Heavy Rain Chapter 48

“…Butler, for the time being, you must wear different clothing. Let’s also stop using the title ‘Butler’. I will call you by your name.”

“As you wish, Young Master.”

Anxiously stroking his mouth, Lyle continued to chew over Haejin’s words. Over and over, until they were carved into his brain.

“And from now on, do not knock on the room door.”

“You mean the knocking?”

“Yes. Make sure it stops throughout the entire mansion. Attach a bell or something instead, and find another way to announce yourself.”

Unconsciously, his gaze turned toward the bedroom where Haejin would be lying. Even as he paced restlessly through this sitting room the whole time, his eyes ultimately turned in that direction. Even though it was a place blocked firmly by a door and looking was of no use.

However, Lyle stared at it persistently. It had been quite a while since Haejin’s afterimage had begun to hover before his eyes even when he closed them.

“Young Master.”

“Speak.”

“Then, let’s treat your hand now.”

At the sudden comment, Lyle looked down at his hand. Whether it was injured when he broke the door earlier, blood was flowing out faintly.

It was very strange that he only felt the pain after seeing the wound.

My throat is parched. When did I fall asleep?

Having woken up but lying there blankly counting the time, Haejin traced back through his memories. Wandering through the past was a painful task whenever he did it. He had forced the food down again, and the servant had given him a malice-free compliment.

At that moment, the sound of knocking was heard.

He had habitually comforted himself that he was definitely fine, but the surging nausea remained the same. In the middle of it all, the massive sound of knocking continued to shake his mind.

What happened after that?

He tried to raise his body but coughed harshly. He wanted to drink water, but the small table with the water bottle was too far away. With the trivial thought that having a larger room made things like this inconvenient, Haejin lay back down. He simply had no motivation to go that far.

At that moment, an unexpected sound of a bell rang out.

“…?”

It didn’t seem like the kind of electronic sound that came from a cell phone. A small, clear bell sound seeped softly into the room again.

“Jin. If you’re awake, I’m coming in.”

Haejin, who had been merely blinking in the darkness, reflexively looked toward the door where the sound had come from. Click. After an unusually cautious sound, his vision brightened in an instant. It seemed the lights in the sitting room had been kept on brightly the whole time.

As he reflexively frowned, Lyle’s footsteps, which were entering the room, came to a sudden halt. When Haejin raised his hand in confusion to block the intruding light, the door was closed somewhat quickly this time.

“…”

“…”

The sound of Lyle’s approaching footsteps was strangely quiet. It was as if the floor had become even more cushioned in the meantime.

Then, suddenly remembering that he had pushed the tray away into a complete mess, Haejin wore a bitter expression. He hadn’t wanted to cause such a nuisance.

“How is your body?”

“…I’m fine.”

His answer was a beat late because he was contemplating whether he actually was fine. It was a futile concern. It wasn’t as if he would have answered otherwise even if he weren’t fine.

Lyle, who looked down at Haejin’s face blankly for a moment, remained silent for a long time. Perhaps because he had just looked directly at the light, Lyle’s face was buried in shadows and wasn’t clearly visible.

“…There will be no more knocking from now on. Not by anyone working in this mansion.”

“…”

Haejin, who had reflexively clutched the duvet, looked up at Lyle with a strange look in his eyes. Only when that broad shoulder blocked his entire field of vision did the memory return. The memory of how he had fallen into a panic and shown a great deal of unsightly behavior.

Even so, Haejin nodded. Since he was told he didn’t have to force himself to endure what he disliked, there was no reason to refuse.

At that obedient behavior, Lyle fell silent again. A strange silence had been hovering heavily in the room for a while now. Lyle, who had been staring aimlessly at Haejin’s face for a long time, asked. His slightly cracked voice felt unfamiliar.

“Is there anything else you need?”

In the dark room, Lyle, whose face was not even visible, asked. To Haejin, who had just woken up, all of this felt like a dream. In his vision, which was gradually adjusting, Lyle’s cold blue eyes slowly emerged.

I feel like I’ve seen those eyes very up close.

“I hate the butler’s clothes.”

Having blurted it out, he immediately regretted it. This situation, which felt like he was throwing a tantrum, was uncomfortable. He didn’t want to wish for anything from Lyle.

However, words once spoken never return. At the unexpected words, Lyle stroked his mouth for a moment. Then, as if he too felt a strange sign, he asked in a stiff voice.

“I will see to it. And is it… that the servants are mistreating you again?”

Shaking his head slowly, Haejin thought of the people who had changed. As expected, he shouldn’t have said anything unnecessary.

Although they hadn’t even introduced themselves, he could tell they were good people. Not simply because this was their job, but because they were people who possessed the kind of heart that could look at the utterly broken and collapsed Haejin with pity.

He couldn’t possibly hate those who were so meticulously considerate. Haejin hadn’t learned such emotions in the first place. To him, others had always been subjects from whom he had to crave affection and interest.

It was his family who had diligently filled his endlessly empty desires. Thanks to them, as long as they were around, Haejin had been able to live pretending to be a normal person. At times, acting as if such a deficiency had never existed within him from the start.

Perhaps that was why the cold treatment hurt more. He should have been stronger.

“No. Everyone is very kind to me.”

“If you are being threatened or something…”

Lyle tried to persuade Haejin again, as if he were actually worried. However, without needing to hear more, Haejin slowly shook his head from side to side. Because truly, they were innocent.

“It is just… that I am the problem.”

He blurted it out recklessly, following the first thought that came to mind. A suffocating silence settled over the room again. And suddenly, it felt as though Lyle’s pheromones were trembling finely.

It was a very strange night in every way.

A precarious peace continued for several days.

Looking at the warm sunlight streaming in, Haejin couldn’t shake the thought that this moment was strangely unstable. The servants were still kind, and everything was provided to him without exception.

Nevertheless, he felt as if he were looking at a knife perched precariously on top of a cabinet that reached near the ceiling. It felt as if the knife would drop and stab him in the foot the moment he passed by.

The servant who brought his food no longer watched over him. Whenever he wanted to finish his meal, he only had to ring the bell placed on the tray.

Since no one was staring at him intently, he felt as if he could breathe. Thanks to that, Haejin was eating reasonably well in his own way.

In accordance with his request, the butler had also brought him a simple pregnancy test kit. He could have known more accurately if he went to the hospital to have blood drawn, but it was still too much for him. Haejin pushed it back by making excuses to himself that he would go after first adjusting to this state bit by bit.

According to the kit, which he was able to use easily even on his own, fortunately, it seemed the situation he feared had not occurred. The moment he saw that negative reaction, Haejin had to let out a long sigh without realizing it. He would have to do a blood test later, but he could feel a weight lifted. He couldn’t have handled that fact right now.

But was there any meaning in spending time like this?

While eating mechanically, Haejin was often swallowed by meaningless questions. Fortunately, someone would ring a bell just when he was about to forget, so he didn’t sink into his thoughts.

The bacon Haejin liked was cooked just right and placed on his plate. Things that used to come in small portions began to appear generously on his plate once he started eating well.

A diet that changed according to his preferences. Haejin realized for the first time that such consideration was possible.

The bedding was still changed to clean ones every day. The ornaments in the room remained in their places without disappearing. It was also impossible for dust to pile up on them. Every time he discovered these minor but small things, Haejin suffered from a very strange feeling.