CH 124

I wasn’t the only one who grew up attached primarily to the mansion and fed with malevolence and murderous intent. Haeseo, standing before me, was the same. Not only that, unlike me, who ate other people’s fortunes, he took away fate itself. He took their entire lives away.

“Y-you loved your mother, didn’t you?” I was sure of it. I had no memory of being loved by Haeseo’s mother. Even if I did, they were short moments. Her gentle affection and the memories of receiving it were things from Haeseo’s brain. They were moments and emotions that Haeseo experienced. Haeseo truly loved his mother.

Oh, what in the world had I done? Tears poured out.

What had I done…?

Haeseo, who loved his mom, stuck a knife in his mom’s neck, killing her.

“Why are you crying? You only have memories of being abused, but you’re still sad? Why? But Mom was wrong. Mom said that adults also make mistakes.”

He still had an impassive face.

“A-and your grandmother…” I stuttered.

“Are you sad even though I only used people who had already died?” Haeseo questioned.

“Everyone else, too…” My voice shook unsteadily. Even so, Haeseo Nam made a face, unable to comprehend what I was saying. I realized then. The one before me wasn’t Haeseo, the human. He was a monster who went from person to person, leeching off their lives.

And this monster was no different from the one that my naïve and foolish desire created.

‘Oh, oh, oh.’ I clawed my fingers in my hair and curled up. I just wanted a little, a slight touch of kindness from others. But my body had long died. My greed, unbefitting of my position, called about such a calamity.

Haeseo embraced me warmly. “Don’t cry.”

He gave me the gentleness that I so direly wished for. The heavens listened to the human desire of a spiteful spirit and just that—the rest was completely ruined.

“If you don’t want to remember your name, that’s fine. If my question makes you miserable, I won’t ask anymore. I’ll just figure it out on my own, some way or another. Besides, I was the one who found the mansion that you died in.” A sweet, very tender voice spoke, “My young lover who enticed me to save my life.”

He grabbed my face in his hands. I met his eyes with a heavy heart. Yeonseon, Yeonseon. Haeseo. I had no idea what to call the man in front of me—Haeseo’s soul who talked while smiling like Yeonseon in Seohang’s body. With bits and pieces of several people, this man was like Frankenstein’s monster.

“Wait for me until I return, trapped in my body just as you are now,” he whispered.

He was the only one in the world who loved me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely return to you,” he kissed my lips and mumbled. “I’ll return safely without being hurt anywhere. I won’t get into an accident either.” The tongue that found its way between my lips ran itself inside my mouth, softly. “This time, I’ll bring back a perfect body that you will surely love.”

A blackness, darker than the inside of this mansion, settled inside my heart.

I only wished for one thing.

“I’ll go find you with a face and body similar to Yeonseon’s,” he continued.

I just wanted to see Yeonseon’s face again.

“When that time comes, tell me that you like me,” he said.

My brain grew numb at his voice. I cried, feeling an indescribable feeling welling up at the other’s touch.

As his tongue traced my lips and jaw, I looked up at the ceiling. The old mansion’s ceiling was the same as the one I saw right before I died. I was looking up at the ceiling just like before when I looked up in despair.

He laid me down on the floor, and I received the love he gave me. Even though I got what I wished for and could get what I wished for in the future, the tears didn’t stop. This place was hell. He kissed me. It was a sweet, familiar, tender, and nightmarish kiss.

I closed my eyes.

Oh!

I was a goblin.

I was charmed by a human with a beautiful voice and a sweet fragrance.

I was a wicked goblin who enticed a child and stole everything that belonged to him. The ghost was me. I was the start of everything. I had to take responsibility for all the events that happened due to me—including Haeseo’s life that I ruined and all the people’s lives that he ruined.

I was a goblin, a mean and evil goblin who brought misfortune to other people.