<strong>I tried to find myposure as I calmly looked back on the past to figure out what went wrong, but nothing came to my mind.</strong>


    Yeah, it should be fine.


    So what am I supposed to do now?


    I was baffled on how to respond and solve this unprecedented situation.


    “stair, get out of my way.”


    I dismissed him in an adamant tone, but stair refused to budge.


    Are you not hearing me, or are you ignoring me?


    stair watched me.


    I did not avoid his gaze and looked straight into his eyes.


    stair’s hand that held my shoulder released his grip and caressed my cheek.


    It was a friendly behavior that was unexpected in this situation.


    Reflexively, my eyes trembled.


    His hand progressed unhurried and deliberately on my cheek.


    While he was brushing my cheek, I ovepped my hand with his.


    His hand, as he stroked my cheek, began to descend slowly.


    My body stiffened for a moment with a familiar sensation…


    stair’s dreamy eyes slowly grazed my throat.


    My body trembled at the cool-hot sensation that tickled my neck.


    Finally, his hand that was stroking my neck stopped.


    Then slowly and unhurriedly, he began to wrap his fingers around my neck.


    Despite the shallow power, I was feeling strangled already.


    stair grasped my neck slowly.


    I was sure that he would tighten his grasp.


    But, despite my intuition, he did nothing.


    With a stiff neck posture, his eyes were so dry that no emotions could be found.


    Just blinking my eyes at the feeling of confronting a machine.


    <em>Tick ??Tick Tick.</em>


    The sound of the clock was deafening in the room.


    As the clock passed, it seemed that the inevitable would happen.


    But nothing happened.


    If stair put any effort into his hand, my neck would be easily crushed by that force.


    It would be easy for him, like crushing a flower in the palm of your hand—where crushed flowers will color the palms with their own colors.


    stair knows that.


    Does stair not want to mar his hands, or does he want to kill me but want me to live at the same time? Or is he looking at a toy in his hand?


    Ah.


    I don’t know anything.


    At first, I had to work very hard to stay calm with his tititing fingertips fondling me. But now, the effort was unnecessary.


    As if someone poured cold water on me, I was cold.


    At first, my feelings were surprisingly hot. As if a harsh cold season came after a scorching season, and I forgot the extended heat, now chilly for a long time, leaving me icy.


    Maybe he was looking forward to it. He said that even if his brainwashing was released, he would still maintain and convey his feelings. I didn’t believe it, but a part of me was expectate.


    I didn’t want stair to still love me, but I could only hope that our rtionship could still be maintained.


    How ironic.


    The string that connected this rtionship is the ‘brainwashing’ that I was striving so hard to get rid of.


    As soon as I realized this, the disappointment of recognizing this brutal reality left me a ruined wreck.


    And, as usual, I removed the traces of the debris and quickly hid them.


    I breathed out and let my calm facade wash over me.


    “stair, if you want to kill me, listen.”


    I wrapped my hands around his cheeks and tried to make eye contact.


    It was impossible to make eye contact with his blurry and unfocused eyes, but I tried anyways.


    “I’m the only one who can unleash your brainwashing. So you shouldn’t do this to me.”


    I lifted one of my hands from his cheek, cing it on his hand that was holding my neck, and gingerly removed it.


    Was it because my words reached his ears? Or was there some other reason?


    He gently lifted his hand from my neck.


    “And I have one more thing to say—”


    I smiled at him faintly.


    “Good night.”


    I struck him on the neck with the full extent of my mana within my hand.


    stair let out a small breath and copsed on top of me.


    I epted his body and carefullyid him on the bed.


    Then I pulled the nket up to his neck and covered him.


    I know I had already made up my mind to ept my fate if stair pointed a de at my neck—and yet here I was contradicting my vow.


    But what can I do?


    I haven’t unraveled stair’s brainwashing yet.


    I could onlyply with his knife against my neck when he was of sound mind.


    ‘Why did stair suddenly do that?’


    It would be ridiculous to assume that the drug that I gave to relieve his brainwashing two years ago is now causing a reaction—but his response was so simr to that time…


    If there was anything different from that time, it was that there was no hatred in his eyes.


    Instead, his eyes were unfocused and dry—without emotion.


    Those were the eyes when he was dazed from the tortuous brainwashing sessions.


    I have a hunch that when stair wakes up, he won’t remember what happened.


    Just likest time, you won’t remember anything —and then you will tell me that you love me? And then should I ept your words as if nothing happened?


    “Haha········.”


    Strangeughter bursts out of me.


    I can’t stopughing because it’s all just so damn funny.


    A wave of dizziness ovees me—I could fall down right now.


    I stumbled backwards.


    The air in the room became thorns and pierced my lungs.


    I couldn’t stand it any longer. I ran out, fleeing.


    ***