Chapter 007
“That damned woman!”
It was on my way back after Ivan had gone out to meet his friends; I had gone to the bathhouse alone and washed up.
Upon hearing the sudden curse, I turned my head, only to see an old woman who had fallen on the road after dropping her cane, waving her arms in anger.
When my eyes moved toward what her fingers were pointing at, I saw a woman just entering a building.
The woman paid no attention to the old lady; she went straight into the café.
The café, as was the case today, was locked tight until late in the day.
The old woman turned angrily toward me after her strained curses.
“…Are you alright?”
“Look at the insolence of that woman! She bumped into people and didn’t say a single word of apology!”
Despite extending my hand, the angry old woman was busy cursing the woman who had already disappeared.
“I’ll help you up first.”
“…Alright, thank you.”
After I picked up her cane as well, the old woman breathed slowly, as if she had calmed down a bit.
“Tsk… I won’t walk this path again. And you, watch out for yourself too.”
Then she added in an annoying tone, and spat on the ground.
“Going to the red-light district spreads diseases.”
“…The red-light district?”
“Yes, those people there.”
The old woman’s fingers passed quickly over several buildings.
“Ah….”
“Tsk… Originally this alley wasn’t like this, but a while ago those things started crawling in, until they ruined the whole neighborhood.”
The old woman let out an angry, protesting sigh, then left the street quickly, as if she feared catching a contagion.
‘I thought they closed the café because it didn’t make a profit…’
I stared at the building, stunned.
Just then, the curtains moved slightly, and I felt as if someone behind them was meeting my eyes.
“What is this…?”
A moment passed, and a cold breeze brushed against my neck.
I soon left the street just as the old woman had done before, and my speed increased until I reached the house, almost running.
The feeling of fear was not linked to what Ivan said about the deadly accidents in the neighborhood.
Rather, it was the fear that someone inside that building might appear and recognize me.
While I was sighing in fear, I opened the drawer immediately upon returning home.
I took out the clothes I had inspected during the cleaning earlier.
Dresses and blouses with deep necklines, tight skirts, fancy underwear, various colors of cosmetics, a large number of perfumes, and even high-heeled shoes.
From the perspective of the character I had possessed, these clothes might seem like a mere love for luxury, but they were not.
Despite my wandering through the neighborhood, markets, and bathing places, the village residents all wore simple, loose clothing.
“Even though she has a child….”
I tried to deny it, but the clothes were very similar to what the woman who entered the locked café was wearing.
Yes, even that woman who was cursed and labeled a whore by the people was wearing high heels, garish colors, and a deep neckline.
“Hah….”
An involuntary sigh escaped my lips as I held these revealing clothes.
I knew it was too early to judge a person’s profession by their clothes alone; however, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this woman works in a bar.
Moreover, it was strange for her to possess this much money while living in a dilapidated house on the verge of collapse.
And no one in the village approached me, perhaps as the old woman did, to avoid any trouble.
“She has a child and yet she works in a bar?”
I swallowed another sigh and closed the drawer.
If this was true, then this realization was worse than I had expected.
I had always thought I was just an irresponsible poor woman toward a child, but it seems there are other problems to consider.
Despite cleaning every corner of the house, there was no money inside the home.
The money the woman possessed was all in the pouch inside her coat, which she had carried to the distant capital.
“Seriously, why carry all her money with her?!”
I felt something uncomfortable.
What if the woman was involved in something extremely dangerous that she couldn’t handle?
“What kind of story is this, for heaven’s sake?”
Was the pouch really hers?
I took out the money pouch I had kept in the closet and emptied it onto the table; it was full of hundred-unit bills.
It was a great fortune, especially for someone living in a house near collapse.
According to the prices I noticed during shopping yesterday, this money could suffice for living for about two years without working.
“Were we running away from home…”
But, the person who went to the capital carried no luggage other than the money.
Perhaps she was fleeing in a hurry.
“And if there is another fool who took the child and returned home…”
A shiver intensified down my spine.
“Or maybe this pouch also belongs to someone else…”
I stared at the old house and wondered why I hadn’t thought of this before.
I had been far too lax.
“But, at least, no one has come looking for me yet…”
Is that enough? Of course not!
I remembered again Ivan’s story about someone dying of strangulation near here.
“We must leave this place immediately.”
I had to leave quickly, for my own sake and for Ivan’s.
I wanted to leave the neighborhood right away, but any reckless movement might put Ivan in danger.
I don’t know who we should be running from, but the escape must be quiet and cautious.
At least, we had to have a clear justification for fleeing and a convincing reason to leave the village.
“….”
I put the coins back into the pouch on the table.
I didn’t want to worry Ivan by revealing this truth.
Even if there is a problem, it is my responsibility, not Ivan’s.
I thought long and hard. What justification would make my escape with the child and the money seem natural to people?
“….”
But, for someone who doesn’t even have a name, nor any information about this world, it was difficult to devise a convincing justification for anyone.
* * *
“Ivan, where were you? Why is your hair wet again?”
The woman’s voice was slightly louder than usual this morning, and sounded a bit worried.
“…I just went to bathe.”
“…I see, you went to bathe after playing, didn’t you?”
Then her voice returned to a familiar and accustomed tone.
She closed the door tightly and ran across the house to bring a towel.
“It’s cold; if you walk like that, you’ll catch a cold, Ivan.”
Ivan looked at her face and her hand as she touched his hair cautiously.
He sat on the edge of the bed as she instructed him.
She brought the towel, dry and soft, and began to wipe his hair.
“Did nothing happen?”
she asked, bending her knee slightly, her eyes sensitive to his response.
Ivan nodded quietly.
“Good. By the way, Ivan, don’t go out in the cold now. The sun is short, so return early, understood?”
Where did she get this towel?
She must have washed it herself.
“Alright.”
Ivan answered briefly and grabbed her hand.
“But, Mom, did something happen to you today?”
Her eyes trembled for a moment.
“Nothing happened, I’m fine.”
Then she shook her head.
“Did you eat something delicious with your friends?”
Ivan nodded, ignoring the coins in his pocket.
“I’ve prepared tomato stew; can you eat it?”
Ivan nodded quickly.
Ivan and the woman sat at the table and ate the warm stew with soft bread.
“….”
But in his mind, thoughts were intertwined, blurred, and full of anxiety.
If the woman continued coming and going from the house, no doubt the curious neighbors would start interfering soon.
Who is that woman? And what is her relationship with Ivan? Perhaps they would ask directly.
And if she discovered she had been deceived…
Even though he was very hungry, Ivan didn’t even notice that the red stew in his bread was finished.
