âWhere were you this whole time?â he asked again, before she could respond to his first question. âThe only face I remember is yours. But I couldnât open the door.â He groaned. Ignorance and confusion filled his eyes.
The door on the second floor through which Lee-yeon used to enter the room could not open from the inside. He had smashed the back door and crawled on the floor just as Lee-yeon had entered the room. As she recalled the series of events, she shuddered.
Kwon Chae-woo was not normal. He had woken up after twelve days of sleep all covered in sweat, dirt and blood. But there was still hope.
A sign that it might be the last.
Instinctively, an idea hit her. It was time.
âI⊠donât know what youâre talking about.â When Lee-yeon pretended to not know anything, the man tilted his head and frowned. âMaybe you had a long, vivid dream,â she continued. âI am the doctor who looks after you, andâŠâ
She felt a prick of her conscience. âThis is the village foremanâs farm. We should leave quickly. I will compensate for the chicken.â
The man who was still frowning, looked at Lee-yeon as she spoke.
âKwon Chae-woo, do you remember that you were asleep all this time? You were terribly sick and unconscious. It is normal to be confused. But donât worry. You were dreaming. You are awake now.â She put emphasis on âdreamingâ just to be sure. âEverything you think you saw or heard; it was your brain playing tricks on you. A coping mechanism. You need to rest. Then you will feel better.â
However, Lee-yeon overlooked something. Her plan to dismiss everything as a âdreamâ might backfire on her.
âA dream?â said the man, slowly licking the blood away from his lips. It seems like he was truly awake now. âI see.â He pointed to Lee-yeonâs lower body. âIf it wasnât a dream, you wouldnât be standing here like this.â
Puzzled, she looked down at her legs. Just then his low voice caught her ears. âI only dreamed of having s*x the whole time I slept,â he said.
Lee-yeon couldnât respond. âWith my wife,â he said, âI was in and out between your legs.â
Lee-yeon almost screamed. Her whole body froze at his words. âSo, I am not confused,â he said, âI remember clearly.â
She took a step back, instinctively. Does he remember everything that happened? The day we met on the mountainâŠ
âI have a wife,â he said, as he walked forwards towards her. âAnd she is trying to run away right about now.â
He walked towards her, neither too fast nor too slow. Lee-yeon desperately wanted to run away. Her legs trembled. She had planned this trap, but she was the one caught in its snare. When he was close enough to reach out and touch her, Lee-yeon finally made herself pull away.
âYou wanted to ditch me because your husband was now a sick good-for-nothing man?â
He is not an idiot.
âWhatâs your name? Donât make me ask you again.â
âI⊠I am So Lee-yeon,â she said finally.
âSo, Lee-yeon. Lee-yeon.â Kwon Chae-woo licked his lips and swallowed her name, along with the blood on his lips.
âWhy are you trying to leave me? Did I become so useless to you just because I canât use my body properly?â
Something was definitely wrong. Something with force wrapped around her ankle tightly. She couldnât tell whether it was a shackle, the gravity of the swamp or the tail of the beast but one thing she was irrevocably sure of was that she was in danger. Her body felt the danger and was ready to run.
âKwon Chae-woo, thatâs not what I wasââ
âNo?â
Now the situation was completely reversed. Lee-yeon could only twiddle her thumbs. She barely managed to come up with a good enough reason.
#7.
âA wife that you canât remember having appeared right in front of you, so I thought it would affect you. I thought it might make you uncomfortable and make you feel overwhelmed. So, that was why I wasâŠâ
âSo, you are telling me you did that for my safety?â He asked with such a voice devoid of emotion that it made her doubt herself. But Lee-yeon decided that was a suitable excuse and nodded her head in affirmative.
âBullshit,â he said. âWhy are you doing something that I didnât even ask for? I donât want that.â
Ever since he woke up, he had used a polite tone of voice with her. But that docile, polite voice still felt devoid of emotion right now. âYou told me we are married under the eyes of the law, but suddenly you are trying to give me up?â
She could see his eyes glimmering in the dark. âSomeone tore everything in my mind but yours is the only face I remember,â he continued. âI really must be your husband. I was off my mind when I realized you were trying to give me up.â
Thatâs because you are naturally evil. Lee-yeon tried to say something but couldnât utter a word. I am seriously deadâŠ
Lee-yeon had to pretend like everything was okay. She couldnât break down right now. This could turn even worse. However, it seemed his interrogation wasnât over yet. He had an innate talent for appearing intimidating, but his weakness was that he couldnât remember anything.
Lee-yeon had that advantage. She could steer him wherever she wanted using his lack of memory as a tool. But her plan had backfired.
âI guess I loved you a lot,â he said.
No, you didnât, you idiot! You tried to kill me! Her plan had entrapped her. And now his murderous intent had turned into love.