When I was locked alone in the basent, I wanted to see Joo Seunghyuk.
Finding out he’d been obsessed with for seven years shocked —and it made feel sorry. Just as my aunt had once hurt in my previous life, I realized I had hurt him too. That guilt stayed with . And since he was the only person I could rely on in that enclosed space, I clung to him all the more.
I guess that lingering attachnt is still affecting . That must be why I had those thoughts just now.
Right... that’s all it is.
Lee Yeonsu, pull yourself together. Feeling guilty and choosing to stay by his side are two entirely separate things.
And if I think about it calmly—nothing has actually changed.
Seunghyuk is still hiding sothing from . I’d assud it was a marriage to the daughter of Lexington Pharmaceuticals, but apparently not. Then what is it? What had Park Geonwoo been trying to tell ?
And who was behind the car crash that nearly killed Park Geonwoo?
The questions I had before running away remain unanswered. On top of that, I’m still being held prisoner.
Just because Seunghyuk hasn’t abused physically the way he did in the original novel doesn’t an I can relax.
Unlike Kim Jun in Swamp of the Guide, I never provoked him. Since the mont I was confined, I haven’t made a single attempt to escape. Maybe that’s the only reason he’s “going easy” on . It’s not that he’s being especially kind.
Even in the original story, when Seunghyuk locked Kim Jun in the basent, he was relatively gentle—until Jun flipped the food tray and started screaming curses.
I might’ve moved from a sunless basent to a beautiful room with an ocean view, but that doesn’t an my situation has improved. If anything, it’s worse.
I have no idea where this place is. I don’t know what country we’re in, whether it’s an island, a seaside town, or so remote, uninhabited place. I don’t even know how many floors this building has—let alone which one I’m on.
If Seunghyuk wanted to erase from society, he could do it instantly. Sure, for now, he’s told my parents that we’re “together,” but that doesn’t an anything.
He could just say I disappeared abroad—or drowned—and lock away in so unknown location.
And he’s the kind of person who could do that.
To think I was okay with all this... To think I considered staying here as if that was fine...
I need to snap out of it.
I sat down at the desk without thinking. After being confined and physically entangled with Seunghyuk for five straight days, my mind must’ve gone numb.
Reading again, getting up and moving around—doing ordinary things would help recover.
I have to leave him. Nothing will change.
Seunghyuk might keep here forever. Even if he’s rejected political marriage and claims he’s been obsessed with for seven [N O V E L I G H T] years, that’s no reason to stay. If anything, it’s all the more reason to go. He’s not soone I can handle. I can’t let the comfort he provides make forget that.
I have to leave. It’s the right thing to do.
I kept repeating the words to myself, trying to burn them into my brain—when I suddenly heard a familiar voice behind .
“Hyung.”
There was only one person who could enter this room and call that.
“Seunghyuk...”
I instinctively smiled at him. I had to, just in case he could sohow read what I’d just been thinking.
“What were you doing?”
“Ah... I was just, uh, planning to read. Oh—no! I an, I was looking for you.”
But the mont I resolved to leave him, I slipped up. I tried to hide my panic as I watched his reaction.
To my surprise, Seunghyuk only smiled softly and patted my head.
“You were looking for and also planning to read?”
“Yeah! Yeah. That’s right.”
“Let’s eat first, then read.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
Ever since I arrived here, Seunghyuk had always brought the als himself. Not only did he never withhold food—he even brought snacks without fail.
Today’s al was another feast. Doenjang stew, braised short ribs, pumpkin jeon, simred radish, salad, kimchi, grilled jumbo shrimp... One al a day was always a full traditional Korean spread.
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten three full als a day like this, in either of my lives. It wasn’t just the variety—the presentation and dishes were gorgeous too. So much care went into it that it felt almost wrong to eat it.
“It looks amazing.”
“Eat as much as you want.”
“Thanks. But... isn’t it a lot of work to make Korean food every day?”
“It’s fine. As long as hyung enjoys it.”
“Still... getting ingredients overseas must be hard. And the cookware might be different, right?”
“Don’t worry. Everything we need is here. We even have a gamasot.”
“A gamasot?”
I hadn’t left the room, but I could guess what the rest of the villa looked like based on the decor. It was extravagant—European, almost Baroque in style. A traditional Korean iron cauldron felt completely out of place.
“Yeah. There are a lot of Koreans here.”
“There are?”
“Yeah. Most of the staff are Korean.”
I’d suspected there were other people here. Clearly, soone had to be doing the cooking. Still, given Seunghyuk’s personality, I hadn’t expected many staff mbers. But maybe I’d been wrong.
“Did you bring them from the main estate?”
“No. I heard they were hired locally.”
“You heard?”
So he didn’t hire them himself? That would make sense—this place didn’t exactly scream ‘Seunghyuk’s taste.’
Maybe it was a villa managed by Chairman Joo or the Seonghan Group.
And if they were hired locally, that ant we were probably in an area with a large Korean population. Maybe a tourist destination. In any case, this didn’t seem like an uninhabited island.
That was a relief. If it were an island, there’d be no way out no matter what I decided.
“Is there a Korean town nearby?”
“You’re curious about that?”
His voice was gentle, but his eyes went cold. That switch had flipped again—he was suspicious.
I’d pushed too far. I should’ve stopped once I confird it wasn’t a deserted island, but I got greedy and asked too much.
“Yeah... I was wondering if there were any Korean snacks. I kind of want sothing sweet.”
I made up an excuse on the spot. Hopefully, it was believable enough.
“What kind of snacks?”
“Uh... Shrimp Roll-Roll and Choco-Ring.”
I nad a couple of my usual favorites. Seunghyuk’s lips curved into a warm smile.
“Okay. But let’s eat first. Snacks later.”
He peeled a shrimp and brought it to my mouth. It was perfectly cooked—lted the mont it touched my tongue.
“Thanks. It’s really good.”
“Eat a lot.”
He peeled another one.
“I can do it—”
“No. The shells are sharp. It’s dangerous.”
It’s not like it’s a crab shell. How sharp can shrimp shells really be?
“I’ll be fine.”
“No. You’ll hurt yourself.”
He insisted on peeling the shrimp and feeding . It was borderline overprotective.
“Seunghyuk, you should eat too.”
“I will.”
But he made no move to eat. Just like yesterday—he piled all the best food on my plate and barely touched anything himself.
I couldn’t let him do that again.
“Let peel one for you—ah!”
In my rush, I accidentally knocked over a glass beside . A clear crystal cup hit the floor and shattered.
Even at a glance, it looked expensive. I gasped and bent down to clean it, but Seunghyuk grabbed my wrist, his expression tight.
“What are you doing?!”
“Sorry. That must’ve been expensive, right? I’ll—”
Before I could finish, he scooped up and gently placed on the bed.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I... I’m fine.”
“You can’t touch broken glass like that. It’s dangerous.”
“But I broke it...”
“Don’t do that again. Let handle things like this.”
“...Okay.”
I could have cleaned up a broken cup on my own. But Seunghyuk genuinely seed alard, so I gave a small nod.
“Just wait here for a second.”
He picked up the shattered glass himself. Then he went into the bathroom and returned with a wet towel.
“You’re really okay?”
He checked my hands again.
“Yeah. I didn’t even touch the shards. You stopped too fast.”
Thanks to him, I hadn’t touched a single piece. He examined my hands thoroughly, then gently wiped them clean with the wet towel.
Maybe he didn’t like that the sa hands peeling shrimp had touched . He carefully wiped my shoulders and legs—anywhere he’d laid a hand earlier.
“I’m fine...”
“What if you ran away because I got you dirty?”
“...!”
My heart sank. Why would he say that all of a sudden? Did he sohow know I’d made up my mind to leave?
No—that’s impossible. He might be an S-rank Esper, but he can’t read minds. There’s no way he could know what I was just thinking.
I was probably just projecting my own guilt.
“You’re the one who touched . There’s nothing dirty about that. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“But you’re bleeding!”
Despite what he said, I could see a faint trickle of blood on his right index finger. I reached out to check, but he quickly shoved his hand into his pocket.
“It’s nothing.”
“No, we need to treat it.”
“Okay. I will.”
He brushed it off and focused on inspecting my hands again. It was like he didn’t even care about his own injury. With his left hand, he held mine and gently caressed the small scar—left behind when I’d tried to stop his earlier outburst.
“I’m sorry.”
His voice was full of guilt.
“It’s nothing. You can barely see it.”
“I’ll never hurt you again.”
He gripped my hand tightly, like a vow. And then, once more, he whispered:
“...I’m really sorry.”
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