Chapter 171
Although Mitchell’s belief that Geon-woo would never leave him had shattered into dust, strangely, his mind became calmer. It could be because he had been drinking, or perhaps from walking for so long.
If not all of that, then maybe because he had no lingering attachments…?
Mitchell thought he might be able to start over from the beginning. End his life here today and be reborn anew. Then he would find peace. He would find peace.
As he consoled himself, he felt somewhat lighter. It was a terrible lightness.
Suppressing the weak thoughts that were provoking his mind, he walked somewhere. He tried hard not to think about anything. It was a mistake to bring only one bottle of alcohol.
After walking and walking, he arrived at the Pearson Hotel.
Mitchell received the key he had requested earlier. He had asked an official to leave the key at the hotel a little while ago.
Then he walked again. He planned to check this place one last time and then report to the police. Whether it was an unavoidable accident, or if Geon-woo was trying to distance himself after a hasty love confession. Of course, both were equally terrible.
Mitchell used the key to open the iron gate and went inside. It was the main entrance of the set. His destination was Logan’s house.
***
I peeked out from under the blanket with just my eyes showing. Curled up on the bed, I carefully observed the dark house. Irregular sounds made my heart skip a beat. Due to my heightened senses, I could hear not only the sound of wood expanding, but also insects crying, something breaking, and all sorts of noises.
Sounds that I would normally ignore were as clear as if through an amplifier. The sensitivity brought on by fear seemed capable of picking up even the sound of dust falling.
Having drunk a lot of water earlier, I could somehow bear the hunger. Though I was limp from lack of energy, the sudden crack sounds made my body stiffen and muscles tense. My body, on high alert, couldn’t relax.
“I’m not scared at all…”
Someone would come eventually, so I wouldn’t die here. Rather than death, I was exhausted from fighting fear.
“Don’t come… I’m a scary person.”
More like a scared person…
After muttering pretending to be strong, I pulled up the blanket. There was no way a knife-wielding killer would come out of the backyard hole to harm me, so this was enough. I hid under the blanket again.
Only my back against the wall was comfortable. At least I wouldn’t be attacked from behind.
“Really, don’t come. I’m warning you.”
My threatening voice trembled slightly. I tapped the frying pan in my hand, checking its strength. It was my weapon of sorts, but I wondered if it would work against ghosts.
What kept me going was Mitchell. I only thought about getting out of here as soon as possible and falling into Mitchell’s arms. Right now, all I could rely on was the cold, hard wall, but with Mitchell, I wouldn’t have any worries. Anxiety, fear, tension, confusion, and so on. He would erase all the uncomfortable feelings and give me stable… love.
Ah… would he give me love?
My mood sank as I remembered Logan’s hateful glare. That was acting. Of course, it wasn’t because Mitchell really hated me. But after indirectly experiencing a moment of being hated by Mitchell, I didn’t know why I felt so sad and depressed. That moment kept coming back to me, making me feel bitter.
“Quickly. I need to meet Mitchell quickly and talk to him. I need to tell Mitchell how much I love him. I must tell him.”
I spoke out loud as if making a vow. After that, I felt a little lighter. I won’t push Mitchell away no matter how casually he touches me. I’ll even agree to shower together if he asks. How happy would he be if I walked around wearing only an apron?
I spent time imagining Mitchell being happy. Since it seemed no one would come tonight, I comforted myself, trying to at least be at ease mentally.
Someone will come tomorrow, or the day after, or definitely the day after that. I should ask the person who finds me to keep it a secret. It’s embarrassing.
I had regained enough stability to think about the situation after being rescued. It was thanks to thinking about Mitchell. Being trapped here made me realize that my love for Mitchell was much deeper than I thought. In addition, I suddenly felt that I had been letting Mitchell go too much lately. I had been uncharacteristically letting him free. I’d say it’s because I trust Mitchell, but no. I shouldn’t be like that.
I’m Bae Geon-woo!
Thinking about how disappointed Mitchell must have been when he said I wasn’t like my old self, my heart ached. Mitchell even said it was terrible. Although he said it jokingly, his true feelings must have been similar to mine trapped here now. No, it must have been worse.
“Haa. Mitchell. I’m sorry…”
To think I left Mitchell alone in a place like this. To think I abandoned Mitchell in such darkness. I was truly a terrible person.
Just wait until I get out of here. I’ll treat you so well. I’ll be super clingy. I’ll never leave you alone in dark places.
Having somewhat experienced the pain Mitchell felt when alone, I vowed to become Mitchell’s true shadow, his leech, his incredibly obsessive man.
As I kept making these vows and steeling my resolve…
Creeeeak, BANG!
“Aaaaah!”
There was a scream-like sound followed by what sounded like a bomb going off somewhere. I trembled under the blanket, not even thinking of checking what the sound was. As I wondered what on earth that sound could be, I suddenly sat up.
“Hello… Hello! Is anyone there?”
Thinking someone might have come, I hurriedly got out of bed. I naturally went to the front door and turned the doorknob, but when it didn’t open, I immediately stuck my face out the window next to it.
“Help me!”
But the surroundings were quiet without a sign of life.
Suddenly, the back of my neck went cold. I flapped my arms like a pigeon’s wings, then shuddered and turned around. Sure enough, the door to the backyard was wide open. The door I had definitely closed!
This could be believed to be a haunted house. It provided top-tier horror that could dry out a person. My palms were drenched in sweat.
“Haha, I know, I know. Did you think I wouldn’t know that?”
Fortunately, with a strand of remaining sanity, I figured out why the door had opened on its own. I thought it was strange that it was too tight when closing, but it turns out the production team had fixed it with a spring so it could be kept open for use, and I had forcibly closed it. The door had opened to return to its original form, not because of a ghost’s mischief.
“Da… la-la- la-la-.”
I pretended to be at ease, humming a song whose lyrics I didn’t know. I even managed to remove the spring that was holding the door to close it again. Even at that moment, heart-squeezing sounds came from here and there, but I absolutely did not waver.
Perhaps the slightly off-key singing gave me courage, as I was able to glance at the hole in the backyard. Fortunately, there was no sign of anything coming out.
Just as I was about to close the door to the tune of la-la-la, I saw it. The loudspeaker in the corner of the backyard! It was a mini loudspeaker that the staff used to get everyone’s attention at once.
Since it could be heard even inside the trailers, it would reach quite far. Hope that I might be able to escape from here right now made me go crazy with excitement. In my excitement, I ran without looking ahead, and ended up tripping on the backyard stairs and falling flat.
“Ack!”
My hands that hit the ground were shocked, but more serious was that my surgically repaired ankle had properly twisted. A sharp pain that made my hair stand on end shot up to the top of my head. I rolled on the ground. Unable to get up, I clutched my ankle and groaned. It really hurt like hell.
Tears welled up and I couldn’t hold back from crying. Crying bitterly like a child, I looked back on my current situation.
Trapped and injured, no Mitchell, no Mitchell!
My crying, overcome with sorrow, grew louder. What made it even more chilling was that right next to me was the hole. If I turned my body just a little, I would fall into the hole, but my ankle hurt so much that I could barely move.
Rather than forcing myself to move, I just cried out loud. There was no one around, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. It was enough to make the fear disappear.
Why was this happening to me now, what was the reason for experiencing this…
“Geon-woo!”
Because I was crying out loud, I missed the miraculous voice. When Mitchell’s voice came through my crying, I thought it was an auditory hallucination. But that voice gradually got closer. The voice of the person I loved and waited for the most…
“Geon-woo! Are you okay?”
Mitchell…?
“You’re now… here.”
The one who appeared before my eyes was really Mitchell.
