# Chapter 71
“The rain shows no sign of stopping.”
“I know. With it coming down like this, even if it stops, we won’t be able to go outside. The ground will be too wet…”
Jang nodded and took a sip of his tea. The sound of rain pouring down was so intense it made my ears ring, making it difficult to concentrate on my book.
Actually, besides the sound of falling rain, I was distracted all day because of the medicine I had hidden in the book.
I woke up early in the morning and awkwardly but successfully walked around the room on my two feet, confirming there were no issues. With Jang’s help, I’d also changed into proper clothes, so my preparations for going out were essentially complete.
Using the excuse that it was cold, Jang helped me change into thicker clothes without any suspicion, and after finishing our meal, we sat facing each other, reading books.
Anxious, I kept staring at the same page, but to avoid suspicion, I dutifully turned the pages at regular intervals.
Then, feeling like this wasn’t going to work, I carefully opened my mouth while looking at Jang.
“…You said you’ve lived alone for 10 years.”
Jang nodded, placing the glasses he was wearing on the table.
“Then who did you live with before that?”
“With my son. Just the two of us.”
Son. So he had been married and had a child. Surprised by this fact, I closed the book I was holding and turned slightly toward him.
“Come to think of it, Ichen. How old are you?”
“I’m 31 now.”
I didn’t really know my birth date. Of course, I didn’t know exactly what year I was born either. My parents never told me my birthday, and they never registered my birth. But it didn’t matter. Age wasn’t very important anyway.
‘Or is it? Woosang seemed oddly conscious about age…’
Recalling how he would momentarily become lost in thought whenever age was mentioned, I felt my mind becoming strangely calmer.
“Is that so? My son would be about that age too if he were still alive.”
Jang smiled faintly and finished the remaining tea in his cup. There was no trace of anyone else in this house. Though the rooms were fully furnished, they lacked any feeling of being lived in, and it didn’t seem like anyone else had ever stayed here.
Nevertheless, it appeared someone had once stayed here and had since left.
“Your son…”
“He died in an accident ten years ago. A car accident.”
The sound of rain drumming against my ears blurred Jang’s voice. He seemed to be searching for something in the empty air, perhaps recalling the past.
A son who died in a car accident. Somehow, his story was making it clear why I was here.
That didn’t mean I felt any sympathy for him or had any desire to comfort him. Not in the slightest.
Of course, contrary to my thoughts, my mouth formed words of pity.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Still, I quite enjoy the time I spend with you, Ichen.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Living alone can be quite lonely. But going out into the chaotic world is tiresome. What about you? How do you feel about staying here?”
“…I like being here with you too, Jang. The outside is too dangerous for me, and it’s a frightening place.”
The lie flowed naturally, and it didn’t sound awkward even to my own ears.
“Right?”
“Yes. I haven’t mentioned it, but I was quite exhausted too.”
“…Going outside just leads to dirty fights anyway.”
That wasn’t wrong either. Belittling others and spewing filthy words was natural for me in the past. So I understood better than anyone the feeling that the world was filthy and seemed worthless.
But if one was just festering and rotting away alone, one had to at least try to change. And my attempt had succeeded; my past actions were now simply a part of my history.
If I had a little more freedom, I might have felt sympathy for him and helped him. But now, unless I could burn down this godforsaken villa, I absolutely didn’t want to rot away with him.
“I think I drank too much tea… I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”
“Alright.”
Jang got up awkwardly from his seat and headed to the bathroom.
“Jang, I’m going to have another cup of coffee. Would you like some more too?”
“Yes. That would be nice.”
I asked him loudly before he went inside. As his lips curled up at his affirmative response, I lowered the corners of my mouth, then placed my teacup and book on my lap and pulled the wheelchair toward the kitchen.
I put water in the electric kettle, and in Jang’s cup, along with a tea bag, I shook in all the powdered medicine I had collected in my book.
I poured brewed coffee into my cup and hot water into his. For a while, I stirred the water with the tea bag, and thankfully, the powdered medicine disappeared without a trace.
My hands trembled slightly. Plus, it felt like a drop of sweat fell down the back of my neck. Due to the rain that had been pouring for days, the air was more than damp—it was sticky, and the sweat flowing in this situation made my whole body uncomfortable.
I closed the book, put it back on my knee, and headed to the living room with only Jang’s teacup. Just then, Jang came out of the bathroom and approached me.
“Is your teacup in the kitchen? I’ll bring it for you.”
“Thank you.”
When I smiled brightly, Jang patted me on the shoulder. Along with the unpleasant sensation, my sweat-soaked clothes stuck to my shoulder.
He brought the coffee from the kitchen, and I opened the book I had closed. I also opened the book on my lap and slowly read through it.
I deliberately took frequent sips of coffee, making sounds. He drank his tea without suspicion, and after a while, he removed the tea bag from the darkened cup and threw it in the trash can.
Clunk.
The empty trash can shook slightly. By now, the sound of rain outside was no longer audible to my ears, and only the tension lingering between Jang and me shook my body.
Once, twice.
He reached out to drink his tea, and I gulped down more coffee several times. I forcibly suppressed my unsettled mind and tried to focus on the book, but the words wouldn’t register properly.
After some time passed, Jang’s movements were noticeably slowing down. As I glanced at him, his hand, reaching out to drink tea, waved vaguely in the air before knocking the teacup.
Crash! The teacup fell to the floor, and the remaining tea splattered everywhere.
‘…There was still quite a bit of tea left, what a shame it fell.’
A feeling of disappointment flashed through me, but Jang seemed unable to regain his senses, as he couldn’t get up immediately despite the teacup falling to the floor. Because of this, a small thrill rose within me.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“…Huh? Oh, I’m not hurt. I’m fine.”
Jang forced himself up and tried to pick up the fallen teacup.
When I tried to go help him, he waved his hand saying it was fine, carefully picked up the glass pieces, and immediately threw them in the trash.
With a clinking sound, the once-light trash can filled up a bit more. He went to the kitchen with an awkward posture, brought a towel, and wiped up the tea with slow hand movements.
“Oh my, it’s not even late yet, but why am I so sleepy? I can’t seem to focus.”
“Is that so? If you’re okay with it, go to your room and take a nap. I think I’ll go to my room and sleep a bit too.”
“Will you? Hmm, no. I’ll read a little more first.”
He sighed deeply and slumped back into his seat. The chair shook noticeably, but intoxicated by the medicine, he didn’t seem to notice.
It made sense. The medicine I had collected over time amounted to nearly two weeks’ worth. Even if he hadn’t drunk it all, having taken that much medicine at once, there was no way he could remain standing properly.
I swallowed my breath and glanced at him falling asleep. Though he had opened his book and was wearing glasses, Jang’s eyes were already unfocused. Leaning against the chair while reading, it wasn’t long before he closed his eyes and exhaled evenly.
‘Good.’
I released my trembling emotions inside. I wanted to jump up and prepare to leave right away, but it was too early to make that decision. Suppressing my trembling throat, I whispered softly.
“Jang, are you sleeping?”
He still only breathed lightly without answering.
“If you want to sleep, go to your room.”
To make sure, I shook his shoulder, but as if he couldn’t feel it, he didn’t even stir. Now it seemed to be working. It was clear that he was completely asleep. I closed my eyes and tried hard to calm my racing heart.
If I made a wrong move here, everything could come to nothing. I had to act carefully.
Deliberately, I headed to my room still seated in the wheelchair. With a creaking sound, the wheelchair moved forward, and I internally screamed at the fact that I would no longer hear this irritating sound.
‘Just go upstairs, find the key, and get my things.’
Then it would be a permanent farewell to this godforsaken place. If possible, I wanted to take Jang’s car and head straight to Berlin, but it seemed I would need to walk to the city for any unforeseen situations.
Fortunately, the rain showed no signs of stopping. Just a little distance away, and Jang would not be able to hear my footsteps.
I was grateful for the situation, which wasn’t entirely unfavorable to me.
In just a few days, I could see Woosang. Having never imagined being separated for so long, I now wanted to hear even just his voice.
I thought about going upstairs and calling him, but Jang might wake up, so I couldn’t do that.
‘First, move to the city, and from there, borrow a phone…’
I got up from the wheelchair and carefully placed my feet on the ground. It was a bit awkward, but it didn’t seem like it would be a problem. I checked the clothes I was wearing and went out the door without making a sound.
Turning my gaze to the living room, Jang was still sleeping there, just breathing. From the sound of his breathing, he didn’t seem like he would wake up anytime soon.
I naturally looked at the entrance to the stairs leading to the second floor. The place, still dark, seemed to refuse my ascent.
I took one step at a time, minimizing my footsteps. The old wooden floor made creaking sounds, but they were mild enough to be drowned out by the rain, so it seemed I didn’t have to worry too much.
Cold sweat dripped down.
My fingertips were already sweaty and uncomfortable, but if I could just escape from this house, such sensations wouldn’t matter. I held my breath deeply and stood in front of the second-floor stairs. Jang’s continued breathing and my trembling breath.
And the irregular sound of rain approached as if to devour me.
Just then, an intense light came through the windows. It seemed like lightning was about to strike. I swallowed my breath and waited for the sound to fall.
Hoping that sound would mark the beginning, I quickly went up.
