Chapter 52: Busted Busted!
The romantic temporary elopement that Song-rik and Doha had pulled off together was... discovered... very easily at that.
Part of the reason was because they just vanished into Song-rik’s room for like TWO HOURS!!!
Lunch was served and eaten but there was not a trace of the two.
Eventually a servant was sent looking for the missing lovers, and she came back blushing and clueless about what to say.
Then Jang Taejun was sent over to call them out because they figured it wouldn’t be right for Woobin to get traumatised by God knows what they were doing inside.
And Taejun was just about to knock on the door, when he heard Doha’s playful voice say:
"There are 17 left, hyung. Where do you want them?"
Jang Taejun didn’t stay any further and promptly saw himself out of the corridor. He stayed in the garden for quite a while before returning to the family, touching flowers and grass.
And having a moment of mental breakdown.
Then he went and clung to his wife for emotional support after the trauma he had just received from his beloved nephew making out with his boyfriend in the family home.
"They’re what?!" The grandfather yelled, slightly blushing. "Ahem! Well, they’re young and new in love, so it’s normal? Anyways, let us pretend we know nothing."
They couldn’t pretend they knew nothing.
Probably because they could literally see Song-rik’s neck covered in hickies. And the two were pretending as if they were just out on a stroll while stealing glance at each other.
Doha immediately noticed everyone acting a little off, but he charted it off to the Jang family being weird by default.
They were eventually served the very belated lunch and chatted cheerfully while eating.
The situation eased up as time passed and by evening, Doha had become quite popular with the Jang family. So much so, that the grandfather offered him to stay over.
But Doha refused as he still had his evening shift at the bar.
He refused any of the gifts they were shoving on his face and just took the car ride home.
The driver dropped him off in front of the apartment building. Secretary Cha and Ryujin didn’t appear after morning. Doha figured they must be busy.
We know the ’busy’.
Doha walked into his apartment as he took off his shoes. His lips were still a little swollen as he saw in the mirror while washing his face.
Now there was a problem that was troubling Doha.
He had gone there to meet Song-rik’s family expecting full on toxic behaviour and abusive language.
But in reality... they were surprisingly adoring towards Song-rik.
Which was strange if he went according to the novel.
Come to think of it, why did the novel had to be a tragedy❓❓❓
There were never clear reasons and facts about why Jang Song-rik had to suffer. Even the trashy ending about his kid dying and Ryujin becoming a villain was so forced. What made his sister so obsessed with making Jang Song-rik’s life suck?
The realisation was very off putting. It was as if the world itself wanted to make Song-rik suffer.
Doha tried to recall his conversations with Noona to see if she ever talked about the details of the novel.
They did discuss the novel a lot but it was mostly about the sales and the unhealthy amount of smut in it.
"Was it the dreams?" Doha muttered as he changed his clothes.
Dreams...
Doha recalled his own weird dreams that he saw a few days ago.
In every dream, the same place but different events. It was honestly scary how the same dream kept recurring and he kept finding himself in the same place every time.
Doha was going to study a bit before going to work but he decided he should research about that rose field a bit.
And by research, he meant asking people on Deddit if they had similar experiences.
*tap
*tap
*tap
[I keep seeing the same place in my dreams. I fall asking out of nowhere and find myself in a rose field. I even see people like a shadow figure and even my boyfriend acting weird. Should I be concerned?]
And he hit post.
He waited for several minutes and a responses started pouring in by self proclaimed motivational speakers.
(Rotton_tomato: Aren’t you just haunted bro?)
(Mia-melon: I think what you’re seeing is a liminal space. Never stand still there, keep moving. Those places are meant to be crossed, not stayed at. Maybe you keep seeing the same dream because you never subconsciously left that space.)
(Gym_Cat: Are you an alpha? Gimme your info, we can meet up and 😘)
(Ash: I think you need some cat therapy bro.)
(Papapitta: Aww, are you sleeping okay? Not being able to sleep well must suck.)
(Snoring _Panda: Hey, aren’t you just too free so just can’t sleep. Work up a bit and sleep like the dead.)
(Rillik: Your dao is not strong enough, Knowtow to this Daddy and you’ll gain some enlightenment.)
(Dumb-Moron2000: I think it’s a psychological issue. Have you forgotten something lately? Maybe the dreams are telling you to remember.)
Most of the responses were gibberish. Doha felt extremely disappointed in the user (Rillik) especially.
"What does ’dao’ even mean?" He muttered as he blocked the user from his account.
But there was really nothing else he cou do other than jumping down rabbit hole called the internet to investigate the little proper clues the users had given him.
Few things were actually proper advice.
He started searching articles and videos on liminal spaces, lucid dreaming, psychological disorders and memory loss. Essentially he doomscolled Newtube until it was evening and time for his work.
And, of course, he still didn’t have valid answers.
At last, he just gave up and decided to cheer himself into work.
But him deep cleaning the living room that very evening with a somber thoughtful expression told an entirely different story.
"Is it Song-rikki trouble again?" Yeon Mirae asked Yeon Soohi as the two stared at him from the dinner table.
"Idk," Soohi pumped her lungs with air and called out loudly to Doha. "Oppa! Eat first and clean later."
"Just a little bit more," Doha said as he slid the steam cleaner over the couch again.
More than what was troubling him, the two women were questioning where the hell he got that steam cleaner from?!
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