Chapter 168

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“Did you stalk me all the way here? Are you really that crazy?”

I suppressed my frustration and opened the door.

“Shouldn’t you have the decency to leave after all this? I know you’re not normal, but shouldn’t you at least have some basic manners?” That’s what I wanted to say. I planned to say it, close the door, and go to sleep.

But what came out of my mouth was slightly different.

“Get lost.”

Yeah, well… that sums it up. It’s not wrong. But Yoon Sua showed no intention of leaving, hesitating and stumbling over her words. I couldn’t tell what was in her eyes, and I didn’t want to know, but I could tell there was no hostility.

And the fact that there was no hostility made me feel worse. I didn’t want sympathy, affection, or concern from Yoon Sua.

“…Uh, but.”

“Fuck. Do you have more to say? I don’t.”

“It’s not that.”

“What?!”

“Your face is really red.”

I immediately headed to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, my face was indeed burning red, to the point where even a stranger would think it looked dangerous. When I touched my forehead, it was incredibly hot.

For a moment, I felt dizzy.

The timing was just…

“Are, are you okay?”

It was pathetic.

After briefly losing consciousness, I woke up to find Yoon Sua holding me on the bathroom floor. Did she come in after hearing me collapse? It’s someone else’s house, after all. Wait, why is she holding me?

“I thought you might fall…”

…Ah, did she save me? Damn it. I ended up needing her help.

Yoon Sua placed her hand on my forehead. I wanted to push it away in discomfort, but I had no strength.

“…Get out.”

“You have a really high fever. You should go to the hospital.”

“It’s always like this around this time. It’s just a bit worse than usual. Get out.”

“Around this time?”

“My period. Get out.”

Thinking about my cycle, it should start tomorrow or the day after, but the fever sometimes comes late or early. Being a day early was within the margin of error. But this was the first time it had been this bad since my first period coincided with a fever.

“But you can’t be left alone in this state. It’s dangerous.”

“I said get out.”

“…Then I’ll call someone else. I can’t leave you alone. Is there anyone I can call?”

“Go to the next house and call Han-bom. Get out.”

“Okay.”

Yoon Sua carried me to the living room sofa. It was humiliating, but I had no choice.

I do have a bed in my room, but it seems she had the common sense not to enter someone else’s room without permission. Though she didn’t seem to have the common sense not to enter someone else’s house without permission.

Lying down with all my strength gone, I closed my eyes. My head was a bit… my condition was a bit… not great. I didn’t want to admit it, but I needed someone’s help. Han-bom will be fine when she comes…

But as always, nothing goes right on days like this.

“…Uh, it seems no one’s home.”

“Fuck, did Park Chan-wook go out to screw someone?”

Harsh words came out unfiltered. Part of it was the fever messing with my head, but the bigger reason was that Yoon Sua, who was clearly not on my side, was here.

Yoon Sua was not my ally. Absolutely not. She couldn’t be. But the fact that she no longer held any hostility towards me clashed in my mind, causing some kind of error.

If Han-bom isn’t available, then Muk Ha-neul, or Ham Yejin, or even Hwa-won would be fine, but I didn’t have the energy to call anyone now.

I was so uncomfortable and uneasy that I couldn’t stand it. I mustered the last of my strength and spoke.

“Get out…”

I didn’t hear a response.

I just lost consciousness and fell asleep.

—

I had become a small, white titmouse, struggling. A ribbon was tied to my foot, holding me captive somewhere. I wanted to fly away, but the ribbon wouldn’t break. It was tied so tightly that my leg hurt.

All sorts of birds were watching me—owls, hawks, sandpipers, egrets, ducks, chickens, pigeons, peacocks, and even a crow. They were all looking at me.

Had I had a similar dream before? I couldn’t remember well, but something was different this time.

All the birds had sad eyes, except for the crow, which was smiling.

And there was one bird missing—a sparrow. It was only natural that it wasn’t there.

Because that sparrow was right next to me, struggling alongside me.

…The crow brought a large cage from somewhere.

It pecked at the ribbon and freed me. The ribbon was still tied to my leg, but I was free now.

I tried to say thank you, but only a bird’s chirp came out.

After saying goodbye, I tried to fly away, but maybe I had forgotten how after being tied up for so long? I didn’t get far before I fell. I rolled on the ground.

The crow then gifted me the large cage, and I went inside.

In the end, it was no different from being tied by the ribbon.

But inside this cage… I felt free. I could delude myself into thinking so.

The crow entered the cage and closed the door. There was no way for me to open it. I was trapped. Inside the crow’s cage.

The sparrow was still tied by the ribbon, watching us and chirping.

—

The dream faded into mist in my mind. I couldn’t even remember it, and I forgot that I had even dreamed.

When I came to, it was the middle of the night. Past midnight.

I still had a fever, but the wet towel on my forehead made it better than before.

Wait, a wet towel?

A wet towel? Who? How?

I looked around the house and immediately found the culprit. Yoon Sua was still in my house. She was sitting at the table, asleep. She really isn’t normal. Even after being told to leave, she stayed.

But…

But… if Yoon Sua hadn’t been here, I might have been in real danger. I always say it’s like this, but it hadn’t been this bad since my first period coincided with a fever. If I had been left alone, collapsed on the cold bathroom floor… who knows what could have happened.

Should I say thank you? Ha, it’s a tough question. I didn’t want her kindness, but that kindness clearly saved me. She was my enemy, but to her, I was no longer an enemy. I didn’t know how to handle my attitude towards Yoon Sua.

I now had enough strength to get up. I got up from the sofa and walked over to Yoon Sua, who was sleeping soundly, and smacked the back of her head. The effect was impressive.

“Ah!”

Her scream was still not very ladylike.

“…Oh, you’re awake?”

“Can’t you just talk like you used to? It’s really awkward. You being polite to me.”

“Should I?”

“Now you drop the formalities. You’ve never had any manners anyway.”

It’s different from before, but whatever. I can mess with her a bit. After all the crap I’ve taken because of her.

…Well, it’s mostly because of Muk Ha-neul.

“I’m sorry…”

“Whatever. Just drop it or don’t, do as you please.”

“Then… I’ll drop it…”

This is better than the formalities anyway. It’s much better than seeing her pretend to be feminine. If she just speaks plainly, I can tolerate it.

“Thanks for taking care of me, but I don’t plan to keep you here. The last train’s probably gone, so just sleep here tonight and leave on the first train tomorrow morning.”

That was my compromise. I’ll say thank you. And then tell her to leave.

But at this hour, the last train was already gone. I didn’t want to send her out onto the streets at this time. In the past, I would have laughed at the idea of worrying about such things in Korea, but given my history… I couldn’t just ignore it. So, just for tonight.

“Ah, thank you. No, thanks.”

“It’s creepy.”

Hearing a thank you from Yoon Sua’s mouth is really… When she dropped the formalities before, we just insulted and mocked each other.

I threw her a blanket and pillow and told her to sleep on the sofa.

“But I slept for a while, so I’m not sleepy right now.”

“I didn’t ask.”

It’s none of my business.

By the way, I’m hungry. I had been eating dakgalbi and then collapsed for half a day, so it made sense. I needed to eat something to take my emergency medicine, but eating on an empty stomach would make me feel sick.

“Uh, I made some porridge.”

“…You did?”

Ignoring the fact that she used my kitchenware and ingredients without permission, how did she even make porridge? There’s no rice in this house. What did you make?

“There’s some instant rice… I used that.”

Ah, that’s one way… But I don’t think anything she makes would taste good. What should I do?

Actually, among my acquaintances, it’s hard to find a woman who can cook well. At best, Im Mi-ra? But she’s still at a high school level. The rest are all hopeless.

How can they all be so bad at cooking? I’m a guy, so it’s fine if I can’t cook, but you’re supposed to be women. I bet even Hwa-won is better at cooking than you guys. She’s surprisingly good at cooking. She just doesn’t like it.

Anyway, I took a bite of the porridge Yoon Sua made. It’s not like I’ll die if it tastes bad. I’ll just fill my stomach, I thought. But,

Why does it taste good? No, why? How? How?

She only used simple ingredients from the house, but the taste… was amazing. I never imagined Yoon Sua could cook well.

But I didn’t want to admit it honestly. What good would it do me to boost her ego? Saying, “It’s just okay. I guess you’re not that bad at cooking?” would have been enough. I opened my mouth.

“Wow, this is fucking delicious.”

No, damn it. My mouth, please.

“Does it suit your taste?”

‘No, it’s terrible.’

“It’s fucking delicious.”

Damn it.

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