Chapter: 82
“Haha, what’s with the unfamiliar ceiling? This is just the room Noah showed me yesterday, so it felt a little strange…”
I felt my pupils trembling as I swallowed dryly.
“Right…?”
The reason my words trailed off in a question was that the color and shape of the ceiling were completely different from what I’d seen before I fell asleep. On top of that, the texture of the blanket over me felt different too.
‘Calm down.’
There’s a saying, isn’t there? Even if you get caught in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you, you might end up marrying a decent tiger!
With some effort, I finally managed to calm my confused head and rolled my eyes around.
The gray ceiling I’d seen before dozing off was now a dark brown wooden ceiling, and the single bed had magically morphed into a queen-size bed.
The snow-white blanket was as soft as silk and thick, making the sensation against my skin feel absolutely delightful.
I tilted my head slightly to get a better look at the newly transformed space.
“Gasp…!”
The room I originally fell asleep in was what you’d call a ‘studio.’ It would be unfair to compare this place; it was HUGE—about the size of an apartment with three rooms (38 pyeong)!
The floor was covered in a fluffy carpet, and there were two large terraces at either end of one wall. A massive window between them streamed in light, brightening the room without needing extra bulbs.
One of the terraces was slightly open, allowing a breeze to tease the white curtains.
In the middle of the room were a sofa and table, while against one wall stood drawers and bookshelves that looked way too expensive! A luxurious wooden desk had also been neatly placed in one corner.
Bed – Sofa, Table – Bookshelf, Desk.
The space was divided into three distinct zones, each with its own carpet, making it look even more organized.
‘What’s with this fancy room? Did I accidentally switch bodies with someone?’
In a hurry, I tugged at my hair to check its color. My shoulder-length white locks reassured me a bit. Then, I glanced at the back of my hand. The mark of the demonic sword was glowing brightly.
‘Phew… Thank goodness I’m not in someone else’s body. But… when did this thing start glowing?’
The demonic sword had been draining blood like it was going out of style, and it was developing all sorts of bizarre functions. I stared at the faintly glowing mark, sighed softly, and got out of bed.
‘I’ll deal with the mark later. First, let’s figure out where I am!’
I cautiously began to explore the room.
“Oh! My bag, here it is!”
Thank goodness! My bag was sitting in one corner of the room. I couldn’t go wandering around in pajamas, so I quickly pulled some clothes from my bag and changed.
I was worried someone might barge in, but luckily, no one did. After changing into my regular clothes, I made my way to the terrace.
‘It’d be awkward to run into an enemy through the door. Let’s figure out where I am first.’
With no idea of my surroundings, I couldn’t just wander about randomly.
From the inside of the room, there appeared to be two terrace entrances, but they were connected and fairly spacious. I slipped past the tea table and chairs to peek outside.
“Where is this…?”
Everywhere I looked, trees laden with dark green leaves filled my view. This definitely didn’t look like the headquarters of Nest.
‘Hmm, wait? Is that something in the distance I see?’
Besides the forest, something indeed seemed to be out there far away. I grabbed the terrace railing and leaned forward for a better look.
“It’s not a building… Is it a massive wall?”
A wall that looked impossibly tall stretched into the distance. Squinting, I realized the wall was semi-transparent. As I leaned in even more, I muttered.
“That’s not a wall; it’s—”
“Lian!”
Just as I was about to spill the beans, a scream-like shout roared from behind. Startled, my body froze up, and I naturally leaned further forward.
“Huh…!”
While my head was filled with thoughts like, ‘Oh no? Am I about to fall?’ someone rushed in and yanked me back from behind.
Wobble, thud.
Thanks to the pull, I ended up collapsing onto the terrace floor instead of going over the edge. The sudden shift in perspective sent my brain spinning.
Just as I regained my bearings and was about to thank my savior…
Grab!
A rough hand clutched my shoulder.
“What were you thinking standing there?!”
“Huh?”
Seeing Noah’s twisted face made me feel like I’d committed a huge blunder. I rolled my eyes again.
“Well, it was dangerous, but I wouldn’t die from that height. It’s not like it’s that high, right?”
‘Sorry, my bad, I messed up.’
Oh.
I suddenly realized my thoughts and words were totally switched around. I glanced at Noah’s face and saw her staring at me in shock, mouth agape.
She had that look one gets when confronting something utterly confusing. I immediately waved my hands defensively.
“No, wait! It’s not what you think! I was just used to bungee jumping! It slipped out reflexively!”
*
“Bungee… jumping? What’s that?”
It was shocking enough to learn Lian had leaned out over the terrace, but even more shocking was that he brushed it off as no big deal.
Noah held back a scream that wanted to climb up her throat, waiting for Lian to elaborate. With utmost patience, he unleashed horrifying words without a second thought.
“It’s a game where you tie a rope around your body and jump from a high place.”
“What?”
“I was forced to do it the first time, and it wasn’t as scary as I thought.”
For the gag residents, who could be sent flying with a single punch, bungee jumping was no different than swinging on a swing set as kids.
The real issue was that, randomly, that cheerful jump could end up being your last photo.
“I forgot I didn’t have a rope this time and stupidly leaned forward. Sorry for scaring you.”
“…”
Noah found herself at a loss for words in response to Lian’s casual apology.
‘This isn’t right.’
Noah quickly caught onto the fact that Lian genuinely thought the near miss was a trivial matter.
To him, his apology was probably just, “Sorry for startling you, Noah,” and not much else. Noah could sense that clearly.
‘So you really do tie a rope around yourself and jump from high places? And you were forced to do it?!’
His casual words, dropped like they were telling a mundane story, revealed deep scars. Yet, he bore a calm expression, completely blind to his own wounds.
It felt like witnessing a badly injured child blissfully smile without a care. Noah felt her throat tighten, her eyes burning with urgency.
She couldn’t find the right words, not knowing where he’d started to fall apart.
Jumping from high places with a rope tied around you was something you should never do. Just because you can endure the pain doesn’t make it okay. Those thoughts swirled in her mind, but they clashed with her desire to not further harm him.
She didn’t want to hurt someone who was already hurt.
“By the way, Noah, where are we? This isn’t the room I fell asleep in, and it startled me.”
“…The room you slept in yesterday is where regular members stay. The executives all live in this building. It’s a place that has to remain secret, so we sneaked you in here while you were asleep.”
“Oh! I didn’t know that, so I freaked out! I thought I was kidnapped! Haha!”
Hoping to lighten the mood, Lian chuckled heartily. But it only sank Noah’s spirits even deeper.
‘So, you thought you were kidnapped, which is why you leaned over the terrace?’
Noah’s mind flooded with horrifying images of experiments gone wrong. As she recognized why Lian had leaned over the edge, she realized he wasn’t okay at all.
Lian always said he recovered quickly and that he was fine. That he wasn’t in pain or suffering.
Noah had always fallen for his bright smiles. But now, she knew it was a lie.
Inside, he was already rotten to the core, ready to collapse at any moment.
“Noah, the floor’s cold. Let’s head inside.”
Always the one to reach out to others first, unaware of how much those around him were hurting, he hid his wounds from everyone.
Noah bit down on her cheek, leapt up abruptly, and refused to take his hand.
She would be someone he could rely on, not merely someone who depended on him. The scared girl who only cried was no longer here.
Her eyes sparked with determination.
*
‘Wow, she must be really angry…’
I felt awkward as I wiped my outstretched hand on my pants and rolled my eyes nervously. Noah’s gaze was fierce, and it seemed she was really ticked off.
‘Ugh, I need to be cautious next time!’
Guess it’s a bad idea to just wander around someone else’s house uninvited. With that thought in mind, I headed back into the room.
Not long after, Lily, Jess, and Iris came to check on me. Iris darted over and quickly nestled next to me, claiming her spot like it was reserved for her.
Jess plopped down beside my leg, resting her face on my knee and rumbling softly in contentment. As I absentmindedly petted Jess’s head, a meal got laid out on the table.
“Oh, if you had told me, I would’ve headed to the dining room!”
“It’s just more comfortable to eat in here.”
Lily stifled her urge to say, ‘From now on, wouldn’t it be better to just eat in here? We don’t need to go out anyway,’ and flashed a smile.
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