CH 111

“…I see.” With that, I put down everything for good. My frigid heart felt like it was dragged down below the ground as I sat up. With the face of Woorim, Yeonseon smiled at me and said, “If it weren’t for Hyehyun, you and I could have been happy without needing to do this.”

“No,” I cut him off and shook my head. I looked down at my hand and arm. My sweat and tears washed it away somewhat, but the traces of stabbing Hyehyun remained on my body—his red blood. If I looked further down, I could see my lower half, which was a mess of semen. The state I was in was absurd, so I internally debated whether to laugh out loud when he called my name. I squeezed my eyes shut and announced, “I’m done with this. You and I are over.”

“Haeseo.”

He was still unguarded. I opened my eyes and stared at Woorim—no, the Child. No traces of his former appearance from when I saw him as a child remained, so I couldn’t recall exactly what he looked like.

“The moment Hyehyun killed Yeonseon, my love, your love ended,” I continued.

“…”

“There is no starting over.” Then, I sprung onto him and started to strangle him.

Thud!

With my ambush, his body toppled backward. I could feel his pulse pounding wildly under my fingers. My face twisted into a scowl as I glared at his face that was more contorted than mine. Seeing Woorim in pain made another wave of tears spill out.

“Why did you kill my mom?” Mom, mom. I remembered back when she smiled tenderly at me. She was very loving and kind to me. I went through something so horrific that I couldn’t remember those times very well, but I still loved my mother dearly.

If only the black eyes weren’t there.

No, if only I hadn’t nosed in and gotten involved with the Child, then my mother and my grandmother wouldn’t have been so miserable. I would have been able to grow up as a normal child who couldn’t see anything strange. Those around me wouldn’t have had to die.

I regretted that instantaneous blunder. Perhaps the one I wanted to kill the most was myself. Woorim’s face grew red from the lack of oxygen, and I growled at him, “I don’t like you anymore.”

“…”

“Nevermore.”

At the same time, Woorim firmly grabbed my wrist.

Act 17

When threatened with death, one could muster up extreme strength, and that seemed to apply even if the body was possessed with an evil spirit. My wrist was pried off promptly. After one hand was restrained, the other hand was grabbed as well.

The other man jumped up and mirrored my actions. He pushed down my shoulders and climbed on top of me, pinning me down. I flailed my arms, pushing away the rags and bundles of curtains. My bare lower half met the cold floor.

Woorim grabbed both my wrists with one hand and pinned them above my head. I ended up underneath him with both my arms raised. I scowled at him, clenching my jaws.

Our fight caused the thick blanket of dust to rise. Until all the dust settled back down, I breathed heavily and stared back at Woorim, whose face I couldn’t make out very well.

“Haeseo.” I felt like I knew why he was quiet after he pinned me down. His voice didn’t come out after being choked. Woorim leaned in, right up to my face. I swallowed nervously.

Even though he had just been threatened by asphyxiation, he had a gentle smile. There was no inkling of any intention to harm or mock me. He merely gazed down with his deep, dense, and affectionate eyes.

I felt like I finally knew what kind of person I was up against. I shuddered.

“Even if you struggle, you’ll ultimately fall in love with me again,” he said as he nibbled at my lips.

He seemed to want to kiss me, but he realized that it was impossible from my vicious glare, so he just chuckled softly. He whispered, “Don’t be so stubborn.” I wanted to wiggle out of his grasp, but his hand didn’t budge. I was restrained so tightly that blood didn’t flow to my hands; they tingled and felt numb.

“I know the moment when you fall in love,” Woorim continued.

“…”

“I know when you feel moved, and I know what words you’re weak to.”

Afterward, he grabbed my thigh with his other hand. I gasped audibly, suddenly sensing the impending crisis. His hand gently caressed my thigh, creating a trail of goosebumps where his hands touched.