Illusion Blind Date - Chapter 9

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 9

There was no time for this.
Bom swept her tangled hair back and decided to find her Mobile Phone first, her eyes fixed on the door.
Jimun was the only one who could explain what was happening.
She spotted the Mobile Phone sitting on the vanity.
Too weak to stand, Bom began crawling toward it, her movements clumsy and desperate.
He had to pick up. He just had to.
With trembling fingers, Bom pressed the call button and waited for Jimun to answer.
Though her mind had reeled from the sudden nudity, the most likely explanation—if that cousin had really showered in someone else’s bathroom and walked out naked without a care—was that it had to be Jimun’s cousin. There was no other possibility.
But if that cousin had truly arrived without warning, how was she supposed to process what she’d just seen?
A moment later, the line connected, and Jimun’s voice came through the speaker.
—Yeah, Bom.
“Jim, Jimun! Did your cousin say he was coming over today?”
—Oh, right!
Tap, tap.
At that exact moment, she heard knocking on the bedroom door.
“Hold on a second.”
Bom pulled the Mobile Phone away from her ear and stared at the door.
Had I locked it?
Click, click.
At the sound of the doorknob, the Trauma from the stalking incident washed over her, and her mind went blank white.
Thud.
The Mobile Phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor with a hollow sound.
“……W-who… who are you……!”
A strangled cry escaped from Bom’s lips.

***

Taemun, hastily dressed, stared silently down the spiral staircase.
She seemed to be one of the classmates who lived here, and had apparently screamed and bolted after discovering him near the first-floor bathroom.
He bore some responsibility—having lived alone for so long, he’d picked up the habit of leaving his clothes behind and walking out naked as a matter of course—but the woman herself didn’t appear entirely normal either.
Her wild hair and t-shirt and underwear, crawling up the stairs like something from a horror film—it was absurd beyond words.
The surreality was so complete that Taemun couldn’t even sigh.
What kind of person had Cha Jimun brought into this house?
With a troubled expression, Taemun looked up toward the second floor, then headed toward the kitchen.
He’d agreed to let Jimun’s classmates from YJ University Hospital move in without much hesitation, but now he was beginning to regret it.
Taemun pulled a bottle of Bottled Water from the refrigerator and leaned against the island counter, drinking it down.
Should he go up and introduce himself now?
Having inadvertently exposed himself, he concluded there was no way he could simply go back to sleep.
He’d told Jimun explicitly that he was coming home, but it was clear his roommate hadn’t properly informed the others.
Taemun had planned to relax on the terrace with a beer and savor the feeling of coming home, but he abandoned that idea and headed upstairs.
Climbing the stairs to the second floor, he moved slowly toward the room where light was leaking under the door.
He made sure to let his footsteps be heard.
In case she got another fright.
And he had no desire to hear that scream again.
“Ahem.”
He cleared his throat and knocked twice on the door.
Tap, tap.
But there was no response.
“Let me see you for a moment.”
Is she not here?
Hand on his hip, Taemun peered at the space beyond the door, then turned the handle.
Click, click.
It was locked. Which meant the woman was still inside.
“……W-who… who are you……!”
A terrified voice came from within the room.
I’m not some Texas serial killer. Why are you acting so shocked?
“Look, I’m the owner of this house. So let’s open the door and talk face to face.”
“……Excuse me? The owner?”
“That’s right. I’m Jimun’s cousin. So open the door.”
The woman said nothing.
Knock, knock.
Taemun knocked again, then spoke in a low voice.
“Call Jimun on your mobile phone right now. Confirm who’s in this house.”
“……Y-yes, just a moment.”
“Talk to Jimun and come down to the first floor. We have quite a lot to discuss.”
Taemun exhaled a heavy sigh and turned to leave. A sharp headache suddenly pressed down on him.
He couldn’t throw her out immediately, and if he wanted her to eventually leave, he’d have to give her at least some time to look around. Rushing wouldn’t accomplish anything.
He needed to see her face and confirm things with his own eyes.
It was pure horror.

***

His cousin? Really?
Bom cracked open the door just enough to peek out, watching the man descend the stairs before quickly locking it again.
Then she picked up the mobile phone that had fallen to the floor.
Jimun hadn’t hung up — the call was still connected.
“Jimun, you heard all that, right?”
“B-Bom. Did I scare you?”
“Scare me? That’s putting it lightly! I think I’m traumatized.”
How could something like this even happen in the world?
“Look, how was I supposed to know he’d show up this fast? I’m really sorry. But weren’t you supposed to be at the hospital today? When did you come home?”
“That’s not the point right now. What am I supposed to do?”
“Bom, calm down. You know only the people living here can get through the tight security. You’re fine.”
“Ah…….”
“Anyway, I’ll introduce you properly once I leave work and get home. And I can’t say he’s the nicest guy, but don’t be scared. He won’t bother you if you don’t start anything first. Oh, I’ve got an incoming call from the ward. I have to go.”
“Wait, Jimun! Don’t hang up! I’m not finished talking!”
She called out urgently, but the line had already gone dead.
Staring blankly at her mobile phone, Bom pulled up the text message her aunt had sent yesterday and read through it again.

「He reached out from there, but a murder case broke and emergency protocols locked him down, so he couldn’t make it.」

So her aunt’s words had been true.
Bom stood frozen, staring into empty air with vacant eyes.
Every foolish thing she’d done yesterday began playing before her mind’s eye like a panorama, unfolding without a single gap. How utterly shameful it all was…….
This was guaranteed to be a ten-year embarrassment kicking herself under the covers.
Or maybe thirty years?
But if that man yesterday was her cousin, why had he pretended to be a blind date partner?
It was absolute chaos.
The only way to figure out what was going on was to go downstairs and see.
Bom moved her rigid body and began gathering up the clothes scattered on the floor to get dressed.
She tied her wildly tangled hair back into a neat knot.
Thinking about it here wouldn’t get her any answers.
Bom calmed herself deliberately and took a deep breath.
Yes, let’s do this.
Only after smoothing down her chest several times could she rise from the bed.

***

Taemun sat on the sofa, waiting for the woman to come down.
Jimun had called after speaking with the woman, insisting repeatedly that she wasn’t some strange person.
He’d confirm that with his own eyes soon enough.
Taemun pressed his throbbing temples and leaned his head back against the sofa.

A sigh escaped him.

Those wide eyes rolling with shock, that expression of bewilderment—there was something oddly familiar about that face.
Why was that?
A bewildered laugh escaped Taemun’s lips as he sat bare-chested before her.
Pitter-patter.
The sound of light footsteps descending the staircase drew his attention.
Taemun lifted his head from where it had been resting and straightened his posture.
The moment the woman had come halfway down the stairs, Taemun’s eyes narrowed.
Han-bom?
What are you doing coming down from here?
His bewildered gaze and Han-bom’s met in empty air.
Her large eyes trembled uncertainly.
Unlike him, who had failed to recognize Han-bom just moments before, she had clearly recognized him.
She seemed quite shocked.
“Don’t just stand there—come down.”
Han-bom gripped the stair railing tightly, her face guarded as she looked down at him.
“Jimun is your cousin, isn’t he? Come down.”
“…!”
“I’ll explain everything that’s happened, so please come down. Otherwise I’ll come up.”
Those large eyes, which had wandered in confusion, finally steadied, and her footsteps resumed.
As the distance between them closed, the woman’s face became clearer.
Though her face bore no makeup, it was unmistakably the Han-bom he had seen at the hotel.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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