The Maid and the Master – 3

“What’s wrong?”

Kang In-ho asked, noticing Emma’s face was more rigid than before.

Emma offered In-ho an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry for making you worry, Master.”

“No, no. People have their off days. I was just curious what happened. It seemed like someone was persistently trying to sell you something.”

“You… were watching?”

“It’s easy to see from here.”

His finger pointed to the wide window. Beyond the window, not only the front of the mansion but also the front gate, where Emma had been talking to Hans just moments ago, was clearly visible.

“……”

A grinding sound escaped Emma’s lips.

“Well, sometimes salespeople have to be thick-skinned. Don’t hate them too much. They’re just trying to make a living.”

In-ho said, guessing at what had happened since he didn’t know the exact details of their conversation.

Probably, they were just persistently trying to get her to buy something.

In-ho was surprised when she suddenly grabbed his shoulder, but he figured it wasn’t much different from the phone salespeople who grabbed women’s hands and dragged them into stores in Gangnam Station.

However, since this society seemed rather conservative, he couldn’t gauge the extent of Emma’s humiliation.

In order to survive in this dimension, In-ho desperately needed Emma.

She was a teacher who could give In-ho information he didn’t know and a helper who could assist his body, which didn’t move as he wished.

Frankly speaking, if she had bad intentions, In-ho wouldn’t last three days before dying.

‘But is there a reason to live?’

As always, while thinking about survival strategies, a fundamental question arose in In-ho’s mind.

He couldn’t avoid death no matter how hard he tried.

Was it worth struggling so much?

Recalling his somewhat futile previous death, he couldn’t help but sigh.

“Haa….”

“Master? You’re not angry, are you?”

Perhaps sensing his troubled mind, Emma asked slowly.

She was tightly clutching her skirt with both hands, wondering if her master’s displeasure was directed at her.

“No. I was just thinking about something.”

“I see. Anyway, I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about such things in the future.”

“By the way, Emma. I have a question for you.”

“Yes. You can ask me anything.”

“I’m, uh, I have dementia, right?”

“……”

Emma didn’t know what to say, and she just smacked her lips.

Seeing Emma at a loss, In-ho waved his hand.

“You don’t have to hide it. My mind is in my thirties, but my body is so old, so I’m asking.”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“How long has it been?”

“About three years ago… The symptoms worsened about three years ago.”

At first, he confused the names of characters in his novels.

Then, the major plot points.

Next, sentences.

Words.

Memories.

Himself.

He changed every day, and his once bright eyes became dull.

Like a child, he just ate, slept, and relieved himself.

Emma recounted that hellish time with difficulty.

Emma’s face looked pained as she haltingly recalled the memories, but she still showed a bright smile at the end, as if there was still hope left.

“But this morning, you showed your original self, Master.”

Her master, having returned to his original self, sent a message to the weekly magazine saying he would stop serializing his novel, and then took a nap.

And then.

‘And then he probably died. Because that’s when I woke up.’

The first thing In-ho did upon waking up was drink water.

He shouldn’t have been feeling thirsty, but perhaps because of the thirst deeply ingrained in his mind, he urgently sought water.

That’s how he frantically rummaged through the house, went into the dining room, drank water, and met Emma.

“Aren’t you disappointed? That the symptoms relapsed again.”

Emma shook her head at the question of whether she was disappointed that it wasn’t the original master’s self, but the mind of a thirty-one-year-old young man (supposedly).

“It’s okay. You’re always my master. No matter what you look like or what state you’re in, I will always be loyal to you.”

Emma blushed like a shy girl.

“And the symptoms of the current master are different from what I’ve seen so far.”

“In what way?”

“Certainly, the ailing master had past memories superimposed on him like now. But he couldn’t have clear conversations with me like this.”

“I see.”

“I think your mind itself might have become younger.”

“Isn’t that too far-fetched?”

“Still… otherwise, it can’t be explained. Your tone has changed, and your personality is a bit more cheerful….”

“…Okay, let’s go with that.”

‘If she thinks so, what can I do?’

In-ho thought to himself.

After In-ho’s words, a moment of silence passed.

He ate a few more spoonfuls of the remaining pudding, and Emma stood beside him, contributing to the silence.

Emma spoke again when he finished the pudding and handed the empty bowl to her.

“Master, if it’s alright with you, may I bring a doctor tomorrow?”

“A doctor?”

“Yes. Since your condition has improved a lot, I think it would be good to get a physical examination.”

“Sure. Well, I have no reason to refuse.”

“Yes, then I’ll make a reservation.”

Emma bowed politely as she took the bowl and left the room.

“Ah! Excuse me, Emma.”

In-ho called out to her as she was leaving.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“That, the name Kang In-ho… doesn’t it sound strange?”

“The name… you mean? Not at all. It’s been your name from the beginning.”

Emma smiled, slightly revealing her teeth, and left the room.

“So that’s what it means to be overwritten.”

In-ho shuddered, realizing once again the meaning of the words that the existence was overwritten on the target of possession.

“That vicious pigeon. She cast a truly terrible curse.”

In-ho didn’t know that the god who had brought him to this state was frantically searching for him somewhere in the dimension.