If Noh Changhun Were Here
If Noh Changhun were here, he definitely would have slapped me hard. That single line in the setting about Kang Siwoo being able to distinguish people was that infuriating. Then suddenly, I felt an impact in my stomach.
"Keheuk!"
"You seem to have a lot on your mind."
"W-wait.... Uuuk......."
"You seem to have a lot on your mind."
Kang Siwoo smiled with that kind expression. It was as if he were asking what on earth I was thinking about. In my heart, I wanted to call him Master and spill everything. But honestly. To be completely honest, there was no way he would believe I had entered a novel. If I said it, he would obviously call it a lie and beat me again. Ah, there goes another kick to the stomach. Luckily this time I could endure it somewhat. I had braced myself because I knew it was coming.
But then Kang Siwoo suddenly reversed his grip on the sword.
"W-wait a second! Master! T-that's going too far....!"
"You look like a sea cucumber."
"Y-yes. I-I'm a stupid sea cucumber. So please give me some time to th—GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"If you don't talk, I'll keep hitting and stabbing you. You'll recover anyway."
"S-spare me. Please spare me....."
"Hmm, so there is a limit to it. But how foolish."
"Ugh!"
My vision swam from the kick to the head. On top of that, every twitch sent sharp pain flaring from the stab wounds. For a while I couldn't produce human speech and could only groan. During that time, Kang Siwoo diligently kept kicking me. Unfortunately, with endorphins flooding my system, each kick brought a strange rush of pleasure and happy thoughts. That this was all a dream and right now I was lying in my own bed. With that thought I broke into a stupid grin, only to have my throat stepped on and start gagging.
Kang Siwoo wore an extremely dissatisfied expression. It seemed he couldn't understand why I refused to give a reason no matter what. But dude. If I told you, you wouldn't believe me anyway. Even if I said I had regressed, it didn't seem like you'd buy it. So I needed to get beaten more until he could believe me. After pounding and stabbing me this much without me saying anything, he probably thought, Maybe she really doesn't know anything. That kind of misunderstanding was welcome. Since I was regenerating everything anyway, it was fine. And he probably couldn't waste much more time. The longer he dragged things out at Gudeok Campus, the harder it would be to make excuses later.
So I cried with eyes that said I really didn't know anything. The feeling that I wanted to tell the truth but was getting beaten because he wouldn't believe me. You know that kind of vibe. So I thought after this much he'd let me live. But suddenly Kang Siwoo grabbed my shoulder. And then he yanked my arm out.
"Aaaaaauuuuuaaaaaauuuuu......!"
No joke, he literally pulled my arm out. The excruciating pain surging from my dislocated shoulder forced me to crawl on the floor like a worm for a while. Only then did I understand. Not killing me meant he was going to torment me brutally right up to the brink of death. Plus, I'd shown an insanely good recovery rate so far. So from Kang Siwoo's perspective, handling me this way probably seemed reasonable.
"What do you think is the method to torture regeneration-type ability users?"
"I-I don't... hic... I don't know....."
"It's burning them or dislocating their joints."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. So please, just let it go this once....."
"If I burned you, our Yeji's skin would get scarred, wouldn't it? You might not be able to regenerate then."
".....N-no way."
"Ah, go ahead."
Kang Siwoo pulled something like a handkerchief from his pocket and shoved it into my mouth. It was so I could bite down on it in case my arm was reattached wrong. No, wait. What did a wrong reattachment have to do with a gag—ah. The pain from my arm forced me to bite down on the gag with all my might. Even after that, my arm was dislocated and reset multiple times. He kept telling me to speak, but the pain was so bad I could barely manage to bite the gag. Not speaking while he repeatedly yanked and shoved my arm back in was incredibly cruel.
Then I must have passed out. When I regained consciousness, I was drooling on the floor. During that time he must have beaten my entire body, as there wasn't a single uninjured spot left. Kang Siwoo slowly crouched down and grabbed my hair. He lifted it up, forcing our gazes to meet. Then he lightly patted my cheek and smiled.
"Do you feel like talking now?"
Instinctively, I thought this is it. Maybe now Kang Siwoo would believe me. Suddenly Kang Siwoo grabbed my neck, hauled me to my feet, delivered two powerful gut punches, then stomped on my head as I collapsed. I no longer had any strength left to feel the pain, so I just lay there and let him do as he pleased.
"Do you feel like talking now?"
"Anyway, whether I talk or not, you're just going to beat me to death. Do whatever you want, whether you fuck me or not."
"Should I really do that?"
"Nooo, that was just me acting tough! I'll tell the truth! I'll talk! I'll talk, so—!"
When the blade touched my throat, my mind went completely white. The thought that I was really going to die made my breath catch in my throat. But now I could finally speak the truth.
"So please don't beat me anymore saying you won't believe me.....!"
"Then talk."
"S-so. I definitely died, but when I came to my senses, I was back before the outbreak happened."
"Hmm."
"At first I really thought it was a dream and spent about two weeks in denial of reality..."
"For now, I'll believe you."
"No, fuck! That's exactly why I didn't say anything!"
"I'm joking. I also regressed for ten years. Just like you, Miss Yeji."
"Then why did you say 'for now'!"
"I told you it was a joke?"
Kang Siwoo gave me a sidelong glance as if asking if I had a problem with that. Still, it was unfair. I may have lied, but hearing that kind of thing still pissed me off. In my heart I wanted to punch him once, but I held back. He was the one in power right now, not me. So as I waited obediently, there was a snapping sound as the rope binding my hands broke. When I tried to stand, Kang Siwoo extended his hand with an awkward smile.
"By any chance, do you remember anything about the timing or such?"
"No, if I knew that I would have answered earlier."
"I'm sorry for treating you so harshly. The reason is......"
"I'm not the queen bee!"
"Ah. I thought as much. I had a feeling. After all, Miss Yeji is incredibly stupid."
"Who are you calling stupid! Fuck, wanna drop the titles and settle this?"
"Ah, but I'm holding a sword, you know?"
"It was a joke, Master."
No, seriously. For a moment I had the illusion that my neck had been sliced. I was so startled that I collapsed and had to feel my neck. Fortunately, my neck was still firmly attached. As expected, I really needed to control my anger in front of this guy. So I cleared my throat and spoke in a more polite tone. I also straightened my posture to look more demure. I needed some rest to recover anyway, so if I knelt obediently in the meantime, maybe I'd score some points.
Whether my behavior looked cute or not, Kang Siwoo let out a rare laugh and said.
"I tend to thoroughly eliminate anyone who poses a threat to the community."
"I-I understand."
"From what happened earlier, I understand. That you, Miss Yeji, don't have the capability to overturn the community."
"I-I really don't have any ambitions. Honestly."
"Honestly?"
"I just want to mooch off you moderately while staying by your side, Siwoo."
"Why don't you just stick right next to me? Then the benefits would come rolling in."
"Th-that's a bit..."
Kang Siwoo tilted his head as if he couldn't understand why. But honestly, Kim Yeonhua's face kept hovering in my mind. The image of her staring at me with those dead eyes was so clear that I refused. When I told him my goal was to just leech moderately, live moderately, and meet my friend in Haeundae, Kang Siwoo couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. He even clutched his stomach and roared with laughter, which annoyed me, but I endured it. Yeah. That sword really is pretty. Maybe because it was stained with my blood, it looked even more so.
"I can rest easy now. With Miss Yeji, it seems all I need to do is throw you some decent perks now and then."
"Y-yes. That's right. Decent perks. That sounds good."
"Your actions, personality, and overall vibe were exactly like the queen bee's, but I'm relieved about that matter too."
"Yes. I'm a thick-headed idiot who's stupid and completely hopeless at relationships."
"........Earlier you said you weren't thick-headed."
"B-but you haven't sheathed your sword yet."
"All this over just that?"
Kang Siwoo looked at me in disbelief. He simply hadn't sheathed it yet because he needed to wipe off the blood. He had already decided to spare me, and we were going to hold hands and walk toward a bright future together. To think I'd be so terrified just because he hadn't put away his sword that I'd say such things. But I was the type who genuinely thought that this life was better. Even if it meant spreading my legs naked, I wanted to live a little longer. Dying for real was scary. Because it was scary, I wouldn't die. For now, my body was the top priority.
"But, Siwoo. No. How old are you anyway?"
"I'm thirty-two. But I'll go with twenty-two."
"Th-then! That makes me your noona."
"You're dropping the honorifics all of a sudden?"
"S-sorry."
"It's a joke. Since I treated you so harshly, I'll let you speak casually."
"U-um... Do you have anything I can use to clean my body?"
"Hm? Ah."
Kang Siwoo quickly looked over my body. The blood I'd shed during the torture was caked all over me—it was no joke. Fortunately, there was water. Kang Siwoo mentioned there was rainwater he'd collected to water the plants and went to get it. He said if I used only the top layer, it should be fine for washing, so I cleaned myself with that. It smelled a bit, but it was enough to wash away the blood. My wounds had already healed completely, so there was no risk of infection.
"Miss Yeji."
"Yeah."
"When we return, follow my lead and match what I say. If you do just that, I'll make sure nothing kills you from now on."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll follow everything you say."
"You're especially sharp when your life is on the line, so I trust you'll do well. And......"
Kang Siwoo sheathed his cleaned sword and extended his hand. It seemed like an offer to shake hands as a sign of reconciliation. Fine. I'm a magnanimous person. I could forgive even someone who'd put me through such an ordeal. Not because I was scared of Kang Siwoo. I was the one doing the forgiving. After shaking hands like that, I checked to make sure there was nothing that could be used against me, then we returned to Bumin Campus.