Confinement-5

Living as the Young Cult Leader of the Black Heaven Cult, I used to complain that life without a computer or smartphone was a bit boring.

But why didn’t I realize back then that even that was an extravagant life?

When Garam goes out to the center, all I can do is sit or lie on the living room sofa.

Until she returns, the only places I can roam in this large house are the living room sofa and the kitchen table.

It’s ironic, considering the house is over 60 pyeong.

Mostly, I lie down or sit and stare blankly.

Like a new private transferred to a unit, I’m enjoying uncomfortable freedom.

If even that gets boring, I occasionally look at the scenery outside through the window.

A strangely long chain prevents me from opening the window, so I can’t open it and shout.

Is that why? The more I look outside, the greater my desire to go out grows, so now I just lie down all the time.

Deprivation in a poor environment can be given up altogether, but deprivation in a rich environment is unbearable.

How long will this life continue?

I had cautiously brought up the idea of being released to Garam, but she said firmly:

-If you marry me and have children, then I’ll release you.

Faced with an unrealistic compromise, I never asked her to release me again.

So, with the forcibly increased time, I’m spending more time thinking deeply about what has happened so far.

How did my life become like this?

I try to recall the memory of the day I died, which I now remember faintly.

Uh, so, the memory of the day I died in the world I originally lived in.

The season… I don’t remember if it was spring or summer.

We talked about the increasingly hot weather and air conditioning, so it might have been early summer.

I remember that day was a day when things didn’t go well.

I was annoyed by the slow work, and I had an argument with a colleague.

In the heated atmosphere, I wanted to calm down for a while, and I remember going outside.

Holding a cold coffee and stepping on the well-paved sidewalk, I tried to somehow quell the rising anger and annoyance.

And what happened then?

While passing a building under construction, my vision went dark with a crashing sound.

Perhaps something attached to a crane fell on me.

Having died like that, I met a pigeon-like woman who called herself a god, and unable to contain my anger, I hurled abuse at the god, and this is the price I paid.

‘I should have started a new life in a new dimension as suggested.’

It’s not that I don’t think about it. No, I think about it often.

But it’s already water under the bridge.

Even if time were to go back and I were faced with the same choices, my stubborn personality would probably make me choose the same thing.

Maybe, wouldn’t it?

Yes, it seems so.

I’ve always been like that.

Already, evening.

Garam’s return was earlier than usual.

The sound of the door lock’s password being entered was urgent.

The rapid beeping of the electronic sound made me involuntarily turn my gaze to the entrance.

“Dad!!”

Garam, who appeared at the entrance with a face as if she was being chased by something, threw off her shoes and ran to me.

As soon as she sat next to the sofa, she took out my cell phone from her pocket and held it out to me.

On the screen of the phone she suddenly presented, there was a message from Ho-cheol.

Ho-cheol: I called you about taxes, but you didn’t answer.

Ho-cheol: Hyung, I haven’t been able to reach you lately. Is something wrong?

Ho-cheol: I’ll send the documents for now. Please check them and contact me.

Attachment sent by [Ho-cheol]

The time has already come for Ho-cheol to contact me.

Well, even if I delegated the work, there would be things that couldn’t be handled without me, the actual owner.

“Please… reply to this.”

Looking at the records, it seems she had been replying somewhat, pretending to be me, until now.

This time, the matter is too big to pretend to be me, so she must be feeling burdened.

“I’ll type it, so just tell me what to say, Dad.”

As I reached out to take the phone, Garam turned her body away and said.

“……”

For the first time in a long time, an opportunity to communicate with the outside world has come.