Chapter 21 - Alice Liddell-9 (1/2)

Chapter 21: Chapter 2 Alice Liddell-9

She had been 22 when she'd first earned her driver's license. After that, she had a long-term license. She had only driven on the few occasions her boyfriend, DongHyun, forced her into the driver's seat. Joo DongHyun...It was a name she hadn't thought about for a long time. She could now barely even remember his face. She laughed. The reason for her sudden emotional outburst was Alice.

There had been a time when she, too, had been as naive as Alice. When she saw someone hurt, she would feel sorry for them and want to help them. She was a normal 23-year-old college student.

If I am lucky and I get to go back, would I be able to adjust? Could I go to school, go on vacation with my allowance, and sit gossiping at a cafe with my friends? She frowned. That life seemed so far away that she couldn't even imagine it.

Soon, Wonderland was right in front of her. She parked the car at the entrance and stacked the corpses. She created three piles of six and dumped the corpses into the slum. Ignoring the people backing away from the smell, she returned to the car.

In the car was the corpse of the small boy. She drove a few miles away from Wonderland and abandoned the car. She carried the boy's corpse with her into Wonderland. The junk car would be dealt with by the people of Outhouse.

It was close to 3:00 a.m., a time when there would be no intruders. She knocked hard on Duke's door. He had bandages wrapped around his leg and was walking with a cane. He frowned upon seeing her but smiled as she handed him the boy.

”He's pretty. And he isn't badly damaged...I'll forgive you for what happened this afternoon.”

”Stop speaking nonsense and pay up.”

After receiving the money from Duke, SoYoon returned home. Her steps felt especially heavy today.

***

Filled with many thoughts, SoYoon tossed and turned in her bed until the sun came up. After she washed and replaced her patch, she ate a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. The bread, which she'd had for several days, was stale.

She crumpled up the empty bread bag and checked her smartphone. There were two messages.

/[Come immediately.]

[Come as soon as you see this.]/

SoYoon checked the time. Mad Hatter had sent the last message nine hours ago. He would be asleep now. Well, he did say to come as soon as I can. SoYoon knocked on Mad Hatter's door. There was no answer. She knocked again. A few moments later, Mad Hatter poked his head out. Upon seeing her, he made a weird sound and immediately opened the door.

Mad Hatter had come down from his laboratory. Drowsy from sleep, he staggered down the stairs and grabbed SoYoon's arms with surprising strength. If she were a regular person, her arm would have broken.

”Where are we going?”

Mad Hatter didn't answer and went into a small room. There was only a large bed inside.

”Mad Hatter?”

Not listening to SoYoon, he pulled her onto the bed with him. She didn't resist and fell onto it with him.

With his thin but toned arms, he wrapped himself around her shoulder and waist. The knife attached to her leg didn't bother him.

She struggled. Her face, buried in his chest, was suffocating. He must have thought that she was putting up a fight because he swept his fingers through her hair and held her in place.

She was just able to release herself to find a place to breathe. What was going on? She sighed.

Mad Hatter mumbled. ”I'm sleepy because of you...Sleep…”

His sleep-drenched voice was powerful. SoYoon flinched as she heard the words in her ear. Afterward, he fell into a deep sleep. His arms lost strength. She had hoped to release herself from this position, but upon finding his fingers tangled in her hair, she gave up.

Every time Mad Hatter breathed in and out, his thin shirt fluttered on her cheek. The scent of eucalyptus tickled her nose. The bright yet sharp scent suited him.

SoYoon yawned as the eucalyptus scent soothed her aching head. Sleep overtook her, and she didn't resist.

SoYoon woke up to her alarm. Mad Hatter also opened his eyes at the same time, and their eyes met. He blinked then quickly got up.

”Why are you sleeping here?” he exclaimed in surprise.

He soon realized his answer as he saw his own arms and fingers intertwined with her body and hair. He quickly removed his arm from under her head. SoYoon got up and yawned beneath her mask.

She was so calm that Mad Hatter pressed his temples and shouted in an angry voice.

”Do you not realize that you're a woman? Now you even come into a man's house and on his bed…!”

”You wouldn't let me go.”

”Well, I do apologize! Still, you should have tried harder. And why are you so calm about this?”

Because I'm used to it. She didn't say the words, but Mad Hatter understood the hidden meaning.

SoYoon pretended she had another appointment and left the bedroom. Truthfully, she was running away from the explosive feeling she was experiencing. Mad Hatter ran after SoYoon, stopped her, and turned her around.

I'm going to get bruised here too, SoYoon thought nonchalantly.

”What does that mean?” he said, reading her mind.