ORCA 12

Instead of asking, I looked closely at the man, wondering if I might know him. As I grasped at my fading focus, his face finally came into view. He seemed like someone I had seen somewhere before. It felt strange to call him a servant of the mansion, yet it felt familiar to say I didn’t know him at all. It was faint, but somewhat familiar. It felt as if it were hidden somewhere in my memory, but my mind was so numb that I just blinked. I couldn’t even bring myself to pretend to try and remember.

The man remained silent, still looking down at me. Then, suddenly, he folded his knees and sat down in front of me. The head I had been holding up naturally came down. Because of his much larger frame, I still had to look up at him regardless.

“You’re good at wearing a face that says you don’t know.”

Orca’s low voice poked at Niah. Even though it was clearly a remark criticizing him, Niah couldn’t find an answer. He could only heave his chest and let out labored breaths.

Honestly, he was more afraid of Pepe, who would be returning in a moment, than the man he didn’t recognize. He was not in a physical state to ponder any deeper. Only simple thoughts floated through his head: that he wanted to lie down right now, that he was hungry, that the man’s face was very handsome, or whether he might actually die if he stayed like this.

“If I had known it would be like this, I should have just swallowed you up in the lake yesterday.”

The man’s words were impossible to understand.

The lake… yesterday…

He followed the words in his mind, trying to guess what that had to do with him. He rolled his dulled brain, trying to retrace what he had done yesterday. Only then did he realize that he had done the same thing when he opened his eyes in the basement hall this morning.

Now, his whole memory was a mess. He couldn’t even recall events from just a few hours ago accurately. While he was acting like a fool, the man continued to watch him intently. Suddenly, a belated fear washed over him.

“It’s frustrating after I put so much effort into saving you. Hmm?”

Orca whispered quietly and slowly reached out his arm. Niah squeezed his eyes shut at the large hand approaching him. He pulled his chin in tight and hunched his shoulders without realizing it. It was because he had an uneasy premonition that he would definitely be hit.

Ignoring his fearful attitude, Orca reached out all the way and brushed Niah’s forehead. His fingertips swept aside the hair matted with cold sweat. He didn’t stop at once but continued to sweep it back slowly. Thanks to that, the curly hair that had been stuck in clumps on his forehead fluttered lightly.

Niah, who carefully lifted his eyelids, looked at the man sitting in front of him as if stealing a glance. His spine turned cold at the eyes they met. The skin that had been burning with fever seemed to freeze instantly. The surprisingly gentle touch, contrary to his expectations, only increased his unexplainable fear.

As he swallowed hard due to the tension, his throat ached and let out pain. A cough that sounded like ragged breathing also popped out. Somehow, feeling like he was about to get scolded, he lowered his eyes and suppressed the cough. He, who had said he was more afraid of Pepe than the unknown man, had become a liar.

The gentle touch that was still stroking his forehead carried a sense of coercion, as if it were pinning him down. For some reason, this felt more eerie than when the other servants treated him roughly. It didn’t feel affectionate; instead, it was frightening.

The knees he held to his chest trembled. His head gradually slumped toward his mud-stained hands. A sniffling sound leaked from his throat. Tears that welled up in the corners of his eyes quickly fell, leaving marks on his clothes. This was already learned terror. Only then did he question the man’s identity. The man spoke as if he knew him.

Orca didn’t like that. He felt a flash of annoyance seeing him try to run away from him when he hadn’t done anything yet. Unless he had planned on seeing him cry, he was baffled that he was pouring out tears when he was being patient. This was even more infuriating than when he first witnessed that face that seemed to have forgotten everything about last night. An uncontrollable anger rose up from his feet.

Orca’s gaze became even more persistent. He looked, with extreme slowness and persistence, over the pale orange hair he was continuously sweeping back, to the wet eyelashes, the flushed cheeks beneath them, the lips panting with breathless gasps, the trembling shoulders, the two knees stained with tears, and even the dirt-covered hands placed on the ground. When he finished observing, his already soured mood twisted even further. He felt more heated by the moment.

Meanwhile, Niah’s sobbing showed no signs of subsiding. On the contrary, it worsened, reaching the point of heaving. Even if he wanted to beg for forgiveness, he had no memories, so he couldn’t easily plead. If he were asked what he did wrong, he wouldn’t have an answer, and it would be difficult to just prostrate himself blindly. If he did that, he might get scolded even worse.

Niah, rolling in the mud by himself, only imagined the worst. He felt as if the firm fingers sliding over his forehead would suddenly strike him down with all their might. Due to the incoming bad premonition, his vision quickly blurred. Even if he tried to hurriedly suppress his crying, it wasn’t easy. His inflamed eye rims were sore.

“You said you wouldn’t cry.”

At the sharp-sounding voice, Niah started to lift his head but let out a dull groan. It was a sound that came out of surprise rather than pain. The hand that had been moving over his forehead grabbed his neck and pulled him in with a jerk. The position he had curled himself into collapsed, causing him to fall to his knees and touch the ground with his palms. Because of that, feeling as though his neck was going to snap, he had to crawl forward.

His face, pulled upward, stopped only inches from the man’s nose. It was a mere span away. His heart thumped. The eyes that met his were rimmed with midwinter ice. His chin trembled, causing his teeth to chatter.

While holding his neck, the man reached out his other hand as well. Naturally, his eyes closed. The approaching fingers pressed firmly on his eyelids before pulling away. Feeling eerie, as if he were trying to pop his eyeballs, he snapped his eyes back open. He tried to pull his body back to ask for forgiveness even now, but he couldn’t move a muscle. His body stiffened under the gaze that was watching him, and he just gripped the dirt instead. That sensation was not unfamiliar.

Just then, Pepe came running from afar. Although he couldn’t be seen because of the man’s large body, he could feel Pepe’s rough shouts gradually getting closer. It seemed it was time for the servants who had gone to the cafeteria to return. There were multiple footsteps hitting the ground.

“Yo, Young Master! What brings you all the way here…!”

Orca did not turn around to the servant who approached him while calling him, nor did he answer him. He simply clicked his tongue and twisted his eyebrows. The goldfish, which had been flinching in his palm, struggled to get away from him. It was clear he was doing this because he was surprised by the title of ‘Young Master.’

When he pulled him in even tighter instead of letting go of his struggling body, the thin frame easily fell into his arms. The plan he had intended to wait and see until he remembered for himself had all gone to waste due to the appearance of an unexpected visitor. The goldfish had the top of his head under his chin and looked confused. It showed entirely on the outside.

Pepe stood behind Orca, stomping his feet. He couldn’t understand why the Young Master, who should have been in the center of the mansion, had come all the way to the far east wing vegetable garden. He broke into a cold sweat, wondering if one of the garden servants had committed a grave error. He wasn’t in a position to return in a good mood after a hearty meal.

He was engulfed in agony, wondering how he should handle the situation if it was something he had done, and no one else. No, more than that, he had never even encountered the Young Master, so it was impossible for him to have made any mistakes. He was certain that it wasn’t him, but another servant, who was at fault.

Yes, Niah… Where is that Niah guy?

Pepe scanned the large vegetable garden from corner to corner. The other servants, who were standing in groups, covered their mouths and murmured to one another.

Niah was dizzy from sifting through his disorderly memories. Thoughts were on the verge of coming to him. His stomach, which had nothing in it, felt nauseous, and he wanted to throw it all up. He couldn’t believe that the man who had been with him until now was the Young Master. His heart sank with a jolt. The man seemed to know him, but for the Young Master to know him—that, too, was impossible. Niah desperately searched himself.