Chapter: 149
As if intoxicated by the medicine, in a hazy mind…
Ugh, I let out a painful groan.
It felt like someone was choking me, making it hard to breathe.
Swinging my arms…
Clutching my neck…
I was flailing in the agony and fear of not being able to breathe.
Then, a voice echoed in my head.
[Is it painful?]
I cried out inside as I responded to the voice.
Yes, it’s painful.
Please, help me.
[Living is a constant series of pains, isn’t it? Aah, how much you must have suffered. I will help you forget everything.]
Then, alongside that voice…
[Forget the pain, the sadness, the suffering, the anxiety, the torment, the despair, the horrific reality, and even yourself completely.]
From my mouth…
Ugh, a sound escaped.
Not from the pain, but from the sudden…
[I’ll make you feel good.]
Because of an overwhelming pleasure.
It felt like the voice was being hammered directly into my head.
Hek, I let out another involuntary groan and my body started to tremble.
[So forget it all.]
I don’t know.
I don’t know about this.
It’s an unfamiliar sensation.
Heat filled my body.
It was an intense sensation so hot it could be painful if I wasn’t careful…
But the overwhelming heat felt only good, filling my body completely.
[Get completely and utterly happy, forget everything.]
My head was bubbling.
My whole body was burning.
My reason was melting away.
Everything was mixed up, mixed up.
It turned into dough.
[You will become a toy that only follows my words.]
As if I couldn’t even remember how much I had suffered.
Even who I was, I’d forget it all and only feel good.
[From now on, I’ll make you feel good for the rest of your life, so call me Master.]
At the voice promising to make me feel good for life…
I, Master—
[Where are you messing around?]
Flames ignited.
[Ah-ha, what a waste.]
*
…When I opened my eyes, faint sunlight filtered through the window.
Had I really woken up after sleeping like this for a week?
It should have been refreshing to wake up after a long sleep, but I felt oddly uneasy.
By the way, I think I dreamed something last night…
I couldn’t remember well, but it felt like it was something lewd.
I don’t know why, but dreams like that never seem to be remembered in detail when I wake up…
With a vague sense of regret, as I stretched, I noticed what I was wearing.
A pajama covered in frills.
It was one of the outfits Sylvia gave me as a set for a pajama party that I’d only kept in the closet without wearing.
…Why on earth am I wearing this?
As I recalled what had happened last night…
“Say you believe me.”
“…Yeah, I’ll believe you.”
The moment those memories resurfaced, I unconsciously covered my face with my palm and let out a sigh.
Oh dear, what the hell did I do…
Taking a deep breath to calm down, I glanced around the room I’d made a mess of yesterday, and it was surprisingly tidy as if it had been cleaned up.
I didn’t even need to see to know who had done it.
They say if there’s someone who makes a mess, there’s someone else to clean it up.
I felt like I needed to apologize to Yoon Si-woo. No, I owed him thanks.
He had helped me in so many ways.
I felt a bit lost trying to figure out how to repay that debt.
After letting out a deep sigh, as I stepped outside the room, I found Yoon Si-woo sitting at the dining table. He widened his eyes a little upon seeing me and asked about my well-being.
“Scarlet, are you feeling better?”
“…Yeah, somewhat. Thanks to you.”
It felt a bit hard to look Yoon Si-woo in the eye since I’d done something like that yesterday.
But since it had been such a big incident, he looked a bit anxious and asked again to confirm.
“Are you really okay?”
“…I’m fine. It won’t happen again.”
“…Is that so? I’m glad.”
When I smiled and answered to reassure him, I could see he relaxed a bit and sighed in relief.
I felt increasingly guilty and was about to thank him when I noticed the breakfast laid out on the table.
Seeing the two sets of utensils, it looked like he had prepared a meal for me too.
“You made this for me?”
“Just in case you woke up. You didn’t eat dinner yesterday. Good thing I set it up, huh?”
Seeing Yoon Si-woo smile slightly as he spoke triggered my sense of guilt even more.
Hadn’t I boasted when I moved in here?
That I would handle all the chores like cooking and cleaning?
So what was this?
I felt like a shameless person who had dumped all the responsibilities onto Yoon Si-woo.
Plus, it had been quite some time since I’d properly eaten…
With mixed reasons making it hard for me to sit down, Yoon Si-woo looked concerned and spoke up.
“Um, is this because of your diet? You shouldn’t skip meals, it’s not good for your health.”
“It’s not that…”
I shook my head and sat at the table.
Still, since he prepared it with such good intentions, I thought I should eat for that reason.
With that thought in mind, I put some food in my mouth.
“…”
“…What’s wrong? Is it not to your taste?”
“…No, it’s just average enough to be tasty.”
It was simply, average, delicious.
I hadn’t had much of an appetite lately, and I wondered why I suddenly felt this way.
Then I realized it was because I had stayed up all night eating lemon candies and slept deeply.
Plus, perhaps due to what happened yesterday, I felt quite mentally stable.
Consequently, it seemed my appetite had returned.
Embarrassed by the fact that my physical condition had improved simply by relying on Yoon Si-woo, I hastily finished eating.
After that, I considered escaping back to my room quickly, but I sat back down.
And then I spoke to Yoon Si-woo.
“Hey, Yoon Si-woo.”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“Um, well… thank you.”
Instead of saying I was sorry, I wanted to say thanks.
“I really appreciate you cleaning my room yesterday.”
“…It’s nothing. I couldn’t just leave you like that.”
“Thanks for preparing breakfast too.”
“…It’s no big deal.”
As I expressed my gratitude, Yoon Si-woo blushed, looking a bit embarrassed.
I continued speaking to him.
“About changing my clothes yesterday and washing the blood-stained ones, you did that too, right?”
“Ugh… I couldn’t let you sleep like that… You know, I did it with my eyes closed!”
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to scold you. Just wanted to say thanks.”
Seeing Yoon Si-woo’s embarrassed face made me smile a little, so I slowly started to speak.
And then I said.
“Thank you for rescuing me when I was kidnapped, for helping me when I was in trouble.
For fulfilling awkward requests and for calling me a friend.
Also for promising to come running whenever something goes wrong and for asking me to trust you.”
I took out one by one the things I had been grateful for.
Putting my sincerity into each word I spoke aloud.
“Thank you. Really.”
I conveyed my gratitude to him.
“…You don’t have to be so grateful. We’re friends, after all.”
Then Yoon Si-woo gave a shy smile and replied.
I paused for a moment, looking at him, and then a sudden impulse made me stand up.
I walked to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and lightly grazed my palm.
“Scarlet, what are you—!”
“Hey, listen.”
I extended my hand towards the shocked Yoon Si-woo.
The moment the pain I felt in my palm disappeared, I could see him slightly gasping.
“Ever since I got kidnapped by that witch, it’s been this way. I’m no longer really human… I’m like a monster. Now I truly don’t know when I’ll stop being me.”
I said to Yoon Si-woo with a bitter smile.
I wanted to honestly tell him, this person and no one else.
And then I asked.
“But, still you…”
Regardless of the outcome, I intended to accept it.
But still, I had a desperate hope.
“Will you still be my friend?”
“Scarlet.”
And Yoon Si-woo, looking at my body, which recovered nonsensically even when wounded, and having seen a form that was undeniably outside human bounds…
He interrupted me and answered.
“No matter what you are, I’m your friend.”
I thought to myself as he spoke.
Aah, just as I thought.
You truly are the only person in this world who can accept me like this.
So as long as you’re here…
If you truly understand me, knowing my secret, calling me a friend.
I could be happy.
That’s why.
“Okay, thank you. Yoon Si-woo.”
I said sincerely with a smile.
*
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
I waved goodbye cheerfully to Yoon Si-woo as he left for work after the holiday ended.
Even without Yoon Si-woo by my side, I no longer felt anxious as before.
He promised he’d come running whenever I had a problem.
I believe Yoon Si-woo, and I trust him more than anyone else.
With a slightly uplifted mood, I returned to my room.
Shall I catch up on some more sleep?
As I pondered that, I noticed a shopping bag lying on the floor.
It was the shopping bag that contained the cosmetics I received as a gift from Florene.
I wondered if I had bumped it while causing a scene yesterday, so I checked inside.
“Ew…”
Everything inside had the lids opened and the contents had vanished as if they evaporated.
Did it spill?
If it had spilled, there should have been some mark on the bag, but it was impeccably clean, making me pause in confusion.
“…Yoon Si-woo must have cleaned it up.”
Considering Yoon Si-woo’s cleaning skills, which had removed all traces of blood from the walls, I assumed this was the same case and without much thought, I tossed the shopping bag and cosmetic containers into the trash bin.
In truth, I was mostly left with regret that it was too valuable to waste.
“That was expensive. Maybe I could have sold it later and bought something delicious…”
Muttering to myself, I lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep once more.
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