Chapter 131: Troubling (2) (1/2)

“Why?”

However, the Regressor couldn’t continue. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know what had made her feel so troubled.

What did he do just then?

He had suddenly approached her in the darkness.

Thinking back, something similar had happened when she first tried writing a novel. When he grabbed her on the neck from behind, she was frightened.

Back then, the Regressor had slightly regretted his actions. She acted normally the next day but the memory of getting startled would remain in her memories forever.

He therefore decided to just ask her.

“Why did you feel troubled.”

Her usually indifferent expression turned into a frown.

“…Why?”

He told her he was curious.

“Don’t wanna tell ya.”

“…”

As always, she was carrying a gaze that didn’t reveal her inner thoughts as well as a similar expression and voice. And while she was looking at his face, it felt like her gaze was reaching somewhere deeper.

“Then why did you feel perplexed, ahjussi?”

“What?”

“You also feel troubled and perplexed when I suddenly get closer to you.”

When he remained silent, Bom squinted her eyes and approached him. She, who had been sitting on the chair in front, placed her hands on his thighs and leaned her body forward.

“Actually.”

She slowly opened her mouth.

“I wanted to say this.”

“…Say what.”

“‘You don’t need to know’.”

Bom spoke with an indifferent and powerless voice. Her hazy and foggy gaze seemed to be trying to imitate someone.

When he gave an empty laugh, Bom giggled.

“If I ask you, ‘Why do you feel perplexed?’ you would answer like that right? Just like what you’ve always been doing.”

“Who knows.”

“Is there even a reason? A reason why you’re perplexed?”

It was a fundamental doubt.

In fact, even he doubted the reason why he felt perplexed.

Through the repetitive regressions and especially after the second and the third ones, he lost almost all sexual interest. To be more exact, instead of just sexual interest, he lost interest in forming a deep relationship that crossed personal boundaries, since every relationship in the world would leave him behind and dissipate.

Losing that had caused him pain in the second iteration;

And fearing the loss was the third iteration.

After that, he learned how not to get hurt, and began living without fearing anything. It wasn’t difficult. He just had to draw a line without allowing anyone to cross it.

But his distancing policy faced a great dilemma in the seventh iteration, when he began living a daily life.

In fact, there were several dilemmas. People that had to be distanced with and situations that didn’t allow him to create distances were intertwined in his life.

And the greatest dilemma of them all…

“I, think I know.”

…was none other than this kid.

“What do you know.”

“You know? I know a lot more than you think.”

She continued with a pout.

“Remember how Kaeul called you a kid, ahjussi. The reason’s a bit different, but now I think she’s right.”

“What?”

“Think about it. Let’s say there’s a pirate who lived travelling around the oceans for 20 years, and a bandit who lived in a mountain for 40 years.”

“Okay.”

“Usually, the bandit will be more of an adult than the pirate.”

“…Right.”

“But in the ocean, the pirate has more experience than the bandit so he’s the adult there.”

“…Alright, I get that but, what are you trying to say right now.”

Her lips began twitching. Slowly, her eyes began avoiding his gaze.

“Just, you know…”

It looked like she was trying her hardest to hold her laughter inside.

“I was thinking, that I might be more of an adult, in certain areas…”

Taking her hands off of his thighs, she went back to her seat. Then, she tucked her hair behind her ear before turning to the computer display screen.

It felt like something had happened, but he didn’t know what.

“Let’s write.”

Saying something that didn’t have to be said out loud, she started typing on the keyboard.

Her white ear, the hair tucked behind that ear and several strands of hair that weren’t tucked – looking at her side profile, Yu Jitae suddenly realised that he had been forgetting something.

He was trying to ask her about the reason she felt perplexed but he was completely swallowed up to her pace before even realising it. Thus, he didn’t get to ask the reason, nor was he able to make her troubled again.

All the things that had been planned and failed in the seventh iteration were always like this.

In any case, there was no reason to stay here any further when she was working. While leaving the room, he powerlessly spoke to her.

“If you want to know why, I’ll tell you. There hasn’t been anyone like you who crossed the line to approach me.”

Her eyes that were focused on the screen widened.

“And, that’s why I find you troubling.”

But without seeing that, he walked out of her room.

*

[39. There hasn’t been anyone like you who crossed the line to approach me. Hhe..]

For an instant, she almost died from being overly perplexed.

[Heh…hehe…]

[Huhuhuhuhu]

Thinking about it again made her feel perplexed yet again. In order to stop the corners of her lips from curling up, she took several deep breaths in and out and closed the book.

[Ahjussi Observation Diary ★★]

Then she added colour to the empty star. Suddenly, another doubt appeared in her mind, so she opened the book and added another line.

[?. Question: Why didn’t ahjussi do a prank? I thought I induced it more than enough…]

The moment Yu Jitae walked up to a hair’s breadth and grabbed her by the chin, Bom was indeed flustered and was perplexed.

However, expressing that was a different matter altogether. She didn’t have to state it out loud that she was perplexed and yet still bothered to do so.

Until now, she had never shown herself feeling troubled. In fact, it wasn’t just Yu Jitae and no-one had ever seen it.

In other words, all the expressions and words that had been shared today had been planned. Yu Jitae was sensitive to things related to the dragons so she thought he would be intrigued by her showing such a side…

[Was I too rash?]

Inducing something had to be subtle. But how subtle did it have to be for him to notice it? Bom contemplated for a little bit longer before adding to her observation diary.

[…Or should I do a bit more?]

Maybe the bait today was too small.

***

2 pm.