The Obsessive Maniac Is Trying To Confine Me - Chapter 207

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 207

 

I had a strange dream.

 

In the dream, a man wailed sorrowfully.

 

“…I told you, Rose.”

 

“…”

 

“That I would destroy everything if you left.”

 

Madness spread through the man’s blue eyes.

 

“Everything, without leaving a single thing behind.”

 

The man chattered as if seeking revenge against me.

 

“Senior, are you coming to your senses?”

 

When I woke from the dream, I was at Sian’s house. I lay on the bed, only blinking my eyes.

 

“Uh… why am I here…”

 

“Don’t you remember? You fell asleep in your car, so I carried you here.”

 

“You carried me? Why didn’t you just wake me up instead…”

 

But something was strange.

 

Why did he say ‘are you coming to your senses?’ instead of ‘did you wake up?’

 

I thought about asking, but somehow I felt like I was being overly sensitive, so I didn’t bother mentioning it.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

However, Sian seemed to have something on his mind as he asked several more times.

 

Strangely, he seemed to be afraid of something.

 

* * *

 

Time passed again.

 

Adapting to the world I had thought was unfamiliar didn’t take very long.

 

“Senior, how about applying here?”

 

During this time, Sian helped me a lot.

 

“Isn’t the bar too high here? I’m sure I’ll get rejected.”

 

“Still, try submitting an application.”

 

‘I’ll probably get rejected, but trying once wouldn’t be too bad.’

 

So I submitted applications to various companies…

 

“…I passed the final round?”

 

This is kind of strange.

 

“Congratulations, Senior!”

 

“No. This is kind of strange.”

 

“I believed in you, Senior.”

 

“No, don’t believe in me. This is really strange, I’m telling you.”

 

“That’s so like you, Senior.”

 

“It’s not ‘so like me.’ Think about it. There’s no way I could get accepted here.”

 

“They recognized your worth, Senior.”

 

“…”

 

This is realistically impossible, isn’t it?

 

It’s strange. Really strange.

 

The sense of alienation grew stronger.

 

* * *

 

“How did you come up with such a proposal…!”

 

“You must be a genius…!”

 

What’s this?

 

The company I newly got hired at is strange.

 

Everyone seems abnormal.

 

* * *

 

“Congratulations on your promotion!”

 

“…?”

 

I’ve only been working here for three months?

 

* * *

 

“Sian, tell me honestly. This is Korea, right?”

 

“Then would it be America?”

 

“I’m not in the mood for wordplay. Tell me honestly.”

 

“You’re right. Actually, this is America.”

 

Hey, you bastard.

 

* * *

 

Three months had passed since I started living in This Place.

 

But is this really Korea?

 

It seemed like Korea, but there were quite a few things that were subtly off for it to be called Korea.

 

[Then let’s meet at 7 o’clock today.]

 

I checked the text from Sian and let out a sigh.

 

Tonight at 7 o’clock, I had promised to have dinner with Sian.

 

About 10 minutes remained until our appointment.

 

The City Nightstreet was wrapped in bright lights from all directions, and people laughing and chatting passed by.

 

The lively atmosphere of the entertainment district would probably remain in my memory for a long time.

 

Everything seemed real.

 

‘There’s no way this could be fake…’

 

Thinking that I should have another serious conversation with Sian today, I headed toward the crosswalk.

 

The red light was on, so I stopped in front of it and saw Sian standing on the other side.

 

He was holding a bouquet of flowers and looking at his watch.

 

I was swept up in a strange emotion.

 

Sometimes I can’t believe that I’m in Korea.

 

It feels like if I just close and open my eyes, there will be someone calling my name ‘Rose’ from that other world.

 

I had finally escaped from that desert-like place where sandstorms blew and no end was visible no matter how far you walked, but my consciousness still remained there.

 

It felt like the scent of sand would seep into my nostrils and sand would crawl into my shoes.

 

Crack-

 

Then I heard a sound like glass cracking from above.

 

There’s nothing but sky above my head, right?

 

I casually lifted my head and froze when I saw the crack that had formed in the air.

 

I remember this scene.

 

What I saw a few months ago when I went to Mother’s columbarium.

 

But I dismissed it as a dream.

 

Am I dreaming now too? No, right? It can’t be…

 

I looked at Sian with somewhat cynical eyes.

 

Sian, who had spotted me, was looking this way and smiling brightly.

 

I smiled back at him in response. I had decided what to do.

 

The signal hadn’t changed yet, but I ran into the crosswalk.

 

“…!”

 

People around me, startled by my sudden action, began murmuring.

 

Honk-!

 

Loud horns blared as cars swerved dangerously to avoid me.

 

“Senior!”

 

Sian shouted in alarm, dropping the bouquet in his hand and running toward me.

 

Hoooonk!

 

Beep!

 

The horns blared loudly and continuously.

 

At that moment, a car that couldn’t avoid me in time came charging at me.

 

I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

But nothing happened.

 

“Haah.”

 

Only a faint sigh came from above my head.

 

When I opened my eyes, the vivid cityscape I had captured was gone without a trace.

 

The cars that had been honking madly, the people who had been murmuring at me.

 

Everything had disappeared and barren land covered the space above.

 

“…Senior, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

Even at this moment when everything was exposed, Sian examined my body.

 

I stared at Sian with cold eyes. Then the strength left the hands gripping my shoulders and Sian lowered his gaze.

 

“…Senior, this is, well.”

 

As if he hadn’t expected this situation and had no excuse, Sian closed his mouth.

 

Of course he wouldn’t. Impulsively pushing away the city backdrop to save me was definitely not part of his plan.

 

“Senior, I mean… this is nothing serious.”

 

“…”

 

“Wait. I can make it again.”

 

When Sian snapped his fingers, the disappeared city backdrop returned.

 

Unlike before when we were at the crosswalk, we were now standing safely on the sidewalk.

 

As if nothing had happened, people passed by us laughing and chatting.

 

“It’s fine now, Senior.”

 

“…”

 

“Senior.”

 

“…”

 

“Say something, Senior…”

 

Say something?

 

I looked around at the recreated cityscape and couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

 

“…Say something? Fine. Let’s do that, Sian. Have I been played for a fool in this fake world for three months?”

 

To think there wasn’t a single person I could trust. What a truly amazing life this was.

 

“You said it yourself. Let’s go back to Korea.”

 

“…”

 

“Is this Korea?”

 

When Sian didn’t answer, I picked up the bouquet he had thrown away.

 

“Fine. Let’s say this doesn’t matter…”

 

There’s one thing I absolutely cannot forgive.

 

“What about the radio Mother gave me? Is that fake too?”

 

“…”

 

“We went to the columbarium recently too. You damn bastard. Was that fake too?”

 

If that was fake…

 

“How could you show me that?”

 

“…”

 

“How could you show me that, Sian!”

 

I didn’t hold back and struck his shoulder with the bouquet. The scattering petals were beautiful, incongruous with the situation.

 

It felt like all the anger that had built up over the years was bursting out, not just momentary rage.

 

“I thanked you. For taking good care of Mother…”

 

“…I’m sorry, Senior.”

 

“Sorry? If you were sorry, you should have told me the truth back then!”

 

I raised the bouquet again and struck his shoulder.

 

I hit at an angle and lost grip of the bouquet, but didn’t stop hitting his shoulder.

 

Sian just stood there and took it. As if that could serve as atonement for what he’d done to me.

 

“Why are you doing this to me too? Why you too…!”

 

Even as I raged and beat Sian, not a single person walking the streets gave us a glance.

 

Because they’re all fake.

 

I’m sick of it.

 

“…I’ll explain everything, Senior.”

 

What meaning could a belated explanation have?

 

My energy drained, I no longer had the strength to stand. I slumped down on the street.

 

At that moment, a yellow light like fireflies enveloped the entire city, and once again the city backdrop disappeared and changed into Blue Grassland.

 

Green leaves tickled my legs.

 

Sian looked at me with concern and sat down beside me.

 

“Are you a demon?”

 

I spoke bluntly without even looking at Sian. The voice that came out seemed to reflect my state of mind, lacking even intonation.

 

Suddenly I remembered the mythical story Sian had told me long ago.

 

That demons have the unique ability to create spaces.

 

That a demon cast out by an Apostle created an ‘Open Space’ where they met the Apostle they loved.

 

“…Probably not.”

 

“Then what are you.”

 

Sian paused before answering.

 

“The reason I created This Place is… because we can’t return to Korea.”

 

“…What?”

 

“This was the best option.”

 

I couldn’t understand what Sian was saying.

 

“Then killing the Transcendent was all meaningless too?”

 

Have I been doing pointless things all this time?

 

Even killing Yurta…

 

“That’s not it. The prerequisite that we need to kill the Transcendent to return hasn’t changed.”

 

“Then why…”

 

“Your body died in Korea, Senior.”

 

That’s why we can’t return.

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