Chapter 10: CUT. This Woman, She Must Be Crazy (1)
by fnovelpia
CUT.
South Korea.
In a college classroom, a student presentation was in full swing.
“…There was a man addicted to murder. He killed people with an axe.”
The male student presenting was short, with a youthful appearance reminiscent of a boy, bright-eyed and innocent-looking.
However, his presentation topic was anything but innocent.
“After committing murder, the man always held a funeral for his victims, chopping up the bodies into small pieces and scattering them in a pit.”
The student’s name was Han Yeoreum.
On the outside, he was a ‘Korean college student obsessed with horror movies,’ but at his core, he was an ‘axe murderer from 1980s America.’
“That day, after smoothly committing a murder, he chopped up the body and scattered it in a pit as usual.”
The murderer had a plan.
Before finding a way back to his original world, he would live as the college student Han Yeoreum.
“But suddenly, flames from hell erupted from the pit. The man’s victim turned out to be a demon, not a human. The chopped-up body parts became small demons, crawling out of the pit.”
The murderer was living a college student’s life for the first time.
It wasn’t as hard as he thought.
Gradually, he blended into the role of ‘college student Han Yeoreum.’
“If even one small demon escaped the pit, humanity would be doomed. The man grabbed his axe and killed all the emerging demons, preventing the apocalypse. He did it because he loved humanity.”
The other students listened with expressions of utter bewilderment.
“But the next day, the man became overwhelmed by everything and decided to end humanity haphazardly. During this process, his axe broke. The story ends with the man holding a funeral for his axe.”
Thus, the presentation concluded.
An icy silence filled the classroom.
Most students had a look of ‘what did I just listen to?’ on their faces.
In contrast, the murderer was pleased. He liked the story he had presented.
The professor, who had been quietly listening, leaned forward.
“Hmm… Yeoreum!”
The professor’s eyes were incredibly serious.
“Your artistic world is fascinating. The unique way you layer your story, not to mention the semi-structured narrative that effectively highlights the theme, is impressive.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
“Talking back to a professor…! Are you out of your mind?!”
“Yes.”
The professor trembled as if struck by a shock, looking as though he might have a heart attack.
Yeoreum’s sudden disrespect shocked the rest of the students, tensing up in anticipation of the professor’s furious reaction.
Barely managing to speak, the professor said,
“…Brilliant!!”
Rising from his seat like a poet inspired by a moving thought, the professor exclaimed,
“Art is about rebellion! A true artist must break the mold like this!! Yeoreum’s story and his cheeky attitude are exemplary of an artist!”
“……”
“Let’s all give a round of applause for the rebellious Yeoreum!!!”
The students, with looks of disbelief, clapped half-heartedly.
However, among them was a girl who applauded enthusiastically and sincerely.
‘Yeoreum is… so cool……!’
It was Yuna Yeon, who sat behind Yeoreum.
Throughout the presentation, she gazed at Yeoreum’s back with eyes dripping with honey.
Her look was excessively sticky for just a friend’s gaze.
Yuna Yeon was tall, a towering 185 cm.
Despite her height, her femininity was pronounced.
She had a graceful figure and flowing black hair.
Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent.
Although her bangs covering one-third of her face made her look somewhat gloomy, she was undeniably beautiful.
Standing next to the shorter Yeoreum, they looked like a very young mother and her rebellious son.
Even now, sitting across from each other at the college convenience store’s table, they appeared so.
“Yeoreum is a genius… Today’s screenplay presentation was incredibly moving.”
“……”
“It’s a bit different from what you used to write, but still the best… Hehe…”
Sitting in front of Yeoreum, Yuna Yeon chattered like a sparrow.
Inside, the murderer, Yeoreum, ignored Yuna Yeon’s words.
He suppressed the urge to sew her mouth shut.
“The cult-like development was really good. Kind of like the early works of director ‘Sasaki Hirohisa.’ And also…”
“Quiet, Yuna Yeon. Don’t you know how to eat properly?”
He snapped coldly and then tore open a cup noodle wrapper.
Cup noodles were the first food he tried after coming to this world.
Surprisingly, they were pretty good.
Easy to prepare, too.
He opened the lid of the cup noodles, and it was time to tear open the soup packet.
He grabbed one end of the packet and pulled hard.
Grrrrrrr-
But the packet wouldn’t tear. It was as tough as cowhide.
Why is this so damn tough?
He struggled desperately but ultimately failed to open the soup packet.
Yeoreum fell into a state of self-loathing.
He felt pathetic for not being able to open a simple ramen soup packet.
When he was in his murderer’s body, he could easily tear through steel plates…
“Yeoreum, let me do it for you…!”
Yuna Yeon, sitting in front of him, took the soup packet with a pleased smile and easily opened it.
He struggled so hard, and she opened it so easily.
He experienced a horrific feeling, as if his dignity as a man, a male, was being obliterated.
Yuna Yeon nonchalantly poured hot water into the cup noodles.
Doing things nobody asked her to do.
“But Yeoreum… This ramen is different from what you usually eat. This one’s super spicy…”
“Pfft, how stupid. Do you think I, of all people, would find ramen spicy?”
Despite appearing like a young boy on the outside, inside, he was a terrifying axe murderer.
He’s a man who could swallow lava without flinching.
A dish as trivial as this is nothing to him.
With that thought, he took a bite.
His tongue caught fire.
“Heeeeeeek!!”
“Ye, Yeoreum…?”
“Hek, Hek, Heugh, Heugh!! It’s spicyyyyy! It’s so spicyyyyy!!”
“Drink this soda!”
Yuna Yeon handed him a soda.
He gulped it down to cool his burned tongue.
Had he been any slower, his tongue might have fallen off.
The ramen was unbelievably spicy. What the hell is this?
Food for torture?
Even after drinking the soda, the spicy sensation didn’t fully go away.
The cruel sauce was tap-dancing on his tongue.
He sweated buckets, gasping for air.
Yuna Yeon took out her phone, watching him.
“So cute… You’re just so, so cute…”
And she started filming.
He couldn’t understand this behavior at all.
After drinking the soda, he barely managed to nibble on the noodles.
His tongue felt like it was about to split from the spiciness, but he forced himself to eat through sheer willpower.
Yuna Yeon propped her chin on her hands, staring at him.
“Yeoreum… Do you really not remember anything from the past?”
“That’s right.”
He couldn’t tell her he came from the 1980s in America.
She wouldn’t believe him.
So, he casually lied that he had lost his memory due to a head injury.
Yuna Yeon believed it without a doubt.
He couldn’t tell if she was naive or just dumb.
“So, Yeoreum… You’ve forgotten that we were childhood friends since we were little?”
“Childhood friends? Were we?”
“Yeah, we were childhood friends. It’s so sad you’ve forgotten all the moments we shared…”
Yuna Yeon pulled her chair closer and leaned forward.
Her sweet scent wafted over.
“You’ve even forgotten… that we were engaged, haven’t you…?”
“Hey, hey, engaged?!”
He nearly spit out the noodles through his nose.
He was supposed to marry this woman?
He imagined a tall bride in a wedding dress holding a small groom like a baby.
It was utterly ridiculous.
No way, he can’t date a woman taller than him.
It was the last shred of pride for the murderer who had shrunk from 210cm to 159cm.
“Yuna Yeon. When did I make such a fatal mistake?”
“Um, we went to the same middle and high school. You confessed to me in middle school, and you proposed in high school…”
Yuna Yeon said, seemingly embarrassed.
The story felt oddly dissonant.
“In the back of the high school auditorium, you swore you couldn’t live without me, that you’d only look at me forever, Yeoreum… Don’t you remember?”
“Wait. Didn’t you say you went to an all-girls middle and high school?”
“…Busted.”
Yuna Yeon looked disappointed.
He thought something was off. It was all made up. Creepy.
Damn it.
How long does he have to keep hanging out with this crazy woman?
He needed to either kill her, run away, or kill her and then run away.
Well, it’s true that Yuna Yeon had been quite helpful.
She’s almost been like a babysitter to Yeoreum, taking great care of him.
The reason a 1980s American could adapt to the 2020s in Korea was all thanks to Yuna Yeon.
“But Yuna Yeon, why aren’t you eating anything?”
“Ah, I’m on a diet…!”
“Diet?”
Yuna Yeon nodded.
She doesn’t seem to have any excess fat, yet she’s dieting.
What an annoying woman.
She’s even moved her chair from across to right beside him.
Getting uncomfortably close, Yuna Yeon sniffed around him like a dog smelling something delicious.
“Ye, Yeoreum, you smell really good… What body wash do you use?”
Why is she sticking to him like this?
Annoyed, he snapped back.
“I don’t bathe.”
“……”
People who don’t bathe are usually avoided.
Yuna Yeon wouldn’t want to smell an unwashed man—
That’s what he mistakenly thought.
“Hehe. Maybe that’s why I like it even more…”
Like a whale sucking in krill, Yuna Yeon took deep breaths of Yeoreum’s scent.
Yeoreum was horrified.
He had never encountered such a creepy woman before.
At least in 1980s America, such crazy women were all locked up in mental institutions.
Her behavior was weird, but her face was as pretty as a doll’s, which made it even more unsettling.
There was nothing wrong with Yuna Yeon’s appearance, except that she was too tall.
He absolutely had to kill Yuna Yeon before returning to his original world.
But given their height difference, it wouldn’t be easy.
What if he ended up getting killed by her instead?
“By the way, Yeoreum, have you heard about the film production practice assignment? We have to make and submit a short film…”
“…A short film?”
“Yeah. It’s a group project! And we’re in the same group. Hehe…”
Being in the same group with this crazy woman.
It felt like lightning struck out of a clear sky.
“What?! How did that happen?!?”
“I told the professor! I said I wanted to be in the same group as Yeoreum…!”
As if expecting praise, Yuna Yeon proudly said.
What praise? He just wanted to kill her.
This woman, doing as she pleases…!
Rage surged, swelling his veins.
He gripped the wooden chopsticks, intending to snap them with force.
……Ouch…
His hand just hurt. The chopsticks didn’t even crack.
It was pathetic.
Having to live as such a weakling. He wanted to cry.
“Haah…”
“Are you looking forward to it, Yeoreum…? We’re going to make a movie together… Hehe…”
Yuna Yeon spoke as if dreaming.
No choice. He decided to play along for now.
Endure until the right opportunity comes.
Patience is a virtue for a murderer.
“Where will we shoot it?”
“Well, we’re going to shoot it at my house… Just the two of us starring.”
Wonder why she chose her house as the shooting location.
“I’ve prepared the script. Yeoreum, you just have to show up…!”
“What’s the script about?”
“That’s… a secret.”
Yuna Yeon smiled suggestively.
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