Chapter 43
"Have you had anything good happen lately?"
As I was cleaning up after my shift, the guy who ran the place—my boss—came over with a grin and asked me that.
Even though the bar was downtown, there hadn't been many customers lately, so on weekdays it was just the two of us running the place.
I was doing work that was practically on the level of a business partner now, and even getting paid for it, so we got along pretty well.
I did wonder why a bar was only open until the evening instead of staying open at night, though.
"Why? All of a sudden?"
"No reason. You just seem to be smiling a lot lately. I figured maybe something good had happened."
"It's nothing, Hyung."
It would be a lie to say nothing in my life had changed.
Just a few days ago, Minseo had become my ideal type and come to live with me.
Though it was a bit of a stretch, I hadn't really questioned the changes to her body or how innocent she'd become.
At first, I'd only planned to bring her over quietly while she was asleep.
"Look at you, grinning again! Hey, you got a girl?"
"What girl, Hyung? Don't say weird stuff."
"You little punk. You acted all innocent, saying you weren't interested in women..."
We weren't at a point where I could proudly tell other people about us yet.
It seemed like Minseo would need a little more time before she could fully accept me, so I wasn't comfortable letting people know.
Once we're married, I can proudly say, ‘Minseo is an adult and my wife.’ No matter what she looks like or how tall she is...
But with her appearance being what it is, I didn't want to invite any misunderstandings before then.
"Well, it's something like that."
That didn't mean I wanted to deny how much I liked Minseo, so I smiled and brushed it off.
"So, is she pretty? How old is she?"
That was the inevitable line whenever someone started prying.
This Hyung was just an ordinary guy after all, and he hit me with the usual question.
I couldn't understand why he was so interested in someone else's girlfriend, though...
"She's pretty to me, anyway. And we're not even dating yet, so it's hard to answer. I'll get going."
"Oh? Sure. Get home safe."
"Yeah. Take it easy, Hyung."
We didn't want to make things awkward, so I played along and headed home.
If he'd asked to see a picture, we definitely would've gotten into a fight.
He was pretty casual with me, but he knew where to draw the line, so I didn't mind him.
"Yeah... Well, things are going well."
Since the topic had come up, I took a moment to think about how things had been between us so far.
It was still hard to make her fall in love with me, but we were definitely getting closer, slowly and little by little.
And the pace wasn't slow at all.
In any case, Minseo seemed to think of me as someone special, so I figured it wouldn't take much longer.
By now, it had become normal for us to sleep cuddled up together or for her to sit on my lap.
"......"
A smile crept across my face.
It felt as though the love and attention I'd thought were nothing but my own selfish demands were finally being returned.
If you looked at it closely, everything I'd done so far was just meddling Minseo had never asked for.
In the end, I was no different from a robber, selfishly approaching Minseo and trying to steal her heart after unilaterally showering her with things.
But as a result, Minseo was still alive and I'd gotten to satisfy my desires, so I didn't regret it.
ㅡ ♬♪
My phone suddenly started ringing, so I took it out and checked the screen.
A call from Hyuna.
Since she was at home with Minseo, I couldn't think of any particular reason she'd be calling me.
Was she calling to ask me to pick something up on my way back since I was already out?
"What?"
I answered in a slightly displeased tone.
But, unexpectedly, the first voice I heard was Minseo's.
I should've been happy to hear her, but my face immediately twisted into a frown.
"Haa... hah... ah... Hyunwoo... Hyunwoo..."
She was calling my name with shallow moans, her voice sounding terrified.
It was just like that time.
Exactly like the first time she'd called me after turning into this.
"W-What? What is it?! Hey, Lee Hyuna! What the fuck did you do?!"
The moment I came to my senses, I was already running home.
And two questions surfaced in my mind.
Why was Minseo suffering and in so much pain...?
And why had Hyuna gone out of her way to call me and make me hear this...?
Only bad thoughts kept coming to me.
Don't tell me this crazy bitch had done something to Minseo...
"No... It wasn't me... I mean, just get here right now!"
Hyuna said what she wanted to say and unilaterally hung up.
Even in that brief sentence, her bewilderment and indignation made it sound like the situation was urgent.
Don't be too late... Please, don't be too late.
Don't tell me she tried to kill herself again...
No... That can't happen.
This time, I promised I'd make her happy. I promised I'd look after her and protect her so she never lacked for anything.
ㅡ Bang!
When I rushed up to the front door, I saw it was already slightly open.
I shoved it open and hurried inside, shouting as I went.
Praying the situation hadn't become so serious that it was beyond my control.
Praying... Please, please let her still be alive.
"Fuck...! Minseo! Where is Minseo?!"
"O-Oppa! Over here..."
I looked toward the living room, where I'd heard a voice, and saw Hyuna beckoning to me from in front of my room.
"Get out of the way!"
"......"
The situation was too urgent, so I roughly shoved Hyuna aside and rushed in.
Her expression seemed to sour as I pushed her aside... but that wasn't something I needed to worry about right now.
When I looked toward the bed, I saw Minseo.
"Ahh... sob... ugh..."
She was curled up on her side in a fetal position.
She was definitely cute, but she was trembling so badly that I couldn't think about anything else. It felt like I was going mad.
Minseo was clutching her head with both arms, her face buried as she moaned and broke out in a cold sweat.
She was drenched in sweat, to the point that I could see her clothes clinging to her body.
"H-Hey! Kim Minseo... What's going on? What is this...?"
Thankfully, there were no injuries on her body, so it didn't look like she'd tried to hurt or kill herself...
Even so, Minseo was showing me a different kind of horror than before, and it terrified me.
"...Hyunwoo? Hyunwoo... Hyunwoo... I'm scared..."
She reacted to my voice, quickly turning her head this way and that.
Her head was still bowed, making even the movement look eerie, but that was nothing compared to the terror Minseo must have been feeling.
I couldn't say for sure, but it seemed like she was having a panic attack.
"I'm here, Minseo. Open your eyes."
I lifted her into my arms and held her close, wrapping her in my warmth.
Didn't little kids sometimes tremble after nightmares when they were starved for affection?
I had no guarantee Minseo was the same, but this seemed better than just standing there.
"......"
I felt a pulse through Minseo's body against mine.
Her body had gone rigid with tension, her heartbeat racing abnormally.
It was so strong and irregular that... I could easily imagine the place Minseo was trapped in was like hell.
At the same time, the fear planted in Minseo spread to me in an instant.
"Hoo... haa..."
I steadied my breathing. At this rate, I felt like I was going to lose my mind too.
At the same time, I needed to calm myself down, because anger was surging through me like crazy.
I didn't understand. Why did Minseo still have to suffer like this?
Our promise had already been made.
There shouldn't have been anything left to torment or hurt her.
Just yesterday, Minseo had been perfectly fine while I was away.
Had I somehow placed a new burden on her?
I didn't know. She hadn't said anything, so I thought she was okay.
In the end, I'd hurt Minseo again and failed to consider her feelings...
What good was calling myself her future husband? I couldn't even protect Minseo in a situation this simple.
ㅡ Crrrk.
It wasn't easy to calm down. Without realizing it, I ground my teeth and held Minseo even tighter.
After spending who knows how long lost in thought, I saw Minseo slowly open her eyes.
"Minseo... Minseo! Are you okay? Are you coming around?"
"Ah... Hyunwoo...? You're really Hyunwoo...?"
When I eased her away from my chest a little, Minseo began patting my face with her tiny hands.
Only after confirming I was within reach did she manage a faint smile, and that sight was more beautiful than anything else.
Her radiance and innocence rivaled all the jewels I'd ever seen, and I fell for her all over again.
What I felt for Minseo really was love after all.
"...I'm back. Did you have a bad dream?"
Suppressing the urge to cry from the shock of her nightmare, I forced myself to treat Minseo as I usually did.
If I cried here, Minseo would worry about me and feel guilty.
I had to be strong, if only to keep Minseo from falling apart instead of me.
"I'm sorry... I was just about to go out... I was coming down the stairs when I saw the bloodstains..."
"......"
"I'm sorry, Hyunwoo... I'm sorry... I was wrong... *sob*..."
Minseo clung to me, sobbing her heart out.
More than seeing Minseo's tears, hearing her apologize stabbed into my heart like a blade.
Minseo hadn't done anything wrong. I was the one who'd forced her to stay shut up in this tiny house.
It was just because I wanted to keep her as mine forever. Because I was afraid of her getting even a little way beyond my reach...
The shackles I'd secretly fastened on her while ignoring her feelings and lying to myself that I was doing the right thing.
Minseo probably didn't even know those shackles of my selfishness existed.
That was all. That's why I cried.
"......Minseo."
I tilted my head toward the ceiling.
So even if Minseo looked at me, she wouldn't see my tears.
"It's okay. It's okay. Let's stay like this until you calm down..."
Praying my voice would sound natural, I put on a casual air.