# Chapter 69
I went for a walk outside with Jang again today. Of course, it wasn’t every day; I could only go out once every two or three days when he was in a good mood.
I hid the medicine Jang gave me next to my molars like before, and secretly threw it away in the forest whenever we went for a walk. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice my actions.
Though I had to clutch my trembling heart every day for fear of being caught, the forest was vast, and Jang looked too old to find the medicine I was discarding in it.
When I didn’t take the medicine, my body felt much lighter and my legs weren’t as heavy. This fact enveloped me in strong anger and disgust.
It seemed like it had been over three weeks since I came to Jang’s house, but he still hadn’t gone out even once and stayed only at home.
I wanted to ask why he didn’t go out, but since I could predict how he would react, I decided not to ask.
Perhaps because of this, as time passed, Jang increasingly revealed his emotions without hiding them. Sometimes he got angry easily, and other times he pressured me nonchalantly.
As if he knew I couldn’t escape from this place.
“What’s wrong? Are you tired?”
“Ah, yes. A little… My body also feels a bit stiff.”
“Is that so?”
With a concerned expression, he gently stroked my legs. Uncomfortable with his touch, I decided to change the subject.
“By any chance, do you have more books to read in the house?”
“Why? Have you already finished the books I gave you before?”
“Yes. I originally like reading books. And the books Jang gives me are quite interesting.”
Jang turned the wheelchair toward the house, saying he would look for some.
Despite having surveyed the surroundings during my nearly month-long stay here, I still hadn’t found a proper path. If that was the case, it was obvious that I would be recaptured by Jang if I tried to escape with my legs that hadn’t fully healed yet.
‘What would happen if I got caught after trying to escape clumsily?’
It was something I could anticipate without having to imagine it. I had experienced similar things several times, and each time, I had to engrave unforgettable, ugly memories in my mind.
So I had to be careful.
Jang had introduced himself as a doctor, and said that patients occasionally visited him, but that might not be true either.
The longer I stayed in this pressure and anxiety, the more I missed Woosang. I had always been afraid of being abandoned by Woosang, but now I only thought about how solid the affection he had given me was.
Jang went upstairs to find books for me, saying he would bring them.
Of course, thinking about it, the current situation wasn’t all that bad compared to the past.
In the past, I wasn’t even treated like a human being, and I didn’t even think that the situation then was bad.
‘But not anymore.’
I thought as I waited for Jang to come down. He couldn’t keep me captive. That was an unchangeable truth.
Discreetly, I took one foot off the pedal and placed it on the ground. Fortunately, the broken bone seemed to be healing properly, as I didn’t feel intense pain.
As I was swallowing a sigh of relief, I sensed movement at the door and hurriedly composed my legs.
“I’ll have to go out and buy books soon. There’s nothing suitable to read.”
“Is that so?”
He said this while placing a book in my hand. I was going to pass over his words without any special reaction, but I couldn’t help but be sensitive to the mention of going out.
“Yes. I need to buy supplies soon too… Do you need anything?”
“No…”
His intense gaze scanned me up and down. His behavior and tone were as if he was testing me.
It was familiar, but I didn’t want to accept his behavior as natural.
Why was Jang trying to tame me? For what reason? I was curious, but thinking about it now was useless.
If Jang went out, it would be an opportunity for me. I could check where his car was and look around the house.
When I didn’t respond, he examined my expression and said he would bring something to drink.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Coffee, right?”
“Yes.”
I smiled at him as if I was genuinely grateful. My fingertips itched madly. Showing emotions I didn’t have wasn’t something easy to do.
The smell of heavily burnt coffee beans wafted in from the kitchen. I wanted to get rid of that scent that made even the inside of my mouth bitter.
I wanted to know how much longer I would have to hold my breath. The frustration still showed no sign of disappearing.
***
“Then I’m off. Be careful not to fall while moving around alone.”
“Yes. I will.”
The door closed, and I heard the sound of it being locked with a key. Anxious about that sound, I approached the door in disbelief, only to find that it was designed to be opened with a key from the inside as well.
Of course, there were many houses in Paris that needed to be opened with a key from the inside. But that fact wasn’t helpful to me.
“Ha…”
Though I wasn’t sure why Jang had brought me here, I had my suspicions.
It seemed like he wanted to raise me. Like an obedient dog, he needed someone to stay with him and wag their tail. Was he offering a bit of kindness for that?
Every time Jang’s intentions became visible, anger that seemed ready to burst from within welled up.
I wanted to strangle him to death right then, but I didn’t think this emotion was right. A normal person wouldn’t immediately think about wanting to kill someone. I knew that.
I watched as his presence faded away from the front door. And only when the footsteps completely disappeared, could I look around.
On the first floor, there were three rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, and on the second floor, there seemed to be about two rooms. Or maybe three. I wasn’t sure.
I wanted to go upstairs, but I didn’t have confidence in climbing the stairs.
After hesitating for a while, I looked down at my legs. Recently, Jang had been coming to my room constantly, so I hadn’t had a proper chance to step out.
Carefully, I placed my right foot on the ground and rubbed the floor. Fortunately, the pain wasn’t as strong as I had thought.
I gripped the armrest of the wheelchair and stood up. As I slowly rose with a nervous heart, the wheelchair wasn’t fixed and slid backward, causing me to fall backward.
“Ah, ugh…”
A scream naturally escaped as my head hit the floor. The wheelchair had already fallen sideways, and I was sprawled on the floor.
After chewing on a curse in my mouth, I looked down at my legs.
Legs. Come to think of it, it was strange. I had an accident in a car, but why were my legs broken to this extent? Even if I had slipped, it was odd that my legs, not my waist or arms, were broken.
Both legs, at that. My head throbbed. My breath was caught, but I tried to think calmly. For now, surveying the surroundings was a priority.
I crawled to the wheelchair, raised the fallen wheelchair, and tried to support the ground with my legs by putting in strength. Fortunately, I could stand if I had something to lean on.
‘One week. Just one week…’
After that much time, I thought I could walk on my own, albeit clumsily. But the question was whether I had that much time.
Initially, I was anxious about returning to where I lived, but now Jang looked suspicious that I wasn’t asking anything.
But if I said I wanted to return at this point, I could imagine what situation would ensue.
Slowly pulling the wheelchair, I turned the doorknob of each room. Unsurprisingly, none of the doors opened.
‘What am I doing in a place like this…?’
I knew that being hasty wouldn’t solve anything, but the problems that kept holding me back were always different from my intentions.
I turned my gaze to the second floor where Jang stayed. The narrow staircase, densely packed, seemed too difficult to climb.
As I stretched my head to see how high it was, a cold air was coming down from above. Somehow, it felt like someone might come down from the second floor.
Unfortunately, the staircase bent once more, so the structure of the second floor wasn’t visible. If there was time, I could crawl up, but I wasn’t sure when Jang would return.
Biting my lips, I headed to the kitchen. Looking around for things to take, I thought about taking a knife, but it seemed like it would be noticeable if I took one of the few knives available.
Having no choice, I took a butter knife and put it under my thigh. The cold sensation felt like it was stabbing me from below.
‘How much time has passed?’
With an anxious heart, I looked at the clock, and quite some time had already passed since Jang left.
I had to go back to my room before he returned. It was distressing to have to go back without any significant gains as I pulled the wheelchair back to my room.
If Jang returned, it might be another month before he went out again.
I was still considering whether I should go upstairs. If there was a gun there, then everything might become easier.
I didn’t want to kill him. I just wanted to escape from this place.
Of course, there wouldn’t be much I could do even if I left with these legs, but staying wouldn’t change my desperate situation either.
Just then, I sensed a presence at the front door. It seemed like he had returned.
‘Damn it…’
Startled, I was about to hurriedly enter the room and get into bed, but there didn’t seem to be enough time. I wiped the sweat on my forehead and calmly picked up the book placed beside me, pretending that nothing had happened.
Shortly after, the sound of keys turning in the front door reached into the room where I was staying. I lightly counted the numbers. The door opened with a strange sound, and Jang’s heavy footsteps steadily approached me.
“Everything alright?”
“Ah, you’re back? Yes. I was reading the book Jang gave me again.”
“Really? I’ve bought other books too. Want to take a look?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
The man who acted as if nothing was wrong, wearing a pleasant expression. I had to try not to react to his expression.
Jang glanced at the room door, which wasn’t closed but open, as he went out of the room again.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be overly suspicious. As I looked at the direction he had left, I became acutely aware of the butter knife hidden under my thigh.
If he touched my legs, it seemed like it would be exposed. I silently stuffed the knife inside the blanket and waited for Jang to return.
I sensitively picked up sounds coming from afar. It seemed like I needed to devise a plan to completely escape from this place.
As if to prove that no one could tie me down. I had to prepare like that.
