September 1
[Texts]
***
Snow White
hyung
Snow White is okay
***
–That’s a relief.
***
Snow White
I told you not to worry lol
He always falls from that height just fine while running around and playing.
Apparently he thinks I got startled and worried, so he’s pretending to be sick.
As soon as we got to the hospital, he started jumping straight up and running around trying to escape—I think the vet sees me as an overprotective pet owner.
***
–That’s good.
***
Snow White
Yeah, so no worries.
***
–Yeah, that’s good, but
–I’m sorry.
–For causing trouble.
***
Snow White
I told you it’s okay??
***
–Still, I’m sorry.
–I’m going home now.
***
Snow White
You’re leaving???
I came to the hospital trusting you when you said you wouldn’t go home alone.
I trusted youㅠㅠ
***
–;;
***
Snow White
ㅠㅠ
Are you really going to betray my trust??
Don’t go.
***
–Okay, but
–I’m leaving when you get back.
–From now on,
–I don’t think I can come to your house anymore.
***
Snow White
Huh? Why?
***
–It’s a disaster…..
–Some things are broken, too.
***
Snow White
Nothing important got damaged, so it’s fine.
***
–The painting hanging on the wall looked expensive.
–And it’s completely torn up.
***
Snow White
You gave it to me.
So no worries.
***
–If it was a gift, that makes it even worse;
–Your house is nice, and now it’s a mess because of me.
***
Snow White
It’s not that nice of a house.
***
–Don’t say ridiculous things.
–You could probably play soccer inside that place.
***
Snow White
Want to try?
Soccer might be a bit much, but dodgeball would definitely be possible.
***
–I’m not joking.
–You suffered damages because of me.
–That’s different from just talking about it online.
–And it’s not just the stuff.
–Snow White, too.
–He fell, didn’t he, all of a sudden?
***
Snow White
He’s always zooming around by himself and slipping on his own.
***
–I’ve had cats before, so I know.
–But yesterday, Snow White got scared and ran away,
–and then suddenly fell.
–Like…
–Like in the CCTV footage.
–As if someone suddenly shoved him off the cat tower.
***
Snow White
Hmm.
Actually, because I thought you’d worry about Snow White,
I asked my older brother to look after him.
So no worries.
***
–Then that’s a relief.
–But your house, too…
–It’s such a…
–mess right now, with everything trashed.
***
Snow White
Then are you planning to go somewhere else?
Where would you even go?
***
–A hotel, maybe.
–There are plenty of places.
***
Snow White
If this happens again at a hotel,
you’d have to pay for everything that got damaged.
***
–Well…
–That’s true, but…
***
Snow White
Then let’s just go to your house instead.
***
–But…
***
Snow White
From what I can tell, that place is safe.
I don’t know why, though.
***
–I don’t want to go home.
***
Snow White
Then stay here.
***
–……
***
Snow White
hyung.
***
–Okay.
***
Snow White
Okay.
Once you’ve calmed down a little, let’s try sorting things out.
***
–Why sort things out?
***
Snow White
We need to understand what’s happening
before we can come up with a plan.
***
–Is there even a plan to make?
–There’s no way to avoid it.
–It’s a ghost.
***
Snow White
Even so.
***
–…….
–Okay.
***
Snow White
Okay.
First,
the window suddenly opened, right?
***
–Yeah.
–You said it had originally been closed.
***
Snow White
Yeah.
It’s a window we never open,
so it should’ve been locked the whole time.
But it opened.
First time I’ve ever seen it open.
***
–Yeah.
–Then I heard something breaking.
***
Snow White
That was the sound of everything in the bathroom
shattering.
Even the mirror cracked.
And then,
you said something strange came out of it.
***
–Yeah.
–I saw it clearly.
–There was a man smiling inside the mirror,
–and I swear he looked like my boyfriend.
***
Snow White
I didn’t see it myself, so I can’t be certain,
but could it be that you saw it wrong?
***
–I told you I saw it.
***
Snow White
I’m not denying that you saw something.
I’m saying the ghost might not have been your boyfriend.
You said you weren’t completely sure.
***
–Hmm.
–……
–Let’s skip that part for now.
***
Snow White
Hmm….
Okay.
Then after that,
you said the man said something.
***
–I don’t know exactly what he said,
–but I think he was telling me to come to him.
***
Snow White
Where?
***
–I don’t know.
–I was trying to listen more carefully,
–but then you grabbed me,
–so I couldn’t hear it properly.
***
Snow White
Sorry.
***
–No…..
***
Snow White
Your complexion looked really bad,
so I hugged you.
You were startled when I suddenly did that, right?
***
–It’s okay.
–You’re pretty strong.
***
Snow White
I wasn’t hugging you that tightly,
but I think I was holding on fairly hard.
Yet you shook me off and ran away.
I was surprised—you were stronger than I expected.
After that,
you hid in the room.
***
–You unlocked the door and came in with a key.
***
Snow White
The way you’re saying it makes me sound like a total piece of trash.;
But I could hear banging noises and other weird sounds from inside,
so I didn’t really have a choice.; What if something had happened to you?
***
–I understand.
–Honestly, I don’t remember that part very well….
–I must’ve lost my mind from fear.
–My memories are all fragmented.
***
Snow White
I understand, too.
When I unlocked the door and went in,
you were hiding under the desk,
and everything had been knocked onto the floor….
***
–Actually,
–I only hid there because there was nowhere else to hide.
–Someone was stomping around on top of the desk,
–looking for me and telling me to come out.
–The things that were on the desk fell then.
***
Snow White
It’s okay.
***
–Yeah….
–Even the stuff that fell went flying like someone had kicked it.
–And when I still wouldn’t come out,
–the ghost said, “Do you think I can’t find you right now?”
–and started jumping around above me with loud thuds.
–and kept calling my name.
***
Snow White
I didn’t hear any voices.
I only heard the banging noises.
But when I opened the door,
I did feel like something shot out from inside and brushed past me.
***
–Yeah…
***
Snow White
Then, while I was carrying you out,
Snow White came out because of all the commotion,
and then, startled by something,
he ran for the cat tower and fell.
***
–I’m sorry.
***
Snow White
I only brought up Snow White because we’re going over what happened.
I’m not saying it so you’ll feel sorry.
***
–Even so.
***
Snow White
I keep telling you, he’s really okay.
They said there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him.
No worries.
He’s eating treats right now, and he’s eating really well.
Want me to put the vet on the phone?
***
–Yeah…
–Okay.
–You don’t have to put them on the phone.;
***
Snow White
Okay.
***
–And while you were taking Snow White to the hospital,
–you found the torn painting on the wall.
–I have no idea when it got ripped…..
***
Snow White
Yeah, that’s right.
***
–I’ll compensate you for it.
***
Snow White
It’s okay.
***
–I probably can’t pay back the whole thing if it’s an expensive painting,
–but if I empty out all my savings,
–I’ll at least pay for part of it.
***
Snow White
I told you, it’s fine.;;
The painting wasn’t that expensive.
***
–But it’s an artwork.
***
Snow White
It’s a fake.
***
–Don’t be ridiculous.
–You said it was a gift from your boyfriend.
***
Snow White
My boyfriend is kind of cheap,
so he likes knockoffs.
***
–Hey.
–Even so,
–you shouldn’t talk badly about your boyfriend.
–I’m not going to let you stop me from compensating you by saying things like that.
***
Snow White
Okay.
Sorry, I won’t do it again.
But it really isn’t that expensive.
Don’t worry about it.
***
–Yeah.
–Thanks…..
–Anyway, that’s everything, right?
***
Snow White
Yeah.
***
–There’s no plan we can make anyway.
***
Snow White
Get some sleep,
and then let’s at least go eat out.
In the meantime, we can have the place repaired and ask them to remove anything breakable from the house.
Snow White won’t be there, and if there’s nothing left that can be broken,
then at least there won’t be any property damage.
***
–I feel like you’re pushing yourself too much.
***
Snow White
It’s okay.
You’re tired, aren’t you?
For now, get some sleep.
Your replies are getting slower and slower.
***
–Yeah, maybe because I’m finally relaxing a little.
–I’m going to sleep for a bit.
***
Snow White
Okay, sleep well.
***
[Texts]
***
Snow White
hyung, I’m sorry.
I dragged you out here because I wanted us to eat out,
and then I had to get up before I could even finish my meal properly.;
***
–No, it’s okay. You said your mother was sick.
–You should go see her.
***
Snow White
You could’ve stayed and finished eating before getting up.
***
–I already finished.
***
Snow White
You eat way too little.
If you get hungry, just make yourself at home and open the fridge.
Your health isn’t great either, so you need to eat properly.
***
–=.=
–Hey, I’m not weak, okay?
***
Snow White
Not weak, huh?
You lost to me ten times out of ten ㅠ
***
–That’s because your strength is ridiculously unfair.
–Your arms are practically the size of my thighs.;;
–My boyfriend was strong too, and I beat him sometimes.
***
Snow White
I don’t buy it……
Are you sure he wasn’t letting you win?
***
–No.
–And it wasn’t just my boyfriend that I beat sometimes.
–At arm wrestling……
***
Snow White
People who don’t work out, right?
***
–No???
***
Snow White
Come on….
***
–I shouldn’t have brought it up.
–It’s your fault for saying weird stuff.
***
Snow White
No, it’s just that you shaking me off and running away
made absolutely no sense.
I only challenged you as a test to see if maybe you were under the ghost’s influence.
I was only planning on doing five rounds, but you got determined to win at least once….
It was obvious you were headed for defeatㅠ
***
–Shut up.
–Why does it make no sense???
***
Snow White
Ten losses out of ten.
***
–You said you do boxing, right?
–Want to go together sometime?
***
Snow White
No, that’s different—we’re in completely different weight classes.
I’d lose because of the weight class difference alone.
I’m heavy.
***
–How many kilos?
***
Snow White
That’s way too embarrassing <3
***
–=.=
***
Snow White
Well, for starters, I’m over 190 centimeters tall.
No matter how skinny I am, I’d still weigh more than you.
***
–……
–Yeah, your muscles are pretty insane……
–I should start working out again too.
***
Snow White
It’s been a while since you last exercised, hasn’t it?
As for working out…
Hmm.
Actually, never mind.
You should put on some weight first.
I have to keep looking after you, after allㅠㅠ
***
–Forget it, I almost finished eating.
–Don’t worry about me and go take care of your mother.
***
Snow White
Okay.
Though, to be honest,
I was thinking it might be about time for me to head over there anyway.
***
–Yeah.
–Not that I’m really in a position to say this, considering I cut ties with my parents,
–but take care of your parents while you still can.
–Don’t storm out of the house over something trivial and stop seeing them.
***
Snow White
=.=
It wasn’t something trivial, okay?
***
–Then what was it?
***
Snow White
Well…
My mom sometimes visits this shaman.
And that shaman told her that if I don’t get married before the end of this year,
I’ll have no luck with women for the rest of my life.
***
–;;;
–What kind of nonsense is that?
–You’re popular, aren’t you?
***
Snow White
Hmm.
Do I really seem that popular?
***
–You’re handsome, in great shape, rich, and have a good personality.
–It’d be weirder if you weren’t popular.
–What, you’re not?
***
Snow White
I’m popular, sure,
but you’re the first person who’s ever said I have a good personality.
***
–….What, do you actually have a terrible personality?
–You seem nice enough.
***
Snow White
Just kidding.
I’m a man as pure as white snow, always.
***
–Uh….;
–Sure.
***
Snow White
Haha.
At least sound like you mean it when you answer.
***
–k.
***
Snow White
ㅠㅠ
Anyway, so…
That’s why they’re telling me to get married this year, right now.
***
–But you’re young.;
–What kind of marriage is there at twenty-three…..
–Plenty of people haven’t gotten married even at my age.
***
Snow White
Exactly. =.=
And the person they want me to marry is…
Ha…..
There’s this girl I’ve known since we were literally four years old.
She’s seriously just a friend.
If humanity came down to only me and her, the human race would go extinct.
There’s absolutely no way we could ever become that kind of couple.
But they’re telling me to marry her.
***
–;;
–That’s a bit…
***
Snow White
It’s insane, especially in the twenty-first century.
***
–Yeah… that’s true, but…
–Still, don’t people from chaebol families usually have arranged marriages?
***
Snow White
Come on, my family’s just running a small business.
***
–Don’t lie.
***
Snow White
Compared to the entire world, I suppose it could be considered small.
***
–You’re unbelievable.
***
Snow White
Anyway,
there’s a pretty big age gap between me and my older brothers,
and I don’t really have any ambition myself, so I’m only supposed to inherit a tiny bit of the family assets.
So I have absolutely nothing to do with pathetic things like arranged marriages.
I’m going to meet someone I genuinely love and date them because it’s meant to happen.
***
–Right, okay.
***
Snow White
That’s why I left home instead of getting married.
***
–That doesn’t seem like the wisest solution.
–You should’ve talked it out instead of leaving home.
***
Snow White
My friend said she couldn’t marry me,
and then she straight-up fled overseas. =.=
I don’t even know where she is.
She escaped really well.
Compared to that, I’m the reasonable one.
***
–Yeah…..;;
–You and your friend are certainly something.
***
Snow White
Haha.
But this whole thing about having no luck with women if I don’t get married this year—
I think I might actually understand what that means.
***
–Why?
***
Snow White
I’ve just had a bit of a change of heart lately.
***
–Hmm… okay.
***
Snow White
You’re not curious???
This is huge??????????
***
–It’s personal.
–I don’t pry into things like that.
–People at work used to ask me about marriage all the time too, and it was exhausting.
***
Snow White
Oh.
Yeah….
You can be curious, though.
***
–I don’t have that kind of curiosity.
–Don’t worry.
***
Snow White
Yeees…..
Anyway, so.
That shaman apparently isn’t as much of a fraud as I thought.
They do say some things that turn out to be true.
Made me think they’re actually pretty capable.
***
–I know where you’re going with this,
–but we don’t need a shaman’s help.
***
Snow White
I just wanted to ask them once.
Wait, why not?? Suddenly?
You were interested before.
***
–I just gave it some thought.
***
Snow White
Don’t think too much.
***
–If that really was my boyfriend,
–then… I don’t think driving him away is the right thing to do.
***
Snow White
After everything that happened yesterday?
He knocked you around like that
and had you shaking in fear in that room.
***
–Well, we did have a fight before he died.
–He was probably angry.
***
Snow White
If someone’s making you shake in terror because they’re angry,
is that really a boyfriend?
That’s abuse in a relationship. =.=
***
–Don’t say that.
–He’s a ghost, so the standards probably aren’t the same as they are for living people.
–Maybe that’s just his version of being gently angry.
***
Snow White
This is driving me crazy.
Your capacity for understanding is basically Buddha-level.
***
–No, I just think I need to talk to him properly.
***
Snow White
hyung.
From where I’m standing, you’re halfway under that thing’s spell already.
***
–What are you talking about?
***
Snow White
If you think about it rationally, your house is the safe place.
But you keep trying to leave.
And that ghost, from what I saw, just looked like someone wearing makeup for a horror movie,
yet you keep saying it’s your boyfriend.
If I hadn’t been there, you would’ve run out a long time ago,
and I think something bad would’ve happened.
***
–How can you say things like that?
***
Snow White
You know that ghost was strange too.
You realize you’re not making any sense right now, don’t you?
If it were really your boyfriend, he wouldn’t be running around on top of desks trying to scare you.
***
–Shut up.
***
[Texts]
***
hyung
Shut up. (14:22)
***
–(14:22) hyung
–(14:22) Please listen to me.
***
hyung
Shut up. (14:22)
Just bring him here. (14:22)
If you bring him here, (14:22)
he’ll die. (14:22)
***
–(14:22) …hyung?
***
hyung
(Photo) (14:22)
***
–(14:22) hyung
–(14:22) What are you doi…..
***
hyung
I told you he’d die. (14:22)
He’s going to die. (14:22)
I’ll die too and kill you too and tear your mother and father to pieces and kill them all. (14:22)
***
–(14:22) hyung?
–(14:23) You’re not hyung.
–(14:23) What are you?
–(14:23) Ah.
–(14:23) Fuck.
–(14:23) I won’t call him.
–(14:23) Just stay still.
***
I love you
Sunday, September 1, 20xx, 2:22 PM
From: Kim xx To: Lee xx
***
Chief Secretary Yoo 010-9872-xxxx
– September 1 –
– – – – –
Young Master.
We’ve confirmed the location of the parents of the person you mentioned.
His father, Mr. ■■, is currently hospitalized at SH Hospital in Seoul,
and his mother, Mrs. Ha ■■, is caring for Mr. Lee ■■.
Would you like us to make arrangements so they can stay comfortably?
(19:02)
– – – – –
–Just leave them alone. There’s no need to give them VIP treatment.
–Just make sure there aren’t any external problems. (19:06)
– – – – –
Understood. (19:07)
***
