The cold water he had swallowed forcibly ran down my throat. Chilling goosebumps ran through my back, making my body tremble.
“Oh, my.”
My wet eyes were sore. Samael, who looked down at me coughing while holding my face, said with delight.
“You must have a very dry throat. You even cry.”
Annoying bastard. I grabbed Samael’s wrist and lifted my stiff lips, forcing a smile.
“Yeah. It’s cool thanks to you.”
“Haha…”
Through the narrow gap in the mask, Samael’s twinkling black eyes could be seen. At the same time, the firm hand softened a little.
“This is really, the more I look at it, the more I like it.”
Samael, who muttered an incomprehensible word, pulled the chains this time. My body was forcibly lifted up by that force.
“Release.”
“Yes.”
At the brief command, the woman pulled out a small key from her pocket and walked towards the wall. As she turned the key into the joint on the wall, the end of the chain fell to the floor.
“Now that you’ve drunk water, it’s time to fill your stomach. Let’s go eat.”
“Wait, uh…!”
Samael dragged me around as if pulling out a dog. I looked back at Edward after the action.
“Ha, Han Yi-gyeol-ssi!”
Edward, standing in the corner with a stiff face, shouted my name in fear. Just then, as if realizing Edward’s existence, Samael stopped walking.
“Ah, right. I forgot.”
Samael, who looked at Edward and me as if contemplating for a moment, shrugged his shoulders lightly.
“If you are worried about the hostage, please follow me, Talented Han Yi-gyeol.”
“……”
“Even if it’s not, you don’t want me to feed the troublesome hostage, right? Do you know what I put in the food?”
Edward had better stay out of Samael’s sight as much as possible. Biting my lip and nodding my head, Samael pulled the chains once more, saying he knew it would happen.
I walked out of the room, following Samael and the two mentally controlled people and looking at Edward through the slitting door. Noticing what I meant to hold on to, Edward nodded his head, hardening his face.
“Uhum, hmm.”
Samael, who had been humming in an excited voice, opened his mouth as he glanced at the door.
“It’s one of the few lockable rooms in this building. Still, I was paying attention to it, how about it?”
“If you’re going to pay attention anyway, why not be more generous? Please let Edward go. All you want is me.”
“Well. That depends on how you act in the future.”
As if the conversation was over, Samael walked ahead and pulled the chains. As I followed him with a staggering body, I frowned as I faced the wide hall that spread out through the hallway.
“Kuaaak! Kuuk!”
“Kuuuk, gasp, sa… save me…”
“Let go of this, damn it!”
“Aaargh!”
Dozens of people were fighting without a single one out. The white suit was stained with blood and dust, and his face was full of traces of being hit by someone. They strangled and swear at the other person, several people swung their fists at one and banged their heads against the wall by themselves several times.
It felt like peeping through hell. Dark red blood spurted out and screams in pain filled my mind.
Samael, who was shocked and lightly tapped the ball as if I was cute, walked across the centre of the hall (충격을 받은 내가 귀엽다는 듯 볼을 가볍게 툭툭 두드린 사마엘이 홀 중앙을가로질러 걸어갔다). None of those many people who were fighting gave us attention.
When I found the black mask that had fallen on the floor, I thought of Kang Seung-geon. Kang Seung-geon was extremely unstable and violent. A doll called Karen once said it was a ‘side effect of being controlled emotion’.
It was then that I understood what Samael’s intentions were. He deliberately showed me this situation.
So that to avoid reckless resistance. It was a pressure that those suffering from side effects could harm Edward, or that Edward could become like that.
I turned my head at the end of the sight of the man who had been kicked in the stomach spitting out his blood. Clearly, it was more effective than any other intimidation.
When we arrived in front of the large door in the centre, the innermost part of the hall, the door opened gently. A table, long enough to seat several people, was filled with various foods.
“I didn’t know what kind of food you would like, so I prepared everything. Please sit down.”
Samael beckoned, sitting on one of the two seats where the tableware was placed. Nausea was rising, but I struggled to endure it and sat down on the chair as he said.
A man in a black mask brought a basket of warm bread and set it aside. The fragrant smell tickled the tip of my nose, but surprisingly, I didn’t have my appetite.
As I stared blankly at the bread, Samael said with a friendly attitude.
“Do you have no appetite?”
“…no.”
After contemplating, I picked up the bread with both wrists tied. There was strong displeasure as if I had picked up a worm instead of bread, but there was no other option. Even if the thing in my hand wasn’t bread but a worm, I had to eat it if Samael wanted it.
Samael crossed his arms and leaned against the back of his chair. His eyes were still fixed on me. I was expecting him to take off the mask, but it seemed that he followed me to monitor me in the first place.
I looked into his eyes and forcibly put the bread in my mouth and chewed it. I was hungry because I couldn’t eat anything for almost a day, but the surface of the chewy bread felt only rough like dirt.
“Hmm.”
“What.”
Seeing me like that, Samael held his chin and tilted his head slightly. As if swallowing sandpaper, I barely passed the bread over my throat, and when I asked, Samael opened his mouth in a bright voice.
“Ah. It’s not something great. It’s just amazing that you really eat it.”
“You told me to eat?”
“Do you know what I have done to food and you just eat it without any doubt?”
After eating all the slices of bread, this time a white soup was placed in front of me. I answered, holding a spoon and stirring the soup.
“You did the troublesome thing of taking a hostage to use my ability, but if I was playing around with what I was eating, you would have forced it into my mouth sooner.”
“Oh, you are so quick-witted. I like it more.”
…what the heck. I shouldn’t have done this. I thought I’d just pretend not to know and just sit around like an idiot. The lack of appetite had dropped even more. Slowly putting the spoon down, I said to Samael.
“That’s enough. That kid… Leave the hostage alone.”
“I don’t like that suggestion.”
Samael began slicing his steak in an elegant and neat manner. Red blood gushed through the soft flesh cut by the knife and spread across the plate along with the oil.
“Your attitude is so different with just one hostage, why do I need to release the hostage? What’s the benefit?”
Clatter. Samael pushed the steak dish, which was cut into bite-size pieces, toward me. It wasn’t that he wanted to eat it, but he cut it for me to eat.
“Just be grateful that I am leaving the hostage and you untouched.”
“……”
“The original plan is, Talented Han Yi-gyeol.”
A man in a black mask was waiting behind him and filled the empty wine glass with wine. Samael continued to explain in a soft voice while watching the wine gradually fill up.
“I was trying to crush your brain, including the hostage. Even if I just glanced at you, you would get down on the knees and crawl.”
“…it’s a pity it didn’t go as planned.”
“A little bit? It’s not bad though. It’s still pretty fun right now.”
Samael pointed to the steak with his hand.
“Eat it. Stop talking nonsense.”
My lips twisted involuntarily. Samael smiled as he saw me showing my reluctance to eat.
“I have failed to possess your mind, but don’t forget that I still have the hostage.”
Hostage. I picked up a fork at that.
“How would you react when you see a producer who is mentally and emotionally broken and commits suicide by banging his head against a wall?”
A fork stuck in a steak cut into bite-size pieces. It was brought to my mouth, wet and greased with blood and oil, and chewed and swallowed. That alone made me feel a sharp pain like a large needle moving around my chest, and my stomach hardened.
Watching me eat slowly, Samael continued to whisper.
Don’t loosen your guard. Keep my viciousness in mind, constantly doubting and nervous.
Only then you can keep the hostage alive. If I make a mistake or go against my heart even for a moment, the hostage will forget his name and die.
Covering my ears, I struggled to suppress the urge to leave my seat and get up, and I ate a steak. This terrible time continued until I emptied a plate of steak and a glass of wine.
* * *
“Then rest. Talented Han Yi-gyeol.”
After dinner, Samael took me to a new room without Edward. Unlike the previous room where there was nothing, this one had a bed, a bathroom, and a white table.
“May you have a peaceful rest.”
Samael bowed down to the waist as if teasingly, and shoved me into the room, closed the door and left. After he left, I stood blankly for a while, unable to bear growing nausea, and hurriedly ran to the bathroom.
“Uugh, uh…!”
I poured out all the food I ate with my face stuck in the toilet. I felt coldness in everything that touched my skin, and goosebumps grew all over my body. After emptying out what was inside, I staggered and turned on the water in the sink.
“Haa…”
Han Yi-gyeol’s face reflected in the mirror was miserable. His pale skin and lips were dry and cracked, and cold sweat was forming on his forehead. Even though I vomited, still uncomfortable, I bent down and looked down at my tied wrists.
‘My ability, is still not working out.’
Apparently, the drug that was forcibly swallowed at that time was a very strong shutter item. A sigh came out.
It was the worst because I couldn’t use my ability and even moved away from Edward. At the very least, Samael should stay by my side so he didn’t do nonsense on Edward…
After rinsing my mouth and washing my face, I headed straight to the door. I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, but I heard a rattling sound as if it was locked as expected.
What should I do. I tried to open all the drawers on the side table near the table just in case, but they were all empty. I got a headache as I was staring at the room that was useless except for the bed and the bathroom.
I was worried about Edward, but I couldn’t just break the door or cause a commotion. I bit my lip and calmly organized my thoughts.
“……”
At that time, a table chair entered my contemplating gaze. After staring at the chair for a moment, I turned to the bathroom.
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