Episode 10
He had been creating his place in the world in this way all along.
Just like I had accepted a position in a black company for the sake of a stable life, knowing full well I would be exploited.
I couldn’t run away because I hoped someone would need me.
It was better than being useless.
“……”
Because I understood his feelings better than anyone, I couldn’t easily say no.
But I couldn’t accept his request either.
For one thing, I couldn’t afford to do so, and more importantly, Demon was…
“Command me as you like. I won’t cost much in terms of food either. Rather, it’ll be convenient for you since you’d be able to make me work for free.”
At that moment, Damon, who had been waiting for an answer, suddenly added those words.
He seemed to have guessed that I was hesitating due to financial reasons.
The suggestion that he would eat less and allow himself to be exploited for labor made my head spin.
Just how bad of a life had he lived?
“Ha……”
Was it because I had faced a series of crazy situations that I’d had to stay up late to crack?
A sudden rush of fatigue overwhelmed me.
I felt the urge to just push everything aside and lie down.
“You said you’d do anything, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then listen carefully.”
My firm tone caused Damon’s expression to subtly relax.
He seemed somehow relieved.
“Do you see the bread on the table over there? Do you know how to spread jam on it?”
“Yes.”
“Then eat it. Until you’re full. And if you’re thirsty, drink the water I’ve boiled.”
“……”
The honey water I had poured into a cup had already become lukewarm.
Pointing at the kettle, I said,
“Warm it up with that and drink it. And sleep in the room with the bed over there.”
“……”
“Do you understand?”
Damon just blinked silently without answering.
It seemed like there were new, small cracks in those empty eyes of his, and emotions I did not understand leaked out. It was too hard to watch, so I turned my head away.
He should have understood by now.
I left him staring blankly at me and turned fully away.
“See you tomorrow, then.”
With that, I immediately left for the office space.
* * *
I sighed as I threw myself onto the sofa.
I was so tired I could die, yet sleep wouldn’t come.
Damon’s face as he said he would rather be used than thrown away kept popping into my head.
He overlapped with me in my past life, when I struggled to find my place.
But I couldn’t accept him.
Because it was obvious that Damon…
‘He’s so the male lead from another novel.’’
He exuded an aura that said, ‘I’m the male lead from somewhere.’ with his whole body.
Judging by his extremely depressing thought process, he was probably a wounded male lead with a growth narrative.
Whatever the case, he was definitely not someone I should be taking care of.
Because this wasn’t the place where he should be shining, and I didn’t want to get unnecessarily caught up in his main storyline. It was best to make it so that we were not entangled from the beginning.
So, I needed to find a way to send him back somehow…
‘The average possessor would act nice for a while and then send him away.’
Something like, ‘I raised you well, so go follow the original story now.’
But I wouldn’t do that.
The reason was simple.
Because that was the number one cliché that created an obsessed male lead.
‘Do you think I’ve only read one or two romance novels?! Absolutely not.’
Picking up a wounded male lead and raising him only to get rid of him later?
That was a ridiculously dangerous action.
Rofan male leads were like cursed dolls in horror movies; if you discard them, they’re destined to find their way back to you somehow.
They’d even develop into an obsessed male lead in the process.
I could guarantee this with my entire e-book library that I’d collected over a lifetime on the line.
In the tight spot, I agonized, biting my fingertips.
‘What should I do? How can I make him leave the house on his own?’
If I could just give him the appropriate help as a passing acquaintance and then send him on his way. If there was a way for him to run away from me first without me having to treat him badly or nice…
I was wracking my brain trying to figure something out when it happened.
We’ve prepared a new book for you who have a lot of worries!
A system message popped out as if it had been waiting.
System Book Recommendation!
Do you want to read <How To Make An Obsessed Male Lead A Runaway Male Lead>?
>Read right after purchase
>Check the preview
…What kind of book was this?!
As soon as I saw the ridiculous and strange title, I let out a chuckle.
What person wasted their life writing such a book?
‘…But it’s exactly the book I need right now.’
Like a recommended video served by a well-crafted algorithm, it felt irresistible to click.
…Should I take a peek, just in case?
Drawn by the clickbait title, I eventually pressed on [Preview].
Overview: Utilizing the principles of obsession.
The fundamental cause of an obsessive male lead is a lack of affection.
What if you give candy to a man who doesn’t know the sweetness of love and then take it away? He would evolve into an obsessive man in order to get that candy back.
But what if you did something different?
What if you put the candy in his mouth before he even asks for it?
What if you put not just one but several? What if you stuffed about fifty in his mouth?
Wouldn’t anyone think this:
‘I want to spit everything out and run away…’
Exactly.
In this book, we will first shower the other person with affectionate obsession……
Shh! That’s all for the preview.
Curious about the next part?
Purchase now to read more.
Oh, they cut it off here?!
No matter how many times I experienced it, I couldn’t get used to the abrupt ending of previews.
Anyway, I get what they’re trying to say.
It meant to obsess first before the other person did, to win.
What a crazy method. Was it okay to waste my time and cash on such a loose canon?
As I was hesitating with the window left open, the system popped up a new window.
The book is currently on a special event…
-Soon-to-end Discount Event: The collection purchase price is discounted by 90% from 5000 cash to 500 cash.
-Compensation Cashback Event: If you do as written in the book and the other person doesn’t run away, we will refund up to 100,000 cash.
What?! A 90 percent discount on the collection price?
That was ridiculously cheap.
And there was even a compensation event.
‘It’s worth it, isn’t it?’
Wouldn’t there be nothing to lose?
With the compensation cashback as insurance, I pressed the purchase button without hesitation.
* * *
“…….”
After Celia left, Damon stared blankly at the empty seat.
In his mind, the ‘command’ she had left behind was playing.
‘Then eat. Until you’re full. If you’re thirsty, drink the boiled water.’
‘Warm it up with that and eat. And sleep in the room with the bed over there.’
The woman’s orders were the easiest things he had ever done.
He could do such things over and over again.
“There’s no way…”
Damon fundamentally did not trust others.
It was because whenever others showed him kindness, they wanted something else in return.
Everyone used to reassure him with their pleasant appearances, only to later make him take on dangerous tasks as if it were nothing. It was obvious that she too would change her attitude and torment him once Damon was completely in her grasp.
So, this time too, everything would disappear.
The consideration in her warm hand that held him so he wouldn’t stagger.
The gentle touch that dried his wet hair.
The sweet drink that seemed to have been prepared especially for him.
All of it.
“He still looks like a child…”
When he was captured by Kasha, who was famous in the underworld, Damon secretly hoped that he would kill him.
He earnestly wished for Kasha to sever the chain of this terrible and tedious life.
But even to him, Damon was just a nuisance.
He was annoyed that he’d taken on Damon and subtly encouraged him to run away.
Every time Damon realized he was a useless being who could not stick around anywhere, he lost a little bit of his will to live.
All his struggles felt meaningless.
He thought that maybe it would be better to just die like this. ‘Let’s just give up and not do anything at all,’ he thought.
And then.
He met Celia.
‘…Shh, follow me quietly.’
Before he could even understand what was happening, she appeared and pulled him out of the box. She even held his hand because he was stumbling from having been tied up all the time.
The warm and soft sensation still lingered vividly beneath his palm.
