episode_0017

Late at night.

I covered Han Ryowon with a blanket as she dozed off leaning against the wall, then stepped outside for some fresh air. There were many people out there like me, either taking in the breeze or smoking, and each one of them wore a somber expression. I was no different.

“There probably won’t be anyone else coming now.”

I sat down on a bench, contemplating who else might come to pay their respects. In reality, there were hardly any mourners from our family, just the elderly ladies who used to be close to my mother before we moved, and the people from the mart where my mother worked. Apart from Han Ryowon, her father, and those around me, there were no other mourners.

It was a lonely life for both my mother and me.

“The snow has finally stopped.”

How long had it been since I gathered my thoughts in the piercing winter wind?

“Pardon me.”

A man in a dark coat approached me.

“?”

At first, I thought he had come to borrow a lighter or something.

“Are you Kang Yoochan?”

He called out my name abruptly.

“…Who are you?”

“I’ve come at the request of Ma Yeonseo.”

“…What?”

Hurriedly returning to the wake, I searched for my phone, then went back outside to check the numerous missed calls and messages. Sure enough, there were countless attempts to reach me from Ma Yeonseo.

[What are you doing?]

[Why aren’t you answering?]

[Where are you?]

[Answer the phone quickly]

Initially, the messages and calls were all about my whereabouts.

[Are you just going to keep ignoring this?]

After a while of no contact, she sent a comforting message in a calm tone.

[I heard about your mother.]

[I should have been by your side, I’m sorry.]

[I’m going to see someone. I’ll get help from that person.]

[I’ll be going to Korea soon too….]

I hadn’t explained anything to her.

“…Ma Yeonseo…!”

I dialed her number, seething with anger in the biting wind.

Soon, a familiar voice came through the speaker.

“Yeah, Yoochan.”

The composed voice caused the suppressed anger to well up inside me.

“How… How did you know about our mom?”

[…….]

“Answer me. How did you know?”

She sighed quietly, then spoke.

“First, I’m planning to take the earliest flight….”

“Don’t beat around the bush, just answer!”

[ …. ]

A brief silence followed.

“I hired someone.”

She confessed helplessly.

“Because you suddenly stopped contacting me.”

I couldn’t believe it. She really had me under surveillance without my knowledge. Just because we hadn’t been in touch for a few hours!

“What… What do you take me for…?”

I was so incredulous that I was at a loss for words.

“Am I supposed to think you had me watched behind my back? Huh?”

[ …That’s not it. ]

“That’s not it at all!!”

As I exploded in anger, the eyes of people coming out to smoke focused on me.

“Don’t be mad. It’s all for your own good.”

In the midst of this, Ma Yeon-seo was muttering nonsense about how it was for my own good.

I felt dizzy.

“You think having someone secretly watch over me is for my own good? Did you expect me to say ‘Oh, thank you’ and shake like a leaf? You need to have some sense of what’s appropriate!!!”

My lips trembled.

Yet, Ma Yeon-seo still tried to persuade me with a calm voice.

[Yoo Chan… You understand my intentions, but right now you’re too agitated….]

“Damn it, what do you know!!”

[ …! ]

Overwhelmed with sorrow, I poured out the feelings I had deeply hidden since the Hanyeo incident.

“I… I was like that back then. I’ll do better from now on, I won’t ever keep an eye on you again, so please don’t do this! But what is this? Is surveillance the price of love? I’m not a damn fool. Do I have to live being watched by you every step of the way?”

[Yoo Chan.]

“For God’s sake, let me breathe…! I’ve done everything you asked during that time…! I did everything you told me to do!! I cut off all my human relationships because of you, I only had eyes for you! But why go this far…? What did I do wrong!!”

[Kang Yoo Chan.]

As I vented my frustration, a chilling voice came through the speaker.

“Damn it….”

Feeling my body involuntarily shrink at that cold voice was just so damn awful.

[First, let’s hold the funeral for my mother. I’ll have someone come and clean up the house, so let’s stay at our place for the time being. Let’s talk again once I’m back in Korea.]

Mae Yeon-seo had naturally suggested coming to her own home.

It was such a matter-of-fact tone that I almost overlooked it.

Up until this very moment, she had only been thinking about me.

“I don’t want to.”

…What?

“I didn’t hear? I said I don’t want to.”

U-chan…

“Do you think I know what I might suffer if I go in there? Will you put a leash on me this time? Or maybe break my arms and legs? You like that kind of thing, don’t you?”

Mae Yeon-seo bit her lip as she laced her words with anger.

She too was beginning to get angry, her tone becoming prickly.

…You know Hanryu-won is in there too.

It was an outright threat.

Even though you know, you’re not saying anything. Because I love you.

Even as she persistently appealed to love, it was astonishing.

It felt as though even the slightest bit of affection was crumbling away.

“Love… right… if that’s your love… I can’t do this anymore.”

Yeon-seo, stop now. Us.

….

I can’t take it anymore. Your forced compliance, adjusting to your unpredictable moods, it’s all tiresome.

Stop there, Kang Yoo-chan.

A clearly angered voice pierced my ears.

In the past, I would have gently tried to soothe the situation, but now, I had no intention of doing so.

What will you do if I don’t stop? Will you kill me? Ah, am I unable to kill? Then try killing Hanryu-won. I’ll die along with him.

You…

Mocking people, do it while watching. Mae Yeon-seo, I’m not your toy.

After pouring out pent-up resentment, I left behind my trembling breath and uttered my final words.

“I’m cutting it off. I hope we never have any contact from now on.”

Kang Yoo-chan…! Just cut it off!

Rarely wavering, a pleading voice reached me.

Firmly. I closed my eyes and decisively ended the call.

….Sigh….

Suddenly, fatigue rushed over me like a flood.

*

Yeon-seo blankly stared at the screen after the call was disconnected.

So, the small lizard crouching on the table lifted its head and looked up at her.

“…?”

She had recently contracted a C-rank summon that was now before her.

“…….”

Swoosh. Yeonseo reached out her hand, gently stroking the lizard as she reflected on Yoochan’s harsh words.

“Damn it, what do you even know?!”

The insults and blame he had directed at her.

“Yeonseo, let’s stop this now. Us.”

And his voice, hinting at an unimaginable separation.

‘Dare.’

For her, who equated parting with death, breaking up was simply a death sentence.

Once again, in her anger, Yeonseo inadvertently tightened her grip on the lizard.

“…!!!”

Helplessly held, the lizard began to writhe and struggle frantically in her grasp.

Flap-flap! Flap-flap!

However, she did not release her hold, but instead tightened her grip on the lizard.

As if she would crush it completely in her hand.

Flap-flap! Flap-flap…! Flap…! Flap…!

Even a formidable creature like the lizard could not resist its contractor.

Unable to withstand the unexpected violence of its owner, even this strong individual could do nothing but struggle.

Flap…flap…!

Just before its breath was completely cut off, she finally relaxed her grip, allowing it to escape…

Thud. Despite being completely released, the lizard showed no further movement.

It just lay limp, barely able to breathe.

“…….”

Suddenly, Yeonseo thought of Yoochan when she saw the lizard in that state.

“If only I could summon a human as a familiar.”

She briefly imagined making Yoochan her familiar, but sadly, it was nothing more than a fleeting fantasy.

After all, humans couldn’t become familiars.

The summoning process itself didn’t operate on “humans.”

‘What a shame.’

Having vented her frustration, Yeonseo dismissed the lizard.

Reflecting on her somewhat emotional actions, she pondered how she would deal with Yoochan once she returned to Korea.

“What should I do?”

She hardly understood Yoochan’s sincerity at all.

*

Thanks to Hanrye Won and her little father, her mother’s funeral was concluded smoothly.

“I’m really grateful for your help.”

“Tell Ryeowon, not me.”

“…Thank you, Ryeowon.”

“Hehe. What did I do?”

Moreover, they assured that they would be a reliable support whenever help was needed.

It was truly a supportive relationship in many ways.

‘…You’ve worked really hard….’

After returning home, I began to handle the postponed administrative tasks one by one.

“What brings you here?”

“I want to organize my mother’s bank account.”

After visiting the bank, fortunately, there were no outstanding debts in our household.

After calculating all the money and insurance my mother had saved, there was about 30 million won left.

Reluctant to touch the money, I decided to securely store it in an unused account, hoping that the day would never come for me to use it.

‘I guess I’ll have to leave this house too.’

I had already made up my mind to move out of the villa where I used to live.

As someone who hadn’t properly earned money yet, it was difficult to afford the monthly rent, and above all, it was too spacious to live alone.

“Tsk tsk. It’s tough at such a young age….”

Thanks to the landlady, who sympathized with my situation, I gained some breathing room.

I should consider myself lucky for this stroke of luck as well.

After sorting out all the issues, I found myself lying on the bed, which still carried my mother’s scent.

‘…Now, I’m truly alone….’

Finally realizing that I was alone, I was lost in a hollow contemplation when suddenly, there was a doorbell.

“Yes!”

I sprang up, wondering if it was someone from the real estate office, and opened the door.

“Who is it?”

Upon confirming the visitor’s identity, I stiffened.

“…Long time no see.”

Mayeonseo. She had come to my house.