episode_0120

***

A few more days passed like that.

In-ho tried hard to adapt to his daily life, but unlike other times, he did not adapt well.

First of all, his old body was the problem.

It was easy to get tired even if I tried to move even a little, and the throbbing in my bones made me give up my thoughts as soon as I tried to do something.

So the time I spent sitting still or lying down increased, and as time naturally increased, each day felt longer.

Next was how Emma behaved.

From the beginning, Inho had guessed that Emma would be excessively obsessed with him, and judging by her actions, he knew that his guess was correct.

But, as far as he was concerned, Emma was quiet, well-behaved, and didn’t particularly spend her days clinging to him.

After possessing this dimension, his life was organized into the following pattern.

When he wakes up in the morning, Emma comes into the room and draws the curtains.

He then hands me a glass of water of the appropriate temperature and a small iron basin for washing my face.

In-ho, who had already drank a glass of water, washed his face and brushed his teeth with a slightly clearer mind.

After brushing your teeth, it’s time to get back to work.

I hand Inho, who is still in his pajamas, the clothes he will wear that day and leave the room again.

Normally, I would have helped him change his clothes, but it was the result of Inho’s stubborn refusal.

Once you put on the simple clothes you wear indoors, you can say that your day at the mansion has finally begun.

After eating breakfast with easily digestible food, I take a short walk in the garden.

And Emma leaves In-ho’s side to go to work in the morning, and In-ho sits in the study and scribbles various things on a blank manuscript.

In-ho filled out the text with quite a bit of ease, but it was probably because no one recognized the characters he was using.

Just as he couldn’t recognize the characters of this world, fortunately, there was no one who could recognize the Korean alphabet used by In-ho.

As I was frantically scribbling away, it was already afternoon.

In the afternoon, Emma knocks on the door to announce that it is time for lunch.

‘Sir, it’s time for lunch.’

Emma looks at him with a gentle smile, like a spring landscape drawn in pastel.

After lunch, tea time.

We chat while drinking well-brewed tea from tea leaves brought from the market.

Emma, who has been out, talks about the market scene, the street scene, and gossip, such as someone at the hardware store who was caught cheating and was humiliated.

In-ho listens quietly to her story while sipping tea to his mouth, and sometimes brings up his own story.

In-ho felt comfortable with Emma considering him as a dementia patient.

That’s because even when he brought up the story of where he originally lived, he just assumed it was something like that and moved on.

Unless there are guests, Emma says she has some time left until tea time and dinner.

Normally, he relaxes in his own room, but recently he has been spending time with In-ho.

This is because In-ho asked me to read a novel he had written before.

This is because news of his suspension from serialization became known in the weekly magazine, and several media outlets requested interviews with him.

Since he said he would be interviewed while he was still of sound mind, In-ho thought he should have at least some knowledge about novels.

I was also curious about what the original owner of the body he occupied had written.

“You wouldn’t have had to go through the trouble of answering the interview.”

That’s what Emma said when asked to read the novel.

“They said they would give me money if I answered the interview.”

“We still have enough money.”

“Really? They said the employees left because they couldn’t pay their salaries.”

“There is enough for the owner to use alone.”

Emma closed the book with a soft thud and spoke as she picked up the next volume.

“Now that I think about it, Emma, how much did you give her per month?”

Inho asked, curious whether Emma took care of it herself or if he gave it to her in a formal way.

“I do not receive a salary. Master.”

And the answer that came back was a little shocking.

“What do you mean? Does it make sense to work and not get paid?”

There was a deep sense of absurdity in Inho’s voice.

“I think that just being able to live in this mansion and eat with the owner is enough compensation.”

Emma’s words were not sugar-coated, but came from the heart.

“No, but…”

“Don’t worry about me, master. I haven’t received salary in the years I’ve been with the owner, so I think it would be awkward to receive it now.”

“Then, you should at least provide ample severance pay.”

When Emma politely declined, laughing, Inho scratched his cheek in disappointment.

With those words, Emma stared at Inho.

“…What do you mean by that?”

Emma asked back in a voice without even a trace of emotion, like a land parched by a drought.

“Ah….”

While Inho was rolling his eyes after realizing that he had made a big mistake based on Emma’s reaction, Emma attacked him.

“Master, you don’t need me anymore?”

“No, that….”

“Have I made some mistake? You’re not saying that you had a brief conversation with that guy named Hans, right?”

“Emma, calm down.”

“No, I can’t calm down. Retirement? I won’t leave my master, so how can I retire?”

“Oh my, I made a mistake. I’m not saying I’m firing you or anything like that.”

Inho grabbed Emma’s shoulder.

In-ho thought he had a strong grip, but his grip was not strong enough.

“Then what does it mean?”

Emma looked up at Inho, as if she wasn’t reassured by his words.

“No, just. If a very long time passes and I die, then I will have to give you severance pay… something like this.”

Inho spoke with a shy smile, and Emma nodded as if she understood.

She opened the next book and said,

“I understand what you mean. master. However, even if you give me severance pay, I won’t be able to use it.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well… why? I’m the master’s maid… so wouldn’t that be okay?”

Seeing Emma speaking ambiguously, Inho felt uneasy for no reason.