Make It Impossible To Run Away

It was an arrogant tone.

Noticing her startled eyes, the man grinned. That was the first time his sharp eyes contained a smile.

As the man watched her eyes follow the bottle of water with intrigue, he took a drink from the bottle.

‘So, he wasn’t offering me any water?’

She was a little frustrated.

‘How am I supposed to communicate that I need some water when I can’t move at all?’

As she struggled, she never expected the man to lean over and gently open her mouth by pressing his thumb against her chin.

“Mmhh…!”

Instantly, water dripped into her mouth through his hot lips.

It was such a bold touch.

Her whole body stiffened in surprise, but nevertheless, she was very happy to finally have water and swallowed as quickly as it flowed into her mouth.  As she drank the water, his tongue slid into her mouth as well.

The sensation of her tongue being entangled with his was very strange.

It was the first time she had ever experienced anything of the sort. From the way his tongue persistently circled hers, to the gentle sweep along the roof of her mouth, all of it was very unfamiliar.

It felt like he was taking her breath away. She tried to pull away, but her body wouldn’t listen.

Due to the effects of the unfamiliar scent, her body was being weighed down by an invisible force.

‘I can’t breathe.’

Her heart was racing, and her vision was blurry. Her fingers trembled as she gripped the bed sheets helplessly.

It was as if she was losing her mind to the overwhelming scent.

The dizzying sensation added to her distress and caused her to become delirious.

What felt even stranger than being deeply kissed by an unknown man, was the brutal energy that rushed into her.

‘What is this?’

She had never been in a relationship because she had spent her entire life caring for her younger brother and acting like his maid.

This is no ordinary kiss.

It wasn’t just their tongues entwining, it was a strange feeling as if a piece of their souls had entwined.

“Ah!”

Her stomach strained from shortness of breath. She started trembling, fearing that she was about to die, but then the man pulled away for a moment.

[You don’t know how to use your tongue.]

She thought that was the end, but she was wrong.

The kiss was long and persistent. The blonde man poured water into her mouth and ravaged her unresponsive lips over and over again.

When she stared at him with resentment in her eyes, his lips twisted in amusement, but he didn’t look embarrassed or apologetic at all.

‘He must be crazy.’

[Legria.]

“!”

[From this moment forth, your name will be Legria.]

After a spell of kissing, which had relentlessly stolen every last bit of oxygen, a single word was spoken in a satisfied tone.

Even if she couldn’t understand his words, she recognized what was being conveyed in his tone. Just as a poor man recognized food or a starving beast recognized a crippled prey.

Yes, that’s when it started.

The life she had worked hard to build, though perhaps insignificant, began to crumble to pieces.

It was on the day he decided that her name was Legria.

The unruly blond man was a terribly handsome madman.

It was the only way to describe his appearance. Even his fierce eyes and arrogant attitude, like he had the world under his feet, didn’t detract from his looks.

It’s probably because everyone thinks it natural for men to act this way.

To be honest, I’ll admit that I nearly lost my head at first sight of the madman’s face, but I quickly regained my senses.

If I hadn’t been forced to kiss him, I might have been mesmerized by his face.

But I could see his true nature.

His exterior is a sham.

Had it not been for him, I would have found a way to escape and run away.

“Legria.”

“Leg…ria.”

“Rahik Barakiel Belligreum.”

“Rah…ik.”

After a few days, one thing became clear.

He was persistent. He pointed in my direction and called me Legria several times. Then he gestured to himself and said, “Rahik.” He did this until I understood that those words were actually names.

While I was aware my name had become ‘Legria’, I also knew it wasn’t my original name.

However, there was a problem with my memory. Regardless of how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember my real name. Nor could I recall my own appearance or even the sound of my voice.

In spite of that, there was one thing I was certain of. I’d had black hair that had never been dyed.

But now my hair is red. It’s red enough that there was no sign of the previous darkness.

I grabbed my hair, gesturing towards it with a pointed finger, and asked how this happened, but no one gave an answer.

So, there was nothing I could do. For now, I had no choice but to use the name Legria.

The man, Rahik, called me Legria, and all the women around me did the same.

The women appeared to be either in their twenties, like the first girl I met, or older.

They walked with their heads slightly bowed and their footsteps were always silent. They seldom smiled and never spoke unless spoken to.

The girl I met on the first day seemed to be an unusual case.

Based on her attire, I knew she was an employee here since they all wore the same uniform. Regardless, she didn’t feel like a nurse or caregiver.

Attendant.

I can’t think of any other words to describe them.

“Legria.”

Fortunately, after my first day, Rahik didn’t do such a shameful thing again.

That day, my body didn’t move how I wanted, and my mind was so confused that I couldn’t respond. If he tried that again, I would bite his tongue, but thankfully it didn’t come to that.

Instead, he was strangely obsessed with me. To be precise, he was obsessed ‘in a strange way’.

When I opened my eyes each morning, the attendants wearing matching uniforms would arrive to wash and dress my stiff body.

Then, they would massage my body.

After that, it was mealtime, and Rahik had breakfast in the bedroom every day. Sitting closely, he would recommend trying this and that, but I didn’t like the taste, so I nibbled at what was placed in front of me.

I wanted to eat the food that he has put his sincerity into having prepared for me, but there was nothing I could do about my lack of appetite.

It’s been five days since I started living in this unknown place.

On the first day, I could barely move my arms, but over the next 3-4 days, I was able to sit up on a soft cushioned bed or sofa. However, I still couldn’t walk on my own or stand on my feet. Someone had to carry me from place to place. There was no sensation in my toes either.

An elderly woman with glasses, who seemed to be a doctor, came in every afternoon for a few minutes to examine me. When she left, the attendants rubbed my legs, but to no avail. At least the experience was nice.

It’s not like I didn’t make any secret effort to stand up out of frustration with my situation, but it was too difficult to stand up from the bed on my own.

Moreover, if the sound in the room changed even in the slightest, the attendants would burst through the door and barge in.

At first, I was worried, but now I’m convinced. This was surveillance.

A moderate form of surveillance.

Which made it inconvenient to eat.

What’s worse, the food didn’t even taste good. I don’t know what this bitter and strangely sour spice is, but it’s neither salt nor pepper, and it’s sprinkled on every dish, which makes it difficult to swallow.

To put it simply, it’s like mixing ground millet and coriander with lemon juice, then adding Caesar dressing with a strong cheesy taste along with three drops of truffle oil.

It appeared to be a part of the local cuisine, so I had no choice but to eat it. Thankfully, Rahik noticed my struggle, and the torture only lasted for a day or two.

Since it was difficult to swallow, I chose only grilled vegetables and thin soup, while avoiding the spice as much as possible.

Rahik watched, his gaze growing colder day by day, but it couldn’t be helped.

[They say you should be concerned when a pet refuses to eat, but what kind of nonsense is this?]

Lost in his thoughts, Rahik sighed deeply as I sat motionless with a spoon. The sigh was so clear that I couldn’t help but flinch… Surprisingly, it didn’t bother me.

[Now I see. You are truly a picky girl.]

Rahik reached out and took the spoon held between my fingers. Perhaps he noticed that I didn’t want to eat anymore.

Fortunately, he didn’t look angry, but he seemed to be extremely nervous that I would starve if I didn’t eat all the food I was given.

[Even so, since you have already been in the body for five days, perhaps I can start feeding you fruit.]

‘It’s frustrating not being able to understand you when you’re stroking my cheek with your thumb and whispering in a friendly tone. Even if you’re saying, ‘You have to eat and gain weight,’ I wouldn’t know.’

After the meal ended, Rahik didn’t move, so I couldn’t move either.

The servants standing by the wall quickly removed the dishes and soon the table was empty.

As I stared blankly at the empty space, suddenly the sun brightened and warmed the room.

It was one less thing I had to worry about since the sun rises here as well.

I still don’t know which country this is, or where it’s located on the map, but it doesn’t seem to be near the equator. Without a warm coat, the temperature was cold enough to give you goosebumps.

I also learned that there was a dark forest outside this structure. No matter where I looked, there seemed to be no other buildings around. And the way people treated me was very intense.

When I was able to sit up, I questioned everyone I saw, but no matter who I asked or which language I used, everyone just tilted their heads in confusion.

Korean, English, German, and French. I even tried to throw in Latin and Arabic, which I didn’t know well, but they all failed. Judging from the pronunciation, I don’t think it’s Spanish either.

Even when I raised my hand and made the universal sign for a phone so I could make a call with a cell phone or pay phone, no one understood me. They weren’t pretending and genuinely seemed bewildered. After trying a few times, I decided to give up temporarily.

I wanted to see a map, so I opened a book, pretending to read, but it was full of characters I couldn’t comprehend.

The gentlest form of isolation.

However, I was able to maintain my sanity to some extent, thanks to the women, who treated me well despite my ignorance of the language.

‘Is this private land or his private property?’

I decided to set aside the ‘How did I get here?’ questions for now. I just wish I knew where I was.

While this clearly wasn’t a hospital, it also didn’t seem like I had been kidnapped for nefarious purposes, nor were they trying to do anything illegal to me. For now…

Surprisingly, there are still regions in foreign countries where the balance of power is maintained by a title system. Perhaps this is one of those places…

“Legria.”

His white-gloved finger brushed my cheek. I couldn’t understand the words that followed, but I knew he wanted my attention. When I lifted her head, something cold and moist suddenly touched my lips.

It smelled sweet like fruit.  When I parted my lips, a slice of strawberry slipped in, along with his fingers.

Again.

This is what I consider to be strange behavior.

[That’s right.]

After rubbing the tip of my tongue with his finger, he pulled his hand away and took off the glove. Then repeated his previous actions again.

Using his index finger, he gently stroked my tongue from the tip to the back. I really wish he would stop this behavior because it was difficult to endure the tingling sensation that traveled up my spine each time it happened. It tickles, but I can’t tell pinpoint the source of the sensation.

‘This… It’s like he has a tongue fetish!’