Chapter 49

I was walking down a quiet road. I knew exactly where this path led. This is the way home from school. The familiar scenery comes into view, and the setting sun dyes the world in hues of twilight.

Yeah, that’s right. I need to go home. Just head back without doing anything and chill out. Today was seriously exhausting, you know?

Once I get home, I’ll flop onto my bed and reward myself with some snacks for the tiring day. Maybe grab some nice cold ice cream too.

But… something feels off. It’s like I’m forgetting something important. What could it be?

I suddenly stopped right in the middle of the street. A strange sense of déjà vu hit me. I felt like I encountered something around here before. But no, I’ve never met anyone here, right?

I always make it home safely. There hasn’t been a single day when I didn’t return home. This is such a peaceful and cozy route back to my house, so why am I hesitating? I couldn’t understand it myself. My feet felt unusually heavy. Though I should keep moving forward toward home, there was an unsettling feeling gnawing at me. My legs weighed a ton while my eyes strained as if trying to see something invisible.

Why am I acting like this?

I should be going home, right? That’s what I want, isn’t it? How tired and frustrated I’ve been. Escaping from that horrible world—getting home—is my goal, after all.

Wait a second.

What do I mean by “horrible world”?

While scratching my head, I stared at the nearby mountain. Though it was familiar, it somehow emitted an ominous vibe.

“Man, am I just overthinking today?”

Shaking my head to clear these random thoughts, I kept walking. Thinking about this won’t help; I might as well just get home and relax. Back to my comfy place, eat dinner with the family, play some games on the computer, and take a stress-free rest.

Let’s hurry up and go.

In the distance, the towering apartment building stood high against the sky. That’s my home, unit 904. Once I step inside, I’ll be safe and sound. Thinking about finally getting home made my heart flutter strangely. Finally? I’ve been thinking weird things since earlier.

Isn’t this normal? Not “finally.”

Just as I reached the entrance of the apartment complex…

An eerie sensation washed over me, followed by a sudden lump in my throat.

Blurred vision. Heck, even tears started forming at the corners of my eyes. Confused, I wiped them away with my sleeve.

And then, once my vision cleared…

A luminous golden-haired girl stood there. Like a fully bloomed sunflower, she radiated a refreshing and beautiful aura as she smiled gently at me.

I’ve never seen her before. Yet, seeing someone with such striking blonde hair in Korea was surprising. Staring at her exquisite face made my chest ache inexplicably, as if someone were stabbing and tearing at my heart with needles.

Simultaneously, an indescribable longing surged through me.

My vision blurred again, but this time, tears poured out uncontrollably like a waterfall.

Why? It felt like meeting someone I’d never see again—my heart ached painfully yet warmly. But this girl… I’ve never met her, right?

Never?

How can this be our first meeting?

Squelch.

A cracking sound. As if a window had shattered, a massive fissure split open the world around me.

This can’t be our first meeting. There’s no way. I’ve met her before. I know her name, her past, her ending. She was my first girlfriend, my first love—the kind-hearted fool who helped me even after sacrificing herself for me.

“Huh, what a foolish sight.”

With tears streaming down my face, I managed a wry smile. Rapunzel grinned sheepishly and then dissolved into shimmering golden particles, vanishing.

…

Flash.

I opened my eyes. Above me stretched a colorful ceiling made entirely of candy. Memories of recent events rushed through my mind. Hansel and Gretel. The House of Candy. Black tea. My brain quickly processed everything and drew a conclusion.

Gretel drugged the black tea.

The golden bracelet on my wrist sparkled. Even after death, Rapunzel protected me. Thank you, Rapunzel.

I jumped up from my seat, but strangely, my legs felt heavy. Looking down, I noticed a huge chocolate ball shackle around my ankle. Scanning the area, I also spotted similar shackles on Ellis and Ariel.

“Ellis, Ariel! Wake up!”

Though I shook their shoulders desperately, they didn’t stir. They looked like they were in a deep sleep, smiling peacefully as if dreaming sweet dreams. Most shocking of all was seeing Ellis with such a tranquil expression.

“Everyone, wake up!”

As I worried whether I should slap their cheeks, a creepy laugh came from beside me.

“Kikikik! Young man, it’s useless.”

Turning my head, I saw a middle-aged man sitting in the shadows that I hadn’t noticed before. He was extremely short and stout with a potbelly that resembled a father’s “mountain” after years of corporate life. His arms and legs were pudgy.

His beard was lush, but his hairline wasn’t as fortunate. While stroking his belly lazily, he yawned widely.

“Who are you?”

“Hmm~? Don’t you recognize me? I’m your senior who got trapped here first. Surprising that the cursed witch didn’t wake you up. You must have quite the mental strength.”

“Witch? Are you talking about Gretel?”

“Ahh, that’s right. Gretel. That damned witch. Kikikik…”

The middle-aged man smirked and scanned me from head to toe.

“Well, let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Adel, the sixth dwarf.”

Sixth what? Still, I introduced myself too.

“My name is Siyoo.”

“Glad to meet you, Siyoo. As your senior here, let me give you one piece of advice: don’t eat anything the witch gives you. I already messed up, but still…”

Adel’s cryptic warning reminded me of the scene in the original story where Hansel tricks the witch by pretending his finger is bony to avoid gaining weight.

“Anyway, how can I wake up my companions?”

“Didn’t I say it’s useless? They’ve been drugged by the witch’s potion. I was affected too. By now, they’re probably dreaming their deepest desires. Unless they possess exceptional mental strength to realize it’s a dream and escape, waking them will be impossible.”

“How do you know all this?”

At my question, Adel gave a knowing smile.

“Because we aren’t the first ones captured here. When I woke up after being caught by the witch, there were others already asleep. I tried everything—slapping, shaking—but they just kept sleeping peacefully. Eventually, the damned witch woke them up herself. She seemed surprised to see me awake.”

He clenched his fists tightly, recalling the unpleasant memory.

“And then she kindly explained everything. Apparently, only those with extraordinary mental strength can awaken. She called me arrogant for being a dwarf who dared to wake up. Guess what? The reason I’m still here? She thought I wouldn’t taste good because I’m a dwarf! That witch!”

Taste good? Suddenly, a chilling suspicion crept in.

“…Then, what happened to the others who aren’t here now?”

“Heheh, you figured it out, didn’t you? They were all eaten and turned into food for those two.”

Crazy. So she kidnaps people and eats them? This is way off from the original story! Cannibalism? Ugh, my stomach churns.

Hansel seems unstable somehow, but Gretel has become a witch who eats people. Surely the stories she told us were all lies.

Brilliant. She didn’t show any hostility at first, and the food we ate earlier seemed harmless, making us trust them. After putting us at ease, she betrayed us behind our backs—a despicable tactic.

She must have devoured countless people this way. How many victims have been eaten here?

If it weren’t for Rapunzel, we would’ve ended up like the other victims Adel mentioned, inside Hansel and Gretel’s bellies.

Still, I now understand what needs to be done to achieve a happy ending for this story.

Approaching the iron bars before me, I caught a whiff of sugary sweetness. Is that candy?

“Aah, don’t bother trying anything stupid and bring the witch here. Those are special magic-infused candy bars. They neither melt nor break easily. Just stay still if you want to survive longer. It’s for your own good…”

Clang! The loud metallic sound of something hitting the floor shocked Adel speechless as he watched the bars cleanly sliced by a scythe.

Relaxingly cutting the ankle shackle off as well, I said,

“Uncle, let’s go together.”