#11
I clenched my fists tightly and forced myself to continue speaking.
“My mind went completely blank. My will didn’t matter, and my whole body felt like it was being controlled by something… And then, the thought that I had to kill you.”
I opened my eyes. Wei Chen was still looking at me with unwavering eyes and spoke one last time.
“Good. Now accept that sensation. Don’t deny it—acknowledge what’s happening to your body.”
Even after hearing his words, I couldn’t bring myself to respond. It felt as if that monster inside me was stirring again, ready to wake up. I struggled desperately not to turn away from the feeling I wanted to escape. I tensed my entire body, enduring it—again and again. And then, at that moment…
“…I think I’m gonna fart.”
“Just do it.”
I realized that no matter how much I tensed up, I couldn’t transform just by forcing it. As soon as I let out a sigh of defeat, Wei Chen, showing unexpected courtesy, plugged his ears and stepped out of the lab.
* * *
“Huuk, ah…!”
A stifled moan escaped before I could stop it. My hands, clutching the hem of my clothes, trembled, and my tightly shut eyelids throbbed with strain.
His touch reached me again. Unable to bear it, I jerked my head up.
Smack!
A sharp impact rang out, followed by a piercing pain at the back of my head. I clutched the sore spot with one hand and turned around.
“…That was a decent assassination attempt.”
Wei Chen muttered while pressing his nose with the back of his hand. My head still stung, but the fact that I had landed a hit on him gave me a small sense of satisfaction.
“You’re smiling?”
“I’m crying. My face just makes it look misleading.”
“Stop acting.”
Unfortunately, I hadn’t managed to give him a nosebleed.
In one of Wei Chen’s hands was a cotton swab soaked in medicine. Around us, open ointment jars and scar-prevention bandages were scattered haphazardly. After the first failed attempt in the lab, he had relocated me and started applying ointment to the wound on the back of my neck.
“I’m fine. I can do it myself.”
I had protested several times, unwilling to leave it to him, but he didn’t budge.
“Stay still. The more you move, the longer this takes.”
Cutting me off stubbornly, he gently dabbed the wound with the swab. He didn’t seem like the type to fuss over someone else’s injuries, so this was unexpected. Maybe he felt responsible because he was the one who caused it?
Regardless, the whole act of sitting still and letting someone tend to me felt unfamiliar and awkward.
“All done.”
As soon as I spoke, he put the swab down and stated firmly,
“Whether it’s done or not, that’s for me to decide. Every night, come here and apply the ointment before bed.”
“Wait. Does that mean I have to sleep here too?”
I was so taken aback that I reflexively asked again. His attitude was as if everything had already been decided.
Wei Chen shrugged indifferently and replied,
“Didn’t we already finish this conversation? I hate repeating myself.”
I bit down hard on my lip. Even in this situation, my voice hesitated as I tried to argue back.
“Can’t I just… drop by regularly instead?”
“No. Do you think I’d just let you roam free when I have no idea when or how you might change? Until you can control yourself, you’re staying right by my side, Dabi. Don’t ask again.”
His rough hand ruffled the back of my head, almost making me lurch forward from the force.
“Well then, how about a little tour of your new home?”
The next moment, Wei Chen started throwing open doors one by one, dragging me along as if he were hosting a housewarming party.
I didn’t want to see any of it.
Like a girl convinced she’d die when the last leaf fell, I had this ominous feeling that once I saw all the rooms in this house, I’d be trapped here forever.
But this guy didn’t care about my feelings—he didn’t even bother asking. He flung open every door except his own bedroom, showing me each room in turn.
True to his word about not using cheap things, the entire house was filled with nothing but jaw-droppingly expensive items. Among them, what caught my eye the most were the extravagant accessories—watches, piercings, bracelets, necklaces. Everything was displayed openly in cases without even a lock.
Then, Wei Chen led me up to the second floor.
“You’ll sleep here. My room’s right next door, so if anything happens, just knock.”
I dug my heels into the floor, refusing to step inside. I could feel his hand subtly pressing against my back, but I kept pretending not to notice. As he started applying more pressure, I finally couldn’t take it anymore and slammed my hand against the doorframe.
“You’re such a hassle… and kind of cute.”
“Ugh, ah!”
I trembled, arms shaking from the effort of resisting. But I never expected Wei Chen to simply scoop me up from behind.
“W-what are you doing…?!”
In an instant, my feet left the ground, and my fingers, which had been clinging on for dear life, slipped away helplessly.
The sudden change in height startled me. I knew he was tall, but I hadn’t realized just how much. Was this the world he saw all the time?
Damn, corporate gangsters really are built differently. Just how strong is this guy?!
I struggled and shouted at Wei Chen.
“Let go, let me go!”
“Weren’t you just protesting to be held?”
“I wasn’t! Ahhh!”
Even as I yelled in fear, Wei Chen remained as calm as if he were out enjoying the flowers. My helpless legs dangled in the air. He didn’t put me down until he had given me a full tour of the bedroom, bathroom, and dressing room.
“…Ugh, urgh.”
I staggered and collapsed onto the bed. As I caught my breath, a vibration sounded. It was Wei Chen’s phone.
His eyebrows twitched slightly as he checked the caller ID. Without much explanation, he simply told me to wait and stepped outside to take the call. The muffled sound of Chinese words drifted through the door before his footsteps faded into the distance.
Finally alone, I let out a long, stunned breath. How did things end up like this?
I had almost forgotten about my phone. Taking it out, I checked my notifications. For once, my usually silent phone was flooded with messages.
Most of them were from my classmates.
[Dabi-ya, did you get home safely? I think we misunderstood ㅠ Sorry.]
[We didn’t know you weren’t feeling well. Rest up and see you on Monday.]
[By the way, where did you meet your boyfriend?]
…
They were all similar.
My fingers hovered over the screen, hesitating to type a reply.
To be honest, I had no reason to accept their apologies. I really did steal the ring, after all. But the thought of lying again just to smooth things over felt unbearable. In the end, I just sent a vague potato character emoji in response.
I was about to send the same emoji to another classmate when a new message popped up at the very top.
[Your card has been frozen.]
My father.
Damn it… Why now?
The messages I had been avoiding and letting pile up were now all marked as read.
[So now you finally reply because I froze your card? What the hell are you thinking, acting like this? Answer me! I’ve called you so many times, and you just keep ignoring your parents! Did I spend all this money raising you for this? Call me immediately!]
His anger practically radiated off the screen. My hands trembled, and my chest tightened.
Just reading his demand to call immediately made it hard to breathe.
And of course, his texts didn’t stop there. The next messages were about my grades. Since he had access to my university portal account, he checked my grades and course list every semester. My last semester’s results must not have met his standards because he had chewed me out over them before. If it had ended that day, fine—but he never let it go. Even now, he was still bringing it up.
The phone rang again.
I turned it off.
I felt like throwing up.
My father was obsessed with social reputation. He wanted me to be his perfect source of pride. University, grades, studying abroad, a prestigious job—every step of my life had to fit into the framework he had built. He believed himself to be part of the elite, and in his mind, it was only natural that I should live a life worthy of his status.
