Chapter 11
A tremendous pain radiated from the area around my neck.
It hurt. It hurt so much.
The last thing I remembered was seeing the blade soaring toward my head.
Then, did I really die? Was my neck severed by that blade? Is that why my neck hurts like this now?
‘Wait, dead? But this is a game!’
Danbi snapped her eyes open.
It was a familiar space. A small room, enclosed on all sides, just wide enough for someone to sit in.
“Where is this…?”
Just then, a small window opened to the side. A familiar face appeared outside.
“My lady! We’re almost there! Please, just hold on a little longer!”
A moment later, the palanquin stopped, and Danbi stepped outside.
“My lady, are you perhaps feeling carsick? You seem to be in some kind of pain….”
I looked around, bewildered. For some reason, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
No, it was exactly the same.
Antique tiled roofs instead of concrete, dirt paths instead of asphalt roads. Everyone was wearing traditional clothing.
“Hey, these twin rings are cheap! So cheap!”
“Come and take a look!”
Danbi stared blankly at the items laid out on the roadside.
“Som. What were we doing?”
“What do you mean, what were we doing? We were in the palanquin, heading to the palace, weren’t we?”
Danbi grabbed Som by the shoulders and shouted.
“What are you talking about! We were just inside the palace!”
“Inside the palace, my lady?”
Som tilted her head.
“You were on your way to receive the *cheopji*, weren’t you?”
Danbi sank to the ground, looking devastated. Yes, the game resetting was something that could certainly happen.
But the problem was that window, which had been floating in the air since earlier.
「Cannot terminate the game.」
Danbi stared up at the blue window with an expression of disbelief.
“Did I… get trapped inside the game?”
***
Beneath a glittering chandelier, luxurious dishes decorated the long table.
The man held a knife and sliced his steak incessantly. The juices flowing along the grain stained the plate red.
A low voice escaped his lips.
“What did you decide about the date?”
Harin rolled a piece of steak in her mouth and replied.
“We set it for the end of next month.”
“Isn’t that too soon? Wouldn’t it be better to have a bit more time….”
“People usually do it in October anyway. Don’t worry too much, Mom.”
Harin linked her arm with Hyun, who was sitting next to her.
“Honestly, I’ve been barely holding back my desire to marry this man as soon as possible.”
“You child, saying things like that so casually.”
As the woman blushed as if embarrassed, Hyun offered an awkward smile.
“Hahaha!”
The man laughed heartily.
“If your hearts are in sync, sooner is better. Did you talk it over well with Mr. Lee?”
He glanced sideways at Hyun. Noticing the gaze, Hyun quietly set his cutlery down on the table.
Just as he was about to answer.
*Buzz, buzz.*
His pocket vibrated. Checking it discreetly under the table, the name ‘Som’ was clearly displayed on the screen.
Hyun frowned and hung up. He hurriedly shoved the phone back into his pocket and smiled at the man.
“Of course, Chairman. I, too, am eager to walk down the aisle with Harin.”
“Good. I’m sure you two have handled it well. Mr. Lee, come to the chairman’s office next week. I’ll let my secretary, Mr. Kim, know in advance.”
Hyun looked back and forth between Harin and the man with a confused expression. Then, the man said nonchalantly.
“You need to start the handover now if you want to take over the position within the year.”
“……!!”
“Dad! Is that true?”
Harin beamed at the man, then grabbed Hyun’s arm.
“Hyun, that’s wonderful.”
“Are you not pleased?”
When there was no word from Hyun, the man raised an eyebrow.
“Ah, no. It’s just so sudden….”
“Dad, really~ I was surprised too, so how do you think Hyun feels?”
“You rascal. Are you already abandoning your father to take your husband’s side?”
Everyone except Hyun laughed aloud.
After awkwardly mimicking their laughter for a moment, Hyun carefully brought up the subject while reading the room.
“Um, Chairman, actually….”
*Buzz, buzz.*
But before he could even get the words out, his pocket vibrated again.
Hyun quickly checked his phone under the table. As expected, it was Som again.
He stood up reluctantly.
“Excuse me. I need to take a call….”
He escaped the dining room as if fleeing and hid in a corner of the hallway where there were few people. It was only when he checked his surroundings and hurriedly pressed the call button that he spoke.
“Hel—”
[Why aren’t you picking up the phone?!]
At the voice ringing out from the phone, Hyun furrowed his brow and lowered his voice.
“I’m busy right now. Let’s talk later.”
He was about to hang up firmly. But Som’s voice, pouring out from the other end, swirled dizzyingly in his ears.
His face began to harden.
“Hyun, what’s the matter?”
A moment later, Harin asked, looking puzzled as Hyun returned to the dining room.
Instead of sitting down, he began to gather his things. The usual composure he carried was nowhere to be found.
The gazes of the three people turned toward Hyun as if by agreement.
“I apologize. Something has come up, so I must be going.”
Standing up again, Hyun bowed his head to the man and the woman.
“W-wait! Hyun! Hyun!”
Leaving the voices calling after him behind, he hurried toward the door. The sound of his dress shoes echoing against the luxurious marble floor was exceptionally sharp.
***
Som looked at the bed with concern. Her clasped hands trembled faintly, unable to hide her anxiety.
That was when it happened. The sound of footsteps echoing through the silent hallway grew clearer, and the hospital room door swung open violently.
Turning her head, she saw Hyun rushing in, gasping for air. As soon as Som confirmed it was him, she jumped up from her seat.
“What happened?”
At Hyun’s question, Som lunged at him instead of answering. She struck his chest hard with both hands.
Hyun, who had been about to stop her, saw the corners of Som’s eyes reddened and quietly shut his mouth.
“Why didn’t you answer Danbi’s calls?”
“……Calls?”
“Three days ago! Danbi kept calling you, so why didn’t you answer!”
Hyun walked toward the bed without a word.
He saw Danbi lying there with an oxygen mask on. Her pale face looked precarious, as if it might shatter at any moment.
“They say she’s in a coma.”
At the unexpected words, Hyun turned around.
“What? What are you talking about!”
“I don’t know, I don’t know!”
Danbi was someone who would chatter on the phone every single day. When her phone didn’t ring all day, which was strange, Som had gone to her house on a whim.
“Danbi! Yeo Danbi!”
And she had found Danbi collapsed on the sofa, covered by something. Som had rushed to her immediately.
“Danbi! Wake up! Yeo Danbi!”
That had been hours ago. Som glared at Hyun fiercely.
“You must have known Danbi hadn’t been coming to work for the past few days. How could you not even think to check on her once?”
“…….”
“It’s been eight years. You two were together for a whole eight years! Even if you’ve broken up now, how can a person change in an instant like that?”
Hyun endured Som’s pouring words in silence and eventually left the hospital room. The resentful gaze piercing his back felt heavy.
“Ha….”
In the cold, silent hallway, he took his phone out of his pocket.
12 missed calls.
The records of Danbi calling him multiple times three days ago remained clear.
“Why are you doing this to me all of a sudden? What did I do so wrong to you? You should at least say something!”
Hyun sighed and leaned against the door.
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