Chapter 3: Meeting(2)

I said I’d sleep in, but when I woke up, it was around 7 a.m.Slowly getting up to shake off the drowsiness, I heard a strange thud from the bed.Wondering what happened, I walked over and saw Kyunghee kneeling quietly near the bed.
“Something wrong?”“No…”
Something had definitely happened.The moment my gaze landed on her, Kyunghee pulled her right hand back.I wasn’t sure, but it looked like she’d hurt herself enough to bleed.Considering the thud earlier…She probably got up in a hurry, bumped into something, and straightened her posture when I came over.Normally, I’d have let it slide, but I couldn’t.
“Give me your hand.”“…Huh?”“Hand it over.”
It was bleeding, so I couldn’t just leave it.I grabbed Kyunghee’s trembling hand, like a scared rabbit, and pulled it toward me.I figured I had a first-aid kit somewhere at home, and there’d be bandages in it.
“………………”
I took Kyunghee to the sink, washed her hand, and cleaned mine too.On closer look, the cut was pretty deep, so it seemed like it needed ointment.Luckily, the first-aid kit had everything—small bandages and even ointment to help heal the skin.Kyunghee was still acting unnaturally the whole time.
“…………”“Stay still.”“Uh… okay.”
I squeezed a bit of ointment onto my fingertip, applied it to the wound, and put a bandage on.Kyunghee stared at her hand for a moment, looking anxious.Feeling sorry for her, I was about to tell her to rest when I approached, but her reaction was off.Her body instinctively shrank, and I could see her ears trembling.From our past talks, I knew how this happened.Growing up under awful parents left her social skills and everything else at rock bottom.You could tell just from the fact that she only had three acquaintances, not even close friends.No, the fact that she made it here at all probably meant her problems were even worse.Shaking off the negative thoughts creeping in, I spoke kindly.
“Rest for a bit.”“Okay… got it.”
I planned to do the dishes and go shopping right after.It wasn’t just for me anymore; with Kyunghee here, I’d need double the ingredients.And I needed to buy her clothes too.I couldn’t keep dressing her in mine forever.
While dissolving detergent in water to wash the dishes, I glanced at Kyunghee, sitting quietly in the corner, hugging her knees.No movement, just staring blankly ahead.I wished she didn’t have to be so anxious, but that was probably my wishful thinking.I’d have to wait until she opened up on her own.
“Hey.”“……!”“I’m going shopping after the dishes. Want to come?”“Okay.”“Got it.”
That was a relief.She didn’t seem to hate the idea of going outside.If she’d been afraid of that too, I’d have been at a loss.That would’ve meant no solution in sight, like a complete lack of basic social ability.If she couldn’t even show the conversational skills she had online in real life, that’d be a serious problem.At twenty-two, it’d be like being worse than a child.
But it was a relief.If she could at least go out alone, I could ask her to run errands.
Starting with small tasks could help her feel needed.It felt a bit wrong to treat a person like that, but there was no choice.If I didn’t, she might end up dead.Like a rabbit, even her situation felt rabbit-like.
“Done.”“…………”
While stacking the wet dishes, Kyunghee cautiously stood up.Probably to get ready to go out, but I felt uneasy.An inexplicable sense of dread ran down my spine.Trying to read her emotions through her trembling eyes, I forced a smile.Then I opened my mouth to say I wasn’t ready yet.
“Just wait a bit. I’ve got some things to do.”
Kyunghee nodded blankly.Worried something might happen, I quickly moved my hands to finish the dishes.My head was a mess. I didn’t even know what I needed to do right now.But if I panicked, Kyunghee would get anxious, so I decided to organize my tasks and took a deep breath.
First, measure Kyunghee’s body.Her old clothes didn’t fit anymore, so her previous measurements were useless.Measure her new body and buy clothes to fit.Then, as a temporary fix, dress her in something suitable for going out.Finally, gather what we need for shopping and head out.Organizing it like that cleared my head.
“Kyunghee?”“…Yeah?”
I called out to the hesitating Kyunghee and pulled out a measuring tape.Her expression shifted subtly—confusion to embarrassment, then to resignation.I smiled to show it wasn’t what she was thinking and said right away,
“I want to measure you.”“Um… just a sec.”
By now, she could’ve taken the lead and asked what I was doing or what she should do.But she didn’t say anything, just standing there like a doll.Her resigned gaze, like she couldn’t guess what I was doing, was pitiful.At the same time, I realized the road ahead would be long.It wasn’t just about giving her a place to stay.
While measuring her and estimating her height and weight, I noticed she’d gotten much smaller.She’d said she was close to 170 cm with average weight before the rabbit ears.Now, barely 160 cm and likely underweight, the difference was clear just from the numbers.
“Your old clothes won’t work anymore.”“…………”
Large men’s clothes were too big for her.Medium ones were loose but wearable, though they were practically a fashion statement.Luckily, I had a few smaller clothes in my apartment.They were tight but not unwearable, so I’d kept them, not expecting they’d come in handy.It was a good thing I had them.Otherwise, she might’ve drawn unwanted attention.
“Let’s change and go.”“Okay.”
While picking out clothes and trying them on her, I realized there weren’t many tops that worked.It was because of her ears. She needed a hood to cover those rabbit ears.The one saving grace was that some of my clothes had hoods.If she pulled the hood down low, it’d draw less attention.Kyunghee seemed to realize this too, hesitating as she clutched a gray hoodie.
“…………”“T-shirts or underwear might be loose, but it can’t be helped.”“Thanks.”“No problem.”
A gray hoodie, jeans, and a black belt to hold up the loose pants.This shouldn’t stand out too much when I take her outside.With Kyunghee ready, it was my turn.Preparation was just washing my hair quickly and grabbing a bag for shopping.I stuffed my wallet and phone in my pocket, checked for anything I missed, and saw nothing.I turned to Kyunghee.
“Let’s go.”“…Okay.”
Kyunghee seemed scared to go outside.She’d mentioned before that going out was frightening.She only took familiar routes and couldn’t handle unfamiliar ones, saying she envied me.But now, it seemed worse—she was terrified of going out at all.Though, after what she’d been through, it’d be strange if she wasn’t scared.I grabbed her trembling hand, linked arms with her, and walked.
It was meant to reassure her that I was by her side, but it seemed to mean something else to her.Her trembling grew worse, but by the time we reached the elevator, she followed calmly.Her expression in the elevator mirror told me everything.She’d realized she wasn’t in a position to do anything and had given up.Her arm trembled excessively despite her calm demeanor.Her face, shadowed by the hood, looked like she was telling herself she had no right to resist someone like me. It was bitter.
“Anything you want to eat?”“I’m fine… I mean, nothing really.”“Okay…?”
I’d hoped to make her favorite food to put her at ease, but that wasn’t happening.I’d just buy various ingredients and gauge her reactions while she ate.Unless she hated all food, she’d react to something she liked.I didn’t think I’d guess right, but I had to try.She was so timid even at the table—would she even show her preferences?She’d probably eat quickly to avoid upsetting me.
“Memorize the route. You might need to go alone someday.”“Okay. Got it.”“I’d love to always go with you and keep an eye out, but that’s not realistic.”“………………”
I thought I’d said it kindly, but Kyunghee’s expression was strange.Like she’d heard a harsh insult to her face.Not only that, but her trembling arm grew more intense.Her breathing got rough, and her eyes shook wildly.Realizing I was watching, she forced a smile.Soon, her trembling, rough breathing, and shaking eyes calmed down significantly.
“It’s about a ten-minute walk to a shopping area.”“Okay.”“I’m heading to the mart there. You might need to come alone next time, so remember it.”“Okay.”“You got it, right?”
Her anxious look felt ominous, so I spoke, but as expected.Kyunghee couldn’t meet my eyes, apologizing repeatedly.Pushing further would only burden her, so I said nothing and walked with her.The route was simple.Leave the apartment, and you hit a street lined with officetels.Turn left, walk five minutes along the road, and you reach a traffic light.Cross it, walk three minutes, and you hit a park.Turn right at the park, walk two more minutes, and you’re there.
“………………”
I wanted to ask if she’d memorized it, but I couldn’t.She was lowering her head just because passersby glanced at her; she wouldn’t have the mind to answer.Every time someone stared curiously, she gripped my arm tightly.She didn’t even seem aware of how hard she was holding on, like she was out of it.
“Kyunghee.”“……Yeah.”
Her voice was like an ant crawling.But I didn’t correct her.It didn’t seem like she’d listen anyway.
“That’s the big mart. We’ll usually shop there.”“Got it.”“It’s central, so if you get lost in the shopping area, just head to the mart.”“Okay.”
She didn’t seem to fully understand, but there was no helping it.I took Kyunghee and went into the mart.