Episode 4
Can’t Escape Me
‘It’s just a strange dream anyway.’
I shook off the silly thoughts and looked around.
I was in a bedroom — there were mirrors, drawers, chairs, rugs, a small table, and a bed. I tried to remember how I got here and realized I had fallen asleep leaning on Huz’s shoulder.
My heart dropped. I quickly pinched my cheek.
“Ouch!”
It really hurt. Good — I was still alive.
I let out a breath of relief and got out of bed. Quietly, I tiptoed to the door and listened, but couldn’t hear anything. I slowly opened it and peeked outside.
“Gasp.”
The place was a mess.
Stacks of papers and thick books were piled like towers. Scrolls were scattered everywhere. Ink had spilled all over the floor. In the kitchen, dirty dishes were stacked high.
‘W-What kind of pigsty is this?’
I looked around the kitchen. A terrible smell hit me, and I nearly gagged.
Rotting food, looking black like it was dipped in ink, was crawling with maggots. I turned away quickly and looked out the window.
Outside, trash was piled high, and old huts stood under gloomy, cloudy skies.
One hut was stained with dried brown blood. Even the animal pens were soaked with it. Bones blew in the wind.
Seeing such a horrifying place, I made up my mind.
“Time to run.”
If I stayed here, I’d probably die early. I reached for the dagger I carried for protection — but froze.
‘It’s gone.’
I searched the house in a panic, but couldn’t find it anywhere.
Huz must’ve taken it.
‘I don’t even have a weapon!’
Frustrated, I yanked at my hair. I didn’t want to do this, but there was no choice.
“Fine, I’ll play dead.”
There was no way I could escape him. Not yet. So I’d pretend to give up and look for another chance later.
‘I’m not going to die anyway, right? Nothing to lose.’
I quietly left the house while Huz was gone. Like a nervous rabbit, I looked around and then took off running.
But suddenly — bang!
“Ouch!”
I hit something invisible and fell back. When I reached out, my fingers touched a glowing surface.
An iridescent, clear shield.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘It’s Huz.’
He set up a magical barrier to trap me.
I pressed my hands against it. Colors shimmered like ripples on water, forming a dome around the house. No doors. No way out.
My knees gave out.
How could I forget? Huz was a magic genius. He didn’t even need to guard me personally.
“Snow White.”
A cold voice pierced my ears.
Prick.
“Trying to escape?”
A large hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.
Now I was face to face with Huz.
“I must’ve looked too soft.”
He wasn’t there a moment ago… how?
“I can move through this place easily,” he said, answering my thoughts with a cruel smile. His eyes, though, were like a wild animal — intense and angry.
“Do you know why I call you Snow White?”
His eyes trailed slowly over me from head to toe. It felt like needles poking through my skin.
“Because you belong to me.”
He tilted his head sharply.
“As long as you have that mark, you can’t escape me.”
His eyes gleamed with madness.
“You’re the key to breaking my curse.”
I held my breath.
“Don’t try to run, Snow White.”
“……”
“Or I’ll cut off your limbs.”
He said it with a soft voice, but it felt like a knife. My heart stopped.
Wait… what?
How did he know I wouldn’t die from that?
“How do you know that?”
He chuckled at my stunned face.
“There’s nothing I don’t know about you.”
Huz grabbed my arm and gently pulled me up. I was surprised by how soft his touch was.
“Let’s go inside, Snow White.”
I didn’t answer.
“Do you want to see how easily someone can die?”
“I’ll go in.”
There was no other choice.
Back inside, Huz cleared off the table by pushing all the books and papers to the floor.
He sat me down and brought out the only clean bowl. A magic circle appeared in the air, and freshly caught fish dropped into the bowl.
They flopped around.
“Eat,” he said.
“R-Raw?”
“Oh, right. You can’t eat it like that.”
“…?”
Could he eat it raw? Huz shrugged.
“Sorry, I’m a carnivore. I only eat raw stuff.”
“…???”
Was he really serious? Why was he apologizing? That was scarier than if he’d yelled.
He snapped his fingers. Fire appeared out of nowhere and cooked the fish instantly. The fish shrank and stopped moving.
A delicious smell filled the room. Despite the situation, I was hungry.
“If you’re not going to eat, I’ll feed you.”
“No, thanks! I’ll eat on my own…”
I smiled awkwardly and reached for a fork.
“Sit still. I’ll get it.”
Huz washed a fork and handed it to me. I stared at it in confusion.
‘Why is he being so… nice?’
Even if I didn’t get it, I bowed slightly.
“Thank you, Mr. Huz.”
“……”
His face darkened.
Did I say something wrong?
Then he said something unexpected.
“What do you mean, Mr. Huz? Just call me Huz.”
“…What?”
He looked annoyed.
“Yes, Huz. I’ll call you that.”
But he wasn’t done.
“Drop the formal speech. Talk casually.”
“What?! I can’t—”
“If you don’t, I’ll kill you.”
“Got it, Huz.”
Only when I started eating did he finally look less scary.
‘W-What is going on…?’
He gave me a nickname, told me to speak casually, and acted like he wanted to be close.
‘No way. I must be imagining things.’
This guy had threatened to cut off my limbs just minutes ago.
“Eat up.”
“Sure. Okay.”
The fish was hot. As I blew on it, I remembered something.
When I was 10, I broke a tooth eating stale bread that was five days old. My gums hurt so badly I cried and promised myself: Someday, I’ll eat food so hot it burns my tongue for an hour.
‘That kid was cute…’
It’s sad I couldn’t enjoy this meal properly even now.
The fish was delicious — warm and flavorful. But Huz kept staring at me, making it hard to focus. I ate quickly.
‘Am I even tasting this? I feel like I’m going to throw up…’
I hadn’t eaten in days. My stomach hurt. I gave up halfway through.
“Eat more.”
“Okay…”
I picked up the fork again.
‘What do I do? I can’t say no.’
I forced myself to eat the rest. My hands shook, and I felt cold all over.
After I finished, Huz dropped the leftovers into a magic circle and picked me up. I clung to him out of surprise.
He took me to the bedroom and laid me on the bed. Then, he reached into the magic circle again.
What he pulled out… were shackles.
“……”
My heart sank. My body froze. My ankle felt heavy already, as if the shackle were already there.
Just the sight brought back awful memories. I almost threw up.
‘No! I can’t react like this!’
I tried to act normal.
“Aren’t you going to use them?”
He just stared at me.
Then — crack! He snapped the chain in half with his bare hands.
“I won’t use it.”
What?! He brought it out just to break it?
His strength scared me, but I was also confused.
“You weren’t going to use it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Huz looked at my ankle.
“…Because I can trap you without it.”
He turned and walked away without saying more.
I glanced down at my left ankle, where he had looked.
There, I saw a faint bruise — the mark of years spent in chains.
