Chapter 11
Chapter 11
After Eun-ah went out, there was a busy rattling sound outside the door for a while.
– Bang!
With a sharp “shatter” sound followed by a piercing scream, my body instinctively shrank in fear. Momentarily, I found myself wondering what had occurred, cautiously straining to hear any sounds coming from outside.
-Shatter! Shatter!
But all I heard was the sound of dishes colliding. Maybe she missed the bowl and dropped it? When I thought it was nothing, the tension went out of my body.
– Huh
A sigh escaped from my mouth. I looked around, relying on the dim light from the nightstand. The room was still empty and I couldn’t find a single useful object.
‘I have to find something…’
Thinking that I suddenly remembered something.
‘The back of the bed.’
A while ago, she took out a bandage and medicine from there.
A stand, bandage, and antiseptic were probably not the only things there. There might be a few more things I could use.
I had to find a way to move my body. While I was thinking about that-
-Tap tap tap tap…
I heard footsteps approaching. It seemed like she was coming back.
– Click.
The door opened, and a beam of light from outside crossed the dark room. After a short pause, her voice echoed in my ear.
“I… I made you wait a lot, didn’t I…?”
“No, not at all.”
My voice trembled. As I heard her voice, the pain in my wrist pressed down on me, causing a sensation like my entire body was burning. It was a pain that seemed to demand obedience, not rebellion as if to save my life.
“I… should … brush your teeth…?”
“Yes yes.”
I raised my head and looked at her. She sat on the bed as before, with a tray on her lap. On it, there was a basin filled with water, a small dish, a towel, a cup, a toothbrush, and toothpaste, all prepared neatly.
While I was watching, Eun-ah’s hand moved toward my body.
“Suck!”
I reflexively trembled… It was an unconscious reaction of the body that felt the strong grip of her hand. Eun-ah didn’t seem to care much about it, and as she approached me, she unfastened the strap around my waist and opened her mouth.
“This… get up now… brush your teeth… because you have to…”
After saying that, Eun-ah untied the straps around my waist and put her hands under my armpits, and pulled me up, raising my upper body upright.
The sensation of the hand touching the body was numb. ‘Wouldn’t that fingertip just dig into my armpit and make a hole?’
“Mmmm! It’s okay… it’s done…!”
Fortunately, that didn’t happen until the moment I got up, and when her hand fell off my body, the anxiety disappeared as if it had never happened.
“Th… thank you.”
“Hehe…”
‘Did I even change my tone?’
Every word came out trembling as if imitating her. A faint sense of bewilderment came to my mind and while I felt that feeling and was sinking into depression, Eun-ah, who had finished preparing before I knew it, spoke up.
“That…then… say~ ah~”
She looked so happy, holding a toothbrush with toothpaste and giving me orders. I didn’t want to obey her. But the current situation, where I even had to depend on this to survive, gave me a nauseating feeling of despair.
“Ah.”
Even in the midst of that, my body, which had learned pain, faithfully followed her words, as if the only important thing was to not get hurt.
Suddenly, I laughed, thinking, ‘Isn’t my body grasping the situation better than my mind?’ Negative emotions flooded back. I didn’t want to think anymore, so I emptied my mind and closed my eyes.
The sensation of something invading my mouth, accompanied by Eun-ah’s slightly trembling voice came to me.
“Now…just…stay still…”
– Shuk. Shuk.
It was a very weak force.
The toothbrush, as if dealing with a precious work of art, started brushing my teeth with meticulous care. Eun-ah seemed to be doing her best, carefully brushing my teeth. At that, my eyes opened slightly and turned towards Eun-ah.
Reddened cheeks, rough breathing, and a gaze piercing my mouth. As if unaware that I had opened my eyes, Eun-ah simply fixed her gaze on my mouth and poured all her concentration into brushing my teeth.
That shady ego was filling up her satiety again. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to face her. A sense of defeat consumed me. The feeling of a brush brushing my mouth incited a sense of contempt. The feeling of contempt that aroused my body seemed to be telling me that ‘You are in a miserable state.’
After the toothbrush passed both the lower and upper teeth again and again for a few minutes, she finished brushing my teeth. Then, rinsing my mouth out with water, I spat it out on a bowl and a voice filled with pride reached my ears.
“It’s… it’s over…!”
I felt her hands patting my head.
“Now… well done…! Mr. Bee is…a good boy…!”
“You worked hard.”
I opened my eyes. She was staring at my face as if she could see through it. After staring at me for a long time, her hand came towards my cheek.
My body reacted as if it was natural, but Eun-ah did not impose any restrictions on it. I couldn’t tell if she didn’t know I was afraid of her, or if she was hoping for me to be afraid of her.
While I was thinking about that, Eun-ah’s hand approached and gently brushed my cheek before skimming near my lips and then dropping back down. As I looked at the tip of her finger, I saw a small amount of white foam on it, similar to the foam that had flowed out of my mouth when she was brushing my teeth.
“I… I clean the foamed…”
A trembling voice was heard. And I looked at her. The tip of her finger, which had been covered in foam, moved in front of her lips, her bright red tongue was sticking out of her thin lips, and it licked the foam making it disappear. Her eyes were folded finely in the shape of half moons, and her cheeks were burning red.
“Hehe…”
A roar of laughter hit my ears. Then, her lips moved and a sentence came out.
“Then… then, shall I… wash your face…?”
“Ah yes…”
It wasn’t the end? I nodded my head, feeling helpless. I thought I wouldn’t feel miserable anymore, at least today, but things didn’t work out the way I thought.
“Then… here… lower your head…”
Following her instructions, I obediently bowed my head towards the bowl filled with water and closed my eyes.
– Splash
Eun-ah’s hand touched the water, making a clear sound.
“Here… Chea… It’s nice and warm…”
Saying that Eun-ah poured water from the bowl with her hand and splashed it on my face. I could feel the water and the soft touch of her hand.
For a moment, I felt fortunate that I had my eyes closed. Perhaps if I had kept them open, I might have seen the self-harm scars on her wrist, and I would have felt even more horror than I already did.
After that, Eun-ah’s hand, which had been spreading water on my face for a while, moved away for a moment, then squeezed something out and wiped my face. she was even using sope. But the soap foam hit the wound on my cheek, causing sharp pain.
-Clack. Clack.
By the time she wash off the soap she spread on my face with water again, I could no longer hear the clicking sound. Only Eun-ah’s voice was heard.
“It’s… it’s done…”
Eun-ah’s hand fell away from my face.
“Just… wait a moment…”
It took a while for me to hear the rustling sound, but before I knew it, I could feel the cloth touching my face. It seemed it was the towel she had brought with her. Her hands were gentle on my face, wiping my face dry.
“Now… now look up…”
I raised my head and opened my eyes. I saw Eun-ah looking at me with a bright smile.
In an instant, I got to know for the first time that the emotions of two people in the same place could be so incompatible. All these moments that made me feel humiliated and despaired must have been joyful and fun moments for this woman.
And that made my stomach sore. I hated it.
She caught me, who had been living a good life until yesterday, and drove me here, ruining my life. And the woman who caused it all looked so happy that it made me sick with hatred.
However, what I hated even more than that was my own fear that I could not suppress even with all the resentment and hatred. The fear that had grown to the point of devouring my entire body in one day was creating a smile on her lips even at this moment. My vocal cords were shaking and my tongue was moving to make up words.
“I’m sorry you’re going through so much trouble because of me.”
“Oh…no…! I…I really like it…!”
It was disgusting to see her respond hastily. The pain of a toy doll in a girl’s playhouse was not as important as narrow rice. The girl who fell in love with playing with her doll opened her mouth once more.
“I… I’ll clean up and come back! Just wait…”
“Yes, take your time.”
Hurrying up, Eun-ah grabbed the things she had brought and left the room with brisk steps.
– Thud.
The door closed, and the light from outside disappeared. In the room, only the faint light from the nightstand again lightened the surroundings.
– Huh.
A sardonic laugh broke out. I collapsed as if my body had given up. I felt emptiness and helplessness throughout my body.
“Fuck.”
A shallow curse leaked out and floated around the quiet room. Was there any way? Was there really no way to escape? Contrary to the defeated body, the mind continued to find a way. The trouble deepened and deepened again.
– Rustle.
My body turned sideways. I curled up as if sleeping in a fetal position. Then I rolled over again and lay on my back.
“Huh?”
I was surprised by the feeling of something strange. My eyes opened wide, and I felt strength coursing through my body. I moved to confirm the identity of the awkwardness I felt.
When I gave strength to my body, my upper body stood up.
“…Huh?”
I relaxed my body and fell back again.
“Eh?”
I exerted force again, and my upper body rose once more.
“Really?”
My gaze turned to my waist.
“For real.”
The string that had been restraining my waist was untied. I recalled the situation before she left the room. She was embarrassed by her own words and rushed out without tying my waist.
– Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart was beating fast. The hope that had been submerged at the bottom of despair peeked out from the surface. On my lips, for the first time today, a smile full of sincerity was tearing with momentum riding up to my ears. My breathing quickened.
– Whoa whoop whoop.
I took deep breaths. I had to calm down. I had to think calmly and rationally. It was the first opportunity that came in about a day. what could I do now? I had to think about it.
‘Escape right away..’
Not possible.
My body was free, but my hands were still tied. I didn’t know where I was, what lies outside this door, or anything else.
‘Subdue that woman?’
A gamble…
If that woman charged at me with a knife, it would be over. If I could knock her out with one blow, I might be able to do it, but I had never learned how to subdue someone with just my feet while my hands were tied.
‘Damn, I should have gone to Taekwondo.’
‘I’m going to go to some fucking taekwondo after this.’
In a moment, I remembered the Taekwondo master in front of my elementary school who had advertised that if one registered at the dojo, they would receive 10,000 won in cultural gift certificates.
‘Why…why didn’t I go!’
My eyes were tight.
‘If I had registered for the dojo at that time, I would have learned self-defense and received cultural gift certificates!’
It was a feeling of regret that enveloped my entire body. I was resentful of my past self who had thought that shooting card monsters was his life’s work.
I, who had been in regret for a while, shook my head and brushed off my thoughts.
‘No, this is not the time!’
There was no time to regret the past. I had to find something I could do right away, and there was one possibility that I could try. My head turned back.
‘Behind the bed.’
Towards the direction of the stand, from where the woman was taking out things.
– Gulp.
I gulped unconsciously I had to check there. Something… a clue should be over there.
My nervous body moved to the corner of the room that had been unknown until now.