SACCHARIN
CHAPTER 31

“This’ll be more useful than little stuff like that once you’re at the factory. Take it as a bribe.”

He had put six rings on both of my hands. When I received them on the boat, everything was so chaotic that I didn’t get a good look. But once I arrived on the island and had a chance to examine them, I noticed something strange.

The rings I had collected until now were from luxury brands, sure, but they weren’t from the ultra-high-end lines. They were trendy pieces, relatively affordable—things I could access without too much strain.

For example, the ring on my left index finger had a design inspired by a chastity belt. The quilted-pattern ring on my right middle finger was similarly styled. If you searched social media, you’d probably find thousands—maybe tens of thousands—of people with the same rings.

The five rings I had bought over time were definitely mine. But one wasn’t. The ring on my left ring finger.

“Huh?”

At first, I thought it had gotten mixed in by mistake. Maybe it belonged to Shin Chi-woo and somehow ended up in my pocket. But the problem was, he had placed this ring on my finger first. He’s not the kind of person to overlook something like this by accident. Isn’t that odd?

That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to hang this particular ring on a necklace like a pendant. It didn’t feel like it was mine. I kept wondering if there was a reason he put it on me, so I had no choice but to leave it on my left ring finger.

“Aaah.”

I pressed the ringed finger against my lips and made a sound, pretending it was a radio transmission. Aaah. Of course, nothing happened. Maybe I just had too much imagination.

There wasn’t much I could actually do on this island, so I kept spinning stories in my head. I didn’t care if the ring had absolute power like in a fantasy movie, or if it was some spy gadget from an action thriller.

As long as it could help me or rescue me from this place, I wouldn’t mind it invading my privacy. And then, after smiling awkwardly to myself, my delusions of slaying dragons or living in an SF scenario always snapped back to reality.

Still, the fact that it was on my left ring finger kept bothering me. Everyone knows what that placement means. Maybe that’s why I kept thinking—what if Shin Chi-woo has feelings for me? The thought made me laugh.

Looking back on how I got the ring, though, it didn’t seem likely that he had any personal meaning behind it. He slid it onto my finger right in front of the bob-haired woman—probably just playing a part. Maybe it even had something to do with my dad.

But then, something that Glasses said started to nag at me. “Only believe what you want to believe.”

“I used to be a Michelin one-star chef.”

Had I been too naïve, just believing everything people said? Like Ripley syndrome—some of them might just be compulsive liars.

I knew enough to understand how hard it is to earn even one Michelin star. And a chef like that ended up here because of drugs?

And the ballerina? Her turned-out legs and posture made it clear she had trained in ballet. But saying she was with the national ballet company might’ve been a lie too.

“Have you ever smelled flesh burning and melting?”

That memory made even her words feel shaky. Everything about how Pyeon Jae-ho had cruelly disfigured her face—it was all just her claim, wasn’t it?

“I figured it was time you understood the reality. You’ve spent your life in comfort, not even knowing what kind of company your dad worked for.”

Someone like Pyeon Jae-ho could lie through his teeth without so much as a change in expression. That’s why I started to think—maybe this island really does produce saccharin.

Maybe they built the factory here to dump wastewater directly into the sea and save on purification costs. Or maybe it’s about avoiding taxes.

“Wan-yi, do you know what this is?”

No one had definitively said that the crystals from the teddy bear were drugs. So maybe the whole drug theory was just me spiraling with my imagination.

Yeah. All the conversations, the relationships here, the shady saccharin from the factory—if I wasn’t careful, I’d be the only lunatic here.

“Only believe what you want to believe.”

By this point, I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t. And at the end of all this doubt, even Shin Chi-woo didn’t come out clean.

He was the one who kept me the most off-balance with his ambiguous attitude. Not just with my dad, but on a personal level too, he had already shaken me. I knew I was a fool for being swayed, but on this island, the only thing I looked forward to was his messages.

Was he really on my side? What if I was being fooled again?

Ah… if I keep going down this rabbit hole of doubt, I’ll end up accusing the wrong person and getting caught in the backlash. Or worse—I might die.

Enough. I have to stop doubting now.

I’ve decided to team up with Shin Chi-woo, so I have to trust him to the end.

He’s the only one who might help me here. This is the best choice I can make under the circumstances. So whatever happens, I’ll accept it.

“Crybaby’s already asleep?”

“Can’t believe she didn’t cry today.”

I closed my eyes, trying hard to shut my ears and empty my head. I had to work at the factory again tomorrow, so even a little sleep was precious.

But I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. I tossed and turned while everyone else, including Glasses, came back and drifted off.

The only thought in my head was this: I wished Shin Chi-woo would contact me more often. That little bit of anticipation was the only thing keeping me going in this bleak and miserable place.

8. Lies of Lies

“Pretty.”

I hadn’t really done anything, but time passed quickly. It had already been nearly a hundred days since I came to this island.

As I was decorating the Christmas tree, I found myself smiling without realizing it and muttering to myself. Just looking at the pretty, sparkling ornaments lifted my mood in a subtle way.

“We need to put the star on top.”

“Just a moment. It’s an LED, so I’ll plug it in and turn it on.”

Even though this place was a kind of exile, cut off from the world, people still lived here. Getting along was more beneficial for everyone than fighting, so I was starting to understand why people found ways to enjoy life even here.

I didn’t know how long I’d stay, but while I was here, there was no reason to make it a personal hell. About a month after arriving, I even played screen golf from time to time. When my mind felt tangled, I’d go for a light run to shake off the heavy thoughts. If I happened to be here during the summer, I thought it might be nice to swim in the sea on one of the hottest days.

Maybe it was this kind of effort to forcibly release what weighed on each person’s heart that allowed the current peace to persist. If we didn’t find a way to let it out, this place could easily become a site of horrific violence at any moment.

“It’s plugged in.”

“Is it secured tightly?”

“Yes!”

Click.

I pressed the power button attached to a star ornament as big as my face, then secured it tightly to the top of the tree so it wouldn’t fall. Climbing down the ladder, I looked up at the tree with a satisfied expression. A tree had to be big and flashy to feel right.

“Turning on the power.”

“Okay.”

“Wow, I’m excited.”

It had taken three days to wind up meters of lights around the tree and attach all the decorations. I’d wanted a tree that looked like it had icicles hanging from it, so I had asked Shin Chi-woo to send me the decorations I needed. That had turned out to be a good decision.

“Should we make it blink? Or maybe… a slow fade? Or how about the rapid flicker?”

“Hmm… I think with these icicle decorations, it would look nicer just to leave the lights steadily on.”

Chef Kwak, looking excited, plugged the cord into the outlet. A beautiful, sparkling light filled the restaurant, which had closed for the day. The tree looked just like it was covered in icicles.

“Let’s see… like this?”

“Yes. It’s much calmer this way. Don’t you think it looks better?”

“…Now that you say it, I think you’re right, Wan-yi.”

The only thing we debated was how the tree lights should be set. After trying out several settings, everyone agreed that a steady glow suited this mood best.

“This one’s better.”

“Me too.”

“Same here.”

When Chef Kwak and the rest of the restaurant staff nodded in agreement as if I was right, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud. Since I was the newest one on the island, I had taken on the task of decorating the tree—something that could’ve been annoying to others—more willingly than just packing boxes. I approached it with a cheerful heart. The final result was not only satisfying but even drew praise, so of course, I was happy.