Chapter 12
It didn’t matter.
I reached out to Jin Eun-sol.
“Show me your hands.”
Jin Eun-sol frowned at my words.
Then, without a word, I reached out towards his hand.
The palms of his hands were covered with scars.
The four fork marks that had been pierced were now faint, having been added with a burn mark.
I moved a little further and saw the tips of his fingers.
As soon as summer vacation ended, the boy’s bad habits disappeared without a trace.
The fingertips, which had become healthy, were clean as if they had never bled.
“Why, what did you dream about?”
Jin Eun-sol got up from his chair and came towards me.
Because it was dark at night, the shape of his real figure still appeared as a black lump.
The monstrous appearance looked somewhat human when he got closer.
I looked up at him.
A face that seemed to dislike something was looking at me with its brows furrowed.
The rainy season ended a long time ago.
Summer is over.
It was getting cold outside too.
The weather forecast said we might get our first snow tomorrow.
After this winter break, Jin Eun-sol and I will enter high school together.
I put down Jin Eun-sol’s hand.
“I dreamed about my mom.”
It had been a while since I woke up from my dream, but I could already vaguely remember how my mother appeared in my dream.
Jin Eun-sol smiled crookedly at my concise answer.
“……But why did you come here?”
Jin Eun-sol said, “Ha!” as if he found my words funny.
And he laughed.
“This is my house, do I need to get permission from you, sister?”
And then… … .
It was true, so I had nothing to say.
I moved into a room in the main house.
There was no particular reason for moving.
Kim Eun-ah simply nodded without hesitation when she heard me say that I wanted to do so.
Anyway, since it was the main house, there were a lot of empty rooms, so it wouldn’t be a problem if I used one of those rooms.
Since I am only few months away from starting high school anyway, she might be probably implying me to take good care of Jin Eun-sol.
This is why I can’t even use the dormitory.
“No…” I shook my head as I answered. Jin Eun-sol stood up from his seat with an uninterested expression. He didn’t forget to set my cell phone down on the desk before leaving, just as abruptly as he had come in.
After Jin Eun-sol left, I stared at the closed door for a long time, dazed by the eerie, blue-tinged dawn. Then, suddenly, I started to miss my mom. I got up from my bed again and searched through the closet. I took out my thick coat, a sweater, and the jeans I had been saving for special occasions. Then, as if possessed, I changed my clothes.
After hearing the rustling of fabric, I put on my coat. Thanks to Jin Eun-sol leaving the door wide open, I didn’t have to bother with the unnecessary task of opening and closing it myself. Because of my thick sleeping socks, my footsteps made no sound.
I looked into Jin Eun-sol’s room. His room, located across from mine, was tightly shut—as if he had made sure to close it when he entered. That was a relief.
I went down the stairs without worrying about where he might be. The inside of the mansion was eerily quiet, with a kind of stillness that made it feel like a ghost could appear at any moment. It was even more unsettling because the house was so big.
I glanced at the green living room of the mansion, then turned towards the front door. Fortunately, the door to the master bedroom on the first floor was tightly closed.
The silence was so suffocating it made me wonder if a murder had taken place here. Like this was the birthplace of a killer.
I stood in front of the gate and turned around again. My gaze moved up the stairs. I half-expected Jin Eun-sol—who knew me so well and always seemed to see right through me—to be standing there. My body began to tremble on its own. But he wasn’t there.
Although one side of my heart felt cold, I opened the door without hesitation. A cool breeze blew past me, as if it were slapping my cheek. I hunched my shoulders against the cold and shoved my hands into the pockets of my padded coat. Thankfully, it didn’t look like it was going to snow—but it did look like it might rain soon.
I tapped my shoes on the ground and walked toward the annex. A separate card key was required to open the door used by the owners of the house. Of course, I had one too, but using it would make a sound and get me caught right away.
There was a small door for the employees to use separately, and that had a regular key. I had that as well.
“Phew…” My breath rose like smoke in the cold air. I stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind me. Since it was winter, all the grass had died, and the ground beneath my feet was soft and rustling.
I glanced up at the window of Jin Eun-sol’s room. It was a good thing that he hated morning sunlight. I walked quickly, keeping an eye on the blinds that were drawn shut.
As I approached the annex, which wasn’t too far away, I suddenly stopped walking. The dogs that Jin Eun-sol cherished and adored had poked their heads out from behind the bars, watching me alertly at the sound of my footsteps. Smart dogs, trained by Jin Eun-sol himself.
I swallowed hard. If they sensed even the slightest hint of something unusual, they would bark immediately.
I pulled their favorite treats from my pocket.
“Here you go…”
I approached the dogs quietly. I had seen them bark viciously countless times since I was little. They were Jin Eun-sol’s absolute subordinates—ones who would question nothing if he gave them a command.
I threw the dog gum over the nearby bars. A piece landed in front of the dogs with a dry clattering sound. They immediately lowered their heads to sniff it. But they didn’t eat it.
All the dog gum and snacks they ever accepted had come from Jin Eun-sol. Was that the only way they’d take it?
Whenever Jin Eun-sol gave them treats, it was always part of their training.
My mouth went dry at the memory.
“Okay, noona, give it to them.”
Jin Eun-sol had stopped the training and spoken to me. Maybe he’d caught me watching with a hint of envy in my eyes.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
He’d thought of me—for the first time in a while.
I took the treat and held it out to the dogs. One of them hesitated and didn’t eat it, but the other wagged its tail and accepted it happily.
Then, as if he’d been waiting for it, Jin Eun-sol struck the dog.
Because it had been disloyal.
“Would this one wag his tail if a thief broke into our house?” he said.
For the first time in my life, I heard the sound of a dog crying in pain. Real pain. Real suffering.
The other dog tucked its tail between its legs and whimpered in fear.
And me? Like the dog, I couldn’t stop any of it. All I could do was curl into myself and wrap my arms around my body.
I couldn’t do anything.
Then, after beating the dog enough to his satisfaction, Jin Eun-sol asked me to give it another treat.
I said no.
I said it again—no.
But he forcibly took my wrist and brought it close to the mouth of the dog he had just beaten.
When I was happy, I used to think that dog’s nose was wet and adorable. But now, strangely, the feeling turned my stomach. I trembled all over as if in convulsions.
No!
I screamed and begged him—please, don’t make it eat, please.
I clung to Jin Eun-sol, tears threatening to fall, unable to even look at the poor creature properly.
In the end, the dog didn’t eat.
I don’t know if it was because it lacked the strength… or if it finally understood.
Either way, I was so lucky.
Then Jin Eun-sol smiled and hugged the dog.
And the dog—who had just been crying and whining moments ago—wagged its tail wildly, as if nothing had happened. It still wagged, whining softly like it was desperate for his love.
It terrified me.
“I’ll go now…” I said, looking at the dogs.
They looked up from their untouched treats and sniffed at me. Their tails stood stiff in the air, motionless.
What am I doing?
I turned and walked toward the annex. I could feel the beasts’ gaze on my back. But they didn’t bark.
I went outside and caught a taxi.
There was a surcharge—it was early morning, after all.
The driver glanced at the young female passenger getting in at dawn, but I just stared out the window.
The mansion grew smaller and smaller behind me.
