Gutter Chapter 13.1

I had a nightmare.

It wasn’t unfamiliar, as I had been plagued by this dream for the past few days, but I was afraid of the person and the events that appeared in it, so Yeonjo started trembling from the moment the dream began.

The building was ablaze. People gathered and murmured, and Yeonjo went inside, as always, to look for that kid. However, seeing the limp body sprawled on the melted linoleum, my body froze.

Yeonjo cautiously approached the kid. I couldn’t see his face properly because he was lying with his head turned in the opposite direction. Narrowing my eyes to focus, I bent down and checked the kid’s face.

‘Aaagh!’

Lying on the floor wasn’t that kid, but Jo Joowon. His eyes were rolled back, and he was already dead.

Screaming in horror, Yeonjo turned and ran away from the corpse. Unfortunately, the direction I ran was always deeper into the burning building.

‘Yeonjo, my grandson. Where did my grandson go?’

Outside, I heard my grandmother’s voice anxiously searching for me. It was so vague and faint that I wondered if it was my own hallucination, so Yeonjo called out to my grandmother at the top of my lungs.

‘Grandma! Grandma!’

I desperately ran to escape the room filled with black smoke and find my grandmother, but no matter how hard I struggled, I remained in the same place. The huge flames spread throughout the room, and now they were flickering as if to engulf even Yeonjo. It looked like a red monster opening its jaws.

I’m going to die like this. The moment I finally gave up and closed my eyes tightly, Yeonjo woke up from the dream.

My eyes were wet. Lately, this was always the case whenever I woke up.

I looked at the wall clock; it was already late afternoon. Naturally, the space next to me was empty. Boss Gu had been spending more time outside these days, so I was used to waking up alone.

“Would you like to eat? I’ll prepare it right away.”

As I left the bedroom, a housekeeper wearing an apron approached and asked. Yeonjo rubbed my eyes and shook my head.

“I’ll eat later. I’m not hungry yet.”

“You need to take your medicine…. It’ll hurt your stomach if you swallow it on an empty stomach.”

“It’s okay.”

The housekeeper brought me a glass of water and my medicine. Yeonjo swallowed the medicine in front of her. Her persistent gaze was almost like surveillance.

“Are you leaving for the day?”

“Yes. It’s already this late.”

Receiving the cup from Yeonjo, the housekeeper untied her apron and began to tidy the kitchen. Every corner of the house was already spotless thanks to her, so I wondered if there was anything more to clean.

“I’ve wrapped the rice and side dishes, so please eat when you’re a bit more awake.”

She left the house after leaving a short reminder. I wondered if she had received a separate key, as a short beep sounded whenever she opened the door. Of course, Yeonjo wasn’t allowed to go out, so I couldn’t open the door freely like her.

Being left alone in the house again, the scenes I had seen in my dream kept flickering before my eyes. Despite the recurring nature of the dream, Yeonjo always felt depressed after waking up.

Ignoring the food set on the table, Yeonjo immediately turned on the TV. As human voices flowed from the drama, my anxiously pounding heart finally calmed down.

If I didn’t do this, it was difficult to bear the feeling of being left alone in the house.

After turning up the volume, Yeonjo checked the clock. If it was one of the days Boss Gu came home early, he would be arriving around this time. Tired of watching TV endlessly, I decided to wait for him at the front door.

When will Boss Gu come? The time alone was so agonizing that these days, I spent each day looking forward to the time he would come home from the moment I opened my eyes.

Yeonjo sat quietly in front of the front door, straining my ears. As usual, it was quiet outside the villa. There was a ventilation system installed inside the building, so Boss Gu wouldn’t even let me open the windows. Therefore, to hear any signs of someone’s presence, I had to get close to the front door and listen carefully.

Very occasionally, sounds of children laughing and running in the hallway, car horns, and conversations between residents would drift in. If I was lucky, I could listen to conversations between the villa lobby security guard and residents for a long time.

Of course, due to the good soundproofing, it was impossible to understand the content of the conversations, but even so, Yeonjo felt a sense of stability from the muffled human voices.

Unfortunately, there were no particular noises today.

Sitting listlessly like that, Yeonjo suddenly raised my head. And like someone experiencing a paranoid episode, I went into the bedroom and found the bag hidden inside a newly bought piece of clothing in a corner of the wardrobe.

I frequently opened it to check if my grandmother’s keepsakes, family photos, and Mr. Lim’s business card were still there. Even though I had meticulously checked before going to bed yesterday, I was worried that Boss Gu might have taken them away, so I kept checking from time to time.

Everything was in place. Whew, that’s a relief. Relieved, Yeonjo hid the bag properly and closed the wardrobe door. Then I returned to the front door and started waiting for Boss Gu again.

I must have dozed off for a while. With the beeping sound of the lock being released, the door opened and Boss Gu entered. It seemed like quite some time had passed, as the floor where Yeonjo had been sitting was warm.

“You’re here?”

Unlike Yeonjo, who greeted him cheerfully, Boss Gu frowned immediately.

“Medicine.”

“I took it.”

“Food.”

Boss Gu walked past Yeonjo into the living room and checked the dining table himself to find the answer.

“You didn’t fucking eat it.”

He hadn’t eaten again. Hearing his dry murmur, Yeonjo followed him into the kitchen. Noticing his bad mood, I shrugged my shoulders.

“I was waiting to eat with you.”

“How would you know when I was coming?”

“I thought you’d come soon.”

He lifted Yeonjo up and placed me on the dining chair.

“Sit.”

Even though my foot had completely healed now, perhaps out of habit, Boss Gu often carried Yeonjo around.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I’ll change and then eat.”

Saying that, Boss Gu unbuttoned his shirt. Looking closely, there were bloodstains scattered across his white shirt. Judging by the location of the splatters, it wasn’t his. His face was fine, and he didn’t seem to have any difficulty speaking or moving.

Following his movements with my eyes, Yeonjo asked.

“When are you leaving again?”

“Later tonight.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Why would I sleep if I have to go out again?”

And then the conversation paused. It was because he went to the room to change clothes.

Yeonjo picked up some side dishes with my chopsticks and put them in my mouth. I mechanically took a few more bites, and soon Boss Gu came out to the living room, having changed his clothes.

“Eat without waiting. And sleep if you’re sleepy.”

“Okay.”

Yeonjo nodded. Boss Gu sat across from me and started eating. Soon, the only sounds in the house were the TV and the clinking of dishes.

Yeonjo kept eating, looking down at my plate. Even though every dish was carefully prepared, I had no appetite.

🚬

Being alone is hard.

Loneliness was a chronic illness Yeonjo had been suffering from since childhood. Yeonjo’s life had rolled on until now, a struggle to avoid feeling lonely.

Since my grandmother’s death, it had felt like I was constantly submerged in a swamp. At first, it gently pulls at your ankles, but before you know it, you realize you’ve sunk past your calves, your thighs, and finally up to your waist.

The nightmares continued. Every time I fell asleep, it was a repetition of a similar pattern. When I woke up, my condition was invariably rock bottom.

My foot had healed, and I was taking my medicine regularly, so my lungs were much better than before, but Yeonjo didn’t feel like I was getting better at all. Rather, I felt like I was spiraling down into a worse state.

It was better when Boss Gu was at home. Being close to him still made my heart heavy and suffocated, but the sense of security that came from being with someone eased my anxiety.

Today, too, as soon as I opened my eyes, I checked the empty space next to me and took my usual spot by the front door.

At least after we had sex, Boss Gu would stay home longer than usual before going out. So, I tried sending him signals a few times, but he didn’t understand Yeonjo’s seduction at all. Realizing that I had to physically rub against him or speak directly, I stopped trying.

Yeonjo killed time by biting my nails. I didn’t know what I was doing. I also didn’t know what I should be doing.

To find my role in this monotonous, treadmill-like time, I had to reflect on my situation.

First, I had debt. A huge sum that I could never repay with a normal job. This was my situation.

So, how should I repay that debt? Or should I keep enduring beside Boss Gu, swaying when he sways, being caught when he catches me? If so, until when? I couldn’t live like this indefinitely without any promise of an end. Until Boss Gu gets tired of me?

Vague questions with no answers continued to follow one after another.

“When will you come….”

Yeonjo mumbled gloomily, hugging my knees. Yes. In the end, this train of thought was just an excuse and justification for killing time while waiting for Boss Gu to return. There was nothing else I could do in this place.

When will you come? When will you come? As if Boss Gu was in front of me, Yeonjo repeated the same words.

As I lowered my head, a sense of déjà vu crept over me. I had experienced this bone-chilling loneliness before. When I was crouched in the market where I first met my grandmother. The feeling back then was exactly the same as now.

🚬

Waking up early for once, Yeonjo drowsily followed Boss Gu, who was moving around the house, preparing for work.

He was dressed in a suit and, unusually, even had his tie neatly done. It was different from his usual rather sloppy attire. Come to think of it, for some reason, the number of days he dressed up in a suit like that had increased recently.

“Bored?”

Boss Gu asked Yeonjo, who was diligently turning my head to follow his movements, as he sat on the sofa.

“Why?”

“You look like it.”

When he asked, I turned my head and looked away, pretending nothing had happened, despite having stared so obviously.

“Watch some TV or something.”

“There’s nothing I want to watch.”

Even as I said that, Yeonjo grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. A morning drama I had never seen before appeared on the screen. As Yeonjo stared at it with a disinterested expression, Boss Gu spoke again.

“What do you do during the day?”

“I lie down.”

“Then why are you squatting by the door like a dog every time?”

“Because I think you’ll be coming around then.”

“Don’t you feel suffocated?”

For some reason, he was asking all sorts of questions today, despite being a man of few words.

Watching his expression, Yeonjo hesitated, unsure how to answer. I was worried that if I told him the truth, he would take it as an excuse to confine me even more suffocatingly.

“A little…?”

But I was already so stifled and bored that Yeonjo mumbled timidly.

“Come here.”

He beckoned with his hand like he was calling a puppy from the balcony.

Sunlight poured onto his face as he stood by the window, making his angular jaw even more prominent. His slightly curly black hair also gleamed gold in the light. He always looked strong. Except for the fleeting expressions he showed very occasionally, there wasn’t a single trace of resemblance to the kid I knew in the past. I even had the absurd thought that he might be impersonating Rags.

Yeonjo obediently walked over as he called. He unlocked the balcony door and opened it. Yeonjo stared blankly at him, wondering why he was doing this.

“Why here? Can I go out?”

“Yeah.”

It was strange that he was suddenly acting like this, but Yeonjo cautiously stepped over the threshold with bare feet.

The wind was still chilly, but the sun was warm. Actually stepping onto the balcony, which I had only seen from inside the house, made me feel like some of the pent-up frustration was being released. I hadn’t been outside recently, except to go to the hospital, so the cool outside air felt liberating.

Now that I looked, there was a spacious flower bed on the balcony. I could hear the sound of cars passing below and the footsteps of people walking down the alley very clearly.

After looking around for a while, Yeonjo said, looking at the flower bed.

“It would be really pretty if I planted flowers here. It would be nice to put some pots out too.”

“Want to?”

Boss Gu readily offered, even though I had just spoken offhandedly without any expectations. Yeonjo stared blankly for a moment before opening my lips.

“What?”

“Planting flowers.”

“Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

He habitually reached into his pocket for a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and then took it out again. Naturally, Yeonjo’s answer was already decided.

“I want to.”

“I’ll send Jeongpil later, so if there’s anything you want to buy, have him run the errand.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll leave the balcony door open from now on, so you can decorate it or whatever.”

“Okay, okay.”

Boss Gu gently tapped Yeonjo’s slightly brighter face with his thumb.

“I’m going.”

🚬

Boss Gu’s subordinate brought various kinds of seedlings and trees suitable for planting, so Yeonjo practically lived on the balcony for a while. On the days I was left alone, I went to the flower bed as soon as I finished eating.

Boss Gu seemed to think Yeonjo enjoyed gardening, but in reality, because of the season, there weren’t many types of plants I could plant right away, so there wasn’t much to tend. I just had to dig the soil, plant the trees a few times, and water them, and that was it. What I planted most in the flower bed were small trees that reached up to Yeonjo’s waist, with very thin trunks and lush leaves, called Emerald Green. I also planted various smaller trees around them.

The reason Yeonjo spent time on the balcony was that I could hear the outside noises to my heart’s content. Unlike the officetel before we moved, the neighborhood was quiet, but if I concentrated, various everyday noises reached my ears.

In the morning, the clear voices of children getting on the kindergarten bus; in the afternoon, the sounds of residents walking their dogs; and in the evening, the light conversations between neighbors who happened to meet on the street. The sounds were clearer than when I was by the front door, so it was nice not to feel so alone.

Not only that, but Yeonjo learned more after being able to come out here. That at least one of Boss Gu’s men was always on standby at the villa entrance, and that the neighbors in the same villa were displeased because of it. It seemed there had already been several frictions between the neighbors because of this issue, but Yeonjo, confined to the house, had been completely unaware.

As dusk settled, the streetlights came on one by one. It was a bit early to call it evening, but the days were short as it was still the end of winter.

Yeonjo crouched on the balcony, gazing down at a mother and child walking hand in hand down the alley. The child, who looked to be in the lower grades of elementary school, quickly dashed away and disappeared from Yeonjo’s view.

The leaves of the new trees I had planted in the flower bed were already significantly obstructing the view. They were supposed to grow well even in winter, and it seemed to be true, as they had become more lush than when I first planted them.

Should I pull them out and plant something else? I hesitated for a moment, but the smell of the grass was nice, and I felt bad about killing something I had already planted, so Yeonjo decided that if I really wanted to see, I could just go between the trees and look outside. I didn’t actually crawl in, though. At that moment, I didn’t want to get dirt on myself.

After spending so much time on the balcony flower bed, my hands and feet were freezing. As I came into the living room, unable to bear the cold any longer, Boss Gu returned, as if timed perfectly.

He was on the phone, so he didn’t notice that Yeonjo had been outside all along.

Yeonjo noticed that there was blood on the white shirt he was wearing again. Unlike last time, today the stains were darker and covered a larger area.

He glanced at Yeonjo standing in the living room and then quickly went into the bathroom. I heard the sound of running water immediately, so it seemed he was washing up.

Is he hurt? The last time he was seriously injured, his clothes were also soaked in blood like this. Because his expression rarely changed, it was difficult to tell whether he was hurt or not.

Yeonjo approached the bathroom where the sound of water was coming from. The door hadn’t been properly closed, so I could peek inside through the gap. Yeonjo tilted my head and peeked at Boss Gu standing in the shower stall. Because of the steam from the water, I couldn’t see clearly, but it seemed like there were no serious injuries.

Well, if he had been seriously injured, he wouldn’t have thought about showering in the first place. Yeonjo belatedly realized that I had been worrying unnecessarily.

Relieved that nothing was wrong and about to turn back, the steam that had been clouding my vision cleared for a brief moment, revealing Boss Gu’s back clearly.

The burn scars and dragon tattoo on his back, which I hadn’t been able to see properly until now, came into full view. Because of the large burn area, the dragon’s scales were bumpy, making it seem as if it were alive and moving. I had the illusion that the dragon’s eyes, etched on the protruding scars, were staring at me. Mesmerized, Yeonjo admired the dragon’s entire body.

“What are you doing, Cha Yeonjo?”

Just then, my eyes met Boss Gu’s as he turned his head. As he turned off the water, the stream from the shower head stopped abruptly. He came towards the bathroom door, drying his hair with a towel.

He finished showering already? How long have I been standing here? It felt like less than a minute.

“Did you want to see my body?”

Boss Gu asked as he approached quickly. As he suddenly opened the door, Yeonjo stepped back as if pushed. At the same time, Boss Gu, without a stitch of clothing on, emerged with the steam that had been trapped inside. Yeonjo’s face flushed red with embarrassment at being caught snooping.

“No… I….”

“Or did you want to see my dick?”

“N, no. I was just trying to check, check if you were hurt… Uhm…!”

Before I could finish speaking, Boss Gu pulled Yeonjo in and kissed me. Startled, my body momentarily froze, but Yeonjo, finding no reason to resist, readily responded to the kiss.

If we ended up having sex, Boss Gu would be late for work tomorrow, and I wouldn’t have to be alone until the afternoon, so Yeonjo was rather pleased.

As Yeonjo actively embraced him and intertwined our tongues, his chest heaved up and down against mine. Boss Gu reached into Yeonjo’s clothes without hesitation.

“Ah, haah.”

His hands were warm from the shower. The touch of his calloused skin against my lower back wasn’t exactly smooth, but I was already used to it, so it was fine. Yeonjo leaned against him and sucked on my lower lip as if acting spoiled.

“Haa.”

Just as he became impatient and lifted Yeonjo to carry me to the bedroom, the doorbell rang cheerfully, cooling the heat between us.

Boss Gu ignored it and focused on the kiss. And then he put his hand inside my clothes again and twisted and rubbed my nipple.

“Ah, huh…!”

Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

—Manager, you were supposed to go to the hospital today!

“That fucking bastard….”

—You’re not answering your phone, what are you doing?

The loud shouts of his subordinate from outside the front door caused Yeonjo to pull away from Boss Gu’s embrace and hurriedly wipe his saliva-wet lips. Come to think of it, today was the day he was supposed to go to the hospital to get his medication refilled.

“I completely forgot about the hospital appointment,” Yeonjo muttered, rubbing his face in embarrassment. Boss Gu’s penis, erect and exposed, dangled obscenely. With a fierce frown, he looked at Yeonjo, whose face was about to explode, and asked,

“Does it absolutely have to be today?”

—Manager? Manageerrr!

“I’m going to kill that fucker as soon as I step out.”

Having finally decided to go out due to his subordinate’s urging, Boss Gu quickly put on his underwear and pants. He really looked like he was going to beat someone up the moment he left.

Yeonjo was already fully dressed, so he was ready to go as soon as he put on his outerwear. On the other hand, Boss Gu was rummaging through his dresser drawers as if searching for a new turtleneck. Just by looking at his back, Yeonjo could guess how irritated he was.

“Your top is probably in the dryer.”

“Where’s the dryer?”

Boss Gu irritably tossed his hair, which had fallen forward.

“…I’ll get it.”

Sure enough, the black turtleneck was in the dryer. Yeonjo checked to see if it was dry by touching it and then handed it to Boss Gu. He then bent down so that his upper body was at Yeonjo’s height.

“Put it on me.”

Flustered by the absurd request, Yeonjo couldn’t find anything to say and bit his lower lip.

“Quickly.”

In the end, he slipped the turtleneck over Boss Gu’s head. Water dripped from his damp hair. It looked like a wild animal’s mane, all disheveled, Yeonjo thought.

Boss Gu, who had put his arms through the sleeves himself, clicked his tongue, as if something was not to his liking.

“What’s wrong?”

“You put it on me backward.”

He grumbled, as if asking if I couldn’t even do this one thing right. However, he didn’t seem genuinely angry. Yeonjo burst out laughing at the comical sight of him wearing the shirt inside out, with loose threads sticking out everywhere.

“So, dress yourself next time.”

Boss Gu, who had corrected the turtleneck himself, listened to Yeonjo’s complaint and then bent down again, bringing his face close. Just as their lips were about to touch again.

—Boss Gu! You’ll be late for the hospital!

His subordinate shouted loudly. Yeonjo soothed Boss Gu, whose jaw muscles were prominent as he clenched his teeth, saying,

“Let’s do it when you get back.”

Boss Gu, who had been growling as if he were about to jump out at any moment, stopped. Then he looked at Yeonjo and replied,

“Let’s do that.”

🚬

Unusually warm weather continued. It was now natural for Yeonjo to be alone in this house when I woke up, so as soon as I woke up, I went to the living room, turned on the TV, and sat blankly on the sofa.

Soon after, the housekeeper arrived and gave me my medicine with my meal. I felt bloated in the mornings, especially, so I only took the medicine again this time.

“You must eat later.”

“Yes.”

“I have some work to do this afternoon, so I’ll be leaving about an hour after I get here. Manager Gu specifically told me to make sure you eat, but if you don’t eat after I leave again today….”

“I’ll eat after I wake up a bit more.”

“…And if you’re going to tend the garden, please dress warmly.”

“Yes.”

She looked at Yeonjo for a moment with concern in her eyes but didn’t say anything more. Yeonjo calculated in my head how many hours I would have to be alone at home if she left early today.

It was a meaningless guess. Boss Gu’s return was irregular, and there were many days when he came back at dawn, not in the evening.

How should I kill time? There’s nothing to do. Now the flower bed is full, so there’s nothing more to plant. Yeonjo slumped and stared blankly at the balcony.

The fairly large flower bed outside the balcony was full of randomly planted plants. Most of them were trees, not flowers, and at first, I was worried that it looked too haphazard, but from a distance, it looked quite decent.

The flower bed was large, and the leaves of the trees were lush, giving it the feel of a garden. Though the leaves that had grown in the meantime were sprawling everywhere, so I needed to trim them.

Come to think of it, hadn’t his subordinate bought pruning shears, saying they were essential gardening tools? Since I remembered, Yeonjo got up and went out to the balcony. I opened the box that had been pushed into a corner, and inside were various gardening supplies, prepared beyond my meager skills. As expected, there were pruning shears for trimming leaves.

Glad to have something to do, Yeonjo first went back inside and got dressed. Remembering the housekeeper’s reminder, I carefully put on clothes and socks I had recently bought and then went out to the balcony and picked up the shears.

At first, I intended to trim only the parts where the leaves were sticking out, but as I worked, there seemed to be no end to the parts that bothered me. Wondering if I was cutting too much, Yeonjo stopped snipping and went to the balcony entrance to look over the whole scene.

It looked quite like a houseplant, thanks to the trimming.

“Good. Just a little more.”

After sweeping up the leaves that had fallen on the flower bed and the balcony, Yeonjo started to shape the plants more ambitiously. Because there were nearly ten trees that reached Yeonjo’s waist, my fingers and wrists became stiff and difficult to move.

I had no choice but to stop here. Yeonjo brought the broom again and swept up the small leaves that had fallen on the floor.

“Huh? Why does that one look like that….”

Standing back from the trees to admire my work, Yeonjo noticed that one tree was a different color. Looking closely, it was much darker than the other leaves next to it. As if it was withering.

Even though it’s winter, the Emerald Green variety isn’t supposed to discolor much.

Worried that it might be rotting from insects, Yeonjo threw down the shears and went between the trees. I dug a little underneath, and there was a brick sticking out right there, significantly reducing the soil for the tree to root in.

What is this? Why is there a brick here out of nowhere?

Overly engrossed in gardening, Yeonjo frowned, took off my gloves, and removed the brick with my bare hands. After filling the gap with soil from the side, Yeonjo brushed my hands off with satisfaction.

“I thought it was infested with bugs.”

Yeonjo muttered to myself, putting my gloves back on. Come to think of it, why did I even take off my gardening gloves and dig in the dirt? Shouldn’t I have worn them?

Perhaps because the weather was so warm, beads of sweat formed on my forehead. Fanning myself with my hand, Yeonjo realized that I had crawled between the trees.

It felt like spring, not winter. There was no wind, and the sun was the warmest it had been in days.

Moreover, inside the flower bed, there was a flat area paved with bricks, making it comfortable to lie down or sit and rest. Without any trees blocking the view, the scenery outside the high railing was much clearer.

I hadn’t crawled this deep inside before, so I didn’t know there was a space like this. Feeling like I had found a hidden hideout, Yeonjo looked at the scenery outside the building to cool off.

What if I just rip out the flower bed and everything? It would be nice to set up a tent here instead. It feels like I’m outside, and the constant sounds of people from outside are reassuring. A chair and a small table would be perfect.

Yeonjo lay down on the floor, imagining such a scenario. It was right next to the soil, but since it was winter, there was no need to worry about insects, and it was perfect for lazing around like a bum for a while.

The sounds of the housekeeper, who had been coming and going near the balcony, had stopped, as if she had already left work. Instead, I could hear the chirping of sparrows in the distance.

This is a really great spot. I can even see Boss Gu when he comes home from work. Thanks to the leaves completely covering one side, it felt like I was in the middle of the bushes.

Forgetting my earlier thoughts of pulling out all the trees, Yeonjo smiled with satisfaction, thinking that I had done well to plant them.

“…….”

Then, just as quickly, my mood turned gloomy, as if I had never smiled. Lately, my mood changed so quickly that I felt like a stranger to myself. It definitely wasn’t a normal life. This was because my daily routine was monotonous and unchanging.

I felt like I had forgotten how to return to a normal life. This was the first time I had just played around at home like this, so I didn’t know how to cope with this long stretch of time.

I endured alone, waiting for Boss Gu to come, and when he did, I watched for when he would leave, and from the moment he went out, I waited again. I knew this was abnormal, but I didn’t know how to fix it.

I think I’m out of my mind.

The suppressed anxiety began to swell again. Yeonjo took a deep breath. But it was too quiet around me. I couldn’t hear anything.

The immense silence was severing each of Yeonjo’s sensitive nerve cells, isolating me from reality. Terrified, Yeonjo struggled to focus on other thoughts.

No, I have to go inside and turn up the TV volume. And sit by the front door, listening, and waiting for him. Maybe he’ll come home a little early today. Then we can eat together, and after that, he’ll shower….

To somehow escape the state of panic, Yeonjo hurriedly tried to get up. However, my body was frozen like cement and wouldn’t budge. My heart dropped and then started beating frantically. It felt similar to when I was sprinting on the track.

“Gasp, gasp.”

It felt like my heart would suddenly stop. Yeonjo clutched my chest. My breath caught in my throat. Cold sweat broke out on my back, and the hair on my face and limbs stood on end.

Yeonjo desperately tried to take long, deep breaths, but it didn’t help at all. My body, which had been running on the track, now felt heavy and numb, as if submerged in water. My pupils shook wildly in fear of suffocating.

“If I go inside… turn it on, haa. Haa, haaa.”

It will be okay if I turn on the TV and quietly count. Yeonjo tried to get up, persuading myself, but my face turned pale, as if someone was strangling me. No matter how much I gasped, I lacked oxygen. My breathing was unsatisfied, as if I had fallen into a vacuum.

A long time ago, the memory of waking up alone in the hospital room popped up uninvited. The hospital room where I was left alone after my family, who had gone on vacation, had all died. The place was cold, like a coffin for a corpse.

The emotions that had consumed the young Yeonjo in the past were now crossing over to the present and engulfing me again.

The cold stares of people, loneliness, precariousness, the fear of never seeing my family again, the guilt of surviving alone. Everything rushed in at once, sweeping over and subduing Yeonjo.

Move. Yeonjo struggled to get up, but my body wouldn’t move, as if it weren’t my own.

After a few minutes of trembling, frozen in place, the tension suddenly snapped, like a taut string breaking.

Yeonjo, whose eyelids fluttered, lost consciousness.

🚬

Boss Gu, who had returned home earlier than planned, pressed the villa entrance code. Each unit had its own elevator, so he could go directly to his front door, but he had to enter the code again. Although he found it bothersome each time, he liked the villa’s tight security.

After getting out of the elevator and entering the final code for his front door, he checked for Yeonjo’s shoes in the shoe rack as soon as he entered the house.

Then, he headed to the dining room, as usual. It seemed that Yeonjo hadn’t eaten on time again, as the side dishes and rice were still left on the table. One of his eyebrows twitched slightly, as if displeased.

Yeonjo, who had been sitting by the front door like a dog waiting for him, had been spending most of his time on the balcony lately, for some reason. Convinced that this was the case again, Boss Gu looked at the balcony.

“Cha Yeonjo.”

The door was open, but Yeonjo wasn’t visible amongst the thick greenery he had planted.

The TV is on, so he must be around here somewhere. Boss Gu flung open the bedroom door. It was empty. He searched for Yeonjo throughout the house, checking the dressing room, storage room, kitchen, bathroom, and study in turn.

“Cha Yeonjo.”

Unlike usual, there was no response. As Yeonjo was nowhere to be seen, he began to get annoyed. Just in case, he checked the bathroom in the study, not the one he usually used, but it was also empty.

Boss Gu took his phone, called someone, and quickly went into the bedroom. He opened the built-in wardrobe, which was large enough for an adult male to easily hide in, and a few clothes he had recently bought were gone.

—Yes, Manager.

“Anyone see Cha Yeonjo leave today?”

—No one.

“Were you on standby in front of the building?”

He asked, gritting his teeth.

—Ah, about that. The residents were complaining a lot, so I parked next to the building entrance and waited. But I was still checking the faces of everyone going out….

“Cha Yeonjo is gone.”

—Yes, what?

“Find him.”

He ordered coldly, feigning composure.

“Find him and bring him to me.”

—Understood, Manager.

After hanging up, Boss Gu put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath to calm down. He was itching to grab Cha Yeonjo and demand where he was going, but he also had a complacent thought.

It’s too early to jump to conclusions. With his timid personality, I doubt he would have deliberately run away. He might have just stepped out for a bit because he felt too suffocated, or he might be somewhere else and didn’t hear me come in.

Boss Gu strode into the living room and looked at the balcony where Yeonjo usually spent his time. Pruning shears were lying on the floor, but it was clearly empty. The image of Yeonjo crouching there, fiddling with the soil alone, overlapped with the empty balcony now, emphasizing his absence even more.

“Fuck, where did he run off to?”

The simmering anger surged like a tidal wave. But there would be plenty of time to unleash that fury after catching Cha Yeonjo.

With a darkened expression, he considered how Yeonjo could have left the house. The balcony had high railings and wasn’t connected to other units, so escaping that way was impossible unless he wanted to fall to his death.

His usual range of movement was limited to the kitchen, living room, bathroom, or bedroom, and since he had been completely isolated from the outside, it was impossible for him to open the door and leave. The windows were also blocked, and the only person who came and went was the housekeeper. So how did he disappear?

The faint remaining calmness vanished completely, replaced by boiling resentment. I’ve been too careless. I became complacent because he relied on me so completely.

First, I need to track him using the CCTV at the villa entrance and outside, but as is typical in places where people with money live, the security rules are strict, and it would take half a day to get access to all the footage.

It’s most likely that he left with the help of someone who comes and goes from the house. It was suspicious that the housekeeper had left work early today. Boss Gu called his subordinate again.

“Find the housekeeper who works at the house too.”

🚬

Yeonjo regained consciousness at the sound of bustling activity nearby. The heavy footsteps, the indistinct whispers, and the rustling of clothes, sounds he had never heard in this house before, continued relentlessly.

At first, I thought it was the sound of the TV. Yeonjo felt his muscles were excessively tense and stretched. Then he remembered that he had lost consciousness in the flower bed.

Startled, Yeonjo immediately patted himself down. Fortunately, he was wearing thick clothes and a hat.

How much time has passed? About an hour? Two hours? It’s a good thing the weather is warm; any other day, I would have frozen.

Although he had experienced anxiety frequently, this was the first time he had completely lost consciousness.

The ground where Yeonjo lay was warmed by the lingering heat of the sun, making him feel languid. He slowly raised his upper body and listened to the unfamiliar sounds coming from outside. It didn’t seem like the usual everyday noises from outside the building.

Looking closely, people in black suits were bustling around the villa entrance, visible below the flower bed. Boss Gu’s men. Why are they gathered down there? The moment he sensed something was wrong, the smell of cigarettes wafted into his nose.

At the same time, someone shouted.

“Manager, we’ve confirmed on the external CCTV that someone of similar build to Cha Yeonjo left the building. He’s wearing a padded jacket, so we can’t be certain, but it was at a time when Cha Yeonjo was alone in the house.”

The voice came from inside the house. As his name was called, Yeonjo’s back, which had been rising, instinctively stiffened.

“Give it to me.”

This was Boss Gu’s voice.

What’s going on? Me, leaving in a padded jacket?

“He’s wearing a hat, so we can’t see his face, but he’s the only suspect at the moment….”

“I’ve never bought Cha Yeonjo clothes like that.”

The conversation continued without giving Yeonjo time to grasp the situation.

“He could have changed clothes.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you go shopping and to the hospital with him recently?”

“He was always with me outside.”

“Are you certain you weren’t apart for even a single moment?”

“…….”

“Manager.”

A heavy silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

“Fuck.”

Then Boss Gu muttered a curse.

“What should we do?”

“Track the guy in the padded jacket.”

From the short exchange, Yeonjo understood exactly what was happening. They thought he had run away and were looking for him.

After fainting and regaining consciousness, he had inexplicably become a fugitive. He couldn’t help but be confused. He had just been out on the balcony, as he often was, without any particular intention.

Turning his head towards the living room with a feeling of injustice, Yeonjo noticed that the dense leaves hid him from view inside the house and sighed.

I shouldn’t have planted trees in the flower bed. It’s embarrassing, but it’s better to go out now and tell the truth than let things get worse. With his debt piling up, it was natural for them to be frantically searching for him, thinking he had run away.

“Understood.”

“And.”

“Yes.”

“Break his legs as soon as you catch him. Badly enough that he won’t fully recover even if they heal.”

Yeonjo, who had been about to leave the flower bed, froze like a stone.

“By breaking, you mean… at the ankles, or the knees?”

“Knees.”

Yeonjo’s hands, resting on the stone floor of the flower bed, began to tremble.

Just a moment ago, he had thought it was a simple misunderstanding that could be cleared up if he just went back inside, but now he felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.

“If the knees don’t heal properly, he’ll limp for the rest of his life.”

“It’s better to nip any chance of him running away in the bud.”

Boss Gu’s voice was devoid of personal feelings. That made it even more chilling.

A sudden chill ran through my body. The temperature here, which had been so warm, was now as cold as a snowfield swept by north winds. What just happened? Yeonjo replayed the conversation he had overheard several times in his mind.

Meanwhile, footsteps sounded again from the living room. Knowing that they were coming to catch him, even though he hadn’t run away, Yeonjo took a quick, deep breath.

If he went out now and explained it was a misunderstanding, that would be the end of it. Then everything would pass as if nothing had happened.

He understood what he had to do, but his trembling body wouldn’t cooperate. He started to feel short of breath, as if he were about to collapse.

Frozen and unable to move, Yeonjo forgot about leaving the flower bed and instinctively crawled backward on all fours.

“Ugh!”

Just then, something sharp pierced his palm, and a groan escaped his lips. He belatedly covered his mouth, but the sound had already leaked out.

“Who’s there!”

A nearby subordinate shouted alertly and approached. His heavy footsteps echoed like a drum on the balcony tiles.

Before Yeonjo could go out and explain himself, the subordinate thrust his hand between the leaves.

The subordinate’s rough hand grabbed Yeonjo’s collar and pulled him out.

“Ah, wait, ow!”

Yeonjo tumbled out from under the flower bed like a dog, an undignified mess. As soon as the subordinate saw Yeonjo’s face, he shouted towards the living room,

“Manager, he’s here!”

Soon, Boss Gu appeared. The cigarette between his lips burned red. He seemed to have been in the middle of a phone call, as he held a cellphone in his hand.

He scanned Yeonjo up and down. He was wearing newly bought clothes and even had a hat firmly on his head. Anyone could see he was dressed to go out.

The image of Yeonjo hiding here until dawn, waiting for an opportunity to leave the house, automatically formed in his mind.

Boss Gu’s expressionless face contorted instantly.

“Fucking hell, this goddamn…”

He grabbed Yeonjo by the hair and dragged him inside.

“Aagh!”

“You’ve been having it too easy lately.”

“Wait, it’s a misunderstanding! I’ll explain! Let me tell you what happened…!”

Slap!

He slapped Yeonjo across the face as he struggled in his grasp, trying to escape without permission. Yeonjo’s body, swung by Boss Gu, crashed to the floor.

Tears welled up in Yeonjo’s eyes instantly. His vision blurred momentarily from the reverberating pain.

As if one slap wasn’t enough, Boss Gu grabbed Yeonjo by the collar, lifted him up, and swung his hand again. Slap!

“Ugh!”

Slap!

“You must be itching for a beating.”

Blood and tears splattered on the floor each time he swung his hand like a tyrant.

“It’s a misunderstanding, sob, really. I’ll explain, gasp, just… listen to me first, ugh, please….”

I don’t know how many times I was hit. My face throbbed as if the skin had been completely ripped off. My gums were torn, and my mouth was filling with blood. Yeonjo whimpered and writhed on the floor.

My vision was so blurry that it was difficult to maintain balance. Perhaps due to the impact of the blows, a long, ringing sound filled my ears.

Boss Gu looked down at Yeonjo, who was in agony, sucking on his cigarette filter.

“Why did you crawl in there like a rat? Planning your escape route?”

Blood trickled from my lips and pooled on the floor. More dripped down with each cough. Afraid he would hit him again, Yeonjo suppressed his sobs, wiped his lips, and desperately explained.

“I, I just… the view from there is, good, sob, so I was looking, looking outside… and then, huh, I fell asleep. Hic, it’s true.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks before they even had a chance to pool. After several repetitions, my cheeks were soaked with tears and blood. Because of the fear that made my limbs tremble and the sobs that choked me, I could hardly speak, and Yeonjo hiccuped repeatedly as if I was about to lose my breath.

Boss Gu just kept puffing on his cigarette filter with his usual expressionless face, saying nothing. With each exhale, thick smoke billowed out, obscuring and revealing his face repeatedly.

This dramatic display only intensified Yeonjo’s fear.

“When I woke up, ugh, it seemed like a lot of time, had passed…. I was going to, uh… go out… I wasn’t really trying to run away. Believe me. Please?”

Boss Gu, as he had done before, tapped the ash from the end of his cigarette onto Yeonjo’s face.

“Do you know how much debt you’re in?”

“Ah, no… no.”

Yeonjo shook his head. Boss Gu opened his mouth to say something again, but someone rushed into the house.

“Manager, the person you told us to find….”

The subordinate, who had just entered the living room, stopped short upon seeing Boss Gu and Yeonjo slumped on the floor.

“Found him.”

Boss Gu summarized the situation succinctly.

“Get out.”

“Understood. I’ll tell the others to stand down.”

At Boss Gu’s nod, the subordinate who had found Yeonjo also left. Now, only the two of them were left in the house.

He stubbed out his short cigarette against the wall and threw it away. Then, he narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Yeonjo, as if trying to see through him, to determine whether what he said was true.

Unsure of how Boss Gu would judge the situation, Yeonjo waited for his next words, his shoulders trembling pathetically.

Even Yeonjo himself knew that the situation was understandably suspicious from his perspective. Dressed to go out, disappearing for hours without a word, and the excuse of just waking up despite the commotion of people outside – it was all still suspicious.

He has to believe me. It’s true. Yeonjo, with his head bowed, kept repeating this to himself when Boss Gu nudged his chin up with the top of his foot. Yeonjo jerked his head up in response to the nudge.

“You weren’t really trying to run away?”

“Yes, yes. It’s true. Sob….”

Yeonjo nodded excessively. The blood and tears that had pooled on his chin dripped down all at once from the motion.

“Where would I go?”

Yeonjo looked up at Boss Gu and forced the corners of his lips upward, desperately trying to smile.

“I have no money and I’m not well…. Ugh, you know I have nowhere to go now that Grandma’s gone.”

Not knowing when he might resort to violence again, Yeonjo appealed to him, emphasizing that he was an orphan with nowhere to turn. Although they were his own words, they pierced his heart like a sharpened blade.

An orphan who survived at the age of six after his parents and younger sibling perished. That’s what he had heard in the hospital after waking up from the accident that had taken his family.

“Even if I ran away in this condition, what could I possibly do….”

Even after all this time, Yeonjo hadn’t moved a single step away from that place. He was still trapped there.

What could I possibly do? Yeonjo mumbled repeatedly, crying.

Boss Gu, who had been listening silently, finally spoke.

“Don’t stay out there for long periods, trees or whatever. If I hear you fell asleep again, that kind of excuse won’t work on me twice.”

“Okay.”

“Go wash up.”

“Okay.”

Whether he had decided to believe Yeonjo or not, Boss Gu stopped his interrogation. Like someone being chased, Yeonjo stumbled to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

As he undressed before washing, he looked in the mirror and saw his bruised face. It was horrifying, stained with blood. The area around his lips was especially bad. Blood, which still hadn’t stopped, was trickling down the side of his mouth.

His body convulsed like an aspen leaf. All he could feel was cold and pain. Although he had been hit on his cheeks, his whole body ached.

I shouldn’t have planted the trees. Yeonjo regretted it once again, turning on the faucet and washing his face. Blood dripped continuously from his torn gums. He saw the red water swirling down the drain like diluted paint.

No matter how much he wiped, the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Barely suppressing his sobs, Yeonjo opened his mouth to check inside. He couldn’t see clearly like this, so it was difficult to gauge how much and where it was torn. Then his eyes met Cha Yeonjo’s in the mirror.

Swollen from the beating, and pathetically crying with blood trickling down – the sight was so grotesque. Disgusting. Yeonjo thought, looking at himself.

Disgusting.

Like a monster.

“Sob… ugh.”

As this thought crossed his mind, the image of Jo Joowon, sprawled on the warehouse floor, overlapped with himself. A grotesque face with blistered skin and oozing blood.

If he had been even more unlucky today, would he have died like Jo Joowon?

Yeonjo covered his face with his hands, leaned against the sink with the water still running, and cried. Then, unable to bear it any longer, he collapsed to the floor. Fear kept draining his strength.

Look at me. Why am I like this? What’s wrong with me?

It was hard to suppress the sobs that kept welling up. No matter how tightly he covered his mouth, inhuman whimpers leaked through his fingers.

It wasn’t like this was the first or second time he had been hit. He thought he had become numb to it by now, his life nothing but misery, but like a sudden vortex in a still pond, the aftermath today was particularly strong.

‘Break his legs as soon as you catch him. Badly enough that he won’t fully recover even if they heal.’

‘By breaking, you mean… at the ankles, or the knees?’

‘Knees.’

‘If the knees don’t heal properly, he’ll limp for the rest of his life.’

‘It’s better to nip any chance of him running away in the bud.’

Perhaps, without realizing it, he had been relying on Boss Gu too much.

But what exactly had he been relying on? Even Yeonjo didn’t know.

Realizing that the place he had mistakenly thought of as a haven was nothing but a trap laced with sharp blades, everything became unbearable.

It was all wrong. Get a grip, Cha Yeonjo.

The series of events that had just transpired replayed in his mind, seeping into Yeonjo’s dulled senses like a detonator. A loud alarm rang in his head, warning him to escape this trap.

After a long while, Yeonjo stopped crying, managed to wash himself, and went out to the living room. Boss Gu was nowhere to be seen. He seemed to have gone out.

That was a relief. He couldn’t face him right now. Relieved that Boss Gu wasn’t in this space, Yeonjo jumped onto the bed as if fainting, forgetting to even dry his hair.

🚬

Boss Gu returned late at night, changed his clothes, washed up, and climbed into bed. Yeonjo was roused slightly by the vibration of the mattress. He knew Boss Gu was lying right behind him, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. Yeonjo continued to feign sleep.

However, he was startled by Boss Gu silently wrapping his arms around him and flinched, revealing that he was awake. Boss Gu’s hot breath brushed against the back of his neck. His body quickly warmed up. His body heat was too much for Yeonjo. Yeonjo shifted slightly, feeling suffocated.

‘Break his legs as soon as you catch him. Badly enough that he won’t fully recover even if they heal.’

‘By breaking, you mean… at the ankles, or the knees?’

‘Knees.’

‘If the knees don’t heal properly, he’ll limp for the rest of his life.’

‘It’s better to nip any chance of him running away in the bud.’

Yeonjo recalled the conversation between Boss Gu and his subordinate just a few hours ago. He tried not to, but it was stuck in his mind, replaying itself. He felt nauseous, as if he had indigestion.

Well. Come to think of it, just as Boss Gu had said, he was merely indulging in his childish desires, trying to reclaim the time he hadn’t been able to spend with him in the past. Monopolization. It was an immature way of thinking, but there was no word that could more accurately describe his excessive obsession with him.

Is it because I’m sick? Suddenly, everything felt futile. No, it had always been futile, but he had been trying to cover it up, pretending it wasn’t. Thinking that things would somehow work out. That as time passed, this strange void would eventually be filled somehow.

“You have a fever.”

Boss Gu’s low voice tickled the back of his neck. Yeonjo thought quietly. Do I have a fever? I thought my face was hot because it hurt from being hit.

Now that he thought about it, the pain was getting worse. His split lip hurt, and his head was hot. But he didn’t want to get up and go to the bathroom to check. By now, it would be swollen and monstrous anyway.

He couldn’t apply medicine inside his mouth, so it would heal on its own if he left it alone. As Boss Gu had said, it wasn’t like this was the first or second time he had been hit.

Yeonjo wanted to go back to sleep. But the warm presence behind him bothered him, and his mind became increasingly alert. Every time he felt his presence pressed against him, his nerves instinctively tensed.

Amongst hundreds of thoughts, the desire to escape this place suddenly surfaced strongest.

But if he left, where would he go? Did he have anywhere to go? Just as he had tearfully confessed, there was no place that would take him in, and in his condition, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to get a proper job.

He would probably end up with someone like Jo Joowon again, or be caught and brought back to Boss Gu. Or he would end up like Jo Joowon, beaten to death by Boss Gu.

Then should he just stay here? At least if he stayed by his side, he wouldn’t have to work, and if he was lucky, he might be able to rely on him like family in the future. He was hit this time because of a misunderstanding, but lately, he hadn’t hit him much. If he was careful, he would rarely get hit. Yeonjo rationalized the situation in his own way.

And yet, the urge to run far away from this place surged within him, making his chest ache.

The image of Jo Joowon, collapsed like a piece of meat, frothing at the mouth, flickered before his eyes. Perhaps next time, it would be him lying on the floor, a corpse.

Perhaps because it was the first time he had been subjected to violence in a while, or perhaps because he had heard about Jo Joowon being beaten to death, Boss Gu felt like a monster to Yeonjo. Every one of his movements, as he inflicted violence without a change of expression, was still vivid in his mind.

In his imagination, Jo Joowon’s face, rolling on the warehouse floor, and his own face were now interchanged.

Disjointed thoughts tossed and turned, tormenting Yeonjo all night.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Boss Gu asked, noticing that Yeonjo couldn’t sleep. Yeonjo fidgeted with his hands and replied,

“I’m trying to.”

“Come here.”

He pulled Yeonjo, who had turned his back, towards him. Yeonjo flinched, thinking he was going to initiate sex.

“I can’t right now….”

“I’m not going to.”

Yeonjo tried to resist turning around.

But injured as he was, there was no way he could resist him. Soon, Yeonjo was pulled over, and blood dripped onto the sheets.

At the irritating sound, Boss Gu turned up the dimly lit bedside lamp.

“Fuck, what is this?”

It was the blood that had pooled in his mouth, where the wound hadn’t stopped bleeding. Seeing it splatter on the pillow and sheets like raindrops, Yeonjo hurriedly tried to turn back over.

“I, I’ll sleep now and wash the sheets when I wake up in the morning.”

“How can you sleep in this state?”

He grabbed Yeonjo with a harsh voice. Startled by the rough touch, Yeonjo reflexively brushed his hand away. Then, surprised by his own actions, Yeonjo lowered his eyes and wiped the blood smeared on his lips with his hand. It hurt even with the slightest touch.

“Then I’ll, clean it now. It looks too dirty now that I see it again.”

“Cleaning it isn’t the issue, Cha Yeonjo. Look at me.”

Boss Gu grabbed Yeonjo’s chin, who had been avoiding his gaze.

“Okay.”

Yeonjo winced at the inconsiderate touch on the swollen area, but obediently raised his head. Boss Gu saw the purple bruise covering one side of his face. Not only his lips but also the skin on his face was broken, with scabs forming here and there. His eyes were so swollen that his double eyelids were no longer visible. It was no wonder the bleeding hadn’t stopped and was leaking out, since he had just lain down on the bed like this.

Boss Gu had a strange expression on his face, neither frowning nor angry. Just as he was about to say something, Yeonjo lowered his gaze again and spoke first.

“Can you let go of this? …It hurts.”

“…….”

“Let go…. Please, I’m begging you….”

Yeonjo’s face was pale, like someone being strangled. Although he had tried to hide it, Boss Gu belatedly realized that Yeonjo’s body was trembling with fear. As his grip loosened, Yeonjo took a tissue and wiped his lips.

🚬

Yeonjo stayed awake all night. Every time he sensed Boss Gu’s presence in the bed, his nerves were on edge, making it impossible to sleep. He understood that as long as he didn’t do anything wrong, Boss Gu wouldn’t raise a hand against him again today, but his body was automatically on guard.

After lying still for hours like a corpse, before dawn even broke, Boss Gu left after receiving a phone call from his subordinate. Only after he had gone out was Yeonjo able to unclench his tense body. As soon as he was alone in the house, he went to the bathroom.

He spat the blood that had pooled in his mouth into the sink and returned to the bedroom to strip the bed sheets and pillowcases. He put them, stained with dried blood, into the washing machine, and then compulsively searched for the remote and turned on the TV. Then he sat on the sofa and stared at the large screen.

After a while, he turned his head slightly, and the dim balcony flower bed in the pre-dawn light came into view. The trees were just as Yeonjo had planted and trimmed them. He used to look for things to do there, but he no longer had the energy.

After sitting motionless on the sofa for about two hours, morning arrived. Soon the housekeeper arrived and prepared breakfast for Yeonjo.

Yeonjo ate and took his medicine without a word. Whether she had been told or was used to such things, the housekeeper acted naturally despite seeing Yeonjo’s battered face. Her usual demeanor made Yeonjo briefly entertain the ludicrous thought that nothing had happened last night. He wished it had just been a terrible nightmare. The fatigue and pain that weighed down his entire body constantly reminded him that it was real.

After finishing his meal, Yeonjo watched TV on the sofa until the housekeeper left for the day. Listening to the voices coming from the speakers usually calmed his fluctuating anxiety, but today, perhaps because he was physically unwell, it had no effect.

His entire face throbbed, making it difficult for Yeonjo to keep his eyes open. Especially when he moved his eyelid muscles, a burning sensation pulsed through his eyes, eyebrows, and temples.

Yeonjo tried to focus on other thoughts to distract himself from the pain. However, his grandmother’s death came vividly to mind, only worsening his mood.

His thoughts were too loud, and the sound from the TV was too loud, leaving his mind no room to rest. If he turned off the TV, the panic would start, making it difficult to breathe properly, so he had to endure like this and let time pass.

It would have been nice if he could at least sleep peacefully. But if he lay down in this condition, he would surely have terrible dreams and wake up again. Yeonjo was afraid to sleep alone.

When he woke up from nightmares and there was no one beside him, it was difficult to tell whether this place was reality or a dream, and he would have to wander lost for a while longer. So he couldn’t fall asleep now. He had to wait until Boss Gu came back.

As he sat blankly, staring at the flickering TV screen, he suddenly heard the front door open. Boss Gu had returned.

Yeonjo, who had been waiting for him, flinched at the sound of his footsteps. Fear overshadowed relief.

“Did you eat?”

Boss Gu confirmed that Yeonjo was sitting quietly on the sofa as soon as he entered the house.

“I ate.”

Yeonjo answered immediately, so as not to provoke him. His heart rate increased with each sound Boss Gu made, each noise he uttered. Overwhelmed by a surge of anxiety, Yeonjo tried to keep his eyes fixed on the TV.

“What did you do today?”