Ch.130Shock Therapy (2)

It’s around five in the morning.

While it’s early, someone who doesn’t sleep in could naturally wake up at this hour.

What does this mean?

“What are you doing, oppa?”

It means you shouldn’t make loud noises like that.

Daju already has her phone out, waiting for me to put on the swimsuit.

“Hurry up!”

“I will, but keep it down… You’ll wake everyone else.”

“What? Why?”

“They might come in to check what’s happening.”

It’s not daytime but early dawn. Plus, we haven’t been here long.

It’s obvious they’d think something dangerous was happening.

“If the others catch us doing this.”

Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.

“Seriously, no.”

But should I just do what Yoon Daju wants?

That doesn’t feel right either.

What I’m holding is a black swimsuit.

And not just any swimsuit—a revealing bikini.

“…”

Of all things, why this?

No matter how I think about it, this makes no sense.

“Can’t I skip this one?”

“Oppa.”

“You picked out so many other clothes.”

“You keep avoiding things like this, and that’s why your mental state is still struggling.”

“How is this related to my mental state?”

Daju firmly nods.

“Think of it as accepting your new daily life.”

Daily life?

Who wears clothes like this in their daily life?

While I stand there awkwardly, Daju launches into a passionate speech.

“How long are you going to keep thinking about when you were a man? That’s why your daily life feels so disconnected. Everything feels awkward! Nothing feels like proper rest!”

Suddenly she’s gripping my hand tightly.

Daju looks into my eyes with utmost seriousness.

“Isn’t that right?”

“…Yeah, it is.”

“So, eliminating this awkwardness is the first step.”

I’m still holding that scrap of fabric in my hand.

“I deliberately chose the most awkward option. Something you’d absolutely refuse to wear, clenching your eyes shut in resistance.”

“No. Why on earth?”

“Shock therapy. We don’t have time, so hurry up and try it on.”

As if refusing further discussion, Daju steps back and raises her phone.

Will this really be effective?

It’s true that I’ve felt awkward in daily life.

It’s more like a constant embarrassment, I guess.

The bathroom.

Underwear.

When showering, etc.

I adapted quickly to the physical differences of my changed body, but only in practical ways.

I’ve never really looked at my body properly, and I’ve avoided touching it when possible.

“Fine. Just step back a bit.”

“Okay.”

I finally take off my clothes hesitantly.

The cool air clings to my bare skin.

Now I’m in my underwear, so I just need to change into the swimsuit.

What difference does it really make?

Isn’t the coverage basically the same anyway?

The bottom part was easy enough to change into, but the top was problematic.

Tying the strings, securing everything, and getting it all in place was harder than expected.

Especially when someone’s watching.

Should I ask her for help?

No. I’d rather die.

“I’m done. Is this right?”

Yoon Daju answers halfheartedly while continuing to take photos.

“Does this look right? It feels awkward.”

“Yes. You’re wearing it correctly.”

“Ugh. This is driving me crazy.”

I want to bury myself under the blankets right now.

Having bare skin exposed to someone else’s gaze was far more uncomfortable than I’d imagined.

“Can I take it off now that you’ve taken pictures?”

“Not yet.”

Daju moves to the entrance.

Slide—

When she opens the sliding door between the bathroom and entrance, a large mirror appears.

What she wants me to do is clear.

How did I end up in this situation?

I take a deep breath and raise my head.

Looking at myself in the mirror.

Inevitably, my face has turned completely red.

“Ugh.”

So looking at this is supposed to improve my mental state?

I’ve been feeling like I could die at any moment, with that feeling constantly chasing me.

If this helps even a little…

“…”

Damn it, I really can’t do this.

While Daju rambles on about how it suits me surprisingly well—

How my body isn’t in bad shape thanks to all the running to survive—

How I don’t need to be embarrassed because I look pretty—

Whoosh!

I grab my clothes and flee in a hurry.

Back in my room.

As soon as I lock the door, I collapse face-down on the bed.

The feeling of sinking into the soft cotton is blissful.

The cool sheets against my bare skin feel good too.

Ah. So comfortable.

But the good feeling ends there.

I’m tired enough to fall asleep immediately, but my eyes won’t close.

“…”

I blink my eyes while keeping my face out from under the blanket.

No one’s watching now.

It should be fine, right?

Yes. A brief moment won’t hurt.

Wait. It’s my body, so what’s wrong with looking at it? I just need to go stand in front of the mirror.

I carefully approach the sliding door at the entrance.

All the rooms have the same layout, so opening this will reveal the large mirror.

I slowly reach out and pull the door handle.

Slide—

The loud sound startles me,

but I manage to stand in front of the mirror.

I haven’t changed clothes, so I’m still in the swimsuit.

“…”

I do look pretty.

I was about to strike some poses, but that felt too self-deprecating, so I stopped.

I quickly change into pajamas and flop back onto the bed.

I didn’t have to worry about insomnia as usual.

Drowsiness washed over me like I was being pulled under.

Wait.

Was I really unable to sleep because I wanted to look in the mirror?

I don’t know.

I just closed my eyes and surrendered to the overwhelming sleepiness.

Knock knock knock.

I open my eyes to the sound of knocking.

Then a voice follows.

“Dabin. Wake up and come eat.”

When I open the door, Yebin is standing there.

“Are we all eating together?”

“Yes.”

“Wait a moment. Let me get ready.”

“Okay.”

Yebin waits obediently outside the door.

Why doesn’t she just go ahead instead of standing there making her legs tired?

“Just come in. Don’t keep standing there.”

“Okay.”

She tiptoes in and sits on the bed.

After a quick face wash, I put a toothbrush in my mouth and come out.

Now for clothes.

The clothes I took off yesterday catch my eye.

Thanks to wandering through a hell of blood and flesh, my clothes were a mess, stained with blood everywhere.

Even though it’s annoying, I need to put on fresh clothes.

I rummage through my bag and put on something suitable.

Finally, I rinse my mouth to finish up.

Yebin is still sitting on the bed, just watching me.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah. Where do we go?”

“Unni said to meet in the room at the end.”

“Yoon unni?”

“Yes.”

“I see…”

That’s good.

Seeing how she’s gathering everyone, it seems Heo Yoon has regained her spirits.

She’s not the type to stay immersed in sadness forever.

We were about halfway down the hallway.

Just then, I made eye contact with Robin as she opened her door and came out.

“Uh…”

“Good morning, Dabin.”

Maybe it’s because we haven’t known each other long.

It feels awkward somehow.

When I didn’t say anything, Robin just smiled and turned to walk away.

“…”

“Dabin. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

It’s nothing.

***

The world is being erased.

Black sky.

The horizon turns to dust and scatters.

The world is destroyed by the action of Seven, the entity that devours all stories.

“No. There’s still hope.”

Robin looked at me.

Her gray eyes emptied and then quickly filled with something again.

“If only you realize this truth, Dabin, we can survive.”

Robin’s coat tails are dissolving into the void.

So is the Ferris wheel at the amusement park.

And the soles of the sneakers I’m wearing.

“It might be a somewhat extreme prescription. But we must carry it out.”

Everything disappears, leaving only sentences.

“Next time, we must erase ourselves first.”

***

I walked down the hallway in a daze.

Maybe I’m still not fully awake.

My destination is room 1301 at the end of the hallway.

I was about to enter without thinking when I almost collided with a suddenly opening door.

“Oh, Dabin!?”

Serim unni rushes out from behind the open door.

“Sorry. Are you hurt?”

We didn’t even bump into each other, but she checks me over in case I might be injured.

“No. I’m fine.”

“That’s good. Come in quickly then.”

Just as I step into the room following Choi Serim, Heo Yoon runs over and hugs me from behind.

“Dabin’s here? Yebin too. Did you just arrive?”

“Yes.”

“Sit down quickly. Let’s eat together.”

Heo Yoon looked bright for the first time in a while.

“But we don’t have much to eat. I said let’s eat together, but we only have some emergency rations. Still, I thought it would be nice for everyone to gather. That’s why I called you.”

“Yes. I like that too.”

The prepared food consists of calorie-rich snacks, cup noodles, and canned goods that store well.

It was more like snacks than a meal, but it was nice to be all together.

Heo Yoon has completely recovered her spirits and is now nagging Seok Hyunmin.

Yoon Daju, Jung Haewon, and Riko are giggling about something among themselves.

And Serim unni…

As always, she’s awkwardly sitting alone in the corner.

The difference is that instead of a laptop, she has food on her lap.

I carefully pick up a cup of ramen that I just poured hot water into and approach her.

“Unni.”

“Oh. Huh?”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Hee.”

Choi Serim just grins instead of answering.

“What is it?”

After smiling for a while, she points to the people sitting at the table.

“It’s really fun reading people’s thoughts here.”

“…”

That doesn’t sound particularly wholesome.

With the curtain shadow cast over her, she even looks a bit gloomy.

“But is it okay to use your ability like that?”

“This much is fine.”

“Didn’t you say it was difficult with all the voices mixing together?”

“Yeah. I did.”

Choi Serim looks at me intently as she puts the cup noodles from her lap onto the floor.

“But now I’ve come to understand my own personality, I guess? So I can distinguish which thoughts are mine and which belong to others.”

Tap.

As she speaks, she removes the paper wrapper from the chopsticks and splits the wooden pair exactly in half.

Satisfied with the cleanly separated chopsticks, she turns her eyes back to me.

With eyes full of nothing but gratitude.

“Yes. I’ve gotten much better thanks to you, Dabin.”

“Ah…”

“Aren’t you going to eat your ramen?”

“Oh. Right.”

“Dabin, give me your chopsticks.”

Snap.

Again, split exactly in half.

The clean cross-section was even beautiful.

“How about that? I’m good, right?”

“Amazing.”

Under the shadow-draped curtain.

I sat next to Serim unni, picking at our ramen together.