Mental Asylum || PURINZ

016

The morning sunlight spilled into the room as I woke to find another tray of food at the edge of the bed—a simple spread of omelet, scrambled eggs, sliced kiwi, and a glass of orange juice.

Routinely, I began my day by brushing my teeth, taking a quick shower, and selecting a T-shirt from the closet. Surprisingly, I was starting to appreciate the clothes Yunjin had bought for me.

Approaching the food tray, I hesitated before taking a cautious sniff. The omelet tasted decent, although a bit too salty. It seemed Yunjin wasn't much of a cook.

After finishing my meal, I reluctantly left the bed and headed out of the room. There, I found Yunjin reclining on the couch, engrossed in a book.

Recalling the events of the previous night and my continued accusations despite her claims of innocence, I realized that confrontation wasn't the solution. I needed to stay calm and find an alternative approach.

It was evident that Yunjin had no intention of harming me. If that were her plan, she could have executed it when she first brought me to this cabin.

The thought crossed my mind of being tied to a chair, tortured, like her other victims. I pushed the unsettling image away, trusting my gut feeling that Yunjin was telling the truth.

"Thank you for breakfast," I said, attempting a cheerful tone.

"I'm glad you're still alive," she replied.

Normally, Yunjin would follow such a statement with a quip, but today she remained silent, almost distant.

"I want to apologize for what I said yesterday. I didn't give you a chance to explain," I admitted.

"Damn right, you didn't," she responded in a monotonous tone, sitting upright. "I want to find out who killed those people as much as you, Chaewon. You have to believe me."

I took a seat on the couch next to her. "Are you saying you didn't kill them?"

"I've said it a million times since yesterday," she sighed.

"Yunjin..."

"Call me Jen," she insisted.

I nodded. "Jen, how about you put yourself in my place for a minute? Imagine that a psychopath kidnapped you, and you listened to all the news about her on television, all the heinous crimes she committed. Wouldn't you have doubts?"

She smiled. "I would think: Damn, she's sexy, and I'd like that psychopath to make me her own one of these nights."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just feeding your own ego."

Yunjin chuckled. "You want me as much as I want you, Chae, you just don't want to admit it."

"Keep telling yourself that until you get over it," I said.

"I will do it, beautiful. And I assure you that one of these days, you will come willingly to my bed, begging me to put my hands on you, and I will say: I told you so."

"That could happen in your dreams"

I heard her laughing when I stood up and went to the kitchen. My face looked like a beetroot, and I didn't want Yunjin to see how the things she said affected me.

Especially the flirting.

When she flirted with me and made fun of me, she gave me certain butterflies in my stomach, the kind I had right now and that really made me angry.

It infuriated me that she was always sarcastic with serious problems, as if the police were not even looking for her, as if her face was not on the damn news.