Swamp-5

I grab the water cup.

The still surface ripples with the force, and water flows over my hand.

Just like she did, I lift the cup and gulp down the water.

The coldness of the water flows down my throat, awakening my mind, which had been in turmoil all morning.

I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and look at her, speaking plainly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“I’m not a father, and I’m not old enough to be called ‘Dad’ by a grown woman. More than anything…”

“Why would Garam call you ‘Dad’?”

“It’s not like you’re asking me to be a legal father.”

She presses her index fingers together, muttering discontentedly.

“Still, no. To be honest, the title ‘Dad’ is burdensome. I’d rather be called ‘Mister.'”

“But ‘Mister’ seems so distant…”

“Don’t you think that distance is just right?”

I put strength into my words, speaking more firmly.

The fact that I see her as someone pitiful, anxious, someone I want to take care of and comfort, remains unchanged.

Also, I’m not unaware that her obsession started with my actions.

Her obsession is just beginning to sprout.

That’s why I’m trying to draw a clear line from the beginning.

It’s fine to be obsessed. It’s fine to rely on me to some extent.

But I hope she’ll respect the line I draw. If she crosses that line, our relationship will be ruined.

Imprinting this message on her is what I need to do.

Whether I can control her or not… the calculation wasn’t finished, but I still wanted to try.

If I don’t even try, I’ll face a similar ending in this dimension as I’ve suffered so far.

“…Really, it’s not possible?”

As expected, her toned-down voice pressured me.

I deliberately ignore her words and reach for the ramen that came out at just the right time with my chopsticks.

“Enjoy your meal.”

I lift the noodles and blow on them.

I put the freshly cooked, chewy ramen straight into my mouth.

-Slurp

With a satisfying sound, the savory taste of the ramen spreads throughout my mouth.

It seems even more delicious because it’s been a while since I’ve had ramen.

“Aren’t you eating?”

After eating a couple of bites, I look at her.

I know she’s upset. I’m asking even though I know.

I hope that if I act this nonchalantly, she might change her mind a little.

You know how it is? It was a case that came out on a companion dog correction program.

When they show aggression, showing a scared appearance makes them more aggressive.

In this way, let’s keep drawing the line.

This is the survival method I’ve chosen in this dimension.

Whether it was effective or not, Garam is looking at me with a fork and knife in her hands.

I glance at her and then bury my face back in the ramen bowl.

It was partly to avoid her gaze, and partly because the ramen was damn delicious.

Garam keeps her gaze on me for a few more seconds before starting to eat.

We didn’t say a word to each other while eating, so thankfully, I didn’t choke.

After eating, we took out coffee and headed to Garam Fitness.

I had only heard a rough story from Ho-cheol, so today was the first time I saw how ruined the center was.

“Oh….”

And the sight was devastating.

All the glass on one side of the wall was broken, and I don’t know what they threw, but two treadmills were wrecked.

Only one of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling was working, so turning on the lights created an atmosphere like an abandoned house.

The documents on the desk were all torn and scattered on the floor, and I didn’t even expect the broadcasting camera to be intact in the first place.

It looks like they fled in the middle of the night.

“Huh….”

A hollow laugh involuntarily came out at this sight, which was not enough to be described as ‘a mess’.

“Um….”

As I was worrying about how to clean this up, Garam gently grabbed my arm.

“That….”

Hesitantly, she avoided my gaze and swayed her body from side to side.

“You’re not angry, are you?”

Her wavering gaze went back and forth between my face and the ruined center.

“There’s no reason to be angry, right? It’s not my center.”

Why would I be upset when the center you run is a mess?

“Hehe, that’s a relief.”

I furrowed my brow slightly at her off-kilter reaction, as if she had been shot in the head.

Hold on. The other person is in pain.

Carefully avoiding the glass and fluorescent light fragments, we moved our feet, pulled up chairs, and sat down to sort out the situation.

“First of all, let’s remodel this time. Ho-cheol already put up a notice that it will be closed for remodeling. Just send a separate text message to the members.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll pay for the remodeling costs for now. It’s because of what happened when I brought you on the show.”

“Not all of it. Pay me 10% later.”

“Yes.”

“First of all, I don’t know much about exercise equipment or anything like that. Please organize all the equipment you want to replace this time.”

“Yes.”

“Are there any places where you can get center supplies? How about using safer mirrors this time? Is there such a thing as tempered glass?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“Garam.”

“Yes?”

She, who had been repeating the same words like a cheap voice recording doll, looks at me when I call her name.

“What are you trying to do now?”

“Yes? What do you mean.”

I let out a long breath and crossed my legs.

Perhaps because I’ve lost more weight than before, it was easier to cross my legs.

“What are you trying to do now? You keep repeating the same words, ‘Yes. Yes.'”

“Ah, that’s… D… Boss knows better. I’ll just do whatever Boss tells me to…”

“Listen, Choi Garam. This center is Garam’s business. I’m just the landlord.”

Suppressing the bad words that rose to my throat, I spoke as politely as possible.

However, the unrefined feeling of reproach was conveyed as it was, making her shrink back.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

She’s trembling so much, I can’t say anything more.

It feels so strange.

I scratched my head roughly and told her the reality.

“Garam, I can’t help you forever. So please be more proactive. Honestly, it’s a good opportunity. It’s an opportunity to make the center better. How can you be so passive?”

As if scolding a rebellious teenager, I persuaded her again in a gentle voice.

I explained for a long time how good this opportunity given to her was.

“Boss.”

Of course, I don’t know if Garam understood those words properly.

She slowly reached out and gently placed her hand on mine.

“Don’t say you can’t be by my side anymore, or that you’re leaving.”

As if she didn’t care about the remodeling, she rushed into something else proactively.

“If you say that. I might, I might die.”

Looking at Garam’s bizarre expression, whether she was smiling or crying, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

There’s a saying that if you fall into a swamp, stay still.

Because the more you struggle to get out of the swamp, the more you sink into it.

That’s what I thought when I uploaded my phone call with Hana on the internet.

And my dull brain has finally realized that this saying applies to me as well.