92 – You’ve Been Caught by Your Allies.
“Ahhhhh!”
I snapped back to reality at a loud scream.
“This is…”
I was looking down at a messy room with a semi-transparent body. It immediately dawned on me that what I was witnessing was a scene from the past.
“Ahhhhh!”
I saw myself crying in a baby crib placed in one corner of the living room. The house was a mess. Clothes were scattered all over the living room sofa, and black smoke was rising from the kitchen connected to the living room.
“Oh my! My baby!”
Late to the scene, my mother hurriedly ran from the kitchen.
“Oops!”
Thud!
My mother couldn’t reach the baby crib and tripped over the clothes on the floor, tumbling to the ground. She rubbed the back of her head and burst into laughter.
“Ah-ah-ah!”
Even amidst that, the young me wouldn’t stop crying.
“I was in complete panic back then.”
Somewhere, I could smell something burning, intermittently hearing my mother’s screams, the sound of something being drilled, and a mysterious sound that went “kwek” (it was the sound of my mother’s cooking).
“It was difficult to adapt at first. Now, it feels like a memory.”
To me, who had lived in an ordinary world, the world of comedy felt so alien. It felt like a world where only crazy people lived.
Now it’s just a memory… I can say that calmly, but until middle school, it was really difficult. I even thought about wanting to die. But the world of comedy was a world where you couldn’t just die as you pleased.
To survive, I had no choice but to accept this strange world.
“If only I had accepted it when I was younger, it would have been easier.”
The moment I made up my mind to accept it, everything suddenly became as if by magic. To be precise, everything was accepted as a matter of course.
That people’s lives were used like toys, that terrible events happened frequently.
Of course, unlike the original residents of the comedy world, I lived while being aware of the ‘strangeness’ of the comedy world. If I didn’t even have that awareness, I wouldn’t have been able to adapt to the dark fantasy world.
“But why am I having this dream?”
As I stared at myself crying absentmindedly, I could hear a song from somewhere.
Jang~ jajang~ jajajang~
The sound, as if imitating a guitar with the mouth, grew louder and louder. My gaze turned towards where the sound was coming from.
Jjagyeong~ jjagyeong-jjagyeong-jajang!
The sound came from the TV attached to the living room wall. On the snowy white screen, a silhouette smaller than a finger was wriggling and dancing. It looked like someone had taken a picture from very far away.
“Huh? It’s getting closer?”
The silhouette, which was as small as a little finger, began to approach gradually. Along with it, the sound of the song grew louder.
‘Wait, that…!’
As the silhouette drew closer, it became clear why I was having such a dream.
Jyagyong ~ Jyagyagyeong!
The maid outfit that one would only wear in a maid cafe, the pointed ears and tail, the hands adorned with cat paw gloves, and the act of pretending to be a cat by waving its fist in the air.
If a god from the world of comedy had appeared, nothing would have seemed strange no matter what happened around.
Jyajajang! Jyajajajang!
The god from the world of comedy was gradually becoming larger on the screen. As if it were only natural, the god popped out of the screen and, with a ‘thump’, stood in the living room, starting a bizarre dance.
“Oops! Here I come!”
Not being able to see the god from the world of comedy, Mom rushed into the kitchen where the monster was causing a commotion.
“heheheheung, here comes this body.”
At that time, I don’t know which broadcast she was engrossed in, but after the dance ended, she flipped her black hair back and imitated a strange lady.
“Euu…”
Startled by the sudden appearance of the god, I abruptly stopped crying. The god from the world of comedy approached my baby crib with small steps and looked down at me.
“heheheheung, heueung. So this is how you’re born.”
The god imitated a refined voice and looked down at young me. I wanted to scream at the god while looking up at it in the air.
“This wasn’t something I remembered!”
Even though memories can be distorted as one gets older, I couldn’t possibly forget the appearance of the god.
“Do you like it? Shall I make a contract with you?”
With a chuckle, the god extended its hand, on the back of which was a geometric patterned magic circle that looked like a disposable tattoo sticker.
“That line isn’t from ‘The Contractee of the Girl,’ is it?”
Seeing a divine being or something similar spouting famous anime lines to a newborn baby, I couldn’t help but feel a hint of disdain in my eyes.
“What are you trying to do to a newborn who hasn’t even been born for long?”
From Noble mtl dot com
A thought that was scary to have.
Pfft.
As she held out her palm, it split open.
Thunk! Quack!
Blood started pouring out. Naturally, her blood poured into my young mouth.
“What are you doing to a baby!”
I wanted to shout at the god who was doing something absurd, but as a spectator, I couldn’t convey any meaning.
“Cough!”
Suddenly, as blood poured into my mouth, I coughed and tears welled up in my eyes, causing the god to make an expression that said, “This isn’t right.” It was a face that made me want to smack it.
“Hmm, ahem. Let me show you some mercy.”
The god spat out a line that I had heard somewhere before and flicked his finger. Then, a baby bottle fell from the air. The god filled it with blood and it touched my young mouth.
Squish, squuush!
I didn’t know what taste it was, but with a dazed expression on my young face, I started sucking up the god’s blood.
“hehehe! With this, our contract is complete!”
Looking at the god who was laughing with a frivolous tone, I wanted to smack my forehead.
“What on earth did you feed me? No, more importantly, even if you feed that to a baby…”
“It’s obviously fine~”
Before I could finish my thought, the god’s gaze turned directly towards me.
“It’s time to wake up, meow!”
As soon as I heard that sound, my field of vision began to stretch like chopsticks. Before long, my vision was dyed black.
***
“Ah…”
When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling. It was my windowless room where I had been living for three years.
“I feel like I had a strange dream… a dream where God was feeding me blood like a pervert.”
I couldn’t distinguish if it was a common dream in the comedy world, or a dream of drinking God’s blood, or a nightmare where God had appeared.
“It’s just a silly dream.”
Thinking that way, I sat up. There was no one in the room.
“How long did I sleep?”
As I thought about it, I moved my body to the side.
Clank.
“…?”
I heard a strange metallic sound. The sound came from inside the blanket. When I pulled back the blanket… I saw that my ankles were shackled.
“Oh… Was I captured by an enemy?”
But it didn’t make sense. This was my room, and I was lying on a soft bed. It was at that moment when countless hooks came to mind.
Crash!
The door opened with a loud sound, as if it was going to break. I turned my head in surprise, and I saw Noah’s pale face.
“Li, are you…”
Noah, who called my name with a stuttering voice, almost ran towards me. In an instant, Noah approached me without slowing down and embraced me.
Thump!
“Ugh!”
“Lian, Lian…”
Usually, when a same-s*x friend charges at me like this, I instinctively push them away. But strangely, I couldn’t do that to Noah. Is it because of his overwhelming appearance? Is this the identity of an ordinary student (lower class)?
For some reason, I don’t know why, but my body instinctively freezes.
“Oppa!”
“Joo-in-nim!”
While I’m lost in pointless thoughts, other people start to appear.
“I’m glad everyone is safe…”
As I mutter in relief, I feel Noah’s arm tightly gripping my shoulder.
Thud.
“Huh…? Did I hear something cracking?”
Before I can ponder that question, my shoulder is suddenly pushed back. Noah’s eyes are reddened, and he’s clenching his jaw tightly.
***
“Do you…! Do you know how terrible you looked when you collapsed? You almost died! Your stomach was pierced, and you were bleeding to death!”
The voice, mixed with sobs, was filled with resentment, anger, guilt, and worry.
“You almost died! So at least, at least you should ask if your own body is okay!”
When Noah found Lian, Lian had fainted for a special reason, causing the dark sword to be summoned involuntarily. Because of that, the clothes that covered the wounds were torn, and the blood poured out profusely.
By the time Noah embraced Lian, the blood on the floor had formed a pool. Even when he tried to stem the flow with both hands, the blood continued to flow incessantly.
“No… No…”
Like a thrown object in the snow, Noah trembled with blue lips, tremblingly trying to cover the gaping wounds with his hands. But the blood kept flowing incessantly. He tried to stop the bleeding by wrapping his outer garment and Lian’s clothes around the wounds, but the blood flowed too much, staining only the clothes red.
Noah started to go back to headquarters, supporting Lian with his trembling body, thanks to the hope that Lian’s breath had not ceased.
Walking on the red carpet made of Lian’s blood, Noah gasped for breath.
Noah felt like a fish forcibly dragged onto land, as if his breath would stop at any moment. His vision turned yellow and wavered. His nose was paralyzed by the smell of blood, and a foul odor came from inside his throat.
Compared to the weight she usually carried, Lian felt heavy like a giant mountain, even though she should have been as light as a feather.
A human cannot survive losing this much blood.
Perhaps it was because the common sense ingrained in his mind was telling him that the end of this path was despair.
Noah’s memories after arriving at headquarters were vague. The smell of acrid blood, screams, and cries.
Amidst the suffocation, the only sound he heard was Lian’s small breath.
You’re going to die. You know that.
When the sun set and darkness gradually swallowed Noah, those words echoed in his mind. But a miracle happened. Lian’s wounds quickly healed thanks to the magic tools and potions, and her breathing stabilized.
But no one felt relieved.
What if I suddenly die today? What if I stop breathing tomorrow?
Everyone, including Noah, who cherished him, spent the night with their eyes open. And so, three days passed, and Lian finally opened her eyes.
As soon as Noah realized that the magic tool installed in the room was working, he ran like crazy towards Lian’s room. When he saw Lian sitting there, looking perfectly fine, his tears welled up.
“I’m glad everyone is safe…”
Such words from Lian, who had just woken up, were enough to enrage Noah.