful things.
I propped my arms on the table and fixed my gaze on her.
"Soeun-ah, last time you said you quit 'cause the company wasn't a good fit."
Suddenly she choked—cough cough—her hand frantically patting around the table for the water glass.
She gulped it down, pressed a hand to her chest, and carried on.
"Sorry. Think a dumpling got lodged in my throat."
"Y-you okay now?"
"Water fixed it. But... what'd you say?"
"You said you quit 'cause the company wasn't right for you."
"R-right?"
"What part wasn't right?"
"...Why curious all of a sudden?"
The warmth drained from her voice, her face stripped of every last smile.
That same gaze. That vibe.
Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up—but cutting off now would look even weirder, so I snagged a dumpling with my chopsticks and pressed on casually.
"Nah, just feels like we've only talked about me so far."
"No other reason?"
"Like what?"
I tilted my head innocently, and only then did her eyes soften as the smile crept back.
"Haha! Nope. Human relationships were just tough."
"You mean with your boss?"
"Kinda all around. Coworkers were a weird bunch too."
Was she maybe bullied at work?
If so, the ballpoint-pen stabbing made a twisted kind of sense...
One of my buddies worked at a small game company.
I figured he'd blend right in since we'd joked around since we were kids, but nope—he was shy as hell with strangers.
Ended up on the wrong side of his boss.
From there, that asshole boss tormented him by cooking up inside lingo in the company group chat that no one else got, turning him into a total pariah.
What happened to my friend? He quit and ended up in therapy, totally wrecked.
Hearing the whole story pissed me off so bad...
Even though he'd already quit by then, I nearly stormed over to beat the crap out of the guy—Junseok barely held me back while hearing me out.
These days, that friend's hitting the gym daily and doing great.
I let out a short sigh.
"Yeah, relationships are life's toughest grind."
"Right? Especially for someone as shy as me."
"If it's that rough, you could always inherit your folks' cornfield and stick around here."
"Came back at first for a break, but now... I'm kinda starting to wanna stay."
The deeper convo had the drinks flowing before we knew it.
I knocked back a light one and set the empty glass down with a clunk.
"Soeun-ah, anytime something's tough, spill it all to me."
"Don't worry. Like always, I'll handle it myself..."
"Don't shoulder it alone..."
Suddenly words started slurring out of my mouth, vision going fuzzy.
Even Soeun-i's voice sounded muffled in my ears.
I clenched my molars and blinked hard.
What's... happening...?
Not even half my usual limit, and my head was this foggy already?
To call out to Soeun-i for help, I lifted my head.
And then.
"You okay?"
Slosh—
Her tone dripped concern, but she yanked off her T-shirt anyway.
Shock hit for a second as those huge breasts jiggled in her bra once more.
She bit a rubber band between her teeth, swept her hair up, baring her nape.
A few stray strands escaped, but she indifferently twisted her wrist to wrap it tight one more time.
Fuck... what the hell is she doing?
Swipe.
No way—did she spike the booze?
I gripped the table desperately to escape this mess.
Thought I'd reined my senses in, but my legs buckled anyway.
Palm to forehead, I peered at Soeun-i again.
Still blurry, but she looked like she was smiling at my unsteady ass.
...No, she's definitely grinning.
Vision flickered dark then bright, world spinning.
All focus on getting out, I staggered toward the front door.
"&*^%&*"
Soeun-i trailed behind, whispering nonstop gibberish I couldn't make out, but I willed strength into my feet and shuffled slowly for the door.
Until—thud!—my body crumpled straight to the floor.
"Haa... haa..."
Life-or-death moment.
Just as I was ready to let it all go, a sharp, familiar sound pierced my ears.
Hallucination?
As consciousness slipped away into the void, I mustered the strength of a newborn and croaked out,
"Someone... help..."