Confinement-1

[Dear customer, I’ve sent everything. Thank you in advance for sending the remaining 1,000,000 won, excluding the down payment.]

I replied cheerfully to the gruff male voice.

“Yes, thank you for your hard work. I’ll send it right away, so please confirm it here.”

I sent the money through internet banking.

“I sent it, please check it.”

There was no response from the other side, probably checking the deposit.

After a while, they confirmed the deposit and hung up, asking me to use their services again.

There was an email in my inbox.

I downloaded the PDF file and opened it.

It was the first time in my life that I had used a private investigation agency.

I secretly went and requested the investigation, worried that Ho-cheol might be concerned. It seemed that money was the best.

At first, the head of the agency thought I was there to investigate a cheating wife. But when he realized the scale of my request was larger than he expected, he started calculating and quoted me a rather high price.

It was a large sum, but I preferred a thorough investigation, so I deliberately offered a bonus and demanded accurate information.

The somewhat nonchalant agency head treated me very politely when I offered more money.

Their work was accurate, and today, perfectly organized information came into my hands.

I spent a lot of money, but… what can I do? There are more important things in the world than money.

After hearing about the cafe employee, I learned that she was doing things behind my back without my knowledge.

Since it was certain that she would cause physical harm, I used people to check the extent of the damage.

Thanks to that, I had a lot more to do, which physically distanced me from Garam.

The reason I investigated her secretly instead of directly asking and blaming her was to find out how much bad she had done.

And depending on the severity, I planned to change the way I treated her.

If it wasn’t too serious, I would continue to tell her what was right and wrong, as I had been doing.

If not, I intended to take her to a mental hospital or have her judged by the law.

I scrolled through the documents from the private investigation agency, checking the recent whereabouts of people who were directly or indirectly involved with me.

-Bowling club member, male, teeth knocked out by force, abdomen struck multiple times, not life-threatening but suffering significant mental damage, currently in hospital.

The man who scolded me at the bowling alley.

-Cafe employee, female, suddenly pushed into a car on her way home from work, not life-threatening as the car was driving slowly in the alley, currently discharged from the hospital, police investigation underway but no suspect identified.

The employee who tried to bring me dessert.

-Fast food restaurant employee, male, indiscriminately assaulted on his way home after drinking with friends, unable to identify the suspect due to being intoxicated.

The employee who got annoyed with me when the kiosk malfunctioned while I was using it.

-Car center employee, male, hit in the back of the head with what appeared to be a wooden stick, currently hospitalized.

The person who argued with me about the exorbitant tire replacement cost.

And many others.

Bad things happened to people who had minor conflicts with me.

Should I be relieved that their lives weren’t in danger?

I naturally clicked my tongue.

“Garam…”

I thought so, but I didn’t know it was this serious.

It seems that all these problems stemmed from my arrogance.

This is the fifth Dimensional Shift already.

I thought I had become accustomed to death and the types of people who were obsessed with me.

So I believed I could control them myself.

The first two killed me before I could do anything, but I could communicate with Mina and Master, so that belief was firm.

I can control this situation. I can control these women’s emotions.

So, I was convinced that I was adapting well to this damned world.

However, that pigeon bitch who gave me this ordeal had a nasty mind, and Garam’s obsession was a little different from what I thought.

Her aggression wasn’t directed at me. But even if it wasn’t directed at me, it didn’t mean the aggression wasn’t there.

It means that the strategy was flawed from the start.

-Ding-dong

The doorbell rang. It was probably the jajangmyeon I ordered for dinner.

I hadn’t eaten properly all day, so my stomach was growling.

Okay, I know the situation now. Let’s think about it while I fill my stomach.

“Have I been ordering too much lately?”

I rubbed my belly, which had gained weight again, and headed to the front door.

Okay, let’s eat until today and then start exercising hard again.

The investigation is over, so I can continue exercising as before. For the time being, I need to stay close to Garam and be careful that she doesn’t go astray.

I put on my slippers and slightly opened the door.

I reached out to grab the jajangmyeon bowl through the gap in the door.

As I squatted down to bring the bowl inside, I heard a familiar voice above me.

“I told you not to eat things like that.”

I stumbled back and looked up, seeing Garam looking down at me, soaked in sweat.

And I felt it.

I must never let her into the house.

I staggered to my feet and pulled the door.

The door, which was slowly being pulled towards me, stopped at some point.

“Is it because you’re not wearing proper clothes? It’s okay. I am.”

The door that was being pulled towards me was gradually being pulled away.

The door groaned, making a creaking sound.

I grabbed the handle with both hands and leaned back as far as I could, like in a tug-of-war at a sports day.

Thus, our standoff began.

I planted my feet on either side of the door and put more force into it, while Garam occasionally called my name and pulled the door.

When I pulled the door, she pulled the door.

If it closed a little this way, it quickly opened that way.

When I used my strength to close the door again, she used her strength to open it.

If I could just close the door, the door lock would activate.

Then I would have time to call the police.

No matter how strong Garam is, she wouldn’t be able to break this thick iron door.

I just need to close the door.

As I tried to close the door with all my might, I felt something rising from the back of my neck.

“Ah… no way…”

I was using too much strength, and my blood pressure rose, causing me to feel dizzy.

Even in the darkening vision, I pulled the door, but as my consciousness faded, I felt myself falling backward.

“Huh!”

And when I opened my eyes, I was still in my house.

I was lying in bed.

I blinked, wondering if what had just happened was a dream, and tried to recall the events.

I must have hit the back of my head hard when I fell, as there was a large bump on the back of my head.

It hurt when I touched it.

This pain told me that what had happened earlier was not a dream.

I looked around. Garam was nowhere to be seen.

I got out of bed and took a step.

-Clang

The sound of a chain and the shackles on my ankle stopped me.