Chapter 105: Empty House

=============================== DMCA NOTICE ================================

Heya guys!

We’ve received a double dmca (Novelpia + Kakao) and as a result, I’ll be taking down all korean novels from the site and possibly the site as well.

I’ll be posting the 5 chapters scheduled for this week right now, 5 minutes after the other. So you’ve got 5 more chaps to to read. I’ve compiled the posted chapters into a .txt file and a .epub file available in the discord. These files and all the novels on the site will be taken down on Thursday.

So what’s next? I’ll be looking at CN and JP novels this week. I haven’t read one in almost a decade at this point but hopefully they’ve improved since then. If I find publishers/novels I like, that’ll be the next step. If not, then that might be it.

I’m feeling pretty motivated, thinking I’ll use this as an opportunity to make a brand new site with proper systems in place (assuming I find things I like in the CN/JP section). I made this site 2 years ago from youtube tutorials when I was learning how to code and while I’ve made adjustments here and there, the foundation is still from back then. I love it but it’s ass.

8589 chapters. 43 novels. Thank you everyone for being part of the community. It was a lot of fun and I hope to see some of you in the discord or maybe on the new site if I decide to do it.

See ya, enjoy the chappies! Oh and some have talked to me about not being able to find the discord link. Never made it more visible till the end… It is just above this message and is part of the text. You’ll see a nice orange ‘Here,’ blue if you use light mode(bleh).

-raei

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I expected my next return would definitely be during winter break.

As the bus reached the terminal near my home, that thought crossed my mind.

The last time I’d visited home was right after midterms.

When I said I’d stop by home since exams were over, So-yul waved goodbye and told me to travel safely.

After spending a careful weekend as my girlfriend had ordered, I returned to school using this same terminal.

Back then, I couldn’t have imagined things would end like this.

I believed we’d smoothly reach vacation and promise to meet again next year.

I held onto baseless hope that somehow everything would work out and we’d be happy.

I was aware we were doing something risky.

I was also certain that if we were caught, the situation would spiral out of control.

Yet I believed we’d never be discovered because deep down I was dreaming of some miracle.

I thought that because we were so desperate, because we liked each other, the world would give us special treatment.

I had such optimistic expectations that anyone hearing them would burst into laughter.

Naturally, the world wasn’t so forgiving.

No miracles were permitted for us.

In the end, I had only proven my own foolishness.

I really had been doing something stupid all along.

I let out a bitter laugh at the emptiness I felt in my chest and took a step forward.

My destination was… of course, that cramped little place I called home.

Creeeeak.

When I turned the key and pulled the handle, a grating noise echoed.

The door, noticeably colder than during my last visit, hinted at the passage of time.

Beyond the door stretched the same scene I’d encountered countless times before.

A darkened interior with the lights off. The only sound came from the wall clock’s second hand. The chilly air filling the room lacked any trace of human presence, let alone signs of daily life.

It remained so constant, as if it had been waiting for my return.

“…I’m home.”

I pointlessly greeted the empty house where no one would welcome me.

Of course, no sound came from inside.

Actually, it would have been scarier if someone had answered. If anyone was in this house now, they’d probably be a burglar.

Finding my own behavior absurd, I stepped inside with a bitter smile.

After fumbling for the switch and turning on the light, I saw everything exactly as it had been during my last visit.

The sink with barely-used dishes neatly arranged. The plastic container holding utensils for two people. Even the seasoning basket with everything labeled and organized.

Everything remained in the same state as when I’d left home.

“…”

Unable to describe the feeling that washed over me, I quickly averted my gaze.

Though it was lunchtime, sleepiness outweighed hunger. I decided to head straight to my room.

Inside my room… everything was also preserved exactly as I’d left it.

The floor spotless without a single item strewn about. A blanket large enough to cover two people comfortably. Various emergency medicines prepared by the bedside. Everything remained the same.

“Haah.”

Suddenly, a sigh escaped from deep within my chest.

I didn’t want to examine the meaning behind this sigh.

Surely I was just exhausted from packing and traveling since early morning.

Yes, that must be it. I thought I should lie down on the bed and rest for a while.

I carelessly tossed aside my bag and slumped down on the bed.

As I stretched, my tired body cracked, crying out in various protests.

Taking a relaxing break at a time when I would normally be immersed in studying.

I was finally free from that hellish school. This newfound realization washed over me.

Even though it looked like I’d been expelled, for me it was a kind of escape.

A school that bound and threatened students with suffocating rules. It had already become more of a noose than a fence.

I was only glad to have finally escaped that noose, even if belatedly.

Now no one would scold me for wandering outside as I pleased. If I wanted, I could study all night with the lights on.

I no longer needed to worry about falling behind my classmates in rankings.

So this wasn’t something to be sad about at all. I’d gained freedom from the school’s oppression. It was actually a situation I should be extremely happy about.

…I wanted to rationalize and comfort myself this way.

But suddenly, my eyes caught sight of neatly folded boxes stacked in a corner of the room.

Paper boxes with the words “From now on, organize properly, you dummy” written on them in pretty handwriting.

It seemed the world wouldn’t even allow me this final struggle.

“Well, well.”

I let out a hollow laugh and lifted my head. I thought looking up at the ceiling might make me feel better.

But even that reminded me of the night I’d spent lying beside So-yul… so I ended up closing my eyes.

Self-rationalization really was useless after all.

Wherever I looked, traces So-yul had left behind kept catching my eye.

No matter how much I tried to convince myself I was fine… I was bound to collapse eventually.

“…Huu.”

A bitter sigh burst out from inside my chest.

I’d decided to forget every memory I shared with So-yul. Though it would be incredibly painful and difficult, I wanted to at least pretend to forget.

Our relationship had begun at school and ended at school. I thought I’d be fine once I left that place. I believed that as I went about my daily life, those memories would eventually empty out.

Of course, that was ridiculous.

Memories with So-yul had steadily, completely left their mark on my life.

She’d organized my room that had been cluttered with books. She’d bought medicine for me to take when sick.

Everything So-yul had left behind for me now became a source of great pain.

Making me realize we would never meet again, it felt like constant stabbing in my chest.

It wasn’t just that. After So-yul left, I had planned for the future.

I cleaned diligently to keep the room tidy, prepared two sets of utensils, and even practiced simple cooking to surprise her next time she visited.

The year I spent with So-yul had left countless marks on my life.

Of course, now they had all turned into pointless efforts.

So… what had I been desperately striving for?

For a future I would never reach?

For the wish to be with someone I loved?

For a love that the whole world was determined to block?

It had all been useless from the beginning.

The world wouldn’t grant me anything.

It took away both a harmonious family and a happy love.

Dreams end the moment you wake up, yet unknowingly, I must have hoped for a miracle.

The world wouldn’t be so lenient. I must have said ridiculous things while making my final struggle.

I shouldn’t have dreamed of dreams that would never come true.

I shouldn’t have harbored vain hopes from the beginning.

I clenched my fist, wanting to vent my frustration. I was about to strike the bed but realized even that was futile and let my hand drop.

A bitter coldness flowed through my powerlessly dropped palm.

Losing my balance, I collapsed onto the bed.

…

Negative thoughts had been filling my mind for a while now.

Perhaps it was due to accumulated fatigue from the past few days.

I should just sleep for a bit and then wake up. Then eat something to fill my stomach.

If lamenting and regretting wouldn’t change what had happened, it was better to postpone my worries.

For the past few days, I’d been getting by on about an hour of sleep per day. Though I hadn’t planned to stay awake, various concerns had made it difficult to fall asleep.

Perhaps as a result, a massive wave of drowsiness soon washed over me.

I began to drift off slowly. My breathing became regular, and tension drained from my entire body. The thoughts filling my mind gradually subsided, replaced by a hazy sensation.

The last thing I imagined was… the hope that when I opened my eyes, So-yul might be lying beside me like that one time.

Realizing I was still dreaming of empty miracles, I let out a vague bitter laugh even as my consciousness faded.

―Bzzz, bzzz.

In the midst of this, I vaguely noticed my phone vibrating.

This kind of noise steals your attention the moment you recognize it. Even if you want to ignore it, it becomes increasingly irritating. Just as you might sleep despite being bitten by a mosquito, you can’t fall asleep while hearing a mosquito’s buzz.

“Ah, seriously.”

I guess I couldn’t even enjoy the freedom I’d barely gained.

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and picked up the phone by my pillow. I immediately looked at the screen, but my blurry vision made it difficult to read the text.

Waiting for my vision to recover, the letters on the screen began to appear after a few seconds.

Simultaneously… my eyes widened.

[ Voice call from UNKNOWN

(Accept) (Decline) ]

…Why was this threatening person suddenly contacting me?

The simplest solution to resolve this question was already clear.

I pressed accept and brought the phone to my ear.

“Hello.”

“…My goodness? Finally answering?”

“Yeah. But I want to hang up after hearing your first words, hey.”

Or maybe I wanted to throw the whole phone away.

Come to think of it, I’d forgotten this person had a nasty personality. I regretted not simply ignoring the call and continuing my sleep, since I wouldn’t see them again anyway.

“I don’t know what you want, but can’t you let me sleep? I finally escaped that wretched school and I’m dying of exhaustion.”

“What are you talking about? The kids said you left school Saturday morning.”

“…That’s right, so what?”

When I asked in confusion, a laugh of disbelief came through the phone.

“Wake up. It’s Sunday morning now.”

“…What?”

Only after hearing that did I check my phone screen again.

The time displayed was 8:21 AM.

Since I’d arrived home around noon on Saturday, it meant I’d slept for nearly twenty hours straight.

I put the phone back to my ear.

“Wait, I slept that long?”

“How would I know when you fell asleep?”

Fair point. I must not have fully woken up yet.

“Fine, I’ll accept that. But since when did we start contacting each other?”

“We contacted before. With the photo.”

“That wasn’t contact. It was malicious intimidation.”

“Either way, I contacted you to threaten you.”

The person snorted loudly, making sure I’d hear it.

“Make our So-yul happy no matter what.”

“…”

I found it difficult to respond to those words.

“So? Do you think you’ve succeeded in making So-yul happy?”

The person asked in a somewhat mocking tone, apparently catching the meaning of my silence.

Even so, calling out of nowhere to say such things? And while being So-yul’s friend, why use such a sarcastic tone?

“Hey, if that’s all you’re going to say, I’m hanging up.”

I didn’t hide the sharpness in my voice.

However, the other person responded without showing any sign of being flustered.

“You can’t hang up.”

“Not that you won’t let me, but why can’t I hang up?”

“Because I have something to tell you.”

Something to tell me?

“What is it?”

It was clear this person had contacted me with something specific in mind. After all, we weren’t the type to contact each other without a reason.

But I couldn’t guess what it might be. Our connection was so faint that it was especially puzzling.

So as I quietly waited to hear what answer would come:

After a moment, an incredibly unexpected request came through the phone.

“Turn on the TV. Right now.”