SATURDAY 89

The curtains opened along with soft white noise, as if the alarm time had arrived. As the blackout curtains retracted, the warm early winter sunlight rushed in like a wave, instantly touching my body. The temperature of the sunlight brushing against my bare skin felt indescribably good.

I rolled over once on the bed with a faint smile on my lips. The snug feeling of the fluffy, light goose-down duvet wrapping around my body was cozy. How long has it been since I felt this kind of comfort…?

After rolling around on the bed for a good while longer, I pulled myself out because I was thirsty. When I went down to the kitchen, two staff members were in the middle of preparing a meal. Wondering if it was already that time, I checked the clock on the shelf; it was 11:50 AM.

Mealtime was around 1:00 PM; the habit from the main house was being maintained here as well. The head chef turned toward me, his eyes widening into circles.

“Why have you come down already, Director? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Shall I bring the meal to the bedroom?”

“….”

I nodded silently and headed for the refrigerator. While taking out water and drinking it, I pretended not to hear the head chef chattering about something and went back up to the second floor.

He said he would bring the meal anyway…. Thinking I might as well enjoy the sunlight a bit more, I approached the window, which was wide enough to sit in. Right next to it were two single-person sofas. On the sofas were cushions, pillows, and even blankets—everything I needed.

I first spread a thick blanket on the windowsill, placed a cushion, and lay down wrapped in a soft fur blanket that looked like rabbit fur. The interior where the heating was running, the warm air, the window perfectly blocking the cold wind, yet the faint seepage of the outside temperature. Sunlight so bright it was dazzling.

It was truly perfect. I burst out laughing.

However, before long, the laughter faded. The image of Mother reaching out her hand while calling, “Inyoung, Inyoung,” came to mind. I covered my mouth with both hands. Poor Mother….

Father was buried in the family cemetery on the ancestral mountain. Countless people came to the funeral that lasted for five days, but that could not be a comfort. Poor Father.

I never imagined that person would go that far.

It would have been good if I could have stopped it. All I could do was watch Professor Jang walking away.

Lying still while soaking in the sunlight, all sorts of thoughts came to mind. It’s been a while since my thoughts were this clear. I had always been strangely dazed, as if dreaming. Perhaps because of that, thoughts about the current situation, Mother and Father, the Shaman, and Professor Jang swirled around in my head.

At the same time, the sensation of the sunlight touching my body right now was vivid and pleasant. I curled up while clutching the soft fur blanket. It seems I must have dozed off for a moment. What woke me was a quiet knock.

“May I come in, Director?”

“….”

I walked out while wrapped in the blanket and opened the door myself. The one outside the door was the head chef.

He was skillfully holding a neatly prepared Korean meal on a large tray with one hand, while the other hand was placed over his stomach with a tablecloth draped over his arm as per standard etiquette.

Because of someone who leaked information to Mother, all the staff in this house were newly hired. They were selected only from people personally recommended to Mr. Taeseon, and since they were chosen after secretaries conducted interviews, background checks, and even investigated industry reputations, it was a thoroughly rigorous selection process.

It was to the point where I thought they were better than the long-time employees of the main house who gossiped so much. Well, I suppose that’s why they were able to pass the scrutiny of the fastidious Mr. Taeseon.

I stepped aside in silence. Since I hadn’t said a word for a while, the head chef, who usually threw out very light remarks, remained quiet as well, maintaining only a softly smiling face.

On the empty table next to the window where I had been lying just a moment ago, he spread the tablecloth and set down the items from the tray one by one. First, a centerpiece consisting of a set of two small candles in a low vase decorated with anemones and lemon leaves, and a napkin holder next to it. Then the food and the teapot.

Finally, after setting down a water bottle containing herbs, he straightened the utensils neatly once more. I watched his retreating back for a moment as he left with a polite bow, then turned my gaze to the table.

I feel it every time I see it, but every meal was an undeserved spread. Even at the main house, they didn’t go to this extent. A centerpiece that changed with every meal; rice, soup, side plates, water glasses, and teacups set as neatly as a high-end restaurant; and table mats and tablecloths color-coordinated with the centerpiece.

It really is more than I deserve.

But… I had no complaints now. I covered my mouth with my hand and giggled as I opened the lids of the ceramic bowls one by one.

I could roughly guess the types of side dishes. I had been down to the kitchen earlier, after all…. Most of the things I like are also the foods my twin likes. I hadn’t felt what you’d call an appetite for a while, but today, a growl came from my stomach.

I rubbed my stomach, which was rumbling as if shouting, and laughed again. After taking a sip of tea, I took a spoonful of dried pollack soup.

‘It’s delicious….’

The feeling of something being delicious—how long has it been. In an instant, I devoured all the white rice filling the bowl, the spicy dried pollack soup, the crisply grilled mackerel, the seasoned mushrooms, bracken, water kimchi, leek pancakes…. anyway, all the rice and side dishes laid out fully on the table.

Mentally I felt lacking, but my body was struggling from being full. My flat stomach had become bloated, and it was even hard to breathe. While panting, I finished the rest of my teacup, rinsed my mouth with water, and went to the bathroom.

I suddenly felt unpleasant that the smell of food was coming from my mouth. After taking out a new toothbrush and brushing my teeth until they bled, it felt a bit better, but the stuck feeling of indigestion remained.

“Why prepare so much when I won’t even be able to eat it all….”

Muttering complaints, I rummaged through the medicine drawer. Seeing a bottle labeled “Digestive Medicine,” I checked it, and the contents were indeed digestive medicine.

I shook the pills into my palm, swallowed them haphazardly, and paced around the room. Irritation flared up. Over just this much….

No.

I’ll have to get used to it. Mr. Taeseon will prefer it if I eat a lot and gain weight. Right now—I lifted my hand and looked down at my wrist. Right now, I am too, too thin. Excessively thin.

Wrist bones sticking out, the frame protruding over the back of my hand, fingers as long and thin as thorns, arms no different from dry branches. Because of the deathly pale skin tone, my two arms, gaunt like spider legs, looked even more pathetic.

What would my weight be right now? I headed to the bathroom again. After rummaging through the bathroom and finding a scale, I stepped on it and was momentarily stunned.

Is this really a weight for an adult male?

I’m not exactly short, but at this weight, it’s barely the average weight for a woman. There are limits even to being thin. Well… looking at my body reflected in the mirror, this absurd weight was understandable.

Besides, I’ve been under a lot of stress since a few months ago, and I barely even ate. It was natural that I lost more weight than when I was at the main house.

‘Mr. Taeseon, really….’

No, I wonder if he’s even worrying about me wasting away.

I pushed the scale away with my foot and looked in the mirror again. A man who looked like both a boy and a youth, with a pale and gloomy face, was in there.

When I toyed with my naturally groomed short hair, the me in the mirror did the exact same thing. When I tilted my head, he tilted his as well, and if I blinked, he blinked along with me.

Finally, I grinned.

The me in the mirror did not smile.

As if protesting something.

‘So, what are you going to do about it?’

I snickered and pressed my hand against the mirror. The me in the mirror still has a dark expression.

I left that thing exactly as it was inside and turned around sharply. It’s not that I have eyes in the back of my head, but I could tell that the ‘me’ in the mirror was still staring at ‘me’. With those gloomy eyes.

I headed to the dressing room while humming. The dressing room was divided into two halves, and the left half was Mr. Taeseon’s clothes.

I hummed various songs while looking at Mr. Taeseon’s clothes. From ties to dress shirts, jackets, vests, slacks, and accessories. As expected, it was all luxurious taste, so it was fun to look around.

I opened the accessory case, took out a handful of cufflinks, and scattered them across the glass with a clack as if playing a game of jacks. I burst into laughter for no reason because it was fun. I also took out the watches one by one and tried them on—the size was absurdly large—and even took out the tie pins and laid them out for no reason.

After spending a long time like that, the head chef came to give me dessert and collected the empty meal table. Since the lids were off, he seemed to notice that everything was completely empty, but he only wore a momentarily surprised face and said nothing.

I played like that, turning the room upside down. After that, I enjoyed a nap by the window, then returned to the bed and dozed off again; time passed, and the vehicle entry notification rang from the wall intercom. I headed toward the entrance just as I was, in my pajamas.

“I’m home, Inyoung.”

Mr. Taeseon spoke with a somewhat fatigued face. Smiling broadly, I ran to him and gave him a deep hug. Just as he seemed to freeze stiff, his hands slowly moved up onto my back.

And then, he gripped the fabric of my pajamas tightly. The aura emanating from him was so intense that even I flinched and my body shriveled up.

“What are you.”

“Pardon…?”

“Where is Inyoung.”