Chapter : 02
Kindness Be Damned
It was a strange morning.
“Oh? You’re up?”
A strange morning in many ways.
Cho-won stared blankly down at the dining table, which was radiating a soft warmth. Spread across the table were side dishes taken from the fridge, along with freshly scooped soup and rice—a surprisingly decent spread.
“…What is all this?” “I’m making a meal.”
That’s not what I’m asking.
Cho-won glared at him with sharp eyes—at this guy, this “Totem Pole” of a man who had suddenly rolled into her life yesterday. But as if her piercing gaze were nothing more than a passing breeze, he simply flashed her a bright smile.
“What are you doing? Come, sit.”
His voice, inviting her so naturally, felt oddly friendly. It was enough to make one forget they had only met for the first time yesterday.
Is being social with everyone a talent of its own?
Cho-won let out a small sigh and spoke.
“Let’s eat separately. It’s more comfortable for both of us.” “I don’t want to.” “What?” “I don’t like eating alone.” “…What does that have to do with me?” “I won’t try to act close. Just eat with me.”
Cho-won started to retort but bit her tongue. She didn’t feel like spitting out sharp words; somehow, it felt like a waste of energy. Having tossed and turned all night, she didn’t have the strength to pick a fight with anyone.
She silently bypassed the table, went to the fridge, and pulled out a bottle of water. Immediately, he took a glass from the cupboard and handed it to her. After staring at it for a moment, she took it with another small sigh. It was a bit of a nuisance.
“Don’t overdo it. I have no intention of fighting with the Old Lady.” “…What do you mean?” “I’m not going to kick you out, so you don’t need to go out of your way to impress me.”
As she turned away with her filled glass, Cho-won’s movements weren’t particularly firm or cold. Rather, she seemed somewhat lethargic. He watched her back for a moment before speaking.
“Why wouldn’t you think about kicking me out?” “……?” “What if I’m a dangerous person?”
Danger.
At that unexpected word, a hollow laugh escaped Cho-won’s lips. It was laced with a hint of irritation and nerves. Stopping in her tracks, she turned halfway to look back at him—this guy who had barged into her house yesterday like some unwanted guardian statue.
“The world became dangerous to me long before I had the luxury of being afraid of a single person.”
When Cho-won answered, he fell silent, watching her intently. His gaze seemed to sink heavily. Regardless, Cho-won turned back and began to trudge up the stairs across the living room.
He heard her receding footsteps. He stood still until the sound vanished, until the upstairs door opened and Cho-won’s presence completely disappeared.
“Looks like she didn’t sleep a wink.”
Only after hearing the door close did Yohan mutter softly to himself. Then, he looked down at the table where the person he intended to eat with was missing.
He wasn’t disappointed. He had expected that Cho-won wouldn’t just meekly sit down. However, her “whatever” attitude, her unusually haggard face, and the final words she threw at the end of their conversation stuck in his heart like a thorn.
‘The world became dangerous to me long before I had the luxury of being afraid of a single person.’
Yes, that’s right. The world had been nothing but dangerous for a long time. …For both of us.
In a four-person ward of a small hospital in Sa-an City, Gangwon Province. A woman, pale as a white stone, lies on a bed by the window, wearing an oxygen mask.
The ward door opens. The Old Lady, who had been away for a moment, returns with a refilled water bottle. Approaching the cot with practiced ease, she gazes quietly at the woman’s face, whose eyes are neatly closed.
The woman is motionless, her expression serene. The only proof of her life is the mechanical beeping that signals according to her condition.
Cheon-hwa sat down quietly beside the patient.
“That boy Yohan… it seems he hasn’t been kicked out yet. Well… he probably went there with a very firm resolve.”
As if casting words into the air, the Old Lady spoke to the last patient remaining in the ward. Of course, there was no answer. She hadn’t asked a question expecting one; she knew well that her words wouldn’t reach the unconscious woman.
“And Cho-won, that girl might be prickly, but she isn’t heartless. Her innate nature isn’t cruel. Even if she acts like ice at first, it won’t be hard to get close to her. Not for Yohan.”
Continuing with a faint smile, the Old Lady opened the top drawer of the nightstand with her wrinkled hands. Inside was an old photograph.
She picked it up slowly with delicate fingers. In the faded photo, a family of three stood against the backdrop of a neat yard and a small house.
A young couple and the baby in their arms. Three faces smiling brightly as if they had nothing to fear in the world.
The peace in that photo had long since shattered. The small child held in the mother’s arms was now an adult. And not long ago, that child had said to the Old Lady with eyes that looked ready to cry:
‘Please let me do it.’
As far as the Old Lady knew, that child had never cried. Nor had he ever asked for something he wanted.
So, that was his first and last request. And that was why she couldn’t bring herself to cut him off.
‘I want to be by my sister’s side.’
Cho-won’s daily routine was excessively simple. Home. The convenience store. Or else, the Clover Tearoom.
Located in a corner of her neighborhood, the “Clover Tearoom” had stood in the same spot for over 40 years. Its vintage interior was its hallmark. The only things that had changed over the long years were the owner—from father to daughter—and the replacement of worn-out chairs. Cho-won liked the rounded, cozy atmosphere of the place. To her, while everything outside felt aggressive, she felt uniquely safe when she was there.
But why on earth…
“What are you doing?”
Why was she hearing that voice again?
Cho-won knit her brows slightly and turned her head. Before she knew it, that “Totem Pole” guy was standing by her table. As their eyes met, he flashed his habitual grin and sat down opposite her without permission.
“I didn’t tell you to sit.” “Sitting separately would be weird. We’re together.” “Together?” “What are you doing? Were you writing?”
Cho-won’s face crumpled once more.
“How do you know I write?”
The end of her question was sharp. It was a reasonable reaction. As a writer, Cho-won always used a pen name and had never revealed her identity through any media. Even among the employees at the publishing house, only a tiny few knew her face.
“I heard it from Grandma. She told me not to disturb you when you’re working because you’re a writer.”
That old lady, seriously…
Watching Cho-won squeeze her eyes shut in irritation, Yohan found her somewhat cute. Fearing that laughing out loud would only incense her further, he turned his gaze away, pretending to look around the cafe.
“You come here often, right? I plan to, too.”
What is he talking about now?
Cho-won stared at Yohan’s face with a look of pure dissatisfaction. Eventually, Yohan’s gaze met hers again. He was still smiling leisurely—so leisurely it was annoying.
“I had an interview today. Right here.”
Am I cursed?
She felt like bad luck had been piling up lately.
“Why would you have an interview here?” “I can’t just loaf around. I have to earn money.”
Faced with his clear-cut answer, the question “No, I mean why this place?” seemed useless. Not wanting to deal with him anymore, Cho-won kicked her chair back and stood up first. She knew it was a meaningless gesture, of course. She had to go back to the same house as him anyway.
“Hey, let’s go together!”
Hearing the footsteps approaching along with his playful voice, Cho-won furrowed her brow again.
…Ugh, such a nuisance.
Time passed quickly, and night fell. In the quiet, settled air, Yohan carefully opened his door and stepped into the living room, making sure not to let the door creak.
As he slowly moved toward the stairs leading to the second floor, the faint sound of creaking wood echoed. Fortunately, it wasn’t loud enough to be disruptive.
Holding his breath and treading as lightly as possible, he approached Cho-won’s room at the far end of the second floor. He stopped in front of the door and scanned the gaps of the frame with his eyes. Faintly, through the cracks, he could see something like shimmering black smoke.
Shadows that filled the room and spilled out. The nightmares that tormented Cho-won all night.
With a solemn expression, Yohan opened his hand and placed it over Cho-won’s door. Instantly, the black shadows pooling in the cracks began to react violently. Their frantic movement made them look almost alive.
Still the same.
Yohan closed his eyes with a determined look and pressed his palm closer to the door. Suddenly, the surging shadows began to coil around his hand like streams of black water. Simultaneously, a wound split open on the back of his hand, as if he had been lashed by something sharp.
As the shadows being sucked into his palm grew darker, the wounds increased. Tuk, tuk, tuk. One after another, the wounds opened, decorating his hand in blood. The corners of his eyes twitched at the pain.
The moment the last shadow swept over his hand, blood began to trickle down his wrist. Worried that a drop might fall on the floor, he gripped that hand with his other one. Then, he looked up at the door of the room where Cho-won lay sleeping.
He knew where those nightmares originated. For a very long time, he had hoped that Cho-won could live having forgotten it all. Even if he had to spend his life only looking at her back, he thought it would be worth it if it meant she could be free.
But. Even so. Despite thinking that, he wondered if it was a contradiction to feel a small bit of joy that he could stay by her side again because of that very past.
Like a child who had spilled a glass of water, he lowered his head and whispered softly in front of Cho-won’s door.
“…Noona.”
I missed you.
End Of Chapter : 02
