《Winter Rabbit in Wonderland》


 Chapter 1: Prologue

    <h4>Chapter 1: Prologue</h4>


    Having escaped from her desperation and hopelessness, SoYoon walked on with fervor, still thinking about the call she had received an hour before.


    I¡¯m sorry, SoYoon. I¡¯ve made a mistake. I can¡¯t believe I fell for such a lie. I must have been out of my mind. Can we meet up and talk about it? I¡¯ll figure out the school situation¡ªcan we please talk face to face? I miss you, SoYoon.


    Her boyfriend, DongHyun, was handsome and upright, with a reputable upbringing. He was intelligent, and he was the only son of a wealthy family that owned several buildings in Gangnam. There was no way that such an eligible bachelor would be left alone. Before DongHyun had started going out with SoYoon, he¡¯d been surrounded by girls.


    When DongHyun and SoYoon had started dating, DongHyun had made it clear that he had a girlfriend, yet the girls refused to give up so easily. Some treated SoYoon as if she were a thief who had stolen something meant exclusively for them. They attacked her character, ostracized her, and spread rumors about her. She became the target of all sorts of scandalous gossip, and the attacks against her spread like wildfire. The rumors had caused her friends¡ªand even DongHyun¡ªto start to suspect her.


    SoYoon had tried to convince them of her innocence, but there was no one left to lend her their ears. Her words were twisted and torn apart by the scoundrels. After bing theughing stock of her ssmates, whom she barely knew, she no longer even wanted to step outside.


    As SoYoon thought back to her past, she stopped walking.


    Can all this really be repaired? Can I put my trust in DongHyun¡¯s message?


    She shook her head at the thought.


    ¡°Well, how could this possibly get any worse?¡± SoYoon mumbled to herself and resolutely resumed walking.


    When SoYoon arrived at the specified location for their meeting, unfriendly eyes prated her from all directions. Names she couldn¡¯t even have imagined hearing a couple of days before were now being shot at her. Gold digger. The brand-obsessed prostitute. But DongHyun must have tried to remedy the situation, because she noticed that some of the people she had once thought of as her friends were now hesitantly walking toward her.


    ¡°SoYoon¡­¡±


    SoYoon clutched at her bag. Inside was a thick textbook.


    No, not yet, she thought.


    This was not the ce to use this. SoYoon ignored them and moved away from them.


    As she turned the corner, she heard a single word.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Even in the shadows, the knife shed bright silver as it descended upon her. The de prated her stomach¡ªthen her chest, arm, and neck.


    A momentter, SoYoon, lying in a pool of her own blood, looked up at the girl who had stabbed her. The same girl who had poisoned DongHyun¡¯s ears stood above SoYoon: Wi GaHyun. SoYoon tried to whisper her name, but all that came out of her lips was the sound of escaping air.


    ¡°Die, you undeserving b*tch! If it weren¡¯t for you, DongHyun Oppa would never have done this to me!¡±


    SoYoon could see the venom in GaHyun¡¯s eyes. It was unbelievable. She clearly felt no remorse for what she had just done, acting like she was the victim, ring at her with those vicious eyes¡­


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    A piercing scream resounded. People were running this way. But not a single person tried to stop GaHyun.


    SoYoon suddenly realized how naive she had been to have kept quiet about GaHyun, trusting that her friends would know better. The knife continued to prate her body, but SoYoon could no longer feel the pain. Weakly, her eyes rolled back into her head.


    From her open bag, two books had fallen out. One had been meant for Joo DongHyung. She had intended to smack him over the head with it. The other was a library book she had borrowed on thest day she had gone to school. It was a novel about Alice, who searched for the answers to her parents¡¯ mysterious deaths and the crazed men who loved her¡ªa story of a strange ce called Wondend. She was supposed to return the book tomorrow.


    ¡°Look at you now!¡± GaHyunughed maniacally.


    Sensing the delight in her attacker¡¯sughter, SoYoon suddenly felt a surge of hatred. She collected all her remaining strength, grabbed GaHyun¡¯s ankle, and twisted it sharply.


    ¡°Stay out of my life forever¡­ What¡ªwhat the?!¡± GaHyun said in surprise.


    GaHyun quickly escaped SoYoon¡¯s grasp, but a red line remained where her hand had been. SoYoon, entranced by the mark, stared at it. Even as her vision ckened around her, that mark was still visible in the darkness.


    nk!


    The de hitting the floor was thest sound SoYoon heard. Then something heavy seemed to push her body into the ground.


    ***


    Beep, beep, beep¡­


    The repetitive sound of machines was bing bothersome.


    SoYoon opened her heavy eyes slowly. People in white gowns were approaching her, saying something she couldn¡¯t quite hear. Strange machines surrounded her. She could smell hints of chemicals in the air.


    I must have been taken to the hospital after I passed out.


    Relieved, SoYoon closed her eyes again.


    I survived¡­ What a relief.

 Chapter 2: Wonderland-1

    <h4>Chapter 2: Wondend-1</h4>


    It was a lovely two-story building. It was a happy home where a five-year-old girl lived with her father, mother, and puppy. However, at the moment, they were trapped in a nightmare.


    ¡°Please, I beg you, spare the child¡­¡±


    A hand dyed red grasped SoYoon¡¯s ankle. She froze, forlornly staring down at the hand.


    The short moment of hesitation must have bothered them, as the man standing with SoYoon angrily said, ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    SoYoon brought down the knife she had lifted above her head. A small head drenched in blood rolled and stopped in front of the father.


    ¡°Emily! Emily! You devils! God¡¯s wrath will fall upon you!¡±


    ¡°You are the ones receiving God¡¯s wrath. You must not have learned from your mother that you shouldn¡¯t go sticking your nose in other people¡¯s business. Did you, reporter man?¡±


    Another person alongside SoYoon stepped forward and handed over some documents. After perusing and discussing its contents, they turned to SoYoon.


    ¡°Finish it.¡±


    The young father¡¯s agonizing screams echoed throughout the house.


    SoYoon, not bothered by the blood sttered on her face, waited for the man¡¯s next instructions. The man scowled and said, ¡°Hey, someone move this to the bathroom. They said if we get blood on the sheets again, they will charge us a cleaning fee.¡±


    ¡°Who did?¡±


    ¡°The ountant, Holly. She¡¯s a mere newbie, but she sure has a lot to say¡­¡±


    SoYoon headed to the bathroom belonging to the family she had just killed. As she washed up, the bathroom door remained wide open with a person standing guard over her. Although his gaze¡ªscanning her naked body up and down¡ªwas unwee, she didn¡¯t pay him much attention. She showered mechanically and changed into the new suit that had been hanging on the bathroom door handle. As she finished, the guard approached her and pped handcuffs around her wrists.


    ¡°Put it on,¡± said the guard.


    The guard pulled at the chains attached to SoYoon¡¯s handcuffs.


    SoYoon followed without resistance, passing the horrific scene she had caused. As she walked toward the door, her eyes locked with a pair of lifeless green eyes. She felt no guilt.


    As SoYoon was dragged into the car by the guard, she sat, staring nkly at the moving scenery outside the window. The view and her reflection took turns shing across the ck window. She focused her attention on the white-haired reflection.


    She remembered the moment she opened her eyes, nine years ago. The moment she had believed that she had survived¡ªthat she had been taken to the hospital in time. That was what she had naively assumed. However, the reality that she had fallen into was more outrageous than anything she could have ever imagined.


    She had opened her eyes not on Earth but in another world altogether. On top of that, she had awoken in her 18-year-old body. Later, she found out that she had been the 137th person to have traveled here.


    It was a strange ce. Everyone around SoYoon was Caucasian, but the onlynguage she heard was Korean. It would have been better if she couldn¡¯t understand them. At the time, SoYoon could do nothing but lie in bed and listen to the future ns that the people of this world had chosen for her.


    Without a choice in the matter, she became the government¡¯s experimentation subject. The things that had happened afterward were hellish. The researchers had sliced her skin and ground her bones. To test the speed of recovery, SoYoon¡¯s body had been repeatedly broken down, and SoYoon had to continuously endure the painful side effects of the drugs they had forced upon her.


    Due to the drugs, SoYoon¡¯s voice had lowered, and her once brown hair had been bleached white. Over and over again, experimentation, surgery, research, dissection, reattachment, and finally, what they called feedback, which incorporated other subjects in a battle royale. SoYoon, who had been forced to endure this grotesque repetition, suddenly became engrossed in the fact that she was not the first to relocate to this realm.


    ¡°What happened to the others before me?¡±


    It was a question that was blurted out by a subject who had previously lost the will to talk. The researcher in charge of her had grabbed her chart and recorded the question. Without hesitation, the researcher had answered, ¡°Unable to handle the experimentation any longer, they died.¡±


    ¡°¡­All of them?¡± asked the patient.


    ¡°All of them,¡± the researcher repeated.


    ¡°Why?¡± asked the patient.


    ¡°It was a bit extreme,¡± replied the researcher. ¡°Back then, the researchers didn¡¯t know where to draw the line at ¡®enough.¡¯ Dimension movers were rare, so we can¡¯t help that they didn¡¯t know. Count yourself lucky. The analyses of previous failures are what have allowed you to stay alive. You will probably be an unprecedented sess.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± said the patient.


    SoYoon¡¯s voice had cracked. Although she could have predicted the answer to her question, she had asked anyway in hopes that one might find an oasis in a waterless desert.


    ¡°Was there anyone who returned back to their original world?¡±


    The researcher had lifted his head. SoYoon had been able to read the answer as she looked into his curious eyes.


    ¡°Do you want to go back?¡± asked the inquisitive researcher.


    She had remained silent.


    The researcherughed for a long time then approached her. ¡°I pity you, so I will answer you.¡±


    SoYoon had said nothing.


    The researcher had ignored SoYoon¡¯s reaction and said in a straightforward manner, ¡°There were none. Well, we did experiment with it¡ªdiscovering a door to another dimension is quite phenomenal, isn¡¯t it? But each one failed. We have yet to figure out the reason. Although someday we may be able to.¡± Then the researcher had added with augh, ¡°The day you return will nevere.¡±


    That night, SoYoon had attempted suicide. However, the standby researcher had performed emergency procedures to bring her back to life. This ce didn¡¯t even allow the freedom of choosing life or death. She lived like a corpse.


    Time had continued to pass. Eight years after arriving in this realm, SoYoon had finally been able to breathe in the outside air. Although she had been given the respectable title of ¡°agent,¡± she was nothing but the government¡¯s hunting dog.


    ***


    SoYoon stared out the window with emotionless eyes.


    I finished my work today, so tomorrow¡ªno, it¡¯s past midnight, so today¡ªI am free from dealing with the researchers.


    Stuck in a state of robotic monotony since bing an agent, she realized that she felt nothing as she watched the scenery outside. It was a miracle that a mboyant billboard caught her attention: /WONDERLAND/(Gothic).


    It was sote that even the signs over the pubs were turned off, and within this pitch-dark world, the billboard shed with dancing lights.


    ¡°Wondend,¡± SoYoon silently mouthed.


    About half a year ago, SoYoon had recognized this ce as the setting of the fantasy novel Wondend. She had been carrying the same novel with her the day she was stabbed. When she had first learned of Wondend while eavesdropping on the conversation of other agents¡ªwho, unlike her, were government employees, instead of a prisoner¡ªshe hadn¡¯t thought much of it. No, it was more urate to say that she couldn¡¯t think much of it, because back then, it didn¡¯t matter if this ce had been inside a story or a different dimension.


    But, strangely, the moment the sign had caught her eye, a thought had started to creep into SoYoon¡¯s mind. Hidden deep in the recesses of her mind was a spark of hope.


    In ¡°Wondend,¡± the billboard was made 10 years before the start of the storyline. On ount of the various happenings that had urred due to the main character, Alice, the first letter ¡°W¡± was no longer lit, and until the end of the story, it never got fixed. This meant that there was a good chance that the plot of Wondend had yet to start.


    What if, when the story ended, SoYoon could go back to her world? They had told her that not a single person had been able to return home. But you never knew. The chances were slim, but couldn¡¯t it be that none of the others had known that they were in the story?


    The ¡°D¡± in the middle of the sign glowed red. Not even the most beautiful woman couldpare to SoYoon¡¯s lovely smile. Sparks flickered out of the ¡°D.¡± The fluttering of SoYoon¡¯s eyshes could not have been more seductive.


    There were four agents in the car. The handcuffs around her wrists were the only things restraining her. They had rxed their guard because SoYoon had previously been docile and inattentive. The only thing that might prove troublesome was the tracker SoYoon was forced to wear, and the poison that all agents ingested when leaving the research facility. ording to Wondend, Wondend was a non-aggressivemunity, and there was also a very skilled¡ªalthough controversial, due to his personality and sexual preferences¡ªpotion seller.


    Making up her mind, SoYoon flexed her wrists with strength. Though the handcuffs used in the research facility magically bound her, the cuffs weren¡¯t foolproof. Even in the real world, they would sometimes fail. Strength beat all.


    Crack!


    Her strength surpassed the magic bounds, and with a small sound, the handcuffs broke.


    ¡°I think I heard a sound¡ªack!¡±


    SoYoon jabbed her fingers in the eyes of the agent next to her and clenched her fist. Between her blood-soaked fingers fell the remnants of brain matter and shards of broken skull.


    ¡°Defenses¡­!¡±


    To hide the horrors left inside the house, the agents specializing in magic started to cast their spells. Magic required four stages: summoning, detection, chanting, and casting. However, the agent¡¯s chanting was stopped when SoYoon¡¯s white fingers reached into his mouth and yanked out his tongue.


    SoYoon threw the red-stained organ over her shoulder and pulled out a knife from her jacket¡¯s inner pocket. At the same time, mes sted at her from the passenger side. SoYoon maneuvered around them effortlessly and killed the driver.


    The car swerved haphazardly until the decrease in horsepower brought it to a stop. The door swung open, and slender legs wrapped in a ck suit touched the ground. Following behind her was a pool of blood and organs.


    SoYoon closed the car door, and, after walking a couple of steps, returned to the car. Opening the car door, she searched the corpses. Four wallets, two knives of varying sizes, one pack of cigarettes, and four walkie talkies activated by magic. She took everyst item in the car, including a can of coffee they had brought as a snack. Finally, SoYoon was content; she closed the door and started to walk, within the darkness, toward the only light blinking in the distance.

 Chapter 3: Wonderland-2

    <h4>Chapter 3: Wondend-2</h4>


    Wondend had been home to the ouws and the insane; however, it still had rules.


    First, don¡¯t piss off anyone stronger than you. Second, you couldn¡¯tmit any crimes in the neutral zone. Third, the trash from the slums would be left to rot in their own territory.


    However, like the rules of any world, there were always exceptions.


    The Caucus race. It was a race to kill or be killed in the streets of the slums. The winner among the tens of participants who took part in thepetition would be the slums¡¯ leader.


    Heart, looking down at the street, was sitting on top of the roof with his feet dangerously dangling. He had been nervously watching the roads in anticipation of his favorite event, the Caucus race.


    A shadow hidden in the darkness fidgeted like a bug. Heart smiled widely with his long red lips.


    Growling, Heart said, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to this.¡±


    Heart¡¯s senses became aroused as his pheromone-filled voice wafted through the air. The prostitutes he had called to enjoy during his climax were cheering and squirming. Just then, from the rooftop, someone could be seen through the door. His face was sickly pale. His lips moved beneath his ck mask. ¡°When do we start?¡±


    Casually, Heart retorted, ¡°You acted like you weren¡¯t interested. I¡¯m surprised you came out, White Rabbit.¡±


    While walking toward Heart, White Rabbit snorted and replied, ¡°When?¡±


    Upon seeing the enormous rectangr sword slung diagonally across White Rabbit¡¯s back, Heart¡¯s minions stopped him. White Rabbit shrugged and said, ¡°Can you calm your minions down? I¡¯m a neutral party.¡±


    ¡°Is the rabbit barking?¡± Heart asked haughtily.


    ¡°Such a way with words,¡± White Rabbit said, rolling his eyes.


    White Rabbit raised his elbows, mumbling. As he buried his face into his arms, White¡¯s hair fell onto the handrails. His childlike behavior suited him; he was small, thin, and young-looking.


    ¡°So, when are we starting?¡± asked White Rabbit again.


    ¡°Soon¡­ Hmm?¡± Heart said while locking his gaze on a single point.


    Someone was walking toward them. Someone who was wearing a ck suit and had white hair. Heart nudged White Rabbit¡¯s arm with his shoe. White Rabbit angrily lifted his head.


    ¡°Sh*t. What?¡± White Rabbit asked in annoyance.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t see this,¡± said Heart.


    Still annoyed, White Rabbit asked, ¡°What could it possibly be¡­? Huh?¡±


    White Rabbit squinted in the direction of where Heart¡¯s shoe was pointing. White Rabbit saw white-blonde hair and a ck suit; attached was a colossal sword unsuitable for someone with such a small and thin stature. The frame was a bit different, but a person who was remarkably simr to White Rabbit was standing there. With a neatly pressed suit and a walk full of hope, White Rabbit could sense that this was an outsider of Wondend.


    Progressively losing hisposure, White Rabbit asked, ¡°Since when did we have something like that? Have you seen that person before?¡±


    ¡°Stop acting like a bunny. Are you afraid of losing your identity?¡± Heart asked.


    Now angry, White Rabbit yelled, ¡°Have you seen that person before?!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Heart replied calmly.


    There was nothing that happened in Wondend without Heart being the first to know about it. If Heart hadn¡¯t seen the person before, then there was a 100-percent chance that the person was a neer.


    White Rabbit growled under his mask and said, ¡°I¡¯m killing that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put our fate in the rest of the race,¡± said SoYoon.


    Heartughed out loud, stuck his arms out, and bowed mockingly at the reaction towards the neer. White Rabbit, however, yelled, ¡°Get off me!¡± in response.


    Heart turned his head and spoke to the neer. ¡°Hey, blondie.¡±


    1. Wondend (Parts 5-8)


    Mere feet away from the edge of the Wondend billboard, SoYoon stopped and looked up at it. The sign reminded her of an amusement park, with such an impactful presence. Just a few more steps until entering Wondend.


    SoYoon moved slowly toward it. One step, two steps, three steps. And on the fourth step, she breathed the Wondend air in deeply.


    Ah, I am now free.


    Overjoyed, she didn¡¯t recognize the gloomy atmosphere of the ce. Thinking that she should find an empty house, she shuffled forward, humming a soothing tune.


    ¡°Hey, blondie.¡±


    At the research facility, SoYoon was called by various nicknames other than her name, such as, ¡°Hey, you,¡± or, ¡°Number 137.¡± ¡°Blondie¡± was another nickname she had heard before.


    She looked up to where she sensed people watching her. Atop a three-story building, a man stood on the roof¡ªred hair muddled by the darkness, and a handsome face. He wore an indigo suit with a deep red handkerchief and an open-cored shirt, uninhibited by a necktie. With such limited information, SoYoon was unable to decipher this man¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Yeah, you. Newbie.¡±


    The man sid sliding his hand through his tousled hair. Even from this small action, she could feel his overflowing energy and innate aura of violence. This action is how she was able to decipher his identity.


    Heart. Wondend¡¯s strongest fighter and the man who would end up falling in love with Alice.


    In Wondend, Heart was described as being in his mid-twenties, but the man in front of her looked a bit younger than that.


    As expected, this current time period was before the story began. SoYoon felt a bit relieved. Next to him was another character from the novel, White Rabbit. SoYoon could feel White Rabbit¡¯s resentment toward her.


    ¡°Tonight is the Caucus Race. We were preparing a sideshow to prelude its start. White Rabbit, here, has chosen you as his target. Lucky for you, Newbie.¡±


    Caucus Race. The term may have been mentioned in Wondend¡¯s inspiration, Alice in Wondend, but in the actual novel Wondend, such a term never came up.


    As if reading her mind, Heart exined, ¡°The ying field is this smelly street and the buildings surrounding it. You will diligently scurry around like a rat trying to hide¡­ And in under an hour, kill this guy. If you seed, I will let youpete in the actual race.¡±


    Truthfully, even as Heart said this, he did not have a trace of expectation on SoYoon seeding. There were many who entered Wondend to escape thew, but the majority of them couldn¡¯tst a month without losing their lives. SoYoon looked so frail that he doubted she could lift anything heavier than a spoon. Thus, she wouldn¡¯t be able tost a day here. Yes, he was certain of it.


    ***


    Heartughed at himself from 10 minutes prior, thinking he must have been blind.


    It was a moonless night. The few stars that lit the sky twinkled as two swords shed against each other. ck clothes melted into the darkness, and all that could be seen were the two white, floating heads and the silver from the swords. Then the scent of blood.


    White Rabbit fell at SoYoon¡¯s feet. With the two knives, she stabbed both his hands into the ground, trapping him. White Rabbit, like a true Wondend resident, tried to move even as he screamed in pain, but the knives would not budge.


    ¡°No way! Hey! Who the heck are you?! Answer me, b*tch! Hey! F*ck! Stop right there!¡±


    Feeling threatened, White Rabbit cussed. His mask fell away, and the face underneath was childlike. SoYoon ignored him and moved. He was unable to get away, yet he kept iling about, so she walked over toward his legs.


    ¡°Hey! Ack!¡±


    In two swift strokes, White Rabbit lost both his legs. His body spasmed in a pool of blood.


    SoYoon looked up at Heart. As Heart¡¯s eyes locked with hers, he leaned his body forward. The face that appeared suddenly out of the blue was covered in shadow, but SoYoon thought she knew what his expression was like.


    ¡°Why? Do you not have the guts to finish him off?¡±


    At Heart¡¯s words, White Rabbit, who was syed out and missing his legs, looked up hopefully. SoYoon stepped onto White Rabbit¡¯s back. Beneath her heels, White Rabbit flinched. SoYoon put strength into her heels and broke his ribs.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Even as the streets echoed with agonizing screams, Heart did not miss SoYoon¡¯s answer. Her voice was a calm alto that melted into the night air.


    Heart smacked his lips. I want to hear more of that voice.


    He threw out a question he had no interest in hearing the answer to. ¡°Then why won¡¯t you kill him?¡±


    At Heart¡¯s words, White Rabbit shouted indecencies. Through blue lips frothing with spit and blood, he sputtered out a noise. It wasn¡¯t a loud noise, but it still annoyed him because SoYoon¡¯s lips moved also.


    ¡°You.¡±


    Heart listened more intently.


    ¡°Look like the type of person who would like to decapitate him.¡±


    With Heart¡¯s maniacalughter as the soundtrack, his sword sliced through the night air. Blood flooded the streets, and a white-haired head rolled across the ground.


    ¡°Correct!¡± Heart eximed.


    SoYoon walked into the alley with ease.


    ¡°Bravo! That was a phenomenal prelude! Did everyone see that? Okay, then shall we start the real race. All participants¡­ Huh?¡±


    Heart suddenly realized that in the 10 minutes that he had been talking excitedly, the rest of the participants had scuttled into the darkness out of sight. He had poured so much of his attention into the prelude that he didn¡¯t realize the participants had run away. Well, after seeing such an intense prelude, it was no surprise that they had all gotten scared and fled.


    ¡°All the participants ran away, so I guess the winner of the Caucus Race is you, blondie. So, how do you feel?¡±


    SoYoon lifted the sword that White Rabbit had used. It looked like a Chinese chef¡¯s knife and was so huge that when she held it up, it was able to cover her entire body. She ced the sword in its sheath and slung it over her back.


    ¡°I want to rece White Rabbit.¡±


    White Rabbit. This was the name of the white-haired, red-eyed, sickly pale-skinned character. Nickname: Undertaker. Gender: male. Age: unknown. He was supposed to ry clues about Alice¡¯s parents¡¯ death but sometimes confused her with lies for his own amusement. If SoYoon were to rece him, she would be able to move the story along better than the White Rabbit in the original story. She could save Alice from the trouble she faced due to his lies and make the story unravel to its end more quickly. That was her motive.


    Heartughed heartily, clutching his sides, and granted her request without hesitation.

 Chapter 4: Wonderland-3

    <h4>Chapter 4: Wondend-3</h4>


    The news of the new White Rabbit slowly spread throughout Wondend. Some trembled in fear of the new adversary, some wagged their tongues at Heart, who had put his trust in an unknown force, and some were hoping to steal the same stolen position.


    The rumor¡¯s focal point, SoYoon, was sleeping in the home of the previous White Rabbit. She slept until noon and woke up to find her suit wrinkled. She threw the suit onto the bed and went inside the bathroom. It was sparse, but there was a ce to take a shower. SoYoon turned the shower lever. Water red with rust flowed out.


    Wondend had a public bathhouse type of area. As she searched her memory, the water turned clear. She washed herself with the water that still smelled of rust. It was cold, but she was d that it hade out at all.


    There was no towel, so she dried herself off with her shirt and went into the dressing room. ¡°Staff Room¡± was written on a card nailed to the door. The interior was filled with the previous White Rabbit¡¯s clothes. She chose a loose t-shirt, cargo pants, and a unisex-style cardigan. She strapped on a belt to prevent therge pants from falling down. Underwear and pants¡ªSoYoon made a mental list of the things she needed to buy.


    Somebody knocked at the door.


    Knock, knock. Bang, bang, bang. Boom, boom, boom, boom.


    The strong pounding made the ss door shake. Outside, a man was mumbling in annoyance.


    ¡°Oh,e on. If the door is open, at least tell me it¡¯s open.¡±


    The man opened the door and came inside. It was Heart¡¯s minion, who had escorted SoYoon to the house. Finding SoYoon in the dressing room, he scowled at her and eximed, ¡°How could you still be getting dressed when he¡¯s called for you?! Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Called me?¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s hearing was exceptional. There was no way she wouldn¡¯t have heard someone calling for her. Realizing that she didn¡¯t know what he was talking about, the man started to get angry.


    ¡°The cell phone! I gave it to you! The one that the previous White Rabbit used! Look! It¡¯s right here!¡±


    The man grabbed the ck item that SoYoon had tossed onto the table. It was the size of her hand and looked like the receiver of andline with a keyboard attached.


    ¡°This is a cell phone?¡±


    ¡°What the¡ª? It¡¯s turned off. This is rare, so you must not have known¡­¡±


    ¡°That piece of junk?¡±


    The man was right. Even the government agents had simrly designed cell phones. But SoYoon had only seen these agents while out on missions. During missions, they swapped their phones for walkie-talkies, so this was actually the first time SoYoon had seen a cell phone.


    The man, seeing SoYoon so confused, smirked as if he understood something. ¡°Oh. Are you trying to assert your power here because you came from the Outhouse? I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not falling for that.¡±


    Outhouse. This was what the residents of Wondend called the world outside its borders. It was obvious that he was trying to assert his dominance by using a term that only someone who lived in Wondend would know.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one trying to assert dominance. Quit making a fuss about something you would see in a museum and get to the point.¡±


    At SoYoon¡¯s icy tone, the man shut his mouth. It seemed to be the right thing to do.


    ¡°The point.¡±


    ¡°¡­Heart is calling you,¡± the man answered. ¡°It has something to do with White Rabbit¡¯s business, and he needs you to know about it.¡±


    SoYoon stepped outside wearing the previous White Rabbit¡¯s ck mask and sword. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Ten minutes away from the previous White Rabbit¡¯s house was Heart¡¯s house. Heart¡¯s house was a four-story mansion. Men in suits circled the exterior, and SoYoon couldn¡¯t help but get the feeling she was watching a scene from a mafia movie.


    The man led SoYoon into Heart¡¯s office. Heart was sitting behind a desk reading documents when SoYoon walked in. He smiled.


    ¡°I realized this when the race started, but are you full of yourself or just in stupid?¡±


    Was it this world¡¯s norm to be confrontational the moment a person saw another?


    SoYoon slumped onto the sofa without answering. Heart stood up.


    ¡°You see, I don¡¯t hate arrogant people or stupid people. But¡­¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s white hair fluttered due to an unexpected wind. At the same time, she pulled out the knife she had hidden and stabbed the back of the sofa. Heart¡¯s leg¡ªwhich had been aiming for her head¡ªstopped in midair as the knife barely missed him. Then heughed maniacally.


    ¡°If you think you can get away with being cocky just because of your exceptional skills, you have another thinging. If you get on my nerves, I don¡¯t care what happened at the Caucus Race. I¡¯m going to chop off your arms and legs and sell you off to a brothel.¡±


    ¡°Cocky? Who?¡± Questioning Heart, SoYoon yed back the conversation she¡¯d had with the man who¡¯d tried to hit her.


    The cell phone. He had called her. What was so important about that clunky piece of junk?


    The ck mask that pulled up to the rim of her nose not only blocked her mouth but a majority of her face, so that the only expression anyone could see of SoYoon was that which she revealed through her eyes.


    Staring into the brown eyes, Heart lost his motivation and put down his leg. ¡°The cell phone. I left you a message toe early in the morning.¡±


    Heart went back to his desk, picked up the clunky object, and returned to her. Other than it being red, it was no different from phones seen in museums.


    ¡°That¡¯s a cell phone?¡±


    ¡°What, have you never seen a cell phone before? You don¡¯t look like one, but are you a country bumpkin?¡±


    In Wondend, this hunk that they called a cell phone represented a culture shock to someone ustomed to the slim smartphones from SoYoon¡¯s homeworld. She chose to remain quiet.


    Heart¡¯s anger diffused easily, and he started to exin how to use the cell phone. ¡°You press these buttons to call the person you want. If you press this, you can leave a message. This cell phone is for those who have no powers, so you can use another one if you want¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have powers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Heart scoffed at SoYoon¡¯s response.


    SoYoon didn¡¯t react.


    A few momentster, Heart¡¯s lips drooped. ¡°Really?¡±


    Here, it was magic, not science, that made the world go round. In this world, most people were born with magical powers. But, of course, a dimension jumper from Earth would have no such powers.


    SoYoon hesitated for a moment. Could she tell him the truth about herself? He was friends with Jung BoSang. Even now, Jung BoSang could have information about her. She reached a decision quickly.


    ¡°I never had powers when I was born. I¡¯m an agent created experimentally.¡±


    An experiment. It was the term used by the government research facility to excuse themselves from the atrocities they performed on humans.


    Powerless at birth. An experiment. An agent. The words pieced together in Heart¡¯s mind to create her story: a girl born powerless, dragged into experiments to be an agent. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a lie, so SoYoon didn¡¯t think she needed to add any more to the story.


    ¡°Help me find a person who can release me from the locator spell. And also someone who specializes in poisons.¡±


    The thing that needed to be handled quickly was not the spell but the poison. SoYoon and Heart both reached the same conclusion.


    ***


    And so, SoYoon was introduced to the man standing in front of her now.


    Duke. A native of Wondend. Ae was a genius when it came to potion knowledge. Immensely thin with grotesquely long, slender arms and legs, he reminded her of the grim reaper.


    ¡°You¡¯re the new White Rabbit, aren¡¯t you? You look younger than I imagined. How old are you? 15? Younger? I¡¯m 20. Same as Heart.¡±


    ¡°¡­17.¡±


    Embarrassed by the fact that she was in the body of a teenager with the mind of a 32-year-old, she lifted her head. But there was something she had gained from this exchange¡ªHeart¡¯s age.


    ¡°You are really young. Will you be okay? White Rabbit¡¯s task won¡¯t be a walk in the park. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not after White Rabbit¡¯s position. I¡¯m just worried as an older adult about whether someone so young will be up to the task. Here, drink up. It¡¯s ck tea I got as a gift. I know many people outside of Wondend, so I get a lot of gifts. If you want, I can ask the people I know to send you to a safe ce.¡±


    Duke said this in a slow and soft tone, yet due to the monotonous manner of his voice, SoYoon felt bored. She looked into the teacup that Duke had given her. The inside of the white cup looked simple, yet there was a pleasant aromaing from the tea within.


    ¡°What would you like toplement the tea? Pound cake, almond cookie, lemon cookie¡­?¡±


    ¡°Antidote.¡±


    SoYoon cut off Duke¡¯s droning with a straightforward request. His yellow eyes blinked, looking perplexed, and he smiled.


    ¡°You must be busy. Wait a minute. I have to bring the syringe. I need to draw some of your blood to test the neutralization reaction.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡±


    SoYoon pulled out her knife and cut her finger. Drops of blood formed at the tip of her pale fingers. Before the blood dropped to the floor, Duke hurriedly grabbed a ss to catch it. Then he reprimanded her, ¡°That¡¯s dangerous. Don¡¯t ever do that again.¡±


    Duke took the ss and entered a room. After quite some time had passed, he returned holding a small bottle. Inside the bottle was a dark pink liquid that reminded her of cold syrup for children.


    ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°100 thousand carol. It¡¯s better to ingest it before eating, but because it could cause damage to your stomach, if you¡¯re not in a hurry, I would rmend eating it after a meal. Have you eaten yet? Um, if it¡¯s okay with you, would you like to eat with me?¡±


    After receiving the antidote from Duke and paying the 100 thousand carol, SoYoon stood up. Duke mumbled in embarrassment and stood up also.


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m too talkative, ain¡¯t I? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had visitors¡­ You haven¡¯t even touched your tea¡­ Do you like coffee instead of tea? Or can you at least take off your mask¡­?¡±


    Duke slumped, deting. It was hard to believe he was the same age as Heart, for he seemed quite naive. SoYoon replied as she started to leave, ¡°I may not hate ck tea, but I don¡¯t like ck tea with a sleeping draught in it.¡±


    It was true. Duke was a necrophiliac pedophile. He especially liked the corpses of teenage boys and girls. He preferred to use tranquilizers or sleeping pills to catch them off guard. This was also the reason that SoYoon had cut herself when he¡¯d tried to draw her blood.


    After SoYoon left, Duke pictured her sparkling eyes beneath her white hair and smiled.


    ¡°It was a pleasure.¡±

 Chapter 5: Wonderland-4

    <h4>Chapter 5: Wondend-4</h4>


    The moment SoYoon stepped out of Duke¡¯s house, she lowered her mask and drank the antidote. Duke may have been a creep, but it was well known that he would never tamper with a potion for which a customer had paid a fair price. Resisting the urge to throw up, she threw the empty bottle into a nearby trash can, lifted her mask back onto her face, and walked toward the neutral zone. She was hoping to head back home after stopping at the neutral zone¡¯s Central.


    In the neutral zone, where fighting was prohibited, the atmosphere was much brighter. She had been spent all day stressed out about the attention she was getting regarding herpetence as the new White Rabbit, and the calm¡ªandck of interest in her¡ªat the neutral zone was like a breath of fresh air.


    The Central was without equal within the neutral zone¡ªan essential area of Wondend. It was the only ce in Wondend where you could buy household items. It had wide streets filled with stores and vendors that reminded her of a farmer¡¯s market. Further within its center, there were restaurants, cafes, pubs, etc.


    It had been such a long time since she had experienced the outside air that SoYoon felt a surge of emotions. Itsted for about five minutes. When she walked into the first clothing store and saw the price tag, she woke up from her reverie. If it had been Earth, the T-shirt wouldn¡¯t have amounted to $10. How could it cost 500,000 carol here?


    SoYoon associated dors to carol in simr calction terms, and so, thinking she didn¡¯t want to get cheated by a bad deal, she went to a different store. However, the situation was the same. This ce was actually more expensive.


    ¡°Expensive¡­¡±


    The owner, hearing SoYoon mumbling, spoke up.


    ¡°What are you talking about? These arest year¡¯s Outhouse items. Do you know how difficult it was to get these?!¡±


    Realizing that all the items had to be imported into Wondend because it had no manufacturing warehouses made the price seem a bit more reasonable. Soap, toothpaste, and other household products¡ªthe previous White Rabbit didn¡¯t have any of these things¡ªpants and underwear, shoes, etc. After buying all the things that she needed that she couldn¡¯t borrow from the previous White Rabbit¡¯s house, she ate dinner at a nearby restaurant.


    The first day in Wondend came and went.


    ***


    The next day, after eating a breakfast of bread and canned coffee, Heart introduced SoYoon to a person who could get rid of the tracking spell cast on her. Following the map that Heart gave her, she had no problem finding her way. The closer she got to her destination, the more varieties of burning, unpleasant smells greeted her.


    They finally arrived at therge grounds of a two-story residence where a crumbling wall that lost its purpose stood. SoYoon easily jumped over it and found the source of the potent smell. A hoard of meny near the front door and windows, syed every which way. Each one was burned¡ªmasses of skin melted over corpses.


    SoYoon remembered Heart¡¯s warning that she was not to trespass without the home owner¡¯s permission. She walked to the front door, moving the corpses with the tip of her feet, and knocked as Heart had instructed. After a short while, she heard the upstairs window opening. SoYoon looked up at the window.


    Soon, a man wearing a white bo stuck his head out the window. Drowsily, he yawned, leaned his arm against the window, then plopped his head atop it. Thinking that he might fall asleep at any moment, SoYoon called out his name.


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    At SoYoon¡¯s call, the Mad Hatter¡¯s face, which had been buried in his arms, poked up. Then, as if he had a headache, he pressed his temples tenderly and moaned. He slowly looked down and saw SoYoon.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°The White Rabbit. Heart told me toe here.¡±


    ¡°The White Rabbit¡­ Oh, that¡¯s right. We¡¯ve had a change. If you¡¯vee to introduce yourself, I¡¯ve seen your face now. You can leave. If you have other business¡­ I would still appreciate it if you could leave¡­¡±


    Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes, which had been barely open, was now closed shut. His long eyshes cast shadows over his pale cheeks. SoYoon banged on the front door again and said, ¡°I have business.¡±


    ¡°¡­Come inside.¡±


    Having granted her ess, Mad Hatter closed the window and popped back inside. At the same time, the front door opened.


    SoYoon stepped inside. A luxurious setting fit for royalty greeted her.


    ¡°Wee, guest. I do hope that next time, you wille in the afternoon.¡±


    Even though he was wearing a wrinkled shirt and cks and a stretched-out cardigan, this man gave off an aura of sophistication. Even the ridiculousce bo¡ªtied with a pink bow beneath his chin and propped atop his sleep-deprived-looking face¡ªdid not hinder his good looks. It reminded SoYoon that beauty truly could be wasted.


    Mad Hatter escorted SoYoon to the living room sofa. Truthfully, there were so many things scattered around the room that the only ce a person could sit was that sofa.


    Walking toward the sofa, SoYoon said, ¡°There appeared to be corpses outside. Do you not need to remove them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s some kid¡¯s attempt at boldness. It¡¯ll get cleared out eventually. So let¡¯s hear this business of yours.¡±


    Instead of answering, SoYoon removed her sword and unbuttoned her shirt. It seemed to be easier to show him than exin it with words. The Mad Hatter watched her apathetically and smirked as he saw her bare body underneath her shirt.


    ¡°You¡¯re a girl? You¡¯re so thin. I thought you were a boy. It¡¯s going to be hard to seduce me with that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a seduction.¡± SoYoon imitated the Mad Hatter¡¯s smirk and pointed at her left shoulder.


    Above the part of her shoulder where the bone stuck out, there was a blue brand stamped on it. It was about four centimeters in size, withplicated symbols inside a circle. It was the sign of magic, as well as the identifying marker of a research experiment. This symbol constantly sent out a signal to ensure that experimental subjects could never run away without their location beingpromised.


    The Mad Hatter¡¯s blue eyes shed in concern upon seeing the symbol. ¡°So your business is to get rid of this?¡±


    ¡°Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°To put it inyman¡¯s terms, this symbol is attached deep in your shoulder. So, if you want to get rid of this, we have to remove a chunk of your shoulder. About¡­ this deep?¡±


    Mad Hatter held his hands apart about a finger¡¯s length. Essentially, the whole arm would have to be sliced off.


    Teasing SoYoon, he extended his fingers. ¡°Or maybe this much?¡±


    ¡°Any other way?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If the only thing we have to worry about is its signal rying power¡­ Hmm. But that can¡¯t be its only purpose¡­¡±


    Mad Hatter mumbled slowly in a small voice as he leaned close to observe the symbol. He was close enough for her to feel the warmth of his body. His gaze concentrated on SoYoon¡¯s skin to an ufortable degree. SoYoon¡¯s breathing stopped.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve seen everything you need, can you move your face?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°It tickles.¡±


    As Mad Hatter lifted his head, SoYoon scratched her arm. A girl with her chest bared, scratching her arm¡ªSoYoon¡¯s conscience returned. The man looking at her was bbergasted.


    ¡°So, to be clear, is your motive to get rid of the symbol altogether or just to block the signal so that it can¡¯t do its job?¡±


    ¡°The first. However, it really doesn¡¯t matter if I have to settle for the second.¡± She hated seeing the blue brand because it made her feel like a pig in a butcher¡¯s shop, but how she felt about it wasn¡¯t a priority.


    At her answer, Mad Hatter suggested apromise. ¡°Then I think it¡¯s best to try to block the signal. It¡¯s going to take a long time until the proper items will be avable. Come see me once every other day. Even if you can¡¯te on a certain day, there¡¯s no need to notify me.¡±


    It¡¯s you who¡¯s in a hurry, not me, thought Mad Hatter.


    After Mad Hatter finished, he stopped staring at her. He wanted to get under her skin, but SoYoon¡¯s remembered something else.


    ¡°Cell phone.¡±


    ¡°You can use the previous White Rabbit¡¯s cell phone. Like him, you don¡¯t seem to have an ounce of magical powers. Or do you have reservations about using a personal item of the person you killed?¡±


    ¡°Not really. That¡¯s not what I wanted to ask.¡±


    SoYoon pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. On it was a sketch of a smartphone. It just looked like a rectangle in a thin box, so the Mad Hatter looked at it without much of a reaction.


    ¡°You are the person who knows the most about Wondend, aren¡¯t you?¡± said SoYoon.


    ¡°Yes I am. What is this?¡±


    ¡°Smartphone. It¡¯s the upgraded version of the cell phone.¡±


    Touchscreen, home button¡ªafter SoYoon exined the simplestponents, Mad Hatter stole the paper out of her hands and stared at it with his nose almost touching the paper. After fully examining all the descriptions she had written in tiny letters, he popped back up with his eyes aze.


    ¡°Where in the world have you seen such a thing? The research facility? Who¡¯s the maker? Let¡¯s kidnap him this moment and bring him here! I need to split his head open and gain his knowledge¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Pervert.¡±


    ¡°What? What did you say?! Wait! Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you the day after tomorrow.¡±


    SoYoon shut the front door in the Mad Hatter¡¯s face as he tried to follow her. She had told him about the smartphone to get him to concentrate his energies on getting rid of the brand, but it only made things bothersome. Mad Hatter was a true technological nerd.

 Chapter 6: Wonderland-5

    <h4>Chapter 6: Wondend-5</h4>


    The Mad Hatter¡¯s home was on theplete opposite side from SoYoon¡¯s home in the neutral zone. As a result, SoYoon had to walk a long way to get back to the neutral zone.


    The sun was now directly above her. Compared to earlier that morning, many more people were in the streets. And that was not great news for SoYoon.


    SoYoon swung her blood-dripping sword with ease. With the sound of wind, the fat and skin that clung to the sword fell away. The bystanders retreated as the drops of blood sttered in their direction.


    The rumor that the new White Rabbit had made an appearance must have spread fast. There were many who hoped to kill her and take her ce.


    With the neutral zone in sight, SoYoon sliced off the head of the fifth challenger. Taking out a piece of cloth, she wiped down her sword, ced it in her sheath, and slung it over her back. She was thoroughly content with the weight, power, and precision of this sword, but, almost asrge as she was tall, its size was troublesome. Every time she took out the sword, she had to hold the sheath with her left hand.


    As she left the scene, the bystanders looted the bodies. The freshly killed corpses held a lot of value, whether it was in the items they carried, their clothes, or even their organs. Paying no attention to the fight ensuing behind her, SoYoon stepped into the neutral zone.


    Even though crime was forbidden in the neutral zone, it was still part of Wondend; the people did not flee from her blood-stained clothes. Instead, they were even more polite as they tried to sell her new clothes. But SoYoon didn¡¯t have any intention of buying anything and instead went into a restaurant. The sandwich she was eating now was just as unappetizing as the pasta she had eaten the day before.


    Another day in Wondend had passed.


    The second day that SoYoon was to meet Mad Hatter, she thought hard about whether she should make the appointment in the middle of the night. She didn¡¯t know if the fact that she had defeated all her challengers hadn¡¯t circted yet or that there were mistaken rumors swirling around due to her small stature or that the position of White Rabbit was so coveted, but the stream of attackers never ended.


    In the 30 minutes to Mad Hatter¡¯s house, she was attacked more than ten times. SoYoon contemted her situation. If I killed them to this extent, there wouldn¡¯t be rumors flying about me running away and whatnot. Resolute, she swung her sword onto her back and ran.


    ¡°Oh¡­!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s White Rabbit¡­!¡±


    By the time the challengers who were waiting for her realized what had happened, she was already a dot on the horizon.


    SoYoon stopped in front of the Mad Hatter¡¯s house to catch her breath. Ten secondster, she raised her hand to knock when Mad Hatter popped his head out the second-story window. Today, he wore a rainbow-colored fur hat.


    ¡°Do you know what time it is? And if you had arrived, what are you wasting your time knocking for?¡±


    ¡°You requested Ie in the afternoon.¡±


    Mad Hatter wagged his tongue at SoYoon and popped back inside. SoYoon knocked, and as if the door had been waiting for her, it opened.


    Mad Hatter was waiting for her on the steps that led to the second floor. Unlike the first time, he was wide awake and staring down at her with an iciness of a winter sky.


    ¡°We will run the tests on the second floor.¡±


    SoYoon followed Mad Hatter up the stairs. Every step she took, the old stairs creaked. The sound prating the silence brought about memories.


    The second floor, like the first, was extremely untidy. Mad Hatter picked out the parts he needed from among the mess and ced them on the bed: a rolled-up piece of paper, a pencil, several sks and beakers with different concoctions, a chart. SoYoon was familiar with these things. From another room, Mad Hatter brought over a machine the size of her hand and instructed her.


    ¡°Take off your outeryer and sit there. Don¡¯t touch anything.¡±


    SoYoon took off her sword and ced it on the bed, took off everything, including her undergarments, and sat at the edge of the bed. During that time, Mad Hatter soaked a towel in a bowl full of water.


    ¡°We are going to run tests for two hours each day. After the two hours, you are going to exin smartphones to me. That will be my payment for figuring out your brand situation.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mad Hatter took out a monocle from his pocket. On the silver rim of the monocle were written words so close together, they were indecipherable. Mad Hatter turned it this way and that until it was aligned, then put it up to his left eye.


    He pressed a button on a machine and said, ¡°From now on, you will keep your mouth shut.¡±


    Even without thismand, SoYoon already had closed her mouth. She tried to keep her cool but couldn¡¯t help clenching her jaw.


    The monocle shed like a scalpel as it examined the brand. Mad Hatter¡¯s right eye was shifting between the paper and the brand, and his right hand was scribbling the brand¡¯s magical symbols and copying them onto the paper. Beep, beep¡ªa rhythmic sound continued toe from the machine.


    There came the scratching sounds of writing, the cold air, the analyzing gaze, the mechanical whirring of the machine.


    Researchers in white gowns surrounded her while they injected various drugs in syringes into her body one by one. Her pleas, screams, tears did not register as that of a human like themselves. That part of her was isted.


    SoYoon clenched her fists.


    A cold liquid dropped onto her shoulder, making a sizzling sound like meatnding on a hot grill. It smelled spicy. Uh-oh. A smooth voice mumbled. A cold-water-soaked towel wiped down her shoulder.


    This time, a hot liquid fell on her shoulder. As she had once felt before, she felt the pain as if her skin was rotting. This isn¡¯t it either. The towel wiped off her shoulder. Another liquid came, then pain. Soon the towel was no longer cold but warm.


    Two hourster, Mad Hatter took off his monocle and pressed his pounding temples.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stop here for today. Now exin to me about smartphones¡­¡±


    Thud! At the sound of a copsing doll, Mad Hatter looked to the bed. SoYoon had lost consciousnes. Clicking his tongue, Mad Hatter started to put the experimental items back in ce. Within those few minutes, SoYoon opened her eyes and felt a throbbing pain on her palm. In her tightly clenched fist was a wound.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    Mad Hatter greeted her as he came back after putting away the bowl and towel. He grabbed a notebook and handed it to SoYoon. Inside was the picture of the smartphone that she had drawn two days ago.


    ¡°If you press this, then the cellphone starts? Then how do you send messages? Phone? Where do you enter the numbers or words?¡±


    SoYoon put on her clothes and secured the sword behind her back and answered halfheartedly. At this, Mad Hatter scolded her with a sharp voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know about give-and-take? Show me some effort.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sorry. I¡¯m just a bit tired. Next time, I think I should exin about the cellphone before we start the tests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one running the experiments, so why are you tired?¡±


    SoYoon didn¡¯t answer. Mad Hatter didn¡¯t seem to be interested in her and didn¡¯t ask again.


    She was only allowed to leave after fulfilling the entire two hours. She had thought that she could describe everything about a smartphone within a day, but she was wrong. For example, this item was meant formunication, so why were there functions for listening to music? Such questions meant there was a lot more left to exin.


    ¡°Next time,e in the morning,¡± Mad Hatter said to her back as SoYoon left.


    Mad Hatter could hear her answer through the door. He took off his hat and, with a content expression, went off to bed. On top of the bed was a blue-gray hair.

 Chapter 7: Wonderland-6

    <h4>Chapter 7: Wondend-6</h4>


    SoYoon checked her cellphone after leaving Mad Hatter¡¯s house. At Outhouse, the powers of the owner activated the cellphones, but those who lived in Wondend were mostly unmagical beings. Approximately a hundred years ago, the unmagical poption got together and created the city, Wondend.


    These people changed their daily routines to better their lives, and one of the inventions that resulted was the cellphone. In Wondend, the cellphone just needed to be in contact with a magical person¡¯s DNA to charge and work. And the main creator of this product was the technological geek, Mad Hatter.


    When SoYoon checked her cellphone, a message from Heart arrived. He needed something, and he wanted her to stop by his ce. It was probably going to take some time to get there, SoYoon thought as she pulled out her sword. A hoard of people slowly headed her way.


    ***


    An hourter, SoYoon arrived at Heart¡¯s house. Heart smiled upon seeing the blood-soaked SoYoon.


    ¡°If you have an issue, take it out on the outsiders. Oh, is it too difficult because you haven¡¯t been able to resolve the location detection brand?¡±


    ¡°What business do you have?¡±


    Knowing he knew full well her situation, SoYoon replied angrily. Her wet, blood-soaked clothes and the blood dripping off her hair annoyed her.


    ¡°Stop acting so sensitive, and why don¡¯t you go wash up? The smell of blooding off you is making me sick.¡±


    Heart was born with red eyes that glowed in violence. SoYoon epted his suggestion. She entered Heart¡¯s bathroom with its golden shower and shuddered under the warm flow of water on her body. Oh, this feels good. She moaned in ecstasy.


    The bathroom door opened shortly, and Heart came in. He leaned on the bathroom wall and looked SoYoon up and down: white hair, baby face, thin, blue brand, underdeveloped breasts and limbs, and brown eyes. Even hit with this erotic gaze, the girl did not show a hint of embarrassment.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A change of clothes.¡±


    Heart shook the clothes he brought in. SoYoon turned off the shower and walked toward him.


    ¡°Towel?¡±


    When she asked, Heart handed her one. She patted herself dry, slipped on her underwear, and stuck out her hand.


    Heart ced the clothes in her hands and asked, ¡°Do you never get embarrassed?¡±


    She had lost her embarrassment of disying her bare body nine years ago at the research facility. When she changed into her clothes and put on her mask matter-of-factly, Heart walked out of the bathroom, disappointed. SoYoon followed behind him, taking the belt off her blood-soaked pants.


    ¡°This looks like previous White Rabbit¡¯s clothes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. He washed up every morning at my house. That¡¯s thest set of clothes he left behind. Then by your hands¡ªwell, you know.¡±


    SoYoon realized why rust-filled water hade out the first day she showered at the house. After cinching her baggy pants with the belt, she asked Heart for his purpose in calling her there.


    Heart gave her the task of delivering documents. There wasn¡¯t a specific reason for her to be the one to do such a task.


    Realizing her suspicions, Heart exined.


    ¡°It¡¯s out of respect. I respect you, so I expect you to respect me by not stepping on my territory¡ª that sort of thing. If we meet, it will only lead to more fighting. There are those who don¡¯t keep their promises, but I¡¯m a gentleman.¡±


    SoYoon snorted. If he fought face-to-face, he would be torn to shreds, so he just wanted to get rid of thepetition once and for all. SoYoon, having received the document envelope, stepped outside but suddenly stopped.


    ¡°What do you think about opening a Caucus Race for the White Rabbit position?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you sick of the position already?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sick of the challengers.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, look at this Wonderful Land! Are there that many suicide applicants!¡±


    Heartughed ecstatically. She mmed the door as she left. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Heart¡¯s voice echoed from behind the door.


    The recipients of the documents were twins named Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee; together, they were known as the Twins. The delivery address was a house 30¨C40 minutes away. And SoYoon arrived at the Twins¡¯ office in twice that time.


    In front of the buildingrge men stood guarding it. When she approached the building, one man stopped her.


    ¡°What¡¯s a youngster like you doing hanging around here? Get out of here!¡±


    SoYoon pulled out the document envelope from inside her coat. Due to her carefulness, not a single drop of blood had gotten on it.


    ¡°These are documents Heart is sending to the Twins. Do you really want me to leave?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re the new White Rabbit? I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    The man tried to look threatening by hovering over SoYoon. As he looked down upon the thin, young girl, he couldn¡¯t help but ridicule her small stature.


    ¡°Give it. I¡¯ll deliver it to the Twins.¡±


    The man reached for the document envelope. SoYoon shoved it back into her coat pocket.


    ¡°No can do. I was told to deliver it directly to the Twins.¡±


    ¡°Stop fooling around. For a newbie like you to meet the almighty Twins, you would have to be¡­¡±


    The newbie SoYoon, who had spoken casually to someone of Heart¡¯s standing, let her actions speak for her. She kicked the man in the ribs lightly. Created as she had been with all sorts of drugs and reengineering of her body, the once-agent¡¯s ¡°lightly¡± was too much for the man to handle. The man flew up in the air, spun spectacrly, and mmed into a copsing building.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an attack!¡±


    Hearing the man scream, the Twins¡¯ bodyguards ran out. SoYoon pulled out the document envelope once more and showed it to them.


    ¡°These are the documents Heart sent. Are the Twins inside?¡±


    SoYoon was escorted immediately to the Twins¡¯ office. Of course, she was surrounded on both sides by guards. When she entered, a boy who had his back to the window turned around. Due to the light behind him, he presented a beautiful silhouette. Thete afternoon sun dyed his hair a deep gold.


    ¡°White hair? Are you White Rabbit?¡±


    The beautiful boy spoke these first words to her with his full sexy lips. SoYoon recognized him immediately. He was the crude-talking twin, Dee.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Twins, right? I¡¯ve brought the documents from Heart.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, I don¡¯t know anything about that. Dum! Yo, Dum! Where the hell did this little sh*t disappear to?¡±


    Dee opened the office door and went outside. His voice echoed around the hallways.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to f*ckin¡¯ stay in the office! Heart sent us something!¡±


    A few momentster, there was a shuffling noise and a boy came into the office. He looked the same as Dee but was wearing a ck rider jacket instead of the thin beige one that Dee had on.


    ¡°You must be the new White Rabbit. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Tweedle Dum.¡±


    He was polite and spoke cordially, even shaking hands with her. His hair was wavy and a deep golden color, his eyes were blue, he had a sculpted face and a soft personality, Dum was the perfect representation of a little girl¡¯s dream of Prince Charming.


    But this was split personality disorder.


    SoYoon was amazed that he would be as detailed as to think to change clothes.


    Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee¡ªtogether they were the Twins. Two personalities in one body. He pretended to be twins and scammed all of Wondend. In Wondend, the only person who knew about this was Alice. He was fooling even the guards. Even when he was in his mid-teens, he had gained a lot of power in Wondend, and this ploy made sense for someone of his status.


    ¡°You said Heart sent you documents. I may have to draft a response, so would you mind waiting on the sofa for a moment?¡±


    Dum perused the documents that SoYoon handed him. Then with the tiniest of interest in SoYoon, he stopped reading and looked over at her.


    From the far west, the sunset was casting the office in a warm red glow. And within its sun-flooded interior sat the white-haired White Rabbit. The ck mask was not enough to hide her immensely pale skin.


    ¡°I think I know why Heart likes you.¡±


    In a soft voice, he spoke these confusing words so that SoYoon couldn¡¯t help but look up at Dum. He smiled sweetly.


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t much to see in here. Dee must have made a scene at one of the pubs Heart looks after. He asked that he should cool it in the neutral zone¡­It doesn¡¯t seem like I will need to respond to this, so you may go. I apologize for keeping you here.¡±

 Chapter 8: Wonderland-7

    <h4>Chapter 8: Wondend-7</h4>


    SoYoon went to Heart upon leaving Tweedle¡¯s office. It was twilight, so she was attacked only twice. Heart gave her 100,000 carol for delivering the documents. Although he said it included a bonus for the dangerous aspect of the task, it didn¡¯t amount to much.


    SoYoon left Heart¡¯s house and headed to Central to eat dinner. Central¡¯s restaurants were all expensive and unappetizing. Her stomach filled with stew and bread, she stopped by the mart to pick up a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and a small pack of milk.


    As she was leaving, her eyes met a thief. He was a dirty boy who looked to be in his teens. Thinking it had nothing to do with her, SoYoon turned away and ignored him.


    ***


    Now, SoYoon¡¯s life felt like it was on repeat, like a broken record.


    She would wake up, eat breakfast, if there was a call from Heart, then do the task, kill her attackers, go to Mad Hatter¡¯s once every two days. Even the trauma she endured during Mad Hatter¡¯s tests was the same. About two weeks passed as such.


    Mad Hatter ced arge white patch over her brand instead of running his usual tests. He gave SoYoon the small machine that had always been next to her during the experiments. Unlike the other times, the machine was quiet.


    ¡°This machine was made to detect the signalsing from that brand. If the machine is quiet, that means that there was a disruption in the signal. This willst about fifteen minutes. The week after next, I think I can concoct something pretty useful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    SoYoon thanked him sincerely. At this, Mad Hatter replied with a yful smirk.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to say that if you knew what I took from you.¡±


    In the 21st century, the smartphone was the life and culture in the palm of one¡¯s hand for the members on Earth. To exin this, SoYoon had to tell the Mad Hatter in detail about specific things about the Earth¡¯s people. She hadn¡¯t been particrly inclined to hide the fact that she was not of this world, sobined with Mad Hatter¡¯s genius, it was obvious that he would figure it out.


    Two weekster, as Mad Hatter had promised, he created a two-hour patch. Another weekter came a six-hour patch. SoYoon continued living her life with the patch on her shoulder. The researchers would now assume that SoYoon was dead.


    ***


    It had been a month since SoYoon arrived in Wondend, and she realized her body was in bad shape. The first symptom was her body temperature. SoYoon¡ªwho had been sick of the researchers who had been sensitive to even a degree of change in her body temperature¡ªhad ignored the signs until she realized how incredibly hot she was. The next was her stamina. She felt heavy with constant body aches so that she even started to wonder if Duke had drugged her with a sleep medication.


    It wasn¡¯t something so sinister, however, but instead the symptoms of the flu. Wondend only had one doctor, Carter. The doctor smoked his cigarette, looked her up and down, and ryed his conclusion.


    ¡°Looking at the reengineering skills, it¡¯s just as expected from those government researchers. They are known for their crude experiments. Did you say it¡¯s been a month since you escaped? Then it¡¯s that. You¡¯ve just let your guard down. It¡¯s nothing serious, so eat this and sleep.¡±


    The doctor handed SoYoon a prescription for a capsted cold medicine. She was instructed to eat it 30 minutes after a meal, but she ignored the instructions. Just the thought of drugs made her gag. If it was just a cold, it wasn¡¯t like she was going to die. Thinking she could sleep it off, she headed home.


    That night, she received a call from Mad Hatter.


    SoYoon had been sleeping when the message alert woke her up. Mad Hatter sent an unfriendly text that only listed a time and ce.


    Only after pulling open a map did SoYoon realize that it was a ce far away from Wondend. There were only 45 minutes until the appointed time. SoYoon left the house right away. It was night, so she wasn¡¯t attacked. She reached the street within a few minutes and grabbed a taxi to get to the pinpointed location.


    The taxi stopped at a marvelous house. SoYoon handed the driver his cab fare. Even though her fever and mask muted her senses, she could still smell the blood. She opened the door cautiously. It was unlocked.


    As she went further inside, the smell of blood grew stronger. Passing through the hallways, she didn¡¯t hesitate and opened the door.


    It was dark inside. A corpse with his eyes wide and his tongue out greeted her. The corpse¡¯s neck had several thin wet lines across it. He had been strangled.


    Other than this one, several others were syed around the living room. The room, which was decorated with ent wallpaper andndscape paintings, was sttered with bloodstains. An borately designed tapestry on the floor still had the remnants of a pool of blood not yet soaked into its fibers. There were drag marks on the wooden floors, and she followed them. After a few more steps she saw a faint light. Thud, thud came the sound of heavy hammering.


    It was a kitchen. A ce that should have been clean was now covered in blood. Mad Hatter was there, cutting up the corpse in front of him. The thread she saw previously on the corpse before was wrapped around this one also. Sensing SoYoon¡¯s presence, he turned around. Drenched from head to toe in blood, he smiled. The drops of red trickled down his pale face.


    ¡°You arrived early, White Rabbit.¡±


    His voice was an octave higher than usual. That higher pitch had made this chaos. Telling her to wait a moment, he mmed down the knife. Whack! The neck bone snapped as it cleanly broke free from the body. Mad Hatter picked up the head and ced it on the counter. That¡¯s when she saw the 50 other men¡¯s heads.


    Mad Hatter was moving around excitedly as he removed the eyeballs and put them on a te. With the heads in the middle, he pulled out the eyes from the fridge as casually as someone taking out fruit and ced it with a vase of flowers. The person who had made those living in Outhouse tremble in fear, who had defeated a wizard, and who was a head-collecting serial killer was sitting right here.


    Mad hatter ced a fancy hat with quail feathers on the man¡¯s head and finished decorating it.


    Watching his enjoyment, SoYoon mumbled, ¡°Strange hobby.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know you should respect others¡¯ preferences?¡±


    His excitement had yet to recede from his voice. Mad Hatter ced the te on his hand. With a ck suit and silk tie, he looked like someone ready to attend a gentleman¡¯s party. He went to set the te in the living room and opened the cupboards one by one. Finding the sses, he yelled in excitement. He was blushing as he took them out. Then he tossed a roll of styrofoam to SoYoon and instructed.


    ¡°Wrap these sses and coasters well. Make sure not to break any of them.¡±


    For an hour, SoYoon carefully wrapped the sses and coasters and ced them into a box. The sses filled two boxes to the brim. Each of them carried a box and left the house. The car itself moved by magic. They put the boxes in the backseat, and Mad Hatter turned on the ignition. As SoYoon sat down in the passenger¡¯s seat, Mad Hatter handed her a capsule.


    ¡°It¡¯s a magic pill. If you swallow it, twenty minutester, your body will absorb the powers, and even the nonmagical can use it. The capsule has been tested and approved, so you can ingest it without worrying. If you purchase it at Outhouse, it will cost you two hundred fifty thousand carol, but if you buy it from me, I will give it to you for one hundred fifty thousand.¡±


    With the invention of the magic pill, the rich were abusing the poor by purchasing and using its powers. If not for other things, it was at least useful to use for cellphones and cars. Plus, she would be saving 100,000 carol. SoYoon bought two like a home-shopping-obsessed mother. When she realized what she¡¯d done, it was toote. After taking three sheets of the 100,000 carol currency with this world¡¯s hero, Louis, on it, Mad Hatter headed back home.

 Chapter 9: Wonderland-8

    <h4>Chapter 9: Wondend-8</h4>


    The night was deep. SoYoon mumbled as she watched the scenery pass by the window, ¡°I never realized I would be this close to a perverted serial killer.¡±


    ¡°I do have an obsession with ssware, but there¡¯s no reason to call me a pervert.¡±


    SoYoon sighed so he could hear. Mad Hatter copied her sigh.


    Mad Hatter nced at her and said, ¡°White Rabbit, you are at this very moment¡­Hmm.¡±


    Mad Hatter mumbled incoherently and went back to concentrating on driving. Fifteen minutester, they were able to see the Wondend sign. Before entering Wondend, Mad Hatter parked the car and instructed her.


    ¡°Take out both boxes from the car, and carry just one of the boxes over. You can carry the big one. Unlike you, a brawny nitwit, I am a detail-oriented person.¡±


    SoYoon followed his directions and went into Wondend with the box. There was the sound of a car exploding behind her, but she didn¡¯t pay it any attention. She waited in front of Mad Hatter¡¯s door. Within five minutes, Mad Hatter arrived. SoYoon waited until he went inside, then knocked, and waited for him to invite her in. As she stepped in with the box, she heard noises.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    Mad Hatter was in the kitchen. Unlike the living room andb, he had organized the kitchen well. SoYoon realized that this cleanliness had nothing to do with food preparation. The kitchen¡¯s only purpose was to contain the sink, cupboards, and refrigerator.


    ¡°What are you standing there for? You can put that down here.¡±


    SoYoon put down the box where Mad Hatter indicated. When she stood back up, she felt dizzy.


    ¡°White Rabbit?¡±


    Mad Hatter called her. SoYoon shook her head.


    ¡°If I have to help you organize it also, then pay me first.¡±


    SoYoon received the 400,000 carol, including the taxi fare from Mad Hatter, and left the house. Mad Hatter clicked his tongue at her wavering walk.


    ***


    She didn¡¯t know how many years it had been since she¡¯d gotten the flu, but it affected her greatly. Fever and lethargy and body aches that felt like her bones would squeak in protest made it difficult for her to get home. She didn¡¯t want to run into anybody. And of course her wish was not granted.


    ¡°White Rabbit? It¡¯s you, right? Where are you going sote?¡±


    A slow baritone voice called out to her. It was the potion master, Duke. Under the night sky, Duke looked like the corpses he so loved. His yellow eyes watched her creepily.


    ¡°A young girl like yourself should not be wandering around thiste. Really, you don¡¯t even look well, and you are all alone¡­You are a bad child. You need a proper scolding from an adult now, don¡¯t you? You are wavering. It looks like you will need some medicine. Why don¡¯t we go to my house?¡±


    Duke walked toward her with his long arms and legs swinging. He reminded her of a praying mantis. As he reached out his hand, SoYoon pulled out the knife she hid behind her back and stuck it right up to his nose.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    Duke was the only drug dealer in Wondend. That was also the only reason this scum was able to survive in Wondend for this long. But if I didn¡¯t kill him, and just chopped off two of his legs, wouldn¡¯t it be okay?


    Sensing the danger reflected in those brown eyes, Duke backed away in fear. She put away her knife as she saw him running away.


    Arriving at home, SoYoon reced her patch and went to sleep and slept until the six-hour rm she always set went off.


    ***


    The next day, SoYoon wokete and stared a moment at the blurry ceiling above her, then closed her eyes again. She was shivering from the fever and cold sweats.


    She hugged the nket closer to her body and checked her cellphone. Heart had left a message to meet him around lunchtime. It was 11:17.


    SoYoon got up slowly and went to the bathroom, sshed water on her face, and checked herself in the mirror after getting changed. She had a fever rash. Covering her right cheek with the mask, she no longer looked ill. With the sword and knife in ce, she left the house.


    The cool autumn wind blew past her neck and filtered through her clothes. She pulled up the zipper of the hoodie.


    There was no way the attackers would stop because she was sick. SoYoon waved her sword at the constant flow of attackers. Arriving drenched in more blood than usual, she was shoved into the shower on Heart¡¯s orders.


    SoYoon stood in the hot stream of water. She grabbed her shaking shoulders with all her strength. Heart saw this as he stepped inside the bathroom, but she didn¡¯t realize he had entered until he announced his arrival.


    Finding Heart¡¯s interested gaze, she asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was going to give you clothes to change into, but looking at you, I think this might be better.¡±


    The ¡°better¡± were silk pajamas. He exined who the giant pajamas belonged to. So Yoon ignored him and snatched the original clothes out of his hands. It was the clothes she had left behind a couple of weeks ago. She sat on the sofa and dried her hair with a towel.


    ¡°Business?¡±


    ¡°I called you to eat lunch together. I hear you went to help Mad Hatter with cleaning house at Outhouse yesterday. Is that locator spell all figured out, then?¡±


    ¡°Mostly. Give me another towel.¡±


    Heart threw a dry towel over her head, then yfully rubbed the towel harshly into her head. She thought about stopping him, but thought she might as well let him do it if it would dry her hair without her effort. She was just happy her wet hair was getting dry. After he finishing drying her hair, Heart felt SoYoon¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°As I expected¡ªhot. Have you taken medicine?¡±


    SoYoon didn¡¯t answer. Heart jumped on top of her andid her down. As he looked down, his ginger blond eyshes fluttered like a butterfly, and he looked through them at her.


    ¡°Do you want to sleep peacefully, or should we sweat some of this out?¡±


    He ced his finger in the knot of his beige tie. He loosened the tie and unbuttoned the first button of his cor. His Adam¡¯s apple moved as he swallowed.


    SoYoon, with a dry mouth, eximed, ¡°Give me the nket.¡±


    Heart,ughing, got off of her. She took the nket from Heart and closed her eyes. She could feel Heart looking at her but, used to people watching her, she soon fell asleep.


    Heart looked at SoYoon upon hearing her toss in her sleep. She looked like a rabbit in a rabbit hole with just her head sticking out of the nket. Quietly he crept over and saw her face red from fever.


    ¡°Mom, Mom. Where are you, Mom? I¡¯m sick. Mom¡­¡±


    With cracked lips, she cried like a small child. Heart froze for a moment then headed over to the medicine cab.


    ¡°Stubborn girl.¡±


    Heart walked back to SoYoon with the medicine. Since she was a research experiment, her tolerance would be high, so he brought five just in case. He remembered that it should be taken 30 minutes after eating, but he doubted that she had a sensitive enough stomach to cause trouble. He grabbed her chin. Drunk on sleep, she slowly opened her brown eyes.


    ¡°What¡­are you doing¡­?¡±


    Heart didn¡¯t answer and instead shoved the capsule in her mouth and poured in water. SoYoon, although half delusional, realized that a drug was in her mouth and tried to spit it out. Heart got on top of her and pinned her arms down with his knees. Then he blocked her mouth and nose.


    ¡°Mmm¡­! Mmm!¡±


    ¡°Swallow!¡± Heartmanded. SoYoon felt her throat move. Her eyes barely open and having no strength, she told Heart to get off of her. He got off without a fight. SoYoon was furious.


    ¡°Heart¡­!¡±


    ¡°Rx, rx. You have to get better if you want to do stuff. For example, a game for the position of White Rabbit.¡±


    SoYoon shut her mouth the moment Heart said this. However, her eyes were still ring at him. Heart continuedughing.


    ¡°I really like you. Then shouldn¡¯t you get back to health? To make sure you can keep White Rabbit¡¯s position?¡±


    Heart said something normal, which was uncharacteristic of a Wondend powerhouse. ¡°Although it¡¯s not bad getting to y with you when you are so weak,¡± he added.


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. When you are all better?¡±


    Heart grabbed the long rope that was at his desk.


    Soon, Heart¡¯s minions came in pushing a cart. Heart pointed to the sofa, and they put the tray of food in front of her.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re awake, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    SoYoon realized she hadn¡¯t eaten since yesterday afternoon. As she got up, Heart sat opposite her. Thick potage (French potato soup), roasted chicken, sd topped with ricotta cheese, warm bread, steak with perfect grill marks, and even a pudding drizzled with caramel saucey before her. The smell itself made her hungry.


    SoYoon took a spoonful of the potage. The potent taste of cheese spread through her taste buds. SoYoon ate to her heart¡¯s content, not minding whether Heart was watching her. As she ate, the medicine kicked in, reviving her senses, so that the food tasted even better.


    After finishing the meal, Heart said concisely, ¡°You eat well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been nine years since I¡¯ve eaten good food. It was delicious.¡±


    SoYoon thanked him after finishing the entire pudding. They had given her only frozen or packaged food at the research facility, and the food at Central was disgusting. So with 100 percent sincerity, she thanked him.


    ¡°Coffee?¡±


    ¡°If you have it.¡±


    Heart stepped toward a small table. There, a cream-colored ceramic dripper and filter stood atop it. He ced a light brown filter into the dripper and with an antique-design hand mill started grinding beans. As he ground the beans, the office filled with the scent of coffee.


    ording to Wondend, Heart loved coffee. SoYoon remembered the scene where Heart served Alice coffee. In the book, it only showed them drinking the coffee together, but she realized there was a lot of preparatory work before it.


    The ground coffee was ced over the filter. He shook it lightly to make sure ity even, then poured the hot water over it.


    ¡°The drip pot uses magic to stay hot. It¡¯s designed so that nonmagical people can use it also,¡± Heart exined, realizing SoYoon¡¯s gaze upon the drip pot.


    After the coffee was ready, he poured it into a white mug. The blue-tinted white ceramicplemented the deep dark color of the coffee. Steam rose from it, and she could taste the slight bitterness mixed with a subtle sweetness and could smell earth.


    She was reminded of the hand drip coffee she had had at the cafe across from her school. The taste and smell that tantalized her senses were simr to those of the coffee from Papua New Guinea. SoYoon drank in the memory with her coffee.

 Chapter 10: Wonderland-9

    <h4>Chapter 10: Wondend-9</h4>


    With her stomach full from the food and aromatic coffee, SoYoon headed to Mad Hatter¡¯s house. SoYoon knocked on the door for a long time before Mad Hatter popped his head out the second-story window. On his head was a yellow sleeping cap with a chick¡¯s eyes and beak on it.


    Then, as if in disbelief, he muttered, ¡°White Rabbit?¡±


    The door opened a few momentster, and she walked inside. Mad Hatter was standing at the stairs. He wore the same outfit as yesterday, other than the jacket, which she realized because dark-red stains of blood dyed his shirt and pants.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te today.¡±


    He headed upstairs to hisb, and SoYoon followed.


    Mad Hatter asked about smartphones then, as usual, went back to experimenting. And as usual, she fell unconscious.


    ¡°Stubborn.¡±


    Mad Hatter picked up a thin nket next to the bed and covered her with it. Still, he watched SoYoon as she slept and felt his headache disappearing. He mumbled at no one in particr.


    A few minutester, SoYoon blinked awake under the thin nket. Mad Hatter had littered the bed with things for the experiments, so there was no way she had grabbed the nket on her own¡ªwhich meant there was only one person who would have ced this over her.


    Getting up, she straightened and went to look for the Mad Hatter. He was in the kitchen, staring happily at the new ssware he had collected fromst night. His eyes met with SoYoon¡¯s, and he looked at her as if asking why she was still here.


    ¡°See you the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ***


    SoYoon headed to her house in the neutral zone after leaving Mad Hatter¡¯s house. Because she had eaten so much at Heart¡¯s house at a strange hour, she didn¡¯t feel the need to eat dinner. Challengers again attacked her today, but because of what Heart had told her, she felt a bit morefortable.


    When she neared the neutral zone, a boy blocked her path. The dirty and ragged teen grabbed her wrist and pushed her into a sketchy alleyway. Normally, she would have pulled out her sword, but unlike her usual self, she watched him as he cornered her into a wall and pulled a knife to her neck.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    This was all because Heart had made her coffee and Mad Hatter put a nket over her. She lifted her head off the wall. Due to the movement, a slight cut ran across her neck, and the boy¡¯s hands started to tremble.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    SoYoon watched the boy in interest. The boy¡¯s brown eyes were wavering as well. They were showing her that he¡¯d never hurt anyone before. She observed his eyes lose and gain focus several times.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get stabbed, then give me everything you have.¡±


    Even if he was a child hesitating, once he found the resolution to hurt someone, that meant he was an adult in Wondend. SoYoon grabbed his wrist hard.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    The boy screamed and dropped his knife. SoYoon kicked the knife until it was far away and pushed the boy into the opposing wall. He hit his back hard and flinched.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡±


    He didn¡¯t ask if she was White Rabbit, and he only asked for her valuable possessions. He didn¡¯t know who she was and only targeted her because she was small and weak looking.


    ¡°If you want to live a long life, you need to open your ears.¡±


    White hair and ck mask, a unique andrge sword¡ªif you paid even a small amount of attention to the rumors, you would have been able to figure it out. SoYoon let go of the boy. Behind her, she heard him cursing and his moans of pain, but she was no longer interested. However, those brown eyes kept shing in front of her in the mirror.


    SoYoon shook her head. It was just a bad day. If I see him again, I¡¯m sure any other day, I would not have remembered him.


    However, a few dayster, she saw the boy again.


    ***


    SoYoon was eating dinner at a Central restaurant. She had now fully be ustomed to Wondend and could enjoy the nd sandwich while she breathed in the peaceful air of freedom.


    ¡°You little punk! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been saying there¡¯s a thief around here these days, and it must have been you!¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not from the slums, are you?¡±


    A crowd formed not far from where SoYoon was sitting. The ruckus wasing from its center. SoYoon finished eating, paid, and left the restaurant.


    Up to then, she had no intention of watching or getting involved¡ªuntil she noticed the face as she happened to pass by.


    The brown-eyed boy was surrounded by the crowd. They had beaten him so badly that his mouth was dripping blood. The boy looked menacingly at the crowd. To a violent crowd, it was not the best expression to have. One man pulled out a knife.


    ¡°Slum trash, how dare you! I¡¯ll show you. Everyone get out of the way!¡±


    The man who entered the center of the crowd grabbed the boy and pressed his wrist around his back. The boy screamed. The boy¡¯s wrists were already bruised and swollen. That was the same wrist she had grabbed thest time she saw him. She had not been in great condition, so she wasn¡¯t able to control her strength.


    The knife was lifted high. It looked like he was about to chop his wrist off. SoYoon threw the knife she had behind her back. Whizzing through the air, the knife hit the man¡¯s knife and stuck behind the wall.


    ¡°Ah! Who is it?¡±


    The man who had suddenly lost his knife and simultaneously sprained his wrist yelled in anger. SoYoon raised her hand.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­! White¡ªWhite Rabbit?¡±


    SoYoon walked to where the people stood. As she got closer, the people slowly started to retreat. As she pulled out the knife from the wall, she heard them gulp in fear, but when she ced it back into her pocket, they all sighed in relief.


    A man at the back of the crowd asked, ¡°Oh, do you know this kid?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±


    SoYoon looked down at the boy. The boy, who was kneeling, looked up at her. His shaking pupils were real. She sighed.


    ¡°This is the neutral zone. Let¡¯s not have the smell of blood here, all right?¡±


    ¡°But this punk has been stealing people¡¯s wallets¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no proof that he did all of it. And it looks like you¡¯ve punished him enough. Don¡¯t you see his broken wrist? If he fears for his life, then he probably won¡¯t steal again. Now, won¡¯t you go home?¡±


    The crowd muttered but dissipated. It wasn¡¯t so much that she persuaded them; it was more the fact that she was White Rabbit with a giant sword on her back. Where the ruckus had been, now only SoYoon and the boy stood. She was about to leave when the boy called her.


    ¡°Wa¡ªwait!¡±


    Of course, SoYoon didn¡¯t listen to him. The boy yelled at her back.


    ¡°Take responsibility!¡±


    This ungrateful punk. SoYoon stopped. The boy, taking his chance, hung on to the end of her shirt.


    ¡°My wrist! You¡¯re the one who broke it! That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t earn money today, and now I can¡¯t even work over here!¡±


    ¡°And why was your wrist broken?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡­¡±


    The boy mumbled then stayed quiet. SoYoon snorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡±


    SoYoon started walking again. SoYoon turned around at the sound of someone following. The boy was limping toward her but stopped and looked somewhere else once caught. SoYoon walked again. One, two, three¡ªat three, she ran as fast as she could. It was a speed that the boy, who had hurt his leg, couldn¡¯t possibly follow. The boy tried to keep up but failed and kicked at a stone in frustration.


    SoYoon watched the boy hidden in an alley as he cursed while grabbing his hurt leg. His small back looked tired.


    Stop it, Ye SoYoon. He is not a SoHa.


    Ye SoHa was her one and only baby brother. Thest memory she had of her brother was his smiling face and crew cut hair as he entered the army. All the times they fought and hated each other¡ªshe couldn¡¯t remember any of it. All she could remember were those brown eyes that looked like hers. Just because his eyes were brown, and he looked like him didn¡¯t mean it was SoHa.


    The boy limped back to the slum. The slum always smelled of rotting. The boy thought the smell was of rotting people. Living in the slum, he knew that if he got lost in the cycle of depression, fear of tomorrow, and hopelessness, he too would soon rot.


    He couldn¡¯t do that. There was a reason he could not give up. But wouldn¡¯t it be okay for him to cry on a day like this¡ªmaybe just a little? The boy rubbed his eyes forcefully.


    The boy lived in the inner parts of the slum. It was where a person was born and raised then had children of their own to repeat the cycle. He opened the decrepit door and stepped inside.


    ¡°Brother¡¯s here, Dor!¡±


    There was no response when he went into the only room in the house. A young girl was lying on the old bed. It was his little sister, three to four years younger.


    Light brown hair, long and curly¡ªshe had the same brown eyes as the boy. Never having been outside, her skin was white, but Dor was like a dream, a most lovable child. And as such, she spent the majority of her time in the dreamworld herself.


    I wonder when she will wake up. The boy waited for that time while washing and feeding her.


    ¡°Just wait until you wake up. All the hardships I endured, I¡¯m going to get payback,¡± the boy muttered while heading to the kitchen. And in the dark room, he met an intruder.


    ¡°Wha¡ªwhat! Who is it? Oh! You?¡±


    White Rabbit¡ªthe girl who had stopped the crowd from chopping off his wrist was standing in front of him with her glowing white hair.

 Chapter 11: Wonderland-10

    <h4>Chapter 11: Wondend-10</h4>


    SoYoon tried with all her might to persuade herself that the boy was not SoHa but still ended up following him. And thus she figured out who he and his little sister were.


    March and Dor¡ªthey were mere supporting characters, but they were the two people Alice met when she first came into Wondend. If the story were to go as nned, these two would have to survive in the slum. And these two¡­SoYoon remembering the ending, guiltily fiddled with her hair.


    Are you crazy, Ye SoYoon? You don¡¯t even know if you can go home if the story finishes; what do you expect to get out of it if you change the narration this badly?


    But they are so young.


    If only he didn¡¯t look like SoHa. If Heart and Mad Hatter had not been acting on a whim¡­


    She went into the kitchen and sent a message to Heart. He replied, saying to do what she pleased. A few momentster, March came out of the room, and she threw out a suggestion to him.


    ¡°Youe to the neutral zone. Work under me.¡±


    White Rabbit¡¯s tasks were extensive. From delivering cigarettes to the doctor to delivering letters, eradicating thugs, item delivery, alleviating friction, and like a few days ago at Outhouse, helping a psycho clean up his mess, she had plenty to do. And among those chores, there was something that this boy March could do.


    March shook his head in surprise upon hearing her suggestion.


    ¡°People from the slums cannot leave here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve received permission.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie! Even if you are the White Rabbit, there is no way you can get permission like that¡­¡±


    ¡°From Heart.¡±


    Heart was Wondend¡¯s strongest man.


    If you were to wonder who the king of Wondend was, then nine out of ten would name Heart. SoYoon blurted his name like a free pass at an amusement park, but March received the information with reverence. He asked with an expression full of both hope and suspicion.


    ¡°Did Heart really give permission?¡±


    SoYoon, instead of answering, showed him her cellphone message.


    /[I¡¯m going to take two kids out from the slums.]


    [Do as you please.]


    There was no caller ID function on the phone, so neither Heart¡¯s nor her name showed on the screen. March, still unable to believe it, continued to ask.


    ¡°How can I tell if this is Heart that sent this?¡±


    From inside the room came a rustling sound. March hurriedly went inside. There was a sound of someoneing.


    ¡°You awake, sleepyhead?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°You slept so much, yet you are still sleepy? Give it a rest.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair¡­Growing all by yourself¡­¡±


    March didn¡¯t answer and patted Dor on the head.


    Dor blinked and asked March, ¡°But brother¡­Who¡¯s that girl¡­?¡±


    ¡°Girl¡­who are you talking about?¡±


    SoYoon stood where Dor was looking. March looked her up and down and asked while pointing.


    ¡°Are you a girl?¡±


    ¡°You better put down that finger before I break it.¡±


    Dor smiled even at SoYoon¡¯s violent outburst. It was a smile that was one of someonecking knowledge of the drudgery of the real world. SoYoon removed her mask and smiled at Dor.


    ¡°Hi. I¡¯m White Rabbit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Dor¡­Hi, Rabbit Sister¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would rather have you remove the ¡®Sister.¡±¡±


    ¡°Okay, Rabbit¡­¡±


    White Rabbit¡¯s name, riddled with the notion of blood, was erased all of a sudden by the small girl¡¯s lips. SoYoonughed. She whispered to March, who scoffed in exasperation ¡°Ha! Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to rot in here forever, or go with me?¡±


    ¡°The answer is already determined, so you just have to say the word.¡±


    ***


    SoYoon didn¡¯t n on giving the hurt March tasks to do anytime soon. She had March piggyback Dor as she took them to the hospital. Having just woken up, the doctor with the five o¡¯clock shadow finished treating March in 30 minutes, yet scratched his head, perplexed upon observing Dor. March pleaded with the doctor.


    ¡°Can you fix her? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­This is something even I haven¡¯t seen before. I don¡¯t know what to tell you.¡±


    ¡°You quack! Tell me¡­! That hurts!¡±


    SoYoon kicked March¡¯s leg. There was no point in getting on the bad side of the doctor.


    ¡°Sorry, doctor. He¡¯s just a kid, so he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    ¡°You and him both¡­Anyways, I am the one that can¡¯t properly treat it, so it¡¯s probably best to take her to the big hospital in Outhouse.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s an illness you don¡¯t know about, it would be the same whichever hospital we go to. I¡¯lle againter. Oh, that¡¯s right. And this kid will be handling your cigarette deliveries from now on.¡±


    SoYoon handed him the money to pay for the visit, then lifted Dor in one arm and dragged March out with the other. March threw her off and muttered that it wasn¡¯t fair.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same whether we go to a big hospital! Just because it¡¯s not your sister, you can¡¯t just say whatever you want!¡±


    SoYoon hit March on the forehead. He grabbed his reddened forehead and slumped.


    ¡°F*ck! It hurts!¡±


    ¡°Quit it, kid. I¡¯ve told you before. Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover. Doctor is a genius among the geniuses in Outhouse. What do I mean? I mean exactly what I said. If it¡¯s a disease he doesn¡¯t know about, then no one does.¡±


    ¡°Then¡ªthen what do we do? Will Dor have to sleep forever?¡±


    The 14-year-old boy had tears in his eyes. SoYoon sighed. She was sure she had sighed a lot more after meeting March.


    ¡°Just wait five years. In that time, Dor will get better.¡±


    When Alice came, everything would be resolved. SoYoon hesitated but patted March on the head. There was no evidence that proved this, but her sincerity must have hit home, because he stopped crying. The rest of the tears disappeared as the conversation progressed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with the doctor. Also, however sick you are, don¡¯t loosen your attention around him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°That person¡¯s specialty is taking out organs while a person¡¯s asleep.¡±


    There was a reason a respected genius had to crawl into this ce. The doctor was exiled from Outhouse after taking organs fromatose patients toplete his own experiments. After hearing her exnation, March¡¯s face whitened in fear.


    ¡°I¡ªI have to run errands for him¡­¡±


    ¡°If you just stay alert, you¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    Oh no, did I make a mistake? March stuck close to her side and stared at the back of the sleeping Dor¡¯s head.


    ***


    The news that White Rabbit had taken an assistant spread fast. Heart called SoYoon to his house.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of talk these days. Some are saying White Rabbit has a little brown brother, and others are saying you have a pretty little girl doll. And some are going as far as saying you are fattening them up for ughter. So what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I like this better.¡±


    SoYoon pointed to the sandwich she was holding. The tender roasted bacon, fried eggs, melting cheese, crisp lettuce, fresh tomato, and sweet and tangy pickles were all in the sandwich that Heart served her.


    He must have enjoyed watching a usually emotionless SoYoon get excited over food because he kept offering her things to eat. Thoroughly enjoying the perfect harmony of the salty sandwich with the aromatic coffee, SoYoon hummed happily.


    ¡°Why are you asking me something you already know the answer to?¡±


    ¡°There are too many things happening consecutively. People are going to start expecting this sort of charity. I think you rushed into the decision.¡±

 Chapter 12: Wonderland-11

    <h4>Chapter 12: Wondend-11</h4>


    Many people came to her house after the rumors started going around about March and Dor. After finding out who March and Dor were, children from the neutral zone started to engage in crime outside of the city. This was all because SoYoon did not establish her position as White Rabbit correctly. And that was the reason Heart called SoYoon here.


    ¡°Tomorrow night at eleven, we are going to open a Croquet Game at the southeast ruins.¡±


    A Croquet Game was never mentioned in Wondend. Heart discussed it with several people and decided to run the game to decide White Rabbit¡¯s fate.


    If the Caucus Race was every man for himself battle royale, the Croquet Game would be one where everyone sought one target, the Croquet Ball.


    ¡°I hope you can use your special skills to survive,¡± Heart warned. ¡°If you don¡¯t, your head will roll.¡±


    Heart stood behind SoYoon and sliced his finger across her neck. Her thin neck behind her white hair fanned his lust. He swallowed hard. It might be time to visit Outhouse soon. He touched her young and smooth skin as he spoke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret making you, White Rabbit.¡±


    ***


    [1] [2] As it passed 10:00 p.m., the southeast ruins were thick with iing challengers. The Croquet Game¡¯s prize was the elusive position of White Rabbit. As expected, there were many yers sportingrge swords or axes. The spectators jockeyed for position.


    ¡°You sure about this location? There isn¡¯t a lot of cover. It seems you really care for that kid; you sure you¡¯ll be okay if she dies?¡± the doctor asked Heart as they waited for 11:00 o¡¯clock. He must havee straight from the office because he was still wearing his white gown. Cartons of cigarettes bulged the pockets, and his gown looked about to explode.


    Heartughed and asked heartily, ¡°You must have taken to her too.¡±


    ¡°Her reengineering troubles me slightly, but if she takes good care of herself, in about three years, I think something good coulde out of it.¡±


    The doctor¡¯s opinion of SoYoon was strictly to fulfill his own motive. He looked around at the yers getting ready and clicked his tongue.


    ¡°They are nothing but fat-filled organs.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean. When I slice through them looking for blood and find just a bunch of fat, it¡¯s quite disappointing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯tpare your perverted hobby with my honorable passion.¡±


    The doctor looked offended. His cigarette was shortening by the minute. The one he had been smoking while talking to Heart had burned to the stub of the filter. He looked at it sadly, then took out a portable ashtray and ced it inside. He lit another.


    ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± Heart mumbled.


    Her smooth cheeks blushed with excitement. The doctor observed the White Rabbit¡¯s entrance with interest.


    Small, young, a boy or a girl¡ªthe rumors about her strength were exaggerated. Most people assumed that she had scored the White Rabbit position on pure luck.


    Bystanders shouted their bets.


    ¡°This is going to beme! White Rabbit¡¯s head will roll in five minutes. I bet a hundred thousand carol!¡±


    ¡°Seven minutes, fifty thousand carol!¡±


    ¡°Three minutes, one hundred twenty carol!¡±


    ¡°But ording to the rumors¡­I say thirty minutes, a hundred thousand carol.¡±


    Nobody believed White Rabbit would survive. Heart¡¯s minions were busy writing down the bets and raking in the money. When the gambling started to subside, Heart finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°I bet that White Rabbit will kill all the challengers. Ten million carol.¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t I, at the very least, take her side? Heart shrugged.


    A smooth voice broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯m in also. I bet one carol that White Rabbit will win.¡±


    The crowd looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. As their attention was directed at Wondend¡¯s richest man, Mad Hatter, he pulled down his purple crocheted hat in exasperation. Heart spoke as if his toy had just been stolen.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you bet a little more? One carol is pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the money to spend on frivolous things.¡±


    ¡°My Croquet Game is not frivolous. This is an attack against my name. Are you prepared to duel me like a proper gentleman?¡±


    The air grew cold between the two men. Those stuck between them sat like turtles with their heads slumped inward.


    The clock rang 11:00[3] . White Rabbit and the rest of the challengers got ready. The two men¡¯s eyes shifted to the game arena, and the rest of the crowd followed.


    Croquet Game¡¯s rule was simple. The yers had one target, the Croquet Ball. The person who scored the decapitated head of the Croquet Ball into the goal was the winner. Once the Croquet Ball¡¯s head had been cut off, a secondary game imed the final win. If every yer¡¯s head was removed, then the only remaining person won by default.


    SoYoon moved first. The game¡¯s rule may have set her as the enemy, but to her, everyone was her enemy. The most important rule in fighting was to score the first shot! She swung the sword that was as tall as herself and sliced the head off the man closest to her. The others who ran toward her met the same fate.


    The razor-sharp sword cut through the cold autumn air. From the well-cared-for sword came the smell of metal and blood. SoYoon chopped the legs off a tall man to reduce him to her height and swung her sword. The sword looked like a chef¡¯s cleaver, and so it looked as easy as if she were prepping a meal.


    She kicked the heads that were spilling blood toward a girl up ahead. The girl kicked it back to her, causing SoYoon to hesitate for a split second. A man with an ax came at her, but she maneuvered out of his way.


    The move caused the man to stab the girl following SoYoon. She took the opportunity to slice the man in two.


    Another man, hit by the spray of blood, cursed.


    ¡°F*ck, is that even human?¡±


    ¡°Everyone at once!¡±


    ¡°Surround! Surround her!¡±


    The reason the Croquet Ball was at a tant disadvantage in the Croquet Game was that the rest of the yers could create alliances. SoYoon hit the ground hard and jumped. Men surrounded her from above.


    The crowd, unable to see the White Rabbit hidden in the midst of therge men, could only assume what was happening by the sounds and smells¡ªthe blood-drenched white hair, her ck clothes cloaked in darkness, the mask that hid most of her face.


    The flying pig fell back to earth swinging her giant sword. The smell of blood filled the night air, and screams and cursing echoed through the arena. SoYoon spun using the weight of her sword. Another head caught on its edge as it bounced like a ball into the air.


    Heart trembled with excitement. She knocked them unconscious with the heavy handle then chopped a head. She sliced off his leg then chopped a head. She flew into the air and chopped a head. She kicked a spray of blood and chopped a head. Yes, she chopped them all! Heughed and yelled as each yer fell.


    ¡°White Rabbit¡¯s seat! Isn¡¯t that what you wanted? If you don¡¯t do it properly, your head will be chopped off!¡±


    Heart was not the only one excited. As the crowd watched, astonished, he screamed. On one side, those who had already lost their bets were cursing. Mad Hatter looked at them pathetically.


    ¡°What a shame. Should have bet a little more.¡±


    He suddenly caught sight of Duke. He was whispering to Heart¡¯s minions, probably asking for SoYoon¡¯s corpse at the end of the game. Mad Hatter¡¯s crooked lips twitched upward. If he thought she¡¯d lose even after seeing that, he must be blind.


    Tens of headless yers were spread across the field. Thest yer was slowly backing away in fear. The crowd booed, and Heart threatened him. But all he could see was the monster in front of him.


    F*ck, how am I supposed to kill that! He turned and ran. Exactly two stepster, his eyes met with the monster¡¯s. They were clear and bright like ss, the scariest eyes he¡¯d ever seen. That was hisst memory.


    SoYoon flew up after catching the fleeing yer. She blocked the yer as she fell upside down, slicing her sword across his neck. Blood sprayed like a geyser. Covered in spatter, shended.


    The clock read 11:57.


    She hid her exhaustion and asked, ¡°Are there any more?¡±


    SoYoon looked at the Croquet Game¡¯s maker, Heart. He looked at her lustfully. He looked as if he wanted to rip the clothes off her right now.


    Heart licked his red lips as she approached. His energy and pheromones seeped into the air around him.


    The SoYoon in front of him looked sweet. He took his hand and swept her hair back. Although it was matted with blood and sweat, he could see her forehead clearly. Heart cleaned off the blood from her forehead with his fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s over. Whatever you want, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°Give me water.¡±


    The voice that responded to his seduction was a nd request. Heartughed lightly and handed her water. SoYoon dropped her blood-soaked mask to the ground and drank heartily. Even her lips were pale. Heart couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her wet lips, and he yelled.


    ¡°Did you all see it? This is White Rabbit!¡±


    Those left had lost their money, however. Instead of apuse, cursing echoed through the crowd. As the boos got louder, SoYoon pped down her sheath. The sound made them all close their mouths. She spoke, invoking fear.


    ¡°Quit murmuring in hiding ande at me. I¡¯ll remove all your heads.¡±


    Her voice was small, but because they were all quiet, it echoed in all corners. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. SoYoon looked around at the crowd and left. Heart soon joined her.


    ¡°Are you going home now?


    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    ¡°How about this, then? You can rx your body with a warm shower, eat a delicious midnight snack, then go to sleep. Then when you open your eyes again, another scrumptious breakfast will be ready. Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°So nice, my little Whitey.¡±


    SoYoon could only take so much lightly. As she looked up at Heart, her young face showed her offense.


    ¡°Am I a dog?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bird.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my Whitey.¡±


    Is he crazy? Oh, he is actually crazy. SoYoon gave up arguing with him. As she walked, drops of blood marked her path.

 Chapter 13: Alice Liddell

    <h4>Chapter 13: Alice Liddell</h4>


    A light shone in the darkness. It started at the picturesque mansion, licked its exterior, and crawled up to its very top until it swallowed it whole. The city was bright as midday. Nobody knew, however, that a man had been running, using the deepened shadows from the light as cover.


    The man turned into the center of the alleys he knew so well and ran for a long time until he arrived at his destination. He found another man sitting on the cold ground. No matter how many times he ran the simtion, this was the ce where the light shone the brightest.


    The light he was creating engulfed the night. He fell from his ecstasy and wept.


    SoYoon turned into the alley. She had been a little ways from the bright lights, but, surprisingly, this alley was dark and cold. She had turned into the center of the alley and found a man lying on the ground, sleeping.


    Alias Firebug. He was the acquaintance SoYoon was supposed to meet today. She ced him in a sack, lifted him over her shoulders, and left the ce without a second nce.


    After arriving at Firebug¡¯s home, SoYoon opened the sack and tossed him onto the bed. The man woke momentarily, only to crawl out of the sack and into his covers. A few momentster, a small voice came from the huddle of nkets.


    ¡°The money is on the table¡­¡±


    SoYoon had collected the wad of money that had been the cost for her troubles and left Firebug¡¯s house. The clock hanging on the man¡¯s wall read 12:00.


    She had made sure to lock the door, then headed to the slums as usual. She had been waiting for the unknown time of Alice¡¯s arrival. SoYoon wanted to ensure her safety.


    From the slums came a unique smell of defecation. March had described it as a rotting smell. SoYoon thought it to be the smell of hopelessness.


    After SoYoon hadpleted her rounds, she left the slums and returned to the neutral zone. As she was returning, she passed March and Dor¡¯s house. She stopped to check if anyone was there.


    There was movement of one and then another movement of something half as small¡ªthe familiar sounds of March and Dor. No one else was there yet.


    It was just another spring day in which Alice had yet to arrive.


    ***


    The next day, SoYoon mentally organized the things she had to do for the day. Deliver cigarettes and a loaf of bread to the doctor, and also buy eggs. Buy medicine from Duke and give it to Baby. The doctor¡¯s request could be handled by March, but Baby¡¯s tasks had to be done by SoYoon. She sent a message to March on a slide phone and went into the bathroom to lightly wash up. A few days ago, Dor had woken up briefly to choose a grapefruit-scented soap, and now its bittersweet scent floated in the air.


    Aftering out of the bathroom, SoYoon reced her patch. The patch she used nowsted 24 hours. The patch had been created to match her skin tone, and aside from the center that looked like a silk hat, it was as if the patch wasn¡¯t there.


    She walked into the dressing room and looked at the mirror. The pin she used to stabilize her bangs was still there. SoYoon removed the pin and curled her hair with her fingers. The brown eyes that were different from the previous White Rabbit¡¯s were covered by her bangs. She ced the ck mask on her face, slung the sword crookedly over her back, slid the knife onto her thigh, put on the hat that Mad Hatter had given her, and left the house. Her destination was Duke¡¯s house.


    ¡°Wee, Undertaker.¡±


    He invited her inside, no longer acting like an adult in front of SoYoon. As always, he put a cup of tea next to her and greedily watched her with his yellow eyes. And as always, she didn¡¯t touch the cup and got down to business.


    ¡°It¡¯s Baby¡¯s request. Like always, ten bottles of contraceptives.¡±


    ¡°How is Baby? It¡¯s so difficult to see Baby¡¯s face these days.¡±


    ¡°Obviously doing well, if ordering medicine. I¡¯m busy, so hurry and give me the medicine,¡± SoYoon said. Duke got up, went inside, and brought out a small box. SoYoon checked the contents of the box and opened her wallet. Duke grabbed the hand that carried the Lewis Carroll.


    ¡°You are always busy,¡± Duke said. ¡°Let¡¯s spend some time together. I have so many things I want to ask you. For example, how your face does not age even though time passes. You¡¯re like an adorable doll to me.¡±


    His fingers, nothing but skin and bones, swept across SoYoon¡¯s hand. SoYoon grabbed his wrist and twisted it.


    ¡°Ow, it hurts! It hurts! I won¡¯t touch you again. It hurts¡ªow, I think it¡¯s going to break!¡±


    Duke fretted as he begged. She knew it wasn¡¯t a promise he would keep, but SoYoon let him go regardless, hating even this sort of contact. Duke was so weak that he rolled onto the couch as she pushed him away. He had crawled over to the next couch and sat down. SoYoon counted the money and ced it on the table.


    ¡°Check it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s correct.¡±


    SoYoon rose from her seat. Duke remained crumpled on the sofa.


    SoYoon left Duke¡¯s house, checked the time, and pulled out her cellphone. Heart had left a message.


    /[Come around lunchtime.]/


    It was now 11:04. SoYoon had stopped by Baby¡¯s house first. Baby must have tossed all night because it was still in dreand. The bright silver hair cast upon the pillow was a sleeping, fairy-like child. Unable to wake Baby, SoYoon had received the cost of the medicine from its lover and headed to Heart¡¯s house.


    Other than the neutral zone, the majority of Wondend¡¯s buildings were old and withered from people chiseling them for firewood. When one walked the streets, it wasmon to see fights break out. SoYoon had hurriedly walked past a couple of people who looked as if they were fighting over groceries from Central¡¯s mart.


    As always, Heart¡¯s house looked like a mafia house. Surprisingly, Heart didn¡¯t force his minions to wear suits. The minions, however, out of respect toward Heart, were set on wearing them. It said a lot about Heart to have such loyal followers.


    SoYoon knocked as she arrived at Heart¡¯s office. A familiar voice invited her in. His minions had announced her arrival, and as soon as SoYoon stepped foot in the office, he dismissed them.


    ¡°Wee, Whitey. Had lunch?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Eat before you go.¡±


    Heart called his assistants to bring in two servings of food. He did not take his eyes off his documents.


    SoYoon searched the bottom of the table as usual and pulled out the pin to pin her hair back. Heart¡¯s special request was that SoYoon not hide her face when she was with him.


    Heart signed the papers and hurried over to where she sat. If her regr seat in this office was the long couch, his was the seat right next to her. There must have been a reason he avoided the one-person armchair or the sofa across from hers, but she couldn¡¯t figure out why.


    Heart sat next to SoYoon and observed her. Her forehead and eyebrows, the contour from her eyes down her face, was as sharp as a cliff. And below her eyshes, her light brown pupils did not waver one bit.


    SoYoon was busy because Heart had summoned her. Starting some time ago, he would call her over for no apparent reason and just watch her, sometimes resting while hugging her. When Heart was with her, he didn¡¯t let anyone else into the office, so no one knew about this. There wasn¡¯t a particr reason to reject such advances; as long as it was within reason, she had let him do as he pleased.


    Only when they heard someone at the door did he break his gaze to open it. Outside was a tray of food. Heart pushed the cart, and SoYoon helped him set it up.


    What awaited was a sd made with fresh vegetables mixed with grilled eggnt marinated in a balsamic vinegar dressing, two varieties of pasta, one with shrimp and cream sauce, another with ms and olive oil, a margarita pizza baked in a stone oven, and finally, a crispy mille-feuille stacked between sweet strawberry-and-custard cream. If you asked SoYoon what she wanted most from Heart¡¯s house, without a second thought, it would be his cook.


    They ate silently. After the sd, pasta, pizza, and dessert, Heart prepared coffee. The sound of beans grinding was peaceful. Just as she thought this, Heart¡¯s residents became rowdy.


    ¡°He ordered us to not let anyone enter!¡±


    ¡°Is he hiding some sort of treasure in there? There¡¯s no such thing as secrets in Wondend. White Rabbit also has to hear this anyways. Move.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­Hey! Mad Hatter!¡±


    ¡°I told you to move.¡±


    The uninvited guest was Mad Hatter. As if it wasn¡¯t enough that he was a technological geek, recently, he ordered SoYoon to purchase Hikkomori¡¯s property items for him. SoYoon looked at Heart. He continued to grind the beans, not changing his expression, although she couldn¡¯t miss the way his fingers tightened their grip on the coffee mill or the slight tremor of his eyshes.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go in!¡±


    With a loud sound, the door opened. At the same time, Heart¡¯s minions screamed.


    The water flowed out of the silver drip pot to soak the coffee grounds. As Heart prepared the coffee, Mad Hatter entered without permission and sat across from SoYoon.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­,¡± he said, meekly looking at SoYoon.


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    SoYoon, taken aback for a moment, soon lost interest. His eyes were drooping, and there were deep, dark circles under it, so she assumed he wasn¡¯t getting much sleep. Either that or he had been suffering from his migraines.


    Heart brought over the coffee. There were only two cups. Obviously, neither made its way to Mad Hatter. Mad Hatter didn¡¯t react, for he probably hadn¡¯t expected it.


    ¡°What business brings you all the way here?¡± Heart asked, smiling.


    SoYoon was sure she was not the only one who sensed that the smile was actually saying ¡°get lost.¡± Mad Hatter took out an item from his wrinkled jacket pocket and put it in front of SoYoon.


    ¡°It¡¯s a new product.¡±


    A shining cube-shaped item the size of her handy on the table. The size and design were a bit different, but it was definitely a smartphone. Above the round home button was drawn Mad Hatter¡¯s silk hat.


    SoYoon pressed it lightly. She saw the phone, message, and other essential apps that were usually on a smartphone screen.


    ¡°Are we able to use it now?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Mad Hatter smiled. Heart tapped the table lightly, and SoYoon looked up at him. Heart was smiling with discontent.


    He put down his mug and said, ¡°It¡¯s getting cold, my Whitey.¡± His mug was almost empty.


    ¡°So, what is that?¡±


    Heart grabbed the smartphone with one hand and pushed the coffee toward SoYoon with the other.

 Chapter 14

    <h4>Chapter 14</h4>


    SoYoon was surprised that Mad Hatter had left his house just to show Heart the smartphone. Determined to not be bothered by the two, SoYoon grabbed a fork and knife to cut the mille-feuille.


    She cut it cleanly without dropping any crumbs. Strangely, the two remained quiet as she ate a piece of her dessert, and they had only started talking about the smartphone¡¯s features after she was about halfway done.


    ¡°It¡¯s essentially a cellphone,¡± Heart said after hearing the simplified exnation. Then he sighed for Mad Hatter to hear.


    ¡°I can understand why someone like you would think of this masterpiece as ¡®essentially a cellphone,''¡± said Mad Hatter. ¡°It¡¯s normal for those less knowledgeable to sh with great innovators. Oh, it also includes an element of jealousy. It is the action of a simple soul who thinks he can gain love by forcing time.¡±


    He continued. ¡°The important thing is not the item itself but the user. How many people do you think could use all the functions I described? Plus, this drastic change is almost violent. Let¡¯s pretend you gave these to your minions right now. How many do you think would actually ept it? They will just think it is a useless thing with no real purpose, just some showy thing trying to uproot theirforts.


    ¡°So you do realize that your minions are as naive as their owner. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve made it simple enough so that even you, Heart, could figure out how to use it. If theforts of today are not efficient, then is it not our duty to find a better way? If you give it a chance, it will stick.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you designed and created this yourself, but you probably aren¡¯t nning to have this spread to the Outhouse,¡± Heart said. ¡°Then what is the point of having just a few in Wondend use this specific phone? I don¡¯t think there is a reason to invest in such a thing. If a person is content with the way of their life, is there is no reason to force them to break it for such a frivolous reason?¡±


    As the two men fought, the mille-feuille and coffee were gone, and SoYoon pulled out her cellphone out of habit. There were no new tasks at hand.


    Should I y the game Mad Hatter downloaded for me? She pressed the buttons to get into the game when she realized it had gotten quiet. She turned to find the two men staring at her.


    ¡°There are plenty of reasons.¡±


    SoYoon still had one ear open to their conversation and knew that Mad Hatter¡¯s answer was meant to get on Heart¡¯s nerves. Mad Hatter took the phone that sat between the two men and pushed it over to SoYoon.


    ¡°Use it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re giving it to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, why else would I show it to you? It uses a magic capsule so you don¡¯t even have to charge it from day to day.¡±


    SoYoon turned on the smartphone and checked the apps. It was no different from the one she had used 13 years ago.


    Heart, who was watching her, asked, ¡°This looks familiar to you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. She was the one who came up with the idea.¡±


    Violent, and no need for investment, huh? Mad Hatter smiled.


    Eventually, Mad Hatter received the funds to create a smartphone for Heart and left the office. With a scowl, the moment Heart closed the door, hey on SoYoon¡¯sp. His pouting face was appropriate for a 25-year-old.


    ¡°I lost this time.¡±


    Did he? Not really understanding what he¡¯d lost, SoYoon didn¡¯t answer. Heart wasn¡¯t expecting an answer, but he concentrated all his energy into ying with her hand. SoYoon let Heart borrow her one hand as she yed with the smartphone in her other.


    Heart asked softly but with a twang of annoyance. ¡°Do you like that thing that much?¡±


    Do I like it? SoYoon couldn¡¯t answer. Smartphones were useful. No, even that wasn¡¯t an adequate exnation. For the average 21st-century person on Earth, it was difficult to not feel an attachment to one¡¯s smartphone. But after 13 years of not using it, that no longer applied. Right now, a smartphone wasn¡¯t a necessity.


    SoYoon touched the smooth screen of the phone. Her heart twinged. Who would have thought a new piece of technology could bring such nostalgia?


    Heart got up, caressed her face, and stared into her eyes. Different from hers, his eyes had a twinge of red and emanated a wild energy. He pulled her into his arms. Heart¡¯s breath swept across her neck.


    ¡°You smell nice.¡±


    ¡°It tickles.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it time that you give off a different type of scent than soap?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking. Stop breathing.¡±


    ¡°Telling me to die. So mean.¡±


    Heartughed quietly. SoYoon pushed him away as the tickling worsened. He let her push him away without a fight, then walked back to his desk.


    ¡°You can leave.¡±


    SoYoon got up and said a short goodbye, then left¡ªas was the routine in her life.


    ***


    The next day, SoYoon was examining her things when she realized that she was running out of the patches she wore over her brand. She went to see the Mad Hatter around midday. He must have woken early today because he looked surprisingly alert.


    ¡°Sit, please.¡±


    SoYoon sat on the sofa on the first floor. On the table was a teacup. She was about to drink out of it when she realized the cup was empty.


    ¡°Did you want to drink?¡± Mad Hatter asked, shaking a ss bottle that held slushy vodka left in the fridge too long.


    When SoYoon shook her head, he didn¡¯t ask twice and poured himself a ss. His long white fingers lightly held the antique handle of the cup as he brought it to his lips. His giant leopard print hat and ssic ink pen made him look like a member of nobility from the cold north.


    As he drank the vodka, SoYoon told him her business. Because she was the only person to use the patch, she had to order first, then have it made.


    ¡°How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°How many do you have left? No, never mind. Give me your bag.¡±


    Mad Hatter checked the wide cross bag that SoYoon always carried. His blue eyes reflected green.


    ¡°You only have three left. I told you to check on it often. If you getzy, you¡¯ll get into trouble. How could you live like this...?¡±


    His nagging persisted for several more minutes. Thanks to the vodka, his speech was longer than usual.


    He sighed. ¡°Foreseeing this, I already made some. Can¡¯t you ever be less predictable sometimes? Wait a moment.¡±


    Mad Hatter went up to the second floor. Even though he had emptied an entire bottle of vodka, he was as steady as a rock.


    A few momentster, he came back down with a box full of patches. SoYoon put it in her bag after paying for them. As she closed her bag, Mad Hatter asked, ¡°How¡¯s the smartphone?¡±


    ¡°Good. Are you sure you don¡¯t have ns to reveal it in Outhouse?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    Outhouse was full of people with magical powers, so most were weak when it came to technology. They still couldn¡¯t figure out the mechanism for the magic capsule that Mad Hatter had invented when he was only 18. Although he hated to agree with Heart, his assumption that the smartphone would be useless in Outhouse was probably right.


    ¡°If I had wanted to do that, I would have already tried to sell a flip phone or slide phone.¡±


    The main reason for not doing this was that he was toozy to make it. After seeing what the magic capsules did to the poption, Mad Hatter was determined not to show Outhouse any of his other creations.


    ¡°What¡¯s most important to me is that I made it with my own hands. I have no interest in money or fame.¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, Mr. Millionaire.¡±


    SoYoon got up from her seat. Mad Hatter followed her with his eyes and muttered under his breath.


    ¡°You eat well.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you not like alcohol?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°...Never mind. You can leave.¡±


    SoYoon left the house feeling as if she had been kicked out.


    The next afternoon, SoYoon received a task from Mad Hatter. It was a request to pick up household items. But unlike his usual requests, he listed things like milk, butter, salt, other groceries, a pot, and other kitchenware.


    SoYoon went straight to Central¡¯s mart. Usually March would handle these tasks, but for Mad Hatter, it was different. Thest time she had told March to do it, she had gotten smacked by so many harsh words that she had decided that, however small the task, she would do it personally.


    As SoYoon walked with a basket full of things, her smartphone message alert rang. It was a message from Heart to stop by if she had time.


    Because of that, she was only to spend a short time conversing with Mad Hatter after dropping off the groceries before heading to Heart¡¯s house. It was 3:36. She would arrive at Heart¡¯s ce a little before 4:30.


    She hurried to Heart¡¯s house and headed straight to his office. The moment she got to the door, a sweet smell met her nostrils.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    The two of them sat side by side and let time pass. Heart watched as SoYoon ate seven colorful macarons and washed down the sweetness with some coffee.


    Heart touched her lips. ¡°You¡¯ve got something there.¡±


    SoYoon sat still as Heart removed the crumbs. She was in charge of handling all sorts of lowly things in Wondend, but sometimes Heart treated her like a ss doll.


    He removed his hands from her lips and swept his fingers through her hair.


    ¡°Eat dinner before you leave.¡±


    At those words, SoYoon looked at the clock hung on the wall: 4:58. There was still time before her appointment, but not enough to eat dinner.


    ¡°I have a task.¡±


    ¡°What a shame.¡±


    The fingers that had been ying with her hair slowly crept down her neck. His callused, manly hands softly swept across her skin.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    The nickname that made her feel like a pet was said with a pheromone-induced sweetness. SoYoon flinched reflexively. Heartughed out loud and let her go.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot. How old are you this year?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-one.¡±


    In actuality, she was 36. SoYoon added in her mind. Heartughed again. This time, theugh was more reserved.


    ¡°It¡¯s already been that long. It feels like we met just yesterday, but time sure flies.¡±


    ¡°You sound like an old woman.¡±


    ¡°I thought that that was the all-grown-up version of you...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you treated me like a child back then, either.¡±


    SoYoon got up. She might end up eating dinner here if she stayed any longer.


    Heart didn¡¯t stop her.

 Chapter 15

    <h4>Chapter 15</h4>


    Tonight¡¯s task was for Baby. Baby greeted, SoYoon, who arrived a little before 6:00.


    ¡°Wee! You came by when I was asleepst time. You should have woken me up.¡±


    ¡°You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn¡¯t want to interrupt.¡±


    Baby rammed into SoYoon like a boar. SoYoon hugged Baby back. The lovers yfully made fun of them as Baby kissed SoYoon all over her cheek. The giggling face was so young looking that it was hard to believe it belonged to a 30-year-old. As rumor had it, the face had not changed since 15.


    Baby transformed in a different way. Baby changed genders. It was something Baby couldn¡¯t control and could only feel the changesing on. However, like a true resident of Wondend, Baby was able to seduce men, women, young and old, whenever the whim presented itself. Right now, she must have been a woman as she was sporting a green dress.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. There¡¯s something I need to hear from you.¡±


    ¡°I came to fulfill a task.¡±


    ¡°We have some time left, so take it slow. Okay?¡±


    Baby smiled, raising her finger over her plump pink lips. SoYoon couldn¡¯t helpughing at the innocence.


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work on me.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, friend.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want to hear so badly?¡±


    ¡°Oh, friend!¡±


    Baby was the only friend that SoYoon had made here. They had inmon hair that shone in the dark, small, thin stature, young faces, and although it was a secret, simr ages.


    Baby dragged SoYoon into the room. The things that SoYoon thought were dull such as the happenings of Wondend, the suspicious activities of the Twins, the smartphone, Heart¡¯s advances, Mad Hatter¡¯s patch order became wonderful topics of discussion to Baby. Babyughed, wiping tears off her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot. Oh, you naive fool. All my life, I¡¯ve never...¡±


    SoYoon stared at theughing Baby and chewed on a french fry. The salty french fries were a favorite of Baby¡¯s, who surprisingly hated sweets.


    Baby barely controlled herughing and dove into the fries until the te was almost empty. When the snacks were depleted, gossip time was also over. That¡¯s when they talked about work.


    Baby called the people who tried to attack her thugs. Baby reasoned that it was a word that described their wanting to attack a beautiful and frail being.


    Beauty¡ªBaby¡¯s second-biggest weapon. Using it, Baby was able to seduce a hoard of lovers to create a n. But she was frail. If you based strength on physical power alone, then yes, Baby could be considered frail. That was probably why the thugs thought it easy to attack.


    ¡°There are six total. The actual attack will start at two a.m., but at eight, one is nning to infiltrate our ranks. They n to kill the person who delivers our groceries once a week, pretend to deliver the goods, then remain in hiding inside. Then when everyone is asleep, he will open the door and let the rest inside to kill me. If they kill me, they can split apart the n.¡±


    SoYoon, however, never thought of Baby as frail. Baby knew every bit of information circting within Wondend. Baby said her nickname as Intel was a bit drastic when she only made contact with a select few, but Heart and SoYoon didn¡¯t think so. Just recapping the story, Baby had intel on the time and number of intruders and was rying them all to SoYoon.


    ¡°Should we keep one alive?¡±


    ¡°No need. I know the person and reason behind it.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°The person who calls himself Mad Dog. He was pretending to be a big-shot mobster at Outhouse, then messed with the wrong man and ended up crawling in here with the rest of his minions. They are slowly getting established now and wanted to make a point, and I ended up being the target. He¡¯s pretty good-looking, though. What a shame.¡±


    ¡°Were you nning to eat him up?¡±


    ¡°Eat him up? I just never reject anyone who loves me. Think about it. The enemy falls in love with his target, and I make the macho man grovel at my feet. It gives me the chills.¡±


    Baby¡¯s blue eyes drained of color. She looked ready to take all her lovers to bed this instant. SoYoon flicked her forehead and spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost eight. There¡¯s no time for that.¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s the only reason I still have clothes on at this hour.¡±


    Baby raised her dress up slightly as she answered. The velvetce undergarments above her thighs would make anyone fill with lust. Because they were not alone in the room, the lovers kept shooting nces at them. SoYoon sighed and got up.


    ¡°Do whatever you want. It might be better to act normally if you¡¯re going to let them infiltrate anyway.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere in the living room. Just give me something to eat.¡±


    Baby¡¯s lovers moved before SoYoon even finished closing the door. SoYoon closed the door until the lovers were out of sight.


    The night grew deep. A few minutes before 2:00, the house filled with darkness. The first-floor lobby was dead silent except for a doll in dark clothing. The doll stopped in front of the door and looked around carefully, then unlocked it. The well-oiled door opened without a sound. After checking the surroundings again, an arm crept out the door and signaled.


    His task was nowplete. His troops entered with relief and whispered.


    ¡°You did well.¡±


    That was thest sound he ever heard.


    SoYoon marched the corpse in front of her and went outside.


    ¡°Hey, why did youe out? We¡¯re going to go in anyway,¡± one of the thugs asked. She threw the corpse toward him and ran.


    ¡°Ah, what...! F*ck! Undertaker!¡±


    SoYoon pulled her sword out with her right hand and grabbed her sheath with her left. In the cool spring night, in the light of a crescent moon, the sword swung quietly.


    Six men. Whether it was because they didn¡¯t take Baby seriously or because they were from Outhouse, the men were incredibly weak. The nickname Mad Dog now seemed ridiculous¡ªbecause here was where all the crazies came to y.


    Soon, one man came through the door. That was when SoYoon was cutting the sixth man in half. The man frowned at the blood sttered all over the nicely manicuredwn.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you work a bit more cleanly? Do you know how bothersome it is to clean all this up?¡±


    ¡°Tell that to Baby. This was all thanks to him. Where do you want to put all these corpses?¡±


    ¡°No wonder they call you the Undertaker. We¡¯re going to use them tomorrow, so don¡¯t take them. Here¡¯s your pay.¡±


    The man shoved the corpses into a corner. He must havee out to deal with the mess. The corpses would probably be nicely packaged and delivered to Mad Dog¡¯s front door.


    SoYoon put the money in her cross bag and left Baby¡¯s house. The inky ck sky was looking down on her. She made her rounds around the slumster than usual and arrived at March and Dor¡¯s house. She could hear them in a deep sleep, the three of them.


    March, Dor, and¡ª


    That night, SoYoon opened the notebook that she had kept for the four years since she had entered Wondend. It was the original story of Wondend that she had copied into the notebook.


    The first page had finally started.


    ***


    In the time that SoYoon had been ying with Baby and Baby with the lovers, one girl had stumbled past the Wondend sign. But having used all her strength, before setting foot into Wondend, she had lost consciousness.


    How much time has passed? When she opened her eyes, she was no longer the girl she had been before she passed out. The person inside was someone else.


    It was a cold spring night. She opened her eyes and slowly raised her body to find that she had been lying on the ground.


    She dusted off the parts that had made contact with the ground and found a long golden thread. She reached for the slightly curly piece to find that it was a blond hair. She pulled at it and yelled as she realized it was attached to her head. That was when she realized that the hair was hers.


    Aftering back to her senses, she realized she was wearing clothes she¡¯d never seen before, and the shape of her hands and the color of her skin were different. She searched inside a bag she found lying nearby. Among some clothes and food was a small mirror. With shaking hands, she checked her reflection.


    She saw a head of golden hair that shone brightly in the darkness, pale blue eyes, cream-colored skin, and an innocent face.


    Even for someone who had been called pretty all her life, she had to admit the girl in the mirror was beautiful. She swept her hands across her body. Even this girl¡¯s body was perfect.


    How could this have happened? How could I be in someone else¡¯s body? Am I dreaming?

 Chapter 16

    <h4>Chapter 16</h4>


    She tried to remember thest thing she could recall. She had been attempting tomit suicide after being betrayed by the person she loved. After that, it was all ck. She started to believe that she had passed through the darkness into death, and her spirit had lived on. It could have been a few seconds or many years.


    A sudden bright light appeared. She wanted to follow the sun-like light, but as she swam toward it, her spirit curved in a different direction and got sucked inside. No, it¡¯s not this way! However much she screamed and resisted, it was no use. Eventually, she passed the light, and that was thest thing she remembered.


    The thing she wanted the most never made it into her hands¡ªthe light, nor her love.


    ¡°DongHyun Oppa...¡±


    She had mumbled thesest words before she died. It had been a long time in which she cared for her precious love. A simple mistake had shattered their love into a million pieces. She still could not understand why he had abandoned her.


    But...her heart, which had always beat so fast when thinking about him, was now strangely calm. As if she was looking at an old ck and white photograph, her emotions were still. Is it because I¡¯m in another body? She felt a sense of relief about losing her love.


    She came back to the present and searched the bag further. In the inside pocket was a wallet. Inside the wallet were coins and bills she had never seen before. Digging deeper, she found the ID she was looking for.


    Alice Liddell.


    There was no way she didn¡¯t know this name. Lewis Carroll¡¯s fairytale Alice in Wondend was a famous book, after all. Plus, due to its unique nature, there were many other art forms that used it as their motif. But there was only one story that described the wildly gaudy sign that read ¡°Wondend.¡±


    The romance fantasy novel she loved was Wondend. It was a story of the female lead, Alice Liddell, and the many interesting men she met.


    If what she realized was true, and this was not a dream, that meant that she was the female lead. The location and the contents of the bag proved that this was the narrative¡¯s first page, where Alice ran away to Wondend after losing her parents.


    I will no longer live like a fool. I¡¯m going to live being loved.


    Alice walked toward the Wondend sign and entered inside.


    The romance fantasy novel, Wondend, had begun.


    ***


    The first person Alice was meant to meet was March. In the original story, March carried the unconscious Alice to his house and let her stay there for the day. The problem was that she didn¡¯t know where March¡¯s house was.


    She went where her feet took her. Onlyter would she realize that this had been a dangerous notion, but as of now, Alice had no idea.


    And 40 minutester, she was able to confirm that she was this world¡¯s main character.


    A boy with tousled brown hair and light brown skin who looked to be around the same age as Alice walked in the street. He woreyers of oversized shirts and goggles like a headband. Although he was only a side character, he had the important role of introducing her to the other important characters in the story. His name was March.


    Alice followed behind him carefully. He hurried through the old buildings and wiggled through the narrow alleyways. March said he lived in the slums, and this ce must have been it. March went into one of the buildings and turned on the lights inside the dark house. She quicklyy down in front of the door. The wind was cold, but because her clothes were thick, it was bearable.


    The next day, about midday, Alice opened her eyes. Her surroundings were quiet. She climbed off the sofa she had been lying on and cautiously looked around inside.


    ¡°Hello? Is anybody there?¡± she asked in a soprano tone.


    There was no response. She wandered deeper inside. There were two doors. She decided to try the one on the right. She knocked lightly, checking to see if she heard anyone on the other side, then opened it. As would be expected of a teenage boy, the room was messy. There was no one in the room.


    She closed the door and opened the left one. This one was a girl¡¯s room with dainty, pretty knick-knacks. In the center of the room was a bed. Alice pulled back the thin canopy surrounding the bed. There she found a small girl asleep. It was Dor, March¡¯s baby sister.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty. Butpared to me, not so much. All I have to do is cure her?¡±


    Dor had a curious disease that caused her to sleep for most of her life. In the original story, Alice gained March¡¯s trust by curing her. She didn¡¯t know how she would do it, but she was confident she had the skill.


    Time passed, and night fell. Alice ate the cereal from inside her bag hungrily. Determined to make a good impression, she didn¡¯t touch the food in the kitchen.


    Alice whimpered in boredom until March¡¯s long return. When he arrived, Alice went straight to Dor.


    ¡°Dor, your brother is here.¡±


    His footsteps got progressively closer. Alice felt a warmth emanating from her hands onto Dor¡¯s skin.


    The footsteps stopped. Beyond the door, she could feel his presence. Dor whimpered. The door opened.


    ¡°Who are you?! What are you doing to my sister...? Oh my God.¡±


    Dor, surrounded by light, opened her eyes. She first looked at the smiling Alice, then at her stunned brother standing by the door and smiled.


    ¡°Brother...¡±


    ¡°Dor!¡±


    The healing process must have ended because the light from Alice¡¯s hand slowly dissipated. March ran to hug Dor and looked hesitantly at Alice.


    Alice smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Your sister will be okay now. I healed her. I¡¯m Alice Liddell. And you are?¡±


    March thought he was dreaming. He pinched himself secretly. It hurt.


    It wasn¡¯t a dream. That meant his smiling sister in front of him was also not a hallucination.


    White Rabbit had been right. As she had predicted, four yearster, Dor had opened her eyes. March looked at Alice.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    It was short but filled with emotion. Alice nodded at his gratitude.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. You saved me yesterday too. You¡¯re the one that brought me here, right? If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would have died or been kidnapped by strange men.¡±


    ¡°You said your name is Alice? You¡¯re not from here, are you?¡±


    Here was the neutral zone. Even if you were asleep on the streets in the middle of the night, no one would kidnap you. Because if youmitted a crime here, White Rabbit would annihte you.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m from the outside.¡±


    ¡°Count yourself lucky. If you had been anywhere else, you would have disappeared without a soul knowing.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    Alice¡¯s pink lips curved as she answered. March noticed sheughed a lot. In Wondend, most women did not smile much, so with that trait alone, Alice would be popr here. But as March watched her, he felt a strange emotion. In his heart, he sensed a familiarity.


    Dor pulled at March¡¯s sleeve. She was bored being left out of the conversation, so she pouted like a duckling.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, brother.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you pig. I¡¯ll give you food.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a pig!¡±


    After March went to the kitchen, Dor and Alice remained alone. Alice ced her gaze elsewhere. She didn¡¯t like children much. Luckily, Dor didn¡¯t pay much attention to Alice and searched her surroundings.


    ¡°Rabbit...¡±


    Alice ignored Dor¡¯s voice. Dor continued to call for the rabbit and screamed for him when March returned from the kitchen.


    ¡°Rabbit! Brother, where is Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°Rabbit is, umm...¡±


    March put the tray down on a table and stepped into Dor¡¯s room. He came back into the living room with a white rabbit doll in his hands. He ced the doll into his sister¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to be content with this for today.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Rabbit.¡±


    ¡°That is a rabbit. Eat this quietly. Then tomorrow, the real Rabbit wille.¡±


    March carried the bowl of porridge to Dor and handed Alice another bowl of stew. Respectfully, she declined once but soon happily took the stew and put it in her mouth.


    ¡°....!¡±


    Gross! How could something taste this bad? Alice couldn¡¯t even chew and immediately swallowed it. But even that gesture made her tongue revolt. She didn¡¯t think she could eat this even if someone had a gun to her head, so she put down her spoon. March asked.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m so tired, I¡¯m not that hungry. Sorry. Could I wash up first?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. The bathroom is that way.¡±


    March looked forlornly at the bowl of stew. She knew to keep him in good spirits, she should empty the bowl, but she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it.


    She took out clothes from her bag. Fortunately, the shower looked the same as what she was used to. She turned the lever toward hot and stepped inside. She had assumed that by this time, the water would have warmed up.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so cold!¡±


    Alice screamed and stepped away from the shower head. The water was icy.


    ¡°Why is everything so pathetic here?¡±


    Guess even the boiler didn¡¯t work in the slums. Afraid March would hear, she muttered to herself as she waited for the water to warm up.

 Chapter 17

    <h4>Chapter 17</h4>


    The water remained cold. No, it felt as if it was getting even colder.


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon.¡±


    She mumbled in annoyance as she wet her towel to wipe off her body. Bothered that she had slept on the ground, she was hoping to have a good wash, but she didn¡¯t have much choice.


    I¡¯ll just suck it up and wash my hair. She looked for shampoo but found only soap. Curse words were at the tip of her tongue, but she resisted and washed her hair with the soap.


    To get out of this situation, there was only one thing to do. She had to hurry and find either Heart or Mad Hatter. What did I expect out of March, anyway? After he¡¯s done with his part, he¡¯s nothing but an extra.


    Alice left the bathroom and searched for March. He was in the kitchen, poking arge can full of firewood.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me use the bathroom. But what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Boiling water,¡± March answered ndly as he ced a coiled wad of paper into the mes. When the paper was lit, he brought it to the kindling and set it ame.


    Oh, my. To the Alice of Wondend, this was a strange sight. Other people¡¯s houses wouldn¡¯t be like this, right? Suppressing her annoyance was getting progressively harder as worry sunk in. She forced a smile.


    ¡°That looks hard.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re from Outhouse. Pay attention. Most people use fire like this. Unless you have a person with magical powers in the household.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Alice felt relieved. The men that were to fall in love with her were not most people.


    As Alice imagined the house she would live in and the man she would choose, March ced arge pot of water over the mes. Alice, not having much to do, watched with her chin propped against her hands.


    Soon, the water started to boil. March picked up the pot and went to Dor¡¯s room. Alice trotted behind him and frowned as she looked at the things readied: towel, soap, a pot of cold water, and a tub. March poured the tub half full of hot water and adjusted the temperature with the cold. Undressing Dor, he ced her into the tub.


    ¡°You¡¯re all better now, so this is the end of me having to wash you. You will now have to learn how to bathe yourself,¡± March said as he rubbed soap onto a small towel. Although she was 15, she looked much younger, and her mental age seemed even younger.


    ¡°Can I bathe with Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    March washed Dor thoroughly from head to toe, then dried her hair with a towel. He sure cared a lot.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep,¡± Alice said and left the room. She couldn¡¯t stand any more of it.


    She was saddened by the fact that the old sofa was dirty and hard. And so her second night in Wondend passed.


    ***


    March did all he could for Dor, who had been asleep almost all her life. To make sure she could adjust smoothly, he let her lie down often, and when sheined that her body didn¡¯t move well after waking up, he would massage her.


    It was actually a miracle that Dor could move around like a normal person who only slept one day at a time. But why couldn¡¯t March shake off this irksome feeling when he went to tell SoYoon the good news?


    ¡°March.¡±


    SoYoon put out hot milk for March. It was the only thing that SoYoon could cook.


    March¡¯s mind wandered again to Alice. She had thought boiling water was strange. Of course, not everyone in Wondend used firewood for heat. SoYoon had a ss box that got hot with the flip of a switch. Mad Hatter had made it for her when she had the idea. It was called an induction oven.


    Everyone in Outhouse used such things. Now that he thought about it, Alice didn¡¯t respond to the term Outhouse at all. He had been preupied with bathing Dor, so it had slipped his mind, but it was definitely strange.


    ¡°Why is your expression like that? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No. It¡¯s something good. Dor woke up. The girl that fixed her said she ispletely healed. She woke up this morning without anything happening, so I can trust her, right?¡±


    His eyes were swollen fromck of sleep; he had spent the night watching over his sister¡¯s bed. SoYoon petted March¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Stop! I¡¯m all grown now! I¡¯m even taller than you!¡±


    ¡°I know you like it. What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about?¡±


    ¡°No! I hate it!¡±


    Unlike SoYoon, whose expression was nk, March blushed red. It was obvious that SoYoon was the winner in this little contest. Her brown eyes held a tenderness that made March close his mouth.


    ¡°But, what do you mean, the girl who fixed her?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Alice Liddell. I brought her to my house when he fainted two nights ago. Butst night, in Dor¡¯s room, she...¡±


    March described the miracle of the previous night. Even as he exined it, he sounded as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. Was this magic? Never in his life had March seen magic, so he assumed this to be it.


    ¡°Unlike before, Dor is fine moving about. She can even walk.¡±


    ¡°You should still take her to see Doctor. With Alice also.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And Dor says she misses you.¡±


    Truthfully, that was the reason he was here. SoYoon hesitated but nodded.


    ¡°Morning will be tough...but I¡¯ll stop by in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Um. Are all Outhouse people like that?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you infatuated with her?¡±


    SoYoon smiled teasingly. She had always thought of him as a little kid, but he was all grown. She had already known that March would fall for Alice at first sight, but knowing that was different from actually witnessing it. As she said this, March looked at her in exasperation.


    ¡°I knew you were a little weird, but have you decided to go all the way with it? I told you to stop hanging out with the weirdos.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden nagging?¡±


    ¡°Cuz you are speaking nonsense.¡±


    SoYoon expected this embarrassed reaction. March had warned SoYoon to be careful around Baby, Mad Hatter, and Duke.


    ¡°Okay. I understand. So you just take Dor and Alice to Doctor.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m busy. I have to go see Heart.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be making up a fake appointment so you could get rid of me, would you? You bettere see Dor in the afternoon.¡±


    After March left, SoYoon got ready. She had made up a fake appointment, but she did have business to attend to. She had to tell Heart about Alice.


    When SoYoon arrived at Heart¡¯s house, she was led not to his office but his bedroom. Heart was wearing ck silk pajama pants, lying on the sofa, and eating ate breakfast.


    She sat across from Heart. He was still a bit drowsy, so he smiled more dreamily than normal.


    ¡°What a surprise. I would have never expected you so early.


    ¡°In seven minutes, it will be ten.¡±


    SoYoon removed her mask and pinned her hair back with the pin Heart handed her.


    A few momentster, the same breakfast as Heart¡¯s was set in front of SoYoon. She had missed breakfast due to March¡¯s arrival, so she took it gratefully. Heart had finished before her and got up to make coffee, then brought it to her.


    ¡°It must be important for you to show up here without even calling.¡±


    ¡°Two nights ago, a girl came here from Outhouse. Her name is Alice Liddell. She has the ability to heal.¡±


    ¡°Healing powers? Not magic?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I believe. She healed Dor.¡±


    Illnesses could not be cured by magic. Hence, Alice¡¯s powers were not magic. SoYoon knew that Alice did not have magical powers and so beat around the bush, thinking of an excuse.


    Heart got up from his seat and approached her. Anticipating his next move, SoYoon put down her mug. As expected, he sat on the arms of the armchair and buried his face into her neck. Taking in a deep breath, he whispered.


    ¡°What is your rtion to her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never met her.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    His seductive voice and breath on her neck aroused her sensitive skin. SoYoon flinched.


    ¡°Stop. It tickles.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just sensitive.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡±


    Baby always criticized her for being oblivious. When she said this, Heartughed quietly...because it tickled.


    ¡°You must be close to Baby. What about the girl?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so obsessed with this Alice you¡¯ve never met before?¡± Heart whispered. His voice pulled at her insides, making her hot.


    ¡°When you said her name, you smiled.¡±


    Heart¡¯s unclothed arm embraced her shoulders. She turned her head to find that his face was inches away from hers.


    SoYoon pretended to look at the ruby piercing on his lips and turned away. But Heart grabbed her hand and ced it on his chest where his heart was and slowly swept it across.

 Chapter 18

    <h4>Chapter 18</h4>


    She had never touched someone else¡¯s bare body before. Her pale fingers twitched on the light brown and hardened skin. SoYoon felt her stomach turn and clenched her hand. Then Heart embraced her with his whole body.


    SoYoon closed her eyes as she felt his warmth nket her body. Feeling as if she was falling, her sensitivity picked up Heart¡¯s scent.


    She had assumed he would smell like musk or amber, but instead, he smelled like vetiver. The slightly sweet smell mixed with the scent of trees and earth, and she inhaled deeply. Heart¡¯s arms flexed.


    A littleter, Heart got up. SoYoon opened her eyes. Heart was pressing her hair with his fingers and asked.


    ¡°Where is that girl?¡±


    ¡°Probably at the Doctor¡¯s. I told March to take her there.¡±


    ¡°Then tell him to bring her here right after.¡±


    After getting up, Heart pulled on a beige gown then stood in front of SoYoon with his arms open. SoYoon closed his gown for him and tied it shut.


    ¡°Very nice, my Whitey.¡±


    He whispered this into her ear then took her outside with him.


    As they walked down from the third-floor bedroom to the first, she smelled blood. As this had happened so often, she didn¡¯t think much of it, but when SoYoon opened one of Heart¡¯s doors, she realized she had been mistaken. There was something else she didn¡¯t expect.


    The smell of blood and medicine filled the room, as a man covered in bandagesy barely able to breathe. His wounds must have been recent as blood poured into the bandages, dying them red. He was on the brink of death.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to test her skills on him.¡±


    SoYoon sent the message to March right away.


    ***


    Upon returning from SoYoon¡¯s house, March immediately took Dor and Alice to Doctor. On the way, Dorined that her legs hurt, so he had to carry her on his back, although he didn¡¯t mind.


    Doctor even pulled out a stethoscope to check every part of Dor and announced that she was normal. Compared to other people, her growth was stunted, and she had less muscle, but for someone who had spent the majority of her life lying down, this was practically a miracle. March hugged Dor.


    ¡°Thank you, Doctor. And thank you so much, Alice.¡±


    ¡°I only did what I had to.¡±


    Alice nodded and smiled humbly. Doctor observed Alice as he yed with the cigarette in his mouth. She was quite pretty. Her eyes and face exuded a goodness that didn¡¯t match with those who lived in Wondend.


    ¡°Neer?¡±


    Alice turned to Doctor. In the original story, Doctor was 31 years old. He was a character who would fall for a girl 13 years younger.


    Even though he had a scratchy, unshaved beard and wore an uninterested expression most of the time, Doctor was still attractive. If he was described as only above average in the book, she wondered how good Mad Hatter would look, who was described as immensely handsome. Alice couldn¡¯t hide her anticipation.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Alice Liddell. I came here two days ago.¡±


    ¡°I hear it was you who healed the child?¡±


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s...¡±


    Alice smiled, embarrassed, as she exined what happened. She said how she had wanted to help her and how the light came out of her hands, that this was a skill she¡¯d had since childhood, that she had kept it a secret as requested by her parents, that she could not use it on herself, and when she arrived at March¡¯s house and saw Dor, that she healed her.


    ¡°I saw Dor lying there and I couldn¡¯t help it...¡±


    Doctor looked Alice up and down. Alice didn¡¯t know where to look, so she turned to March. March was busy dressing Dor.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    Alice lowered her head and twiddled her fingers. March, who had been watching them from behind, clicked his tongue. That jerk is at it again. Doctor smiled and continued.


    ¡°Your organs look fresh. Not one would go to waste.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°What do you say? Do you want to split it open just to see? It¡¯s okay, I can take them out cleanly so that you won¡¯t even see the stitches.¡±


    ¡°Take them out? What...?¡±


    Only then did Alice realize where she was. Doctor, unlike March, did not fall in love with Alice at first sight. As a doctor, he was interested in her healing powers and fell in love with her apparent goodness.


    In Wondend, there was only one sentence that bought up his hobby. Alice¡¯s face went white. If March had not intervened, she might have run out of the examining room.


    ¡°Quit it, Doctor. Such a weird personality...¡±


    ¡°Are you taking the side of your girlfriend? Aren¡¯t you a little young to be dating?¡±


    ¡°Not you too, Doctor? Alice, I think you should go somewhere with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, where?¡±


    In his heart, he wanted to go anywhere with her. Alice looked at him intently. She waited for him to say the name of the person she hoped to meet soon.


    ¡°Heart is asking to see you.¡±


    Thirty minutester, the three of them arrived at Heart¡¯s house.


    The enormous house fit for European royalty or a Hollywood celebrity made Alice¡¯s eyes grow wide and her lips curve upward. She tried to resist so that she wouldn¡¯t look as immature as Dor.


    ¡°Brother, this is a house?¡±


    ¡°Yes, house. It¡¯s where Heart lives.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Heart?¡±


    ¡°Just someone. He¡¯s extremely strong and scary...anyway, just someone.¡±


    The three of them stepped inside and had to split up once they came to the lobby. Alice went left, March and Dor were led to the right.


    Alice was taken to a room that carried a strong scent of medicine that punched her nose. Inside were three people waiting for her, but Alice¡¯s eyes were drawn only to one.


    Even from afar, he was noticeable, with his ginger hair and handsome face. He was watching her with those energetic and explosive eyes. She almost shouted out in awe.


    Wow. Even with just his smile, he could knock out any girl.


    ¡°Are you Alice?¡±


    His voice was like an old wine as he called out her name. She quickly nodded. He waved her over.


    That was when she realized he had only a gown on above the pajama pants. It was thin, so she was able to see all the contours beneath the silk exterior. The beige color shimmered almost gold so that it looked both elegant and sexy.


    Heart¡ªWondend¡¯s strongest man. Nowhere in the book did it ever say that he was this sensual being.


    Alice approached Heart. He might fall in love with her in the future, but as of right now, he was Wondend¡¯s warlord. As she got closer, she could feel his powerful presence. Alice turned without thinking to find that there were two other people in the room.


    One person was lying on the bed. It seemed she was here because of this man. And the other person was small with white-blond hair. Definitely the White Rabbit.


    White Rabbit was a character who did Heart¡¯s bidding and would make up lies for his enjoyment. He was neither a friend nor foe to Alice. He was small and thin and covered almost his entire face with a mask so that it was hard to even differentiate his gender. Surprised to find him smaller than even her, Alice thought his side looked a bit pathetic.


    When Alice¡¯s gaze locked on SoYoon, Heart¡¯s eyes turned angry. Heart stepped forward in front of Alice. Doing this, SoYoon¡¯s small stature became hidden behind him. Heart stared at Alice.


    ¡°I¡¯m Heart. I heard about your powers through March.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, March...¡±


    ¡°So, I have a favor to ask. Can you do it?¡±


    His low voice sounded almost demonlike. Alice nodded in a trance. Then she walked over to the wounded man and ced her hands over him. A bright light flowed from Alice¡¯s hands into the man¡¯s body. Upon seeing the wounds heal themselves under the bandages, Heart¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    A little whileter, the man opened his eyes.


    ¡°Who...Huh? I was sure I was...¡±


    His attention was stolen by the lovely girl¡¯s face above him, but, confused, he got up from the bed.


    Heart removed the bandages from the man¡¯s body. The blood he had been losing only a few moments ago had dyed the bandages red, but now, the skin underneath the bandages was without even a scratch. It couldn¡¯t be described as anything other than magic.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Heart eximed.


    Heart, SoYoon, and Alice moved to Heart¡¯s office. Unlike the other times, Heart sat at his desk and concentrated his attention on Alice. The girl¡¯s cheeks blushed red.


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m eighteen.¡±


    Alice was a year older than when SoYoon first stepped into Wondend. Even so, the difference was huge. Heart looked at SoYoon with lowered eyes.


    Although he couldn¡¯t read her expression, he could tell all her attention was directed toward Alice as well.


    Heartughed softly. Alice¡¯s face flushed. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out her desires reflected in those blue eyes.


    ¡°You said you came into Wondend two days ago? Can you tell me what happened outside of it?¡±


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t really know. Suddenly my parents were murdered...sniff, I¡¯m sorry...I was staying at a friend¡¯s ce, but I didn¡¯t want to cause them any more trouble, so I left. I was walking when I saw Wondend, and I just thought that here they would take me in...¡±


    Alice lowered her head and rubbed her eyes. When she raised her face, her eyes were red.


    ¡°It must have been tough for you. If there¡¯s anything I could do, don¡¯t hesitate and just ask. You saved my assistant¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Then, there is one thing I want. I want to know why my parents were murdered.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be difficult to try to find out. But is that all?¡±


    SoYoon, who had just be item number one, saw with her own eyes: Heart¡¯s first mistake when it came to Alice. SoYoon had been worried because they had met earlier than they were supposed to, but it didn¡¯t look as if it changed the flow of the story much.

 Chapter 19

    <h4>Chapter 19</h4>


    It was the same with her meeting March. Even though SoYoon had spent all that time patrolling the slums, worried that Alice would be attacked, it had all been for nothing because she arrived at March¡¯s without a scratch.


    I guess this was fate, SoYoon thought, as Alice became ecstatic over the fact that she would get her own house and allowance.


    He called his minions to take Alice home. Heart went into the bathroom attached to his office. Through the door, Heart¡¯s voice was heard over the sound of the shower.


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± SoYoon asked ndly as she read the novels from his filled bookcase.


    Heart must have been so concentrated on washing that he didn¡¯t answer. The sound of water stopped, and she heard the sound of pping. Heart came out of the bathroom and walked toward her.


    He was only wearing a gown as he leaned over to look at the book she was reading. Drops of water from his wet hair spotted the pages.


    SoYoon scolded lightly. ¡°You¡¯re not a child.¡±


    SoYoon spread out the book on the desk and brought over a dry towel. Heart was now on the sofa, dripping water onto the expensive leather. SoYoon stood next to him, pushed his head down, and rubbed his hair dry.


    After his hair was rtively dry, he hugged SoYoon¡¯s waist andy down on the sofa. SoYoon shoved the towel between herself and his bare chest. Heart moaned quietly and threw the towel and the mask on her face away from them. And as punishment, he shoved her face into his chest.


    ¡°I asked what I should do?¡±


    ¡°Abou¡ª wha¡ª?¡± she mumbled.


    Heartughed at her muted words. His moving chest was hard, so SoYoon hit whatever part she could reach, and it made a pping sound. It must have been his thigh because Heart wrapped his legs around her tight.


    ¡°Let go. It hurts.¡±


    ¡°Hurts? The almighty Whitey, hurt from this?¡±


    Heart pulled SoYoon up and looked at her face. They were practically nose to nose.


    ¡°Or were you taken aback?¡±


    Heart smiled with his luscious lips. His auburn eyes were ame. SoYoon covered his eyes with her hand.


    Heart stayed still for a moment and then released her. SoYoon hurriedly unraveled from him and sat up. Heart got up halfway, leaning on the armrest, and watched SoYoon. His clothes looked a mess, but his eyes were calm.


    ¡°About what?¡± SoYoon asked, trying to continue the conversation. Heart answered without resisting. ¡°Should I tell Alice Liddell why her parents got murdered or not?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to let her know?¡±


    ¡°Well, I only said it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to find out.¡±


    ¡°Viin.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for thepliment,¡± Heart answered, smiling. Heart didn¡¯t like the fact that SoYoon was so interested in Alice. SoYoon assumed that telling him to ¡°let her know¡± would be the wrong answer.


    She pretended she didn¡¯t care. ¡°Whether you do or not is your decision.¡±


    ¡°Then should I not?¡±


    This guy! As SoYoon red at him, Heart,ughing, held his stomach. If he hadn¡¯t raised both hands surrendering, she might have kicked him.


    ¡°Give her the info. Do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I got it. I was going to do it anyway.¡±


    SoYoon got up from her seat. But before she left the office, she remembered the mask that Heart threw and went to look for it. It was crumpled in a corner with the wet towel, so it was moist. She was contemting whether to wear it or not when Heart plopped his arm over her shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s about lunchtime, so why don¡¯t you stay? You have to dry that off anyway.¡±


    SoYoon sat benignly on the sofa. When Heart startedughing again, she kicked him.


    ¡°Wear some clothes.¡±


    SoYoon finished eating lunch at Heart¡¯s ce and left holding the snacks he gave her. Her destination was March¡¯s house.


    Alice must have moved to her new house because only March and Dor were there. Hearing that they had not eaten lunch, SoYoon gave them her pound cake and, carrying the clinging Dor, went to sit at the dining table.


    March brought over warm milk for Dor and a ss of water for himself, and the three of them sat to eat. SoYoon cut the cake and fed Dor, as she was still unable to control holding the fork to feed herself.


    ¡°Delicious! I¡¯ve never eaten anything this tasty! Thank you, Rabbit!¡±


    ¡°Seriously. Where did you buy this? I¡¯ve never seen such bread before.¡±


    ¡°Heart gave it to me.¡±


    The fork from March¡¯s hand dropped. Dor looked confusedly at her brother, having only heard that Heart was a strong person.


    ¡°R-Really? Uh, hey, are we even allowed to eat this?¡±


    ¡°Of course you eat it. Did you think we were going to throw it away? I told him I was going to go see Dor, so he gave it to me.¡±


    March felt threatened by Heart and so thought hard about whether it was safe to eat. Seeing that SoYoon brought it, he figured it would be all right.


    The appetite of an 18-year-old boy was scary, and March ate practically the whole pound cake by himself. It was drastically different from Dor, who said she was full after one bite, since her stomach had shrunk.


    After eating heartily, they gotzy. March leaned back in his chair. Dor was nodding off. SoYoon petted her soft hair and asked quietly.


    ¡°Do you want to take my induction oven?¡±


    The drowsy brown eyes shot open. March leaned close to SoYoon.


    ¡°What? Really?¡±


    ¡°Now that Dor¡¯s woken up, there will be a lot of times you need fire. All I do is warm milk with it. You need it much more than I do.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s expensive. Won¡¯t you regret giving it away like that?¡±


    ¡°Mine was a new invention, so I got it for free.¡±


    Oh, of course. March snorted, feeling deted.


    ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to get murdered by Mad Hatter.¡±


    ¡°Mad Hatter wouldn¡¯t do that. He¡¯s a little cold, but he has a soft side. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll get mad over that.¡±


    To you.


    March remembered what he had seen when he was younger: Covered in blood, Mad Hatter had propped up the heads he¡¯d decapitated and was decorating them with nes made of stones. He ced several different hats on the corpses and smiled contentedly when finished. His red lips looked bloody. That¡¯s when March realized that the higher-ups in Wondend had different levels.


    ¡°Plus, that uses the magic capsules. I can¡¯t afford to pay for them.¡±


    Even though the induction oven was useful, the reason it wasn¡¯t for sale was that it required the expensive magic capsules to maintain its use. SoYoon didn¡¯t offer it to him again.


    SoYoon ate the dinner March bought from Central, helped him bathe Dor, then left. The next destination was Alice¡¯s house.


    SoYoon followed the map that Heart gave her. Alice¡¯s house was further inward in the neutral zone. It was a bit farther away from SoYoon¡¯s and March¡¯s houses.


    SoYoon knocked and heard someoneing to the door. Alice opened the door slightly and poked her head through the crack.


    ¡°Who is it? Oh? You were with Heart before...¡±


    Her blue eyes surrounded by goldshes grew wide. SoYoon thought she looked disappointed. Was she imagining it? Maybe she was hoping it was March. Because being alone in an unknown city made you like that. SoYoon spoke softly to her.


    ¡°May Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Alice opened the door wide. Even if they were in the neutral zone, the action was foolish. SoYoon noted that she should let March know to warn her, then stepped inside. It was small inside but well kept.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to do any shopping yet, so there isn¡¯t anything I can offer you. Sorry. But what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Heart wanted me to ry a message, and I also wanted to introduce myself. I¡¯m White Rabbit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Alice Liddell. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Alice, with a ravishing smile, put out her hand, SoYoon shook it. Alice¡¯s hand, unlike SoYoon¡¯s, was soft as silk. Reminded of an old friend, she stayed frozen for a long time until Alice asked awkwardly.


    ¡°Could you let me go...¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±


    SoYoon let Alice¡¯s hand go. Alice put her head down and massaged her hands. Alice had assumed SoYoon was a man. She didn¡¯t think there was any pending need to correct her, since the original White Rabbit had been a man.


    Although it was silly to bring up the original story, she thought it would be best to not change the narrative too much. She pretended not to know and asked.


    ¡°Alice? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s nothing. Um, what¡¯s Heart¡¯s message?¡±


    SoYoon debated for a moment. If she ryed Heart¡¯s message word for word, the girl Alice would probably be scarred for life. What did the White Rabbit say in the original story? However much she tried, she couldn¡¯t remember it in detail. As if she was exining it to Dor, she worded it as nicely as possible.


    ¡°Alice, you know you have a rare gift, right? Heart thinks that it¡¯s best not to let others know about your powers. Who right now knows about your abilities?¡±


    ¡°March, Dor, Doctor, Heart, the person I healed a while ago, and you¡ªWhite Rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Then, other than those people, try not to let your powers be known to anyone else.¡±


    For every two weeks she survived, a hint regarding the information about her parents would be given, so if she wanted it, she¡¯d better stay alive.


    ¡°Wondend is a dangerous ce. If you aren¡¯t diligent, you won¡¯t survive. Heart wanted to add that in as a condition.¡±


    ¡°Condition?¡±


    ¡°To stay alive. Every two weeks, he will give you hints regarding the information you asked for. So be diligent. If you think you are in danger, you can call for me.¡±


    As SoYoon talked, Alice¡¯s eyes shook and she hung her head. Her face was hidden beneath her hands, but her voice seeped through.


    ¡°Why are you being so nice to me?¡±


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t a reason. It¡¯s just...¡±


    That¡¯s how I get this story to end quickly. SoYoon hesitated but stroked Alice¡¯s hair, then stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Make sure to lock the doors.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡±


    Alice closed the door behind her andughed quietly. She was already happy to have met Heart without much trouble, but she couldn¡¯t believe her luck in finding that the White Rabbit, who was such a pain in the original story, was so nice to her!


    Her presence was changing the original story. Alice spent the rest of the day joyfully counting the fish that would have to be put in the aquariumter.

 Chapter 20

    <h4>Chapter 20</h4>


    For a few days, Alice spent her time not straying far from her daily routine. She would organize the characters that she¡¯d met in Wondend in her notebook, and when she got bored, she would go visit March. Even though March was young, he had good sense and could feel that Alice didn¡¯t like him very much. And so, although they were friendly, he had trouble approaching her.


    Alice¡¯s main dilemma was that no hot water came out and that the food sold at Central was disgusting. She could live with the first problem by going to the neighborhood¡¯s public bathhouse, but the second problem was more difficult. Even if she had wanted to cook it herself, being an unmagical being, she had difficulty even maintaining a fire. She had to be content with bread and jam from the market.


    Even with the inconveniences, Alice had gotten used to Wondend to the point where even the small sense of wariness she had previously was now gone. What March and White Rabbit warned her about was already out of her mind.


    Wondend¡¯s spring was warm. All that surrounded her were falling buildings and broken windows and trees, but she at least enjoyed the sunshine of Wondend. Plus, in this world, she was the star. She went out for a walk in a good mood. And after a short while, she bumped into a man.


    He was a man with a pale face and inky ck hair. He wasn¡¯t bad looking, but he was extremely thin and looked like he spent all day reading in a library. He wasn¡¯t really her type. And after meeting Heart a few days back, this guy barely even registered her attention.


    The man made eye contact and smiled. Alice smiled back. The man stepped closer.


    ¡°Hello? You¡¯re a new face around here. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Alice Liddell.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Duke. How do you like living here? There are a lot of dangerous ces here...¡±


    Alice gave the man some points for his respectable demeanor and tone. But the name Duke sounded familiar¡ªwhich meant he was a character in the original story. She searched her brain for the name, but she couldn¡¯t remember a thing.


    ¡°...at my ce?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I asked if you would like to have a cup of tea at my ce. It looks like you haven¡¯t been here long, so we can talk about this and that. If you¡¯re busy, we can do it another time.¡±


    Duke smiled benignly. She may have lost her wariness about Wondend, but it didn¡¯t apply to men in general. Alice shook her head.


    ¡°No, today is a bit...¡±


    ¡°What a shame. Then next time.¡±


    Duke put out his hand. Alice didn¡¯t feel like returning the handshake upon seeing his skin and bones, but she took it anyway. When their hands were about to meet, someone grabbed Alice¡¯s wrist and pulled her away.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Alice saw a sh of white hair as she yelled in surprise. It was White Rabbit. Alice followed without resisting. Duke looked defeated.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Undertaker. You must be an acquaintance of Alice.¡±


    SoYoonpletely ignored Duke¡¯s words and checked Alice¡ªher expression, clothes, smell. SoYoon made sure that there wasn¡¯t a single part of Alice that had gotten hurt, then let her go. In that time, Duke was smiling and watching the both of them. Theugh made Alice¡¯s hair stand on end.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overreacting? I haven¡¯t done anything.¡±


    ¡°You mean you haven¡¯t done anything yet. Why don¡¯t you open your hand?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m innocent. If you don¡¯t believe me, then ask Alice. All I did was...¡±


    ¡°All you do is put sedatives in tea and offer it. All you do is put poison between your fingers and ask for a handshake.¡±


    SoYoon, snorting, stepped in front of Duke. Duke was about to step back when she pulled out the knife from her thigh and pushed it to his neck.


    ¡°Hey, Undertaker. Let¡¯s use our words, huh? Where is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m sorry...¡±


    ¡°I asked where we are.¡±


    Duke¡¯s neck turned red, and he gasped.


    ¡°Neutral, neutral zone! I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t do it again...¡±


    ¡°If you try anything with Alice again, you know what¡¯ll happen?¡±


    SoYoon turned the knife and stabbed Duke¡¯s thigh. Duke screamed. The ruckus caused people to watch, but seeing that it was Duke and SoYoon, they went on their way.


    ¡°This is a warning. Next time, I¡¯m not letting you off so easy.¡±


    ¡°Ha, Heart! He will never let you do that! Your-your threats don¡¯t scare me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they will. You¡¯re stuttering and sweating. And plus, Alice is important to Heart. Next time, it might be him instead of me. So.¡±


    SoYoon pulled the knife out of Duke¡¯s leg.


    ¡°y nice, you piece of trash.¡±


    Blood dyed the ground red as it seeped out of his wound. Leaving Duke bleeding, SoYoon approached Alice. Alice¡¯s white face spun between SoYoon and Duke. SoYoon pulled her in.


    ¡°That won¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Alice.¡±


    Alice was a good-natured girl, and the men of Wondend would be saved and pulled in by love. However, faced with reality, her good nature was like poison.


    SoYoon contemted. Did she want Alice to face this reality, or would she keep her naive? During the time she was thinking, Duke fell unconscious, and Alice kept stealing nces at him. SoYoon sighed and picked her words.


    ¡°Duke likes pretty boys and girls. So...¡±


    She was put in a difficult situation. Packaging Duke¡¯s fetish into something nice was impossible. She had half given up.


    ¡°His specialty is medicine and poisons. If he meets someone he likes, he kidnaps them by sedating them with tea or needles. And if you get taken, you, um, die.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Uh, um, the corpse...leaves it at home...¡±


    As she mumbled incoherently, Alice shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that man had done in the past, but if you leave him like that, he will die.¡±


    She went to Duke¡¯s side and kneeled, putting her hands out. SoYoon quickly grabbed her hands.


    ¡°Not here. There are too many eyes.¡±


    SoYoon grabbed Duke¡¯s leg and dragged him into an alley. Then, finally able to persuade Alice frompletely healing him, she helped to stop the bleeding.


    As SoYoon led Alice away to go home, Alice nced back. SoYoon, realizing this, pulled her arms.


    ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t worry anymore.¡±


    ¡°Could you please? Duke is a really bad guy. Especially because you are pretty, you have to be even more careful.¡±


    ¡°Oh...okay. You¡¯re so silly, White Rabbit...¡±


    Aliceughed softly. Truthfully, as White Rabbit had been threatening Duke, she remembered who he was: a necrophiliac pedophile potion master. He was a character that fell for Alice in the early chapters of the story. Later in the narrative, he tried to kidnap Alice and got stopped by the Twins. After that, he would get into trouble for something. She remembered up to that point but couldn¡¯t put a finger on what that trouble was exactly. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t prevalent in her mind, she assumed it didn¡¯t have much of an impact on her or the story.


    And anyway, there were more important things to attend to at the moment. Alice nced at SoYoon repeatedly but turned away when their eyes met. After a couple of times, SoYoon asked.


    ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°Um, so. What you said about Heart, thinking I¡¯m...Is that true?¡±


    Her asking in this manner made her seem lovable. SoYoon hesitated a moment, then replied. He would soon start to like her, so she thought it would be okay to let her know. Either way, it was true that Heart believed that Alice was important. SoYoon¡¯s eyes held a slight sadness that she herself didn¡¯t even acknowledge.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°R¡ªreally?¡±


    Alice smiled brightly.


    ***


    That night, SoYoon went out to Outhouse. It was a task set by Cheshire.


    When she arrived at the designated location, she saw Chesire directing his minions. With his expensive suit on, he did not fit with the broken-down warehouse they were standing in.


    ¡°Cheshire.¡±


    As she called him, frown lines crossed his handsome face, and he looked at his minions. As always, SoYoon was instructed on her task by them. She was to clear the corpses in the warehouse. Easy enough.


    Stepping into the warehouse, SoYoon counted the number of corpses, separated into seven groups. There was even one of a small boy. With this many, it would be difficult to physically move all of them.


    SoYoon took out the magic capsule from her cross bag. She stared at the capsule, closed her eyes, then swallowed it. Reminded of eating medicine, she resisted the temptation to throw up. In 20 minutes, magic would flow through her body.


    She called over Cheshire¡¯s minions and asked for a car. Cheshire must have already notified them because they pointed to one so old that it was a wonder they hadn¡¯t junked it. Cheshire¡¯s minions agreed with her thinking and left her in charge of finishing up.


    After putting all the corpses in the car, SoYoon put her left hand on the wheel and turned the ignition on with her right. The magic flowing out of her body started the car.


    Cheshire¡¯s minions knocked on the car window and pushed an envelope through it. It was her pay. After checking the amount, she put it in her cross bag and drove.


    It was work she had always done, but she didn¡¯t enjoy the fact that she was the only person breathing in a car full of dead people. She tried to think of something else as she drove.

 Chapter 21

    <h4>Chapter 21</h4>


    She had been 22 when she¡¯d first earned her driver¡¯s license. After that, she had a long-term license. She had only driven on the few asions her boyfriend, DongHyun, forced her into the driver¡¯s seat. Joo DongHyun...It was a name she hadn¡¯t thought about for a long time. She could now barely even remember his face. Sheughed. The reason for her sudden emotional outburst was Alice.


    There had been a time when she, too, had been as naive as Alice. When she saw someone hurt, she would feel sorry for them and want to help them. She was a normal 23-year-old college student.


    If I am lucky and I get to go back, would I be able to adjust? Could I go to school, go on vacation with my allowance, and sit gossiping at a cafe with my friends? She frowned. That life seemed so far away that she couldn¡¯t even imagine it.


    Soon, Wondend was right in front of her. She parked the car at the entrance and stacked the corpses. She created three piles of six and dumped the corpses into the slum. Ignoring the people backing away from the smell, she returned to the car.


    In the car was the corpse of the small boy. She drove a few miles away from Wondend and abandoned the car. She carried the boy¡¯s corpse with her into Wondend. The junk car would be dealt with by the people of Outhouse.


    It was close to 3:00 a.m., a time when there would be no intruders. She knocked hard on Duke¡¯s door. He had bandages wrapped around his leg and was walking with a cane. He frowned upon seeing her but smiled as she handed him the boy.


    ¡°He¡¯s pretty. And he isn¡¯t badly damaged...I¡¯ll forgive you for what happened this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking nonsense and pay up.¡±


    After receiving the money from Duke, SoYoon returned home. Her steps felt especially heavy today.


    ***


    Filled with many thoughts, SoYoon tossed and turned in her bed until the sun came up. After she washed and reced her patch, she ate a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. The bread, which she¡¯d had for several days, was stale.


    She crumpled up the empty bread bag and checked her smartphone. There were two messages.


    /[Come immediately.]


    [Come as soon as you see this.]/


    SoYoon checked the time. Mad Hatter had sent thest message nine hours ago. He would be asleep now. Well, he did say toe as soon as I can. SoYoon knocked on Mad Hatter¡¯s door. There was no answer. She knocked again. A few momentster, Mad Hatter poked his head out. Upon seeing her, he made a weird sound and immediately opened the door.


    Mad Hatter hade down from hisboratory. Drowsy from sleep, he staggered down the stairs and grabbed SoYoon¡¯s arms with surprising strength. If she were a regr person, her arm would have broken.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    Mad Hatter didn¡¯t answer and went into a small room. There was only arge bed inside.


    ¡°Mad Hatter?¡±


    Not listening to SoYoon, he pulled her onto the bed with him. She didn¡¯t resist and fell onto it with him.


    With his thin but toned arms, he wrapped himself around her shoulder and waist. The knife attached to her leg didn¡¯t bother him.


    She struggled. Her face, buried in his chest, was suffocating. He must have thought that she was putting up a fight because he swept his fingers through her hair and held her in ce.


    She was just able to release herself to find a ce to breathe. What was going on? She sighed.


    Mad Hatter mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy because of you...Sleep...¡±


    His sleep-drenched voice was powerful. SoYoon flinched as she heard the words in her ear. Afterward, he fell into a deep sleep. His arms lost strength. She had hoped to release herself from this position, but upon finding his fingers tangled in her hair, she gave up.


    Every time Mad Hatter breathed in and out, his thin shirt fluttered on her cheek. The scent of eucalyptus tickled her nose. The bright yet sharp scent suited him.


    SoYoon yawned as the eucalyptus scent soothed her aching head. Sleep overtook her, and she didn¡¯t resist.


    SoYoon woke up to her rm. Mad Hatter also opened his eyes at the same time, and their eyes met. He blinked then quickly got up.


    ¡°Why are you sleeping here?¡± he eximed in surprise.


    He soon realized his answer as he saw his own arms and fingers intertwined with her body and hair. He quickly removed his arm from under her head. SoYoon got up and yawned beneath her mask.


    She was so calm that Mad Hatter pressed his temples and shouted in an angry voice.


    ¡°Do you not realize that you¡¯re a woman? Now you evene into a man¡¯s house and on his bed...!¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t let me go.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do apologize! Still, you should have tried harder. And why are you so calm about this?¡±


    Because I¡¯m used to it. She didn¡¯t say the words, but Mad Hatter understood the hidden meaning.


    SoYoon pretended she had another appointment and left the bedroom. Truthfully, she was running away from the explosive feeling she was experiencing. Mad Hatter ran after SoYoon, stopped her, and turned her around.


    I¡¯m going to get bruised here too, SoYoon thought nonchntly.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± he said, reading her mind.


    ¡°It means what I said. You held me and didn¡¯t let go.¡±


    ¡°Not that. Are you used to sleeping in a man¡¯s arm?¡±


    His tone sounded like an interrogation. There was no reason to tell him, especially because Heart and Mad Hatter were not on good terms, but he was squeezing her shoulder so tightly, she answered shortly.


    ¡°Heart sometimes sleeps while hugging me.¡±


    ¡°That violent little...!¡±


    The lovely Mad Hatter, who had looked handsome even half asleep, burned in anger. His icy exterior, even though he was wearing a wrinkled shirt and pants and a ridiculous hat with a puppy drawn on it, looked like an angel as anger flushed his cheeks.


    ¡°Did you sleep every time that happened before?¡±


    ¡°I was sleepy.¡±


    ¡°Are you a bear? Don¡¯t you ever do that again. Do you understand me?¡±


    SoYoon didn¡¯t answer. Heart was good at choosing the days in which he hadn¡¯t slept well. His body warmth,bined with his gentle breathing and his soothing scent, made it impossible to not fall asleep.


    Again, Mad Hatter understood without hearing her answer. Although he was on the brink of exploding, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. When his cheeks cooled off, he swept her bangs and made eye contact.


    ¡°You said you were sleepy? Then there¡¯s no reason you have to sleep there, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s face glowed with optimism as Mad Hatter pressed his fingers against her temples. Small wounds dotted his fingers. He was usually careful with his hands as it was his job to work with such small parts.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t matter where you sleep, thene here. Of course, a man who sleeps with prostitutes will not understand the beauty of your less voluptuous body, but you are still a woman. You are an important customer and an idea bank, and I don¡¯t want to be disappointed in you because of a brainless git.¡±


    SoYoon wasn¡¯t sure if he was making fun of her or worrying about her. Regardless, she thought that she should still at least set him straight about what he said.


    ¡°Heart quit girls.¡±


    There were so many things she endured in theboratory that she wasn¡¯t scared of much.


    Plus, she didn¡¯t believe Heart would actually do that. If he had decided to do it, it was because he could have it whenever he wanted. But if she said this, then she knew she would be berated with even more of Mad Hatter¡¯s nagging.


    Hearing this, Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes glowed red. His words rang sharp as he asked.


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Heart told me.¡±


    Heart might do nasty things, but he didn¡¯t lie. Mad Hatter knew this also and so narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Sly little devil.¡±


    SoYoon pretended that she didn¡¯t hear.


    SoYoon knew Mad Hatter had reached a stage of anger that she could not control, so she checked her smartphone. Heart had left a message. SoYoon put the smartphone in her cross bag and hid it from Mad Hatter.


    ¡°Why did you call me here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. I had something to ask you. Who is that girl?¡±


    ¡°Girl?¡±


    ¡°The girl from Outhouse you care for so much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Alice.¡±


    There were only three girls associated with SoYoon, but Alice was the only one from Outhouse. Mad Hatter seemed not to like SoYoon¡¯s answer and looked angry again.


    ¡°It must be true that you care for her. We thought you were just oblivious, but was it because you liked women instead?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. From what I hear, Heart is interested in her, so do you think you can evenpare?¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°A young blond girl. Of course, Heart would like...¡±


    She ced her hand over the continuously muttering mouth of Mad Hatter. She had done it without thinking and so was surprised to find that he actually stopped. Mad Hatter stayed still with his mouth shut and rolled his eyes at her. The sight reminded her of a child, so sheughed.


    ¡°What rumors are you hearing?¡±

 Chapter 22

    <h4>Chapter 22</h4>


    It was hard for anything to take her by surprise, but now that she thought about it, this ridiculous rumor might have been her own doing. SoYoon slowly removed her hand.


    Mad Hatter asked, ¡°Is it not?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never felt that I liked girls before in my life.¡±


    ¡°People are saying that you threatened to kill Duke if he ever tried something on her again. They say you were pretty passionate about it.¡±


    ¡°Heart and March have an interest in Alice.¡±


    Mad Hatter bent over and stared directly into her eyes. His green eyes seemed to prate her mind. Suddenly, he smiled. He pushed her bangs over her eyes.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just wait and see. Didn¡¯t you say you had an appointment? You may go so you aren¡¯tte.¡±


    Mad Hatter did not turn around to see SoYoon leave. Instead, he watched her from his window and then looked down at his fingers.


    ¡°I was going to ask her to heal me, but Ipletely forgot.¡±


    ***


    While SoYoon headed to Heart¡¯s house, she thought about Mad Hatter. Mad Hatter had always nagged her, but he¡¯d never interrogated her like this before.


    Heart was one thing, but now Mad Hatter too. There was a word for this. She was searching her brain when she arrived at Heart¡¯s house.


    She stopped her thinking and went up to the office. There, she met the second man that was a part of the rumors.


    ¡°There¡¯s a fun rumor going around.¡±


    Heart asked her with his explosive auburn eyes. He tried tough it off lightly, but she wasn¡¯t fooled. Right now, Heart was not in a good mood.


    ¡°Someone important to me. If you try anything with Alice again, then I might be the one to make a move.¡±


    ¡°It was true,¡± was what she wanted to answer, but he looked on the brink of exploding, so SoYoon decided to remain silent.


    Heart sighed and sat next to her. He swept her hair and pinned it back, removed her mask, and stared into her face. His auburn eyes were slowly turning ck.


    ¡°You must have really thought that.¡±


    He embraced her and flopped onto the sofa. His grasp on her was pretty strong.


    ¡°There is no answer for you.¡±


    He mumbled then stopped to bury his face in her hair. Then he suddenly pulled away and asked angrily.


    ¡°Why do you smell like Mad Hatter?¡±


    Today must be one of those days. SoYoon was mentally stressed.


    ¡°Because I stopped by there.¡±


    ¡°This is not a smell from just stopping by. What did you do there?¡±


    ¡°What I do here. Mad Hatter hugged me while he slept.¡±


    ¡°That bug-brained littleb rat!¡±


    Heart¡¯s voice was violent. It sounded like he would run over to Mad Hatter¡¯s and rip him to shreds. SoYoon pulled him in and held him.


    It was a relief that he was over the rumor, but she really didn¡¯t want to be in the middle of a fight with the two powerhouses of Wondend. And if one of the powerhouses was Mad Hatter, then there was a chance that Wondend would cease to exist. Heart, who was now buried in her embrace, growled.


    ¡°Let me go. I¡¯m disgusted.¡±


    Heart pushed her away, but there wasn¡¯t anyone in Wondend that could beat her in strength. He cursed all sorts of indecencies then pointed to the bathroom.


    ¡°Wash up, now.¡±


    ¡°If you will stay here without causing trouble.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid I will kill him? Don¡¯t worry. His existence is pivotal in Wondend. I won¡¯t do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t go outside right now.¡±


    Heart never lied. But he was good at twisting his words to fool others. He ground his teeth and promised her. It proved that he had indeed been nning to go to Mad Hatter¡¯s while she was washing.


    SoYoon stood thinking in the shower. When will this hobby of his end?


    She knew that she was Heart¡¯s toy. She had been willing to put up with it because he had let her live in Wondend sofortably, but she wasn¡¯t happy with how he had wanted to control her. Then she was suddenly hit by the thought of how clingy he would be if he actually did fall in love. She felt bad for Alice.

 Chapter 23: Tweedle Dee

    <h4>Chapter 23: Tweedle Dee</h4>


    It had been two weeks since Alice met Heart, and now she was hearing her first hint from White Rabbit.


    ¡°Your first hint is Shirley Howard.¡±


    Alice looked confused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is.¡±


    Of course she didn¡¯t know. Shirley Howard was the first person Alice had used her healing powers on. Until then, she had used her powers only on her family. When Alice met a hurt Shirley Howard, though, she couldn¡¯t help but heal her. That was when people realized her powers.


    There was a lot of time, and there were a lot of hints. SoYoon didn¡¯t exin any further about Shirley Howard.


    After SoYoon left, Alice sat on the sofa and hugged the cushion. Already knowing the ending of the story, the hints didn¡¯t really matter. What was important to her now was something else entirely.


    ¡°Where are the Twins?¡±


    In the original story, Alice had met the Twins before she heard her first hint. Having met Heart a few days earlier, it was about time that she would have met the Twins, but however much she tried, she could not find them. Alice punched the cushion.


    ***


    It rained all day. For a spring shower, it was raining hard, almost like a hurricane. In the deep night, SoYoon was returning from work when she saw something poking out between the buildings. She went closer to take a look and found that it was a dress shoe. It seemed to belong to a tall man. She followed the long legs that were attached and found the Twins¡¯ beautiful face.


    The leather rider jacket was ripped by a knife, his shirt covered in blood, and the rain mixed with the blood as it poured down. SoYoon quietly passed him and went into her house a few steps beyond. If she had made a judgment call five seconds faster, tonight would have passed peacefully.


    Long and tough fingers grabbed SoYoon¡¯s ankle. As was expected from the upper echelons in the world of crazy, his strength was great. SoYoon kicked his arm away. The hand that held her ankle did not budge. The unconscious Twins had opened his eyes. He mumbled, gasping.


    ¡°F*ck¡­That hurts like a mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Let go.¡±


    SoYoon kicked his wrist. It was not meant to hurt but to jolt him awake. But the action angered him, and he held on to her ankle harder. He was now wide awake because his eyes looked murderous.


    ¡°Hey, Blondie.¡±


    ¡°¡­.You better let go before I break your arm.¡±


    It was not a good feeling. She was stalling to adjust the timing of Aliceing to find and heal the Twins. This was the point in the story where Alice and the Twins met and where the Twins gained interest in her. It was a turning point in the novel.


    SoYoon shook her leg to get the Twins off of her, but he said something that made her stop.


    ¡°This is a request. Please take me to your house and heal me and keep me safe.¡±


    White Rabbit¡¯s iron rule: any request a customer made could not be rejected. And currently, it happened to be the Twins she couldn¡¯t kill. She wondered if she should just take him home and call Alice tomorrow, but another request came from his lips.


    ¡°Before I tell anyone, don¡¯t let anyone know, not even Dum.¡±


    Stuck in a dilemma, SoYoon eventually lifted the Twins and took him to her house. It was a judgment call based on the eventual flow of the novel and Alice¡¯s power of seduction.


    Then, that night, Alice, who had been searching for the Twins through the rainy night, believing the same thing as SoYoon, decided to give up and go home.


    ***


    ¡°You are but a nuisance to Dum,¡± the man who had been by his side for two years said as he stabbed him. The benign Tweedle Dum and the violent Tweedle Dee¡ªtwo people in one who had separated from each other. But who would have known this would be the result?


    They hadn¡¯t always shared one body. A long time ago, the two had been separate. Back then, their world had been confined to only a small room. The only other entity would be their mother, who woulde in to give them burnt porridge after beating them.


    After their mother had left, they would split the ckened porridge. They had never been outside, so they had never realized they were being treated unfairly or they had been born into a hostile environment.


    When they had turned about eight, Dum, not having eaten for two weeks, was the first to release his hold on life. He whispered thesest words as hey dying.


    ¡°Eat me to stay alive.¡±


    Dum¡¯s blood and flesh became one with Dee¡¯s identity. And within Dee, Dum was reborn. The twin brothers rejoiced at their reunion. It was then that their mother returned.


    Dum whispered, ¡°I have a good idea.¡±


    When their mother opened the door toe inside, the Twinsbined their strength to topple her. The mother¡¯s screams and cries for help echoed throughout the slum, but as no one hade to rescue the twins, no one came now either.


    Instinctively, they pulled off their mother¡¯s top and sucked at her breasts. At that moment, the energy they had lost during their childhood filled them. The Twins felt ecstatic.


    Afterward, the world they faced was much different from where they had lived previously. As the Twins grew, they learned many new things: how to steal, how to threaten others, how to beat and how to kill them.


    That¡¯s when the twins realized: there are lots of ways to rule the world, but in the end, the best was to eat the other.


    They were happy. It was the thing they were the best at and enjoyed most. To them, the world was easy. And they had the skills. When they split themselvespletely, it became even easier. In this simple world, they grew in power, and, upholding a decent appearance, no one assumed they had crawled their way out of the slums.


    ¡°You are but a nuisance to Dum.¡±


    It was not the first time he had heard this. This had always been Dee¡¯s purpose. The man didn¡¯t realize if he stabbed Dee, Dum would die also. Just as they expected the sun to rise in the morning, the twins had never believed themselves to be separate entities, even as they acted as different people to others.


    Had that secret been this important? If it was, who could he have told? They could trust only each other. Even now, they didn¡¯t know who to turn to.


    The time they drifted between dream and reality, they realized that someone was touching their forehead. The small, cold palms were hard and calloused.


    The Twins¡¯ mother¡¯s hands had felt like that. When she had grabbed and beat them, it had been hard to escape. Would this be the same? If that was the case, then they would have to eat it to make sure it could never hit or starve the brothers again.


    Dee forced his heavy eyes open. In the bright light of the afternoon sun, a blurry silhouette danced in his vision. He lifted his arms and pulled at it. The small figure came forward easily and became trapped underneath him.


    The shirt opened slightly, and a pale neckline showed through it. He bared his teeth. Reflexively, he salivated. However, as he reached to take a bite, Dee was tossed onto the floor.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± he eximed as pain shot through the stab wound in his side. He gasped then barely avoided the leg that approached him fast. His opponent was much stronger and faster, however. The hard kick to his side knocked the breath out of him.


    ¡°Stop overreacting. I didn¡¯t touch the side that¡¯s hurt.¡±


    He coughed. ¡°Blondie, you jerk¡­.¡±


    The blurry silhouette had been Wondend¡¯s cleanup professional, White Rabbit. Dee remembered making a request in the rain.


    SoYoon approached Dee and pulled him violently up by the arm. Dee pushed her off, went back to the sofa, and covered himself with the nket. SoYoon stood up next to him as he whimpered in pain and wiped her neck with a towel.


    Dee red at her and clenched his fist under the nket. It was the first time he had failed to eat anyone. SoYoon, however, didn¡¯t pay him any more attention and instead sat in the corner writing in her notebook.


    She wrote something and handed it to him. Seeing the words and numbers, Dee growled angrily.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Rescue, treatment, lodging, and food. I have to charge this much to make this worthwhile.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter how vicious he acted if the opponent didn¡¯t flinch. He calmed down his anger and read the figure that SoYoon had written: 700,000 carols.


    ¡°That¡¯s just for one night.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, you¡¯ve be obsessed with money.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you can leave after paying for tonight.¡±


    ¡°You little punk. Let¡¯s see if you can continue acting like thister.¡±


    ¡°So? Does that mean you¡¯re only staying for the night?¡±


    Dee kicked the nket roughly instead of answering. Dee didn¡¯t realize that SoYoon saw this action as equivalent to a child throwing a tantrum.


    Leaving him alone, SoYoon went to the kitchen, turned on the induction, and ced a pot on it. Inside the pot was the oatmeal she had bought at Central. A few minutester, when the oatmeal was warmed up, she moved it to arge te and took it to Dee.


    ¡°Eat.¡±

 Chapter 24

    <h4>Chapter 24</h4>


    Dee, who had been hungry, threw the nket aside and got up. But when he saw what SoYoon had brought, he frowned. SoYoon grabbed him as he went to lie back down. This was like babysitting for 700,000 carols. Thinking of it that way, this didn¡¯t seem like it would be too hard.


    ¡°If it¡¯s going to be this sh*tty porridge, then you can eat it.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t say a normal sentence without cursing. SoYoon ced the bowl of oatmeal on hisp and pressed down. Dee tried to move it off angrily, but his knees wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Move it!¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re ill, it¡¯s best to eat something easy to digest.¡±


    ¡°You think I can¡¯t digest something because I got a rip in my skin? F*ck, if it was you, would you eat this crap?¡±


    ¡°You have a fever. If you eat this today, I¡¯ll get you something better tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, and get this away from my sight now! Just tell me seven hundred thousand carols is not enough instead, you golddigger. I¡¯d rather pay more than eat this porridge!¡±


    Dee point nk refused to eat the porridge. He was spouting mes like a baby dragon, so SoYoon removed the bowl from hisp.


    ¡°Then how about tomato soup?¡±


    That menu didn¡¯t cause him to re up in anger.


    As he put the first spoonful of warmed tomato soup into his mouth, his mouth twitched, and he swallowed quickly, pouring water down his throat.


    ¡°What is this? It tastes worse than dog food. Did you make this? F*ck, how the hell do you live eating this trash?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s from Central. I can¡¯t make anything better.¡±


    ¡°Are you handicapped?¡±


    She knew how to handle knife work and had the appliances to do the cooking, but she couldn¡¯t make anything worth eating. The only thing SoYoon could make was hot milk, jam and buttered toast, or a fried egg.


    Even as Dee continued to sputter indecencies, he finished the soup because he had no choice. After finishing it, he asked where she had bought it so he could ¡°kill the person that made this sh*t,¡± but she thought it better to not reply.


    He threw the spoon into the empty bowl and wagged his finger at SoYoon, who sat eating the oatmeal across from him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand anything? Hand over the pen and paper.¡±


    SoYoon handed him the pen and notebook. Dee opened to a nk page and moved his pen across it. It was a map of Central. Dee drew the main buildings and exined as he circled certain areas.


    ¡°Here, here, and here. These are the ones that we are in charge of. I don¡¯t eat food from anywhere else. And buy chocte from here.¡±


    The ces that Dee pointed out were the most expensive ces in Central. The soup cost three times as much.


    ¡°It¡¯s expensive.¡±


    ¡°If someone hears, they¡¯ll assume you received only 70 carols. Don¡¯t forget the chocte.¡±


    SoYoon calcted in her head. Including the cost of the chocte, the price seemed about right. When she agreed, he demanded she get food and chocte right away and practically kicked her out of the house. He acted as if he owned the ce.


    ***


    The next day, it started to rain at the break of dawn. SoYoon had woken early and realized she smelled of blood. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was the rain, but she was annoyed at her sour mood and cramping lower abdomen.


    She went into the bathroom. As she took off her clothes and hung them on the door, drops of blood fell onto the tile. She didn¡¯t know if it was possible to bear a normal child or if she even had a future as a good mother, but her body seemed to be adamant about retaining the ability to carry on her DNA. SoYoon angrily turned on the water.


    When she came out after her shower, Dee wasn¡¯t fully awake yet, so he sat there fluttering his eyshes like a butterfly. He looked like he wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly. But as he made eye contact with her, his face crumpled into a scowl. Like Mad Hatter, his good looks were put to such waste.


    Today, she had to go see Heart early in the morning. She was told toe without eating breakfast, so she set up food for Dee and set off to see Heart.


    SoYoon headed to the bedroom upon hearing that Heart was still asleep; it was still early, after all. Hearing her, he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Whitey?¡±


    His deep, drowsy voice filtered through the room. There was a rustle as Heart got up. She grabbed the door handle and spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait in another room so you can go back to sleep.¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    He tilted his head and beckoned her over. She did as he requested. Heart wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into the bed.


    His bed smelled like him, and she sank into it as his body wrapped around her.


    ¡°Heart?¡±


    Heart didn¡¯t answer and instead pulled her into a deep hug. Heart¡¯s body felt hotter than usual, and it raised her temperature as well. It warmed her lower abdomen so that the cramping she had been experiencing all morning started to dissipate. He removed the knife and mask from her face and the two of them whispered to each other buried in the nket together.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well, you should tell me.¡±


    ¡°I feel okay....¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Heart put his hand over her stomach. It felt like she had dived into hot water and she trembled. Heartughed.


    ¡°See. You¡¯re not well.¡±


    He was quick to catch on after catching the faint scent of blood. She felt as if she was wrapped in a full-body hot pack, and her body melted into it, but she quickly came back to her senses.


    ¡°Why did you call me here?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been over recently.¡±


    It had only been a couple of days since she had seen him to receive the hint to ry to Alice. It hadn¡¯t been long, but now that she thought about it, they usually saw each other once every two days. Of course, that had been because Heart always called for her.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t call me, so I didn¡¯te.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t call you, you¡¯ll nevere? So mean.¡±


    Heart removed his hand from her stomach and hugged her with his whole body. His hot hands moved slowly from her waist and up her back. SoYoon moaned without noticing. Heart¡¯s hands stopped.


    ¡°This is dangerous,¡± he mumbled in a low voice that pulled at her insides. He stayed still for a while, then got up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back after I wash up, so wait for me. Let¡¯s eat breakfast together.¡±


    As Heart washed up, SoYoon opened the curtains. When Heart came out of the bathroom, breakfast was served.


    SoYoon thered honey onto the warm croissant. The sunlight that filtered through the translucent golden honey gave it a pleasant, warm glow. She felt the warmth hit her tongue, and it spread to the rest of her body to raise her spirits.


    Heart watched as she bit through the croissant and asked casually, ¡°You seem to be going to specialty restaurants these days.¡±


    Having to heed Dee¡¯s requests, even the restaurants she had to go to were restricted. That SoYoon ordered takeout food from Central¡¯s restaurants was not a big deal, but the fact that Heart knew about it and brought it to her attention was important.


    Did he know that Dee was residing in her house? She removed her gaze from her te and looked at Heart. Heart licked the honey from his thumb and smiled crookedly at her.


    ¡°Is the food I¡¯m serving you not good?¡±


    She shook her head. Not only in Wondend but even on Earth, she had never tasted anything as good as what she ate at Heart¡¯s house. Heartughed in approval. ¡°Thene over to eat more often.¡±


    Still, she remained suspicious. ¡°Are you spying on me?¡±


    ¡°Spying? How could you use me of that?¡±


    Heart answered with his arms held out wide as if he was aic actor. SoYoon raised her eyebrows, and Heartughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m only worried about you. If my Whitey gets involved with some trashy jerk, then we¡¯ll have a problem, won¡¯t we?¡±


    Typical Heart. He already knew there was someone living in the house with her. She assumed he didn¡¯t know it was Dee, but it didn¡¯t look like he was going to do anything about it. If Heart knew, then Baby definitely knew...SoYoon felt a headacheing on.


    To no one¡¯s surprise, after breakfast, the exact same chocte truffle she had bought for Dee came out for dessert. Heart opened the packaging and handed it to her with the expression, ¡°You like this.¡± She looked at Heart¡¯s face and surrendered.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get rid of him next week.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking. Long-term tasks are not rmended.¡±


    SoYoon ced the truffle in her mouth. She chewed it roughly, but the expensive chocte melted on her tongue.


    After leaving Heart¡¯s house, SoYoon stopped by Central to pick up food for Dee. What Heart said about a long-term task was not wrong. Because she had to feed him three times a day, she was tied to her home.

 Chapter 25

    <h4>Chapter 25</h4>


    Dee was lying on the sofa. He looked like thezy son that warranted a back smashing from mothers, but he was so good looking, even his sweat pants and jacket attire made him look like a piece of art.


    His wavy dark-blond hair was ruffled over the arm of the sofa, and his eyes zed over as he stared at the ceiling. He looked like a tortured prince. But SoYoon knew that this expression just meant he had nothing on his mind.


    He nced over at her a second then went back to his nk expression.


    ¡°You hurt?¡± Dee asked her ndly. She didn¡¯t look to be injured but the smell of blood was potent. He sniffed the air then mumbled.


    ¡°F*ck, you are a girl.¡±


    He would be better off keeping his mouth shut. She ignored Dee and put the ingredients for lunch into a pot. Dee grabbed his side and walked over to her. As if he had found his toy, he smiled widely with his plump lips. His crescent-shaped smile made the dark room shine.


    ¡°You¡¯re like a suckling baby, so I didn¡¯t know. So, you are a girl? But, didn¡¯t you say you were my age? Then you¡¯re all grown up? Wow, holy sh*t. Blondie, your life is really...¡±


    Dee put his arm over SoYoon¡¯s shoulder and nced at her chest. She didn¡¯t react to his teenage teasing and continued to prepare lunch.


    She had not been particrly well developed, but when she jumped dimensions, her chest got smaller. Still, with this small stature, it was lucky she wasn¡¯t an AA cup. It wasn¡¯t like she was living a life fit for a girl anyways, but she still muttered to herself.


    Dee observed SoYoon as they ate lunch. They say small breasts still taste good, but she was not his type. He liked his woman to have full breasts so that when he put his fingers to them, he could feel the curves and squeezable skin. So that during climax, when he put his teeth to the breasts...


    Dee¡¯s eyes glowed red. When he bit down, the rare steak¡¯s soft meat fell away.


    The smoky tenderness of the beef was wonderful, but he wanted to bite into something else. Since I have little choice, maybe she won¡¯t be that bad. She looked at him. He couldn¡¯t see her eyes because they were covered by her hair, but he was sure her head was turned toward him.


    Could I take her on in my state? Dee moved his gaze back to his te.


    That night, Dee had a dream. It was a familiar small and dark room. He was alone, huddled in a corner. Where was Dum? As he looked for his brother, the door that had been locked slowly opened. Dee flinched in surprise. Through the crack, he could see the silhouette of a long, dark shadow. Dee started to hyperventte. The time for pain had arrived.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Dee¡¯s eyes shed open. He saw the dark ceiling above him. His breathing was fast. He didn¡¯t like the dark. In a room without a single window, he was beaten half to death by his mother. Dum was no longer there. It hurt. It was horrific.


    His breathing calmed and returned to normal. Dee jumped in fright. Mother? Was it mother? Did shee to kill him? Then he would kill her first likest time. He raised himself up and quietly crept toward the ce where he heard breathing.


    The person he found was not his mother but SoYoon. Her white hair resting on the pillow shone like stars in the night sky. ¡°Let¡¯s do what we like and do best,¡± Dum whispered in his ear.


    They buried their nose between her neck and breathed in deeply. She smelled sweet and bitter, and it made his mouth water. He swallowed hard as he slowly removed the nket from SoYoon¡¯s body.


    Underneath her T-shirt, they could see her chest. They took out a knife and ripped the shirt. The smell made his appetite grow, and that¡¯s when he saw the small but curved breasts.


    They licked their lips and opened their mouth toward her chest. Their teeth glistened with saliva as they touched her nipple. A little more, just a little more, then I will taste the warm, sweet, and sulent thing in my mouth. They smiled.


    And then, they were violently stopped. Unable to get to the feast inches away from them, saliva dripped down their lips in betrayal. They rolled their eyes to find SoYoon awake. They had failed again.


    They pushed SoYoon away, and she, in turn, kicked them in the head. m! With a racket, they hit the wall hard. They went in and out of consciousness. Through their blurred vision, they could see her washing off her hands with a towel, then throwing the towel back at them.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a child, so what are you drooling for? You need a bib?¡±


    That was thest memory of that night.


    When Dee opened his eyes, it waste afternoon. Dum must have been asleep because he was quiet. He wasn¡¯t sure if what he remembered was a dream, but he was surprised to find himself not on the couch but crouched in the corner of the room.


    ¡°That bitch!¡±


    It was the second time he had failed. This was embarrassing. When he stood up, the towel that had been over his wound fell. That reminded him ofst night...¡±Do you need a bib?¡±


    ¡°Bib...,¡± Dee cursed.


    There was no one in the house other than him. You¡¯ve run away now, have you? Just wait until youe back. I¡¯ll chew you to pieces.


    Where was it that girls felt the most pain when bitten? Chest? Arm? Thigh? He remembered a girl who cried when he bit her cheek. Okay, face it is. Let¡¯s see what you think about having a big hole in your face.


    The door opened as his lips cracked into a smile. SoYoon returned with both her arms full.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake...¡±


    Dee sprinted toward her. He couldn¡¯t even feel the pain in his side. Three meters, two meters¡ªhe ran toward the face covered by her bangs and mask. Finally, he was down to one meter.


    Dee reached out for her neck and bared his teeth. The next second, hey crumpled in the corner of the kitchen from a full blow to the stomach. He grabbed his chin and stumbled back up, coughing and gasping for air. SoYoon grabbed Dee by the cor and dragged him back to the sofa.


    ¡°Ah! You crazy bitch! Do you want to die? Let me go now!¡±


    However much Dee resisted, he was unable to break free from her grip. She tossed him onto a sofa and sat on his legs.


    ¡°What are you doing now? Get lost! F*ck!¡±


    Dee lifted his upper body. SoYoon swung forward with him and mmed into him. The two heads hit each other with a crack, and Dee fell backward.


    ¡°Ow....¡±


    It hurt so badly, he could barely make a sound. SoYoon, on the other hand, casually reorganized her hair and went back to what she was doing. She lifted Dee¡¯s T-shirt to check the bandaged area.


    ¡°It seems to be healing well.¡±


    ¡°You...useless rockhead...¡±


    ¡°Your head is just soft. Eat.¡±


    I will kill you eventually. Dee ground his teeth. And in the middle of the night, he attempted it four times, but each time he sorely lost.


    ***


    The next morning, Dee pretended to be asleep. SoYoon told him to eat then left the house. As he heard her footsteps retreat, Dee threw off the nkets and sat up.


    ¡°Where did a girl like youe from?¡±


    However much he thought about it, it didn¡¯t make sense that she had that much strength in such a little body. Did she eat some weird medicine? His deduction wasn¡¯t wrong. Unable to find an answer, he flung himself back onto the couch and decided to sleep some more.


    SoYoon was in his dream during his morning nap. The Twins were in a room with arge window and were sitting, admiring the sunlight.


    All of a sudden, SoYoon was sitting next to them. Beneath the white hair, they could see her brown eyes. Within the sun-filled brown eyes were specks of silver. Dee and Dum stared at that nkly, thinking it looked like the fairy dust that they¡¯d heard about in fairytales.


    When theTwins woke up, they cursed themselves for their actions in the dream.


    While Dee and Dum were having fairytale dreams, SoYoon was at Heart¡¯s house. Coffee and a tart filled with smooth diplomat cream and strawberries wereid out before her. SoYoon pinned her hair back and took off her mask.


    Heart¡¯s eyes suddenly shed. He stole the fork away from SoYoon, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her to face him.


    ¡°What¡¯s this on your forehead. You have a bruise?¡±


    Heart¡¯s voice was sweet but annoyed. SoYoon stayed still as he lightly pressed his finger against her forehead. At the slightly painful touch, she remembered what had happened the previous afternoon. Heart read her expression easily.


    He pressed on her forehead hard and said, ¡°The dog must have made a scene?¡±

 Chapter 26

    <h4>Chapter 26</h4>


    Typical Heart. He already knew who was living in the house. Heart had heard all the rumors of the Twins¡¯ hobby. He was also one of the few people who knew those rumors were true. So sometimes, Heart called the Twins a dog¡ªan animal that couldn¡¯t tell what it should or shouldn¡¯t eat and didn¡¯t care either way.


    And SoYoon, through Wondend, knew a little more. After eating his brother and mother to survive, Tweedle Dee had a split personality disorder and also murdered anyone he slept with. There was no reason or need to try to understand him. All she had to know was that he had bared his teeth at her and that she could keep him at bay without a problem.


    SoYoon escaped Heart¡¯s grip and reached for the fork. But Heart grabbed her again and returned her to the same position.


    ¡°We need to treat this.¡±


    She shook her head. The red strawberry on top of the cream was seducing her with its sweet smell. But this house belonged to Heart, and the things inside it belonged to Heart, and this tart was made by a chef who worked for Heart. She had no choice but to surrender her fork to Heart.


    SoYoon pinned her hair back. Heart smiled at her face, which looked younger than usual, and smeared medicine onto her forehead.


    SoYoon muttered, ¡°It hurts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s punishment.¡±


    For allowing the Twins into your house. SoYoon understood him without him having to say it. She couldn¡¯t tell why that was something to be punished for, but it wasn¡¯t the first time he acted in ways she didn¡¯t understand.


    After applying the medicine, Heart ced a bandage and gauze over it. She could now finally taste the tart.


    ***


    Dee was sleeping when he sensed an unfamiliar person approaching. He hid in the kitchen.


    A few momentster, someone came inside. Dee used a hand mirror to check inside. The first thing he saw was silver hair that broke up the sunlight.


    ¡°White Rabbit? Friend, are you here?¡±


    The voice echoed. Baby, unless bothered by the noisy lovers, was usually harmless¡ªso harmless that Dee could probably break Baby¡¯s neck in a minute. Seeing Dee, Baby¡¯s eyes grew round. Baby¡¯s face, as always, looked oblivious.


    He showed himself to Baby.


    ¡°Twins?¡±


    ¡°What business do you have here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯vee to see White Rabbit. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Why do you need to know?¡±


    With this, his secret was out. He wondered if he could get a discount on his 700,000 thousand carols. He had plenty of money, but he didn¡¯t like the idea of easily handing it over.


    Baby looked Dee up and down and came to a conclusion.


    ¡°No way! Are you in a rtionship with White Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you say, girl? What the hell are you talking about? You wanna die?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a girl. Right now, I¡¯m a man.¡±


    ¡°Shut your trap. Stop making stuff up.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Did White Rabbit go somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where that bitch went! Quit bothering me and get lost!¡±


    The fight between the two continued until SoYoon arrived. When she stepped inside, Dee had a fist up toward Baby, and Baby was cowering beneath it.


    ¡°Having fun?¡± SoYoon asked.


    ¡°Friend! He hit me!¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    Baby scuttled over to SoYoon and clung to her. However, Baby was exactly five centimeters taller than SoYoon, so it looked as if they were hugging. She patted Baby¡¯s back and whispered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not overdo it.¡±


    ¡°Hee hee.¡±


    Babyughed while turning away so that Dee couldn¡¯t see.


    SoYoon prepared lunch for the three of them. Including the breakfast that Dee hadn¡¯t touched, there was actually a lot of food. SoYoon, still full from the dessert at Heart¡¯s ce, put down her spoon after a couple of bites.


    Baby worriedly, ¡°Are you not hungry?¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did you go to eat?¡± Dee growled.


    ¡°Heart gave me a tart. It was delicious, so I¡¯m not really hungry.¡±


    ¡°The food at Heart¡¯s is good. And plus, it¡¯s not for just anyone, so he must take extra care.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. The food at my ce is much better.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even tried it, so how would you know? Plus, the food at my house is phenomenal, too. Right, White Rabbit?¡±


    SoYoon stayed quiet standing between Dee and Baby. To her, the food at Heart¡¯s house was the tastiest, but she thought it would be too much work if said that out loud.


    After Baby left, SoYoon did the dishes. Dee, who was practically never moved from the sofa, whatever she was doing, crept over next to her. He stood at the kitchen entrance, then next to the water carton, then next to the trash bags. Finally, he stood right behind her and watched what she was doing.


    The small hands were holding the sponge and washing the dishes. He looked at the white fingers, white suds, white te. The skin under her rolled-up sleeves was also white.


    There was something white next to her face also. Unlike Baby¡¯s silver hair, her hair waspletely white, like an old person¡¯s. Moving his gaze downward, he saw her white neck. If he bit that, would he gain strength? He leaned closer as if in a trance and didn¡¯t realize he was again baring his teeth. He felt a sharp pain on his side and he gasped in annoyance.


    ¡°Ah! What...Hey...¡±


    The cold, clear, brown eyes were watching him. Silver fairy dust floated inside them.


    Fairy dust was lucky. If you had it, then you would be happy. He didn¡¯t know what happiness was. If he didn¡¯t get beat, it didn¡¯t hurt. if he was full, he was in a good mood. If it was tasty, then his mood was better. The Twins thought that was happiness.


    He felt pain in his side. He looked down to find SoYoon pressing hard on his wound.


    ¡°Get lost,¡± SoYoon said calmly. Dee realized that he was standing extremely close to her. Even though she was under the shadow of a man much taller than herself, she looked neither scared nor embarrassed.


    He leaned into her face. SoYoon pushed his forehead away from her with her palm. She walked out of his shadow without any emotion, grabbed a towel from the kitchen, and dried her hands.


    A few minutester, SoYoon came back out. Dee watched the back of her with a strange longing.


    The next day, Baby came to visit again. His chest covered in a thin shirt was still t. He was still a man today.


    ¡°Is White Rabbit not here again?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dead. Should I do the same to you?¡±


    Baby didn¡¯t react to Dee¡¯s answer. Feeling that this was all too bothersome, he spoke in a straightforward manner.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you here, so get lost.¡±


    ¡°White Rabbit is my friend,¡± Baby answered, smiling. He held his hands behind his back and circled Dee. If Baby¡¯s lovers had seen him, they would have said this was an attractive pose, but to Dee, it was just annoying.


    ¡°Friend? Well, I can¡¯t differentiate whether you¡¯re both a man or a woman. And you both have white hair and no chest.¡±


    ¡°How do you know White Rabbit doesn¡¯t have a chest? Did you see it? Oh ho, you did see it?¡±


    ¡°What does it matter to you whether I saw it or not.¡±


    He saw it. So what. It was white and soft like cream, so he assumed it would melt in his mouth if he could get to it. She smelled like fruit, which made her much more irresistible. And the eyes¡ªthat fairy dust. F*ck! He¡¯d never cared about anyone¡¯s eyes before in his life.


    Baby was jabbering on about something. Dee wasn¡¯t paying attention, and his fist clenched.


    ¡°My chest is perfect whether I am a man or a woman. But White Rabbit¡¯s is pretty too. It will fit right in the palm of your hand, and the shape is nice, the color, and especially the feel...¡±


    ¡°F*ck¡ªcan¡¯t you shut up?¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t know what these friends were up to. But he knew this sort of stuff was not something that friends talked about. When he shouted in anger, Baby put his finger to his lips and smiled.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve never touched it before, have you?¡±


    ¡°You little prostitute shit, you really wanna die...!¡±


    Footsteps could be heard. Baby pushed Dee into the kitchen.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°If White Rabbit knew you were here, she wouldn¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°...I was gonna go in there anyway!¡±


    Dee pushed Baby away and walked into the kitchen himself. Soon, a knock came on the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s open!¡±


    Baby¡¯s voice echoed through the house. The door opened and an unfamiliar person walked in.


    ¡°Oh? Are you Alice Liddell?¡±


    It had been three weeks since Alice had arrived in Wondend. During that time, she had visited the Doctor every time she got even the slightest bit hurt, gotten close with March, and made White Rabbit fall for her. However, she had only met with Heart a mere three times. Heart didn¡¯t go out much, and his house was not located in the neutral zone.


    What do I have to do to meet Heart? The answer came to her easily. And that¡¯s why she hade to White Rabbit¡¯s house. There, Alice met a beautiful boy.


    His wavy silver hair flowed to his shoulders, his blue eyes sparkled like a gem, the contours of his nose were sharp, his red lips were like a rosebud, and his body was seductive even with the simplest of moves.


    Alice remembered Baby¡¯s role as she did with Heart and Doctor. In the middle of the narrative, Baby would be Alice¡¯s friend. Then she remembered what would happen afterward. She smiled.


    ¡°Yes, I am. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Baby. Are you here to see White Rabbit? White Rabbit is not here right now. Did you want me to ry anything?¡±


    Why was Baby at White Rabbit¡¯s house? Maybe in hopes of seduction? It was already toote. Alice smiled again. This time, it was a sincere expression of her feelings.


    ¡°No. I¡¯lle by again next time.¡±


    Baby¡¯s lips curved into a smile as he watched the back of Alice. She was different from how SoYoon had described her, so he was confused. It was more likely that he was right about her.


    ¡°What an ambitious girl.¡±


    It would all be worthless, though. Baby had the same thought that Alice had about him and hummed. After Alice left, Dee came out of the kitchen in a sour mood.

 Chapter 27

    <h4>Chapter 27</h4>


    ¡°You crazy? You a dog or something? What are you whining for?¡±


    ¡°It looks like we will see something fun happen in Wondend soon. What did you call mea dog?¡±


    Baby snickered, for he had remembered what Heart called Twins. You¡¯re the dog, not me. Instead Baby decided to tell the Twins something else. Was it revenge for being called a prostitute? Well, maybe.


    ¡°Want to know something interesting? Some men don¡¯t care about the size of a girl¡¯s breasts¡ªor example, Heart or Mad Hatter.¡±


    ¡°No way. With their taste in girls? The only way that would be true is if they were both blinded.¡±


    ¡°So you do think of her as a girl?¡±


    ¡°Then is she a guy?¡±


    As the rumors had suggested, one of the Twins was not too bright. Although they spoke of SoYoon without actually referring to her specifically, Dee didn¡¯t realize it. Baby stared at Dee. Baby pretended to run away as Dee started cursing. He had stopped by thinking that something bothersome had rolled into his friend¡¯s way, but by the looks of it, there was nothing to worry about.


    After Baby left, Dee punched the sofa cushions, not knowing why he was so annoyed. The cushion exploded after one punch, the white stuffing poking out of its edges. He threw it to the side and buried himself under the nket. ¡°F*ck, f*ck!¡± Dee cursed at no one in particr. But however much he cursed, he still felt frustrated.


    SoYoon returned an hourter. Dee shot up and threw the pillow at her.


    ¡°Yo, Blondie! Why are you sote!¡±


    SoYoon avoided the oing pillow easily. She turned to return it to its rightful ce when she found the exploded cushion. She stared at Dee. Dee, feeling guilty, yelled in defense.


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. You hungry? Do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Is the only thing you ever have to say to me, is to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to charge you for the ripped T-shirt and cushion...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Was it a 21-year-old¡¯s puberty? SoYoon sighed at his overreaction.


    As she was preparing lunch, Dee got up from the sofa and wandered over to the kitchen. He leaned on the wall and watched her from behind.


    She turned on the induction, unwrapped the food, and poured the contents into a pot. She threw away the trash. She put the pot on top of the induction and stirred the pot with her finger. She reached for the cupboards.


    Her white skin beneath her folded sleeves was blinding. It was the ce he had been entranced byst night: her slender arms, sides, hips, legs. From afar, it looked to be straight, but he could see the curves of her figure. Woman, girl¡ªshe looked so weak that it would be easy to rip her apart.


    ¡°Yo, Blondie. What¡¯s your rtion with that pervert?¡±


    ¡°Pervert?¡±


    ¡°The kid or child or whatever he is with the weird name, hairtail fish head.¡±


    She¡¯d never heard Baby being referred to those names¡ªhairtail fish head. If Baby¡¯s lovers had heard him speak about Baby¡¯s silver locks like this, they would have ripped his hair out. SoYoon answered him, contemting whether her nickname or Baby¡¯s was more offensive.


    ¡°Friend.¡±


    ¡°You consider that weirdo your friend...Forget it, end it right now. Hey, aren¡¯t you going to answer me? F*ck, what kind of pervert goes massaging his friend¡¯s chest!¡±


    Baby must have made it sound as if they were in a different type of rtionship. It was true that Baby had touched her chest before, whether it was to show her the way to massage it to make it bigger or to figure out the best bra fitting or for no other reason than just because he liked the feel of it. But that was just all in fun. And more importantly, there was no reason for Dee to get so upset over it.


    When she didn¡¯t answer, Dee kicked the wall. She warned him the walls would break, but that must not have been the answer he was looking for, because he got even angrier.


    ¡°Then what about Heart and Mad Hatter...F*ck!¡±


    There was no way that this man, who could have the most beautiful girls in Wondend at his beck and call, would be so enamored by someone like her. Dee knew there was no point in even asking. But contrary to his thoughts, words he didn¡¯t intend to say kept popping out. He shut his mouth. His frustration mounted.


    ***


    After leaving White Rabbit¡¯s house, Alice headed to Central. She decided to eat lunch then find White Rabbit. At Central, she realized the power of being the main character of a story. Even among a crowd of people, his aura emanated. Alice skipped over to the man with the ginger hair.


    ¡°Heart!¡±


    Hearing his name, Heart turned. He was smiling. Alice felt both as cute as a kitten and as sexy as a wildcat.


    Alice ran to Heart and clung to his arm, then ced her hand over his chest. She could feel the hard muscles under his thin, wine-colored silk shirt.


    ¡°Whew, ha...It was just so nice to see you. Oh! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Alice pretended to be surprised by her action and moved her hand. At this, Heart grabbed her hand and pulled her into an embrace.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Alice. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came to eat lunch. I was nning to go see White Rabbit afterward...¡±


    She looked up at Heart. His manly appearance was dependable and calm, but his eyes narrowed as if he was on the verge of exploding. She swallowed hard and continued.


    ¡°Have you seen White Rabbit?¡±


    The reason she had been looking for White Rabbit had been to meet Heart, but now that she¡¯d met him, there was no reason to ask. However, Alice asked anyway¡ªand Heart took the bait.


    Thunderclouds shadowed Heart¡¯s auburn eyes, and she could sense his jealousy. He put his finger on Alice¡¯s cheek, sweeping it across her face, barely touching her, then slid away.


    ¡°Is there a particr reason you need to see Whitey...White Rabbit? You don¡¯t need me instead?¡±


    ¡°Um...yes.¡±


    Heart stepped back from Alice. There was no longer any remnant of a smile.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen White Rabbit today. If I do, I¡¯ll make sure to ry the message to her.¡±


    Heart turned and walked away. Alice watched his back and smiled. She had contemted whether she should have a meal with him or cause him jealousy, but she was d she picked thetter.


    ***


    SoYoon was doing the dishes after ate lunch and only stopped to dry her hands as her phone rang. Before she could even ask who it was, a low voice said, ¡°Come.¡±


    Heart¡¯s voice was calmer than usual. She didn¡¯t know the reason, but she was sure he was in a bad mood.


    A message arrived, and SoYoon checked her map. It was a ce 30 minutes outside of Wondend by car. It looked as if Heart wanted to enjoy his hobby after a long time of staying quiet. She finished washing the dishes quickly and got ready.


    Dee, seeing this, asked, ¡°Was that Heart?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you go now, then f*ck, what about my dinner?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare it after I get back. If you get hungry, there¡¯s jerky in the cupboard.¡±


    They had eaten lunch after 2:00, so it was probably fine to have ate dinner. SoYoon left while Dee mumbled curse words at her back.


    She stopped by Heart¡¯s house to pick up some things then left Wondend, trying to avoid being seen.


    Even at ten meters away, the smell of blood was prevalent. SoYoon first checked to see if there was a car parked, then, without hesitation, headed inside.


    Inside, there were five decapitated heads bleeding all over the floor and walls. Heart was in the center of it.


    He was rolling the heads around like ser balls, but upon seeing SoYoon, broke into arge grin. The ax he¡¯d used was dripping blood.


    ¡°Wee, Whitey.¡±


    The blood-soaked red-haired man greeted her with open arms. SoYoon walked up to him, and he wrapped his arms around her.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting blood on me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, should we wash up together?¡± Heart whispered as he buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. He put his hand under her shirt without permission as if it was his own body.


    ¡°Stay alert.¡±


    Heart entangled his fingers into her hair and pulled. The mask fell away. The calming vetiver scent mixed with the smell of blood and yed with her senses.


    The smell was not the only thing tempting her. Heart¡¯s lips grazed SoYoon¡¯s ear, and his tongue licked its insides. The sound of wetness echoed.


    She moaned quietly, and Heart chuckled. She could feel his throatyugh in her body. SoYoon turned her head and tried to flee from the temptation, but Heart grabbed her waist and lifted her.


    ¡°Heart.¡±


    Heart¡¯s lips traveled from her ear to her chin and down to her neck as he carried her inside. He found a room that was clean of blood and ced SoYoon on top of the bed. She hadn¡¯t even realized it, but he had already gotten rid of the knife that had been tied tightly to her body by a leather strap.

 Chapter 28

    <h4>Chapter 28</h4>


    ¡°Heart.¡±


    SoYoon called his name and tried to raise her body, but Heart was already on top of her. He held her wrists with one hand, and with the other lifted her hoodie and ced it on her body.


    His hands swept across her waist, traveled up her back, and unhooked her bra. His fingers snapped to and fro on her thin back, and she felt her bra release its restraint. Now unfettered by the obstacle, he grabbed SoYoon¡¯s breasts. He moved his fingers slowly and reveled in their feel.


    Heughed. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what I could be up to. Aren¡¯t you a little nervous?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t attack me.¡±


    Heart pressed his center onto her thighs. Through his clothes, she could feel his lust.


    ¡°Even if I do this?¡±


    ¡°Even if you do that.¡±


    Heartughed out loud, buried his face into her hair, and inhaled. A few momentster, he got up. His center revealed that he was still aroused. When she got up and sat down, Heart bent over and licked her lips.


    ¡°Go wash up.¡±


    As he went to wash up, SoYoon opened her cross bag, took out a magic capsule, and forced it down her throat. She straightened herself up, took out the things she¡¯d brought, andid them on top of the bed: the expensive ck suit, the ck opal-studded cufflinks, and red socks.


    As she was cleaning the blood off of Heart¡¯s shoes, he came in from his shower. He was in nothing but his underwear and dripping water from his hair. SoYoon grabbed the towel hung around his neck and sat him on the bed.


    ¡°Dry off properly.¡±


    ¡°Why should I when you can do it for me?¡± Heart teased slyly.


    SoYoon rubbed the towel hard into his head. Underneath the towel, Heartined that it hurt andughed at the same time. She realized her action was immature, so she lessened her strength and dried his hair properly.


    Heart remained still until SoYoon removed the towel. Then he rubbed his head on hers.


    She patted Heart on the head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Although it looked as if Heart was ruled by whatever whim hit his fancy, he was a logical man. There was a very specific reason he felt the need to go to Outhouse andmit these murders. He stayed quiet for a while and changed subjects.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it time to let the dog out of the house?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to soon. It¡¯s difficult because it¡¯s like Dee¡¯s hit puberty.¡±


    ¡°...Keep going.¡±


    She vented the rest to him. After she finished, Heart cursed out loud.


    ¡°What the hell did you do to him?¡±


    ¡°I treated his wounds, fed him. Um, and when he crossed boundaries, I hit him.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d I bother even asking?.¡±


    ¡°I better go see Baby the moment we get back,¡± Heart muttered while grinding his teeth.


    He got up and started to dress in the outfit SoYoon had brought for him. When his arms came out of the shirt, she ced the cufflinks on for him.


    After putting on the jacket and shoes, he was his old self. She had grabbed the red socks by ident because she was in a hurry, but he was still able to pull off the look.


    They searched the bedroom for the car keys, collected the blood-soaked clothes, and came back to the living room. SoYoon looked around at the massacre. It was a mess suitable for a serial-killer painter.


    Her cleanup task was to bring him his new clothes and escort him back home. She dragged Heart, who was exining the efficiency of killing a person by decapitation, to the car.


    ¡°Whitey, what about the magic capsule?¡±


    ¡°I swallowed it while you were washing.¡±


    ¡°What a shame. It¡¯s not every day I get to see you frowning in disgust.¡±


    They headed back to Wondend, chatting about every little thing. SoYoon first stopped by Heart¡¯s house to drop off the clothes and collect her fee. He seduced her to stay for dinner, but she resisted and got home around 8:00.


    The moment she opened the door, she heard a scream.


    ¡°I¡¯m starving! Did you go to Outhouse or something!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up...What?¡±


    SoYoon put the food she picked up from Central onto the table. It was a sandwich with white ciabatta, eggnt, zhini, mushrooms, roasted tomato, cabbage, cheese, and thinly sliced prosciutto and a Caprese sd.


    Dee took a huge bite of the sandwich and nced at SoYoon. She hadn¡¯t changed like Heart, so there were still bloodstains on her clothes.


    ¡°You¡¯re making me lose my appetite,¡± Deeined. Other than Alice, no one in Wondend was that sensitive to blood, so hisint was unwarranted.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you go there?¡±


    ¡°Request from client.¡±


    Which meant there was nothing else to ask.


    Dee snorted. ¡°You scurried over the moment Heart called you. Work is just an excuse. Wasn¡¯t it for something else? Aren¡¯t you Heart¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Tweedle Dee.¡±


    SoYoon called Dee¡¯s name after finishing her sandwich and brushing off the crumbs. It had been almost a week since they had lived in the same space, but this was the first time she had called him by name. He was called by their nickname, Twins, more often than not, so this caught him off guard. Strangely, it bothered him.


    He lowered his previously raised pinkie and looked at SoYoon. Her eyes were covered as always, but Dee already knew what was behind her hair.


    ¡°If I called for you, you should say something. Why is your trap shut?¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was to deny the made-up rumors or if it was about her work with her clients¡ªwhatever it was, it didn¡¯t matter. He watched and waited for SoYoon¡¯s lips to move. Those lips, which had just a few minutes ago been chewing a sandwich¡ªthose lips moved with no expression.


    ¡°Tomorrow will have been a week. You should call Tweedle Dum or your minions and go back.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I wondered what nonsense you were going to spout! Even if you didn¡¯t mention it, I was already nning to! F*ck, it¡¯s not even something important. Why bother even bringing it up while we¡¯re stuffing our faces?¡±


    The sandwich that had only just recently tasted so good now felt like sand. Dee opened his mouth and took an unnecessarilyrge bite and chewed angrily. The sandwich got stuck in his throat, and he choked.


    SoYoon poured him a ss of water and put it in front of him. F*ck, why does she have to pour me this shit? Shit! He gulped the water.


    That night, they shared not a single word between them.


    ***


    The next morning, Dee turned on his cellphone. Missed calls and messages poured in. After reading them, he ced a call. Not long afterward, one of his assistants came running.


    ¡°Dee! You¡¯re alive!¡±


    ¡°You were hoping I was dead?¡±


    ¡°It looks like I was worried for no reason. Hearing you like this makes me believe you¡¯re alive.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. What about Dum?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone missing after saying he was going to look for you.¡±


    ¡°That dufus is such a worrywart.¡±


    Dee¡¯s acting was wless. He changed into the clothes his assistant brought and looked like a prince sneaking out of his castle wearing his ck shirt, leather pants, and a dirty blue jean jacket. As he changed and strapped on his knife, his assistant handed SoYoon a thick envelope.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more than enough.¡±


    ¡°It does look that way,¡± SoYoon answered after checking the contents.


    With that, their short period of living together came cleanly to an end. SoYoon did not feel much as he left.


    That bitch! Not a single word even now! Frustrated, Dee ignored his thirst.


    ¡°So what¡¯s happening to Luke?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? Why are you looking for Luke?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for him because he¡¯s the no-good punk that gave me a hole in my side. He¡¯s not still with Dum, is he? You didn¡¯t tell Luke you wereing to get me, right?¡±


    Dum whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s kill him slowly. Wouldn¡¯t it be fun to see his reaction when we tell him the truth before he dies?¡± Dee agreed. Upon their beautiful face was a vicious smile as they greeted a new morning in Wondend.

 Chapter 29

    <h4>Chapter 29</h4>


    Mad Hatter held the remote in his hand as he stared out theboratory window. He could see the scenery in front of SoYoon¡¯s house, which he watched with little interest as it fast-forwarded to stop on one scene.


    A man was stepping into SoYoon¡¯s house. A few momentster, the man came back out with a child. The dark blond hair of the child glistened under the sunlight. At this, Mad Hatter¡¯s red lips curled upward.


    ¡°It was Twins.¡±


    He pressed the switch on the remote to return the window to normal, then sent a message to SoYoon.

 Chapter 30: Alice in Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 30: Alice in Trouble</h4>


    There was a boy named Aubrey Grimalkin, who was born wealthy, extremely intelligent, and handsome. Born having everything, he found life quite tedious.


    And so he developed a small hobby. He was skilled in this field, so he became famous for it. And the day he turned 18, the boy visited the city of thewless, Wondend.


    A well-respectedwyer was Aubrey Grimalkin¡ªa murderer who never left any evidence, Hyde, and Wondend¡¯s Cheshire. They were all descriptions of the same person.


    In Outhouse, he was the most expensivewyer in the biggest office in the biggest building. There he stared at a photograph and smiled. In the photo was a blond-haired, smiling girl. He had just gained information about her.


    ¡°Alice Liddell.¡±


    His gray, knife-edged eyes sparkled.


    ***


    ¡°Alice Liddell.¡±


    Somebody called her name. Alice woke up. Like a ghost sweeping across her neck, a chill ran up her back. I must have had a nightmare. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.


    Saddened by her parents¡¯ sudden death was a girl at the bottom of ake. At her calling, her eyes fluttered slightly awake, yet she was not yet aware of what was toe.


    ***


    SoYoon had spent a lot of time at Heart¡¯s office in Wondend. She was there today as well.


    SoYoon remembered what she¡¯d heard from Dee as she sat on Heart¡¯s sofa, wasting her time. Heart was ying with her hair as she turned to him and asked, ¡°I heard there¡¯s a rumor about our rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Rumor? That you¡¯re my assistant?¡±


    Because SoYoon spent so much time at Heart¡¯s house, it was no wonder that there were rumors about them. Heart¡¯s dog, that was how the majority of the people in Wondend thought about her. She shook her head and copied how Dee had exined it by raising her pinkie.


    ¡°That I¡¯m your this.¡±


    Heart blinked several times upon seeing a gesture that he thought he would never see SoYoon do, then burst outughing. Her revealed face showed not an ounce of emotion as she flicked her pinkie to and fro. The contrast made him smile.


    When Heart startedughing, she returned her pinkie to normal. Heart could sense her annoyance by her slight pouting, and he continued tough.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that such a rumor could have circted. The things that people around here talk about are pretty much the same. It isn¡¯t something to get worked up over.¡±


    Heart and SoYoon: the two contrasting images¡ªone a pheromone-inducing heartthrob, the other a gender-neutral stick. Most people would have thought the two of them together ridiculous.


    ¡°Who said that?¡±


    Gestures and rumors aside, the fact that there was even an ant¡¯s antenna¡¯s worth of gossip revolving around their rtionship worried her. SoYoon leaned back on the sofa.


    ¡°Twins.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re concerned about a rumor?¡±


    SoYoon worried about the rumor because she was afraid that Alice would hear it and stray from Heart. Heart didn¡¯t like the fact that she was so obsessed with Alice that she was unable to tell him the truth.


    SoYoon shook her head. Heart hugged her and sat her on hisp.


    He put his lips to her ears and whispered, ¡°My Whitey seems to be having more and more secrets these days.¡±


    His vetiver scent, his warmth, his strong arms, his voice that tickled her ear every time his lips swept across it¡ªhis deep voice shook her. SoYoon pushed Heart away, but he clutched her head underneath her hair and pulled her closer.


    Her chin rested on Heart¡¯s shoulder, and she mumbled, ¡°I never meant to create secrets.¡± Now that she said it out loud, it sounded like an excuse.


    ¡°¡­Of course you didn¡¯t.¡±


    Heart released his grip, causing SoYoon to sway and hit the floor. Losing his warmth, she felt cold. She removed the pin from her hair and put on her mask.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    Heart nodded.


    ***


    After SoYoon left Heart¡¯s house, she got a request to kill someone. When shepleted the task, she headed over to Mad Hatter¡¯s. He had asked her to treat the fingers he kept hurting.


    Even though it was the middle of spring, Wondend remained a flowerless dessert. As she walked those streets, she heard a familiar voice calling her in a most unfamiliar way.


    ¡°Undertaker? It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The man that had only recently stayed with her shook her hand. Seeing the beige jacket and the sophisticated scarf falling from his neckline, she knew who it was.


    As the man walked, the ends of his hair reflected the sunlight into lights of silver. He smiled. She had not seen that expression once on Dee¡¯s face for the week that she lived with him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not mistaking me for Dee now, are you? I¡¯m Tweedle Dum.¡±


    Dum introduced himself and held out his hand. It was a strange gesture in Wondend, but he held SoYoon¡¯s rough hands gently in his.


    ¡°Thank you for saving Dee. It was all your doing that he is alive.¡±


    ¡°I was only doing my job.¡±


    ¡°Still, thank you. I¡¯ll never forget this.¡±


    Dum smiled like a bouquet of pink flowers. The only time Deeughed was a sarcastic sneer mixed with cursing. Dum waspletely different.


    If he could fool her, then it was no wonder he could fool the rest of Wondend.


    She pulled her hand away, but Dum tightened his grip to make sure she couldn¡¯t get away.


    ¡°Do you want to have dinner with me tonight? I want to hear how you¡¯ve been getting along with Dee¡­And also as a thank you.¡±


    ¡°I was paid enough already.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a gesture of gratitude. Are you busy now?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t in any special hurry, but she did have to fulfill Mad Hatter¡¯s request. When she nodded, Dum looked disappointed and let go of her hand.


    ¡°Then, next time. Promise.¡±


    SoYoon turned and walked away. She felt his heated gaze on her back.


    ***


    SoYoon saw the burnt corpses near the window at Mad Hatter¡¯s house. They must have tried to enter without his permission.


    She knew that with his personality, there was no way he would have let that pass. She kicked and rolled the corpses far enough from the house that they didn¡¯t get in her way and stepped in front of the door. A few secondster, Mad Hatter granted her entry.


    Even though he spent most of his time in hisboratory on the second floor, every time SoYoon visited, he would be standing at the foot of the stairs or outside hisb¡¯s door. She looked in that direction out of habit but turned her head as she felt a presence elsewhere.


    ¡°You¡¯rete.¡±


    Today, he was wearing a white turban, which masked his hair. He remained cold, and he couldn¡¯t mask his sense of difort.


    ¡°What are you doing? Sit.¡±


    He pointed to the sofa and went into the kitchen. She sat down and opened the first-aid kit. Soon, Mad Hatter returned, holding a tray. Every step he took toward her wafted a sweet smell across the room. He ced the refreshments on the table.


    He brought in a teapot, two teacups, vodka, a te filled with capsules, and a scone. A scone¡ªthat was the reason for the difort. She¡¯d never smelled food in his house.


    Mad Hatter put the vodka and medicine in front of him. He ced the scone before her and poured the tea. The ck tea absorbed the sunlight to reflect a golden light brown, and steam rose from it in swirls.


    She ced the teacup on the table. Mad Hatter stared at her. Did he want her to drink it? Based on the light scent floating in the room, it didn¡¯t look as if he¡¯d done anything to it.


    SoYoon took off her mask and drank from the cup. As the color was light, so was the taste, but it was not bad. He observed her closely, then pushed the scone closer to her.


    ¡°Eat this too.¡±


    The small, round scone looked warm. SoYoon split it and put a piece in her mouth. The outside was crisp and the inside soft and slightly dry. She chewed the fluffy pastry thoughtfully.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see. Don¡¯t misunderstand. It¡¯s like an experiment. The process of experimenting with cooking is dependent on a subject to test it. I hope you will continue to help me with it.¡±


    He exined this to her, then drank his vodka. SoYoon¡¯s attention went to the object he was eating like a snack. Noticing this, he raised the orange capsule to show her.


    ¡°It¡¯s a vitamin capsule. Four are the same as one meal. Would you like to try it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Mad Hatter nodded at her split-second refusal. He had already known about her hatred of medicine. His reason for eating the capsules instead of food was for the same reason.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that ufortable?¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    Mad Hatter pointed at her forehead. She grabbed her long bangs.


    The original story described White Rabbit: white hair, red eyes, pale skin, ck mask, small and thin stature, a giant sword on his back. Other than the color of her eyes, the rest was still urate.


    That¡¯s why she covered her eyes. She thought that would guarantee that the story would persist in the same way. But as Mad Hatter pointed out, it was ufortable at times. Especially when she was eating, it got in the way.


    SoYoon pushed her bangs out of the way. Her hair, however, slid back into ce, covering her sight. This time, she pulled it back and ced it behind her ear. The moment she took her hand off, it returned to its original position. Let¡¯s leave it.


    Mad Hatter came forward after her surrender. He held a pin in his injured hand. She kept her back straight as he pinned her hair to the side.


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ck tea and scones, vodka and a vitamin capsule¡ªthis strange tea party continued.

 Chapter 31

    <h4>Chapter 31</h4>


    Wondend¡¯s three rules weren¡¯t always kept. If they had been, then Dee would not have gotten attacked by his inferior assistant, and March would not have wandered out of the slums and mugged people in the neutral zone. What this meant was that even in the neutral zone, where crime was forbidden, dirty deeds were bound to happen.


    The first person to realize the changing atmosphere of the neutral zone was SoYoon, who obsessed over maintaining Alice¡¯s safety.


    The people here were not as menacing as Heart or as well known as Mad Hatter or as great as the Twins, but they were all able to take care of themselves. It meant that there was no purpose in causing trouble among these people. Cheshire¡¯s men, however, broke the delicate peace they had established.


    In the original story, when Alice started to get ustomed to Wondend, Cheshire found out about Alice¡¯s healing powers. As a result, he sought to bring her into his circle, and his method of choice was kidnapping.


    SoYoon thought there might be a bit of time left, but she was mistaken. She didn¡¯t ount for the time it took for Dee to recover under SoYoon¡¯s care. If Alice had healed him as was the normal flow of the story, it would have taken only a matter of seconds. With SoYoon, it had taken a week. Obviously, the time calction was wrong.


    With Cheshire¡¯s prudence, he would most likely spy on Alice and kidnap her at night. SoYoon, unable how long he had been spying, prepared for the worst by staying close to Alice¡¯s house. It was one day before Alice would receive her second hint.


    Alice was annoyed by the crying she heard at night. It wasn¡¯t real crying, but it was progressively getting louder each day, until it sounded more like screaming. Plus, she knew it was approaching the time where Cheshire would attempt to kidnap her, so her emotions were on edge.


    Cheshire was one of the only characters who did not fall for Alice. Actually, he did fall in love with her, but refused to admit it and instead aimed to kill her. Because of that, Alice cut him out of her prospects, but she knew she couldn¡¯t avoid the kidnapping. As a result of the kidnapping, she would meet the Twins for the second time.


    As Alice was lost in thought, White Rabbit came to visit. Alice hurriedly looked into a mirror. Knowing it was the day to receive her second hint, she had changed into a blue dress, whichplemented the golden walls.


    Truthfully, Alice¡¯s taste in clothes was simple and luxurious. However, based on how White Rabbit reacted up until now, she wanted to look lovely and adorable. As expected, upon seeing her smile, White Rabbit greeted her sweetly.


    ¡°Wee!¡±


    ¡°Have you been well, Alice?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been so long. You should visit me more often. Should we eat together sometime?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Um, you know why I¡¯vee today, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Alice nodded seriously. She folded her hands in front of her chest and stared at SoYoon with big eyes. SoYoon felt uneasy.


    ¡°...The second hint is Henry Liddell.¡±


    The moment Alice heard the hint, her blue eyes widened.


    Henry Liddell was Alice¡¯s father, and he was also one of the researchers at the facility where SoYoon had been. When people started to find out about Alice¡¯s skill, the pressure rose to bring her in. And one of them worked alongside him.


    SoYoon knew the meaning of the second hint based on her memory of the original story. She didn¡¯t realize that Henry Liddell¡¯s workce was the same ce where she had been captured. He didn¡¯t care what he did to the other people he experimented on, but he cared for the safety of his daughter. SoYoonughed coldly at the familiar man she saw in the picture.


    Alice had sulked and pretended to cry continuously, but White Rabbit didn¡¯t make one attempt to console her. He¡¯s supposed to be infatuated by me, so why is he such a rock? She continued to weep and turned away from White Rabbit.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...Hearing my father¡¯s name is so painful...¡±


    She rubbed her eyes to make them red and turned to face White Rabbit. She had even practiced this while looking in a mirror so that no man could resisting to hug her. She wanted to test it out before using it on Heart.


    And this time, White Rabbit didn¡¯t stray from her expectations. SoYoon held the hand that had been rubbing her eyes and said in a small voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rub too hard. You¡¯ll hurt your eyes.¡±


    ¡°But, but...Do you know, White Rabbit? Why is my father a hint?¡±


    ¡°That, um¡ªthat is.¡±


    When SoYoon sighed and hesitated, Alice stuck to her and begged. She smelled the sweet scent of flowersing from Alice. Typical of the main female lead, she thought, and eventually decided to tell her.


    ¡°It has to do with your father¡¯s workce.¡±


    If it were another hint, SoYoon wouldn¡¯t have minded, but she didn¡¯t like having to exin this hint to her. Pretending she had a client to see, SoYoon left Alice¡¯s house. Alice watched until she disappeared around a corner.


    The moment Alice closed the door, immensely proud of herself, the crying started echoing through the air again. Who in the world is crying? Alice stomped inside, annoyed, but the crying got louder. She looked around the room and jumped in fright upon seeing her reflection in the mirror.


    Alice closed her mouth, gritted her teeth, buried her face in a pillow, and pounded her head against the pillow, but it was no use. The crying wouldn¡¯t stop.


    Alice screamed in fear.


    ¡°What are you!¡±


    The crying ignored Alice¡¯s voice and continued to weep.


    ¡°Daddy....¡±


    Daddy¡ªHenry Liddell.


    Alice Liddell¡ªAlice!


    Her face drained of color. She pressed her trembling hands into her legs.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Alice tried to say in a calm voice but failed miserably. A sad voice mixed with crying replied.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you moving my body without my permission?¡±


    Alice replied in a weepy voice, biting her lips.


    ¡°This¡ªthis is your body?¡±


    There were two sets of lips and voices, but one consciousness. Alice continued to talk without stopping, afraid that if she did, she would lose her body forever. She screamed at Alice Liddell menacingly.


    ¡°This is my body! Get lost! No one here will wee someone as weak as you! This is my world! I am the star here! I will never give it up to you!¡±


    She had yelled without even breathing and so suddenly felt lightheaded. She kept her bnce by leaning on the bed. The crying was slowly waning.


    Mentally tired, Alice tipped over and fell asleep. She didn¡¯t realize that men had used the darkness of the night toe in and kidnap her.


    ***


    A few hourster, Alice woke up in an unfamiliar ce. It was a neatly organized office. She got up quickly and found a man observing her from close by.


    He had golden hair cleverly styled to look casually swept back, gray eyes behind ck chrome-framed sses, dark-ck designer three-piece suit, and finally a striped necktie.


    Cheshire.


    Like the other main characters, Cheshire was extremely good looking. Unable to speak, she looked up at him, and Cheshire smiled. If she had not known what his intentions were, he would have tricked her into thinking the smile was sincere.


    ¡°Are you Alice Liddell?¡±


    He put his hand toward her. Remembering how Duke had almost tricked her, she put out her hand cautiously. Cheshire, seeing her trepidation, twitched his fingers and put his hand back down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so careful. I have onlye to ask for your cooperation. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°And I believe you will help me,¡± Cheshire added. With his smile now gone, his face looked menacing. Unlike the original story, where Cheshire had failed in kidnapping Alice, she now feared for her life in front of this devious-looking man. She cursed Alice Liddell for putting her in this predicament by tiring her out.

 Chapter 32

    <h4>Chapter 32</h4>


    Once it became night on the day that SoYoon gave Alice her second hint, she went out to guard Alice¡¯s house.


    That night, Cheshire¡¯s men invaded Alice¡¯s house. When they broke Alice¡¯s window quietly and entered, SoYoon sat watching them. As the story indicated, that was what was supposed to happen.


    What she thought was strange was that they seemed toe out of the house with a sack that looked to have Alice in it. ording to the original story, Alice was supposed to have gotten away and run outside, where Twins would have saved her. However much she tried to sense their presence, Twins seemed to be nowhere in the picture.


    Do I remember it wrong? Was this not the ce where Twins saved her?


    SoYoon followed the men. They passed the neutral zone and were almost at Wondend¡¯s entrance. Still there was no sign of Twins. As she hesitated, the men got into the car that was waiting and disappeared.


    Something is wrong. SoYoon called Baby immediately.


    ¡°Wait...Ah, I said, wait! White Rabbit? Hello?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m calling sote. Cheshire kidnapped Alice. Tell me where he lives in Outhouse.¡±


    Cheshire was sure to have more than one card up his sleeves and so wouldn¡¯t act rashly. Alice would be safe.


    Baby messaged her the address and map. Baby knew seven locations. Excluding locales out of the country or far away, it left four possible ces. She asked Baby to let her know if there was any way to pinpoint the site, and she headed toward the closest spot.


    The first ce was an apartment 20 minutes away from Wondend¡¯s entrance. SoYoon saw the security around the building and gave up going through the front door. She circled and found a small window. She took off the ss carefully and shoved in her head. It was a little tight for her shoulders, but other than that, it was a piece of cake.


    She entered the hallway of the building and went up to the fifth floor. It was empty. She hurriedly exited the apartment and headed to the next location.


    As SoYoon wandered around Outhouse trying to save Alice, Alice was trapped in a horrific position involving three people: she was stuck in Cheshire¡¯s experiment.


    Cheshire had no intention of causing harm to the one person in the world with healing powers. He was hoping to help their rtionship through dialogue. ording to intel, she had wandered into Wondend after losing her parents. He thought he could use this to his advantage.


    The fault in his n was that Alice was already wary of him and that her parents¡¯ deaths didn¡¯t hold much meaning to her.


    However much he tried to get information about her powers, she refused to answer. Cheshire¡¯s patience was wearing thin, and he decided on a different route. His weapon of choice was the w. He ced it over his hand and cut through the back of another kidnapped man. Then he shoved the w right up to Alice¡¯s nose andughed.


    ¡°You must be sadly mistaken, but if you didn¡¯t have healing powers, I would have no reason to keep you alive. If you don¡¯t want to die, do as I tell you.¡±


    Alice had no choice but to abide. She ced her hands over the man¡¯s back. The light from her hands traveled to his skin, and the long scratches started to heal. Cheshire¡¯s gray eyes sparkled in surprise.


    ¡°I had been doubtful, but it is amazing.¡±


    Afterplimenting her, he stepped on the man¡¯s knee and twisted it. The man¡¯s screams echoed around the small room.


    ¡°Heal him,¡± Cheshire told her. Alice, trembling, put her hands to the man¡¯s knee. Once the light from her hands hit him, the grotesquely twisted knee went back to its normal position.


    When the knee healed, Cheshire took out a small ax and chopped off the man¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°Heal him.¡±


    Alice¡¯s healing powers were unable to regenerate the man¡¯s dismembered fingers. Cheshire checked the rest of his fingers, then chopped a different finger.


    He stuck the finger in ce andmanded, ¡°Heal him.¡±


    The finger healed.


    The man fainted. Finally, Cheshire stabbed the man¡¯s heart and checked to see if she could heal a man on the brink of death. He called in his men.


    ¡°Get rid of him. And bring in the second one.¡±


    Alice knew that getting rid of him was not just dumping him anywhere. The man was lifted away, and the next person who came in was a young boy coughing with a cold. At themand ¡°Heal him,¡± Alice trembled and did as she was told.


    Next came a person with a chronic illness, a person with a scar from a wound from long ago, a person missing a kidney, and assorted people who needed help. They were tested against Alice¡¯s powers.


    Even after healing all those people, Alice didn¡¯t seem to be facing any physical hardship. Her skills were nothing short of a miracle. Cheshire smiled and lifted Alice¡¯s face.


    ¡°Now, the final one.¡±


    Alice trembled at his frightening tone. Cheshire patted her shoulders reassuringly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not such a difficult task. We will just test if your skills work on you.¡±


    ¡°No, no! Go away! Ahhhh!¡±


    Alice threw him off and stumbled backward, but there was nowhere to run in the small room. He caught her easily. Cheshire twisted her arm to control her.


    ¡°Please...Please, I beg you...¡±


    ¡°This is why I don¡¯t like stupid people. If you¡¯d just answered when I asked nicely, we wouldn¡¯t have to go through all this trouble.¡±


    Cheshire pulled out a knife. He warned her that if she moved, she would lose her fingers. Alice tried to stop her body from trembling. However, her fear-filled body wouldn¡¯t listen to her.


    Am I going to die like that person? This nonsense is all because of that girl. Alice wanted to kill Alice Liddell. She felt a presence on her hand. No, I¡¯m scared. Please, someone save me¡ªMom, Dad, Heart, March, White Rabbit.


    Like a miracle, the window broke open.


    ***


    When SoYoon came out of the second location not finding Alice, she got a message from Baby. She hurriedly headed to the fourth ce. Cheshire trying to kill Alice was a narrative that happened after the middle half of the book. She was sure Alice would be safe. She persuaded her of this fact and pressed hard on the elerator.


    The fourth location was a downtown office building. It was past 3:00 a.m., so even the overnight workers were gone for the day, and not a single person was inside. SoYoon sensed that the fourth floor, however, was dense with people and so quickly gave up trying to enter through the door or window.


    She climbed up the building wall, checked the safety of the gutter drain, and ced her feet on top of it. Step by step, she carefully climbed. Holding on to the gutter, she scuttled sideways to look inside.


    SoYoon found Alice in the sixth room she checked. Cheshire had a knife pointed at Alice¡¯s back. SoYoon threw her body into the window and charged inside.


    The first task upon barging into the room was to separate Cheshire and Alice. She kicked the knife out of Cheshire¡¯s hand, away from Alice. Cheshire flew hard into the wall from the whiplike kick that came at him so fast, he didn¡¯t even have time to react.


    She followed behind him and was about to knock him unconscious when Alice stopped her. Alice grabbed SoYoon¡¯s shoulder hard and cried.


    ¡°I was scared...¡±


    SoYoon didn¡¯t have the heart to tell the trembling Alice to let her go. As she was patting Alice on the back, Cheshire came to his senses and called in his men through the open door. SoYoon talked to Alice in her most sympathetic voice so that she wouldn¡¯t get scared.


    ¡°Alice, go hide under that table and close your ears. It will only take a little while.¡±


    Alice looked at SoYoon, Cheshire, and the oing hoard of men and nodded. SoYoon pushed Alice toward the table and pulled out her sword.


    SoYoon¡¯s sword was like a Chinese chef¡¯s knife: it was perfect for cutting and slicing with precision.


    She sliced the oing men from their shoulders to their waists. Using the weight of her swing, she cut the backs of the men behind her. She avoided the falling men by slightly turning her body while another man tried to attack her shoulder. His face exploded in a sea of blood. In his moment of distraction, she cut his leg, and as he fell, she chopped off his head. The head rolled toward Cheshire¡¯s feet.


    Cheshire told his men to retreat. Other than the slight cuts she got from breaking into a window, SoYoon was left unharmed¡ªcontrary to Cheshire¡¯s men. He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but fighting like this would put himself in danger.


    Cheshire looked over to where Alice was hiding. He could kidnap her again anytime, but he only had one life to spare. Admitting defeat was always bitter. He concealed his resentment, disguised it as anger, and yelled.


    ¡°Stop! Everyone retreat.¡±


    As Cheshire¡¯s men retreated, SoYoon put down her weapon. He took care not to have corpses flying in Alice¡¯s direction, but she couldn¡¯t avoid the blood stter. Alice had screamed every time she saw blood, and SoYoon thought it better not to continue fighting.

 Chapter 33

    <h4>Chapter 33</h4>


    ¡°I will let you leave tonight. But next time, both you and Alice...¡±


    ¡°That phrase is said by third-ss victims as they run away in defeat.¡±


    SoYoon cut Cheshire off. She red at Cheshire and pointed her sword at him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving?¡±


    Her underlying meaning was that if he didn¡¯t leave right away, a second war would break out. The only person who didn¡¯t realize this was Alice. Cheshire exited first, and his men followed behind him.


    SoYoon put away her sword and wiped the blood from her head and face. After checking how she looked in a wall-hung mirror, she approached Alice. Alice had her hands tightly over her ears and was trembling.


    ¡°Alice.¡±


    SoYoon put her hand on her back and called her. Alice jumped in surprise. Only after realizing it was SoYoon did her fearful face start to run with tears.


    ¡°I¡ªI¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. They ran away.¡±


    SoYoon calmed her down and helped her out of the room while Alice dried her eyes. Inside the building, fear had paralyzed Alice, but the moment they got in the car, she let down her guard and nodded off to sleep. SoYoon nced over at her and became lost in thought.


    In the original story, Twins saved Alice. After they had killed all of Cheshire¡¯s men, they went to pick a fight directly with Cheshire. Having lost all his men and injured himself, he didn¡¯t show up in front of Alice for a long time.


    The present Cheshire, however, lost only a few of his men and wasn¡¯t badly hurt. Other than that, it looked as if SoYoon had identally taken Twins¡¯ ce in the narrative, probably because she, instead of Alice, had picked up Twins when they were wounded.


    Then why wasn¡¯t Alice able to escape from her kidnappers originally? Did she forget something from the story? She sighed quietly and decided to focus on the results. The most important thing was that Alice was safe. There was one thing left to resolve.


    When she had almost arrived at Wondend, she received a message from Heart, asking her to stop by his house. She had anticipated Heart would find out what happened through Baby, but she didn¡¯t think he would call her this quickly. He may have pretended otherwise, but he must have an interest in Alice.


    She replied to Heart. The safest ce in Wondend was not the neutral zone or Central; it was Heart¡¯s house. There was no better ce.


    A few momentster, Heart gave her his permission. Having checked his answer, SoYoon woke up Alice.


    ¡°Alice, we¡¯ve arrived. Wake up.¡±


    The two of them got out of the car a few miles away from the entrance of Wondend. Alice, finding out that Heart was looking for her, walked happily to his house. They arrived there before the sun came up. The moment they entered and Alice saw Heart, the tears that seemed to have stopped poured again.


    ¡°Wee. You¡¯ve had a rough day.¡±


    ¡°Heart...¡±


    Heart embraced the crying Alice. His auburn eyes with their long eyshes, however, were looking at SoYoon. He saw her blood-sttered clothes and smiled. SoYoon, flustered at his stare, rolled her eyes at him. Only then did he return his attention to Alice.


    ¡°You must be tired. Go in and rest. From now on, what do you think about staying here?¡±


    ¡°Really? Uh, I don¡¯t want to be a bother...¡±


    ¡°Bother? How could you even think that? Did you think our rtionship is that shallow? Hm?¡±


    Heart spoke to her lovingly. Alice blushed and answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, Heart. Thank you.¡±


    Alice¡¯s room was thest room on the third floor. You could see all of Wondend from its wide balcony. When the man who escorted her left the room, Alice plopped onto the bed. The bed was nothing like she¡¯d ever felt before.


    The story was no longer the same as the original. Although the result was much better, she was disappointed she hadn¡¯t made contact with Twins. She still had an opportunity, however.


    She worried about a different problem. Stupid Alice Liddell!


    Alice looked at the mirror. A familiar face looked back at her. Unlike in horror stories, the reflection was not an expression different from her own. Alice red at herself.


    ¡°This is my body.¡±


    I¡¯m not going to lose it to the likes of you.


    ***


    After Heart sent Alice to her room, he held out his hand toward SoYoon. As expected of a perfectionist, it was after he had sent everybody away. SoYoon approached Heart, and he removed her mask, which was ripped.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt,¡± Heart mumbled as he ced his finger over her cheek. She felt a painter¡¯s soul as he pressed on her skin.


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    SoYoonined, but Heart didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Here, and your shoulder. Anywhere else?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The two of them went upstairs to the second floor. The office was devoid of all heat in the early spring morning. In nothing but silk pajamas and a gown, Heart embraced SoYoon as if he were trying to warm his body.


    ¡°I was shocked after hearing from Baby in the middle of the night. That you went to go save Alice by yourself.¡±


    Heart held tighter to SoYoon¡¯s shoulders. The clotted blood began to trickle over Heart¡¯s fingers.


    She tried to get out of his grasp by cing her hands in between his. He let her go without resisting but grabbed her hands tightly instead.


    He was holding so tight that his hands were white against the red blood on his hands. SoYoon¡¯s and Heart¡¯s eyes met. She didn¡¯t know what to make of the fire that was in his auburn eyes.


    ¡°But all you do is request that girl to stay here.¡±


    Heart buried his face in her neck, and his soft red hair flowed over her neck and shoulder. The sensation made her insides tingle.


    ¡°You¡¯re always doing what you want.¡±


    Heart bit into her neck hard so that she started to bleed. She could feel his anger through his teeth. Heart licked at the wound he had created.


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t even think about why I¡¯m doing this,¡± Heart whispered.


    She closed her eyes.


    ***


    The fact that Alice was now living in Heart¡¯s house spread fast across Wondend. As the rumor spread, more rumors attached itself to it until it became known that Heart was into Alice.


    Rumor had it that Heart couldn¡¯t do anything without her, that when Cheshire kidnapped her, he personally went out to Outhouse to find her, that Alice was pregnant with his heir, etc. Amidst all the rumors, Heart was currently eating lunch with SoYoon. He asked her.


    ¡°How does it feel?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The rumors. It¡¯s quite raucous out there.¡±


    The person who knew the rumors best was Heart. He was able to hear the stories for himself, but even the new ones were gifted to him by Baby.


    Heart remembered Baby calling him this morning to tell him thetest scoop, practically gasping for breath fromughing.


    ¡°They are saying that Heart fell in love with Alice in the neutral zone, where she was the girlfriend of some boy, and that you killed him so that you could have her.¡±


    ¡°Baby told me about it this morning,¡± SoYoon said without much emotion. Heart ground his teeth. That troublesome Baby! I¡¯m going to make you beg for mercy one day. Heart didn¡¯t get what he had wanted and sat brooding instead.


    SoYoon had wanted to meet Alice since she was at Heart¡¯s house anyway, but her request was denied. It didn¡¯t look as if it would be best to cross Heart, so she left, checking her smartphone. A message from Mad Hatter had arrived.


    /[Buy me some cold medicine. I¡¯ve arranged it so you can enter my house without permission.]/


    SoYoon headed to Doctor¡¯s house.


    On her way, she ran into Dor.


    ¡°Rabbit! It¡¯s been so long!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has.¡±


    Now Dor was healthy enough to walk around outside by herself. The task that SoYoon had handed over to March was to deliver Doctor¡¯s groceries and cigarettes. He must have been on the way to fulfill this task because he had one hand with a bag of groceries from the mart at Central and the other hand holding Dor¡¯s. SoYoon whispered to March so that Dor couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably better not to take her outside the neutral zone.¡±


    ¡°She keeps insisting on wanting to go outside. I¡¯d rather take her out with me than risk her wandering about on her own.¡±


    The three of them reached their destination. Dor was so excited, she grabbed SoYoon¡¯s hand and skipped in front of them. SoYoon softly pulled her back while being wary of her surroundings. March continued a conversation with her from time to time until the subject of Alice came up. March asked with a strange expression on his face.


    ¡°Is Alice really in a rtionship with Heart?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

 Chapter 34

    <h4>Chapter 34</h4>


    Alice would eventually be tied in with many rtionships with different men, so SoYoon glossed over the subject. However, unlike her expectation, March made an expression that was far from jealousy. It was one that read that this was the most ridiculous thing he¡¯d heard.


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re not sure? You can¡¯t see what¡¯s happening? Alice is nning to stay in Heart¡¯s house forever!¡±


    ¡°Is there something there I have to see?¡±


    ¡°You should be wary of her! Or at least jealous!¡±


    SoYoon finally understood what March was talking about. March was looking up at her with an expression that didn¡¯t have a hint of sarcasm. Heart. You said there were no such rumors.


    ¡°Oh, please. All those rumors about Heart and me are lies...¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on! You¡¯re so dense!¡±


    March stomped ahead. SoYoon stared at him in disbelief as Dor pulled her, asking, ¡°Where¡¯s Alice?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s staying with Heart. She won¡¯t be able toe out for a while. You must be disappointed, Dor.¡±


    SoYoon swept back Dor¡¯s smooth hair. Dor remained still but shook her head at SoYoon¡¯s words.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s no?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not disappointed. I don¡¯t like Alice.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up!¡± March yelled at them from way up ahead.


    ¡°Brother¡¯s mad!¡±


    Dor grabbed SoYoon¡¯s hand and ran forward. She must not want to get her brother stolen, SoYoon thought as she looked at the light brown pigtails pping in the wind.


    ***


    After exining the symptoms to Doctor, she collected the cold medicine, split with Dor and March, and headed to Mad Hatter¡¯s house. She stood at the front door and was about to knock when she remembered the directions from his message. She opened the door. It swung smoothly without any security feature to stop intruders.


    Even though it was a sunny spring day, inside it was cold, dark, and dreary. SoYoon walked toward the ce where she could feel a human presence.


    Mad Hatter was in the first-floor bedroom in a deep sleep. When she ced her hand over his forehead, it was hot with fever.


    She went to the kitchen and grabbed a ss of water then lightly shook Mad Hatter by the shoulders. His eyes were shaded in a darkvender as he slowly opened them.


    ¡°Have youe...?¡±


    ¡°I brought medicine.¡±


    Mad Hatter got up. It seemed to take all his strength, so SoYoon helped him. As she did, Mad Hatter leaned his face on her shoulder. The action reminded her of a wilting flower.


    She ced a pillow behind his back and handed him the two pills that Doctor had given her. He shook his head as he saw them.


    ¡°I need about eight of them to work.¡±


    Mad Hatter put all eight in his mouth and swallowed them with the water. SoYoon then helped him back down onto the bed. She tucked the nket up to his chin then took a wet towel to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. With his eyes closed, his scrunched-up face loosened.


    Because the task had only been to buy the medicine, she could easily have headed back home now. However, she didn¡¯t want to leave Mad Hatter in this state in a house that didn¡¯t even have proper security setup at the front door. He had done so much for her in the past. She didn¡¯t forget that four years ago, he had ced this nket over her when she had passed out.


    She went to the kitchen and brought over a chair that was thick with dust. She ced the chair next to his bed and removed the sword from her back. Even though she had been making a lot of noise, he didn¡¯t wake up.


    SoYoon observed Mad Hatter¡¯s sad face. He was usually as pale as a marble statue, but now he had a tinge of pink from his fever. He had always been pleasing to look at, but having fallen ill, he had a decadent beauty about him.


    Was this what they meant by the devil¡¯s seduction? SoYoonughed. She thought that if she kept looking at him, she would be entranced, so she pulled out her smartphone and opened the game app that he had installed for her.


    SoYoon looked up from her game from time to time to wipe his face and neck with a wet towel.


    The sun had set. She had intended to stay in the house until he woke up, but she knew there was nothing to eat in this house. There might be an extra scone lying around. Would vodka work as a meal? She imagined the organized bottles in the fridge when Mad Hatter whimpered.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± SoYoon asked, looking into his face. However, his eyes remained closed. His eyshes were a deeper color than his hair, and they fluttered like a magnolia in the wind. If the people that Mad Hatter killed had heard her thoughts, they would have thought she was insane.


    Mad Hatter¡¯s body was shivering. His face was drenched in cold sweat. He whimpered under his tightly closed lips.


    ¡°I don¡¯t...Fath¡ªer...¡±


    In Wondend, Mad Hatter¡¯s father abused him. The dream he was having was probably a scene he never wanted to endure again. SoYoon reached out her hand to him.


    Mad Hatter cowered at the touch. Due to the movement, his hat slid off, and his unique orange hair fell out. SoYoon grabbed his trembling shoulders and shook him.


    ¡°Mad Hatter!¡±


    ***


    His darkboratory in his attic was a ce he was morefortable than in his room. He looked around the interior through the light of the magicmp. Not wanting the fumes from his experiments to leak out, there was not a single window. The space wasrge and high, but it felt small and cramped to him.


    A sweet smell met his nose. His father had entered the room with a te of food in his hands. He trembled by instinct.


    ¡°...Are you...?¡±


    A boyish voice could be heard far away. He heard it for the first time, but it felt familiar. He wanted to see the speaker, so he turned his head, but the only thing he could see was the te. The sweet smell was revolting.


    ¡°Eat, Yo Kanan,¡± his father¡¯s voicemanded him.


    No, Father. If only he could say those two words.


    He picked up the te that his father handed him, and even though he knew it was the start of his torture, he shoved it into his mouth. It hadn¡¯t been five minutes when his migraines pounded his head. The magic spread inside his body, dting his blood vessels so that you could see them glow red on his skin. The pain was so immense that he couldn¡¯t even scream.


    With blurry, tear-filled eyes, he could see his father watching him. He was able to reach out his hand to grab the ends of his father¡¯s pants. Kill me instead, Father.


    ¡°Mad Hatter!¡±


    Mad Hatter breathed in deeply and opened his eyes. Through the blur, he saw a shadow in the darkness. As he blinked, his tears fell down his cheeks. A finger was wiping away the tears mixed with his sweat. The touch was hard, rough, and not even the slightest bit sweet.


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    The boyish alto called him again. It didn¡¯t matter if it was hard, rough, or sweet. Mad Hatter opened his arms and hugged her shoulders tight, and her thin body easily fell forward into his arms.


    He buried his face into SoYoon¡¯s chest, whimpered like an injured animal, then burst out crying. A few momentster, her thin arms were robotically embracing his head. Mad Hatter hugged her tighter. Even though she knew it would be hurting him, she didn¡¯t let him go.

 Chapter 35

    <h4>Chapter 35</h4>


    The next morning, Mad Hatter looked down at the warmth he felt next to him. He would be lying if he said he hadn¡¯t wanted it. And now he was being rewarded by his desire.


    SoYoon hadn¡¯t left. She was in his embrace. In the bluish haze of dawn, her white hair looked simr to his. He smiled widely.


    SoYoon opened her eyes then. She awoke without any fuss and was alert the moment she opened her eyes. The beautiful face that looked down at her made her think that she might have still been dreaming. She wondered if she identally said her thoughts aloud when the godlike red lips chuckled.


    ¡°Are you talking in your sleep? Staying sleep may not be such a bad idea.¡±


    Their body temperatures separately were cool, but when they met, the heat inside the nket was zing. It was so warm that they thought they might be happy just dying like this.


    He rubbed his head into hers. He realized that he wasn¡¯t wearing anything over his head, it didn¡¯t matter at the moment. He had no reservation about SoYoon seeing this side of him.


    He looked into SoYoon¡¯s eyes, which seemed to ask him, ¡°Are you hurting that badly?¡± and pulled her back into an embrace and went back to sleep. In his ear, he heard the sigh of soft surrender.


    ***


    It waste afternoon when the two of them finally got out of bed. SoYoon straightened her wrinkled clothes. He sat her in the living room and preheated the oven and ced an egg in water on top of the induction. When the water started to boil, he took the scone out of the fridge and stuck it in the oven. He then ced a kettle on the stove.


    After eight minutes, he removed the pot from the stove, poured out the hot water, and reced it with cold. His fingers burned slightly, thanks to hisck of a potholder, but he ignored it.


    The water in the pot was boiling. He hurriedly turned off the mes, ced the tea leaves into the teapot, and steeped it. From the ck tea leaves, golden tea steeped out the bottom.


    He ced the top of the teapot and set the timer. Then he broke open the egg that was sitting in the cold water in the sink. When he removed the shells and cut the egg in half, the timer read four minutes and 30 seconds.


    He wiped off the water from his burn and removed the tea leaves. The oven went off. Mad Hatter opened it and ced the scone on a te. He was trying to take it out quickly, so he burnt himself, but again he ignored it.


    Mad Hatter put everything on a tray and added his vitamin capsules and a te of salt.


    As he came out with the tray, SoYoon was watching him. Through her messy bangs, he could see her brown eyes. She was not wearing her mask, so he could see her lips too. He knew that he would soon see those lips chewing happily.


    You¡¯re not the only one who can see this. He hummed as he thought of Heart.


    As expected, SoYoon ate well. Maybe next time, I¡¯ll fry an egg, Mad Hatter contemted.


    SoYoon split the scone in half and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to lock your door?¡±


    Mad Hatter checked the doors and found they were closed properly.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get rid of your security features to stop intruders?¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? Or do you think that I am that stupid?¡±


    I¡¯ve only made it so that instead of one person allowed to enter, I rewired it to allow two. But that oblivious girl thinks I opened the door to anybody.


    ¡°You are the only person allowed entry. You can enter without my permission from now on.¡±


    SoYoon stopped as she lifted her teacup. Her gaze went up to his uncovered hair. Mad Hatter tried to pretend he didn¡¯t see theplicated emotion that shed in her eyes. When she tried to change the subject, he epted it dly.


    ¡°Do you remember Alice?¡±


    ¡°You mean Heart¡¯s mistress?¡±


    ¡°Um, she has a special skill...¡±


    He was able to understand what was going on upon hearing those words. Ever since Alice came into Wondend, all the things that had happened¡ªDor waking up, Heart¡¯s reaction, Cheshire¡¯s movement, and SoYoon¡¯s words a couple of weeks ago that ¡°it will soon be okay¡±¡ªstarted to make sense.


    He was sure that this girl¡¯s power was to heal. Seeing SoYoon¡¯s reaction, he could tell that she thought she could heal his broken brain also. He reacted ndly, however.


    ¡°I see. Congratte Heart for me. Wait, you¡¯ve got something on your mouth. So clumsy.¡±


    Mad Hatter removed the scone crumb from her mouth, looked down at it, then put it in his mouth. He did not retch as he expected. Instead, he thought it tasted good. He smiled like a flower blooming. The girl¡¯s eyes shook upon seeing this.


    How dare you try to stick another girl on me! Let¡¯s see what happens if you keep trying it.


    ***


    Tweedle Dee looked down at the food his chef made him. The T-bone steak, cooked to his liking, smelled and looked appetizing. He cut a small piece of the steak and put it in his mouth. Even the bit of sauce on it was perfect. However, Dee shouted curses and said to Dum, ¡°Hey, switch ces.¡±


    Dee switched ces with Dum and looked around. It was the safest situation as it was just the two of them. Plus, there was delicious food ced in front of them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Dee?¡± Dum asked, and his brother answered, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± which meant he wanted to eat something else. Dum changed his clothes and went outside.


    The Twins, unlike their birth and life, had a look that matched very well with the bright sunlight. That in itself was one of their strengths.


    When they had escaped the small room and first stepped out into the world, there were a lot of people who approached them, thinking that they were easy prey. The Twins were like poisonous chocte, eating those who tried to eat them. And as they grew more separate in identity, Dum wielded the power of his looks much better than Dee.


    His princelike facade with the honeylike personality created synergy. They enjoyed watching the girls cringe in fear at Dum¡¯s sudden burst of violence.


    And such a girl was now standing in front of them. Her bust was just the right size for their taste, so they took the girl to any empty house in Wondend and roughly handled her. She first pretended toin, but not long afterward, she reacted ardently.


    She was Central¡¯s famous prostitute. She had clear skin, soft legs and arms, a thin waist, and a morously full chest. Yes, woman...woman.


    Dee went into her without uttering a word. Dum was reaching climax so wasn¡¯t paying attention to his brother¡¯s uncharacteristic actions.


    Her creamlike skin glistened in the daytime sun as her body shuddered. Dum bit lightly on the woman¡¯s neck. The smell of her shampoo hit his senses¡ªthe sweetness of flowers and fruit. It piqued the Twins¡¯ appetite.


    Strangely, Dum, however, was reminded of another soapy scent: sweet and sour citrus with a tinge of bitterness. Once the memory hit him, his euphoria peaked, and he moaned.


    His lust, raised to its peak, started to move him however he wanted, and the woman underneath him felt pain. He did not hear any of it and clenched his teeth.


    Climax was right in front of him. He shoved the woman crying in pain hard into the bed and put his teeth to her breast. The soft and subtle touch made him lose his mind.


    How strange! He should have felt good about this, but something felt as if it was missing. Should I do it one more time? Dum looked down at the woman covered in blood in front of him. The dying woman was getting cold, and her insides were hardening.


    He removed his gaze upon the woman and called Dee, who had disappeared. Even though he was awake, however, he did not answer him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Worried about his brother, he was not diligent in being wary of his surroundings. Truthfully, he doubted if anyone would be brave enough to attack them in the middle of the day.


    When they opened the door and walked out of the empty house, Dum stopped in his tracks. In front of him stood a white-haired girl.


    ¡°Hello, Undertaker.¡±


    Dum greeted her with a reflexive smile. How long had she been here? Did she hear? Dum couldn¡¯t understand why he felt so intimidated by her.


    At that moment, Dee, who had been quiet until now, started to growl. Dee suddenly popped out, baring his teeth at SoYoon. As he got closer, the faint smell of soap triggered the thirst he hadn¡¯t been able to fulfill earlier. He ran at SoYoon.


    And then he got beat until he passed out.


    SoYoon wiped off the spit on her neck with Twins¡¯ scarf and thought, This guy really needs a bib.


    She searched Twins¡¯ pockets and found two cellphones. She opened the one that was more scratched up. It was password locked, but when she dialed in 1111, it unlocked. That was easier than expected.


    She knew that it was appropriate for his dumb concept character, but still she expected at least to have to try 2222 or 3333. She looked down at Twins with sympathetic eyes.


    As expected, it was Dee¡¯s cellphone. After looking through his messages and finding a number that he dialed often, she called the number on her smartphone. She could easily have just used his cellphone, but she didn¡¯t want to reveal their secret that they held so dear.


    Having heard that Tweedle Dum had fainted, the man on the phone asked her to wait five minutes for him to arrive.


    Seven minutester, one man came hurrying in. It was the man who had taken Dee from her house before. SoYoon turned away from the man, who was yelling something. She, as always, was busy.


    She finished her shopping at Central¡¯s mart and headed to Mad Hatter¡¯s. He must have gotten into the hobby of cooking because his grocery list included a lot more food items. When she arrived, the door opened smoothly and let her in.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Come on in.¡±


    Mad Hatter greeted her from the first floor. He received the items and pointed to the sofa. As SoYoon sat there, he prepared tea and snacks in the kitchen.


    After he cried his eyes out and showed her that his beauty was but a frail, superficial trait, this scene in his house became routine. As it was, SoYoon had to visit Heart and Mad Hatter with plenty of time in between.


    After she had finished her tea, her smartphone rang. When she answered, a rushed voice cried, ¡°Help! Alice has been kidnapped!¡±


    The moment she heard those words, she suspected Cheshire. However, the voice named another culprit.


    ¡°By Jack! But Jack¡¯s condition for her safe return is so ridiculous that Heart might...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the condition?¡±


    SoYoon hung up the phone and got ready to leave. Mad Hatter, who was sitting opposite her, asked, ¡°Are you going to go save her?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Will you go with me?¡±


    ¡°Did you think I would agree?¡±


    Of course not. SoYoon left Mad Hatter¡¯s house in a hurry.


    She couldn¡¯t remember if Jack was a character in the original story or not. Still, she was aware of who he was.


    SoYoon called Baby and asked for Jack¡¯s hideout. Baby hesitated, unlike her usual self, then told her the address.


    ¡°Thanks, Baby.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Stay safe.¡±

 Chapter 36

    <h4>Chapter 36</h4>


    Jack¡¯s condition seemed like a stretch to SoYoon¡ªwhich meant that his real stiption was something else. In the worst-case scenario, he intended to use Alice to get to Heart. She ran toward Jack¡¯s hideout.


    ***


    Alice enjoyed the days she got to stay at Heart¡¯s house the moment she was able to get rid of that annoying Alice Liddell: the free-flowing hot water, the closet full of beautiful clothes, the three delicious meals served each day. Although the memory of being captured by Cheshire was horrifying, the resulting consequence was immensely satisfying.


    But there was something that bothered her.


    If in the original story, Heart was at her whim¡¯s fancy; in this one, Heart was always busy. There wasn¡¯t even a full hour where Alice and Heart had been face to face. It was a good thing that he was polite and gave her whatever she wanted whenever they did pass each other, because otherwise, she would have stressed about it.


    Anotherint¡ªalthough she could look at it as a week¡¯s worth of fun¡ªwas that she was unable to meet anyone else. However, Heart did try toe between her and the White Rabbit, even if she didn¡¯t see him as apetitor. Heart was hooked. The most erotic love came from jealousy and obsession. Alice smiled.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? You look to be in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always here, so how could there be anything new to be in a good mood about?¡±


    She was talking to a man named Peter, a guard Heart had put in charge of her. She had healed him about a month ago. That may have been the reason that when she replied sweetly, he acted as if he would give up his liver for her. Even now when she answered sharply, he looked at her sweetly as if she was the prettiest thing he¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I leave for just a little bit? Just for a little while? I¡¯ll just stop by Central.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit dangerous outside right now. If you need something, I will dly go buy it for you.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s so suffocating being stuck in here all day. What if I just wither away? Please, Peter? Just for a little while? Please? I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    If she was to remain at the house like this, she might never make contact with Twins or Mad Hatter.


    Alice folded her hands over her chest and looked pleadingly. As she looked at him with those sad blue eyes, Peter blushed. Alice ced her hand on Peter¡¯s arm and whined.


    ¡°Please? Please? If you¡¯re so worried, you cane with me. Please?¡±


    Peter finally surrendered to Alice. He reminded her to not leave his side for even a second and escorted her outside. And in those few minutes, she got kidnapped.


    ¡°Peter!¡±


    Alice reached for her only lifeline, but he was already knocked out cold. The kidnapper kicked Peter awake.


    ¡°Al¡ªAlice...¡±


    The manughed as Peter searched for Alice even while coughing up blood.


    ¡°Go tell Pawn, your pretty little girlfriend was taken by Jack. If you want to retrieve her, you must go to the middle of Central and kneel before me yelling, ¡®Jack, I will return Heart¡¯s throne to you.¡¯ Can you do that?¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since she had been kidnapped and rescued, so that this time she was already trembling in fear. Who was that? Who was Pawn? What was Jack? Heart needed to return what? Why is that man taking me! This never happened in the original story!


    It did, in this scene.


    Jack, Heart¡¯s stepbrother, kidnapped Alice, but Heart rescued her from his hideout before any harm came to her. Afterward, she...


    There was one sentence. How am I supposed to remember this? Alice rubbed her tear-filled face. It¡¯s okay. Heart wille rescue me. I will not get hurt.


    Alice¡¯s mental state was weak, and a voice whispered in her subconscious. Return it. Do you think this is the time for me to be dealing with you right now! Shut up! Alice reprimanded her viciously, but it was difficult to trap Alice Liddell back into the recesses of her mind.


    ¡°This is already my life! It¡¯s not meant for you to get in the way! Why do you think this is yours? How are you so cocky when you stole it from someone else? So you should¡ªshut up, shut up, shut up!¡± Alice had been screaming when her head was turned around by a sharp sound.


    ¡°I told you to stay quiet.¡±


    Alice held her burning cheek and raised her head. Jack was looking at her. He was simr in appearance to Heart, and the moment she saw his smile, she forgot about the pain in her cheek.


    Only then did she realize the fight she had been having with Alice Liddell in her head had manifested itself out loud. She was still able to gag Alice Liddell like a fish in water.


    ¡°What is this? Are you insane? Pawn, you sure found someone that¡¯s like Mother.¡±


    Jack pulled Alice up by her hair.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She screamed underneath his hand. He observed Alice up close.


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Eight¡ªEighteen...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice age.¡±


    Jack¡¯s hands swept across her face, past her neck, and down her chest. His well-trained fingers cupped her breasts. She gasped in pain, and Jackughed out loud.


    ¡°You sure make cute sounds. I¡¯ve never wanted things that belonged to Pawn but for you...¡±


    Alice almost fainted at his sadisticment. Tears flowed over the hands that gagged her. I wasn¡¯t supposed to get hurt!


    She suddenly was hit with the thought of the time Cheshire had kidnapped her. If something like that happens this time around also...Enraptured by fear, she passed out.


    ¡°She passed out over this? She¡¯ll be gone after I y with her a couple of times.¡±


    Jack wagged his tongue and called over his men. Arge man tossed Alice over his back.


    ¡°Make sure to tie her up tight so she can¡¯t escape and shove her in a closet. She doesn¡¯t look like the type to have the nerve, but make sure she won¡¯t try tomit suicide by biting her tongue.¡±


    After he instructed his men, he nced over at Peter. Could the rumors of Heart being in love with that girl be true? Jack¡¯s image of Pawn ovepped with the fallen bloody Peter. Heughed, imagining his fall.


    After Jack left, Peter called Heart with his broken arm and exined the situation. With Heart¡¯s personality, he would never abide by these conditions, but if it was for his precious Alice, it would be different.


    After ending the call, Peter returned home, aided by hisrades. Upon meeting Heart, he realized that he might have been wrong.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well. Let¡¯s get you fixed up and continue talking.¡±


    That was not the reaction of someone who had lost something precious to him. Peter tried to think of ways to fix the situation as he was getting treated. After much thought, he called the only card he could think of.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Help! Alice has been kidnapped!¡±


    ***


    SoYoon checked the inside of Jack¡¯s hideout. There were exactly 23 people. Among them, one of them was Alice, so in the worst-case scenario, she would have to battle 22 people. It was fewer than she had expected.


    When SoYoon had turned into White Rabbit, Jack was not in Wondend. The moment she met Jack was after a year had passed. Back then, he had 40 men but was shunned after being defeated by Heart. But with fewer men, was he willing to try attacking again? It meant that his men had be stronger, or there was something else he was counting on. SoYoon kept it in her mind that this could be a trap.


    Heart would have already known about Jack¡¯s hideout the moment he entered back into Wondend. He was probably already sending his men over here.


    The problem was Jack had Alice as a hostage and would probably threaten to kill her in an attempt to defeat Heart.


    In the original story, kidnapping Alice would have been a good tactic. SoYoon wasn¡¯t able to read minds, so she didn¡¯t know how Heart felt about Alice at the moment, but at least due to her healing powers, she was a person of importance. He would want to retrieve Alice from Jack.


    If Jack had intended to kill Alice, there was no need to kidnap her. However, Jack did resort to a troublesome kidnapping, which meant that he was hoping to murder Alice in front of Heart. In a rage of anger and revenge, he might resort to such a scenario.


    Either way, Alice¡¯s life was ensured before Heart¡¯s arrival¡ªno, only her life.


    SoYoon remembered things she had removed from her memory long ago. Her mouth went dry. When would Hearte? Would Alice be okay until Heart came?


    Was it better to go in first? In that case, she would have to fight 22 men plus any that were hidden and still keep Alice safe. If this was a trap, what should she do? Even if it was, she still had to save Alice.


    Even when lost in thought, SoYoon¡¯s movements were stealthy and remained hidden. Disguising her presence, she was able to get close to the window and overhear their conversation. She eavesdropped on a lot of useless chatter but finally was able to gather useful information.


    ¡°Did you see the girl in the closet? Pawn¡¯s girl?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t. Is she as hot as the rumors say?¡±


    ¡°You know how Matthew loves a pretty face. The moment he saw her, he was drooling all over her. He was supposed to be keeping guard over her, but that¡¯s why they switched him out.¡±


    ¡°That hot, huh? I hope she stays alive after all this. If she¡¯s that pretty, you think she¡¯ll taste different too?¡±


    ¡°For us underlings to get any of the action, we would have to wait a long time.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, at that point, she¡¯ll be all ragged. What¡¯s the fun of tasting something that¡¯s been used that much?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say that if you saw her. You rememberst year when you were gaga over a girl and gave her everything? Pam something? She doesn¡¯t evenpare to this girl.¡±


    ¡°I told you if you ever uttered her name again, I¡¯d kill you!¡±


    And so their useless chatter continued. SoYoon left the window and hid behind a broken fence. She organized the information she¡¯d just overheard.

 Chapter 37

    <h4>Chapter 37</h4>


    Alice seemed to be safe still. Currently she was locked in a closet with a guard watching her. Jack¡¯s motive was to kill Heart, and within that scheme, there was a high chance Alice would be killed also. Also, these men didn¡¯t seem to know who exactly they were fighting.


    Pawn. It was the first time hearing Heart¡¯s real name. He had been born in the slums as the son of a prostitute. He killed the father that got him out of the slums and won his title of Heart. It was a famous story.


    Strangely, she had little interest in the story, but now the name felt like a thorn in her side. She was reminded of Mad Hatter, whose real name she didn¡¯t know. And also, why she was so concerned about this all of a sudden?


    She couldn¡¯t understand.


    Then, her smartphone vibrated inside her jacket pocket. SoYoon took it out and checked the screen. On the lock screen were two messages. Based on the timestamp, one came in right after she called Baby, and the other came in right now.


    /[We¡¯ll be there soon, so don¡¯t go in by yourself.]


    [We¡¯re almost there. Wait.]


    Her white eyshes rxed softly.


    Not even five minutes had passed when a hoard of men in suits arrived at the hideout. They overpowered the ce. Their leader, Heart, frowned with a murderous expression. His easygoing nature was nowhere to be found.


    As she approached him, Heart crinkled his eyes in a smile. He dragged SoYoon to a ce no one else could see, grabbed her shoulder, and scolded her quietly.


    ¡°Why did youe here?¡±


    His anger rained down on her, but she couldn¡¯t figure out why. She assumed the reason but didn¡¯t think it warranted this type of reaction. Alice¡¯s powers must have been pivotal to him. She ced her hand over his with a slightly bitter feeling.


    ¡°Calm down.¡±


    ¡°Calm down? Ha! Calm down? Do you realize how I felt when I heard you asked about this ce! I was afraid you would charge in there without thinking...!¡±


    Heart clenched his hands. She heard her shoulders squeak and thought over his words. So this was...


    ¡°Were you worried about me?¡±


    At this moment, she thought she could see Heart¡¯s auburn eyes burning. He ground his teeth and poured out his thoughts.


    ¡°Are you seriously asking me that right now? You dense girl!¡±


    SoYoon was truly surprised. And Heart, typical of someone who¡¯d spent so much time with her, read her mind. He knew this about her, but she was a strong-willed girl. Heart, unable to suppress his emotions, closed his eyes.


    The face of the man who was always so rxed and full of energy changed to one of defeat. At this moment, he looked weak. If you were weak, you would get hurt. And she did not want him to get hurt.


    What would she have to say to make it better? She opened her mouth cautiously. It was something ordinary, but it was difficult to say.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Heart opened his eyes.


    ***


    As they returned to the ce where Heart¡¯s men were, Heart looked down at SoYoon walking next to him. Who would have known that this small and average-looking girl would shake him up so? Love is the devil, fire, heaven, and hell. The words of a poet from the past melted on his tongue. Unable to contain his bitterness, he opened his mouth.


    ¡°If¡ª¡±


    SoYoon looked up at him. Her eyes reflected the sunset and were the exact color he so loved. Content, he stared into them.


    ¡°¡ªyou had chosen different words.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry. If only she had said this instead.


    ¡°Then whatever the meaning, I¡ª¡±


    He would have, for her.


    The possibility of this future gone, Heart smiled at SoYoon. His red hair andshes, inside his red sunset-filled eyes¡ªhe knew how his smile would look to her. As expected, SoYoon jumped slightly.


    Her facade may have been expressionless, but her eyes and reaction spoke more loudly than even she knew. Even now, she had her head tilted toward him as if waiting for his next words.


    Heart turned his head, pretending not to notice. His lowugh dissipated into the night.


    After joining Heart¡¯s men, SoYoon told Heart her thoughts. He was already aware of certain parts of them. Extensively nning would make it that much more troublesome.


    When he had found out that Alice had been kidnapped, he had nned to use this chance to abandon her. Given the circumstances, he had to pretend at least to try to save her but hoped that she would die by ident. He thought this as he looked down at SoYoon.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    He called her before entering Jack¡¯sir. SoYoon stopped and looked up at him.


    ¡°The fact that Jack has something up his sleeve were your words. Remember them.¡±


    His red lips broke into a smile. He happily realized that she froze for a moment as she nodded in response.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not trying to worry me.¡±


    The moment these words were uttered, his men opened the door. Heart leading, SoYoon and the suited men followed.


    Jack was sitting in a chair in front of the wall that was directly in the line of sight from the door. It was propped up on a pedestal and was decoratedvishly like a throne.


    They walked through the door onto the red carpetid out in front of them. Heart stopped in the middle of the room, opened his arms wide, and smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Jack. It seems like only yesterday that I saw you running away with your tail ame. What¡¯s your reason foring back to Wondend? Ah-ha, have youe back because you ran out of money? Do you need an allowance?¡±


    Heart had a way of pushing the wrong buttons. It was an intentional taunt, but it bothered Jack either way. Hisshes, slightly darker than Heart¡¯s, fluttered, and his lips soon broke into a smile.


    ¡°Does the owner need a reason toe im what is his?¡±


    ¡°Was there something you left behind? True, you should keep tabs on your belongings. But is there something here that belongs to you?¡±


    As the two continued their dialogue, SoYoon scanned the walls for a ce that might double as a closet. There were several doors and traces of where doors existed on the wall. Only behind three could she sense a human presence.


    Then, Heart propped his arms on SoYoon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look somewhere else.¡±


    He growled, which caught Jack¡¯s attention. She had already captured his attention, being the only other person not in a suit, but he quickly remembered who she was.


    ¡°If taking Heart was not enough! Now you switch out the White Rabbit. Do you think they are names you can just do whatever you want with?¡±


    ¡°You were always a stickler for the rules. What a shame. So young, but stuck in the ways of the elderly.¡±


    Heart spoke slowly as if bored, but she realized that there was anger there. This was not good. SoYoon became more alert. She saw Heart reach slowly for the ax at his belt. Jack also reached for the sword propped next to his chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I decided to be Heart. The name would have disappeared if not for me. The one before me is probably rejoicing with me in his fiery hell.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! How dare you speak about our father!


    ¡°This is what I¡¯m talking about. If I were in your shoes, I would think about what was the best way to survive and wouldn¡¯t have crawled back in here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you think it was strange? Why would I let you live unless I wanted you to? With impable timing, the king¡¯s men showed up to save you¡ªnot a single person followed you as you ran away¡ªplus a bank ount and money were put in your name in Outhouse. Who do you think put that money there?¡±


    Heart was smiling, but his voice was angry. He continued, as Jack threw a tantrum, to stop making up lies.


    ¡°The previous Heart begged at my feet to save you. So I, being the gracious king that I am, promised him I would find a way to let you live. Which means that you have been livingvishly thanks to me, you dummy.¡±


    Under the red light of sunset, an ax and sword made an appearance. SoYoon¡¯s bangs fluttered in the wind. Her eyes, which could just barely be seen under her hair, were nted on the back of Heart. When her eyes were hidden once more, the metal weapons nged into each other.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°I have no intention of letting you live after doing what you did.¡±


    ¡°You said there was nothing here of mine! I¡¯ll return the same words to you! Everything! You stole everything from me!¡±


    ¡°I think you are sadly mistaken. Hm, but our rtionship was always like that, wasn¡¯t it? This is nothing.¡±


    Heart put pressure on his ax and pushed Jack off.


    The swordpared to the ax had a longer reach. Jack ced his sword between them to maintain a safe distance, but he was still too slow. Heart caught up to him quickly and swung his ax. Dripping with blood, the red metal headed toward Jack¡¯s waist. Jack blocked it with his sword. The two weapons trembled as they hit each other.

 Chapter 38

    <h4>Chapter 38</h4>


    ng! ng! The sharp yet light sound echoed around the hideout.


    ¡°Evil,¡± SoYoon mumbled as she pulled out her knife. She wanted to remain discreet, so she thought her giant sword would not be worthwhile in this moment.


    As Heart and Jack battled, the men from both sides were running at each other. They were all in suits, and it was pure chaos.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if it was pride or cockiness, but Heart had brought exactly 22 men with him. Including herself and Alice, each side had the same number of people.


    It must have already been nned before they got here because one of Heart¡¯s men was avoiding the battle and heading toward the nearest closet. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved,¡± Heart had told her.


    She heard Jack¡¯s yells. As if enjoying it, he shed his sword at Heart and screamed.


    ¡°What! You were so full of it, but this is it? I didn¡¯t even need to bring that girl!¡±


    SoYoon nced over at them. Jack¡¯s sword was hovering over Heart. She was just about to run to Heart when she met eyes with someone through the battlefield. ¡°Worry?¡± he asked. SoYoon clenched her jaw.


    ¡°Are you kidding me...?¡±


    The space between the two grew farther apart. There were so many people between them that their sounds drowned out her voice. But as if he had heard her reply, he smiled with his eyes. It was a smile that made her forget this blood- and dust-filled chaos.


    The sword was already right at his nose.


    ¡°Heart!¡±


    SoYoon screamed. At that moment, Heart moved.


    His ax broke the sword. Jack fell into a chair as Heart kicked him. Buried in the wrecked throne, he gasped for air.


    ¡°Ack! Cough, cough...¡±


    The ax was a heavy weapon. Even if Heart could withstand it with his brute strength, it would be hard to maintain for long.


    Heart forced his way forward toward Jack. Even as Jack swayed, he got up, ced his feet on the armrest of the chair, and started to taunt Heart.


    ¡°Even this isn¡¯t fun with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a cheat...Did you trick me?¡±


    ¡°Cheat or not, if I didn¡¯t do this, it would get so boring. At least pretend that it was fun when you thought my sword was broken.¡±


    Heart broke the chair that Jack had over his head. Splinters and dust fell on Jack¡¯s auburn hair. Heart taunted him.


    ¡°Now it looks red.¡±


    Heart¡¯s hair was naturally red. Jack, who had aplex about not being a full redhead, stood fuming. SoYoon stepped toward Heart.


    ¡°Hello, my Whitey.¡±


    Heart raised his hand and greeted her. She kicked Heart in the thigh. Her white footprint was stamped onto his leg, and he whined.


    ¡°That hurt a little. Does this mean that you were worried even though you knew the result?¡±


    SoYoon stepped on his foot instead of answering. She knew it wouldn¡¯t hurt much through his thick dress shoes, but she wanted to make a point.


    Heartughed heartily and looked behind him. Many eyes were watching them. Heart said quietly, ¡°Avert your eyes.¡± His murderous tone made his men instantly turn away.


    In the short time that Heart¡¯s attention was diverted, Jack fled and yelled, pointing.


    ¡°Bring me that girl!¡±


    Alice! Heart turned toward SoYoon. When their eyes met, she nodded, and she ran to where Jack pointed.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Heart yelled, but she was concentrating on the door, so she didn¡¯t hear him. Jack¡¯s men were retreating, but she was unable to register that this was a trap.


    SoYoon arrived at the door quickly. She felt the presence of two people beyond the door, and she turned the knob.


    Upon seeing Alice lying on the floor, a familiar sound came from above the door. It was quiet, and no one could hear it other than the heightened version of herself.


    She knew something was wrong. Where did I hear that before? It wasn¡¯t Wondend. It was not the research facility. Then where¡ª


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    She gasped. It was the magic trap that was sometimes triggered when she went out as an agent. She looked up. There was a small cage hanging above her.


    ¡°Get out of there!¡±


    Heart screamed. Alice was in front of her, and Heart was fast approaching behind her. SoYoon tried to break open the trap with her hands. It must have been a fire trap because heat engulfed her fingers.


    She still held on and pushed outward. Her aim was for the small window.


    Inside the closet, Jack called in his men. I can¡¯t get rid of both of them.


    Then...the moment she moved her arm, a quarrel (quarrel, a shorter and thicker version of an arrow) shot out. The magic trap left her hands. The metal part of the quarrel filled with poison shot toward her.


    ng! The magic trap flew out the window with the sound of breaking ss and soared into the night sky. The quarrel had broken through her skin, right under her navel, barely missing her liver. She didn¡¯t have time to catch her breath. She moved toward Alice, who had fainted in the corner of the room.


    There was little hope of the possibility, but it was the only hope she had left. She was able to forget her pain, and half instinctively, she covered Alice¡¯s back. The movement caused the quarrel to prate deeper into her stomach, but the pain that was hitting her arms and legs from all sides made her unable to register it.


    Her blood was dripping over Alice¡¯s ceramic cheeks. SoYoon, with trembling hands, wiped it off. She couldn¡¯t have blood on the girl who was to save the twisted men of this world.


    Seeing her cheek return to white, she smiled as she fought the oing darkness.


    Heart¡¯s scream, Jack¡¯sughter, men¡¯s movements¡ªand the voice of someone she didn¡¯t even think could be here.


    ***


    It had all happened so fast. Heart reached out his hand toward the ce where Jack had pointed and toward where SoYoon was running. Neither her white hair nor the end of her dust-filled clothes made it into his grasp, however. Having grabbed nothing but air, he ran after her.


    Jack and his men had retreated from the spot, and Heart felt apprehensive. But neither his strength nor speed matched hers, and he quickly fell behind.


    Please, no. The fact that Jack had something up his sleeve and that this could all be a trap was your idea. But SoYoon opened the door without any hesitation.


    ¡°Get away from there!¡± Heart screamed.


    He screamed the loudest he ever had in his life, but he could not realize his hope. She looked to turn slightly around, but she had a small contraption in her hand. From inside, ss broke, and from far away there was an explosion. He could hear the sound of something sharp flying through the wind.


    Please, Whitey.


    It doesn¡¯t matter who. Please, anyone! He finally reached the door, and the first thing he saw was was a bloody SoYoon, stabbed with countless quarrels. It filled all his senses, and this was the only thing he could see. He was unaware that a pool of blood was forming around her body, or that Alice was also lying in that pool, or that there were other people besides him and SoYoon, or that someone was approaching her.


    ¡°Up,¡± a sly voicemanded. SoYoon¡¯s body flew up without a single hair fluttering out of ce. The voice spoke again.


    ¡°Break.¡±


    At his words, the quarrel that had prated her skin disintegrated into dust. Heart, anticipating blood flowing out of her wounds, stepped toward her. Again the voice echoed behind him.


    ¡°Fill.¡±


    The gouged skin began to repair itself.


    ¡°It¡¯s lucky that she protected her head. The metal pieces are all we have to worry about.¡±


    Someone suppressed his anger somewhere in the background. Heart turned to face the person who had given him this miracle.


    A familiar man wearing a hat stood there. Truthfully, there was nothing to confirm. There was only one wizard in Wondend who had this much power.


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    Heart said his name almost like a gasp. However, Mad Hatter didn¡¯t once look at Heart. All his attention was on SoYoon. After all her wounds healed, hemanded once more.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s body floated through the air to Mad Hatter. He opened his arms wide and caught her. He couldn¡¯t resist hugging her small, childlike body.


    Even with this tight hug, SoYoon did not open her eyes. He tried to wake her by using his magic again.


    It was then that Heart took her from his arms. Mad Hatter red sharply at Heart.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°If you say it like that, it makes it sound like I did something I shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you? Whose fault is it that this all happened?¡±


    ¡°Whose? It¡¯s that girl¡¯s fault,¡± Heart said, pointing to the fallen Alice. His eyes looked like he was ready to rip her apart. Mad Hatter didn¡¯t feel any different.


    The two men¡¯s eyes shifted to the corner of the room. There, one man was sitting in a small barrier. In one hand, he held a crossbow and in the other, the trap that SoYoon had triggered and a magic storage unit.


    The barrier he was in was a result of the magic storage unit. He had used it to protect himself from the explosion of the magic trap.


    ¡°I guess he was nning to blow the ce up when me and my men all ran in here. Which means this man brought this along as insurance. Mad Hatter, can you get rid of the barrier?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? I don¡¯t like listening to you, but this time I politely agree.¡±


    Mad Hatter focused his interior magic onto the exterior source. After going through the three steps to summon magic, he focused on hisst step.


    ¡°Move.¡±


    Chanting was magic¡¯sst step.

 Chapter 39

    <h4>Chapter 39</h4>


    Once he said the magic words, the floor beneath the sitting man started to shake. Surprised by the floor rising, the man dropped the magic storage unit. Mad Hatter didn¡¯t miss the timing of the sudden break in the spell.


    ¡°Melt.¡±


    The magic storage unit started to melt from its corners. The man, losing his protection, started to panic. Mad Hatter stared down coldly at the man and used his powers to knock him out.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to kill him?¡±


    ¡°I will leave that up to you. I hope it will be the most painful death.¡±


    ¡°I have an appointment, so that will be difficult. Will you be content with the second most painful death?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Now, please return White Rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Is it a trend to take things from other people like it is yours? You¡¯re being a nuisance.¡±


    The different tone meant that Heart was not in a good mood. They stared at each other murderously. SoYoon moaned in that tense moment, and they forgot their anger at each other.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but let¡¯s call a truce for now. But what¡¯s up with this girl?¡± Mad Hatter asked, staring at Alice. She had blood all over her, but not a single drop of it was hers.


    ¡°Alice.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for her name. I¡¯m asking why White Rabbit would go to this extent to protect her.¡±


    SoYoon was not the type to think about other people¡¯s business. Other than for work, she had never helped save anyone other than March and Dor.


    Yet she had thrown her body in front of Alice to save her. She may have known that the sword on her back would have protected her from bing deathly wounded. Either way, the two men felt threatened by Alice due to the mere fact that SoYoon would even consider such actions.


    ¡°Did they know each other from Outhouse?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s strange. It¡¯s not like they don¡¯t have any connection.¡±


    Henry Liddell, Alice¡¯s father, was a researcher at the facility where SoYoon had been captive. Heart could not figure out, however, how this rtionship would prompt SoYoon to protect Alice.


    ¡°They may have known each other personally. Maybe this girl has a power that Whitey needs.¡±


    ¡°So basically, you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t know? Useless. Isn¡¯t your specialty finding out the truth from girls?¡±


    The two men red at each other. Outside the room, Heart¡¯s men waited nervously. Heart broke the gaze first and pointed to the door.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    Heart called his men to collect Alice and his fallen men, then left the room. Jack and his minions were bound kneeling on the floor. Jack, without a single injury, looked up at Heart and ground his teeth. Heart smiled joyously.


    ¡°This is what they call self-inflicted punishment. What a wonderful state you put yourself in. Where did that man who told me to kneel in the middle of Central go?¡±


    If SoYoon had been awake, she would have recognized the anger behind his rxed voice. Heart signaled his men to bring the man from the room and threw him in front of Jack.


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯ve given you too much of an allowance. A joke is no longer a joke if it goes too far, my little brother.¡±


    ¡°I am in no way the younger brother of a lowlife like you!¡±


    ¡°The ploy you used was not so gentleman-like either. I¡¯m not trying to reprimand you. I¡¯mplimenting you. Using a girl was a good tactic. If you had done it correctly, I wouldn¡¯t have just kneeled before you, I would have given up my heart to you.¡±


    After ending the conversation there, Heart smirked. The smile was one that smelled of blood and revenge. Jack cringed without realizing. However, Heart didn¡¯t miss the fear in his eyes. He crouched and pushed his face up close to Jack and whispered in a small voice.


    ¡°You used the wrong hostage, you idiot.¡±


    He watched in amusement as Jack¡¯s face changed from confusion to realization to disbelief. When Jack looked over at SoYoon, Heart kissed SoYoon on her temple to prove a point.


    ¡°You just wait. You¡¯ll be begging me to kill you soon.¡±


    The moment Heart stopped talking, his men blindfolded Jack and gagged him. Heartmanded his men only after Jack stopped resisting.


    ¡°What happened today will stay a secret. If I hear one word about today¡¯s happenings...¡±


    Heart smiled widely. Within his smiling lips and soft eyes was a chilling menace. His men froze in fear, then quickly came to their senses and filtered out of the room one by one. Jack and his men were swept along with them.


    When thest man carrying Alice left, SoYoon opened her eyes.


    Upon looking around her surroundings to figure out what happened, the first question she asked was, ¡°What about Alice?¡± Heart¡¯s arm and Mad Hatter¡¯s gaze both seized up.


    ¡°My Whitey threw her body to protect her. So of course, she¡¯s okay. Do you have anything else to say?¡±


    ¡°Who healed me?¡±


    ¡°I did. You don¡¯t think it happened through your actions, do you? What would you have done if I wasn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mad Hatter.¡±


    There were only a couple of people in Wondend who knew that Mad Hatter was a wizard. She thanked him sincerely for his decision to risk exposure to help her. Heart snorted with discontent.


    ¡°Let her down now, Heart.¡±


    For obvious reasons, Heart did not let her down. He instead pressed SoYoon¡¯s head tightly into his shoulder.


    ¡°My Whitey, don¡¯t you think we have a lot to talk about regarding our rtionship?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with something to say. White Rabbit, I also have things to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t talk here, so you choose.¡±


    ¡°Whose house will you go to?¡±


    Although the two voicesing from opposite sides were different, the meaning behind them was the same. SoYoon wanted to run away. But she of all people knew that she could not do that. After a few seconds of thought, she looked at Mad Hatter.


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    When SoYoon called his name, Heart¡¯s arms flexed. Mad Hatter¡¯s blue eyes fluttered, and he smiled. She felt a strange guilt toward Mad Hatter, and she continued.


    ¡°To check up on Alice, I¡¯ll stop by Heart¡¯s house first.¡±


    Mad Hatter¡¯s expression deted. On the other hand, SoYoon didn¡¯t see it, but Heart smiled as if he had gained the entire world. Hisughter carried a tone of victory that both SoYoon and Mad Hatter felt. Heart, still carrying SoYoon, started to walk with pride.


    ¡°Well, then, we will be on our way. See youter, Mad Hatter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop by tonight.¡±


    ¡°Says who? I¡¯m going to make you cry tears of joy all night.¡±


    ¡°You need to release me now.¡±


    As the two people passed each other, Mad Hatter smelled the scent of trees and dew, blood, dust, and a whiff of fruit. All of a sudden, he was hit by a strong migraine that nauseated him.


    From his lips escaped a chillingugh. His eyes that had been peeking sideways at her were now looking down coldly as if he had done no such thing. In it was not his usual cool-headedness, but a hazy shakiness.


    ¡°...If you don¡¯t leave.¡±


    She was still here. Even though she knew everything about him, he did not want her to see him swept up by the emotions of his past. He stumbled out of the hideout. It was night outside.


    SoYoon, in Heart¡¯s arms, looked up at the sky that resembled Mad Hatter¡¯s blue eyes. The sunset that had dyed the sky when they had invaded their was now only barely present. In a ce other than the neutral zone, it was a time where no eyes were looking at them. But SoYoon still felt ufortable, so she pushed Heart¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Let me down.¡±


    But Heart continued without saying a word. SoYoon gave up and sighed while leaning her head on his shoulder. Heart flinched for a moment, then stopped and hugged her. His embrace squeezed her shoulder and arms, and it pressed her sword into her back, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Luckily, the two did not meet anyone while on their way to Heart¡¯s house. There wasn¡¯t anyone to greet them, and the few men who reacted in surprise were swiftly ignored as they passed by. Heart quickly entered his bedroom, made her remove her sword, andid her down. She had assumed he would have thrown her, but she was caught off guard by his careful handling of her.


    ¡°Heart?¡±


    He climbed onto the bed and hugged her with his entire body. Even a person drowning would not have held on as tightly to their savior. She didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    She could feel his heartbeat through her own. Unlike the previous times, his body was cold. The cold felt too unnatural to assume it was because he had just been outside.


    ¡°Heart.¡±


    She called him in a quiet voice. He stepped back slightly and kissed her head. The quick peck was now on her forehead. His lips traveled to her temples, then her eyes, then, removing her mask, he kissed her paler-than-usual cheeks.

 Chapter 40

    <h4>Chapter 40</h4>


    ¡°Heart.¡±


    SoYoon called him again. Only then did he raise his head. The light was not on, so it was dark, but she could see the face of the man in front of her surprisingly well. Even so, she could not read his expression.


    When she opened her mouth to speak, he slowly lowered his head. SoYoon instinctively closed her eyes. His lips touched hers.


    Through their slightly open lips, she could feel his breath. She could feel the heat returning to Heart¡¯s body, and she swallowed his breath.


    Heart removed his lips from hers, but she could no longer talk. She was afraid that whatever she said would have repercussions. She couldn¡¯t even open her eyes. She was afraid she would see something that would make everything horribly wrong. However, her ears, which were focused on Heart, were not something she could control.


    ¡°This is the first time in my life that I realized the existence of God.¡±


    His low voice broke through the darkness.


    ¡°You said we can¡¯t, but you didn¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    She was anxious that she would sink into this heavy atmosphere.


    ¡°Do you know how much...¡±


    SoYoon forced her eyes open, sensing danger. The beautiful man shadowed in darkness was watching over her.


    The gaze became tangled like thread. He looked as if he could stare into her very soul, but Heart must have read something in her eyes, because he broke the gaze. The man¡¯s emotions looked to be filled with menace, but she did not turn away from him. A littleter, he slowly closed his eyes.


    When he opened his eyes, he had pressed down all his emotions. Even his temperature returned to normal as he got up from the bed. SoYoon got up with him.


    As she strapped on her sword and mask, Heart asked, ¡°Are you nning to go to Mad Hatter?¡±


    ¡°I promised him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that promise. That you¡¯ll stop by tonight.¡±


    Heart recited the words she had said. SoYoon tried to ignore her difort. He spoke again.


    ¡°Come back to me tonight.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was alreadyte. The time it would take to go to Mad Hatter and return here would mean that ¡°today,¡± as Heart mentioned, would be over.


    SoYoon turned to face him after she quietly got up from the bed and was about to close the door behind her. He was smiling with a strange expression on his face.


    ¡°How long are you nning to keep running away?¡±


    She heard these words behind the closed door. She quickly left Heart¡¯s house. She forgot about checking up on Alice.


    ***


    After SoYoon left, Heart sat at the edge of the bed. He swept over the sheets and felt the remnants of her warmth. That this was the only thing this girl had left for him felt like a blunt knife stabbing his heart. If only he could tie her up here right now and bury himself into her body. The storm he had calmed came raging back.


    He hit his chest. It is not yet time. Trying to calm his impulses, he got up and headed to Alice¡¯s bedroom, or more exactly to the ce where her guard, Peter, was.


    Peter was not only the person who brought SoYoon into this mess, but he was the one who caused her to get hurt. Even so, he could not just get rid of him. Peter had only put in a request to Wondend¡¯s White Rabbit, and SoYoon, as the White Rabbit, had taken him as her client and had gotten hurt in the process. Plus, Peter had worked under him loyally for a long time. Heart scowled in annoyance.


    As expected, Peter was sitting next to Alice¡¯s bed. When Heart opened the door and entered, Peter¡¯s face drained of color as he stood up. A bone must have broken because he had on a cast.


    ¡°If you got hurt, you should be resting.¡±


    Heart said this in a soft tone. However, Peter felt a chill from him and stood nervously. As Heart approached Alice¡¯s bed, Peter crept backward. Peter hit the pir of the bed and, unable to look Heart in the eye, dropped his gaze.


    Heart nced at Alice, then grabbed Peter by the cor and lifted him.


    ¡°So you do know you did something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hea¡ªHeart, sir...¡±


    As Peter gagged from strangtion, Alice¡¯s eyes fluttered open and rolled around. Heart slowly smiled.


    ¡°All right, tell me. What did you do wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah...I¡ªI...¡±


    ¡°Ah-ha, sorry! You must not be able to breathe, so I¡¯ll tell you instead. I had specifically instructed you to protect Alice, and you said you were determined to do it well. Is this the result of your determination? If we had been even a little bitte, Alice would be dead!¡±


    Heart threw Peter away from him. Alice moaned softly and started to move. Both men froze and looked at her.


    Her golden eyshes fluttered open to reveal blue eyes that held no remnants of sleep. She blinked a couple of times. Upon finding the two men in front of her, her eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Heart? Peter? Why are you in my room? Ah, I¡ªI...¡±


    When Heart grabbed her shoulders, and Alice started to tremble, Peter ran to her. Before his hands touched her, Heart pulled Peter away. Alice flinched at the loud noise. Heart held her hand softly in an attempt to calm her, then turned his head toward Peter.


    ¡°You have no right to stay next to Peter.¡±


    ¡°Heart, sir!¡±


    ¡°Starting now, you are no longer Alice¡¯s guard. Go back to your room this very moment and await your punishment.¡±


    Alice looked from one man to the next anxiously. She mouthed to Peter behind Heart¡¯s back, ¡°Go for now.¡±


    Peter slumped his shoulders and left the room. After he left, Heart brought his attention back to Alice. He grabbed her shoulders gently andid her back down.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had a rough day. Sleep more.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Um, Heart. Peter...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk about him to me.¡±


    Heart became vicious. Even good looking when burning in anger, he entranced Alice for a few seconds. Heart¡¯s hands were on her forehead as he mumbled to himself.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d lost you. I don¡¯t think even killing him will relieve my anger.¡±


    ¡°But Peter did his best.¡±


    ¡°He almost got you killed. Don¡¯t defend someone like him.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Alice.¡±


    His voice was sweet, but she could hear a warning tone behind it. Alice nodded.


    ¡°I would like to stay longer with you, but I have a lot of work to get through. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I should be thanking you for saving me. Oh! You didn¡¯t get hurt anywhere, did you? You didn¡¯t get lynched, did you?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like someone who would?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Heart was strong, but that man wanted Heart toe by himself. You didn¡¯t really..e by yourself, did you?¡±


    Alice had been unconscious the whole time, so she wanted to know if the story had panned out differently from the original.


    Heart ignored her and mumbled, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dangerous situation.¡±


    Alice smiled, thinking it had gone the way the original story had.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. You didn¡¯t perhaps worry about me, did you?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps! Of course I worried!¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡±


    Heart petted Alice¡¯s hair for a while then stood up. He smiled.


    ¡°Now, it is time to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Sleep well, Heart. Don¡¯t spend all night working. It¡¯s bad for your health.¡±


    The door closed behind Alice¡¯s cute nagging. That exact moment, his smile disappeared.


    Jack was nning to make hime¡ªalone. Luckily, there was someone who could tell him the truth. Heart went straight to Jack. And Jack became the victim to endure all the rage and annoyance Heart had for Alice.


    As Heart headed for the torture room, Alice was thinking about the name Pawn. She was sure the name never appeared in the original story.


    Pawn¡ªif she were to say the name in front of Heart, her lips would pucker cutely. She liked the way it sounded special.


    I will get what you couldn¡¯t, she said to the Alice Liddell buried in her subconscious.


    Should I ask him to call me by my real name? Alice remembered her old name, which she had not heard for a long time. If Heart could call my name in that sexy voice of his...Just thinking about it sent tingles down her spine.


    But these pajamas¡ªwho dressed me in them? There is no maid here, so it had to be Heart or Peter. I¡¯ll ask Heartter, pretending to be embarrassed. With thatst thought, she fell back asleep.

 Chapter 41

    <h4>Chapter 41</h4>


    Mad Hatter looked at the dying wizard and felt ecstatic. It didn¡¯t matter how powerful he might be, in the face of death, he was just like the nonmagical people. He was just a weak person whose fate rested on a thin wire around his neck.


    When he put strength behind the wire, it started to prate his neck. The wizard kicked the air and gasped. He sounded like a toad being stepped on. Using his moans as the soundtrack, Mad Hatterughed.


    He blushed and strangled him joyously. It was only after the wizard had knocked off his hat that Mad Hatter¡¯s expression changed.


    The hunting cap had been pushed down low onto his head, but as it fell, his orange hair fell over the wizard¡¯s back. The wizard¡¯s eyes grewrger than they already were. As he gasped hisst breath, he whispered hisst words.


    At the same time, Mad Hatter¡¯s expression was wiped off his face. He had been using his physical strength the whole time, but he let magic take over. At that moment, the stiffened wire sawed through the wizard¡¯s throat and sliced it clean off.


    On Mad Hatter¡¯s ceramic face, blood sttered as if from a geyser. He opened his even redder lips and mumbled.


    ¡°Oh, no. This will getplicated. I didn¡¯t bring another hat. Um, it didn¡¯t look like you liked my hat anyways, so I¡¯ll let it go today.¡±


    Coming straight from Jack¡¯s hideout, he had been unable to get changed, so she was wearing a light green cardigan and a wrinkled white shirt and cks.


    He thought of SoYoon as he realized he would have been less noticeable if he had been in a suit. He could ask her toe pick him up and bring him a change of clothes.


    He pulled out his smartphone from his cardigan pocket. But right when he sent the message to SoYoon, he burst outughing. It was augh that would strike fear in the corpses.


    She would probably be with Heart right now. Heart had said he would not let her leave tonight, that he would make her cry all night. A raging migraine suddenly hit him. He held his head and moaned as he mumbled to himself.


    ¡°No, she wille. She said she woulde to me tonight.¡±


    ***


    She was not one to break a promise. So you must wait. Mad Hatter pushed down the blood-soaked hunting cap over his head and went into the kitchen out of habit. He opened his china cab, dug out a shopping bag, and started to put the tableware into it. He found more tableware sets in another cab and hesitated for a second but decided to put them in too.


    He searched the entire kitchen until there was nothing left to do. Mad Hatter returned to the living room and slumped into the sofa.


    The head that had been cut off the wizard was staring at him. Mad Hatter kicked it away. It rolled until it hit and bounced off the wall. He followed the line of blood it created. His train of thought switched over to his orange hair.


    Chapellier¡ªthe dead wizard¡¯s agony was shaking his brain. The powerful headache made him moan.


    Had the man recognized me by my hair? Or had he been the enemy wizard that kidnapped him? He didn¡¯t much like the first option, but if it had been the second, it might have been better not to kill him so quickly. He should have caused him at least a fraction of the pain he had to endure for the rest of his life. Through his red lips,ughter seeped through.


    The grandfather clock chimed to let him know how much time had passed. His long fingers pressed against his head.


    Nine, ten, eleven¡ªin an hour, today would end. How far has that wretched womane?


    But someone whisperedughingly in his head. She will note. He shook his head hard, but the voice persisted and hung tight. She will be in Heart¡¯s bedroom now. He was reminded of the cocky way in which Heart had stood before him. Then, a window of hope popped up in his brain.


    ¡°Come quickly, White Rabbit.¡±


    Mad Hatter raised his knees and buried his face in them. The ringing in his head that traveled from the middle of his forehead was horrifying. He pulled at his hair. He banged his head against his knee. But the headache did not go away, and all he wanted was to break something.


    Tick! The grandfather clock made a notable sound. It was the sound before it would chime the hour. She had not arrived yet. Mad Hatterughed in despair.


    ¡°Of...course, you wouldn¡¯te. Oh...¡±


    I¡¯ll go back and kill Heart. And then I¡¯ll steal her away and bring her here to my house, my bedroom, and lock her up forever. And then...


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    Mad Hatter raised his head. At the same time, the clock chimed midnight. Ding¡ªDing! The grandfather clock chimed noisily, but he couldn¡¯t hear it. A blurry face floated in the darkness. Was it a defense mechanism created by his brain? He calcted the possibility in one corner of his mind, but his hand was already reaching out. He grasped at the thin arms. It was a very well manufactured hallucination.


    ¡°What does it matter?¡±


    Laughing maniacally, he embraced his hallucination.


    He could feel a warm but slightly hotter body temperature. He kissed her cheek. Her skin was unbelievably smooth for someone who lived however she liked, and his rough lips touched it.


    The scent of bittersweet soap aroused his senses. His hammering headache started to fade. He hung tightly on to the scent that was reducing his pain. However, something much sweeter than the scent touched the tip of his tongue. He licked her relentlessly.


    ¡°Pull yourself together.¡±


    The sweet something was pushing him away and saying something. I¡¯m still hurting so much. He resentfullyined about being in pain each time something flinched. Whatever that thing was sighed, and he heard a low voice.


    ¡°Stop crying.¡±


    Hard fingers swept over his eyes. He felt their warmth. Mad Hatter was smiling widely and buried himself in his sweet reverie.


    He heard her swallow. Oh, what a sweet sound! He bit down on the lips that made the sound and pushed his tongue into the warm and sweet cave inside.


    From his head to his toes, all he could taste was sweetness. What they say about medicine being bitter was a lie. This sweet thing was not only making him happy but was also erasing his migraine. No, now he couldn¡¯t even tell if the migraine or the sweetness was taking precedence.


    ¡°I told you to stop crying,¡± the voice said more firmly.


    Scared, he hung on to it tighter. ¡°I¡¯m not crying, so don¡¯t push me away. It hurts like crazy. Just a little bit, a little bit more.¡± As he repeated these words, his sweet thing would push him away but surrender and let him be.


    Understanding the meaning behind the action, he did what he knew he needed from her. As he did, his headache subsided so that he could start to see in front of him.


    Her face in his hands, the soft feel of her lips, her intermittent breathing. As he inhaled, the smell he loved encircled him. It was the smell of White Rabbit.


    Mad Hatter opened the eyes he had not known were closed. The first thing he saw was white hair. Its contrast against the dark sofa was blinding. He blinked, and SoYoon¡¯s hand swept through his hair.


    ¡°Are you awake now?¡±


    The muted sound made his lips tremble. He had been so happy to feel the different parts of her as the voice changed. He hung his head. His lips felt hot. He knew that the reason for the change in temperature was due to his actions. In that moment, fire spread through his head.


    ¡°Sleep...It hurts...¡±


    The muted alto echoed, but Mad Hatter¡¯s ears couldn¡¯t hear it. He ran toward her and clung onto her.


    SoYoon was lying on the sofa and looking up at him. Her slight frown and her unwavering calmness, even in his crazed obsession, were irresistible. She reached out and pulled him in. Mad Hatter put up no resistance and followed.


    SoYoon looked into Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes as she took in a breath from her trapped lips. The wavering and zed-over eyes looked like those of a child who had lost its way. His red lips smacked, wanting more, and she, realizing it, ced her hands around his face and put her lips to his.


    A calm surrounded the two of them in that moment.


    Their tongues had not intertwined, and no forey ensued. All that happened was that the two lips were locked together, and they stared into each other¡¯s eyes. But even so, the blue eyes were slowing, starting to regain their light. Only until she knew he hade back to his senses did SoYoon remove her lips from him.


    ¡°Are you back?¡±


    Mad Hatter looked down at SoYoon. The tousled girl in front of him felt far away as if in a dream.


    Trying to figure out if this was a dream or not, he looked inside her open cor to see the skin inside. On her pale skin were numerous blotches and hickies.


    Mad Hatter reached his hand toward the spots. Feeling the body heating from them, he gasped.


    It was her. He moaned, burying his face into her hair. Lost in happiness, he kissed her face. The calm alto broke the atmosphere.

 Chapter 42

    <h4>Chapter 42</h4>


    ¡°If you¡¯re okay, get off.¡±


    Her sudden change in attitude made his lips and fingers stop. He lifted his head and saw her staring at him.


    ¡°I said, get off.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mad Hatter got up hesitantly. His clothes were still tidy while hers were a mess. She reorganized her clothes, got up, and pointed as Mad Hatter stared at her.


    ¡°Your clothes are next to the sofa.¡±


    He looked inside the shopping bag dropped next to the sofa. His clothes and hat were inside. In that moment, the reality of the situation struck him.


    She¡¯s here. She kept her promise. But...why is she such a mess? He scratched his now cleared-up head. He turned back time to figure out what happened.


    Her voice telling him to pull himself together, her warm, soft skin, her palm on his face, his instinctive move in lust...


    Seeing the blotches on her skin as she dressed, Mad Hatter¡¯s face glowed red.


    ¡°Mad Hatter?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. Uh...Why are your clothes...?¡±


    SoYoon turned away instead of answering. Without any expression, she rolled up her sweater. As she was packing up, Mad Hatter covered his eyes.


    Ding¡ªthe grandfather clock chimed one o¡¯clock. She bent down and picked up the shopping bag. When she got up, the room spun. Before she came here, she had felt nauseous at home when she had stopped by to get her clothes. She had taken some iron before she left, but that must have not been enough to heal herpletely. And...


    ¡°Come back to me tonight.¡±


    Heart¡¯s voice echoed inside her. It was one o¡¯clock. SoYoon¡¯s eyes drooped. She did not think she could keep that promise.


    ***


    The morning after the kidnapping, Alice spent time alone with Heart. In the second-floor drawing room, the two of them conversed casually. She sat in awe, looking at Heart¡¯s face as she sipped her coffee.


    Heart¡¯s looks, wealth, power, and even how he treated her were all of the perfect man. However, Alice was not content with just one man. Even in the original, he was only one of many. To continue the story in such a way, she couldn¡¯t stay trapped at Heart¡¯s house like this.


    ¡°Heart, there is something I would like to request. Would you do it for me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Why would you ask that? Was there ever a time I rejected any of your requests?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t. Alice folded her hands in front of her chest and looked up at Heart. It was a gesture that had never failed her before.


    ¡°I want to go outside by myself. Can¡¯t I? I won¡¯t go anywhere else other than the neutral zone.¡±


    Although this probably wasn¡¯t something to bring up the day after a kidnapping, she hade to this conclusion after much thought.


    Due to this whole Jack fiasco, the fact that Heart cared for Alice was now probably well known in Wondend. Heart was like a king in Wondend. To hurt someone he loved meant that they were willing to be an enemy of Wondend itself.


    Heart contemted for a moment as Alice adorably pleaded with him. Surrendering, he gave permission.


    ¡°Besides, the reason I had been keeping you locked inside was because of Jack. Okay. But, you must promise to stay with your guard when traveling from the house to the neutral zone.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Thank you, Heart! And...¡±


    Alice shot a nce at Heart as though embarrassed. He licked his lips with his tongue to get the coffee left on the corners of his mouth. The gesture reminded her of a Latin model. She couldn¡¯t stop imagining how sexy it would be if those lips would speak her real name.


    ¡°Call me GaHyun.¡±


    ¡°GaHyun?¡±


    Oh, my God. Alice realized how electrifying the pronunciation of her name was. It started low then went into a deep echo that lightly sang like the perfect harmony of a song. As she was lost in her excitement, Heart called her by her name once more.


    ¡°GaHyun. What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that...It¡¯s from a ce far south that means ¡®to light up in beauty.¡¯ My parents gave it to me in hopes that I would grow up to be beautiful. Although there isn¡¯t anyone left to call me by that name...¡±


    Alice dropped her head slightly. She knew how pitiful her white neck looked through her golden locks.


    ¡°Alice means ¡®noble.''¡±


    It was something she didn¡¯t know. She smiled shyly and waited for him to continue.


    ¡°A noble light of beauty. Your parents must have had quite the foresight.¡±


    The words made her feel amazing. However, they were not the words she was hoping to hear. She waited a bit, but the conversation shifted in a different direction. Does this man not know about give and take? Alice forced herself to smile wider.


    ¡°But Heart. I heard the name Pawn yesterday...¡±


    ¡°Well...that¡¯s a name that I had when I was in difficult times. It isn¡¯t a name I like to hear. You can understand that, right?¡±


    Heart cut her off softly. She looked up at Heart with drooping eyes. She actually was disappointed, so even without having to act, her facial expression came out naturally.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that...¡±


    A sound came from beyond the drawing-room door, asking for permission to enter. When Heart answered, the door opened, and his assistant came in.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s a bit noisy.¡±


    ¡°Twins is here. He says he¡¯s here to see how you are doing. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°How I¡¯m doing?¡±


    Heartughed as if he¡¯d never heard something so ridiculous, then looked over and asked her, ¡°Is it okay if I call him up here?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°She says it¡¯s okay. You heard it.¡±


    A lovely blush came over Alice¡¯s pretty cheeks. Twins at Heart¡¯s house; it was a meeting she had not expected.


    A dark blond man walked through the drawing room door. When his clear blue eyes looked at Alice, she swallowed her breath. In the original, Twins was described as extremely handsome, but the man that stood in front of her now was much more extravagant.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Twins. What brings you here to see me?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, I told you it was to see how you were doing.¡±


    Jeans and a rider jacket, and a coarse tongue¡ªhe was Tweedle Dee. He plopped onto a seat opposite Heart without once giving notice to Alice. Heart¡¯s assistant brought over a cup of coffee for Dee. He didn¡¯t touch it once and, instead, chomped on the pieces of chocte on the dessert te.


    ¡°What, did you buy this at Central? That hairtail fish hair pervert made such a fuss over your food that I had high expectations, but that was all lies, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I got a rmendation from someone, and it wasn¡¯t bad, so afterward, I continued to buy chocte from Central. I don¡¯t want to waste my chef¡¯s skills on you.¡±


    Dee red at Heart maliciously. From Alice¡¯s perspective, he looked vicious, but Heart, who was receiving the full force of it, was sipping his coffee peacefully. His reaction was as unbothered as if a bug had been staring at him.


    A few momentster, he put down his coffee cup and smirked crookedly.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your real reason for being here?¡±


    ¡°Blondie¡¯s phone number.¡±


    ¡°Blondie?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know! I¡¯m talking about Undertaker. Undertaker!


    Alice perked up her ears. Undertaker was the nickname of White Rabbit in the original story, but it never exined the reason behind it.


    Why is he the Undertaker? Is there a secret meaning to it, like Heart¡¯s name? She watched the two men trying to find the perfect timing to ask. Heart was sending a message with his red smartphone, and Dee was watching the smartphone intently.


    There were not a lot of ces to spend leisure time in Wondend. Plus, technological advancement seemed to be lost here, so that Peter and the rest of Heart¡¯s men were using the old style of cellphones. It was the first time seeing a smartphone here. Alice decided to ask for that when the time was right.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that? Blondie has the same one in a different color.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a smartphone. Mad Hatter invented it. The phone number, sorry to say, won¡¯t be happening.¡±


    Heart answered, smiling benignly after reading SoYoon¡¯s reply.


    People thought that Heart never lied, but he just never felt the need. If that¡¯s what people chose to believe, who cared? He was already dreadfully regretting introducing SoYoon to Mad Hatter. He didn¡¯t want to make the same mistake twice.


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. This has never happened before. Must have gotten a bad feeling about you.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Heart!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me a moment.¡±


    Dee shot up from his seat to argue, but Heart didn¡¯t pay him attention. He put the smartphone to his ear and stepped outside the drawing room. Dee felt guilty about what had happened between him and SoYoon when theyst met, so he hade all the way here. ¡°Sh*t, so spiteful.¡± He sat back down, mumbling to himself.


    His beautiful princelike face was pouting in anger. Although 21 years old, he was adorable. Alice decided to use this chance as she nced over at him.


    ¡°You said your name was Twins? I¡¯m Alice Liddell.¡±

 Chapter 43

    <h4>Chapter 43</h4>


    Dee was chomping on the choctes, thinking of his annoyance with Heart and White Rabbit. At the sound, he turned to look at Alice. The girl reflected in his blue eyes was wearing a cream-colored dress decorated withce. She was a very pretty girl.


    His gaze did not break away from her even though she waited for an ample amount of time for him to take in her appearance. Alice¡¯s self-esteem rose, and she smiled.


    ¡°Um, there is something I want to ask...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up with this girl? I kept thinking youcked tact for sitting here this whole time when you weren¡¯t wee, but you¡¯re quite stupid, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Scowling, Dee ranted menacingly with his plump lips. Alice, who had never thought anyone would speak to her like this, jumped in surprise with her eyes wide. Most men would have thought the action was adorable, but Dee didn¡¯t care for it one bit.


    ¡°Who told you to open your trap? F*ck, you¡¯re nothing but Heart¡¯s concu¡ª¡±


    ¡°Twins.¡±


    If Heart had not entered at that moment, Dee would have revealed all the dirty rumors that were floating around about her. Heart made it clear he was not happy.


    ¡°You better watch your mouth. Alice is not only important to me and White Rabbit, but is a special girl to many people.¡±


    ¡°What? I knew Blondie has holes for eyes, but...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ry those exact words to him.¡±


    Hearing Heart¡¯s answer, Twins eventually shut his mouth. From the gist of the conversation, he knew that the ¡°him¡± he was referring to was definitely White Rabbit.


    But the White Rabbit he knew was a girl. He didn¡¯t think that Heart would not be aware of this information, but you never knew. He didn¡¯t care if it was meant to hide the fact from the girl sitting in front of them now. An unsettling feeling came from her.


    Twins, who had finished thinking, smiled. The smile looked like the happy-go-lucky smile of a 15-year-old, but behind it, one could tell there was something amiss.


    ¡°To him, to him you say. Hm, that is quite scary? Then I will have to be very nice. Hey, girl. You said you¡¯re Alice? What did you want to ask me before?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Um...Why do you call White Rabbit the Undertaker?¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s it?¡±


    Twins¡¯ reaction changed drastically at the mention of the unknown ¡°him.¡± Who could it be? Twins¡¯ other personality, Tweedle Dum? Or someone else? Alice tried to imagine other strong characters. But even Heart probably wouldn¡¯t be so much a threat to him. The only possibility left was Dum.


    Alice looked at Dee with a fake look of anticipation, and Dee hid his careful observation of her. There was no way that Heart would mistake SoYoon for a man, so this meant that this was all for this girl¡¯s benefit.


    The girl was special to tightwad Blondie. I don¡¯t like it. Dee felt a repulsion for Alice that he couldn¡¯t exin.


    ¡°He¡¯s called that because that¡¯s what he is. He collects the corpses from Outhouse that will cause headaches, and he either sells them to Duke or throws them in the slums. Everyone knows Duke is a child-loving pedophile, and the slums are, well...¡±


    ¡°Twins.¡±


    Heart called him in warning. Dee had wanted to scare Alice but closed his mouth upon finding out that she was important to SoYoon. If she went to Blondie and told on him, it would cause trouble. He persuaded himself.


    ¡°Our conversation must have been difficult to hear for an innocent girl like you. You¡¯ve gone all pale. Will you go upstairs and rest?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that difficult to endure, but maybe because of the kidnapping from yesterday, she felt a bit tired. She gratefully epted Heart¡¯s suggestion and got up from her seat.


    After she left, Heart stared at the wildlyughing Dee and remembered what Baby had told him.


    Intel saying that he had a simple mind must have been true because Twins seemed to have quickly forgotten his main objective foring here. Now, if I annoy him just a bit, maybe he will leave. Heart¡¯s eyes dted ck as he smiled.


    ***


    Tired from all that had happened, SoYoon opened her eyes only when she heard her message alert. She searched for her smartphone next to her pillow and checked the message. It was Heart. She was so used to receiving texts from Heart, but this time, she felt his difort.


    /[Twins is asking for your number.]


    [It doesn¡¯t matter.]


    [Where are you right now?]


    [Home.]/


    A few minutester, the phone rang. She heard Heart¡¯s voice the moment she picked up. The sound shook her head, heart, and even the pit of her stomach.


    ¡°Did you get in okayst night?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She remembered his deep, breathy voice that she had heard in the dark, quiet bedroom. She also remembered the hot lips of Mad Hatter¡¯s kiss. Her heart suddenly felt ufortable.


    ¡°Your voice sounds closed up. Did I wake you?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You must have been tired. What happened in Outhouse that you were out sote? You must have been too tired to evene see me?


    Only then did she register the annoyance in Heart¡¯s voice. She stayed quiet. Over the phone, words that pressed on her insides filtered through.


    ¡°Come here right away.¡±


    Before she could answer, he hung up. After she washed up and got ready, SoYoon put on her mask and sighed. She had a feeling this wasn¡¯t going to end well.


    Heart was not in a good mood. SoYoon knew that to some extent and entered his office. Heart looked up from the documents he was reading.


    When their eyes met, his auburn eyes grew bigger. He shot up from his seat and stomped over toward her. She didn¡¯t avoid him grabbing her cor and pushing her back.


    Bang! She hit the wall hard. The sheath on her back dug into her skin. When she looked up, his eyes were ring into her.


    ¡°I wondered, but you really did it. It¡¯s worse than I expected.¡±


    Heart¡¯s hot fingers ripped open her clothes. Neck, chest¡ªunder the light, her pale skin was mottled.


    He smiled as he pressed on each of the ces that Mad Hatter¡¯s lips had touched. His words were sharp with menace.


    ¡°Pretty good for a nerd.¡±


    Heart tore off SoYoon¡¯s mask. Unlike her usual pale self, her lips were red and slightly swollen. Upon seeing that, heughed. He pressed on them menacingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be content just ripping him to shreds...What should I do, Whitey?¡±


    Heart pressed on her lips with his thumb and licked it. However, there was nothing that could be erased.


    He bit SoYoon¡¯s lips. SoYoon gasped at the sudden attack.


    He then sucked hard on her lips. He could taste the blood on the edge of her mouth. Even this tasted sweet. SoYoon tried to get away, but he pulled her in tight and kissed her.


    His hands instinctively swept down her body. Here and here¡ªit was all tainted by that jerk. His anger med dangerously. Heart growled and pushed SoYoon away from him. Her lips glistened, but he tried to ignore them.


    ¡°You. And until he disappears from you, don¡¯t show up in front of me.¡±


    His smiling eyes, manly face, and his reddened skin were wet with sweat. He swept back his messed-up hair. Even that slight action emanated lust.


    His eyes, which glistened even in murder, looked like he was on the verge of explosion. Feeling threatened, she hurriedly left the office.


    Bang! The door mmed behind her. Feeling the chill from the air, SoYoon put on her mask and left. When the rough fabric touched her lips, they throbbed.


    The extent of Heart¡¯s anger was too great to be because she had not visited him that night. If that was the case, then he was assuming something else happened. She stopped and looked at the office door. The tightly closed door seemed like a wall. She knew that if she turned the knob, it would easily open.


    ¡°But so?¡± SoYoon asked. If she was to exin what actually happenedst night and relieve his anger, then what?


    Before the answer could make its way to the surface, she took her eyes off the door and continued walking. The burning emotions that she had felt behind the door were getting farther away.


    ***

 Chapter 44: Wi GaHyun

    <h4>Chapter 44: Wi GaHyun</h4>


    The beautiful gold-trimmed coffee cup, the aromatic coffee within, the sweet shortbread cheesecake, and the handsome man sitting opposite her¡ªthese were the things Alice liked at Heart¡¯s house.


    Heart twirled Alice¡¯s lovely golden hair around his fingers. It meant nothing, but he repeated it without getting tired of it. Alice dropped her head to hide her rose-colored cheeks. Then his fingers lifted her chin. The wrist attached to those fingers was wrapped in bandages, but Alice did not see them.


    ¡°I will tell you the third hint: there are eyes everywhere.¡±


    Heart told her with smiling eyes and a soothing voice.


    Alice Liddell had restored Shirley Howard with her healing powers. She had made sure no one was around to see, but eyes are not owned only by humans. The security cameras in the area caught this on tape, and as a consequence, her parents were killed.


    Alice frowned and pouted, pretending not to understand it. Her pink lips were as pretty as a rose about to bloom, but Heart did not kiss her.


    Disappointed, she whined, ¡°How is this a hint?¡±


    But all Heart did was to continue to smile. Alice Liddell tried to creep up as she stared, in a trance, at him. But the moment she felt Alice Liddell, she closed her lips.


    ¡°GaHyun? You don¡¯t look well all of a sudden. Is there something wrong?¡±


    Instead of answering, she shook her head, her eyes like crescent moons.


    ¡°I might be getting a cold¡­¡±


    She barely got an answer out as she hurried from the drawing room. Heart¡¯s smiling lips slowly made their way back down. Last night, the wire had almost got cut off his leg, and it throbbed.


    She locked the bedroom door, hid under the covers, and began her fight with Alice Liddell.


    The strength of Alice Liddell¡¯s consciousness was bing tougher and longer. Now, Alice Liddell would rise in her during even the slightest moments of rxation. Alice cursed viciously at Alice Liddell, who pleaded for her body back. She forced Alice Liddell back down and chewed her fingernails nervously. I need a n.


    ***


    That night, Alice dreamt. She realized she was in a dream was because her surroundings were unnaturally dark. She looked around until she found a blurry shape and started to walk toward it. As she got closer, the shape became clearer. A glittering golden-haired girl was asleep in the fetal position.


    Alice knew this was her chance. Her fingers felt heavy, and she smiled as she sensed a familiar feeling in her hands.


    Suddenly Alice Liddell opened her eyes. Alice Liddell looked up with wide eyes as Alice hovered over her with a kitchen knife. Upon seeing this, Alice Liddell got up swiftly and ran away.


    ¡°She¡¯s not aplete idiot,¡± Alice mumbled pleasantly while watching the back of Alice Liddell.


    This ce was a dream. The stronger person would win.


    Several obstacles blocked Alice Liddell¡¯s path as she attempted to run away. She was stopped by a wall, by a crowd of people, and a car almost hit her, but she kept running. Because she had been running so fast, she tripped over her feet and fell hard. She got up and tried to run again, but a wall rose in front of her.


    Alice smiled and looked down at Alice Liddell. Blue eyes filled with fear looked back at her. That girl had looked like her too. Just like the stupid and naive Alice Liddell in the book Wondend, her first love had been stolen: Ye SoYoon. Although the man¡¯s face was now just a blurry memory, her feeling of hatred toward the girl was still intact.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do to you what I did to that girl.¡±


    She was just like that disgusting girl who died without even putting up a fight. Before I came here, I made a silly mistake. If I had just gotten rid of her through the false rumors instead of getting caught while finishing her off, he would have never treated me like that.


    I will not repeat the same mistake. Alice lifted the kitchen knife. At that moment, Alice Liddell pushed her and ran away.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Through the darkness, Alice grabbed Alice Liddell¡¯s flowing hair. Her golden hair, blue eyes, beautiful face¡ªshe wanted to destroy all the features that looked like her. A piercing scream echoed through the darkness.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you fighting back? You were torturing me all this time! Why don¡¯t you do that now?¡±


    A river of blood poured out of the butchered body. Alice threw Alice Liddell into the pool of blood. The destroyed body had already breathed itsst breath.


    Alice spat over the body. She wanted to make sure she never saw Alice Liddell again. As she thought this, Alice Liddell¡¯s body sank into the pool of blood. Alone in this world, Aliceughed maniacally.


    In that moment, SoYoon, who had been driving, felt a presence and stopped the car. One of the corpses stacked in a back seat, a small girl meant for Duke, started to move. SoYoon started the car again and parked the car in front of Wondend.


    She dumped the other corpses into the slums and lifted the small girl over her shoulders. The once-cold body had regained some warmth.


    She entered one of the empty houses, put down the girl, and examined her. She looked to be about 14 years old, had dark, short hair and a chic look about her, like a cat. SoYoon was sure that she had been dead when the girl had been ced into the car.


    ¡°This will be bothersome.¡±


    SoYoon mumbled then flopped down next to her.


    ***


    The girl didn¡¯t wake up for several days. SoYoon stopped by once or twice a day to check her status. As the days passed, the girl progressively became closer to a living human. With this development, SoYoon was sure that she would wake up soon.


    Should I tell March to take care of her? Would he reject the idea, not wanting Alice to get the wrong idea? Pondering those thoughts, she left the ce. A few minutester, she ran into Twins in the middle of the street.


    Currently, Twins were not in a good state. To be exact, they were riddled with an anxiety the cause of which they could not pinpoint. They lost their appetite. Even the second thing they liked more than girls, which was chocte, had no appeal to them. Out in the streets they wandered, girls threw themselves at them, but none whet their appetite. They were meandering the streets in a deste state when they ran into SoYoon.


    I want to attack. I want to ravage her and bite her. They swallowed as their appetite returned. Their surroundings were bing dyed red, and their head was spinning. I need a girl now. But the only girl in front of him now was SoYoon.


    With lust-filled eyes, they scanned her thin body. She had on clothes that hid her soft breasts and bittersweet scent so that one couldn¡¯t tell if she was a girl or a boy.


    That girl will be enough. A chill ran down their spine at the thought of it. But you can¡¯t touch that girl. Their heart trembled nervously.


    As they were battling with feelings they¡¯d never felt before, SoYoon continued on her way. Twins clenched their fist. As she passed him, Twins got a whiff of her soap.


    They raised their right hand, but their left hand was able to push it back down just in time. Their hands were shaking from powerful urges, and a growl from the back of their throat escaped their lips.


    Aftering out of the small room, they realized that this was the first time that they were forced to resist their urges. Because she was dangerous? Because we couldn¡¯t overpower her? When have we ever worried about that? Dum felt the dangerousness of the situation.


    That night, Dum checked to make sure Dee was asleep, then stepped outside. The daily activities of Wondend usually ended earlier than that of Outhouse, and so night here was quieter. Only his heavy footsteps broke the silence that fell over the street. Dee walked for an hour and stopped in front of a building. It was the ce where he had spent a week with that girl.


    ¡°Girl. F*ck, she¡¯s no girl.¡±


    His lust-filled mouth smiled as he carefully opened the door. Due to the girl¡¯s fearless nature, the unlocked door opened without resistance. He crept through the opening and quietly moved inside.


    The sound of calm breathing filtered through the silent night. As if maically drawn to her, Dee stared. Her fairy-dust-filled brown eyes were shut.


    He put his nose to her neck and inhaled deeply the sweet and bitter scent of fruit. Dee bared his teeth. In the ckness, his white teeth shed.


    His teeth were ready to rip into the thin skin when SoYoon¡¯s blue vein pulsed. Ah, f*ck. That¡¯s so cute. He ced his tongue on the vein to taste it and it jumped once more. I¡¯ve lost my mind! I knew I¡¯d lost it, but I¡¯ve officially gone insane!


    He scratched his dark golden hair in confusion but continued to look down at the pulsing vein. If I bit through that, would she jump like that too? She was expressionless even when she was pinning him into a wall. But thinking of her cowering and crying underneath him made his insides catch fire.


    He mounted her and licked her neck, sucking at the seductive vein. His lips and teeth were itching. He was conflicted between wanting to bite her and wanting to enjoy the taste longer.


    Without even realizing it, his hands were already clutching at her breasts. The soft flesh moved at the touch of his fingers. They felt different from therger ones he had touched before, more like a marshmallow.


    ¡°Who are you trying to seduce to wear only this thin piece of cloth to sleep, huh? F*ck, who is this for¡­?¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t realize that he had said his thoughts out loud. He roughly lifted SoYoon¡¯s T-shirt and ced her breasts in his mouth.


    There was a time when he thought they tasted like cream. He had assumed that they would melt inside his mouth. But his tongue was what melted. What a feeling!


    He salivated all over SoYoon¡¯s breasts and whimpered. He was so happy that it felt like not only his tongue but his brain was melting. If I were to bite this, how delicious would it be? He bared his teeth but felt the foreboding again and hesitated.


    And then his eyes met with SoYoon¡¯s.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    Dee jumped back in fear. The problem was that he was on top of the bed. He grabbed thin air and ended up flopping onto the floor with a crash. He cursed while rubbing his sore bottom. As he did this, his eyes met with SoYoon¡¯s. She was looking down at him from the edge of the bed.


    ¡°F*ck! Blondie! You just wait!


    Dee ran away, repeating the line of a third-rate viin. SoYoon mumbled in annoyance at being woken up from her nap and cursed at him.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Having run out of SoYoon¡¯s house, Dee felt bothered by a feeling between his legs and so hid in an alleyway. He looked down and found himself aroused. He crouched and buried his face into his knees.


    ¡°F*ck, I¡¯m so embarrassed. Why must I be like this for that kind of girl?¡±


    He ranted to no one as his ears turned red.

 Chapter 45

    <h4>Chapter 45</h4>


    One morning, a couple of days after Tweedle Dee¡¯s strange encounter, SoYoon was searching through her cross bag when she realized she was running out of her shoulder patches.


    She headed over to Mad Hatter¡¯s. She hadn¡¯t visited him for a long time. She stood in front of his door and contemted for a moment before she put her hand on the doorknob. Her privilege was still intact. She clenched her jaw as she watched the door open smoothly for her.


    Once she entered, she checked for a human presence. Mad Hatter was in hisboratory.


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    Even though she had called him loudly, there was no response. She went up to the second floor.


    Theboratory door was open. SoYoon observed the Mad Hatter she could see through the crack in the door. Mad Hatter, whom she was meeting for the first time since that night¡¯s incident, was curled up on the floor asleep.


    He should have looked pathetic, but in the morning sunlight, he sparkled like an angel who had fallen from heaven. It was a spell more powerful than his magic.


    She stepped into theboratory. It was then she saw his bruised face was and his cut lip, his ankle wrapped in bandages. For someone who stayed locked up in his house and ran experiments all day, this look did not suit him.


    At the corner of the extra bed, a familiar box was rolling around. Through the slight opening, she could see that it contained the item that only she used, and the item he always had ready before she even ordered it from him. Her eyes fell slightly.


    Mad Hatter woke at that moment from his slumber. His drowsy blue eyes looked up at her, and he smiled slightly, a smile reminiscent of flower petals fluttering in the wind.


    ¡°Is this a dream?¡± he mumbled as he reached out his hand. When his scratched-up hands almost reached her hair, SoYoon avoided them by turning her head. Mad Hatter blinked several times and got up.


    ¡°White Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost out of patches, so I want to order more.¡±


    She watched Mad Hatter quietly. He nced over at SoYoon several times with his lips wavering between smiles until his expression grew dark, and he hung his head.


    At that time, he hadn¡¯t been able to register the situation, so many things had happened. But as time passed, he had started to remember recent events. He had bitten her neck so hard it was a wonder it hadn¡¯t bled. He¡¯d left many bruises from his kiss marks and an imprint of his hand on her thin wrists. He¡¯d ripped her clothes.


    He had done that to SoYoon. After that, Mad Hatter couldn¡¯t think of anything else. His red lips opened, and he uttered the words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I think you would have hated it.¡±


    He avoided her eye contact, and a shadow fell over his face. SoYoon bit her lip. The scene in front of her spun.


    At the research facility, experiments had been done regarding breeding. Unlike the cold eyes of the elite researchers who examined her, the man who was far from living a righteous life was apologizing to her¡ªjust because he thought that she would have hated what he¡¯d done.


    SoYoon pushed down the emotions that welled up. If she said the words she was thinking out loud, it would only make Mad Hatter more miserable.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You don¡¯t need to apologize. You were not in your right mind then, either.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    SoYoon remembered his white face with tears falling in huge drops as he cried that he was in pain. He had looked like he was insane or really about to die. It was a side of him she had never seen before. Had he always been in that much pain?


    ¡°If you want to fix that head once and for all, you should go see Alice. As I said before, she has...¡±


    Mad Hatter blocked her mask-covered mouth, pushed back her bangs, and looked into her eyes.


    Able to see clearly now, she noticed a mixture ofplicated emotions revealed in his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that girl anymore. I already know you are a fool and stubborn.¡±


    Mad Hatter hugged SoYoon. The action was stiff, understandable for someone who usually had no physical contact with other people. This time, she didn¡¯t push him away. The refreshing and slightly sweet scent of eucalyptus called her heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to not worry about useless things like that,¡± Mad Hatter whispered in her ear. He was smiling wispily. SoYoon couldn¡¯t say anything in response.


    A few momentster, the two of them separated as though nothing had happened. As always, Mad Hatter scolded her for ordering her patches on short notice and handed her the ones he had already made in preparation. She walked out of Mad Hatter¡¯s house after paying him, and he watched the back of her quietly to himself.


    ***


    A white light flowed out of Alice¡¯s beautiful hands, a light that reflected the warmth and peace of the healing powers it possessed. As Alice removed her hands, the light left her and traveled to the girl covered in blood.


    The girl felt the pain leave her body and stared nkly at the other girl in front of her. Alice¡¯s eyes met the girl¡¯s, and she smiled as she said, ¡°You¡¯re all right now.¡±


    She got up after the healing wasplete. The girl rose with her and grabbed the end of Alice¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Remove your hands.¡±


    Next to Alice was a guard who frowned at her threateningly. He was a man who hade to the pub she worked at many times.


    ¡°Jeremy.¡±


    The girl, embarrassed, called his name, but the man pped her hands away. He pushed away Alice from the girl, and as she got further away, Alice waved her hands.


    ¡°I hope you stay well!¡±


    The girl stumbled up as she was left alone. The girl walking away from her under the sunlight was breathtaking. Even though the beautiful girl who healed her didn¡¯t reveal who she was, if Heart¡¯s men were guarding her that protectively, then there was only one person it could be: Heart¡¯s girlfriend, who hade from Outhouse.


    The girl slowly turned around. When the sun set, she had to go back to where she was from. Stay well? For those born and raised in Wondend, such a thing was not even likely to happen in dreams. Sheughed bitterly and walked into the dark streets.


    No secret could be kept a secret forever¡ªespecially if the bearer has no intention of keeping it. Alice was the miracle girl. Through the mouths of the people she healed, the secret spread from ce to ce. After she had killed Alice Liddell, she looked to anyone who saw her like a blooming flower on the path of a golden road.


    Alice had manyints about the situation, however. She should have run into Mad Hatter by now, but he was nowhere in sight.


    Maybe the rumors haven¡¯t spread as fast as I had hoped. If that is the case, should I swallow my pride and find him myself? I do have the perfect excuse. She turned around to head back to the house.

 Chapter 46

    <h4>Chapter 46</h4>


    Using a pipette, Mad Hatter ced drops of chemicals he needed for the experiment. When he heard a knock on the front door, he raised his head. The sudden movement caused him to lose control over his strength and caused a stream of the chemical to squirt out. He mumbled, sighing.


    ¡°This is what they call conditioning.¡±


    SoYoon didn¡¯t even knock anymore, but for the four years she had, he had be conditioned to react to the sound at his door this way. He got up and opened the window.


    Alice stood at the front door and waited for it to open. Nervous, she felt her palms sweat.


    She heard a window opening above her. She raised her eyes and saw the deep blue eyes looking down. Alice stared at him, forgetting even to breathe. The man, Mad Hatter, was extremely beautiful.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Alice had been staring in awe and only came to her senses when she heard his cold reaction. Luckily, her mouth hadn¡¯t been hanging open in admiration. Alice tilted her head shyly and smiled. She blushed naturally.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for intruding. I¡¯m Alice Liddell. There is something I would like to request from you. Would it be all right if Ie in?¡±


    Mad Hatter rested his head on his arms and looked down at her. The sun¡¯s transparent kiss was shining over his perfect forehead and cheeks. As he blinked, hisshes cast a shadow over his face that quickly disappeared. His lips looked carved in red y, and as they slowly started to move, Alice swallowed hard.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    At Mad Hatter¡¯s permission, the door opened on its own. Alice and Jeremy stepped inside. As she sat on the sofa in the living room, she nced over at Mad Hatter. His facial profile was as lovely as a Renaissance artist¡¯s rendition of the perfect man.


    There was no way that Mad Hatter would be unable to feel her unwavering attention. He was wearing a mboyant flower-patterned turban¡ªAlice, who was wholly distracted by his face, did not register the ridiculous thing upon his head. Mad Hatter watched her with his head tilted.


    That is the girl White Rabbit is so affectionate toward. He resisted his urge to turn on the device hidden under the sofa that would rip Alice to shreds.


    ¡°What is your request?¡±


    When he pushed down his urges, his migraine returned. He pressed hard on his temples. Alice¡¯s eyes brightened.


    ¡°Oh, are you hurting? If it¡¯s okay, may I take a look?¡±


    In the original story, Mad Hatter, whose appearance was like a lone blooming flower on a deste cliff, was an easy target of seduction. To have that opportunity, however, she had to heal his head first. Alice extended her hands toward his head.


    Before her hands could touch him, however, Mad Hatter grabbed a book that had been lying on the ground and blocked her froming closer. Alice, seeing his disgusted expression, remembered from the book that Mad Hatter did not like others within his physical space.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just thought you were in a lot of pain...¡±


    ¡°I asked what your request was.¡±


    As if in defense, he looked up at her with cold eyes. He already knew the extent of Alice¡¯s powers and had heard about it through rumors.


    He snorted. He knew that Alice had purposely let the secret of her powers spread to bait him. Knowing that, if only for his pride, he did not want to let her get what she wanted. Who would that be good for anyway?


    Alice, not knowing how to remediate the situation, decided that she had acted too hastily.


    ¡°I was hoping you could make me a smartphone.¡±


    ¡°The price is 5 million carol. It will take one week to finish it. How would you like to pay me?¡±


    Alice looked up at Jeremy. As she did, he pulled out from inside his suit pocket a thick envelope. He pulled out five of the million-carol currency and ced it in front of Mad Hatter. Mad Hatter yed with the crisp new currency and mumbled.


    ¡°I wonder how far that insanely violent thug is willing to go?¡±


    He was making fun of Heart, who was stuck in a rumor that he had lost his mind ying lover with this girl. Alice grabbed Jeremy¡¯s arm to stop him from doing something rash.


    She bit her lip and said bitterly, ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    Her lips became red and moist from biting them. She inhaled deeply as if angry, and each time she did, her voluptuous chest heaved.


    ¡°Heart is a good and respectable person who took me in and protected me when I had nowhere else to go. I can¡¯t believe you would believe those rumors...really...¡±


    Mad Hatter looked into her tear-filled eyes. She got lost in his dark-blue eyes, which were like the twilight sky. She was unable to take her eyes away from him, nor was he able to take his eyes off hers.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Mad Hatter was the first to break eye contact. His longshes cast a shadow over his eyes, and his lips curled. As he did, Alice received the full st of his aura. She had been so taken aback by his face¡¯s beauty that even as she returned to Heart¡¯s house, she could not figure out the meaning of that smile.


    ***


    A week had passed since SoYoon realized that the corpse hade back to life.


    She brought over March and showed her to him. Sleeping on the dust-covered floor, she looked like a girl from a fairy tale. Marchined the whole way over, eximing how a dead person coulde back to life, but upon seeing the girl, he shut his mouth. Silence filled the space.


    The person who broke the library-like silence was March. He kneeled next to the girl and mumbled as he touched her cheek.


    ¡°It feels different from Dor.¡±


    ¡°Because Dor had been asleep. This girl was a corpse.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t just mistaken?¡±


    Even as he said this, he knew that SoYoon would never make such a mistake. He swept the girl¡¯s ck hair away from her forehead. The girl¡¯s hair was smooth and fine, like silk thread. March asked as if in a dream.


    ¡°Do I just have to take her to the house?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And if you can take care of her, as you did Dor, that would be better.¡±


    At her words, March, like the boy he was, blushed. He mumbled something about, ¡°Bathing her might be an issue...,¡± and SoYoonughed.


    ¡°I never said to go to that extent.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    March yelled, his face burning red. Then realizing how loud he¡¯d been, he looked down at the girl. She was still sound asleep.


    ¡°If that was going to bring her to her senses, she would already be awake by now.¡±


    SoYoon propped the girl up and leaned her against her back. But March came iling forward and grabbed the girl¡¯s arms.


    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯ll carry her.¡±


    ¡°You think you can?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you think of me? I¡¯m a man too!¡±


    Carrying the girl on his back, he confidently headed to his house. But he soon regretted his decision when he felt the girl¡¯s curves on his back and heard the sound of her thin breathing in his ear. SoYoon spoke, seeing his neck and ears turning scarlet.


    ¡°If it¡¯s too much trouble, I¡¯ll take over.¡±


    ¡°Ah, please! I said, no!¡±


    Such pride for such a little squirt, SoYoon thought as she looked up at March. It didn¡¯t matter how tall March had grown, to her, he was still a child. When their eyes met, March frowned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you are looking at me.¡±


    ¡°Just walk. Dor is waiting.¡±


    Dor, who had been at home alone, weed SoYoon with an ecstatic hug. March ced the girl on the sofa. Watching her lying there made him feel strange.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Dor asked in a clear voice.


    ¡°Someone who has nowhere to go. Can you stay with her awhile?¡± SoYoon said sweetly.


    ¡°Like Alice?¡± Dor asked.


    Both their voices were loud, but March didn¡¯t hear a word. He poked cautiously at the girl¡¯s catlike eyes. His insides started to squirm.


    ¡°Is she awake?¡± SoYoon asked.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? Why?¡±


    March screamed in surprise. Dor, who had been clinging to the back of the sofa, frowned.


    ¡°You scared me. Why are you getting so surprised?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? Why? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Rabbit called you, and you didn¡¯t answer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I asked what it¡¯s for. Why did you call me?¡±


    March turned his reddening face away. Luckily, SoYoon didn¡¯t think much about his actions.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want Alice to misunderstand, I can exin the situation to her.¡±


    The moment Alice¡¯s name was mentioned, Dor¡¯s nose crinkled. SoYoon tapped lightly on Dor¡¯s nose. Dor yfully tried to bite her finger in response. SoYoon wagged her finger to and fro to avoid getting bit. As Dor jumped up and down, her pigtails bounced like the wings of a butterfly.


    ¡°What misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°You like Alice.¡±


    The statement came in a tone like a person stating the sun rose from the east. As a consequence, March got as far as ¡°Yes, I do like...¡± and then shook his head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Brother, do you like Alice? Yesterday, you told me...¡±


    ¡°Of course not! Why do you keep saying such nonsense?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s embarrassed!¡±


    March nced at the sofa, where the girl was still deeply asleep. He sighed in relief.


    ¡°March?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No...I don¡¯t know why you keep trying to tie me with Alice, but I think she¡¯s a bit...¡±


    March was in an awkward position, and he chewed his lip. Suddenly, Dor rubbed her face into SoYoon¡¯s chest andined.


    ¡°I hate Alice.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Dor!¡±


    ¡°But Alice hated me first.¡±


    March tried to stop Dor knowing that SoYoon cared for Alice a lot, but Dor¡¯s mental state was of a seven-year-old. Children are truthful about their feelings. SoYoon tapped the child¡¯s pouting lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Dor. You can tell me truthfully.¡±


    Still, Dor didn¡¯t open her mouth. March scratched his head upon seeing Dor so upset.


    ¡°Uh...Uh, hey. Dor.¡±


    ¡°I hate you. Just because you¡¯re in front of Rabbit, you lie.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...ugh, really. So what she means is...¡±


    March remembered the first night that Alice stayed here. She had looked at him in a familiar way. She looked at him as if he was inferior.


    He looked at SoYoon. She was the person who brought him here.


    ¡°She¡¯s from Outhouse. So she¡¯s...not? She¡¯s hard to be friends with.¡±


    March scratched his head and avoided Dor¡¯s gaze. When SoYoon went back home, he had a hard time trying to soothe Dor.

 Chapter 47

    <h4>Chapter 47</h4>


    Alice, dressed in her lovely pink-beige dress, stepped out of Mad Hatter¡¯s front door with Jeremy. In her hand was the smartphone she had ordered and received at a much earlier than anticipated date.


    The moment the door closed, Mad Hatter pressed hard at his temples with a look of great annoyance. His migraines had returned. He opened his windows wide. The wind that came in through the window swept away the scent of the silverbell flower perfume. That made his headache lessen a bit, but it couldn¡¯t fix its main cause.


    Using the smartphone as an excuse, Alice visited Mad Hatter¡¯s house every day. Learning from her mistake the first day, she didn¡¯t try to touch him again, but even her gaze caused him difort. Her eyes were full of a strange desire. It was a look too familiar to him, and every time he witnessed it, it made him feel as if he was living the nightmare all over again.


    He walked angrily into his bedroom. He had spent thest several nights working to finish the smartphone quickly so that he could spend less time with Alice. He felt as if he could sleep for several days straight.


    That night, his nightmares returned.


    He was standing in a creepy unattended garden. As he lifted his head, he saw a gloomy-looking building. It was a building that stood erect through the test of time, the Castle of Chapelier. He looked up at the building nkly until he saw blue-gray hair pass from beyond the window. He hurriedly turned and headed for the door.


    The bag on his back felt heavy. Inside were textbooks that he didn¡¯t need. Whether he refused to open those books or attend ss, the teachers just epted it because he was the genius who returned the glory back to the Castle of Chapelier. He was the most powerful and intelligent wizard whom they had prophesied would nevere again.


    The people who had only seen two people with such blue-gray hair stole nces at him as he passed. There was no one here who did not know him. He hid himself in an alley corner and tugged at his hair. He wanted nothing but to pull out all his hair.


    He suddenly smelled a foreign scent. The world around him crumpled like paper. Spinning, it swirled as if he was being sucked into a drain. Am I being kidnapped again? he thought with his eyes closed. What experiments would they do to him this time? Whatever those experiments might be, they wouldn¡¯tpare to the abuse he endured from his father. At least they were strangers.


    The scent became more potent. It was the smell of fresh fruit. He felt a familiarity with it. White hair fluttered in front of him.


    ¡°White Rabbit.¡±


    Mad Hatter stared at the ceiling. It was the familiar ceiling of his own house.


    ¡°Is this a dream?¡±


    Heughed as he pressed on his throbbing forehead. He had to give Heart some credit for his patience. He could barely stand these couple of days with that girl, but Heart had to endure her for several weeks now. Mad Hatter thought he could still smell the silverbell flower scenting through the closed door.


    He got up from his bed and went to his living room. There was no one in the house except him. Realizing this, he stumbled through the darkness like a sleepwalker and left the house. Having figured it out, he couldn¡¯t pretend to ignore his need to feel the warmth he craved.


    ***


    Night in Wondend smelled like the gutters. It was pungent and disgusting to the point that it numbed the senses until you began to think it smelled of roses. He staggered through the pervasive smell.


    His clothes and sleeping cap were wrinkled, and he wore indoor slippers. He looked as if he was a drunk. Because it was the middle of the night, the only person wandering around at this hour was him¡ªfortunately for both him and the others.


    When he arrived at SoYoon¡¯s house, he slowly pushed the door. The unlocked door smoothly opened. When it did, he was met by the familiar scent of her soap. Inhaling, he felt the headache he had been suffering from all day dissipate a bit.


    He stood at the foot of SoYoon¡¯s bed. Not having been asleep even before Mad Hatter had entered, SoYoon muttered in annoyance.


    ¡°Why are there so many unwee guests in the middle of the night...oof.¡±


    Mad Hatter hugged SoYoon tightly. SoYoon was still for a moment and then she patted him lightly on the shoulder. He was much taller and well built than her, but he clung to her like a child.


    She was reminded of Heart from a different night. That man also had embraced her desperately before. As if he had heard her thoughts, Mad Hatter¡¯s arms released her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of anything else.¡±


    SoYoon looked into his eyes. On the tips of his tightly closed eyes were blue-gray eyshes that trembled fragilely. Seeing that up close made SoYoon¡¯s heart feel as if small raindrops were falling inside it. What is this? That¡¯s strange. She frowned.


    ¡°Did you have a bad dream?¡±


    To him, the fact that his dream was his past was in itself a nightmare.


    ¡°My head hurts so bad, I want to go insane. But...¡±


    His long fingers were now intertwined in her hair. Mad Hatter felt SoYoon flinch, and he smiled.


    ¡°If I am with you, I feel a bit better.¡±


    SoYoon pushed him away.


    ¡°It¡¯s suffocating. Let me go.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so mean? I told you I¡¯m hurting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to go see Alice. I know you¡¯ve heard the rumors.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe rumors unless I see them for myself. Plus, there¡¯s already a medicine I can use right now, so why would I go barging into Heart¡¯s house at this hour?¡±


    He frowned as if his headache had returned. Even if China¡¯s finest beauty queens were to rise from the dead, not one of them couldpare to this frowning beauty.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything. So just think of it as saving a life, and let me sleep next to you.¡±


    Mad Hatterughed heartily and said the words she was unable to refuse.


    ¡°It¡¯s a request. If you hate it that much, you can kill me.¡±


    She was White Rabbit. She never could refuse a request and must do everything he asked. The only way to refuse was to kill the client to shut his mouth. Unlike the situation with Twins, she had been nning to reject his advances, but once he asked for it, she closed her mouth.


    The night again became calm. The two of them were lying on the same bed in the same direction. Mad Hatter stared forlornly at the back of SoYoon.


    Stubborn, he mouthed, but SoYoon must have sensed the movement of air because she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him.


    ¡°How could you be so cold when we¡¯ve known each other for this long?¡±


    She snorted. Mad Hatter crept closer and clung to her back. She was about to push him away when she stopped at his words.


    ¡°Last time, you had caressed me so lovingly.¡±


    ¡°When did I do that?¡±


    ¡°The day I had been sick. When I woke up from a bad dream, you embraced me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I hugged you that tightly.¡±


    She rxed her stiff back. Mad Hatter smiled from behind her.


    ¡°What are you thinking? Were you mixing it up with another night?¡±


    He was the one who said it ambiguously. SoYoon muttered. Now he was no longer even trying to conceal hisughter. Heughed for a long time and then plopped his chin on top of her head and said to her, ¡°I was a research subject too.¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s back stiffened again.


    ¡°Wait, Mad Hatter.¡±


    When she tried to stop him, he blocked her mouth.


    ¡°I told you this was a request. I¡¯m not expecting anything from you, so just listen.¡±


    ¡°Chapelier was a family of the most well known and respected wizards. That was until fifty years ago, when my father was born.


    ¡°Since the day my father was born, his magical powers were severely weak. As a wizard, this was a serious fault. For the Chapelier family, who prided themselves on their magical skills, this defective heir was a source of shame. Ostracized and criticized, he slowly started to go insane.


    ¡°And that was when I was born. When his father first heard his son¡¯s cries, he could feel the overwhelming magical powering from him. If only he could get his hands on that power.


    ¡°I still remember it¡ªthe face of my father looking down at me as Iy in my cradle as if I was an experiment subject.


    ¡°There was no way the experiments of a deranged man would yield good results. All his ever-changing experiments did was bring his son pain. His brain was saturated with drugs and magic so that it slowly started to break down. For that reason, he was unable to consume food to this day. His father had fed him food mixed with the drugs.


    ¡°His father was not the only one who treated him as an experiment. Blue-gray hair was the feature of the Chapelier family and he, their fifth generation, was the only one with that trait. He was like a walking billboard announcing that he was their one and only heir. A genius born from a halfling, that Chapelier. Because his deranged father was unable to protect him, he was kidnapped constantly by other wizards and experimented on. With no one to save him, he used his skills to escape, thus honing his powers. And when he turned 15, his father came at him with a knife saying he would carve out his heart.


    ¡°Do you know that magic starts from the heart and flows through the veins? My father told me he was going to examine my heart and figure out how to transfer the power to himself. I¡¯m not sure if he had been intending to kill me. My father might have just thought of me as a legendary monster.¡±


    That day, Mad Hatter had been able to escape the Chapelier name only after killing his father. However, he was forced to live, to this day, with the consequences of his father¡¯s actions. With a broken brain and the inability to channel his magic properly, he had to spend his whole life tortured by terrible migraines.


    After he had finished saying all he wanted to say, he removed his hands from SoYoon¡¯s mouth. SoYoon watched his hands get farther away.

 Chapter 48

    <h4>Chapter 48</h4>


    In the original story, the description of Mad Hatter¡¯s past was described with the simple word ¡°abuse.¡± But the truth had been what he told SoYoon. She remembered each of the days she had spent at the research facility. Because she was in pain, was miserable, was lonely, she had wanted to die. But not even able to take her own life, she had cried until she just surrendered.


    Had he gone through this also? Did that mean those trembling fingers were the same as the times she had woken up in a cold sweat from the nightmare of her time at the research facility?


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    She reached out her hand and held his fingers. She had done it without even realizing it. Mad Hatter looked at her hand over his and chuckled. Then he intertwined his fingers with hers.


    ¡°This is when you call a person by his name.¡±


    ¡°How would I know what that is?¡±


    ¡°Really? Interesting. I thought you would have known.¡±


    What did he mean by that?


    She felt slightly nervous, as he added, ¡°I know you have an informant you are friendly with. It would be easy to find out my real name. That¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t get mad if you ran a background check on me.¡±


    ¡°No. I really don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡±


    He leaned his lips close to her ear and whispered his name.


    ¡°Yochanan.¡±


    When she didn¡¯t say anything, he prodded her annoyingly.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say it? When this is a request?¡±


    She sighed and said his name.


    ¡°....Yochanan.¡±


    ¡°One more time.¡±


    ¡°Yochanan.¡±


    That in itself was enough. His ears were full of the sound of it, and his senses felt like they were melting into it. Mad Hatter, absorbing her voice with his whole body, closed his eyes.


    Time had passed and the night turned into dawn. Mad Hatter looked down at SoYoon, who had fallen into a deep sleep, and smiled. In the grayish blue of darkness, he moved his mouth without making a sound.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is you know, but don¡¯t think that is what is actually going to happen.¡±


    The name she had not known: Yochanan. It was also the name of a saint who was decapitated by a lovestruck princess. The girl had ced his head on a silver tter and kissed him.


    Mad Hatterughed quietly and kissed SoYoon. He didn¡¯t need the Dance of the Seven Veils. If he was able to kiss her, he would be willing to have his head atop a silver tter.


    ***


    The next morning, Mad Hatter ced his shirt on the handle of the door and turned on the water. As he did this, cold water flowed out of the faucet.


    ¡°What is wrong with this girl...?¡±


    Wagging his tongue, he finished washing up in the cold and looked in the mirror. His shoulders were wrapped in bandages. He poked at it to check the pain. The ce where he had taken the brunt of Heart¡¯s ax was healing nicely.


    His girl¡ªwhen he wasn¡¯t even in such a rtionship with her, snorted Mad Hatter¡ªHeart had assumed that Mad Hatter had stolen his first night with SoYoon and hade to find him. Mad Hatter didn¡¯t reveal the truth, so it escted to a fight.


    Even though Heart came at him as if wanting to kill him, in actuality, Heart held himself back from using his full strength. He had told Mad Hatter that he was letting him off easy because Mad Hatter was a pivotal person in Wondend, but Mad Hatter knew the truth. Heart couldn¡¯t kill him because of SoYoon.


    ¡°My reason is the same as yours.¡±


    Heart was not the only one who didn¡¯t use his entire strength.


    When he came out after washing, SoYoon was sitting up on the bed. Her tousled hair looked translucent under the morning sunlight. Mad Hatter brushed her hair back with care.


    ¡°Do you have any requests to fulfill today?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°How about your patch?¡±


    ¡°I changed it.¡±


    ¡°Then you should sleep a bit more.¡±


    Lacking sleep because Mad Hatter had barged into her homest night, SoYoon readily agreed andy back down. He neatly swept her hair into ce as shey on the pillow, and he put on his head a sleeping cap with a penguin drawn on it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, so go back to sleep.¡±


    He walked to the door, continuously ncing over at SoYoon as her eyes drooped closed. Each time he looked over, the penguin above his head watched her with a saddened face.


    He looked at her one final time as his hands hovered over the doorknob. The door was locked with magic. He smiled as he opened the door and locked it on his way out.


    ¡°You did say you had a lot of intruders in the middle of the night.¡±


    He already knew who the previous intruder had been: Twins. They weren¡¯t as annoying as Heart, but the thought of them lingering wasn¡¯t a pleasant thought. If SoYoon wasn¡¯t so unconcerned about locking her door, I would have created a lock that couldn¡¯t be opened by even the most powerful man. He sighed in disappointment.


    Three hourster, Mad Hatter returned to SoYoon¡¯s house. He checked to make sure the door was still securely locked and smiled. When he opened the door and entered, he found SoYoon lying on the bed with her eyes thinly opened. His presence must have woken her up.


    ¡°You should get up now.¡±


    Mad Hatter raised SoYoon up then went to wander around every corner of the house. After finding the old rusty boiler, he removed it and reced it with the new electronic boiler he brought with him. SoYoon came to check out what he was doing.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m changing out your boiler. You¡¯re toozy to do it on your own, so I¡¯ll just have to do it for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really need it.¡±


    ¡°You might not.¡±


    After uttering this confusing statement, he finished the instation. The first customer to receive a new boiler was SoYoon. After showering with warm water, she walked out of the bathroom to find the smell of food in the air. She turned her head and found a te of fried eggs on the living room table.


    ¡°What do you eat on a daily basis? There are only water and eggs in your fridge.¡±


    ¡°I was going to go to the mart tomorrow...,¡± SoYoon answered Mad Hatter.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡±


    He asked her as he sank deeper into the sofa. His action made it seem as if this was his house. She put the fried eggs into her mouth as she said.


    ¡°How much do I owe you for the boiler?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how should I do it? Should I just call it even with yesterday¡¯s request?¡±


    Mad Hatter smiled. As he did, his sharp jaw and shadowed cheeks became softer. The face looked as if it contained all the light of the world. His smile was quite beautiful.


    She turned away from him and finished thest bite of egg. She had only received things from him today, but she felt strangely as if she had suffered a loss.


    ***


    One spring morning, Dee strutted into Central. Because the people of Central knew him for his violence, they looked on nervously, with bated breath.


    He wandered around Central without a specific destination and happened to see SoYoon. Seeing her was the luck of timing. When he had stepped into a small alleyway from the busy street, she had been turning into another alley from the opposite side.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Dee walked toward her. On his second step, however, his feet, as if rooted to the spot, stopped moving.


    What, Dum? I¡¯m kind of in a hurry, Dee insisted, but Dum continued to resist. Eventually, they lost sight of her.


    ¡°What are you doing? You want a bite of her too!¡± Dee interrogated in hushed tones.


    ¡°That girl is dangerous,¡± Dum answered. Dee thought it was ridiculous.


    He already knew she was capable of killing them before his one week together was up. To be cautious about it now seemed ludicrous. It¡¯s not as if they had been ones to take the safe path. Dee snorted, but Dum shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, yeah, right. Just stay quiet and go to sleep. I¡¯m going to go find her...¡±


    Their body moved. When the movement stopped, the body was no longer upied by Dee but by Dum. After forcing his brother to sleep, Dum, who had mixed feelings, rubbed his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, Dee.¡±


    The reason she was dangerous was not her strength. Dum remembered the first time he¡¯d run into her. He had felt a strange nervousness about her. That feeling was strong enough to detain them in their most dangerous lust-filled state.


    ¡°We may not be able to kill that girl,¡± he muttered to his sleeping brother.


    Dum stopped by a nearby clothing store and after buying a jacket, went into an empty alley to switch out of Dee¡¯s rider jacket. He neatly swept back his dark golden hair and rxed his eyes so that he transformed into the facade of Tweedle Dum.


    He stepped out into Central as if nothing had happened. It was then that he saw the ends of her white hair and her thin stature.


    His brother was right. Dee was not the only one who wanted to take a bite out of her. Dum rxed his chin and turned his head toward her. Even though they were quite far from each other, and thick bangs covered her eyes, he knew that their eyes had made contact.


    Walking toward her, he whispered to Dee, ¡°I¡¯m only trying to find out the reason for the nervousness.¡± The still-asleep Dee did not answer.


    Dum greeted SoYoon with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    It had been a couple of weeks since SoYoon had met Twins with Dum¡¯s persona. He had to pretend to be oblivious to what had happened to Dee that night at her house. Dum hid his embarrassment.


    ¡°You have a lot of stuff there. If you¡¯re on your way home, would you like some help?¡±


    SoYoon had her hands full of bags¡ªgroceries and household items¡ªwhich she handed over without much thought.


    As they walked through Central, he talked to SoYoon about this and that¡ªabout the weather, about how she was doing these days, about how the passersby looked. No subjectsted very long, however.


    It might have been because SoYoon was not the type to react to such a conversation, but the main reason was that Dum felt nervous around her. He concluded that such a feeling was due to his thoughts of his inability to kill her. If it wasn¡¯t that, why else would he feel anxious, or would his mouth go dry, or would his heart beat erratically?


    They soon arrived at SoYoon¡¯s house. She reached out her hand to receive her belongings back when Dum spoke.


    ¡°I can take them inside....¡±


    ¡°What are you doing there?¡±


    Mad Hatter popped out of the old door with the faded color sheet. Dum had known there was someone inside, but hadn¡¯t expected it to be Mad Hatter. Dum put up his guard. Mad Hatter, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even give him a second nce.


    ¡°Are you on your way back from the market? I was one step toote.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we only see each other if there¡¯s something specific going on.¡±


    The conversation between the two people felt natural. Dum felt a sense of deprivation. Mad Hatter took the bags from Dum¡¯s hand and pulled SoYoon inside.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    SoYoon turned around to face Dum.


    ¡°Thank you for helping me carry the bags.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh...It was nothing.¡±

 Chapter 49

    <h4>Chapter 49</h4>


    It was then that the eyes of the two men met. That pale freak who looked like porridge, Dum thought while looking at Mad Hatter¡¯s beautiful ceramic face. Mad Hatter let SoYoon inside first then curled his lips upward as he spoke.


    ¡°The little kid may go home now.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling a little...!¡±


    The door mmed in his infuriated face. Dum red at the door and tried to calm his boiling anger. This was the first time he had felt like this toward anyone, and it annoyed him in the extreme.


    Dum¡¯s presence retreated behind the door. Mad Hatter snorted and went to the kitchen. He embraced SoYoon from behind and kissed her lightly while she was organizing the things she bought. Noticing her stiffening, he sighed.


    ¡°Why are you acting so surprised over a greeting? I need the touch of another person from time to time. Don¡¯t you?¡±


    Even he thought that the lie was pretty pathetic. Another person¡¯s touch? Other than SoYoon, he hated even the thought of someone else touching him.


    SoYoon, who had felt a simr calm when she was with Heart, believed the lie. He felt her stiff shoulders rx, and he smiled.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s hurry and clean this up.¡±


    SoYoon finished organizing the things she bought and was shuffled to the bed by Mad Hatter. He plopped onto the bed next to her and hugged her tightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a request. Until I wake up, you will be true to your role as my foot warmer. What¡¯s that face? Do you have another request?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s that. What is the problem? You make money, and I can get some relief from my headaches. Isn¡¯t it a good deal? So be still.¡±


    When she closed her mouth, Mad Hatter sighed and rxed his arms. As he inhaled deeply, he smelled the familiar soap scent. He lowered his head a little, and a bit stiffly, he rubbed his cheeks into her white hair.


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep at allst night. So don¡¯t interrupt my sleep. You can¡¯t keep moving either. Then my head will hurt.¡±


    Although his voice was slightly cold, Mad Hatter closed his eyes with a peaceful expression. SoYoon looked up at him with an exasperated expression.


    No one shouldpare their life to someone else¡¯s. You may think you are depressed or think that you are better than others, or you believe you understand everything, but all these thoughts, in the eyes of another, will be unrtable and presumably unpleasant.


    Being in the same space, however, feeling each other¡¯s warmth, and sharing simr experiences, she couldn¡¯t help but feel her frozen heart being dunked in hot water. But she also wanted to escape that feeling. She clenched her fists.


    ***


    It had been a while since SoYoon had received a call from Heart, but at his request, she headed over to his house. She passed the front gate and was heading to the front door when she heard a noise that sounded out of ce at Heart¡¯s house. Like a chirping bird, it was the sound of Alice¡¯s lovelyugh.


    Thinking that she would like to see Alice, she headed in that direction, but remembering thest ce they had met¡ªJack¡¯sir, the unconscious girl, the blood on her cheeks¡ªSoYoon stopped.


    She was reminded of other things, too¡ªthe volcanic anger of Heart, his kiss that smelled of blood. She remembered the words Mad Hatter had whispered to her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about such silly things.¡±


    She shook her head to rid it of the conflicting thoughts, sighed, and began walking again.


    Alice was with a person whose presence was familiar to SoYoon. As she approached them, her stomach squirmed as if bugs were gnawing at her insides.


    Heart and Alice were sitting on the terrace that overlooked the garden. Heart, feeling her presence, turned his head. His lips were smiling benignly, but his eyes looked gloomy.


    Alice followed his gaze and found SoYoon.


    ¡°White Rabbit!¡±


    Her delicateugh greeted her. SoYoon was thankful for the bangs and mask that covered her face. If she hadn¡¯t had that, her mixed feelings might have been reflected in her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s been such a long time!¡±


    ¡°Have you been well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been well, thanks to Heart, of course. But what brings you here...?¡±


    ¡°White Rabbit.¡±


    Heart called her in an expressionless tone. The nickname he called her felt out of ce.


    ¡°Head up to the drawing room. I¡¯ll follow you soon.¡±


    SoYoon walked toward the door. She could hear the dialogue happening behind her, and she opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it. As she did, the sound of talking lessened.


    SoYoon put her hand over her chest. Her throat felt as if something hot was trickling down.


    About ten minutes after she hade into the drawing room, Heart entered. He sat not at his desk or on the sofa but instead gotfortable right behind SoYoon¡¯s back. She sat quietly, full of dread and anxiety.


    ¡°It¡¯s been such a long time.¡±


    He said the same words that Alice had said to her. Unlike the weing tone of the girl, his was full of something that seduced her senses.


    ¡°Any trace of you has been all but gone for a long time. If I hadn¡¯t called you, were you nning never toe see me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Really? Even now, you only came because I called you.¡±


    Heart chuckled softly. It was a dryugh. SoYoon kept her mouth shut.


    ¡°During that time, I felt like my blood was drying up waiting for you. At first, it was new, but as the days went by, I felt cheated. Of course, I know that what I¡¯m saying to you now isn¡¯t fair. But still, I couldn¡¯t wait any longer.¡±


    Heart grabbed her by the cor and pulled her in. Her thin body leaned awkwardly onto the back of the sofa. He swept her hair from her eyes and stared into them as he spoke.


    ¡°An eye for an eye, is that what they say? So I thought. How could I get my revenge?¡±


    The thought that flew across SoYoon¡¯s mind was that this scene was something she had anticipated. This could in no way be considered revenge toward her, however. She quickly erased the thought from her mind.


    Heart stared into her eyes and didn¡¯t miss the slight change in her expression. He smiled widely. His pupils, dted in ecstasy, looked ck.


    ¡°What did you just feel?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything...¡±


    ¡°I felt that every day after that night. It was horrific. Don¡¯t misunderstand. I would never resort to that sort of thing as revenge. My adequate revenge is, well...¡±


    In his red eyes was explosiveness. Violence and otherplicated emotions mixed there.


    ¡°Should I kill him?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That crazy experiment freak. Mad Hatter¡¯s been in and out of your house a lot these days. I only told him I would let him off the hook that one time. Slicing his neck off in one shot is too merciful on my part...¡±


    A light knock came from the door before it opened. It was Alice. The two of them were concentrating so hard on each other that they did not notice the ordinary girl approach them. She was so close that their expressions could clearly be seen.


    ¡°If White Rabbit hasn¡¯t left yet...! What are you doing?¡±


    Heart, who was crazed by jealousy, grabbed White Rabbit by the cor. Alice hurriedly broke them apart. SoYoon slid onto the sofa and quickly reorganized her hair while Alice blocked Heart¡¯s way.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s nothing, so there¡¯s no need to worry, Alice. What are you doing here?¡±


    Unlike his growling at SoYoon, his voice was soft and gentle toward Alice. SoYoon got up from the sofa and headed to the door. Heart called after her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run away.¡±


    SoYoon stepped outside and closed the door.


    After she left, Heart listened halfheartedly to Alice as he thought about his Whitey.


    Hope had filled the eyes of the girl who had wandered into Wondend four years ago. She had killed White Rabbit, contrary to everyone¡¯s assumption, and in that action, he had seen his own image eight years ago, of him killing the previous Heart.


    From that moment, this girl was a fun toy to y with. If she had not been hurt in front of him, she might have stayed that way to him.


    She was so strong, yet so weak. She was human.


    Was it wrong to think of his toy as human? Or was it because she had shown him the best round of Croquet Game that he could envision?


    Pawn, who became Heart, and the newbie, who became White Rabbit¡ªthe two of them were well matched. She was the type who was fun to train, and even though she knew his intentions, she let him be. Her nonchnce also aroused hispetitiveness.


    When he had realized that this passionate game had caused him to lose his heart to her, it was already toote to turn back. He had thought that he was training her, but it was she who was training him.


    He was full of confidence, however. He knew his strengths well, and also knew that she was reacting to them as well. Plus, she didn¡¯t seem to have a reluctance against sexual touch or actions. He was thinking to himself that he should make his move when he remembered this scene.

 Chapter 50

    <h4>Chapter 50</h4>


    It was the middle of the night in the slum. It was quiet because everyone was asleep. She was walking, ncing around every corner as if looking for something. In her eyes glittered a light of hope that she thought had all but gone out.


    Remembering this, he was struck by a strange nervousness and a question popped into his head. Why did she ask for White Rabbit¡¯s position? She could have asked for something much better, but she specifically asked to procure White Rabbit¡¯s ce. It had to be rted to a goal that sparked her hope.


    And then starting one night, exactly on the day that Alice showed up, she stopped wandering around the slums.


    ¡°Heart?¡±


    Her goal was that measly girl? Heart smiled toward Alice. Her face blushed as if she was embarrassed, but Heart sensed the glitter in her blue eyes that seemed to be critiquing him. After Alice had started visiting Mad Hatter¡¯s house, there were many times she looked at him with this expression.


    He did not hate a greedy human. He was impressed that she had received this much courtesy from him and had yet to fall in love with him. He hoped that she would nt herself next to that crazy experiment freak. He thought this to himself as if invoking a curse.


    The maddening words of the other man still rang in his ears.


    ¡°You¡¯re not assuming that she is yours, are you?¡±


    I should have broken his mouth instead of his shoulder. If he hadn¡¯t been the only person to create the item that SoYoon needed, he would have killed him then and there. Burning in immense jealousy and anger, Heart escorted Alice out of the drawing room.


    ***


    When Dee, who had been forced to sleep by Dum after running into SoYoon, had woken the next day, he was furious. Only after going over his brother Dum¡¯s memory of the day did he finally calm down. To be more exact, he had lost the energy to fight against Dum.


    Mad Hatter had acted like SoYoon was his. Twins remembered what Baby had said about some men not caring about the size of a woman¡¯s breasts. Dee¡¯s mouth poured out curses.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t even give me her phone number, so what¡¯s up with that guy? F*ck, what¡¯s the rtionship between those two?¡±


    Dee bolted from his seat. His chair toppled, and he stomped out of the room.


    The first ce he went to was SoYoon¡¯s house. He walked into the unlocked house, but there was no one inside. The next ce he went to was Central, but he was unable to find SoYoon there either.


    The next day, he visited SoYoon¡¯s house, then Central again, but still had no luck. It was only the day after that he was able to find SoYoon.


    Dee saw the profile of SoYoon¡¯s face through the wide window of a restaurant and stomped over toward her. She only lifted her head from her food once she saw him plop onto the seat opposite her. As he made eye contact with her, he forgot all the things he had wanted to say to her.


    ¡°Is...the food that good?¡± Dee asked, eyeing the pasta in front of SoYoon. He realized how stupid that must have sounded, but he pretended it was nothing and ordered food for himself. Then he watched her quietly continue to eat as his legs shook under the table. Compared to Heart¡¯s reaction, Twins¡¯ was easy to read.


    Dee¡¯s food arrived. Ufortable with the silence, Dee scooped up a forkful and shoved it in his mouth.


    ¡°Ew.¡±


    The moment the food touched his tongue, he spat it out. SoYoon, remembering his picky eating habits, clicked her tongue, but it was already toote for him. He frowned and just barely swallowed the pasta with a gulp of water. His over-the-top reaction caught the attention of those around him.


    Dee¡¯s violent nature was well known, but his eating habits were not. That was because Twins had never visited themon restaurants in Central within these few years. He got up from his seat, passed the server, and headed into the kitchen.


    ¡°Uh, sir...¡±


    As the server hesitated, SoYoon grabbed Dee¡¯s wrist and pulled him back sharply.


    ¡°What are you nning to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go kill the punk that serves this trashy food.¡±


    SoYoon pulled out money for both their meals, ced it on the table, then yanked him out of the restaurant.


    ¡°Let go! F*ck, I said, let go!¡±


    Only after Dee¡¯s screams got farther away did the rest of the customers breathe a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    When they got outside, Dee forcefully got out of SoYoon¡¯s grip. She let him go without a fight and ced her mask, which she had removed previously to eat, back on her face.


    ¡°What did you go and get in my way for?¡±


    ¡°This is Central. If you make a scene, it will be a headache for you too.¡±


    ¡°I could do whatever the hell I want, so who are you to get in the...¡±


    Dee¡¯s words trailed off. Thinking of her gaze from behind her long bangs made the inside of his stomach squirm. She suddenly started walking away from him.


    ¡°Hey! Blondie! Stop right there!¡±


    Dee followed her and grabbed her shoulder. But what his hand felt was immensely thin. Surprised, he removed his hand quickly. With squirming fingers, he slowly put it back on her shoulder.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Home.¡±


    Suddenly they heard light footstepsing their way.


    ¡°Stop! Wait, Dor!¡±


    She heard March calling her. She removed Dee¡¯s hand from her shoulder and turned toward the noise.


    ¡°Rabbit!¡±


    Dor continued to run at the same speed toward SoYoon. If she hadn¡¯t thought that the person she was running toward would ept this action, she would never have done it.


    SoYoon bent down and gently caught her. Dor wrapped her arms around SoYoon¡¯s neck andughed. SoYoon smiled from under her mask. It was such a normal sort of scene that was unlikely in Central.


    Dee observed the scene without blinking. He didn¡¯t even realize the brown-haired boy was staring apprehensively at him. What the heck is that? That, I don¡¯t get that...!


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    His sudden yell made Dor jump. March came to carry her hurriedly to safety. Dee rumpled his hair in annoyance.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so...?¡±


    So, what? What is it I want to say? Not knowing what he wanted, the words trailed off. Dee looked at SoYoon with a confused look. She had always been so expressionless that he would have never expected her to care about anything or anyone.


    ¡°Forget it!¡±


    He bottled up his feelings and turned his back to SoYoon. She watched Dee as he walked away then turned her attention to Dor and March.


    ¡°What is this? This isn¡¯t...?¡±


    March muttered.


    ¡°No. It isn¡¯t. What, no way. But...¡±


    SoYoon and Dor looked up at March. He only stopped muttering to himself when he felt the two people¡¯s gaze upon him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only an assumption, so I won¡¯t say. But are you close with Twins too?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°For someone who isn¡¯t, the atmosphere was a bit¡ªhow should I say this?¡ªit looked like you were close. Something like that?¡±


    They had lived a week together, so there was a possibility that it could look like that. She nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing that again. Pretending like it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    March clucked his tongue in disapproval.


    The three of them stopped by the mart then headed home. Because their houses were in the same direction, they were able to walk about halfway together. SoYoon remembered the girl she had asked March to take care of and asked him about her.


    ¡°How is that girl?¡±


    ¡°Uh, she¡¯s still not awake. From the look of it, it looks like she¡¯ll wake up soon, but she hasn¡¯t yet.¡±


    March mumbled to himself as he answered SoYoon. His mind soon filled with the thought of the short-haired, cat-eyed girl¡ªthe girl who would be in his house dreaming dreams he knew nothing about. He had lifted her eyelids to find that her eyes were a forest green.


    I wonder what her name is. I wonder how her voice will sound. If she is from Outhouse, would she have anywhere to go? His imagination took him to finding a ce for the girl who hadn¡¯t even woken up yet. SoYoon brought March out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Should I stop by and check on her?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? Do what?¡±


    ¡°That girl. We could have Alice or¡ªit might be a bit dangerous¡ªbut have at least Doctor check her out...¡±


    There was no way the Doctor would not have an interest in the corpse that came back to life. Even if it looked like she would wake up soon, leaving her asleep like this would be a hassle for March. It would probably be better to have the safer Alice look at her. But March adamantly refused SoYoon¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s okay! You don¡¯t have toe! You look tired, so you should head back home and rest.¡±


    ¡°March?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re here. Hey! Let¡¯s go inside, Dor!¡±


    March dragged Dor into the house. SoYoon would probably think the action strange, but he didn¡¯t want SoYoon in the house. He hastily put down the groceries and went into his room.

 Chapter 51

    <h4>Chapter 51</h4>


    The first day he had brought the girl to his house, he had thought the sofa looked ufortable and moved her to his bed. The girl was lying there just as he had left her. He didn¡¯t want to show this scene to anyone. He didn¡¯t know why, but he was embarrassed about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    He mumbled as his cheeks flushed pink.


    ***


    After being kidnapped by Jack, Alice wrote out the original storyline she remembered onto a piece of paper. After she had finished organizing it, she stared at one part in particr.


    /DK (psn) ? TW W/


    It meant Duke¡¯s poison, Twins interrupt to win. Noting from the current flow of the story, about three weekster, Duke tried to make her fall asleep in Central by using a sedative. But Twins, seeing this, saved her from him, and the scene ended peacefully.


    In the original story, this would be when Alice visited Twins¡¯ house, but currently, the story was going differently. She remembered how her inability to heal Twins had led to the different conclusion in Cheshire¡¯s kidnapping scheme.


    She should have found Twins to heal them at whatever cost. She tapped persistently on the notebook with her pen. White Rabbit had saved her that time, but there was no guarantee that would happen again.


    There were only two options. She could not go to Central during that time frame, or she could be friendly with Twins before all this happened. She brought up the memory of Twins¡¯ face. The face was too great to give up. Plus, even though he killed the other girls that he slept with, he had be a benign middle schooler toward Alice, crushing on his first love.


    Alice got up and got ready to go out. When she opened the door, her guard, Jeremy, made eye contact. He was different from Peter, who had wanted to spend every minute with her.


    It had been a long time since she thought about Peter. After the incident with Jack, he had been injured severely due to Heart¡¯s punishment. Alice was banned from healing him, so he was still recovering. Thinking that she should go to visit him sometime, she told Jeremy her destination.


    ¡°I want to go see Baby.¡±


    Using the informant Baby, she would be able to find a way to make contact with Twins. She headed toward Baby¡¯s house.


    Baby¡¯s house was about an hour away from Heart¡¯s. Only having met Alice once at SoYoon¡¯s house, Baby smiled strangely at her.


    ¡°And what business brought you, the walking miracle, to my door?¡±


    Baby greeted Alice with a crooked smile. Alice thought that he¡ªhe was a male today¡ªwas a lovely looking boy who could mess up many girls¡¯ lives.


    At Baby¡¯s words, Alice dropped her head as if embarrassed. For Baby, who had seduced and been seduced by many men and women, this smile looked a bitme. Did she think that the people of Wondend would fall for something as simple as that? Even the simplest of people wouldn¡¯t be lured into that trap, he thought, then realized that there were already two who had been coaxed into it. Oh, friend, he sighed in exasperation.


    ¡°I heard that you are an informant.¡±


    The smiling face of Baby changed drastically. The unsmiling Baby looked like a well-made cold ceramic doll. A few momentster, he smiled again, but Alice couldn¡¯t get the face she¡¯d just seen out of her head.


    ¡°Really? And who did you hear this from?¡±


    ¡°That...Hea¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hm? Heart?¡±


    Baby¡¯s blue eyes gleamed sharply. Alice hurriedly shut her mouth. She thought hard to figure out who else would have been able to tell her that Baby was an informant. ¡°Hm?¡± Baby asked again, and Alice blurted out, ¡°White¡ªWhite Rabbit! White Rabbit told me!¡±


    ¡°Ah-ha!¡±


    He pped his hands and reached out joyfully to Alice.


    ¡°I see, it was White Rabbit.¡±


    His warm fingers swept across her forehead, temples, cheeks, and down to her lips. When the warmth left the ces he touched, she felt cold and shivered. Baby gently patted Alice¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of people who know that I am an informant. All those people have promised me that they will keep the secret, and that is the only way to guarantee their own safety. Now, I¡¯ll ask you again: Who did you tell this to?¡±


    The silver eyshes surrounding the blue eyes narrowed softly. Seeing a violent gleam in them, Alice ran.


    ¡°Alice? Wait!¡±


    With Jeremy¡¯s voice, the footsteps of the two people faded off into the distance. Baby stuck out his tongue.


    ¡°She¡¯s lying.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± the man waiting under the shadows of the drawing room asked.


    ¡°Leave them alone.¡±


    Baby handed the man the drink that Alice hadn¡¯t touched.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous? You said she¡¯s going around spreading the information...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not particrly great at it. Either way, Heart is after her.¡±


    ¡°What? That rumor was true?¡±


    ¡°¡®Going after¡¯ a person has many meanings.¡± Babyughed ambiguously.


    ***


    After feeling a sort of betrayal from SoYoon, Twins went out to Central often to look for her. However, they were unable to find or talk to her and were getting frustrated about it. When Alice found Twins at Central, it had been 30 minutes after they had let SoYoon get away from them.


    ¡°Twins?¡±


    Assuming Central was safe, Alice had been walking around alone without Jeremy and approached Twins. That day, they had been out and about at Central under Tweedle Dum¡¯s persona. They turned toward the sound of the voice and at first, didn¡¯t realize who it was.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    As, technically, Alice and Dum had never met before, his reaction was appropriate. Alice smiled softly. The unique situation with their split personalities had fooled the rest of the people in Wondend, but they could not fool Alice. Already infatuated by Alice, they would slowly start to fall for her as they realized that she had figured out their secret.


    Making them realize that right now would be a bit premature. Right now what was important was to create an impression upon them.


    ¡°I saw you at Heart¡¯s housest time.¡±


    ¡°...I haven¡¯t been there. Are you maybe confusing me with Dee? I¡¯m Dee¡¯s brother, Dum.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Sorry.¡±


    Alice slightly stuck out her tongue and smiled. Inside, Dee gagged at her reaction. Really, Blondie. You really must be blind. Dum agreed with Dee and smiled widely. Her face and body are nice though...What do you think, Dee?


    ¡°That¡¯s all right. Um, if you have some time, would you like to go get some tea together?¡±


    ¡°If the Undertaker cared so much for this girl, wouldn¡¯t she have a special taste?¡± Dum whispered to Dee.


    Dum was quite a good person to date. As her escort, they ate good food together and looked around the stores. Distracted by this, Alice didn¡¯t realize that they hade into a back alley.


    ¡°This way is a shortcut.¡±


    Tempting her with delicious choctes, Dum pushed her into an empty house.


    ¡°Why¡ªwhy are you doing this?¡± Alice asked Dum as he locked the door.


    He bared his teeth and charged at Alice. There was no middle stage. Both unaware of their jealousy, they grabbed Alice¡¯s clothes and ripped them open. Her full breasts were open to the afternoon air.


    ¡°Aack! Let go! Is anybody there? Help me! Heart!¡±


    Alice pushed Twins away desperately. But soon, they forced her onto the floor. Seeing Twinse at her with their mouth wide, she screamed the name of the next strongest person after Heart.


    ¡°White Rabbit!¡±


    White Rabbit was the only character she saw in battle. Merely having had heard of the scene, she knew the extent of White Rabbit¡¯s power. And the reaction toward the name was powerful. Twins, who had their face inches away from her breasts, stopped and stepped back.


    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Undertaker?¡±


    Alice opened her tightly closed eyes. Twins¡¯ face, which was right in front of hers, looked like a starving predator. Scared, she backed away, buttoning up her shirt.


    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship?¡± Twins asked in a sedated voice.


    She answered, flustered, ¡°Someone who likes me.¡±


    That moment, an immense viciousness overtook Alice. Unable to handle it, she fainted.


    A few momentster, when she woke up, Twins were gone.


    Alice rearranged her ripped clothes and ran out of the ce. She rejoined Jeremy, practically ran back to Heart¡¯s ce, and stayed locked in her bedroom.


    The situation that day was not something that was meant to happen. She shook her head fiercely, trying to erase the memory.


    Why? Why is this happening? What went wrong? Was the fact that I didn¡¯t save him that big a mistake?


    She trembled under her nket and kept drifting to sleep only to jump awake in surprise until she finally was able to fall asleep.


    Jeremy, who had been standing outside her door, headed to Heart¡¯s office only after making sure she hadpletely fallen asleep.


    After hearing Jeremy¡¯s synopsis, Heart felt a strange intuition that made him think of SoYoon and caused him to smile. It had been four years since she came here and yet she still had one foot in a different ce. Slowly, I will pull her out by the roots and make herpletely get rid of her foolish dreams. He would make sure that she would forever stop trying to run away.


    He felt a tingling in the emptiness between his arms. He clicked his tongue softly.

 Chapter 52

    <h4>Chapter 52</h4>


    ¡°The fourth hint is...¡±


    Heart repeated a fairly long address to Alice. It was the location of the ce where Alice had healed Shirley Howard.


    She had not slept well after the trauma Twins had put her through, and the words he said went in one ear and out the other. Heart looked at her with a smile nted on his face and quietly observed her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look well, GaHyun.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh...My parents came out in my dreamsst night...¡±


    ¡°A sad dream? Or a happy dream? Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t heard anything about your life at Outhouse. I¡¯m curious about how you lived; could I ask you about that?¡±


    ¡°It was quite ordinary. There isn¡¯t anything to tell you...Um, it¡¯s pretty cold out today. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to go inside now?¡±


    The two of them had been sitting on the patio in the garden, but as Alice pointed out, the wind was cold. Heart got up and escorted Alice inside.


    If they had gone straight up to the third floor, this boring day would havee to an end. But as they approached the second floor, he felt a presence. He turned his head as if prompted by an irresistible force.


    On the first floor, SoYoon stepped in through the front door. She raised her head and stood frozen in ce. Heart mouthed to her, ¡°To the office.¡± She watched the two people head to the third floor, and she quietly went up to the second.


    Even though it was daytime, the dark office looked deste. She turned on the light and sat on the sofa. SoYoon pulled out the letter that Baby had given her and ced it down next to her. The reason Baby had sent a letter when a phone call would have sufficed was that there was intel that the rtionship between Heart and herself was something serious.


    No, it wasn¡¯t even worthy of calling it intel. However erratic it was, she had visited Heart¡¯s house once every couple of days, but having seen itpletely stop all of a sudden would have looked strange to anyone. It was obvious that there were rumors that Heart and White Rabbit¡¯s rtionship was bing strained. There was also the chance that White Rabbit was now teaming up with Mad Hatter.


    She thought about Mad Hatter, who was now frequenting her house every chance he got. She felt a headacheing on. Her head did throb a bit, probably because she hadn¡¯t been able to sleep aftering back from Outhousetest night.


    Truthfully, she hadn¡¯t been getting much sleep these days. She looked down at the sofa she had so often used as a bed.


    She felt a presence behind the door, and Heart soon stepped inside. Unlike his usual self, he sat on the sofa opposite hers with an expressionless face. The always warm office now felt cold.


    ¡°What business did youe here for?¡±


    His feelings were mixed up so muddily that he spoke in a voice that couldn¡¯t be read. SoYoon lifted up the letter.


    ¡°I came to deliver a letter from Baby.¡±


    ¡°I guess even he has times he butts in for something useless.¡±


    Heart¡¯s lips curled slightly upward. He reached out, and SoYoon handed the letter to him. With the thin piece of paper between them, their fingers touched for a moment before they removed them from each other.


    Upon receiving it, Heart twirled it between his fingers then tore it open to check the content. There was one piece of small paper inside. She thought that maybe this was one of Baby¡¯s jokes, but Heart asked her a question with a serious face.


    ¡°Have you ever told anyone that Baby is an informant?¡±


    ¡°No. Why?¡±


    ¡°A person that shouldn¡¯t have known came to see Baby and asked if he was an informant.¡±


    ¡°There are people that figured out that I have an informant, but they shouldn¡¯t know that it is Baby.¡±


    Heart thought for a moment and then folded the memo in half and stuck it in his pocket. When she nced over at it, his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with your state?¡±


    ¡°What about my state?¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s gaze fell as she stood up. If she stayed here any longer, she felt like she would freeze to death. When she walked two steps, Heart called her.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    It had been a long time since she¡¯d heard that nickname. It was a name that you would give your pet, but it had a strong impact on her. SoYoon stopped and looked at him. He had his hand out and was smiling strangely.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    She stood staring down at his hand. The thought hit her that she shouldn¡¯t take it.


    Heart¡¯s fingers beckoned. His heat seemed to be sucking her in toward him. If I grab that, I will be so warm.


    Heart spoke. ¡°If you don¡¯t take it now, you won¡¯t ever be able to take it again.¡±


    Only three steps separated them. Without her knowing, she had taken a step forward. On the second step, she came back to her senses and stopped. When Heart saw her freeze, his smile vanished.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    He called her again. Her feet flinched but remained rooted. Heart reached out his hand, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in, hard. He flung off the mask from her face and ground his teeth as he said, ¡°Even I think I¡¯m a fool.¡±


    His hot lips locked with hers. He forced her mouth open and pushed his tongue through, then sucked hard on her tongue.


    When his tongue rubbed against the roof of her mouth, she moaned softly. She jumped at her reaction and swallowed her breath when she heard Heart¡¯s voice. When she opened her eyes, she saw him kissing her passionately.


    When she closed her eyes again, his vetiver scent hit her, and her breath stopped. Noticing that she couldn¡¯t follow his breath, he removed his lips and licked her wet lips as he mumbled.


    ¡°I was trying to maintain my manners and got you stolen away from me...And here I am doing this now.¡±


    Heart removed her sword and tossed it aside as he pulled her into a tight hug. His warm embrace wrapped around her and melted her previously cold body. Heart swept back SoYoon¡¯s hair and touched the bottom of her eyes gently.


    ¡°Tell me that you had a hard time because of me.¡±


    She blinked. His hands touched her eyes.


    ¡°Tell me that you can¡¯t live without me.¡±


    She took in a deep breath. With that breath, she felt him.


    ¡°The day I first met you, I should have cut every vein from your arms and legs.¡±


    Like a true slum native, Heart spoke crass words as he sat her on his knees. Then he ced his hands over her eyes and pressed down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look. It makes it hard to control myself.¡±


    SoYoon closed her eyes. Heart removed his hands and stared at her face. She didn¡¯t look well, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked as if she hadn¡¯t slept for days.


    He always had acted as if he didn¡¯t care about anywhere else, but in these circumstances was where you could see his true character. He sighed as he ced her head on his shoulder. She heard him sigh loudly as she stayed still as if asleep. Heart twirled her hair and swept through it with his fingers as her cheeks glowed a soft pink. He could feel her body temperature rising.


    She definitely wouldn¡¯t know how she looked at him when they touched. The line from her ears to her chin would start to rx, and her dry eyes would get a bit moist, and her lips would move with emotion. And he could see the emptiness inside her filling up slowly. She would never know how that made him feel.


    ¡°This is thest time I am letting you sleep peacefully.¡±


    He mumbled with a sigh.

 Chapter 53: Sudden Change

    <h4>Chapter 53: Sudden Change</h4>


    The cool spring morning air swept across SoYoon¡¯s face. As she woke from her deep sleep, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the sun rising through unfamiliar buildings. Searching through herst memories, she bolted up, surprised, and checked her smartphone. An hour had passed beyond the patch¡¯s expiration time. Her face stiffened like a statue.


    ***


    One night, SoYoon went out to Outhouse to fulfill a request from a client. Having done simr tasks for this particr client, Firebug, before, she didn¡¯t think much of it. As she got closer to the appointed location, however, she started to suspect something was wrong.


    First, Firebug liked houses, not abandoned warehouses. Second, he acted alone, so there was no reason she should be registering the presence of so many people. She pulled out her sword.


    As expected, someone other than Firebug was at the appointed location. It was a man dressed in an expensive cream-colored suit and a striped necktie. If they had been in the heart of the city in Outhouse, he would have attracted a lot of attention with his good looks. He was smiling as he greeted her.


    ¡°Wee, Undertaker. It¡¯s been a long time, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Cheshire.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to your unexpected interferencest time, I have suffered great losses. It has also be very difficult to make any contact with Alice Liddell. And isn¡¯t that thanks to your getting in the way?¡±


    What he was trying to get at was that since Heart was protecting Alice, he was going to take out his frustrations on SoYoon instead. The moment she arrived at this ce, she anticipated his motive, and she gripped her sword tightly and lowered her body. Cheshire smiled at her reaction and tapped his head.


    ¡°A person must use his head. Do I look so dense that I would use the same method that failed mest time? I¡¯m not that naive.¡±


    The smile from his face disappeared in a heartbeat as he stepped back. His men surrounding her stepped forward, each holding a magic storage box.


    Unlike a magic trap that activated when a specific action triggered it, magic storage units released their specified power when the user unleashed it.


    SoYoon ran at them. At almost the same time, she heard the small sound the magic storage units made in conjunction with the cold air that ruffled her hair. It was the usual sort of phenomenon of a wind-type spell.


    The type of wind magic used in this situation would be obvious. She crouched down and propelled herself upward. At the same time, lines of strong winds encapsted the space she had been in seconds ago.


    She had moved a bitte and so got a long cut on her leg, but the moment shended, she bounced off the floor and ran at Cheshire¡¯s men. The winds from the storage unit continued to attack her, but they were able to aim in only one direction. Thinking of them as invisible knives, she was able to avoid most of them with the right timing.


    There were five storage units. She charged at the man closest to her and brought him down. She sliced him from his shoulder to the hand that held the magic storage unit.


    She heard the wind slicing through the air from the ce next to her. She threw the corpse in that direction and crouched down just in time to avoid it. The man calmly aimed in her direction, but he was toote. The knife sliced through his legs, and as he fell, it finished him.


    After getting rid of the second magic storage unit, SoYoon went after the third. Only a few steps away from the man, she heard the sound of quarrels approaching. This must have been why the third man had been on top of the warehouse.


    SoYoon pulled out the knife she had strapped to her thigh and swung it at him. At the same time, she heard the sound of the magic storage unit activating. She blocked the oing quarrel with the knife and crouched to avoid the vicious wind that tried to take off her head.


    The third wave of the spell must have been trying to hit her legs because it came at her low. She jumped into the sky to avoid it and brought down her sword as shended. The man, whose head she had cracked in half, fell over as the magic storage unit spun in the air. With the knife she had in her left hand, she stabbed the box then aimed it toward the top of the warehouse. The man¡¯s scream dissipated into the distance.


    Within moments, she had destroyed three of the magic storage units. As the two men who were left hesitated, SoYoon ran at them. They shot quarrels as ast attempt, but they were toote, and theynded in the ground. They both attempted to use the magic storage unit another time, but SoYoon was faster. She swung her sword and cut down not only the man in front of her but the box that he was holding, and she flung them over the warehouse.


    With the crossbow now destroyed also, she turned to the man with thest magic storage unit. Looking like he had only just recently turned 20, his young face filled with fear.


    ¡°Get¡ªget away¡­¡±


    Those were hisst words. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she sliced him in two then turned to look at Cheshire. Stonefaced, he beckoned to his men holding weapons, and they ran toward her.


    The man in front swung his ax at her, and her sword blocked it. At that same moment, another magic storage unit whirred into action. She heard the hiss of wind escaping. She pushed away from the man with the ax and stepped back. An artificial smell hit her senses.


    As the storage unit activated, the men around her started to fall. Her vision was starting to blur also.


    She became flustered. She had been exposed to so many chemicals at the research facility that her tolerance for them was extremely high. Besides, she was wearing a mask, so her susceptibility to such a tactic should have been highly unlikely. She had experienced something simr to this before she came into Wondend, but such drugs had not affected her like this until now. Cheshire bared his teeth and smiled.


    ¡°Even you can¡¯t defend yourself after being exposed to this. This is a sedative gas I ordered from Duke. I told him it was meant to be used on you, so he mixed an especially powerful dose.¡±


    The gas was absorbed quickly through her wounds, and the world in front of her spun. She used the back of her sword as a crutch to remain standing. But the strength in her arms weakened, and she eventually fell to her knees. Cheshire¡¯s voice sounded far away.


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you here, so don¡¯t worry. I made a bet with Duke. I bet that you would die, and Duke bet you wouldn¡¯t. If Duke won, I would have to hand you over to him¡­but for now, I will have to take out some of my anger.¡±


    The sound of footsteps got louder. SoYoon gripped her sword. She was fading in and out of consciousness, so her instincts werepromised.


    Five meters¡ªno, six meters: she calmly tried to calcte the distance. Then it became three meters, two meters. Finally, they were within attacking range. The moment she saw Cheshire¡¯s feet, SoYoon stood up from her crouching position and swung her sword.


    sh! The amount of damage she caused could be felt through her hand. It was shallow. She opened her heavy eyelids. Cheshire was bleeding from a long cut that ran from his shoulder to his side. He screamed.


    ¡°Catch her! No, kill her!¡± Cheshire ordered. She saw the onught of mening her way, and she tried desperately to support the heavy sword that kept drooping to her side.


    A man from behind swung a knife at her. She spun around and cut through him. Even as Cheshire¡¯s men saw what happened to theirrade, they smiled. Her movements had considerably slowed.


    The biggest man within the group stepped up. As if to entuate his strength, he held a heavy mace. The thick spikes gleamed in the moonlight.


    Swish! The mace cut through the air with a menacing sound. SoYoon moved backward to avoid the attack, which was trying to smash in her head. Trying to block that with her sword might cause it to break.


    Her first step was to avoid the oing mace, and on her second step, she swung her sword. She aimed for his back. She stabbed the approaching man with her knife.


    The moment SoYoon¡¯s knife pierced his lungs, the man with the mace ran toward her. The knife was still in her enemy¡¯s back. He was too close to remove the knife and use it again.


    She pivoted one step forward, crouched to avoid the mace, then with her other leg kicked his knees. With the crack of shattering bone, the man¡¯s knees broke. As he screamed in pain, SoYoon removed her sword and brought it down on the arm that was holding the mace.


    The sword was inches away from the man¡¯s wrist when another knife came flying toward her heart. She had realized this a littlete due to her slowed reflexes, but she was able to maneuver out of the way just as the de sliced through the man¡¯s wrist.


    The thick hand holding the mace went flying. At the same time, the knife swept past SoYoon¡¯s shoulder. She felt a searing pain.


    The pain allowed her to regain her senses and quickly change the direction of her attack. With the bloody sword, she swung once at the man in front of her, then she swung at the fallen man, who had lost his wrist. After she took the lives of the two men, SoYoon observed the hoard of Cheshire¡¯s men running toward her.

 Chapter 54

    <h4>Chapter 54</h4>


    There was no way that they would let her go when she was this weakened. The pain that had given her an adrenaline rush would soon pass, and she would surely fall unconscious soon, so running wasn¡¯t an option. The best way was simply to get rid of all of them as fast as possible.


    She flew at the men andnded among her enemies. The old cross bag she was wearing drooped heavily below her as she flew into the air. The brown eyes beyond the white hair glimmered with menace.


    The first to fall was the man who swung an ax at her. Surprised by her sudden movement, he stood in a defenseless position, which made him an easy target for her to plunge her knife into his stomach. A knife stabbed nothing but the air in which SoYoon had been standing. Having achieved nothing, he ended up charging at his fallenrade.


    SoYoon attacked the man who stood horrified by what he had done. Several weapons all charged at once and pushed down against her. Crouched, she was able to use her strength to hold them all back and eventually fling away the cage of weapons around her. Those holding the iling intertwined weapons soon lost their lives.


    She wondered for how long she had been fighting. At one point, her vision blurred. She felt pain in her side, and she instinctively swung her sword. When she stepped back and looked down, she saw a sharp-thorned knuckle lodged inside her.


    This is not good, she thought. If she wasn¡¯t able to register that a close-range weapon like a knuckle had hit her, it meant that her acute alertness was fading fast. She bit her lip as she continued to fight the never-ending stream of enemies. Even the knuckle lodged in her side didn¡¯t send a wave of adrenaline to kick her senses back.


    A sword and hand ax came at her from either side. She was able to defend against the hand axing from the right pretty easily, but to block the sword from the left at the same time was too much for her. The sword bounced off her knife but swung back around. When she turned to concentrate toward it, the hand ax came at her again from the right.


    The hand ax aimed for her arm; the sword aimed for her heart. It was obvious which one was a more imminent threat. She turned to face the man with the knife as she kicked out at the man with the hand ax. At least it would force them to change their direction of attack.


    The moment SoYoon attacked, the enemy charged her also. The heaviness of the specific weapon caused pain to shoot up her back. Luckily, it only grazed her, so it didn¡¯t hinder her movement. She flipped her knife backward and stabbed the enemy with a backward swinging motion. It prated his liver, and he fell.


    SoYoon tossed the heavy corpse off her body and looked at her surroundings. Even Cheshire would have a limit to how many men he was willing to risk for this cause. There were not many left now.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to keep going, right?¡± she asked him.


    To hide her trembling hands, she stabilized them by gripping tightly onto her sword. Cheshire¡¯s men looked at each other. When she stepped forward, they slowly started to retreat, then turned their backs to her and ran.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Was it finally over? she wondered. She sighed in relief, then looked at Cheshire. After getting patched up, he was sitting when their eyes met, and he flinched.


    His good-looking face flushed gray. He was preparing himself for the possibility that he might meet his end. But he was Cheshire. He could not die yet. SoYoon ignored him and forced herself to walk.


    Away from the ce full of abandoned warehouses, she finally came out to the streets lined with buildings. SoYoon dragged her drug-induced body between the buildings to hide. The sleep she had resisted was taking over.


    She took out medication and bandages and haphazardly treated the biggest wounds before she practically fainted into a deep sleep.


    ***


    The sun hade up. Upon waking up, she realized that it was past the patch¡¯s expiration time. She hurriedly searched her cross bag and swapped out the patch for a new one, then immediately left the ce.


    The stark white space, the medicinal smell in the air, the cold experimenting table, the gaze of those looking at her like an object of study¡ªif she was to think about them now, she wondered how she had dealt with them all.


    It was unlikely that they would be monitoring her signal still. Reassuring herself of this, she hurriedly walked toward Wondend. She didn¡¯t notice any of the surprised looks she was getting from the passersby.


    It was then that she heard the familiar sound of her phone ringing. The moment she answered it, she heard Heart¡¯s voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. Where are you now?¡±


    ¡°Outhouse. I¡¯m heading over to Wondend now.¡±


    ¡°Your voice doesn¡¯t sound good. Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious. But the request I got was a trap. Cheshire¡¯s.¡±


    At her answer, there was silence. Heart asked how long it would take to return home. She checked the time and replied, ¡°About an hour.¡±


    ***


    When she arrived at Heart¡¯s house, he escorted her to his office as usual. He gasped as he saw SoYoon.


    ¡°You said you weren¡¯t badly hurt!¡±


    She checked her appearance. She had bandages around her arms and legs, her clothes were ripped in several ces, and they were stained with dried blood. He unwrapped a couple of the bandages and clicked his tongue. Hemanded his men to bring Alice right away.


    ¡°Tell her White Rabbit is badly hurt.¡±


    Alice came down quickly and healed SoYoon. Experiencing her powers for the first time, SoYoon found that not only were her outer wounds healed but the treatment seemed to replenish her blood. It was a power that the researchers would go crazy for.


    ¡°Thanks, Alice.¡±


    ¡°Between us, this is nothing...¡±


    ¡°Alice, I¡¯m sorry, but could you excuse us for a moment?¡± Heart asked.


    Alice wanted to talk more with White Rabbit, whom she had not seen in a while, but when she heard Heart¡¯s serious tone, she had no choice but to leave. Sulkily, she persuaded Jeremy to take her to Central and left.


    When the door closed, it became silent. Heart got up from his seat and approached her. He sat next to her as he had done previously, and SoYoon couldn¡¯t help but drop her gaze to try to hide her nervousness.


    He ced his finger over her ear and took off her mask. The piece of fabric that swept past her cheeks and lips felt rougher than usual. He continued to rub her ears as he asked.


    ¡°It was a trap?¡±


    As she exined what had happened that night, he moved his fingers over her cheeks. When she moved his hand away, he intertwined his fingers in hers.


    ¡°So you ended up like this because of Cheshire? Then what happened to him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember killing him, so he¡¯s probably alive.¡±


    His warm hands transferred heat to hers. His other hand ventured under her ripped clothes and touched her skin. It was where she had gotten wounded.


    ¡°You left and didn¡¯te back, and I had thought that you would be fine, but youe back to me in this state. When will I ever get to rx my worry about you? Hm? Tell me, Whitey. Or¡ªDo you like putting me on edge?¡±


    She jumped and looked at him as he whispered this into her ear. They made eye contact through her messy bangs, and Heart¡¯s lips curved into a smile.


    ¡°With your personality, I doubt that is what you intended.¡±


    Heart lifted her and seated her on hisp. Their chests were up against each other, and her legs wrapped around his waist.


    He raised his hand and swept back her hair. In that moment, her heart beat fast. Both of them felt it. SoYoon closed her mouth shut, and Heart smiled.


    ¡°Are you nervous? I¡¯ve done worse than this. Or did you perhaps hear what I saidst time?¡±


    ¡°...What did you sayst time?¡±


    His calloused hands, which reflected his life, pushed her hair back behind her ears.


    ¡°What was it?¡± she asked again, resisting her urge to moan in satisfaction.


    Last time¡ªit was when Heart had kissed her. As if reading her mind, Heart kissed her lightly.


    ¡°I said this was thest time I would let you sleep peacefully,¡± his lips repeated right next to hers. Just with those words, electricity and heat seemed to spread through her.


    His hot tongue pushed its way between her lips. He tickled the inside of her mouth, and he pressed on her cheeks so that her mouth opened wider. His eyes still stared at her as if he could swallow her whole. Lost in his eyes, SoYoon received his kiss without moving.


    The sword on her back and each piece of clothing one by one started to fall away. SoYoon grabbed Heart¡¯s shoulder as she felt the air on her bare skin. As she did, he stopped his passionate kissing to tell her, ¡°Just don¡¯t think of anything.¡±


    She thought that he would add that she had too many useless things she worried about. The reason she couldn¡¯t fully form the conclusion was that he went back to kissing her, and he wiped all thoughts out of her mind.

 Chapter 55

    <h4>Chapter 55</h4>


    Heart licked at her lips and bit lightly on her neck and sucked on it. Every time he did this, she couldn¡¯t stop her body from flinching and so, buried her face in his hair. His hair touched her cheek, and she was hit with his vetiver scent. Both sensations were cool, but her cheeks grew hotter.


    Soon his lips had passed down her neck toward her chest. As the sensation she felt grew stronger, she wrapped her arms around Heart¡¯s neck to block his lips from touching her any further.


    She didn¡¯t realize how silly she would have looked clinging to him like this, and Heart chuckled. At the soft sound ofughter, she rxed. His hot breath tickled her skin. Everything aroused her senses.


    ¡°Do you think that can stop me?¡±


    With a voice mixed withughter, he wrapped his hands around her waist. His hands were much hotter than the rest of her body. One hand slid up and down her back while the other grabbed tightly around her waist. He raised her knees as his other hand slid down her side and swept toward her inner thigh.


    ¡°Wait, where do you...?¡±


    As SoYoon jumped, Heart hurriedly blocked her mouth with a kiss.


    He took the moment of surprise as a chance, and his finger slowly started to move. She moaned. He heard her be more and more breathless, and heughed ecstatically. SoYoon heard him through their locked lips and red at him. He removed his lips from hers, then licked her wet mouth andughed again.


    ¡°What¡ªwhat is¡ªwhy are youughing...Stop it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡±


    ¡°What, I would never...ah...!¡±


    SoYoon gasped at the sensation and pressed her head into his shoulder. But the pressure did not disappear. She lifted her head and clung to him. Soon, her body jumped as if she had been electrocuted.


    ¡°Oh, is it here?¡± Heart asked in a joyous tone.


    The heat that emanated down to her toes made her anxious, but Heart acted so calm about everything that it slightly annoyed her. She again pressed her forehead hard into his shoulder. But she must have said her thoughts out loud. He muttered in disbelief.


    ¡°Calm? Me?¡±


    He removed his hands from her waist and swept away her hair from her face. When he removed the sweat-soaked hair from her face, he could see her reddened face.


    He licked her lips then grabbed her wrist and pulled it downward.


    ¡°Even with this?¡±


    She felt something with her hands that was hotter than her body, which felt like it was on fire, something even hotter than the finger that was ying inside her. SoYoon didn¡¯t have the guts to look down, and she bit her lip. He kissed those lips lightly and looked at her with squinting eyes.


    ¡°Hm? Even with this?¡±


    Instead of answering, SoYoon removed her hands from his and again buried her face into his shoulder. Knowing that she had aroused him, and yet that he was holding back, made her feel even weirder.


    Is this what this should feel like? No, I think I remember that it had been like this. She remembered something from her past life a long time ago. It was not a simple act but the act of making love. Back then, it had been her first time, and when she had cried, that man that she couldn¡¯t even remember now had been taken aback.


    ¡°Then what is this?¡± he whispered in SoYoon¡¯s ear. ¡°Look at me.¡±


    He removed his fingers.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it.¡±


    He said those words then lifted her. Due to the action, her face fell away from his shoulders and came face-to-face with Heart¡¯s lust-filled eyes.


    His face got progressively closer, and something else pushed its way through into the ce where his finger had been. Heart moaned. His pupils were zed over as if he had lost his mind.


    SoYoon, too, became lost in the moment, and her senses were swallowed up by him.


    ***


    Was it raining? As she woke from a deep sleep, the first of SoYoon¡¯s senses to stir was smell, which made her assume this. Her senses of hearing and sight came alive afterward.


    Her surroundings were quiet and dark. As her sense of touch awoke, she realized that a smooth-skinned, strongly built body was wrapped around her. It was a familiar warmth, and so she opened her eyes.


    What she had assumed was the smell of rain was the dewy, woodsy scent of vetiver. This ce, which was filled with his scent, was the room she had visited the most in his house other than his office.


    Because she could still not see the sunlight filtering through the thick curtains, she figured that the sun had not set yet.


    When he felt SoYoon¡¯s slight movements, Heart woke up and chuckled softly. It was a noise simr to the euphoric sounds ofst night.


    He pulled SoYoon in close and inhaled deeply. She was unable to decipher whether the sound he made was human or animal, but he growled happily. SoYoon wondered where to put her hands then decided to rest them on his hand. Electricity shot through her hands, but she ignored it and pushed him away.


    ¡°Move.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    They had reached a point where Heart would no longer move just because she told him to. He pressed up against her with his whole body. Like a still hungry predator, he stared down at the only prey in front of him.


    Her lips were blocked off, and so was her resistance. She couldn¡¯t think to stop him. Her breath was swept away as Heart told SoYoon, ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    The space between them was a mere centimeter. Simply turning her head would have closed that gap.


    He didn¡¯t budge and lifted her chin. Her wet lips soon locked with his, and the electricity she had felt in her hand previously spread from her lips to the rest of her body. She knew what this feeling entailed.


    Intertwined and breathing hard, their bodies embraced as they melted into each other. Heart pressed her deep into quicksand, using all sorts of methods. Quicksand: that¡¯s what it felt like to SoYoon. If she made one wrong step, there would be no way out. It was a heavy and unyielding feeling.


    ¡°Concentrate,¡± Heart growled as he pushed her down into the bottom of this quicksand. No, they were both drowning in it.


    Only after the day had ended did Heart let her go with a content expression. He responded, ¡°Go ahead,¡± to her statement that she would like to wash up and pointed to the bathroom.


    When she got off the bed, SoYoon could understand why his eyes glimmered in that victorious way. All strength drained from her legs, and she flopped onto the floor. Heartughed as he saw this.


    ¡°I know how much stamina you have, but this is something different, isn¡¯t it? Oh, yes. If you don¡¯t get up quickly, you will leave a mark on the carpet.


    ¡°Not that I care,¡± he added as he watched her get up and lean against the edge of the bed. Luckily she didn¡¯t leave a mark, but the liquid that trickled down her thigh did not feel that great.


    ¡°Should I help you?¡± Heart asked as he swept across her back with his finger.


    She pushed his finger away, and heughed heartily. He pulled out the dirty sheets and wrapped her body with them. He then lifted her like a child and headed to the bathroom.


    Unlike the office bathroom, which had only a shower, the bathroom attached to the bedroom had a huge bathtub in it. He turned on the water and filled the tub. Still carrying SoYoon, he went to the other side into the shower. He ced SoYoon down next to it and made her lean on him as he removed the sheets.


    Warm water came down from the showerhead. When he put body cleanser on a shower ball and created suds, the entire bathroom filled with the scent of vetiver. She reached out for the shower ball, but Heart moved it far from her reach.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stay still, it will only prolong the time to wash up...If that¡¯s all right, should we keep going?¡± Heart said, smiling with his eyes. She put her hand down, knowing what the extension in time would entail.


    He washed SoYoon and himself, then lifted her and headed to the tub. He didn¡¯t pay attention to her insistence that there was no need since she had already showered.


    When her body sank into the warm bath, she felt rxed and drowsy.


    ¡°You can sleep,¡± Heart whispered from behind her back as he poked at the area around her patch.


    She woke up, realizing she had nodded off to sleep. When she got up, Heart grabbed her arm and returned her to her previous position. He kissed her head and got up from the tub.


    Drowsily, she said without much thought, ¡°You look ustomed to this.¡±


    ¡°This is only my second time. Should I take it as apliment?¡±


    ¡°Second time?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think washed and dressed you, then brought you into this roomst time?¡±


    Heart¡¯s hand slid down her cheeks, then down to her neck, shoulders, and arms. Every ce he touched felt hot and tickled and tingled throughout her body. He stopped momentarily at her elbow, sighed as if disappointed, then hugged her waist.


    When the two of them came out of the bathroom, the sheets and nkets on the bed were changed. There were no women workers at Heart¡¯s house. She wondered if it was a good or bad thing to realize that she still had some humanity left in her to be embarrassed by this kind of thing.


    He wrapped SoYoon tightly in a shower gown and dried her hair. On the other hand, he dried himself off hastily andy down on the bed. Seeing the water dripping onto the sheets, SoYoon grabbed the towel from his hand and roughly dried his hair.


    ¡°It hurts, Whitey.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Heartughed from under the towel.


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± she asked, pressing hard on his head. He flung the towel away from her, hugged her waist, and fell onto the bed.


    ¡°I told you before. You are acting too cute.¡±


    ¡°...Are you a fool?¡±


    SoYoon turned away from him. As she did, Heart wrapped her in the nket and clung tightly to her back. His arms wrapped gently around her body and squeezed warmly.


    It had been morefortable when he treated her like a toy because she could enjoy the warmth without feeling any sense of obligation.


    ¡°It might be toote now,¡± someone inside her whispered.

 Chapter 56

    <h4>Chapter 56</h4>


    The next morning, SoYoon was looking for some clothes when she found a man-to-man sweater that was ripped in half. She thought it strange that this piece of clothing hade off so easily. Either way, the sleeves were a mess and crusted with so much dried blood that it was probably better to throw it away. Instead, she wore a thick hoodie tee with a zip-up jumper and cargo pants that Heart brought her.


    Her boyish attire made it unlikely for anyone to imagine what had happenedst night. Heart swept away the hair that had stuck to the back of her neck. As he did, he saw clearly on her neck the imprint of his lips.


    He kissed the area lightly, and SoYoon flinched. Heughed quietly and inhaled deeply. Even the scent of the same body cleanser smelled different depending on the person. If his scent was that of a rainy midday inside a forest, hers was a rainy morning at its mouth. If he pulled her in deeper, would they be the same?


    He rubbed his nose on her bare skin as SoYoon whined, uninterested.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    With those words, the heated moment fizzled out.


    A few momentster, a phenomenal breakfast of eggs benedict and sidesy before SoYoon, who had not eaten all day.


    She cut the egg thered in the pale yellow sauce with her knife and a waterfall of yolk flowed over it. She put the poached egg, spinach, bacon, and the t English muffin together and savored thebination of its saltiness with the tart hondaise sauce. She had been extremely hungry and ate four eggs benedict, arge cheese omelet, a shrimp cocktail sd, and a strawberry smoothie.


    For dessert, she had a waffle on which Heart ced a hearty scoop of vani ice cream. As she ate, he prepared coffee. If anyone had seen Heart listening to the requests of another person like this, they would have thought they were delusional. The two of them thought nothing of it, however.


    SoYoon put the mug to her mouth and watched Heart. There was an aura of gentleness about him today. She felt like she was swimming in a warm bath of pudding but tried to rid herself of the feeling and distracted herself with a different subject.


    ¡°What about Cheshire?¡±


    Heart lifted his head. He didn¡¯t try to hide the gleam of rage in his auburn eyes. She pretended to be unaware of it and fiddled with her mug then continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it...¡±


    ¡°He broke the code.¡±


    White Rabbit was not the only one who had to follow the protocol for requests. The client should never lie about their requests. This was one of the few nods at maintaining decency in Wondend. As Wondend¡¯s warlord, Heart had a responsibility to punish those who broke thew of thend.


    ¡°Let me handle this, Heart.¡±


    Heart put his mug on the table and crossed his legs. He put his chin over his hands and observed SoYoon in a gaze that looked almost bored, but he didn¡¯t fool her. As Wondend¡¯s Heart, he told her, ¡°I think that¡¯s exceeding authority, Whitey.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate. How is me seeking revenge exceeding authority?¡±


    SoYoon did not break contact with Heart¡¯s violence-filled eyes. He stared back at her under the pinned bangs and sighed.


    ¡°My Whitey sure doesn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    There was still something Cheshire was meant to do. He needed to obsess over Alice, kidnap her, and push her to the edge of death. SoYoon¡¯s obsession with maintaining the plot of the original story made her suddenly feel a range ofplicated emotions. Yes, she only had to proceed like the original story...


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go.¡±


    She got up after finishing her coffee. Heart got up and approached her. He leaned over and lightly kissed her on her lips and looked at her.


    ¡°Stay safe. You¡¯re probably not a hundred percent, so don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±


    His blushing eyes and soft voice dripped of seduction. Feeling she might unknowingly get dragged back into bed, she hurriedly left the bedroom.


    The moment SoYoon left Heart¡¯s house, she messaged Mad Hatter and Baby. She exined what happened to Mad Hatter and how she should go about remedying it. She asked Baby for intel about Cheshire. Then she headed home. On her way back, she got a reply from Baby. It asked her to wait a day.


    Nearing her house, she found a familiar face waiting in front of it. It was Twins, Tweedle Dee. He was muttering to himself and kicking the ss door. Then, bored, he started to pick at the old ck color sheet stuck on the door. Having walked closer, she could hear what he was mumbling.


    ¡°Blondie, why does she live in a ce like this? Sh*t. I can¡¯t even see inside.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter to you where I live?¡±


    He had been so concentrating on removing the sheet that he hadn¡¯t realized how close SoYoon hade. Only after hearing her voice did he realize who she was, and he jumped in surprise, removing his hand.


    ¡°Oh, uh. You¡¯re here.¡±


    Heughed awkwardly. There were pieces of ck under his fingernails. He clenched his fists to hide them and walked toward SoYoon.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked, not trying to hide her exasperation with him. Enraged by her tone, he turned away from her with an annoyed expression. She could see his lips stick out in a pout.


    ¡°Why are you picking at that?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, because you weren¡¯ting home...! Where were you all day! Huh? Every time Ie, your house is always empty...¡±


    ¡°Requests.¡±


    It meant there was nothing she needed to exin to him. Lost for words, Dee moved his mouth silently and scratched his head. She stared at his messed-up silklike hair and asked, ¡°Why¡¯d youe?¡±


    ¡°...Do you like that girl? Alice or whatever?¡±


    ¡°She likes me.¡± Those were three well-chosen words intended to make Twins feel ufortable. Not knowing why that was offensive to them, they fretted over it and went to see SoYoon. Even the peculiar feeling they feltst time didn¡¯t bother them.


    For them, it was good timing. SoYoon responded truthfully without much emotion upon hearing the one name she didn¡¯t necessarily want to hear at the moment.


    ¡°Not particrly.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really? Then do you hate her?¡±


    ¡°Not particrly.¡±


    At her curt response, Dee¡¯s eyes grew wide, and he started toin about her answer to his second question.


    ¡°Sh*t, what kind of answer is that...?¡±


    Thinking that this conversation was useless, she headed to her door. The wind blew the scent of vetiver into the air, and Dee got up close to her and sniffed.


    ¡°Blondie, you smell a bit...Something smells fishy.¡±


    Unlike her usual soap scent, this smell didn¡¯t arouse his hunger one bit. He frowned. He felt as if someone had swallowed the meal he had been hoping to have. SoYoon didn¡¯t care one bit about how he felt, however, and turned around to go inside her house. Dee reached out his hand as he watched the shaking door.


    Because it was old, the door was dirty, and the dried color sheet on the ss blocked his view of the inside. Dee knew what was on the other side of that door. Even so, he felt strangely nervous as he ced his hand over the door.


    The door, of course, was cold. He pushed it slightly as it opened smoothly and saw SoYoon inside. She took off her mask and sword and turned her head to face him.


    Dee brazenly walked in and plopped onto the sofa. He tried to ignore the bed he had once rolled off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any manners? Aren¡¯t you even going to offer a guest a drink? Huh?¡±


    SoYoon snorted. Manners! That wasn¡¯t a word worthy toe out of Tweedle Dee¡¯s mouth. He had decided to be brazen today, however, so he tapped the table with his toe andined.


    ¡°What kind of hospitality is this for a guest?¡±


    SoYoon ced a cup of tap water in front of him. Dee wasn¡¯t thirsty, so he just nced at it.


    ¡°Is that why you came to see me? Because of Alice?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What, yes...that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to worry. We have no rtionship.¡±


    Dee blinked, and his face slightly reddened. He swept back his hair and turned his head to hide it, but sensing the white-haired head staring at him, he yelled.


    ¡°Who¡ªwho said I care about that?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, did that girl say something weird? I should have just taken a bite out of her then.¡±


    SoYoon asked, ¡°What?¡± to his rambling.


    ¡°What do you mean, what?¡±


    He realized what he had just said and shut his mouth. For all this time, Twins had never revealed their secret. The reason was simple: it was bothersome to exin.


    Presently, the person in front of them was SoYoon. Even if she was Wondend¡¯s Undertaker and had seen all sorts of things, they didn¡¯t want her to know their secret.


    No, does she already know? They remembered all the times they had tried to rape her. Dee put his sweaty hands over his pants.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Excuses shot out of his mouth. To be exact, he had stopped himself from doing something, but either way, the result was the same. He repeated it, this time more confidently.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! F*ck, Dum took that girl all over the ce and was super nice to her! How could you...¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all...what?¡±


    ¡°All right. Good job.¡±


    Good job. That¡¯s what her lips had said. Dee and Dum¡¯s head drew a nk at these simple words.


    ¡°Yeah! Blondie, you know what¡¯s up! We do everything well!¡±


    Dee pped his lips, not knowing what he was saying. Sheughed, thinking he looked like an immature boy who was trying to show off about things he couldn¡¯t handle. At that moment, Dee, who bbed on about nothing in particr, shut his mouth.


    Her lightly closed lips curved up in a slight smile. Her mouth, which usually only spoke curtly and without emotion, smiled at him for the first time. It made him want her even more.


    He wanted to see her eyes, which had first caused their infatuation with her. He extended his arms past the table. His thick fingers reached for her full bangs.


    The fading sunlight filtered through the vertical blinds and poured down over her white hair. It reminded them of silver. It was easy to break with just a bit of strength, and when time passed, it would turn ck; however, its worth never changed.


    SoYoon blocked his hand. When her slightly colder fingers touched theirs, they heard a heavy sound.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Muttering under their breath, Twins stared at her finger. The thin, rough hands, full of cuts, reminded them of their past. But if felt like their heart and lungs were being squeezed tightly by them.


    They breathed in deeply, feeling suffocated. As if their blood had lost its mind, their face, neck, and even ears flooded with heat and burned. That was not the only thing that had lost its mind.


    I must have gone crazy, they thought. That heartless girl looks so incredibly pretty right now.

 Chapter 57

    <h4>Chapter 57</h4>


    Was it raining? As she woke from a deep sleep, the first of SoYoon¡¯s senses to stir was smell, which made her assume this. Her senses of hearing and sight came alive afterward.


    Her surroundings were quiet and dark. As her sense of touch awoke, she realized that a smooth-skinned, strongly built body was wrapped around her. It was a familiar warmth, and so she opened her eyes.


    What she had assumed was the smell of rain was the dewy, woodsy scent of vetiver. This ce, which was filled with his scent, was the room she had visited the most in his house other than his office.


    Because she could still not see the sunlight filtering through the thick curtains, she figured that the sun had not set yet.


    When he felt SoYoon¡¯s slight movements, Heart woke up and chuckled softly. It was a noise simr to the euphoric sounds ofst night.


    He pulled SoYoon in close and inhaled deeply. She was unable to decipher whether the sound he made was human or animal, but he growled happily. SoYoon wondered where to put her hands then decided to rest them on his hand. Electricity shot through her hands, but she ignored it and pushed him away.


    ¡°Move.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    They had reached a point where Heart would no longer move just because she told him to. He pressed up against her with his whole body. Like a still hungry predator, he stared down at the only prey in front of him.


    Her lips were blocked off, and so was her resistance. She couldn¡¯t think to stop him. Her breath was swept away as Heart told SoYoon, ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    The space between them was a mere centimeter. Simply turning her head would have closed that gap.


    He didn¡¯t budge and lifted her chin. Her wet lips soon locked with his, and the electricity she had felt in her hand previously spread from her lips to the rest of her body. She knew what this feeling entailed.


    Intertwined and breathing hard, their bodies embraced as they melted into each other. Heart pressed her deep into quicksand, using all sorts of methods. Quicksand: that¡¯s what it felt like to SoYoon. If she made one wrong step, there would be no way out. It was a heavy and unyielding feeling.


    ¡°Concentrate,¡± Heart growled as he pushed her down into the bottom of this quicksand. No, they were both drowning in it.


    Only after the day had ended did Heart let her go with a content expression. He responded, ¡°Go ahead,¡± to her statement that she would like to wash up and pointed to the bathroom.


    When she got off the bed, SoYoon could understand why his eyes glimmered in that victorious way. All strength drained from her legs, and she flopped onto the floor. Heartughed as he saw this.


    ¡°I know how much stamina you have, but this is something different, isn¡¯t it? Oh, yes. If you don¡¯t get up quickly, you will leave a mark on the carpet.


    ¡°Not that I care,¡± he added as he watched her get up and lean against the edge of the bed. Luckily she didn¡¯t leave a mark, but the liquid that trickled down her thigh did not feel that great.


    ¡°Should I help you?¡± Heart asked as he swept across her back with his finger.


    She pushed his finger away, and heughed heartily. He pulled out the dirty sheets and wrapped her body with them. He then lifted her like a child and headed to the bathroom.


    Unlike the office bathroom, which had only a shower, the bathroom attached to the bedroom had a huge bathtub in it. He turned on the water and filled the tub. Still carrying SoYoon, he went to the other side into the shower. He ced SoYoon down next to it and made her lean on him as he removed the sheets.


    Warm water came down from the showerhead. When he put body cleanser on a shower ball and created suds, the entire bathroom filled with the scent of vetiver. She reached out for the shower ball, but Heart moved it far from her reach.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stay still, it will only prolong the time to wash up...If that¡¯s all right, should we keep going?¡± Heart said, smiling with his eyes. She put her hand down, knowing what the extension in time would entail.


    He washed SoYoon and himself, then lifted her and headed to the tub. He didn¡¯t pay attention to her insistence that there was no need since she had already showered.


    When her body sank into the warm bath, she felt rxed and drowsy.


    ¡°You can sleep,¡± Heart whispered from behind her back as he poked at the area around her patch.


    She woke up, realizing she had nodded off to sleep. When she got up, Heart grabbed her arm and returned her to her previous position. He kissed her head and got up from the tub.


    Drowsily, she said without much thought, ¡°You look ustomed to this.¡±


    ¡°This is only my second time. Should I take it as apliment?¡±


    ¡°Second time?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think washed and dressed you, then brought you into this roomst time?¡±


    Heart¡¯s hand slid down her cheeks, then down to her neck, shoulders, and arms. Every ce he touched felt hot and tickled and tingled throughout her body. He stopped momentarily at her elbow, sighed as if disappointed, then hugged her waist.


    When the two of them came out of the bathroom, the sheets and nkets on the bed were changed. There were no women workers at Heart¡¯s house. She wondered if it was a good or bad thing to realize that she still had some humanity left in her to be embarrassed by this kind of thing.


    He wrapped SoYoon tightly in a shower gown and dried her hair. On the other hand, he dried himself off hastily andy down on the bed. Seeing the water dripping onto the sheets, SoYoon grabbed the towel from his hand and roughly dried his hair.


    ¡°It hurts, Whitey.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Heartughed from under the towel.


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± she asked, pressing hard on his head. He flung the towel away from her, hugged her waist, and fell onto the bed.


    ¡°I told you before. You are acting too cute.¡±


    ¡°...Are you a fool?¡±


    SoYoon turned away from him. As she did, Heart wrapped her in the nket and clung tightly to her back. His arms wrapped gently around her body and squeezed warmly.


    It had been morefortable when he treated her like a toy because she could enjoy the warmth without feeling any sense of obligation.


    ¡°It might be toote now,¡± someone inside her whispered.


    ***


    The next morning, SoYoon was looking for some clothes when she found a man-to-man sweater that was ripped in half. She thought it strange that this piece of clothing hade off so easily. Either way, the sleeves were a mess and crusted with so much dried blood that it was probably better to throw it away. Instead, she wore a thick hoodie tee with a zip-up jumper and cargo pants that Heart brought her.


    Her boyish attire made it unlikely for anyone to imagine what had happenedst night. Heart swept away the hair that had stuck to the back of her neck. As he did, he saw clearly on her neck the imprint of his lips.


    He kissed the area lightly, and SoYoon flinched. Heughed quietly and inhaled deeply. Even the scent of the same body cleanser smelled different depending on the person. If his scent was that of a rainy midday inside a forest, hers was a rainy morning at its mouth. If he pulled her in deeper, would they be the same?


    He rubbed his nose on her bare skin as SoYoon whined, uninterested.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    With those words, the heated moment fizzled out.


    A few momentster, a phenomenal breakfast of eggs benedict and sidesy before SoYoon, who had not eaten all day.


    She cut the egg thered in the pale yellow sauce with her knife and a waterfall of yolk flowed over it. She put the poached egg, spinach, bacon, and the t English muffin together and savored thebination of its saltiness with the tart hondaise sauce. She had been extremely hungry and ate four eggs benedict, arge cheese omelet, a shrimp cocktail sd, and a strawberry smoothie.


    For dessert, she had a waffle on which Heart ced a hearty scoop of vani ice cream. As she ate, he prepared coffee. If anyone had seen Heart listening to the requests of another person like this, they would have thought they were delusional. The two of them thought nothing of it, however.


    SoYoon put the mug to her mouth and watched Heart. There was an aura of gentleness about him today. She felt like she was swimming in a warm bath of pudding but tried to rid herself of the feeling and distracted herself with a different subject.


    ¡°What about Cheshire?¡±


    Heart lifted his head. He didn¡¯t try to hide the gleam of rage in his auburn eyes. She pretended to be unaware of it and fiddled with her mug then continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it...¡±


    ¡°He broke the code.¡±


    White Rabbit was not the only one who had to follow the protocol for requests. The client should never lie about their requests. This was one of the few nods at maintaining decency in Wondend. As Wondend¡¯s warlord, Heart had a responsibility to punish those who broke thew of thend.


    ¡°Let me handle this, Heart.¡±


    Heart put his mug on the table and crossed his legs. He put his chin over his hands and observed SoYoon in a gaze that looked almost bored, but he didn¡¯t fool her. As Wondend¡¯s Heart, he told her, ¡°I think that¡¯s exceeding authority, Whitey.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate. How is me seeking revenge exceeding authority?¡±


    SoYoon did not break contact with Heart¡¯s violence-filled eyes. He stared back at her under the pinned bangs and sighed.


    ¡°My Whitey sure doesn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    There was still something Cheshire was meant to do. He needed to obsess over Alice, kidnap her, and push her to the edge of death. SoYoon¡¯s obsession with maintaining the plot of the original story made her suddenly feel a range ofplicated emotions. Yes, she only had to proceed like the original story...


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go.¡±


    She got up after finishing her coffee. Heart got up and approached her. He leaned over and lightly kissed her on her lips and looked at her.


    ¡°Stay safe. You¡¯re probably not a hundred percent, so don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±


    His blushing eyes and soft voice dripped of seduction. Feeling she might unknowingly get dragged back into bed, she hurriedly left the bedroom.

 Chapter 58

    <h4>Chapter 58</h4>


    The moment SoYoon left Heart¡¯s house, she messaged Mad Hatter and Baby. She exined what happened to Mad Hatter and how she should go about remedying it. She asked Baby for intel about Cheshire. Then she headed home. On her way back, she got a reply from Baby. It asked her to wait a day.


    Nearing her house, she found a familiar face waiting in front of it. It was Twins, Tweedle Dee. He was muttering to himself and kicking the ss door. Then, bored, he started to pick at the old ck color sheet stuck on the door. Having walked closer, she could hear what he was mumbling.


    ¡°Blondie, why does she live in a ce like this? Sh*t. I can¡¯t even see inside.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter to you where I live?¡±


    He had been so concentrating on removing the sheet that he hadn¡¯t realized how close SoYoon hade. Only after hearing her voice did he realize who she was, and he jumped in surprise, removing his hand.


    ¡°Oh, uh. You¡¯re here.¡±


    Heughed awkwardly. There were pieces of ck under his fingernails. He clenched his fists to hide them and walked toward SoYoon.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked, not trying to hide her exasperation with him. Enraged by her tone, he turned away from her with an annoyed expression. She could see his lips stick out in a pout.


    ¡°Why are you picking at that?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, because you weren¡¯ting home...! Where were you all day! Huh? Every time Ie, your house is always empty...¡±


    ¡°Requests.¡±


    It meant there was nothing she needed to exin to him. Lost for words, Dee moved his mouth silently and scratched his head. She stared at his messed-up silklike hair and asked, ¡°Why¡¯d youe?¡±


    ¡°...Do you like that girl? Alice or whatever?¡±


    ¡°She likes me.¡± Those were three well-chosen words intended to make Twins feel ufortable. Not knowing why that was offensive to them, they fretted over it and went to see SoYoon. Even the peculiar feeling they feltst time didn¡¯t bother them.


    For them, it was good timing. SoYoon responded truthfully without much emotion upon hearing the one name she didn¡¯t necessarily want to hear at the moment.


    ¡°Not particrly.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really? Then do you hate her?¡±


    ¡°Not particrly.¡±


    At her curt response, Dee¡¯s eyes grew wide, and he started toin about her answer to his second question.


    ¡°Sh*t, what kind of answer is that...?¡±


    Thinking that this conversation was useless, she headed to her door. The wind blew the scent of vetiver into the air, and Dee got up close to her and sniffed.


    ¡°Blondie, you smell a bit...Something smells fishy.¡±


    Unlike her usual soap scent, this smell didn¡¯t arouse his hunger one bit. He frowned. He felt as if someone had swallowed the meal he had been hoping to have. SoYoon didn¡¯t care one bit about how he felt, however, and turned around to go inside her house. Dee reached out his hand as he watched the shaking door.


    Because it was old, the door was dirty, and the dried color sheet on the ss blocked his view of the inside. Dee knew what was on the other side of that door. Even so, he felt strangely nervous as he ced his hand over the door.


    The door, of course, was cold. He pushed it slightly as it opened smoothly and saw SoYoon inside. She took off her mask and sword and turned her head to face him.


    Dee brazenly walked in and plopped onto the sofa. He tried to ignore the bed he had once rolled off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any manners? Aren¡¯t you even going to offer a guest a drink? Huh?¡±


    SoYoon snorted. Manners! That wasn¡¯t a word worthy toe out of Tweedle Dee¡¯s mouth. He had decided to be brazen today, however, so he tapped the table with his toe andined.


    ¡°What kind of hospitality is this for a guest?¡±


    SoYoon ced a cup of tap water in front of him. Dee wasn¡¯t thirsty, so he just nced at it.


    ¡°Is that why you came to see me? Because of Alice?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What, yes...that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to worry. We have no rtionship.¡±


    Dee blinked, and his face slightly reddened. He swept back his hair and turned his head to hide it, but sensing the white-haired head staring at him, he yelled.


    ¡°Who¡ªwho said I care about that?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, did that girl say something weird? I should have just taken a bite out of her then.¡±


    SoYoon asked, ¡°What?¡± to his rambling.


    ¡°What do you mean, what?¡±


    He realized what he had just said and shut his mouth. For all this time, Twins had never revealed their secret. The reason was simple: it was bothersome to exin.


    Presently, the person in front of them was SoYoon. Even if she was Wondend¡¯s Undertaker and had seen all sorts of things, they didn¡¯t want her to know their secret.


    No, does she already know? They remembered all the times they had tried to rape her. Dee put his sweaty hands over his pants.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Excuses shot out of his mouth. To be exact, he had stopped himself from doing something, but either way, the result was the same. He repeated it, this time more confidently.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! F*ck, Dum took that girl all over the ce and was super nice to her! How could you...¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all...what?¡±


    ¡°All right. Good job.¡±


    Good job. That¡¯s what her lips had said. Dee and Dum¡¯s head drew a nk at these simple words.


    ¡°Yeah! Blondie, you know what¡¯s up! We do everything well!¡±


    Dee pped his lips, not knowing what he was saying. Sheughed, thinking he looked like an immature boy who was trying to show off about things he couldn¡¯t handle. At that moment, Dee, who bbed on about nothing in particr, shut his mouth.


    Her lightly closed lips curved up in a slight smile. Her mouth, which usually only spoke curtly and without emotion, smiled at him for the first time. It made him want her even more.


    He wanted to see her eyes, which had first caused their infatuation with her. He extended his arms past the table. His thick fingers reached for her full bangs.


    The fading sunlight filtered through the vertical blinds and poured down over her white hair. It reminded them of silver. It was easy to break with just a bit of strength, and when time passed, it would turn ck; however, its worth never changed.


    SoYoon blocked his hand. When her slightly colder fingers touched theirs, they heard a heavy sound.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Muttering under their breath, Twins stared at her finger. The thin, rough hands, full of cuts, reminded them of their past. But if felt like their heart and lungs were being squeezed tightly by them.


    They breathed in deeply, feeling suffocated. As if their blood had lost its mind, their face, neck, and even ears flooded with heat and burned. That was not the only thing that had lost its mind.


    I must have gone crazy, they thought. That heartless girl looks so incredibly pretty right now.


    ***


    SoYoon looked over the information that Baby had sent her. Currently, Baby was getting treatment for his wounds at a hospital in Outhouse. Even though the doctors were using magic, because he was so severely wounded and was movedte to the hospital, it would probably take a long time for him to recover fully.


    It was fortunate. Just getting rid of his men within Wondend would decrease his influence greatly. She finished reading the info, then pressed the home button on her smartphone. A nk lock screen popped up.


    Mad Hatter, who had previously visited her house frequently, had not stepped foot inside it for quite some time. Also, he had still not answered the message she had sent him several days ago.


    She had usually gone straight to his house when she needed help resolving something, but she had notified him early because she thought that this problem required more time to think through. But the fact that he ignored the text altogether made it awkward to see him. Deciding that she would contact him if she didn¡¯t receive an answer today, she got ready to go out.


    Her destination was Cheshire¡¯s main office in Wondend. Another guest was already there before her, however. She saw the scene through the crack in the door and sighed.


    His ming ginger hair was swinging his ax and chopping off the heads of men. Now that she thought about it, Heart had never said that he wouldn¡¯t do anything to Cheshire.


    The man trying to escape Heart saw SoYoon and eximed.


    ¡°Undertaker!¡±


    The man ran toward her screaming her nickname. She pulled out the knife attached to her thigh and stabbed him in the chest. The knife prated skin and muscle, broke through the bone, and split his organ. She pulled out the knife roughly and pushed away the man, who had lost the light in his eyes.


    She felt someone looking at her. When she lifted her head, she could see Heart looking at her with fiery eyes. Still, his hands continued to butcher Cheshire¡¯s men.


    She surrendered and walked into the massacre. And after a mere 30 minutes, there were only two men left at Cheshire¡¯s main office.


    SoYoon wiped the blood off her sword, reced it in her sheath, and looked at Heart. He was sweeping back his blood-soaked hair when he made eye contact with her and smiled.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    His smile was brazen. She ignored him and left the office. Heart followed her.


    Once they stepped outside, wind swept across their blood-stained skin. They paid no attention to the bystanders who were slithering away from the blood-covered pair.

 Chapter 59

    <h4>Chapter 59</h4>


    After a short while, the road split. SoYoon headed to the right in the direction of her house. Heart, who should have gone left, turned right also and followed her. She stopped and turned to him.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the way you should be going.¡±


    ¡°I want to wash off this dirty feeling as soon as possible. It¡¯s much closer to your house than mine from here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a five-minute difference.¡±


    ¡°So? Are you saying you won¡¯t let me borrow your shower? Even when I got all this blood dumped on me for you?¡±


    SoYoon snorted.


    ¡°Of course you did.¡±


    Heart answered smoothly, ¡°You might not believe me, but I did note here to hand out punishment. This...yes, this isme revenge.¡±


    He wrapped his finger around her white hairced with drying blood. His movement seemed to follow the ends of her thin, threadlike hair to the nerves on her head.


    She removed his fingers from her hair. Heart¡¯s eyes smiled as he looked at her. His naturally red eyes looked explosive. She turned away and said, ¡°Only if you don¡¯t mind cold water.¡±


    ¡°I know that¡¯s not true. Lying is bad, Whitey.¡±


    ¡°...What information did you two exchange about me, anyway?¡± she snapped sharply and started to walk faster. His footsteps followed behind her.


    Once they arrived, she had intended to shove Heart into the bathroom but realized there was nothing for him to wear. He probably already knew this and went on to look around her house.


    She headed to the door and told him, ¡°I¡¯ll go bring your clothes, so wash...¡±


    She was unable to finish her sentence because Heart hugged her from behind.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to your house to bring you your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be more efficient to ask my minions to do that?¡±


    His fingers slowly fiddled with her clothes then slid underneath them. She gasped.


    ¡°And you seem to be strangely on edge.¡±


    ¡°Get your hands off...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of me, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    It was not a question. Sure of himself, he lifted SoYoon and headed to the bathroom.


    ¡°Heart!¡±


    She yelled, but Heart paid no attention.


    In the bathroom, Heart put SoYoon down on the floor, tore off her blood-stained clothes, and threw them in a corner. He then tossed his blood-spattered suit on top of it. She turned her head away from the increasing amount of skin showing, but he turned on the shower lever andughed out loud. His voice rang out clearly through the sound of running water.


    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to act all innocent now, are you, Whitey? Or are you embarrassed?¡± Heart whispered in her ear.


    The stubble above his smooth lips tickled her. SoYoon tried to ignore the electricity that was shooting slowly up her back. Heart, knowing how she felt, however, rubbed her ears with his wet hands.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got blood here.¡±


    ¡°...You didn¡¯t go there the same time as I did on purpose, did you?¡±


    ¡°Whitey, even your denseness is cute.¡±


    She had been wondering that the whole way home, but he dismissed it so easily. He swept her white hair back. Through her uncovered vision, she saw Heart clearly. His water-soaked red hair was swept back to show his beautiful profile, which was looking down at her now.


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful, my Whitey.¡±


    His low voice echoed against the bathroom tiles. Her legs were drained of all strength at the sound, but she tried with all her might to resist.


    Now his fingers passed her shoulder, chest, arm, and down to her stomach. She anxiously grabbed at his hand. As she did, he caught her waist with his other hand and pulled her in close.


    He leaned his body inward and kissed her biting lips. Heart licked her bottom lip and sucked gently on her top lip. Eventually, her lips rxed to let in his tongue, which she greedily took in. She clenched her trembling hands and pushed him away.


    ¡°No,¡± SoYoon whispered.


    Even as she pushed him away, he licked her lips andughed. Even in her dizzy state, she could feel the anger in hisugh.


    ¡°No? Why? Because of that girl? I don¡¯t know what you are thinking in that head of yours, but I find it extremely unpleasant to think that you would want to toss me away to anyone like that.¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s not just anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s not just anyone. It¡¯s your precious Alice Liddell.¡±


    At that moment, many scenes shed before her eyes: all the times she had seen Heart¡¯s benign smile directed toward Alice. They were scenes that she needed to maintain her hope. Realizing that everything mighte crashing down, she opened her mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who thinks Alice is precious...!¡±


    Heart smiled widely. Only then did he realize what she was talking about. She closed her mouth quickly as Heart spoke.


    ¡°That girl gets in my way, too.¡±


    SoYoon opened her mouth to get an exnation of the hidden meaning behind those words. But what interrupted her at that moment was not air but hot skin. It felt so sweet that she forgot everything she had wanted to say and clung to it.


    His hot hands slid down her cheeks, then her ear, then slowly downward. His hands had already passed her neck and were at her chest. He drew circles around her with his fingers, and SoYoon moaned with her eyes closed.


    He kissed her neck, and he massaged her wet body roughly at times, then softly. His finger was inside her, the falling water droplets fell from above. There was nothing that wasn¡¯t hot. His temperature rose and boiled next to her. And dizzy with exhration, she stared at his red pupils.


    Would he be as hot as she was? She reached out her hand toward Heart¡¯s face. As her hands touched his cheek, he smiled like a child. His breath touched her wrist. He was as hot as she was. Like mist, a smile swept across her face just for a moment.


    Their bodies connected, and SoYoon¡¯s body suddenly was lifted into the air. Now eye level with each other, she read his intentions in his eyes and kissed him. Copying him, she clumsily moved her tongue, and he moaned. When their lips parted, he took in a deep breath and said, ¡°You must have had an excellent teacher.¡±


    Heart smiled and pushed her back gently into the wall. The cold tiles felt good on her burning body, but due to his lips locking against hers, the tiles soon became hot also.


    She suddenly felt a presence beyond the wall. She froze upon feeling the presence that caused Heart to pound on the tile and growl.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    Almost simultaneously, the hottest thing came inside her all at once. The sudden sensation caused SoYoon to gasp. As she did, the presence beyond the wall got farther away.


    ¡°Who was it...?¡±


    The fact that her feet did not touch the ground made her climax even greater. Watching her, Heart kissed her and said, ¡°Hold on to me.¡±


    She wrapped her arms around his neck. Heart kissed her shoulders and continued.


    ¡°Hold on just like that.¡±


    SoYoon clung to him, pretending not to understand.


    ***


    As SoYoon was getting dressed, Heart called his men and ordered them to bring him his clothes. After hanging up, he looked around at the surroundings he had not paid attention to previously. From the furniture to the yellowed vertical blinds, it was exactly as the old White Rabbit had left it.


    The only big change was the induction oven that Mad Hatter had given her. He had also installed the new boiler.


    In the four years she had been here, she had not bought anything other than groceries, clothes, and disposable items. As SoYoon came out of the dressing room, Heart asked her, ¡°Do you want to leave this ce?¡±


    SoYoon knew that ¡°this ce¡± meant Wondend. She didn¡¯t mean to keep the fact that she was from a different dimension a secret, but she also didn¡¯t go around telling anyone about it. The only one who knew was Mad Hatter.


    She kept her mouth shut, figuring it was aplicated thing to answer either way. Heart asked again.


    ¡°Do you not like this ce?¡±


    She answered him with a question.


    ¡°What did you mean by what you said before?¡±


    ¡°What did I say? Oh, that the person who taught you to kiss was exceptional...¡±


    ¡°That Alice was in the way.¡±


    Heart¡¯s eyes narrowed at the mention of Alice¡¯s name. In her brown eyes, there were a mix ofplicated emotions.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    He called her in a gentle voice.


    Even though he had nothing on other than the towel around his waist, he seemed unfazed. When she didn¡¯t move, he sighed lightly and walked toward her. Heart put his hands around her face and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°I enjoy watching you get jealous, but I don¡¯t like you thinking that I belong to that girl. What evidence are you basing that on?¡±


    There was evidence. A long time ago, she had read a romance fantasy book called ¡°Wondend.¡± On the other hand, excluding this piece of information, the only thing that was proof of his feelings for her was how he treated Alice. But if this was only an action to get her attention...


    SoYoon stopped her mind from straying in that direction. Heart spoke as if he had read her mind.


    ¡°That girl will get in not only your way but in mine also. This is what you wanted to ask?¡±


    How much did Heart know? SoYoon clenched her sweaty palms. Heart took her hand and ced it over his. Although the action was gentle, the words he said were not.


    ¡°You knew Alice woulde to this ce. Didn¡¯t you? You patrolling the slums and cracking down on crime in the neutral zone is all because of that girl. What information could you have possiblye across that you would prepare for this four years ahead of time. What do you know that makes you believe that I belong to that girl?¡±


    Heart unclenched SoYoon¡¯s fist and made her close it over his. If water gets in one¡¯s ear, it bes hard to hear but if words take hold, one doesn¡¯t want to hear anything else. ¡°Hold on to me.¡± The voice that had echoed off the tiles rang louder in her head. She thought, If I was to take this hand, then...


    Someone knocked at the door. SoYoon jumped in surprise and knocked Heart¡¯s hand away from her. He walked to the door, turning with a sense of disappointment.


    A little longer, and he felt that he could havepletely taken her in. He saw a familiar face from between the slightly opened door. He took care to remember that face.


    The interrupting party was one of Heart¡¯s men, and someone SoYoon had met. He handed her the shopping bag as he stared at the slicked-back wet hair, swollen red lips, and red lip marks.


    ¡°Please do me the favor.¡±


    The man, who had never used honorifics to her before, bowed and went on his way. From behind her, she could hear Heartughing.


    ¡°Oh, I guess I can let him off this time.¡±


    Not understanding what he was talking about, SoYoon stood in ce as he strutted over to her. He took the shopping bag from her and threw it carelessly to the side. He lifted her up and ced her on top of the bed.


    ¡°Heart!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the most truthful when you aren¡¯t thinking about anything. So don¡¯t try to pretend now,¡± he added,ughing like a viin. It had only been a mere 30 minutes since she had put on clothes, but Heart took them off her and kissed her body.


    He had good intuition. How good? Thanks to his intuition, he had saved his neck several times. He pressed his lips against SoYoon¡¯s neck and mumbled.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be leaving this ce.¡±

 Chapter 60

    <h4>Chapter 60</h4>


    Realizing that the girl who never once tried to look pretty looked pretty in his eyes, Tweedle Dum headed to SoYoon¡¯s house. For some reason, he felt embarrassed thinking about seeing her face so that he stood in a ce far away from the house and spied on the two presences he felt inside. He heard the low voice of a man. The voice sounded familiar, as if he¡¯d heard it a couple times before.


    ¡°Hey...very...shape...¡±


    What was he saying? He walked closer to the direction of the sound and realized that he was standing on the other side of a bathroom wall. Inside the bathroom, he felt the presence of two people very close to each other.


    Standing there frozen, he heard high and low voices intertwined in speech. No, it can¡¯t be. In denial, he only came to his senses upon hearing the sound of him punching the wall.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    A familiar voice growled at him maliciously. It¡¯s him¡ªHeart. The moment he realized this, the sound of SoYoon¡¯s short gasp made its way to his ear. Dum understood what Heart had done to her in that moment.


    He stepped back and walked quickly away. When he returned to his senses, he had already arrived home. He plopped onto a chair and repeated the sounds he had just heard.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Feeling a wave of emotions, Dee woke up from his sleep and asked him. Dum told him about what he had just heard. Dee was quiet for a second then blurted out, ¡°...What is this?¡±


    The SoYoon they knew spun in their minds. To them, she had always been a cold and relentless girl. But that girl, with Heart...it felt like her fingers were squeezing their heart and lungs.


    They remembered the times they had made their advances to her. That had not been a lie. But with that face, she only treated us like that, they thought. Filled with jealousy and swallowing their lust, the brothers started to realize their feelings for her.


    ¡°I want this girl.¡±


    Twins smiled. No more of this nonsense. If we want it, then we can get it, they figured. Let¡¯s enjoy her until wee and bite her breasts to our heart¡¯s content. Achieving that would beparable to the time they had bitten their mother and firste out into the world.


    ¡°That girl is too strong for her own good. So the first thing we must do is to make a trap she cannot escape from.¡±


    Dee agreed to Dum¡¯s n. ¡°If we drug her, she won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡± They got up from their seat to start making a foolproof trap.


    ***


    Because SoYoon had been stuck with Heart for half a day, she decided to go to Mad Hatter¡¯s the next day. She felt strangely ufortable, but she couldn¡¯t prolong finding a solution to her problem with the research facility.


    She had been walking for some time when she saw March and headed toward him. Recently, she had arranged it so that simple tasks went straight to him instead of going through her. And for that reason, he was holding several bags in his hands containing cigarettes and alcohol. They carried on a lighthearted conversation about frivolous topics until he carefully brought up something he wanted to ask.


    ¡°She¡¯s awake, that girl. But¡ªbut she can¡¯t talk or even move yet. She spends half her day sleeping mostly.¡±


    ¡°How does she look?¡±


    ¡°To me, I think she¡¯s doing better.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to take her?¡± SoYoon asked March, not wanting to burden him. But he jumped and shook his head vigorously.


    ¡°No! Oh, I mean, Dor seemed to have gotten attached while we were taking care of her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    Dor, who looked to be 12 and had the mental capacity of a seven-year-old, was 15. The girl looked to be about 14. Other than March and SoYoon, Dor didn¡¯te into contact with anyone else, so she might be a good friend to her.


    ¡°But how did she wake up? Did she open her eyes?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Um, yeah,¡± March answered hesitantly.


    SoYoon looked in front of her, so she didn¡¯t realize it, but his cheeks grew red. March chewed his lips. The part of his lips that had touched the girl¡¯s dry ones itched like crazy.


    Saying goodbye to March, SoYoon went straight to Mad Hatter¡¯s. She stood in front of the door and put her hand over the knob. She felt a strange nervousness, but she took a quick breath and opened the door.


    It was dark inside, and she felt a presence in the bedroom.


    ¡°Mad Hatter?¡±


    She stepped inside while calling for him.


    ¡°Over here.¡±


    She heard his answer through the crack in the door. Taking it as permission, she stepped into the bedroom.


    Inside the bedroom, a hint of alcohol was in the air. Mad Hatter was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, but he opened them when she got close. His face looked sunken on ount of his dark circles. SoYoon narrowed her eyes without realizing it.


    At this, Mad Hatter smiled slightly then pulled her into a tight hug.


    ¡°These are in the way,¡± he mumbled as he tossed her mask and sword into a corner and buried SoYoon and himself inside the nket. The body warmth emanating within the small space felt cozy.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I was at Outhouse up until only a few hours ago.¡±


    ¡°At least get changed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s such a hassle. Or you can dress me then.¡±


    ¡°Just sleep. And let me go.¡±


    She cold-heartedly released his hand from her blood-stained suit. Mad Hatterughed as if the air was deting out of him then rolled over with her still in his embrace. It became difficult to move once they were rolled tightly within the nkets.


    He smiled as his body pressed against her body. Although his smile looked bright, she felt as if she was watching a bird of prey.


    ¡°Where do you think I was all this time?¡± he asked.


    ¡°...You said you were at Outhouse.¡±


    ¡°I was foolish to think that you would read deeper into my words. Then I¡¯ll change the question a bit. Who¡¯sir do you think I was at all this time?¡±


    There were not many residents in Wondend who had air in Outhouse. She answered easily as only one person came to mind.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Cheshire, was it?¡±


    Mad Hatter smiled and buried his face in her neck. Then he said in an icy tone, ¡°I want to kill that man.¡±


    ¡°You mean Cheshire?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bad habit to ask when you already know the answer. Really...I never knew I was someone who couldn¡¯t control his emotions to this extent. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have killed him then and there.¡±


    The voice that followed was filled with suppressed rage. SoYoon patted Mad Hatter on the shoulder. He whimpered and rubbed his face against her cheek. She flinched because it tickled and so created some space between herself and Mad Hatter. The blue eyes in front of her darkened.


    The day she had escaped Cheshire¡¯s trap, Mad Hatter heard about it through Heart. Heart¡¯s voice that day had a strange happiness to it, and Mad Hatter was able to decipher what had happened between SoYoon and Heart that day. That¡¯s why he had gone to Outhouse: on the one hand, as revenge for what had happened to SoYoon, on the other hand, as a way to release his jealous energy. And also as a means to not see her for a while.


    He had returned to Wondend, thinking that he had gotten it out of his system, but when he saw the purple rings on her neck, his jealous rage returned.


    Yes, this was only a bruise. It was easy to fix with his powers. He ground his teeth and moved.


    ¡°Disappear.¡±


    With one word, he was able to make the kiss marks on her body go away. Even so, his anger did not subside, and he clung to her, burying his face in her neck.


    ¡°Mad Hatter? You didn¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°You know my name. Call me properly.¡±


    ¡°...Yochanan. Cheshire¡ªyou didn¡¯t¡ªoof.¡±


    Mad Hatter licked her neck. She cringed and turned away, but she was trapped inside the nket.


    He sucked on her neck until it left a red mark. However, he knew better than anyone that this was meaningless. Mad Hatter hugged SoYoon tightly.


    ¡°Do you love him?¡±


    SoYoon did not answer his question. However, Mad Hatter didn¡¯t miss her slight flinch at his question.


    There had been nothing that would make him give up on SoYoon¡ªunless it was her decision. Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes sank heavily. He released her and got up.


    ¡°What about Cheshire?¡±


    SoYoon got up and blinked at the sudden change in subject.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill Cheshire, did you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, why do you ask that? Because it¡¯s not time for him to die yet?¡±


    His words stabbed at her. SoYoon¡¯s hands, which were untangling herself from the nkets, froze in midair.


    ¡°What are you talking...?¡±


    He smiled and answered to her surprised face as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke. I did not kill Cheshire. He¡¯s still in the hospital. Even I know better than to cause a scene there. Why are you overreacting?¡±


    Hey back down on the bed. SoYoon looked down at him.


    He had abandoned his hat somewhere, so his orange hair yed out on the sheets. The dark shadows under his eyes and cheeks emanated a strangely decadent beauty. When he smiled with that face, SoYoon became lost in its trance for a second.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Heughed, pretending to not know.


    ¡°...It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t tell him the truth, and she also didn¡¯t know how to spin a fake story, so she kept her mouth shut. Then he stood back up and went over to her.


    The problem was that SoYoon happened to have turned her head at that moment. Their lips hit each other. As if they had nned it, their lips locked perfectly in sync, and Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes grew wide.


    Mad Hatter had kissed her many times, but they had all been rather friendly¡ªaside from the kiss mark he created a few moments ago. The two of them had not locked lips once since he¡¯d been out to Outhouse. Surprised, Mad Hatter blinked rapidly and blushed.


    ¡°This is your fault for suddenly moving. I was definitely aiming for your forehead...¡±


    Before tonight, the two of them had locked lips. Every year, he had breathed his magic into her body through their lips. In her perspective, this would all seem as if he was overreacting.

 Chapter 61

    <h4>Chapter 61</h4>


    Mad Hatter¡¯s reddening face flushed back to normal at SoYoon¡¯s nonchnt expression. He sighed.


    ¡°Sure. I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything from you. Let¡¯s hear why you¡¯re here. And about that message you sent me also.¡±


    ¡°If you read my message, you would already know, but there¡¯s been a problem.¡±


    The two of them discussed what had happened a couple of days ago. SoYoon asked Mad Hatter if he could make her resistant to spells that would make her faint or put her to sleep.


    ¡°I need to know exactly what you want.¡±


    ¡°The research facility restrained me with fainting spells or sedatives.¡±


    ¡°So this would be in case you get caught by the researchers.¡±


    It had already been four years since she had escaped the research facility. It was highly unlikely that the researchers had continued to check the signalsing from her brand. This additional protection was merely insurance.


    ¡°It¡¯s not likely that they will go out of their way toe for me. But I have no way of knowing what they will do to recapture an escaped experiment. I would like to at least prepare for what I can predict.¡±


    ¡°You just want to protect yourself in the worst-case scenario.¡±


    This overly precautionary measure was uncharacteristic of SoYoon. She believed in her strength and ability so much that she wasn¡¯t the type to prepare for the future and instead usually solved things as they happened. This cautiousness made Mad Hatter realize how much SoYoon despised the research facility that had held her captive. It was something he could understand, having suffered from headaches and nightmares for the past ten years. Mad Hatter was lost in thought for a moment then spoke.


    ¡°If you are unsure of the timing and type of spell that will be used, there are only two options. Either you carry around a trap that will activate when it urs, or you can engrave another insignia on your body like your brand. They both have pros and cons, but to pinpoint the cons, the trap would require you to carry it at all times, and the insignia, as you already know, will be extremely painful.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go with the insignia.¡±


    ¡°I disagree. It might be better to create a tiny magical trap that you can hang on your ear or...¡±


    The option that Mad Hatter presented waspletely useless.


    She exined. ¡°At the research facility, the experimental subject is not allowed clothes or essories. And so wearing such a thing will not work.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Because an experiment is so sensitive, they don¡¯t allow anything that will cause even the slightest chance of error so...¡±


    ¡°No, stop. I understand, so shut your mouth.¡±


    Mad Hatter covered his eyes.


    That was the reason that it had been so difficult to find the most basic of human emotions in her. He remembered how he had torn at her clothes and cursed himself in shame.


    He stayed that way for a moment then closed the gap between them. She still didn¡¯t seem to know quite what he had told her. He opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to sympathize with yourself, so I will sympathize for you. And you, in turn, can sympathize for me. It¡¯s a good deal for both sides, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Mad Hatter?¡±


    ¡°In this situation, it would be nice to say my name. You¡¯re no good at reading the mood, are you?¡±


    Contrary to the critical words, Mad Hatter hugged her serenely. SoYoon called him ¡°Yochanan¡± and heughed silently and kissed her hair.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem fair that only I get called by my name...Could I ask you your name?¡± he asked her with great care.


    The people who had chosen Wondend to be their home were those whomitted crimes or had certain unfortunate happenings in their lives. And as a consequence, very few in Wondend asked each other their name unless they were specifically told. He thought she would reject him asking, and so his arms tensed up. Hence, he did not see her eyes grow big and her bite her lip.


    Ever since she dropped into this ce, she had only ever once revealed her name. It had been when she had been interviewed to determine her identity at the research facility. However, there, she had been known only as number 137, ¡°Hey, you,¡± and so forth. Later, they disregarded calling her by a name hard to pronounce and instead called her the white-haired experiment. That had been morefortable. If they had treated her the way they did while calling her by her name, it would have been even more devastating.


    Asking a person their name is something done between one human and another. This was something that had been impossible for her to experience. And this had been the first time in this world that someone had asked her about her name.


    She lifted her arm that was resting next to her waist and hugged Mad Hatter. She felt his surprise but continued to press her face against his shoulder. Through the scent of blood, she smelled his refreshing scent that embraced her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, White Rabbit? Is something wrong? Show me your face.¡±


    ¡°...Yoon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    SoYoon lifted her head. Mad Hatter¡¯s blue eyes looked at her in worry. She smiled as her eyes met his.


    ¡°Ye SoYoon. That¡¯s my name.¡±


    He blinked as if this was a hallucination, then his face broke into a huge smile.


    ¡°Call me SoYoon.¡±


    She told him again. He touched her smiling lips and called her name.


    ¡°SoYoon.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You were SoYoon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yochanan.¡±


    The beautiful face came closer. SoYoon reflexively closed her eyes. His lips softly kissed hers, and Mad Hatter smiled.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t intended this to happen. We had been talking about something serious...¡±


    Even as he said this, he kissed her again. It was only then that she realized that Mad Hatter had kissed her, but she didn¡¯t feel any other emotion. They were like wounded animals licking each other¡¯s wounds. The thought that this could be a new feeling to their rtionship bloomed only for a second in the back of her mind then quickly disappeared.


    Mad Hatter leaned his head against her shoulder and said, ¡°To engrave the insignia, I will need some time. Come in two days¡ªno, tomorrow afternoon. We will do it then.¡±


    ¡°Are you sleepy?¡± she asked, sensing his tired voice.


    Mad Hatter nodded. ¡°Stay next to me while I sleep. You can do that for me, right, SoYoon?¡±


    SoYoon watched his hair wave and felt a strange fondness for him.


    ***


    The midday sun soon sank in the west. Mad Hatter woke up from his deep sleep and stared nkly at SoYoon, who was quietly asleep on his arm.


    ¡°SoYoon.¡±


    He slowly mulled over the two sybles then pulled her in a tight embrace. He knew she must have heard the sound and felt his movement, but she didn¡¯t move in the slightest and continued to sleep.


    ¡°SoYoon.¡±


    In this ce, there wouldn¡¯t have been anyone who called her by this name. He was reminded of his reddened eyes and the saltiness he felt in his mouth. He suddenly felt an urge to kiss her.


    ¡°Wake up, SoYoon,¡± he said as he kissed her round nose. She wrinkled her nose as if she was about to wake up but soon fell back asleep.


    ¡°What are you doing all night that you can¡¯t wake up?¡±


    His voice mixed with annoyance and jealousy as heined out loud. He bit yfully at her nose.


    When the imprint of his teeth showed white then disappeared, she opened her eyes. She blinked in surprise at the white face she saw the moment she woke up, but realized it was Mad Hatter and rxed instinctively.


    ¡°Why Mad...Yochanan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s noon now. Get up.¡±


    Mad Hatter lifted her by her arms. SoYoon followed upward naturally. Mad Hatter felt an ease in her friendliness.


    Whatever SoYoon gave him, he loved. However, there was something else he wanted from her. Mixed in Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes was abination of happiness and obsession.


    Mad Hatter led her out of the bedroom and sat her at the dining table, then started to cook. He washed the fresh asparagus, cut its bottom, and scraped off the rough patches with a knife. He wrapped bacon around the asparagus and put it in the oven. When he finished, he led SoYoon into the living room.


    ¡°SoYoon? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Pulled by his attraction, he sat on the sofa next to her. He saw the first aid kit in her hand andughed.


    ¡°You were worried about me. Thank you.¡±


    She ignored his words and started to put ointment on the cuts on his hands. She must have gotten annoyed by her interfering hair because she wrinkled her nose at it. Mad Hatter swept her hair back with his free hand.


    She nced up at him for a moment then went back to concentrating on his hand. He, in turn, went on happily observing her fluttering whiteshes and her concentrating lips.


    A few moments after she finished treating him, a sound from the oven rang. Mad Hatter got up and said, ¡°You can stay sitting here, SoYoon.¡±


    She watched the back of Mad Hatter who scurried over to the kitchen.


    ¡°You must be hungry, having slept through lunchtime.¡±


    Mad Hatter put a tray in front of her. A fried egg, bacon-wrapped asparagus, ck tea, cold sponge cake, and vitamin capsules. The only things meant for Mad Hatter were the vitamin capsules.


    SoYoon saw that the hand that reached for the bowl of capsules had a burn that had not been there moments ago. Mad Hatter realized what she was staring at and so pushed the food toward her and said, ¡°Hurry and eat. It won¡¯t be good once it gets cold.¡±


    The salty bacon and the asparagus that had soaked in its juices were delicious. The sponge cake was fluffy and moist. However, she couldn¡¯t get her mind off the burn on his hand. Mad Hatter pretended to not notice and smiled.

 Chapter 62

    <h4>Chapter 62</h4>


    After finishing all the food and treating Mad Hatter¡¯s cut hand, SoYoon left his house. Then as she got close to March¡¯s house, she changed directions upon remembering that the girl had woken up.


    Dor, who had been in the living room, greeted her.


    ¡°Wee, Rabbit!¡±


    Dor let go of the towel and tub and jumped into SoYoon¡¯s arms. Usually, she would have stayed a long time in this position, rubbing her head into SoYoon¡¯s, but this time, she released her quickly and grabbed the towel and tub again. SoYoon took the water-filled tub and asked her, ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡±


    ¡°To wash her. She still can¡¯t move well, so I have to do it for her.¡±


    SoYoon followed Dor into March¡¯s room. The dark-haired girl was asleep on the bed. Even though Dor was loud, she didn¡¯t wake her up.


    ¡°She sleeps all the time. I¡¯m bored. Brother said that if I take care of her well, then she will get better soon. Do you think so?¡±


    ¡°She will. She woke up because you took such good care of her.¡±


    She stroked Dor¡¯s head. Dor smiled, blushing. Underneath her white hair, SoYoon looked down with softened eyes.


    SoYoon left March¡¯s house when the sunlight started to fade. Suddenly reminded that she hadn¡¯t had anything to eat for breakfast, she stopped by Central.


    She was returning home with bread and a small pack of milk when she saw Twins at a ce five minutes away from her house. Twins saw her just as she was about to turn into the alleyway leading to her house.


    ¡°Oh, Undertaker.¡±


    The way they dressed was not the only way to differentiate between Tweedle Dee and Dum. Unlike Dee¡¯s drawling voice, Dum¡¯s was soft and crisp. With his lush pink lips, he smiled, and an aura of light emanated from his head.


    SoYoon was reminded of the first time she met Twins. It had been exactly this time of day then also. The sunlight had been hitting their dark golden hair through the window they were standing near.


    Dum walked up to her. The sky behind him was red. Shadows covered his, but she could still see that he was smiling. He stopped with a step left between them and asked her with his head tilted, ¡°You¡¯re alone today?¡±


    With those words, she realized who had been on the other side of the wall yesterday. When she didn¡¯t say anything, Dum reached out his hand. Her hair was still a mess from having just woken from a nap at Mad Hatter¡¯s. He swept his fingers through the side of her hair, and it slid down slowly.


    His fingers passed her ear and stopped for a second at her mask, exactly over her lips. Two days ago and yesterday, Heart and Mad Hatter had kissed her. Another stimtion to her lips made them tremble. Dum felt that slight movement beneath the cloth of her mask and smiled.


    When he swept past her lips, she turned away, not liking it. His blue eyes had been glimmering, but as she moved away, he smiled again, trying to look polite.


    ¡°Sorry. Did it hurt?¡±


    ¡°What business do you have with me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so scared. I was hoping to put in a request from time to time. But I don¡¯t have your number. Will you give it to me?¡±


    SoYoon received Dum¡¯s phone, put in her number, then returned it to him. He asked, ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t give it to mest time?¡±


    ¡°Last time?¡± SoYoon asked.


    Dum understood what had happened and ground his teeth.


    ¡°No, never mind.¡±


    He waved it off and put out his hand.


    ¡°Just a friendly gesture regarding future business.¡±


    SoYoon hadn¡¯t participated in many handshakes before, so she hesitantly took his hand. He squeezed her small and rough hands.


    ***


    The next afternoon, SoYoon went to visit Mad Hatter and was escorted not into the second-storyboratory but into his bedroom. He stared at her with a dissatisfied expression as he exined how he was going to draw the magic insignia on her body.


    Taking into consideration that it would have to be hidden even in her naked form, there were not many options avable. Mad Hatter rmended the inside of her lips, her lower gums, or her scalp. SoYoon nodded, having thought the same thing.


    ¡°Of course, if they decide to examine you closely, they will discover it. Um, your hair is white, so your scalp is a bit dangerous, I think. I would prefer you do it on the insides of your gums instead of your lips because it will be harder to find. What do you think, SoYoon?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it there.¡±


    He pulled out a fingernail-sized paper, on which the magic insignia was marked.


    ¡°It looks a bitplicated because we had tobine defenses against two types of magic.


    ¡±


    He said this nonchntly, but SoYoon could tell from his eyes and sunken skin that he had spent all night fabricating this.


    She looked him dead in the eye and said, ¡°Thank you, Yochanan.¡±


    She had decided on this on her way home yesterday, that she would call his name as much as she could. If she did, he would be happy about it. That is what he had told her. Mad Hatter looked at her strangely upon hearing her words, thenughed dispiritedly.


    ¡°Really...You sure know how to y with my emotions. All right. If we are going to do it anyway, we might as well finish it quick. Put that paper on the part where you want to ce the insignia. Put it as close to your teeth as possible. However meticulous they may be, I doubt that they will look that closely there the moment they catch you.¡±


    SoYoon put the paper in her mouth and nodded. Mad Hatter then ced his hands around her cheeks and lifted her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cycle my powers into your body. At first, I¡¯m going to circte it, but when the magic starts to circte on its own, it will hurt. I thought it would be better for you to be lying down, so I brought you here instead. How would you like to do it?¡±


    She took off her shoes and weapons and moved them to a corner theny on the bed. Mad Hatter cleared his throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start now.¡±


    He had one knee against the bed and was holding the part next to her head with his arms. Then he slowly lowered his head. When his lips touched hers, SoYoon slightly opened her mouth. His cool magical powers filtered into her through her lips.


    At first, the sensation was only a tickle. When he removed his lips, however, the ce where the paper touched her burned, and the pain spread through her body.


    Her body cringed, and she buried her face into the pillow. His strong arms were holding her, but she couldn¡¯t register it. She clenched her teeth and prayed for the moment to pass.


    Mad Hatter looked down at SoYoon with worry in his eyes. Although in excruciating pain, she didn¡¯t once utter aint. And to hold it in, she was clenching her teeth to keep from screaming. He removed her sweat-soaked hair from her cheek.


    He whispered. ¡°There¡¯s only a little left. You¡¯re doing great; just a little more.¡±


    At this, SoYoon buried herself deeper into his embrace.


    The three minutes that felt like three years finally passed, and the pain receded. SoYoon realized that she was grasping onto Mad Hatter¡¯s clothes. Just from what she could tell from the feeling in her fingertips, she knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to wear these clothes again.


    Mad Hatter, upon finding her fiddling with his clothes, realized her state and said, ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry about your clothes.¡±


    ¡°...You caused me this much worry, and the first thing that you talk about is my clothes?¡±


    Mad Hatter sighed so she would hear and wiped away the cold sweat from her forehead and cheeks with his cardigan sleeve. She epted his touch with her eyes closed.


    ¡°You did well.¡±


    She heard his sweet words, and an even sweeter kiss touched her lips. SoYoon opened her eyes and saw the sunlight from the window bounce off his orange hair.


    As she closed her eyes again, she felt his tongue gently grazing the brand. From inside her mouth, something thin was pushed out. When he removed his lips from hers, he stuck out his tongue. There was the paper that had the insignia drawn on it.


    Strangely, when she saw it, SoYoon felt something stab at her heart. She was surprised by her own reaction. This had never happened before.


    As SoYoon was lost in thought, Mad Hatter observed her expression. She crinkled her eyebrows and pursed her lips shut. Those lips held many emotions, and Mad Hatter knew the reason for such a reaction. He forced his lips into a smile as he saw thest of her emotions expressed on her face.


    ¡°SoYoon.¡±


    Her brown eyes looked up at him. He kissed SoYoon lightly on the forehead. This must have been okay because she didn¡¯t react in any way.


    ¡°I think I need to sleep a bit. I¡¯m very tired.¡±


    ¡°It must have taken a big toll on you.¡±


    She had thought that it wouldn¡¯t take a lot of energy to counter the fainting and anesthetic magic, but she must have been wrong.


    Heughed a bit shiftily then hugged SoYoon. Her small body fit perfectly into his. Even so, she was not his. Her white hair stuck to his face, and he tried desperately to soothe his heart.


    ¡°Will you stay with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You promised. Please keep it.¡±


    Mad Hatter knew that what SoYoon had promised was only to keep himpany while he slept. Even knowing this, however, he revealed his true wish. But this wish was something that she might never know.


    The first to fall asleep was SoYoon. Mad Hatter, who had been pretending to be asleep, opened his eyes.


    He saw her pale lips first, and he lowered his head as if in a trance. The sweet yet cold lips both weed and rejected him. He kissed her lips several times, then hugged her tight. As he did, he could feel his powers circting through her body.


    ¡°Hoo...¡±


    Although he had done it for her benefit, he still couldn¡¯t believe his magic was flowing inside her. He felt a strange happiness about it. The next moment, however, his face turned serious.


    He had nted something inside her in secret. If there came a time to use it, that meant it would be something extremely serious. He hoped that she would figure it out, but he also hoped the time to use it would nevere.

 Chapter 63

    <h4>Chapter 63</h4>


    Mad Hatter opened his eyes to the morning sun. The first thing he checked was the person in his embrace. He didn¡¯t know for how long she had been awake, but the brown eyes, which had no trace of sleep left in them, looked up at him. Drenched in happiness, he smiled.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he said quietly as he flexed the arm that was holding SoYoon. His lips touched the top of her head as if they had be ustomed to being there. After lightly kissing her tousled white hair, he got up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash up in the bathroom in the living room. You can use the one in here.¡±


    He pointed to the en suite bathroom and left the room. SoYoon got up soon after him.


    After she washed up, the smell of food triggered her senses. As she stepped into the living room, she saw tomato scrambled eggs, cooked bacon, scones, jam, and ck tea on the table.


    Mad Hatter was putting down his bowl of vitamin capsules when he saw her and said, ¡°You¡¯vee just in time. Please sit.¡±


    As always, she sat on the long sofa as Mad Hatter sat opposite and looked at her. His face looked peaceful on the outside, but there was a shadow underneath.


    Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes met hers, and he smiled. It was his usual smile.


    ¡°What is your schedule like today? Are you very busy?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have requests to fulfill all day.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see. You must be hungry, since you didn¡¯t eat dinnerst night. Hurry and eat.¡±


    Mad Hatter poured the tea into her cup, applied jam to a scone, and handed it to her. The jam was the same one she had bought at a fancy bakery in Central on behalf of Tweedle Dee. The jar was smaller than her finger, but it cost 30,000 carol. She thought the price was ridiculous for the amount and had wondered if anyone would buy such a thing, but here she was eating it herself. Realizing what she was thinking, Mad Hatter told her.


    ¡°Someday, I¡¯ll attempt making jam.¡±


    His voice sounded determined. SoYoon was going to ask if that was necessary, but she thought it better not to say anything.


    After thinking for some time, she swallowed the piece of scone in her mouth and answered, ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±


    That was the correct answer, SoYoon thought as she saw the ecstatic smile on Mad Hatter¡¯s face.


    ***


    After breakfast, Mad Hatter waved goodbye to SoYoon and got ready to leave himself. His destination was Heart¡¯s house.


    Heart¡¯s minions were immensely tense, but today, Heart invited Mad Hatter as a guest. Heart¡¯s men escorted him into the office. When the door opened, he saw Heart with narrowed eyes.


    Mad Hatter sat on the sofa that Heart indicated and asked him, ¡°What¡¯s your business? You¡¯ve intentionally kept White Rabbit busy all day and called me here, which means you don¡¯t want her to get in the way. Isn¡¯t that true?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something important. It¡¯s regarding Whitey.¡±


    Heart did not want to see Mad Hatter¡¯s face, so he continued the dialogue from his desk instead of on the sofa. Someone else might have found this rude, but Mad Hatter didn¡¯t think much of it as he had other things on his mind. The moment Heart uttered the nickname Whitey, her real name tingled at the edge of his tongue.


    Ye SoYoon.


    Seeing how she had asked him to call her SoYoon, he assumed herst name was Ye and her name was SoYoon. There was a chance that YeSoYoon was her name, and SoYoon was a nickname, but he doubted she would ask to be called by her nickname after years of not hearing her real name.


    SoYoon¡ªit was a name that you had to pronounce carefully by slightly puckering your lips. He had no intention of revealing this treasure to anyone else. Even saying the name silently filled his mouth with such sweetness that he couldn¡¯t help but grin. That smile didn¡¯tst long, however.


    ¡°Shall I escort you to the drawing room, Chapelier prince? Alice seemed to be disappointed that it was hard to see you these days, as you¡¯ve been away from your house so often.¡±


    ¡°You mean your concubine? There¡¯s a rumor that she¡¯s pregnant. You must be on good terms with her. I tend to stay away from women who belong to someone else. I hope you will ry the warning that she shouldn¡¯t go around being friendly to every man she sees, although I doubt that she would listen. She must not trust you at all if she came to me of all people.¡±


    ¡°You stay away from women who belong to someone else?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Is there any other woman that you im as yours?¡±


    It was a rhetorical question. That¡¯s how Heart deciphered Mad Hatter¡¯s exnation. At the same time, Mad Hatter¡¯s words reminded him of the time that he had told Heart not to assume that SoYoon was his. Mad Hatter also remembered the time he had found the kiss mark on the back of her neck.


    The two men both reached for their weapons. The next moment, the sound of the blue de of an ax and wire sliced through the air.


    Heart pushed off his desk and swung at Mad Hatter¡¯s head with his ax. Mad Hatter just barely avoided it and wrapped Heart¡¯s wrist with his wire. Heart quickly got out of it and swung again with his loose hand. Although it was not severe, the cut on his cheek was pretty deep, and Mad Hatter frowned.


    ¡°Why? Are you afraid you will lose your greatest weapon?¡±


    Heartughed raucously. Mad Hatter, dripping blood down to his chin,ughed with him.


    ¡°Of course. She does like my face so very much.¡±


    The short dialogue ended quickly, and the two men charged at each other again. The ax hit Mad Hatter¡¯s shoulder. He blew magic into his wire to strengthen it to block the attack, then swung his leg around to kick Heart¡¯s side. Heart faltered a moment then slid his ax down the wire toward Mad Hatter¡¯s left hand.


    The unsavory sound of metal on metal echoed through the room. Mad Hatter unraveled the wire and stepped back quickly, but his hand was already bleeding heavily.


    ¡°Were you nning to chop off my hand?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you right-handed? Isn¡¯t it fine to be missing one useless hand?¡±


    Although he said this, Heart had no intention of chopping off Mad Hatter¡¯s hand. If he had wanted to, it would have already been flying off before Mad Hatter released his wire. Heart also knew that he could never be a match alone against Mad Hatter¡¯s magic.


    That meant all this was nothing but a temper tantrum. With SoYoon between them, they were unable to deliver the final blow to each other. Heart swung his ax menacingly and destroyed the back of the sofa. Then he plopped on his armchair. Mad Hatter sat on the undestroyed side of the sofa.


    ¡°Compared tost time, the wound is not so bad.¡±


    He frowned at his blood-soaked face then healed just his face with his powers. Heart frowned also but watched withoutint, thinking it was better than having SoYoon fret about Mad Hatter¡¯s hurt face.


    ¡°Did you finish off your outside business?¡±


    ¡°I destroyed Cheshire¡¯sir in Outhouse and killed most of his men. His position as awyer is probably destroyed by now also. Because in Outhouse, you can make anything happen with money,¡± the young and beautiful descendant of royalty said snidely.


    Heart sunk deeper into the sofa and askedzily, ¡°What about Cheshire?¡±


    The smile on Mad Hatter¡¯s face disappeared. Unlike what he had told SoYoon, he had in fact gone to the hospital where Cheshire was residing.


    What awaited him, however, was an empty hospital room. He had checked with the nurse, but they didn¡¯t know where he had gone either. Mad Hatter red at Heart, who he knew already realized all this.


    ¡°I lost him. He must have figured out I¡¯d being.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what a shame.¡±

 Chapter 64

    <h4>Chapter 64</h4>


    Heart smiled but hid his true intent behind it. The real reason for calling Mad Hatter today was not because of Cheshire or his stupid jealously¡ªyes, stupid jealousy. That was the first time he realized he had a heart that would burn over something so frivolous.


    After finding out that SoYoon did not go home after visiting Mad Hatter yesterday, he had contemted whether he should charge in there and chop off his neck then lock her away in his bedroom forever.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have that kind of power over her yet. She might have given him a taste of her body, but the jerk in front of him had also had that privilege. Once the thought crossed his mind, he was forced to repress his again-surging anger.


    White Rabbit¡¯s feelings belonged to him. He couldn¡¯t be sure of anything else, but about that he was positive. He was hoping to wait just a little longer for that small final push to reduce the space she was putting between them in their rtionship. With thatst of his patience, he feigned calmness.


    Mad Hatter opened his mouth then. As if he had read his mind, he added oil to the me.


    ¡°She is not yours.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t deny that she is close to being mine.¡±


    Mad Hatter snorted his answer. He knew, however, that what Heart said was the truth. Heughed brightly to mask his anxiety and jealousy then said in a rxed tone.


    ¡°Well, if you knew about my greatest weapon, would you really be able to say that?¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re not talking about your face, are you?¡±


    Heart muttered with an expression as if he was chewing on bugs.


    ¡°Oh, well, there is that also.¡±


    Mad Hatter agreed. He knew that SoYoon, who barely reacted to anything, showed signs of interest every time she looked at his face. When he smiled sweetly, the effect increased tenfold. However, he had something better than that in mind.


    SoYoon¡¯s and Mad Hatter¡¯s worst memories were vastly simr. She had fallen randomly into this world; he had been born into the Chapelier family. She was an experiment at a research facility; he was his father¡¯s magical experiment. Every time she saw him agonizing over his past, she was reminded of hers, and she would reach out and hold him as a way tofort him warmly, the way she wanted.


    ¡°The emotion is but measly scraps,¡± Heart concluded after hearing Mad Hatter¡¯s exnation. Mad Hatter pretended to disregard hisment. Truthfully, he felt the same. He understood that his and SoYoon¡¯s rtionship couldn¡¯t go much further than this. But you never knew...


    Mad Hatter smiled crookedly. ¡°How long do you think you can remain that confident? If she confides everything about her identity to me, do you think these feelings will merely end as scraps?¡±


    Seeing Mad Hatter¡¯s expression, Heart gripped his ax harder. Mad Hatter, too, had his wire wrapped around his hand. He slowly unraveled it as he spoke casually.


    ¡°How do you think this will ultimately end? If the girl who no longer loves herself finds constion in another.¡±


    At that, Heart¡¯s patience hit rock bottom. The moment he moved his ax, Mad Hatter threw his wire. The wire wrapped around Heart¡¯s leg like a snake as the ax hit his shoulder.


    Mad Hatter stepped away and pulled at the wire, but this time, Heart must have intended to chop off his arm because he was unable to escape unharmed. He stepped back after the wire removed a chunk of flesh, and he was dripping blood. Heart was also not in a great state. He looked down at his deeply sliced leg.


    ¡°You think that Whitey can¡¯t push you away. You think I¡¯ll let that happen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what I think. It¡¯s the truth. You are sorely mistaken, but both you and I are in the same boat.¡±


    Both of them were unable to hold on to her because she had her eyes elsewhere. This was the real reason that Heart had called Mad Hatter over today. Heart threw his ax at the broken sofa.


    At this, Mad Hatter also released his wire and put it in his pocket. He ripped his shirt to use the cloth to stop the bleeding as Heart bandaged his wounds with his necktie.


    ¡°Do you really think she can¡¯t throw you away?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Heart muttered curses. Heart knew that SoYoon could also never abandon him. Their anger on this subject was greater than their anger toward each other.


    He nced over at Mad Hatter. Should I kill him anyway? The creeping impulse decreased as he remembered that SoYoon needed Mad Hatter¡¯s powers. He swept back his messed-up hair in annoyance.


    ¡°Could you get your rage in check? You think I don¡¯t want to kill you also?¡±


    ¡°Could you shut up before I really do kill you?¡±


    Fighting any further was useless. Causing a scene would only make SoYoon ufortable and might cause her to leave both of them. They clicked their tongues in unison and changed the subject.


    ¡°Alice Liddell.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has something to do with that girl.¡±


    Most parents would scold their children by threatening to send them to Wondend if they didn¡¯t behave, so Alice¡¯s reckless behavior didn¡¯t make any sense to them.


    ¡°That girl¡ªwhat exactly is it that she knows?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure...Is it something she knows or maybe something she doesn¡¯t know? She can¡¯t properly exin her rtionship with her father, Henry Liddell, but she seems to know in detail Duke¡¯s personality and preferences or Doctor¡¯s hobbies. Things that are sensitive topics.¡±


    A girl who knew the details of Wondend when she couldn¡¯t speak properly about herself¡ªthat was the Alice Liddell Heart experienced. In addition to that, she believed that she deserved to be loved by every man she met and kept score on which one was better. Heart, however, didn¡¯t share this observation with Mad Hatter.


    Based on what Heart said, Mad Hatter realized that Alice had something to do with where SoYoon had originallye from. Seeing how SoYoon obsessed over Alice, he assumed that the girl was key to SoYoon returning home.


    The thing with intel was that the more people knew about it, the less valuable it became. The two men also knew that each of them acted in the same way following this assumption.


    Mad Hatter asked breezily. ¡°Can¡¯t we just kill her? She doesn¡¯t seem to be of much use.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop you. No, I wee it. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would go do it right now.¡±


    If you¡¯re willing to take on her wrath. Mad Hatter finished Heart¡¯s thought in his head.


    If Alice Liddell were to die, SoYoon would give up the hope of going back. Being permanently removed from her home would scar her for the rest of her life here. Mad Hatter didn¡¯t want to make matters worse for her already jaded take on life.


    ¡°Just wait a little longer. She¡¯s not the type of girl to do nothing after advertising herself all over the ce.¡±


    Or I¡¯ll force her to do something about it, Heart added in his head and chuckled.


    Just then, they heard someone running hurriedly toward them. Soon, someone knocked loudly on the office door.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I mentioned that we were not to be bothered.¡±


    Heart answered in annoyance, but at the subsequent reply, he froze.


    ¡°White Rabbit is here! She just passed through the front door. What should we do?¡±


    Heart was d he hadmanded his men to let him know immediately if SoYoon showed up. He looked around the office.


    ¡°Oh, dear.¡±


    He held his forehead. They had broken one of the sofas beyond repair and sttered the other with blood. Heart had broken off had the edge of the table when he mmed into it with his ax, and the carpet was ragged where the wire had swept through. Hearing that SoYoon had arrived, Mad Hatter blinked then came back to his senses.


    ¡°How could you let this happen?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°She cannote up here. There is an irritant here so we can¡¯t use the bedroom. Then the only option is the drawing room.¡±


    Heart told his men to move them to the drawing room when he felt pain shoot up his leg and realized that they both looked a mess. At this rate, it wouldn¡¯t matter whether they moved elsewhere or not.


    They heard someoneing up the stairs and through the hallway. The footsteps were getting closer. Soon, the door opened, and they saw SoYoon. Her covered eyes were looking at the direction of the two men.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    She tilted her head slightly. The two men thought her action looked usatory and shot out excuses.


    ¡°We just had a small disagreement...¡±


    ¡°About something insignificant.¡±


    She nodded nonchntly then pulled out a letter from her cross bag.


    ¡°Baby wanted me to give this to you.¡±


    Heart quietly ground his teeth.


    ¡°...Thank you so very much.¡±


    He shoved the letter into his pocket, knowing there was nothing of importance inside. SoYoon looked at both of the men¡¯s wounds in turn and told them, ¡°I¡¯ll call Alice. Is she here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to look for her, Whitey. She went out.¡±


    Even if she had been here, they didn¡¯t want to be exposed to her powers, which didn¡¯t suit that girl at all. For once, the two men agreed.


    SoYoon brought over the first aid kit and was about to sit on the broken sofa when she found an ax in it. She looked at Heart, but instead of moving it, he pointed at the leg that wasn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in sitting on the sofa when there¡¯s blood on it.¡±


    ¡°You call that an excuse? So instead you want her to sit on an injured person¡¯s leg? That¡¯s so much better.¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with asking the person who will be treating the injury to sit close to the wound?¡±


    ¡°You think like an old man. It¡¯s not safe to be near men like that. Come here.¡±


    That was when SoYoon put down the first aid kit quietly back on the table.


    ¡°You guys look friendly.¡±


    The two men didn¡¯t have time to argue the point because she said immediately after, ¡°You can treat yourselves.¡±

 Chapter 65

    <h4>Chapter 65</h4>


    Eventually the two men had to treat the wounds that they caused each other in front of SoYoon.


    After they finished, SoYoon put the first aid kit back in its ce and was returning to her seat when Heart grabbed her by the arm and sat her on hisp. She was distracted from trying to be careful to not sit on his hurt leg when he whipped off her mask and kissed her passionately.


    Mad Hatter¡¯s anger-filled voice dissipated into the background. She grabbed tightly onto Heart¡¯s shoulder and moaned softly. Heart touched his lips against her, and his lips met her wet lips. When his breath touched her, it became so hot that she leaned her head on his shoulder to try to avoid it.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡±


    She heard himugh.


    A long and cool-feeling finger grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Having lost her strength from the kiss, she easily fell into Mad Hatter¡¯s embrace. She had grabbed his arm for leverage but realized it was wrapped in bandages and quickly let go, but he didn¡¯t pay any attention to it. He sat her on the sofa and cornered her between his arms.


    His arms propped against the back of the sofa, hemanded, ¡°Wash away.¡±


    At that exact moment, water appeared in her mouth and lightly washed everything away.


    ¡°Disappear.¡±


    As he recited the words, the water in her mouth disappeared.


    It was not the best feeling, and she was about to tell him that when Mad Hatter hugged her tight. It felt as if he was clinging on to her in desperation, so she decided to keep her mouth shut.


    She patted him on the back reflexively, which caused Heart to re at Mad Hatter maliciously. Mad Hatter, having made eye contact with Heart, smiled slyly. Eventually, unable to hold in his anger, Heart kicked Mad Hatter.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Heart said with a smiling expression as if he was unaware of the attack.


    ¡°You started it,¡± Mad Hatter said back to him, also smiling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it was a bit shameful to create an opportunity when a girl can¡¯t defend herself because she¡¯s distracted by a kiss?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it is shameful to create an opportunity when she¡¯s ill and weakened?¡±


    Heart frowned at Mad Hatter¡¯s usation that he had slept with SoYoon the day following Cheshire¡¯s attack. He knew that he could beat him at his own game.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I will return the same words to you.¡±


    Heart was talking about the day they had invaded Jack¡¯sir. Feeling a stab of guilt, Mad Hatter shut his mouth. What had happened that night was a secret, so he shouldn¡¯t be continuing this conversation.


    Heart smiled in victory. SoYoon looked at the two men and thought. She was getting a bit hungry and wondered if it would be okay to bring up the topic of lunch.


    A message alert popped up on her smartphone. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the message.


    When Tweedle Dum had asked for her number, she didn¡¯t think that he had intended to put in requests. The message on the screen proved that she had been mistaken.


    /[Pleasee by 2 PM tomorrow.]/


    The address that Dum sent her was neither his house or his office. This wasn¡¯t necessarily something out of the ordinary, so she replied her agreement then put the smartphone back in her pocket. She turned her attention to the two men, who were now arguing about something else.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to eat lunch. If you are going to keep arguing, then continue after we eat.¡±


    ***


    Twins put the cellphone on the table. After sending the message to SoYoon, they sat watching it.


    A few minutester, the message rm rang. Twins stared at the cellphone for a moment then picked it up slowly. As they flipped it open, the screen lit up with SoYoon¡¯s message.


    /[All right.]/


    As expected, her reply was short and to the point. They rubbed their fingers over her answer then turned their head to look around the room. They could see the quickly built cage. They smiled. A very long day was passing them by.

 Chapter 66: Excommunication

    <h4>Chapter 66: Emunication</h4>


    SoYoon looked up at the ce that Tweedle Dum had sent her the address of. It was a one-story building that didn¡¯t have a single window. They must have just finished construction on it because the smell of concrete was still in the air.


    She stood in front of its heavy doors and sent Dum a message. The door opened and he stepped out.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    SoYoon walked past him and went inside.


    ¡°You can sit there.¡±


    As Dum said this, the door locked behind her. The click of the lock echoed behind her but she didn¡¯t give it much attention.


    Unlike its deste facade, the inside was decorated like a simple one-bedroom home. The furniture looked new, the kitchen was organized with the essential, and the bed was neatly made. She sat on the sofa that Dum indicated.


    ¡°Please wait. I will get you something to drink.¡±


    He told her as he headed to the kitchen. The sound of water and nking came from the kitchen.


    ¡°I just acquired this house. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    Dum brought over thick hot chocte. Steam and its sweet scent diffused throughout the small interior.


    ¡°I heard from Dee that you don¡¯t hate chocte, right? It¡¯s made from the cocoa powder bought from Dee¡¯s favorite chocte store so the taste will be alright.¡±


    He took a sip from his blue cup while he pushed the white cup in front of SoYoon. The strong aroma was delightful.


    He loved thick melted chocte. The warm taste mixed with the sweet smell and the sticky consistency reminded him of blood.


    After drinking a couple sips, he put down his cup and smiled at SoYoon who hadn¡¯t even taken off her mask yet.


    ¡°Taste it. It¡¯s really tasty. Um, if you don¡¯t like it, should I get you something else?¡±


    The brightly smiling Dum seemed to radiate a light that couldn¡¯t prate inside the windowless building.


    She breathed in deeply. After getting past the strong scent of the hot chocte, she smelled something familiar. Also, the air was refreshing for a ce indoors. Unless the ce was filtering oxygen into the ce, this wasn¡¯t a natural sensation.


    The ce was specifically created so that the only way to exchange air from the outside was through a single door. The hot chocte in front of her was tainted with a sedative. Taking these two things into ount, there was only one conclusion that she could make.


    ¡°You request?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to take some time exining while drinking this.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have work for me, then I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    SoYoon got up from her seat. Dum replied, ¡°If you must.¡± then put the hot chocte to his mouth. She walked to the door and noticed the mostplicated system of locks. She turned to look at him. Having met her eyes, Dum¡¯s eyes bent like a crescent moon.


    ¡°Why? You said you wanted to leave.¡±


    He put down his cup and walked toward SoYoon. He crept right up close behind her, stared at her thin shoulders, then slowly ced his hands on top of it.


    At one time, he had been surprised to find how fragile she felt. As he swept lightly across her shoulder, he was reminded of this, but he changed the topic.


    He chuckled as he pointed at the lock mechanism and said in a benign tone. Most girls were more scared of this tone than if he had been screaming at them.


    ¡°Were you surprised at finding there was no doorknob? This was specially made. Only I and Dee know how to open it.¡±


    Dum touched the door with his free hand. The door made of thick steel felt cold and heavy. He leaned forward.


    He embraced SoYoon from behind and the scent that triggered his hunger became more potent. Dum buried his face inside her white hair and moved his lips. The euphoric touch filled up his heart.


    ¡°Of course, I have no intention of opening it for you.¡±


    He said practically giddy.


    SoYoon turned her body then, pushed him away and kicked the door. The door bent a little but it didn¡¯t break open in the slightest. She kicked the locking mechanism next but seeing that she didn¡¯t even make a scratch, she frowned. Dum mumbled ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡± and watched as she continued.


    ¡°They told me that you can¡¯t break it, however, strong you may be.¡±


    When he had ordered his minion to find him such a door, he ended up buying one off of Mad Hatter. He didn¡¯t like the idea of using something made from a man SoYoon was close to but he didn¡¯t have a lot of options.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just break through the walls either. It¡¯s reinforced with steel.¡±


    He wondered how long it would take for her to give up. Dum gotfortable on the sofa and followed her with his eyes where she moved. After kicking the door several times, she eventually took out the sword from her back. Dum put his weapon, a knife, in his hand and said.


    ¡°Are you nning to kill me? It still won¡¯t open the door. If that¡¯s the case, you will be stuck in here all alone with my corpse¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you.¡±


    She lifted the sword high and swung down hard. The sound of metal on metal nging echoed through the space. She had been aiming for the hinge. As expected of a fool proof door, the attack caused it to bend but did not break.


    ng! ng! ng! She repeatedly hacked at it until the sound of twisting metal could be heard. Dum got up hurriedly.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    He wrapped his arms around her from behind and tightened his grip. She turned her head and looked up at him. From between the strands of white hair, he could see her crystal like pupils. He also saw her narrow her eyes and crinkle her nose.


    Her face read very clearly that she was not enjoying this, but Dum reached out toward her ear reflexively. Her mask fell to the floor and he could see her red lips. Unlike what he remembered, he realized that her lips were pursed in discontent.


    As if in a trance, he lowered his head and approached her lips. If I could kiss those lips, bite it slightly, then go inside her, how wonderful it would be. However, his fantasy was immediately blocked by her palm.


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    He asked and SoYoon asked back.


    ¡°Why are you doing this.¡±


    Why? Dum blinked. The answer was simple. Because he wanted her.


    He was about to answer as such but something bothered him. He got the feeling that the answer he chose was an incorrect one. But if that was not the case, then why was he feeling this way.


    She pushed him away again and lifted the sword once more. ng! The de and hinge made contact and this time, the hinge on the top broke off. However, Dum was unable to hear that sound.


    When SoYoon had lifted her arms, her shirt had moved and revealed the back of her neck. There he saw a red mark that numbed all his senses other than that specific sight. And so, he didn¡¯t realize that she had managed to break the rest of the hinges.


    She kicked the door until it bent to create a space that one person can escape through. And so within an hour, the 3 days worth of time, money, and even magic flew out the door.


    Dee, who had been quietly observing SoYoon, started cursing. Follow her! They released the locks and ran outside. She had not gotten too far away.


    ¡°Undertaker!¡±


    SoYoon was searching inside her cross bag when she stopped and turned around. White hair and deep pink lips came into view.


    They ran toward her, rushing toward those lips. He opened his lips and swallowed hers, sucking wildly. At this, he felt a tingle spreading throughout his body from his hips. He squeezed her cheeks so that her mouth remained open and they ravaged her small tongue from inside.


    ¡°Ah, oh¡­ah, feels so good¡­¡±


    They couldn¡¯t believe the passionate voice they heard was theirs. The euphoria that filled their head electrified their entire body.


    However, the time they were enjoying was short lived. A hard fist punched their stomach. Gasping, they fell forward, then flew away from her as she kicked them from behind.


    Gasping for breath, SoYoon looked at Twins while wiping off her mouth with her sleeve. She reced her mask with another one she had in her cross bag. She didn¡¯t pay any attention to whether they were suffering or not and casually walked away. Dee called out to her.


    ¡°Uh¡­Hey, stop there¡­¡±


    However, she had no reason to listen to him. Twins stared at the back of her and stumbled back up. They had created this ce for SoYoon, but now it was all useless. They started to smash everything inside.

 Chapter 67

    <h4>Chapter 67</h4>


    After escaping from Twins¡¯s weird plot, SoYoon headed to Heart¡¯s house. When she stepped foot inside his office, Heart immediately held her, removed her mask, and massaged her lips with his.


    ¡°Your lips seem to be a bit more swollen than thest time I saw you?¡±


    Instead of answering, she took off her sword without removing it from the sheath and handed it to Heart. Heart removed the sword and found it battered and dinged.


    He had a habit of not letting anyone in when SoYoon came over so he stepped outside, handed the sword to his men and returned back to the sofa cing SoYoon on hisp.


    ¡°You got hurt here yesterday.¡±


    He reassured her that it was just a small scratch and changed the subject. Hisrge hot hands wrapped around her face.


    ¡°Do you have any requests left to fulfill?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then...¡±


    He lowered his head and kissed her lightly. Then his eyes glimmered.


    ¡°Stay the night.¡±


    His fingers drummed against her back like he was ying a piano.


    SoYoon bit her lip as his fingers hit the between her shoulder des and swept down her spine.


    ¡°You answer?¡±


    Heart bit her ear lightly. She flinched at the sound in her ear then after a moment¡¯s hesitation, she answered.


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    Heartughed after releasing her ear.


    He hugged her then got up and headed toward his desk that was piled with work. They looked to be confidential documents but he showed them to her as if they weren¡¯t important.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I should be seeing some of those.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing in Wondend that you are not allowed to see, my Whitey.¡±


    Heart looked at his papers with his eyes, signed with his hands, and kissed her face all over with his lips. As Heart spent his time busily, SoYoon picked up a novel sitting on the desk.


    It was the second installment of a trilogy. Figuring it will be an interesting read after browsing through it, she poked at the left arm wrapped around her waist.


    ¡°What, White?¡±


    Heart removed his gaze from the documents and kissed the palm of the hand that was poking him. Then he sucked on the tips of her fingers.


    SoYoon removed her hand from his mouth and ced them over her stomach so that he couldn¡¯t get at it again. Heart then spun her around and started to kiss her passionately. And so their conversation only continued after several minutes psed.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the first book of this novel?¡±


    ¡°In the bookcase on the far right.¡±


    SoYoon unwrapped his arms from her waist and headed to the bookcase. She pulled out the first and third book and came back. He watched SoYoon¡¯s actions then when she naturally came back to him, he hugged her andughed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He ced her back on hisp and shook his head. SoYoon followed where he lead her and leaned on his chest as she opened the book.


    When SoYoon lifted her head after finishing the first book, a long time had passed. Heart had already finished all his work and was now watching her with his head propped against his hands.


    ¡°You should have told me.¡±


    As she mumbled this to Heart, he smiled and pet her head.


    ¡°You looked to be concentrating so hard on it. It could have been dangerous if I interrupted.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t concentrating that hard.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been bad but it was not worth concentrating all her energy on. As he had said, it had beenfortable. Only after meeting Heart¡¯s eyes did she realize why. Where she was, she didn¡¯t need to be wary of her surroundings.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to eat dinner so you should stop reading for today. If it was that entertaining, you cane tomorrow and read the rest of it. And you can read the final book the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    SoYoon answered and came down from hisp. Oh, I failed. Heart, afraid that she would change her mind about staying the night, hurriedly lifted her up and took her to the bedroom where their meal was waiting.


    ***


    Her name was Alice Liddell. But all of a sudden, she had lost her body, her name, and her life. The moment the girl who stole her body had stabbed her, she thought she would truly die.


    Right before she took herst breath, however, she felt herself bounce out of her body and fly away to some unknown ce. She realized that she had fallen into another body, but that was it. In her 18 years, she had never felt this feeling of heaviness. And although she had regained consciousness, she could not move her body.


    It was only after a long time in this new body that the situation changed. Something rough but squishy touched her lips. The heaviness she felt was sucked away to that area. Only then was she able to open her heavy eyelids and start to move.


    The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a brown-haired boy. She had been able to glimpse her body thief¡¯s memories and figured out the boy¡¯s name at once: March.


    Alice¡ªalthough thinking about that girl made her furious, it didn¡¯t change the fact that everyone knew her as Alice, and ording to her memories, this boy had liked her. And so, she became defensive toward March. Fortunately, he understood her caution as a normal reaction of a girl who had just woken up in a foreign ce.


    March told her about many things: where this ce was, who found her, how she came to be at this house, and how long it had been since she woke up. The thing she felt most relieved about was that the body she was now inhabiting was a corpse.


    March didn¡¯t know it, but him telling her that made her drastically rx her caution. His sister was also very nice. Dor, finding out that she would fall asleep often, watched over her as if they were sisters.


    She didn¡¯t have to endure the difficulties that she had anticipated when she had walked into Wondend in the past. She was able to bury the thorn in her past of her parents¡¯ passing and losing her body, and her stiff tongue soon came back to normal. The siblings asked for her name, and she told them a new one. She took one syble from her original name and her surname and put it together.


    ¡°Li, a. My name.¡±


    She formed her short name.


    After Twins failed at imprisoning SoYoon, they kept circling her, trying to find different ways to get to her. Every time they saw her from afar, however, they could hear her alto voice echoing around their ears.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    Why couldn¡¯t they answer that? They simply could have told her they wanted her. They contemted their answer because they couldn¡¯t figure out the mixed feelings of lust and fear they continued to have whenever they met her. The answer would note to them, however.


    One night as the sun set over the horizon, Dee was loitering around SoYoon¡¯s house and saw her returning home. The pale girl was bathed in a pink aura as if she had been dipped into the sunset.


    They didn¡¯t realize it, but it was the same feeling they had when they had first met her. She disappeared into an alleyway, but their gaze still followed her path.


    They neither liked nor disliked the color pink. However, that pink somehow looked different. It was gentler and sweeter and softer. Twins realized what it reminded them of.


    ¡°Ah, I must be going crazy.¡± They chuckled at their insanity.


    Pink cotton candy¡ªit didn¡¯t have any resemnce to that girl. But still, they were unable to resist the temptation to lick, bite, and melt over her body.


    They only came back to their senses when they heard a familiar voice from far away. The voice didn¡¯t trigger a fond memory, so they weren¡¯t feeling particrly good about it.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re that person who was with Rabbitst time.¡±


    ¡°Dor!¡±


    Rabbit¡ªwith that one word, he remembered where he had heard that voice, and he turned his head toward it. The brown-haired boy and girl and a ck-haired girl stood there. The second girl was someone he hadn¡¯t seen before, but Twins didn¡¯t pay her much attention. Anyone new who entered here usually got killed soon anyway.


    ¡°What are you doing? Are you waiting for Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°Hey! I said,e over here!¡±


    ¡°Why? He¡¯s a friend of Rabbit.¡±


    Friends with Rabbit. He somehow felt offended by that assumption but suppressed his annoyance.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dee bitterly asked her, but Dor smiled and turned to the other girl.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking a walk with my brother and Li. Li has to walk a bit slowly because she just woke up. That¡¯s what my brother told me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Rabbit¡¯s house is that way. Do you not know the way? Should I take you there?¡±


    Dee looked down at Dor with a strange feeling in his stomach. Her offer to take him to SoYoon¡¯s house made his heart suddenly beat faster, however. Would I be able to see her again then? he wondered.


    Dee was about to blurt out an answer when he heard, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    That voice had been repeating loudly in his head. Twins forgot everything they were doing and stared at White Rabbit. Nothing came into their view except her.


    On the other hand, SoYoon came face-to-face with the recently woken up girl for the first time. And although she was hiding behind March¡¯s back, she greeted them, warily bowing her head.


    ¡°Thank¡ªthank you. I heard you were the one who saved me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything great to warrant your thanks.¡±


    If she had stirred just a little bitter, SoYoon would have handed her over to Duke alive. So the only thing that truly kept her alive was timing.

 Chapter 68

    <h4>Chapter 68</h4>


    Li tired easily, and so they cut the conversation short, and she sent them on their way. Then she turned to Dee. He was still staring at her up until then, and he swallowed when she gave him her attention.


    She ignored him and walked away. As he saw the back of her, his heart dropped, and everything in front of him turned red. Without him knowing, he was running after her.


    ¡°Hey! Who do you think you are!¡±


    Dee grabbed SoYoon¡¯s shoulder roughly, but she removed his hand without flinching. She was incredibly strong.


    He frowned then grabbed her with his other hand. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± he eximed as SoYoon removed his hand again


    ¡°Do you have business with me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°F*ck, how would you know if I have business with you or not?¡±


    ¡°When you saw mest time, you didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    He had been hiding from her, so he hadn¡¯t thought of the possibility that she had seen him. He cursed. SoYoon looked up at him nkly.


    Dee, sensing her staring, yelled at her, ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    He yelled because she was looking at him, yelled because she ignored him. SoYoon sighed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even have anything to say to me,¡± she mumbled under her breath.


    Dee retorted, ¡°I do. I¡¯ll tell you while we go there.¡±


    ¡°Go where?¡±


    ¡°Wherever you are going.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know where I¡¯m going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be the mart or somewhere like that, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Home, requests, Heart, Mad Hatter, mart, restaurant, sometimes March and Dor¡ªthat was SoYoon¡¯s routine. She had been on her way to the mart to buy soap and so said nothing back and continued walking. Dee followed one step behind her,


    Thete-spring wind blew past her and into the Twins. They breathed deeply the soap-scented wind.


    Thin body, thin shoulders, and her white neckline¡ªthey saw through her hair. They had seen the red mark on that neck a couple of days ago, which twisted their insides. Their hand reached for the spot. She blocked that hand.


    Dee red at her with red eyes. ¡°Do you hate it that much? I can¡¯t even touch you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You let that Heart punk do that to you. Did you like it? You sounded euphoric.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?¡±


    They crept up close to SoYoon. The tangy scent felt so close they could touch it. Impulsively, they reached out their arms and hugged her. As they did, they saw her white neck under her cor. They touched the ce with their lips, then unable to resist any longer, they opened their mouth wide. A little, just a little bit¡ªthat was all they wanted.


    Before they could sink their teeth into it, SoYoon kicked them and twisted out of their grasp. She rubbed at her spit-filled neck.


    ¡°Why are you always drooling on me?Do I look like prey to you?¡±


    Prey: before, they would have taken the term positively. Now, they couldn¡¯t decide how to take it.


    SoYoon looked at the sunset. Only a fingernail-sized sun remained. Central¡¯s mart closed when the sun went down. Unable to finish her errand, she turned back around. Then Dum, pretending to be Dee, asked her.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Didn¡¯t Dum try to imprison youst time? Is that information not worthy of telling me?¡±


    Whether they bared their teeth and attacked her or intruded into her house in the middle of the night or imprisoned her or kissed her, her reaction was always the same.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Twins¡¯ heart dropped heavily. But at her next words, they lifted their head and looked at her.


    ¡°Because it happens often.¡±


    The Croquet Games established her position as White Rabbit, but her small, thin stature didn¡¯t go anywhere. Those who didn¡¯t realize her strength did all in their power to try to trick her, and those who knew tried to get her to their side.


    Most of the methods used to achieve this were threats and imprisonment, so to her, this was something barely worth registering as danger. In that respect, Dum¡¯s attempt was pretty novel. No one had tried something like that.


    That night, Twins were lost in thought.


    For a girl who thought imprisonment was normal, pinning her down through brute strength was useless. They would have to think of another way to tie her down. At least that tactic didn¡¯t require them to create a new space.


    They looked around their home, where they found themselves to be the safest. If only that girl were in here with them. Such a happy image made their head tingle.


    Thinking through the night about what they had to do the following day, Twins finally fell asleep early in the morning. The next day, they opened their eyes in the bright sunlight. The weather seemed especially nice that day.


    After cing an order with their chef, they dressed up as Dee and headed to SoYoon¡¯s house.


    ***


    After leaving Dee in the dark, SoYoon returned home to find Mad Hatter there. The moment he saw her, he clung to her and started toin.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t return to me after we left each other that day. Instead, you went to that man¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°I had business with him.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just say I came here because I have business too.¡±


    Once SoYoon put down her sword on the sofa, Mad Hatter hugged her from behind.


    ¡°What did you need?¡± she asked.


    He kissed the ear that peeked out from beneath her white hair and answered, ¡°I missed you.¡±


    SoYoon, who hade back from her outside errands, smelled like soap and wind. It uplifted his mood. He hugged tighter when she lightly pushed him away.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up. Let go.¡±


    Mad Hatter kissed her on the cheek and quickly let her go. She didn¡¯t feel relieved but instead felt a pang of guilt. Seeing SoYoon¡¯s face, heughed softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to rush into things anymore.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just talking to myself. I¡¯ll be waiting, so hurry and wash up.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s no option that you will be returning home?¡±


    ¡°You want me to go all the way to the end of the east side of Wondend at this hour? By myself?¡±


    The person who had the power to destroy all of Wondend by himself asked her while fluttering his long eyshes. SoYoon thought to herself that if he had been born a woman, he might have easily copsed several countries.


    ¡°You seem to be having some disquieting thoughts, SoYoon.¡±


    ¡°...Not really.¡±


    ¡°That kind of answer is worse than just confessing the truth. Now,e on, let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    He coaxed SoYoon into answering, then stared quietly for a while. She slowly avoided his eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, Yochanan.¡±


    ¡°No. That is how I am. All right, that is how you saw me...¡±


    He would be lying if he had said it wasn¡¯t slightly intentional, but to hear it out loud made him feel strange. He forced a brightugh. Hisughter was somewhat threatening. SoYoon was in an awkward predicament.


    Most people run into problems because of what they said, but how did she end up like this with mere thoughts? She sighed.


    Mad Hatter, well rested from a nap, got up and went straight to the kitchen. SoYoon woke upter than him and sat numbly as she received her breakfast from him.


    He sat on the bed and watched her eat, then did the dishes. She washed up and got dressed.


    ¡°When do your requests start today?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any yet today.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good. I had something to talk to you about anyway.¡±


    Mad Hatter stood in front of SoYoon. The light filtering in through the wide blinds was as hazy as her attachment to this ce.


    How cute. Thinking of abandoning me here? he thought, smiling and grinding his teeth.


    Finding out that there was not a single person who had returned home after falling into this dimension, he had thought that the chance of it happening for her was slim. But realizing that this was her motive all along, it made him even angrier. Even though she could not be his, he couldn¡¯t stand having her disappear.


    ¡°I know you came from a different world. You know that also, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yochanan?¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of reasons for you to hate this world. But is there nothing of value here?¡±


    She had been chipped away so that not a single edge of herself remained intact, but she tried so hard to keep this piece of herself alive. Neither Mad Hatter nor Heart wanted to take this away from her. There was no point in shaking the foundations when she couldn¡¯t even properly set foot on their base.


    But if that unsteady foot in this world was thinking of walking away to another, then it was a different story.


    SoYoon and Alice. Mad Hatter knew that the two of them, surprisingly, had a lot inmon. They believed that this world revolved around Alice, as if they hade from the same world where they received the same information. And they didn¡¯t think much of Ye SoYoon¡¯s ability to jump dimensions.


    He gathered all his love for her and kissed her forehead. Contact was an interesting thing, he noted. Sometimes you were able tomunicate so much more with it than words.


    When he removed his lips from her forehead, SoYoon lowered her eyes. She had pinned back her hair, so her face reflected her emotions. Mad Hatter opened his arms and hugged her tightly. He was slightly cool to the touch, and she could hear his heart beating loudly as his whole body embraced her.


    ¡°Yochanan? Why...¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just stay here?¡±


    Mad Hatter gently pulled her away and looked into her face. He looked strangely nervous, and SoYoon blinked then moved her hand. They had been going toward Mad Hatter¡¯s lips when he grabbed them. With a bitter smile, he slowly moved his mouth.


    ¡°SoYoon. I have, for you...¡±


    At that moment, the ss insert of the wall of SoYoon¡¯s house crashed open. Somebody jumped in through the hole. Through the pping vertical blinds, sunlight streamed over dark-blond hair and made it gleam white.


    ¡°You¡ªf*ck¡ªwhat are you nning to do with the doors locked!¡±


    Dee, who had charged into this ce, reached for SoYoon. Figuring out Dee¡¯s motive, Mad Hatter had nned to step aside with SoYoon, but he hesitated when he saw her expression. Dee, taking that as his chance, took her away from Mad Hatter.


    Dee broke more of the ss with his feet then took her outside. Mad Hatter sighed as he looked at the messed-up interior that resembled his messed-up confession. He had already anticipated the answer when she blocked his mouth.


    ¡°Still, I wish you hadn¡¯t looked so relieved...¡±


    It still didn¡¯t change the fact that he loved her.

 Chapter 69

    <h4>Chapter 69</h4>


    Dee walked inrge strides with SoYoon strapped to his back. Her house slippers were dangling from her feet, dangerously close to falling.


    ¡°Let me down,¡± SoYoon said, tapping his back. But Dee paid her no attention.


    ¡°Tweedle Dee?¡±


    He stopped for just a second. She elbowed him in the back.


    The sudden attack loosened his grip, and she jumped off, but he grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that punk? Heart and now him?¡±


    SoYoon released herself from his grip and turned away. She had nned to return home after wasting an hour or two when Mad Hatter would have left.


    ¡°I have, for you...¡±


    Remembering Mad Hatter¡¯s words shocked her. He might already know her motive. She quietly took in the scenery.


    ¡°Is there nothing of value here...?¡± At his question, the faces of the two men popped into her head. What Heart had asked her a few days back rang in her ear.


    ¡°Do you want to leave this ce?¡±


    At that moment, her eyes widened.


    Then her body was turned around hard. Had he not left yet? she thought as she looked into Dee¡¯s angry and annoyed face. His blue eyes burned like fireworks.


    ¡°It¡¯s a request.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, it¡¯s a request. What I¡¯ve been saying every day¡ªthat request.¡±


    ¡°A few days ago, you lied about another request.¡±


    ¡°Look at you talk! You¡¯re the one who made the wrong assumption, and you¡¯re dumping it on me? Check your message to see if it says it was a request.¡±


    Luckily, what she had just said he had strategically mulled overst night. At Dee¡¯s defensive reaction, SoYoon thought back to his message. Dum had not mentioned the word ¡°request.¡±


    Most requests she received were written out like that, however. Getting to the point of business was enough to understand it, so what was the purpose of specifying if it was a request?


    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t know anything about it. If you have a problem with it, bring it up with Dum.¡±


    With that statement, he pulled SoYoon along as he walked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring anything with me.¡±


    ¡°This request doesn¡¯t require any of that stuff.¡±


    Because the opposition was Twins, she would easily be able to stop them with the knife she had strapped to her leg, but she decided she should still say something.


    ¡°Someone lied about a request to me recently. Of course, he got his deserved punishment. If you are nning to trick me, I would give it up now.¡±


    ¡°Did you live all your life being tricked? Why are you so untrusting?¡±


    ¡°You fooled me once already.¡±


    ¡°I did not!¡±


    Dee pulled hard at her wrist. He had already been holding it, but now it showed a red mark in the shape of a hand. She pulled herself out of his grip and massaged her wrist.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Dee looked down at his now-empty hand then looked back up.


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡±


    He grabbed her wrist again and started to walk. SoYoon gave up, and he dragged her along.


    With a height difference of over 20 centimeters, their walking strides differed greatly. As he was walking even faster with wide strides, it was hard for her to keep up with him, and she eventually lost her slipper. She followed Dee a few steps barefoot then put strength into her wrist.


    ¡°What the¡ª! I¡¯m letting you know now, if you try anything funny...¡±


    Instead of answering, SoYoon pointed to her slipper. He took turns looking at the abandoned slipper and her bare feet and started to curse. He lifted her and walked her to her slipper. She had expected him to put her down, but instead, he crouched down with her propped against her thigh and picked up the slipper.


    ¡°F*ck, you call those feet?¡± Dee muttered as he wiped the dirt from her feet. Her feet were smaller than the palm of his hand. ¡°How do you even manage to walk around with these?¡±


    His eyes scanned from her thin ankles to her bony feet to her small toes. Her feet were as pale as if they had never seen sunlight, and blue veins lined their skin. She wiggled her toes.


    ¡°How interesting,¡± he said in a dreamy voice. Dee wrapped his hand around her foot and rubbed at it with his finger. SoYoon interrupted him.


    ¡°Give me the slipper.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dee jumped in surprise. He saw the brown eyes observing him. Only then did he realize that she did not have her mask on, and she had pinned her hair back so that he could see her entire face. She was pretty. Dum, who had been watching from inside, mumbled in a trance. Dee couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    SoYoon stole the slipper from his hand, ced it back on her foot, and jumped down. She looked so frail in the midday sunlight.


    Up until now, they had thought that she was not worthy of their attention, but as they looked at her body, a thought they¡¯d never had before popped into their head: with looks like that, no wonder those guys were all over her.


    Dee took out the pin that held back her hair. Her hair slid down and hid half her face. Feeling strangely content, he held on to her wrist and started to walk again. He didn¡¯t realize that he had cut his strides in half.


    ***


    He finally arrived home with SoYoon. He sat her down on his sofa and sat across from her.


    ¡°This is my request. Stay here in this house.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Please! If I say to stay, just stay!¡±


    Havinge here with nothing, SoYoon thought of the things she needed the most. She had changed out her patch before breakfast, so she was okay for the rest of the day. The next important thing was her smartphone. She remembered she had removed it from her bagst night and left it on the table.


    ¡°I want to go home and bring some things I need.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯ll bring them to you, so don¡¯t leave. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°My bag, smar¡ªcellphone, and sword. My bag and sword are on the sofa, and my cellphone is on the table in front of it.¡±


    SoYoon, thinking that Dee might not understand, told him it was a cellphone instead of a smartphone. Dee had seen her use it before, so she knew he would know what it looked like. But even though she had told him everything she needed, he still didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡± she asked. But he stood abruptly and headed to the kitchen.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go after eating lunch!¡±


    SoYoon looked up at the wall clock. 11:37. He was sensitive when it came to eating, so she figured it made sense.


    Having gone into the kitchen, Dee moved diligently and continued to nce over at SoYoon. She was sitting quietly on the sofa. She was now in their space with them. A sense of pride welled up inside his heart.


    Dee ced the food that his chef had made this morning on the dining table: m chowder with huge chunks of ms and potatoes, a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce, and cucumber and thinly sliced salmon sd. He warmed up the m chowder in a bowl and called out to SoYoon.


    ¡°Hey, Blondie. Come eat.¡±


    They reversed roles from thest time they had spent a week together.


    During the meal, Dee observed the foodid out in front of SoYoon. She ate everything except the m chowder. SoYoon put down her fork after finishing the sandwich and sd.


    ¡°Are you being a picky eater?¡±


    ¡°What are you nning to ask me to do while I stay here?¡±


    There was only one thing they wanted her to do. As they thought this, they started to be aroused and had a hard time pushing down the feeling. That girl had not yet eaten the most important thing.


    SoYoon lifted her spoon. They pretended to poke at their sd as they watched her. Her spoon got closer to the m chowder bowl. They pretended to be eating their food and swallowed. However, her spoon never went into the bowl. ng! The sound of metal hitting ceramic chimed.


    ¡°What are you nning to do after feeding me a sedative?¡±


    She caught us, they thought.


    But how? After failingst time with the hot chocte, they had gone to visit Duke. The scaredy-cat Duke told them everything he knew after they kicked him around a bit.


    The research facility in Outhouse had created a body with a high tolerance for drugs and the ability to sense any drug mixed in with food.


    Duke had recently invented a sleeping gas with good results, but thanks to Heart, the product and the recipe were destroyed and banned. However, Twins were not interested in his dirty work, so Duke¡¯s words went in one ear and out the other.


    The only way to decipher a drug before tasting it would be through scent. And so they purchased Duke¡¯s sedative and dumped arge portion of it into the soup so that he would pass out with just one sip.

 Chapter 70

    <h4>Chapter 70</h4>


    Duke¡ªhe made such a big deal about it being odorless. They decided to give another beating to Duke and pretended to not know what was going on.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I figured as much. This one doesn¡¯t smell as strongly asst time, but I¡¯m overly sensitive to this stuff, so even if it is odorless to others, I can smell it.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t want you to run away while I was gone, so I put it in! What are you, a bloodhound...?¡±


    SoYoon picked up the bowl of m chowder, went to the sink, and tipped in the warm contents.


    After putting down the bowl, she said to Dee, who was ring at her, ¡°I won¡¯t leave, so give me my bag and cellphone and my sword.¡±


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a request, so I won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, why should I trust you?¡±


    Embarrassed at his failed plot, Dee continued toin. From the outside, it looked like he was ming himself for his wrongdoing.


    Not in a good mood due to the drugging incident, she lightly retorted, ¡°You want to pinky swear or something?¡±


    The problem was that Twins, who had never been outside of Wondend, didn¡¯t know what that meant. Dum, who had book smarts but was strangely dense aboutmon sense, and Dee, who didn¡¯t have either, took her to mean something else by the phrase.


    ¡°How cheap to wager a finger. You should at least bet a wrist or an arm...¡±


    ¡°...Forget it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, f*ck, what is it? You¡¯re the one who said you were betting a finger!¡±


    As they left the kitchen and headed back to the sofa, Dee was noisily jabbering. Eventually, she lifted her pinky and ced it in front of his face.


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t have a special girl I like.¡±


    SoYoon grabbed his right hand and lifted his pinky.


    ¡°What, what, what are you doing? Why are you all of a sudden holding my hand...?¡±


    ¡°Hook your pinky onto here. This means that I will keep the promise.¡±


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    Even Dum had heard of the word only through books. Was it like a contract? Either way, it meant that she would not leave the house, so they brought their finger next to hers.


    As their finger got closer, it started to tremble. They had done so much more, so what was the big deal about a finger? They hooked their finger onto hers.


    As the small rough finger touched theirs, electricity shot through their finger to the rest of their body. As they ruminated over this feeling, SoYoon lightly shook her finger.


    ¡°Dee?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, I mean...Then, you won¡¯t leave here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    At her agreement, Twins grinned. It was a bright, innocent smile on a lovely face.


    After finally getting Dee out of the house¡ªshe told him to fix the window he broke while he was there¡ªSoYoon didn¡¯t have much to do, so she spent the rest of her time on the sofa. Her thoughts naturally wandered to Mad Hatter. She shook her head and erased thest expression she saw on him. But thest words he said rang in her ear: ¡°I have, for you...¡±


    I¡¯m going back, she thought. I¡¯m leaving.


    From this conversation, she realized that these two statements meant the same thing. There was no guarantee that she would be able to go back. But thinking of leaving this ce¡ªshe covered her face. If suddenly she was torn away from this ce...the thought irked her.


    She wanted to see her family. That much hadn¡¯t changed. But the faces that she thought of now were not them. Among those faces, the one person that was tethering her to this ce popped into her head. She had thought she would never want to set foot inside this ce again, but this man was pulling her emotions back into it.


    That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t want to ept it. Having nowhere left to run away, she only had one choice.


    ¡°Blondie, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Dee returned. She lifted her head as if nothing was the matter but Dee, seeing her face, frowned.


    ¡°Why are you all depressed?¡±


    SoYoon searched through her things without answering. The only thing he was holding was her cross bag. Dee blurted out excuses.


    ¡°There was no cellphone on the table. The sword was f*cking heavy. So I just left it there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small item the size of my hand. You¡¯ve seen it before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cellphone? Well, I¡¯ll get it next time.¡±


    His tone made it obvious that he¡¯d left it there on purpose. He threw the bag into SoYoon¡¯s arms and pinned back her hair. He hadn¡¯t put much care into it, so clumps of hair slid back down. Through them, he could see her brown eyes staring at him.


    Dee reached out his hand and touched her eyes. She flinched, and hershes touched his finger. He felt embarrassed by the silly touch and blurted out loudly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep! Don¡¯t wake me up!¡±


    ***


    During his long nap, Twins had a very pleasant dream. They had returned to the time where they had rejoiced in the embrace of their bloodied mother. The slight warmth left on her body was dissipating, and their happy dream started to disappear with it.


    A tart scent hit their nose, and the sound of breathing not their own hit their ears. It was the sound of someone asleep.


    Oh, that¡¯s right. I brought that girl here, they remembered. Still drunk on sleep, they thought of SoYoon. As they did, the image of their mother shifted to that of SoYoon. Her hair and skin were soaked in blood, the brown eyes had lost their light, and her breasts were bitten off.


    ¡°Blondie?¡±


    Even at their call, she didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Undertaker?¡±


    They reached out their hands. Their hands pitifully trembled. Once they touched her, she was immensely cold.


    They gasped and woke up. They clenched their still shaky fists and looked over at the spot past the table. They saw SoYoon asleep on the sofa opposite them.


    They walked slowly over and sat next to her. They hadn¡¯t been trying to hide their presence, but maybe because they were no longer a threat, she continued to stay asleep.


    The darkness made her look paler than usual, and the image coincided with the corpse from the dream. They shook their head and erased the picture from their mind. They couldn¡¯t understand it. That had been what they had wanted all this time. Even now, their lust was taking over. This was their chance. Hurry and attack!.


    But they were unable to do it. They grabbed at their still thumping heart. Who would have imagined that they, who weren¡¯t afraid of anything, would be filled with such despair at seeing this girl as a corpse? Even they couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Yes, they couldn¡¯t imagine it. Twins looked down at SoYoon¡¯s hand. There was no way that they could have such feelings for this girl. They carefully lifted her hand. They were small and hard, reflecting her difficult life.


    Twins wrapped their hands around hers and slowly put it in his mouth. They moved their tongue to feel the tips of her fingers and her uneven fingernails. They bared their teeth and bit her finger. With the sound of breaking skin, her finger ripped, and blood started to flow. They had always thought the taste of blood was sweet, but hers was bitter and hot. It caused them pain.


    SoYoon woke up and met their eyes.


    ¡°This is your request? You brought me here to eat me?¡±


    She took her finger out of their mouth. They shook their head, but she ignored them. She pulled out bandages from her cross bag and wrapped her finger. The wound was a small one, so she was soon able to stop the bleeding. Beside her, Twins stuttered excuses.


    ¡°No. We weren¡¯t trying to...¡±


    Unable to wrap their heads around the situation, Twins couldn¡¯t tell what they were saying.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you weren¡¯t trying to do, but I won¡¯t get eaten even if it is a request. So if you were nning to eat me, tell me now.¡±


    If she didn¡¯t like the request, she could kill the requestee. As she told them this, Twins stiffened.


    Only after a long time did Dum speak.


    ¡°No. It really isn¡¯t.¡±


    The bitter taste of blood lingered on his tongue. It passed through his throat, burning his esophagus and stabbing his heart. Not knowing why this ce was hurting, he grabbed SoYoon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Listen to us. We have no intention of eating you...¡±


    ¡°Then why did you bring me here?¡±


    The original n was as she expected, but Dum immediately tried to think of an excuse. However much he racked his brain, there didn¡¯t seem to be an adequate excuse that would exin this situation. Because even they didn¡¯t understand why they had acted this way.

 Chapter 71

    <h4>Chapter 71</h4>


    Prate¡ªit was the fastest way to be one with another. The other¡¯s blood and skin blending with one¡¯s to be one with them. Is that what they wanted from her? But why? They could not find an answer to the question. When Dum couldn¡¯t answer, Dee hurriedly took over.


    ¡°If we tell you to, just listen! We...Oh, sh*t. Yes! We did¡ªso what?¡±


    He shouted that she was too bitter for them to try to eat again, and SoYoon watched him quietly. Seeing this, Dee shut his mouth, turned, and left.


    Twins felt the cold night air and felt themselvesing back to their senses.


    Yes, I had lost my mind for a bit there, Dum thought. My heart dropped just because I saw that girl¡¯s corpse in a dream? She¡¯s no different than any other girl, so how could her blood be bitter? It¡¯s just all in my head.


    Left alone, SoYoony on the sofa. Sleep evaded her, however. She stared at the bandage wrapped around her finger and sighed heavily.


    Twins didn¡¯t return home even as the day ended. Sensing their presence circling the house, she stayed awake.


    Twins had been wandering outside the house all day, unable to return inside. They headed to their office in the early morning and received some unexpected news. Yesterday, someone they would have never expected asked to meet with them.


    Today was the chosen day. Dum remembered the rumors that his influence in Wondend had been demolished. He would be feeling the pressure.


    Dum agreed to meet with him. His men warned that it might be a trap, but he hoped it was. He thought that if he could create some chaos, he might be able to rid himself of this suffocating feeling.


    ***


    Cheshire felt uneasy while staying at the hospital to treat the wounds SoYoon had caused and decided to run for it. He found out muchter that that decision had saved his life.


    He gathered all his men but found that there were only a few left, and many of the ones who were alive were badly wounded. After hearing their exnation of the situation, Cheshire asked who had done this to them.


    ¡°It was Mad Hatter? Not Undertaker or Heart?¡±


    The moment he failed to capture SoYoon, he worried about the state of his hideout in Wondend. It came as a shock to him that not only was his Wondend hideout destroyed, but even his ce in Outhouse was in ruins. Cheshire remembered the rumors he had heard about her when he had been gathering intel.


    ¡°They had said that Mad Hatter and Undertaker looked to be something of an item.¡±


    Maybe sleeping with Undertaker was something special, Cheshire thought sarcastically.


    And soon after, he had lost not only his influence in Wondend but all he had in Outhouse as well. Tax evasion, bribery, his alibi as awyer, and even his identity as the serial killer Hyde were all put out in the open.


    By threatening an acquaintance who worked for the government, he was able to find out that apany that sold magic capsules had released the information. He was then easily able to figure out who was behind all this: Heart, Mad Hatter, and Undertaker.


    Undertaker might not have much influence, but he couldn¡¯tpete with the other two. And so, Cheshire searched for another person who would help him take down those two¡ªsomeone who had enough greed to be jealous of Heart¡¯s reign, who had an ax to grind against Mad Hatter, and who was smart enough to be handled easily.


    ¡°You always treated me like trash, so what brings you here now?¡±


    Cheshire¡¯s chosen partner was Twins. Tweedle Dum was smiling from across the table at him. His words stabbed at him, but Cheshire was not in a position to be picky.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be partners to bring down Heart and Mad Hatter.¡± As Cheshire told him this, Dum lowered his blue eyes and hid his reaction. Cheshire was too busy exining Heart¡¯s and Mad Hatter¡¯s violent behaviors, though, to realize it.


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason? Heart and Mad Hatter may act however they want, but there must be a reason for bringing them into this?¡±


    ¡°Reason? Do you think I need a reason? I made a mistake putting in a request to Undertaker, and this is what happened to me.¡±


    ¡°I guess you could call it a request.¡± It was a request to be captured by him and be Duke¡¯s toy. Although he had used someone else¡¯s name, it was true that it was still a request.


    The moment Cheshire uttered the name Undertaker, Dum¡¯s eyes gleamed red. SoYoon had told him yesterday that someone recently had lied about a request. That had been Cheshire. Dum wore a bored expression.


    ¡°Undertaker?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Oh, you don¡¯t have any connection with her. She disposes of corpses. There were rumors about her and Heart for a long time, but she seems to have something with Mad Hatter also for him to take part in it.¡±


    Twins thought of SoYoon: her unwavering face that ignored their words, her cold eyes, her hair and blood glistening in the dark. The drops of blood on her finger danced in front of their eyes.


    Did it hurt? they wondered. It must have hurt. We bit through her skin. When we return home, should we try to exin ourselves again? That we don¡¯t intend to eat or hurt her? She needs to trust us.


    They were mulling over these thoughts in the middle of the night when they came to a strange realization. They had taken turnsing out to speak to her. And yet, she just watched them as if this was normal. Does this girl...?


    While lost in thought, Twins heard Cheshire and his men talking to each other.


    ¡°I heard that Mad Hatter and Undertaker were an item. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t even tell if it¡¯s a girl or a guy. Would you want to do that?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, everyone shut up!¡± Inside Dum, Dee yelled furiously. Dum¡¯s anger was also boiling. He gripped the chair tight with his fist.


    Even though he had already assumed this much, hearing it from someone else felt like sh*t. His desperation to have her, his disappointment upon each failure, her deep rtionship with other men¡ª no, this is. This feeling is sh*t.


    Dumughed out loud lightly. At first nce, it sounded soft and gentle, but within it was a viciousness that all there felt. He spoke to Cheshire¡¯s tensed-up gang.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite obvious. You probably set a trap for Undertaker, no? Heart¡¯s involvement is obvious too. Mad Hatter¡¯s was, well...probably some part-time work. But...¡±


    SoYoon had asked them why they were acting like this. The fact that they had been unable to answer previously was obvious: you can¡¯t answer something you don¡¯t know. The Twins had been so naive that they did not know that this rage was due to jealousy, and the reason for the jealousy only just hit them.


    They directed their eyes to the gang in front of them and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m another one of those guys who want to be with that person who you can¡¯t tell is a girl or a guy.¡±


    The second after he said this, Twins kicked the table at Cheshire. He took out his knife, and it sliced through the air and shed at the surprised expression on Cheshire¡¯s face.


    Twins were overwhelmingly victorious over Cheshire and the rest of his men. Cheshire had lost a majority of his men and ran with a scar on his face.


    Inside, Dee clicked his tongue. We should have cut his life short so that he couldn¡¯t mess with that girl again, he thought. Realizing their actions revolved around a single person, they finally came to the epiphany at what their head and heart had been trying to tell them all along.


    We are in love with this girl, they realized


    ***


    Twins ordered their men to clean up after them and ran back to their home where SoYoon was. It was a path they walked each day, but as they got closer, their heart beat loudly in anticipation. No, they realized, this was not strange; this was obvious: they were in love with this girl.


    In front of the house, they gathered their breath and straightened their hair. When they open this door, she will be there, they thought. They reached for their keys but realized that the door they hadn¡¯t locked was open and put them back.


    ¡°We¡¯ve really let down our guard.¡±


    Muttering to themselves, they opened the door. They saw SoYoon sitting on the sofa.


    ¡°Oh, Undertaker.¡±


    Dum stepped inside with a bright smile.


    ¡°Have you eaten...? The chef¡¯s already been by. That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    He sat opposing SoYoon after ncing over at the dining table. A cold sweat drenched his hands as they rested on hisp. He coughed.


    ¡°First, um, I¡¯m sorry about yesterday. I had been dreaming, and it must have affected me. I hope you will trust me when I say something like that will not happen again.¡±


    Dum observed SoYoon¡¯s expression. She wore the same emotionless expression she always had. After seeing her nod, he smiled widely.


    ¡°Thank you. How¡¯s your wound?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Dum looked her straight in the eye. Her bangs were pinned back so her entire face could be seen easily. It made it hard for him to breathe. He immediately wanted to avoid her gaze, but this was not the time to do so. He continued to speak in an almost feminine manner.


    ¡°We were a bit taken aback by yesterday also. Because we didn¡¯t realize that you knew that we were one person.¡±


    The calm brown eyes suddenly widened. They seemed to say, I made a mistake. Ah ha, they thought; she knew about them.


    Getting up from the sofa, they walked around the table and sat next to SoYoon. She was reacting to them. They had already felt as if they were flying, but her reaction made them feel even happier.


    They smiled as they looked at her and said, ¡°I like you.¡±


    The sound of their heart beating throbbed in their ears. The whole world was in ck and white other than the one person who glowed with all the colors of the rainbow. This is what it meant to like someone. With their fairytale prince looks, they smiled brightly like a small child.

 Chapter 72

    <h4>Chapter 72</h4>


    ¡°I could never have imagined that you knew we were one person.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what had happened to him, but Dum had shown up drenched in blood and ragged clothes. Then he said this to her as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    In the middle of the night, when Dee and Dum had taken turnsing out, she didn¡¯t have much of a reaction to it. Because she had already known that the two of them were one, she thought this was a natural urrence. She had passed this moment without much thought. Only after a few seconds did she realize what this meant.


    When Alice had healed Dee¡¯s wounds, Twins felt a sense of motherly love that they had never felt before. On top of that, Alice was weak, unlike their mother, and so was unable to show any sign of violence toward them. Like the way you would get soaked eventually from a light shower, their attraction to Alice was enhanced when they found out that she knew that they were two people in one body.


    If she had remembered that one second earlier, she would have stopped herself from uttering these words, SoYoon thought as she looked at the smiling Twins.


    ¡°I like you.¡±


    The simple three words dragged her into reality. No longer having anywhere to run to, she slowly lowered her eyes.


    Now, there was nowhere here that resembled the world of Wondend.


    ***


    Starting from that day, Twins treated herpletely differently. Once they figured out their confused emotions, they realized their feelings were not motherly. They wanted to touch her because they liked her; they were scared of her dying because they liked her. Dee concluded this instinctively; Dum, through book learning.


    The day Twins confessed to her, SoYoon decided to read in their library to break up her boredom. She browsed the shelves of books when she came upon a title she knew from memory. It was the trilogy novel that she had read at Heart¡¯s office. She pulled out the second book as Dum pulled out the first book.


    ¡°This is the first book in the series. That¡¯s the second one.¡±


    ¡°I read the first one.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer and instead found a spot on the sofa. Dum sat next to her and opened the first book.


    His elbow leaned against the back of the sofa, and his fingers lightly swept across her white hair. SoYoon didn¡¯t react to his touch and opened her book. At this, he narrowed his eyes and nced at her.


    Truthfully, Twins hadn¡¯t thought much about what would happen after the confession. They¡¯d never felt anything like this before, so they didn¡¯t have the leisure to figure out that part after sorting through their mixed emotions. But what she said felt as if she¡¯d dumped ice water on them.


    ¡°I have no feelings for you.¡±


    The answer was an obvious one. The only interactions between SoYoon and the Twins had been one request and several encounters. As they were reeling from the pang in the corner of their heart, she said something else that froze them.


    ¡°How long is this request valid for?¡±


    If it were too long, SoYoon would most definitely storm out of here, so they told her one week. She said that was still too long, but when they brought up the point that Dee had stayed at her ce for a week, they were able to persuade¡ªor more urately beg¡ªher to agree. They were hoping to change her mind about them that week.


    Twins ced the book on theirp and observed SoYoon. Her profile was smooth and looked western. If we asked her where she was from, would she get mad? they thought as they continued to examine her face.


    They were sure her white, smooth skin was something she had been born with. There was no way that a girl who washed with soap from head to toe would take the extra time for a skin regimen. The pale cheeks and lips didn¡¯t seem to be her natural look, however. He was sure those were a consequence of her time at the research facility, as Duke had told him.


    It was then when her eyes, which had been reading, looked over at him. The whiteshes that wrapped around her white eyes felt dreamlike, and so in a trance, they blurted out their thoughts.


    ¡°Hey, I really like you.¡±


    She blinked several times then turned her attention back to the book. It was the same reaction she¡¯d had when they first confessed to her. They narrowed their eyes and watched her, then leaned onto her shoulder and peered at the book.


    ¡°This is fun?¡±


    The person who answered was not SoYoon but Dum.


    ¡°It¡¯s fairly fun.¡±


    That would have been a strange sight, but they didn¡¯t pay it any attention, because the only person who knew about their identity was SoYoon, and she would understand.


    The doorbell rang. Given the hour, it was probably the chef.


    ¡°He¡¯s interrupting us.¡±


    He clicked his tongue then left the library. SoYoon sighed.


    Twins left for the office to eat lunch. SoYoon, who was now alone, continued to read. It wasfortable to not think of anything else when she was concentrating on the words. The sun had gone down, and she felt a presence. She put down her book and went to the door. Dum opened it, and upon seeing her face, opened his eyes wide and smiled expansively.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    He tookrge strides over to her and hugged her. She had been here for three days, and now she smelled like them¡ªlike a refreshing tart lime.


    ¡°Oh, this is nice.¡±


    Dee had woken up and muttered to Dum that he wasn¡¯t ying fair and flexed his arm.


    SoYoon and Twins stood side by side at the kitchen to set up the dinner the chef had left behind. SoYoon ced the rose stew filled with seafood onto the induction and put the chicken sd into a bowl. Twins continued to watch her.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked bluntly, and they gave her a peck on the cheek.


    ¡°I like that you are in this house.¡±


    ¡°Even if it is only for a week?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you look so pretty when you are so cold. It must be because I like you.¡±


    ¡°Twins.¡±


    She put down the things she was holding and turned to him. He had been right behind her. She pushed him back so that some space separated them.


    ¡°I¡¯m Dum now. Call me Dum.¡±


    ¡°...Sure, Dum. I¡¯m going to tell you now that I will never like you back. So don¡¯t waste your time.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I¡¯m supposed to be disappointed by this, right? Are we that unattractive?¡± Dum asked as he naturally swept away the hair that stuck to her cheek. On his face was a luxurious smile that anyone would fawn over.


    Truthfully, they were fairly confident. Even a girl with the highest standards had never withstood their seduction.


    They didn¡¯t want Undertaker SoYoon, but the girl SoYoon. If that was the case, they just had to appeal to her feminine side. Dum swept her hair behind her ear and rubbed it with the ends of his fingers. She watched their eyes glisten then turned away.


    ¡°The stew is boiling.¡±


    She turned off the induction and moved the hot pot over to the table using a dishtowel. Having failed to set the atmosphere, Twins watched the back of her nkly. For the first time, they wondered if a week was not going to be enough time.

 Chapter 73

    <h4>Chapter 73</h4>


    The next afternoon, Twins, as requested, returned the smartphone and sword to SoYoon.


    When she opened the home button, she found the screen full of missed calls and message notifications. She first checked the request messages and realized she didn¡¯t need to do anything in a hurry. The small requests she handed over to March then hesitantly read Heart¡¯s messages.


    Heart probably knew where she was and who she was with. Seeing how many people had seen Twins with her, she was positive he was aware of it. Knowing SoYoon¡¯s strength, he would realize she was staying there of her own will.


    She called Heart right away. It rang only a few times before he answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Heart was quiet for a while then sighed: Whitey. It felt like she hadn¡¯t heard the sound of his voice for a long time.


    ¡°Have you returned home?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still at Twins¡¯ house? It¡¯s a request, right?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Whitey. I don¡¯t want to interfere with any of your requests, but that dog is not worth it. You haven¡¯t forgotten what that jerk is like, have you?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Your answer is too short, Whitey. Say more. I want to hear your voice.¡±


    SoYoon closed her eyes. She had so many emotions flowing through her that she didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to say. Then, Twins, who were watching her from a few steps away, interrupted her.


    ¡°What are you doing? Who is it?¡±


    Heart ground his teeth upon hearing Dee through the phone.


    ¡°How dare that dog.¡±


    ¡°Heart, I called you to let you know I¡¯m okay. I¡¯ll call you again...¡±


    ¡°Were you worried that I was worried about you?¡±


    It was a weird statement, but it was true. SoYoon kept her mouth shut. Heartughed on the other side of the smartphone.


    ¡°Were you worried, Whitey? I know you are strong, but worrying isn¡¯t something you can control. So don¡¯t do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°I told you your answers are too short. How long do you have to stay there?¡±


    ¡°One week.¡±


    ¡°All right. If you stay there even one extra day, I¡¯m going toe get you personally. Got it?¡±


    After she hung up, she nervously checked Mad Hatter¡¯s message. ¡°I have, for you...¡± She was afraid he would have written a continuation of that phrase.


    That¡¯s when Dee asked her. ¡°Do you...like that punk?¡±


    The SoYoon they knew was nonexpressive and indifferent. And so, Twins couldn¡¯t imagine that she could like anyone. They didn¡¯t think she was a type of girl who could talk in that tone of voice or smile like that.


    Instead of answering, SoYoon lowered her eyes. That action alone was a better confirmation than if she had answered. She went back to checking her messages.


    Luckily, Mad Hatter¡¯s messages only seemed to ry his worry about her. Calling him felt more difficult, so she put her smartphone in her pocket and got up from her seat. She was thinking about reading in the library again.


    The conversation he had thought she ended must not have been enough for Dee, however. He grabbed her shoulder, turned her around, and asked her again.


    ¡°Do you like that punk?¡±


    Again, she didn¡¯t answer. At this, she didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but Dee frowned.


    ¡°F*ck, why can¡¯t you like us instead of that useless guy? Why would you waste your time on a guy like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right! Heart, you must be blind...forget about that guy, Undertaker. I¡¯ll be really good to you. Hm? Heart, I didn¡¯t know it, but he¡¯s a really bad guy. We would never do that to you. You trust us, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Even Dum came out and hugged her gently, trying to persuade her. Somehow she had be a girl with a crush on Heart. She mulled over the thought and sighed.


    ***


    SoYoon looked down vacantly at the cutting board. A sliced carrot sat on it. Dee, who was milling around her, peered over her shoulder.


    ¡°You wereining about not knowing how to cook, but you look to be pretty good at it.¡±


    As he had noticed, she had neatly sliced the carrots in the same size. She had prepped the meat earlier, cutting it into cube-size pieces.


    She hade to be preparing food because of Dee¡¯s suddenint. On the fifth morning, Dee grumbled about the food. The mushroom soup was too runny, and he left half of it uneaten.


    ¡°That chef. I go easy on him for a couple of days, and he cks off. When hees back...¡±


    His casually tossed words foreshadowed a bloodbath, so SoYoon scooped up a spoonful and put it to her mouth. The smell of mushroom and cream filled her senses. It was a delicious soup.


    ¡°It tastes fine.¡±


    When SoYoon said this, Dee stared at her then said out of the blue, ¡°Blondie, try cooking something.¡±


    However much she tried to convince him that she did not know how to cook, she couldn¡¯t dissuade him. Eventually, she stood at the counter in the kitchen. She used a knife daily, so her cutting skills were superb. She was at least good at chopping. She peeled the orange-colored onion skin and ced it on the cutting board. Dee, who had been watching her, suddenly started to panic.


    ¡°You, you...! Blondie, why are you...?¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s eyes turned red as tears ran down her pale cheeks. Dee, not knowing what to do, paced to and fro, and when his eyes met hers, he frowned.


    ¡°Why¡ªwhy are you crying all of a sudden...?¡±


    He took his cardigan sleeve to her face. As the slightly rough material rubbed against her face, her cheeks turned red.


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s voice was expressionless, but because he was not able to recognize that tone, he hugged her tight. Her tears soaked into his clothes.


    ¡°Did you get hurt? Did you cut yourself? Oh, you should have been careful. You¡¯re, oh, sh*t...¡±


    ¡°Let go.¡±


    ¡°Does it not hurt anymore? Hey, let go of the knife, and let¡¯s treat it first.¡±


    There was nothing to treat in the first ce. Tears hade to her eyes because she had been chopping onions. Telling Dee that she didn¡¯t need treatment, she pushed him off and pressed her T-shirt to her eyes to wipe the tears. Dum had bought her that T-shirt, and the material was soft. It was probably expensive but seeing how she hadn¡¯t bought it, she didn¡¯t care.


    She chopped the rest of the onions quickly as Dee watched her hands and frowned. Even when she ced the onions on a different te and started chopping the potatoes, his expression didn¡¯t change. He grabbed at the hand that was slicing the potatoes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it instead...!¡±


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    The knife knicked SoYoon¡¯s finger. Following the thin line, drops of blood formed on it. Dee gazed at the red blood on the pale skin and gulped.


    ¡°You want to eat it?¡±


    Half out of his mind, he didn¡¯t realize that he was nodding at her question.


    She put her finger in front of him, and he slowly lowered his head. The sharp smell of onions hit his nose and overshadowed the smell of blood. Through his thick lips, his wet tongue poked out. Like a thirsty traveler in a desert who had found drops of water on a leaf, he carefully leaned toward the blood with his tongue.


    It was immensely sweet. Dee shivered in ecstasy and had a sudden realization. If SoYoon permitted him, she could taste sweeter than anyone.


    Holding SoYoon¡¯s hand, he licked the wound until he was jolted back to reality when she kicked him. He grabbed his leg andined.


    ¡°Heartless girl.¡±


    She ignored himpletely and continued to chop the potatoes. She had finished prepping all the ingredients and so went to put a pot on the induction.


    At this, he hugged her from behind and said, ¡°Still, I like you.¡±


    His voice sounded shy. SoYoon froze for a moment but soon went on to put butter in the heated pot.


    SoYoon¡¯s choice of menu was curry because it was difficult to mess up. When she put the curry powder into the pot, the room filled with the smell of its spices.


    When it looked to be almost done, she tasted it. It only smelled like it should. The vegetables were undercooked or burned, and the meat was dry. More importantly, the texture of the curry was thick as it should be but strangely tasted weak and watery. With the added taste of burnt vegetables, it wasn¡¯t something she wanted to eat.


    ¡°I want to taste.¡±


    Instead of answering, she poured some curry into a small te and handed it to him. If he threatened to kill her because of the taste, she was hoping to use it as an excuse to leave this house. As expected, Dee cringed after tasting the curry.


    ¡°Sh*t. This is food? You really can¡¯t cook for sh*t, can you?¡±


    ¡°I told you I can¡¯t...what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m eating it. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Dee scooped a huge pile of rice the chef had left and poured a hearty scoop of curry over it. Then without any condiments other than pickles, he finished the entire te.


    ¡°This is awful,¡± heined as he got more rice.


    SoYoon, who had been watching this, brought herself a te and started to eat opposite him. Even though she had made a lot of the curry, they finished the entire pot in one sitting.


    After this, SoYoon ended up standing in the kitchen many more times.


    ¡°I¡¯m done eating,¡± Dum said, putting down his fork. Dee grumbled openly about the food while Dum always thanked her for it. Today¡¯s menu was carbonara. Although she used the bottled sauce from the store, it somehow ended up salty. SoYoon assumed she had put in too much salt while she was cooking the pasta.


    Dum gulped down a cup and a half of water and approached her with his head down. His blue eyes glimmered teasingly.


    ¡°Chaser,¡± he said, pouting.


    SoYoon looked back at him without even the tiniest reaction, and it embarrassed him. However, Dum pretended he didn¡¯t care and urged her, ¡°Hurry. Please?¡±


    SoYoon passed him and went to the living room. Dum hurriedly grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Then I can do it.¡±


    His moist lips came toward her. SoYoon quickly blocked his lips with her palm. When Dum¡¯s lips came into contact with her hand, he smiled, his eyes bending like crescent moons.


    He stayed in that position for a long time, then carefully removed his lips and looked at her. The never-changing girl looked back at him.


    Dum, without realizing it, whispered, ¡°I like you.¡±


    However many times they confessed, SoYoon didn¡¯t react once. Confessing to a wall might warrant more of a response. Dum was ovee by anger and frustration.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me. Even if it is you, you can¡¯t just ignore our feelings,¡± Dum mumbled as he hugged her. The smell of soap wafted up from her white neck. Dum lowered his head and bit hard at her neck. A few drops of blood formed there. Dum stuck out his tongue and licked at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s bitter.¡±


    He frowned but licked each and every drop.

 Chapter 74

    <h4>Chapter 74</h4>


    Nonmagical people have always existed. Throughout their short history, society treated them as either handicapped or sick. And as a result, the number of these people started to decrease drastically.


    About 100 years ago, the 30 or so nonmagical people left in existence, realizing the difficulty of their situation, left to create their own city. That city became Wondend.


    The government weed this news because they had been unable to kill them for fear of the media or to leave them within their cities when they were so useless. And so, the government restored the capital and gave them Wondend. And after many years, Wondend became a refuge for ouws. It had gained a strength that could very well be a threat to the government.


    Afterward, magic in humans slowly started to disappear to a point where, even in Outhouse, although it was kept hushed, many of the residents had no magical powers. Whether you had magical powers or not became irrelevant.


    Because the residents of Wondend were able to create a world that didn¡¯t require magical powers and were sessful in bing powerful in their own right, this city¡¯s figures were a definite threat to the government.


    The residents of Outhouse believed that Wondend and the government had no rtionship with each other whatsoever. In most respects, that was true.


    From Heart¡¯s perspective, however, things were different. To the government, Wondend was just a trash can in which to throw their fugitives. Heart was the head of those fugitives.


    And this was the reason invaders hade to find Heart. Unfortunately, these invaders had chosen the worst time to mess with Heart as he was in the foulest of moods. Of course, they had no idea of this, but sometimes stupidity can be seen as a sin. Heart¡¯s men shrank nervously and gasped in fear the moment they saw Heart¡¯s crooked smile.


    With his elbow propped against the armchair and his head lying on his hand, he stared at the unwee visitors with a tilted head. As his eyes burned with a mix of explosiveness and seduction, the mood became a bit erotic. The only woman who had followed them to catch a glimpse of an actual nonmagical being watched him with unfocused eyes.


    Heart nced at the woman, who lookedzy but had a glimmer of violence in her eyes. Although he had already been smiling, he looked at the woman like he was interested in her. When the woman blushed red, an old man coughed next to her.


    ¡°Eh hem! Our business is this. This matter has been taken up to the government, so we hope you will be amodating.¡±


    Heart¡¯s men frowned as they heard them talk down to Heart. Heart didn¡¯t pay much attention to them and instead started to count the days in his head again. Today had been exactly seven days.


    That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll have to get her. Right now. As he thought this, he heard someone cough. Heart looked up and stared at the man.


    That man had hurt Whitey. No, to be more exact, all of them had hurt her, he thought. Heughed.


    ¡°What did youe here to get?¡±


    He mocked them as if he hadn¡¯t heard a single thing they¡¯d said. Heart¡¯s men who stood guard started to feel slightly sorry for the government researchers. Of all the people, they hade to Heart, and of all the people, they hade for that girl. None the wiser, the man yelled at him with a vein popping out his neck.


    ¡°The white-haired, brown-eyed girl. Our experiment! We already know she is here, so don¡¯t go pretending you don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Even if you say it like that, I still don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°If you make this more troublesome than it has to be, we will have no choice but to tell those on top! This one is important to the government as well!¡±


    SoYoon was special even among the experiments. The other nonmagical subjects and even the other dimension jumpers had all died, unable to handle the experiments. Not only had she survived, but now she had be a monstrously powerful entity because of it. Her usefulness and herck of resistance made them think that it would be safe to name her as an agent, but when she broke away from her leash and ran away, it put the government and the researchers in a tough spot.


    There were three reasons the research facility and the government had an interest in her: first, her usefulness as a weapon; second, the danger of an unleashed animal; third, her mysterious ability to block the signal of the brand.


    The most powerful magicians of their day had created the brand on her shoulder. The wizards of today only knew how to use it but didn¡¯t know how it actually worked. But if that signal could somehow be blocked, the implications were huge. It would lead the way for a new generation of more powerful magicians, and they wanted to be the ones to harness that power.


    Heart had no interest in any of this. Truthfully, Heart wanted nothing more than for all the magic in the world to copse in on itself, and he would be the first to stand on the sidelines cheering about its demise.


    ¡°Hm, a threat?¡±


    He ced his hands behind his back. He grasped the handle of the ax he¡¯d hid under his jacket.


    ***


    A few momentster, the drawing-room door opened. At the same time, the smell of blood filtered through the hallway.


    ¡°Get rid of the ones inside. The rest of you are dismissed.¡±


    At Heart¡¯smand, a couple of his guards ran inside the drawing room while the rest of them dispersed. Heart didn¡¯t spare them another nce and stomped over to the front door.


    The guard near him asked, ¡°Are you going somewhere, sir?¡±


    ¡°To bring back what is mine.¡±


    He answered curtly and stepped outside. With the sun shining blindingly, it was a beautiful day.


    ***


    Twins¡¯ house was quite far from Heart¡¯s house. Heart walked many times faster than normal and so arrived there earlier than expected. When he got to the front of Twins¡¯ house, he ran into another person. The two men¡¯s faces frowned simultaneously.


    ¡°Mad Hatter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Heart.¡±


    Even the violently purple bo on Mad Hatter¡¯s head couldn¡¯t block his good looks. Heart red at him as if he was chewing on bugs. Mad Hatter had the same expression. Heart had a more masculine type of handsomeness than Mad Hatter, and he wrinkled his brow grumpily at him.


    The two men were able to call a truce because they had the same motive foring here. The enemy they had to fight against now was not each other. They headed to the door together, where they heard quiet voices in conversation. Mad Hatter concentrated hard to catch her voice. Wondering how he had survived this long without the sound of it, his body reacted to the evidence of her presence.


    A different voice, one that he had phased out, never wanting to hear again, was now uttering words he could not tolerate.


    ¡°...you, I like you!¡±


    The two men swallowed hard, then heard SoYoon respond with a sigh.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    At that moment, the two men, no longer able to contain themselves, broke down the door.


    ***


    SoYoon woke up early in the morning. She turned her head and saw Twins asleep. They looked extremely ufortable lying on the sofa with their long legs draped over the armrest, but they insisted on sleeping there even with the bed avable.


    Through the misty morning sunlight, their dark-blond hair glistened, and she saw their sculpted profile and strong jawline. SoYoon stared at their face until they flipped over, muttering in their sleep.


    They had told her they liked her. Those words were enough to shake off the curtains that covered her eyes. Watching them without that barrier made herprehend her reality. There was no escaping now.


    Exactly one week had passed today from the time she had arrived at this house. As time passed, she could sense Twins¡¯ anxiety growing.


    She rubbed her neck. The ce where they had bitten her previously bore a peach-colored teeth mark. If they were to see this, what would they say? She imagined the pitiful face of Twins forcefully smiling as they tried to suppress their anger.


    Then, Twins started to stir and got up. They yawned and rubbed their eyes roughly. It must be Dee. He smiled when his eyes met SoYoon¡¯s. Not yet fully awake, his smile was like a small child¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy...¡± Dee mumbled as she approached the sofa where he was lying. His long arms wrapped around her.


    ¡°Get off,¡± she said, but he either didn¡¯t hear her or pretended not to, because he yawned again and closed his eyes. Soon, his breathing changed to a rhythmic calm.


    Unable to escape his long arms, she rxed her arms and ended up falling asleep. The sweet and sour smell of lime soap floated around them.

 Chapter 75

    <h4>Chapter 75</h4>


    When Dee and SoYoon opened their eyes again, it was nearing 10 o¡¯clock. The moment they woke up, Dee whined for food, and SoYoon headed to the kitchen.


    Wondering what she should make, she opened the fridge and found eggs. She reached for a frying pan when Dee interrupted from behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m not eating fried eggs. Or boiled ones.¡±


    Twins were a handful. Dee only liked meals that wereplicated, and that gave her a high chance of messing up. SoYoon contemted what to do with the egg in her hand and decided to steam it.


    Trying to recall her hazy memory of her mother¡¯s recipe, she beat the eggs and seasoned them, Dee suddenly came over and leaned on her shoulder, which caused her to dump a bunch of salt into the egg mixture. She stared down at it for a moment but then went on to put it in a pot and over the induction.


    The steamed egg she made was a failure. Deeined about its saltiness, the burnt taste, and the hardened texture but continued to takerge spoonfuls and shove them in his mouth.


    ¡°Be thankful it¡¯s us that¡¯s eating it. If it were anyone else, they would never eat...¡±


    Dee smiled all of a sudden. His expression revealed his embarrassment as he nced over at SoYoon.


    ¡°Hey, is it true that in Outhouse, everyone gets married? Dum told me that if you do, then you have to live together forever.¡±


    In Wondend, marriage was rare. Everyone was too busy taking care of themselves to be bothered by someone who could potentially be a threat or a burden. For someone from Wondend, and the slums no less, the word ¡°marriage¡± probably came up only in books.


    SoYoon turned her attention toward Dee. He had been observing her for a response, but when their eyes met, he hurriedly pretended to be doing something else.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not saying I want to do it or anything.¡±


    ¡°Twins.¡±


    SoYoon put down her utensils. Nervousness passed through Dee¡¯s blue eyes. He looked too sensitive to be just Dee, so SoYoon knew that both Dee and Dum were listening.


    ¡°Today¡¯s thest day of your request. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°...What are you talking about? There are still two days left.¡±


    If you calcted one week from the time that Twins had told her how long she had to stay, then they were right. SoYoon counted from the first day that Twins put in their request, however.


    She didn¡¯t bother exining all this and stared at Twins instead. As she did, Twins mmed their utensils loudly on the table.


    ¡°F*ck, you don¡¯t have a grain of attachment, do you?¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve been here, I¡¯ve had a lot of other requests I need to get to. I¡¯ll get going now.¡±


    Twins grabbed her as she got up from her chair and headed to the living room. They pulled her in and hugged her. She ended up on theirp as they squeezed her tightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    They buried their face in her neck and rubbed their cheek onto hers. SoYoon pushed them away and got off theirp, but they grabbed her arm and pushed her hard into the wall.


    SoYoon sighed as they put their hands inside her shirt and roughly touched her. She grabbed their cor and twisted her body.


    m! Their position switched as she smashed Twins into the wall. Having hit their head, their vision blurred for a moment, and SoYoon said to them, ¡°I¡¯m not your mother.¡±


    If she had said this even a bit more nicely, Twins would have felt satisfied. However, she had no intention of doing that because that would be good for neither her nor them.


    Twins turned white in shock as they removed their lips from her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    SoYoon looked up at them silently. Her crystal brown eyes had soaked up the morning sun, and bits of silver danced within them. But they were not the nice fairy dust they had previously imagined. They were like broken shards of weaponry, cold and sharp. Looking at that, Twins sank into darkness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t judge me.¡±


    Their initial feelings toward her may have been true to her assumptions, but they weren¡¯t that now. Twins heard their heart thudding in their ears. When their hands grazed hers, their heart would beat like a drum. Whenever they saw her lips, they didn¡¯t want to bite them but instead wanted to caress them.


    They lowered their head. Her hands were strangling them, but they didn¡¯t care. They kissed her lips. They hadn¡¯t said anything, but they expected SoYoon to say, ¡°You would never do this stuff if you actually felt that way.¡±


    SoYoon also knew that she did not have a single drop of blood rtion to them; they were total strangers. No one could say with certainty that their feelings were 100 percent maternal.


    ¡°Marry me, and let¡¯s live together.¡±


    After Dum learned that marriage in Outhouse was a good thing, they had wanted to say this to her for a long time. She pushed Twins away, however, letting go of their cor. Wherever she shoved them, they let their body follow its lead.


    Twins¡¯ outbursts always contained the truthful expectation of hearing, ¡°I like you too.¡± To her, this naivete made her situation even more ufortable. That was the reason she had always chosen to ignore their previous confessions.


    It looked difficult to do that now, however. Twins looked at her with an expression determined to hear an answer from her.


    Just then, she could sense the presence of two familiar people beyond the door. Twins puckered their lips again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± she said quickly, but it was already toote.


    ¡°I like you, I like you!¡±


    The beautiful sky-colored eyes turned red and a clear teardrop fell. Twins wiped the tears away and muttered, ¡°F*ck, why is thising out all of a sudden?¡±


    More tears fell than they could wipe away. And still they didn¡¯t remove their gaze from her. Their straightforward approach at love made her admit defeat, and she sighed.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    At that moment, the door crashed in. As Twins wiped their eyes, SoYoon looked toward the entrance. Heart and Mad Hatter looked around the interior with anger-filled eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Whitey,¡± Heart said.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± Mad Hatter said.


    As was customary for each of their personalities, one smiled crookedly while the other smiled brightly. SoYoon, feeling ufortable, avoided both their gazes. The two of them came up to her and examined her body. They first checked the back of her neck and saw the kiss mark. They red at Twins.


    ¡°The dog must have bit her,¡± Twins said sheepishly.


    ¡°That¡¯s one bad-mannered dog.¡±


    The two men looked to be getting along quite nicely with each other, but that was only for a few moments. Heart red at Mad Hatter while he petted SoYoon¡¯s arm and intertwined his fingers with hers.


    ¡°I rmend you get off,¡± Heart said to Mad Hatter, who had grabbed at SoYoon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I think you should be the one letting go,¡± Mad Hatter said to Heart, who was hugging SoYoon around the waist.


    ¡°Both of you, let go,¡± SoYoon said to the voices above her head. They ignored her. She escaped the two men by stepping hard on Heart¡¯s foot and pinching Mad Hatter¡¯s side. Dee watched all of this with his mouth open.


    ¡°Hey, Blondie, you, Heart...oof!¡±


    Knowing that Dee¡¯s assumption that SoYoon had a crush on Heart was wrong, Dum rose up and shut him up. Not knowing what the two of them had been talking about, SoYoon saw Twins walking toward her frowning.


    ¡°Huh? What is this?¡± Dee snorted.


    The menacing atmosphere between the three men was suffocating. It was when SoYoon wondered if she should intervene that Twins exploded a small bomb.


    ¡°When should we meet next? You will cook for me then, too, right?¡± Heart asked.


    The other two men froze. Their gaze looked first at Twins¡ªcurrently he was Dum¡ªthen at SoYoon as if in betrayal. Their eyes seemed to be asking how she could do that to them.


    She frowned as she scooped up a spoonful of steamed egg that was sitting on the table. Then she pulled on Heart¡¯s necktie so that he leaned in toward her and shoved the spoon in his mouth. At first, he blinked in confusion, but then his expression changed to one that left him speechless.


    Gulp. He was just barely able to swallow it, and then he looked down at SoYoon.


    ¡°Whitey, you...¡±


    Heart tried hard to keep his cool, but his eyshes danced up and down. She narrowed her eyes and looked up at him.


    Mad Hatter asked her, ¡°Wait. Howe you aren¡¯t giving it to me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll ruin your stomach.¡±


    Heart had grown up in the slums and so had a strong stomach. Mad Hatter, however, had lived for several years on only vodka and vitamin capsules. If he ate something other than those things, she worried he would get severely sick.


    Even so, Mad Hatter looked at her without flinching. Heart responded.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Whitey? Then it¡¯s okay if I ruin my stomach?¡±


    That was not what she meant, but it was a bother to exin it all, so she shook her head. Twins were now pouting over the fact that she gave the food prepared for them to someone else. They demanded that Heart spit it out and red at him as if they were about to punch him in the gut. SoYoon pulled them apart and directed them to the sofa.


    ¡°Everyone shut up and sit down.¡±

 Chapter 76

    <h4>Chapter 76</h4>


    The three men, sensing her angry tone, benignly listened to her. Twins sat in the armchair, and the other two sat on each of the long sofas. Heart patted the seat next to him as he satfortably as if it was his house. Mad Hatter was smiling at her with his head tilted to one side. SoYoon went back and forth, looking between the two, then sat in the armchair opposite Twins.


    ¡°Why did youe here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Toe to get you,¡± Heart said.


    ¡°Because I missed you,¡± Mad Hatter said.


    As much as they knew her, she knew that much about them. She may have been able to believe Mad Hatter, but Heart¡¯s words probably meant more than what he actually said.


    If she had stayed even a day after the one week, then it might have been the truth, but given that this was not the case, there was something else that triggered him toe here. Heart pretended to be busy with something else then said one sentence.


    ¡°The people from the research facility came by.¡±


    SoYoon felt the world around her go ck. On the outside, she wore an emotionless expression and crossed her arms tightly. Heart and Mad Hatter signaled to each other and went outside. Seeing that she was lost in thought, Twins also followed them. The two men looked at Twins with unweing eyes.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I was just thinking how nice it would be to be oblivious to everything.¡±


    ¡°That reckless and stupid...oh, excuse me. I didn¡¯t realize I was repeating out loud my thoughts. Anyways, I¡¯ll apud you on your courage.¡±


    Mad Hatter¡¯s words were full of thorns as Twins had previously interrupted his confession.


    If it had been Dee in front of him, then he would have tantly gotten mad, but it was Dum. Having realized that they had barged into the house, he had swapped ces with Dee in time. He smiled. Now he realized why she had such a weird reaction to his confession.


    ¡°Why? Do you think it¡¯s unfair? Are you afraid I¡¯ll take her away from you?¡±Heart asked.


    ¡°Arguing against you is not even worth my time.¡±


    ¡°You must be kidding me. Do you think that just because you bbed a few words that my Whitey will budge one inch? Besides, that is not the important thing right now.¡±


    The research facility¡¯s position was firm. If they had mentioned the upper echelons and the government, then they were set on finding any way to take her in.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made it look like the ones who came today got lost and met an unfortunate fate in the slums, but there¡¯s no guarantee that they will alert me the second time around.¡±


    ¡°She is already prepared for the possibility of being captured and taken back to the research facility.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very unlike her.¡±


    ¡°Knowing her enemy, she said that she wanted to prepare for what she could because they will be unpredictable.¡±


    ¡°But why are those people after her?¡±


    Twins, who had been listening to them, interrupted. From what Twins knew, it had been four years since SoYoon had escaped from the research facility. They couldn¡¯t understand why, after being quiet for that long, they had suddenlye barging in to find her.


    Heart nced over at Mad Hatter as he exined to Twins about the patch and brand. If Mad Hatter had found out that they were after the ability to block the brand¡¯s signal, then he knew for certain that Mad Hatter would create havoc in his own way.


    And if Mad Hatter ended up in danger, SoYoon would not just stand around watching. She would barge into the ce to save him. Heart, not wanting ever to see that again, kept his mouth shut.


    Then, both Heart and Mad Hatter¡¯s smartphones alerted them to iing messages. They checked them simultaneously and hurried inside the house. The house was empty.


    /[I received a work request, so I¡¯m leaving.]/


    And so, the two men who hade to pick her up and the one man who couldn¡¯t persuade her to stay lost her right under their noses.


    ***


    Alice saw an unbelievable sight when she went to Central. Next to March and Dor, whom she had not seen for a long time, was another girl. She was a pretty girl with short ck hair. In the story ¡°Wondend,¡± there was no such character like her around March.


    Feeling threatened and an instinctive dread, she quietly followed them. They all went into March¡¯s house. A few momentster, when March came outside, Alice headed to the front door.


    ¡°Whatever happens, you cannote inside,¡± she told Jeremy as she knocked on the door. Dor answered, and finding Alice there, her smile changed to a pout.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Dor. May I go inside?¡±


    When Alice hade inside, Li was doing the dishes. She was stepping out into the living room, wiping her wet hands on her apron, when she saw an extremely familiar face¡ªa face that was now her nightmare.


    The first thing Li did was look for Dor. She was not far away from where Alice was standing. Li grabbed Dor¡¯s arm and pulled her away.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong, Li?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯te out.¡±


    ¡°Li?¡±


    Li shoved Dor into the room and closed the door. Alice smiled with her arms crossed as she looked at the two of them. On the surface, the smile looked gentle, but Li didn¡¯t fall for it.


    ¡°Why are you acting like that? I¡¯ve onlye to meet my friend...¡±


    Alice stepped nearer to Li. Li clenched her fists instinctively. The white and horrifying face leaned closer. It was the face of the crazy girl who had killed her. Remembering the fear she had felt before, Li trembled. It seemed as if Alice would stab her with a knife at this very moment.


    ¡°How strange. I¡¯ve seen you for the first time today, but somehow, I feel like I know you. Do you know me?¡±


    Her lovely voice flowed out of her like a chirping bird.


    ¡°Go¡ªgo away...¡± Li barely got up the courage to mumble.


    Alice snorted. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer to what I asked. Should I change the question then? Who are you?¡±


    Alice examined Li¡¯s face. Li screamed quietly and scurried away from her, but Alice soon caught her by the shoulder. The neatly manicured fingernails stabbed menacingly into her arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like you before. What are you? Are you a regr here? What are you nning to do? I don¡¯t know how you came to know March, but that¡¯s all useless because March fell for me at first sight.¡±


    Li had seen March once when she had still been in that body. At that time, she had heard Alice¡¯s thoughts and had found out that March liked her. That thought now left Li feeling raw.


    How could March like that crazy girl? If it was love at first sight, was it because of her face? But that face originally belonged to Li¡ªwhich meant that the person who should be receiving love from March was Li, not Alice.


    So everything was that girl¡¯s fault. Li instinctively reached out her hand and grabbed at Alice¡¯s blond hair. She heard Alice scream but continued to pull hard at it.


    ¡°Ah! It hurts! You crazy bitch! Let go! Ack!¡±


    ¡°The crazy one is you!¡±


    Li clenched her teeth and shook Alice by her hair. Through the golden strands of hair, Alice¡¯s eyes turned red and red at Li. Then the white hands grabbed Li¡¯s ck hair.


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    It hurt so much there were tears in her eyes, but Li mustered all her strength and pulled as hard as she could at the blond hair. As she did, Alice sank her teeth into Li¡¯s arm.


    In immense pain, Li used a move that March had taught her and kicked Alice hard in the stomach.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She must have made good contact because the teeth and hands that held on to her released. Li used that moment to hit Alice with all she had. Winded from pain, Alice tried to grab Li again when...


    ¡°You! What are you guys doing!¡± came the astonished voice of March, who had returned from the mart.


    March ran over to them and pulled them away from each other. Then he checked over Li. When she had still been asleep, he had secretly felt her smooth ck hair, but now it was messed up and tousled. Her white face was streaked with tears, and her arm had red teeth marks on it.


    ¡°Alice¡ªyou!¡±


    March yelled at Alice in anger. Alice was actually in a worse state than Li by far. Li had beaten her face, her cheekbones were swollen, and she had a ck eye. March tried desperately not tough.


    ¡°Hey, Alice. You okay?¡± March asked bluntly.


    Alice had still healed Dor¡ªalthough he knew that the motive for that was to get at him and that she had not necessarily done it from the goodness of her heart.


    Alice started to tear up out of the blue as she looked at March. ¡°I only came because I wanted to see you and Dor, but this girl suddenly started to attack...¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s strange. Li¡¯s not the type to attack just anyone.¡±


    Alice observed March as if unable to believe what she was seeing. However, March¡¯s eyes were cold as he stared at the person threatening an important person to him in his own house.


    ¡°If she is getting this mad at you, then you must have done something to warrant it. What did you do to her?¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI...¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Get out of my house now.¡±


    When Alice didn¡¯t move, March led Li inside and came back outside. He spotted Jeremy a few steps away and exined the situation to him. Jeremy listened with a strange expression on his face and fake coughed. March thought he heardughter mixed in with the cough but convinced himself that it was just his imagination.


    ¡°Will Heart be very angry?¡±


    Currently, Alice was known to be favored by Heart. March looked nervously at Jeremy. Jeremy patted March on the shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re the guy working under White Rabbit, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am, but...¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll handle it, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Jeremy went inside and brought Alice out with him. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were ripped in ces, and she wore an expression of severe annoyance as they returned to Heart¡¯s ce.

 Chapter 77

    <h4>Chapter 77</h4>


    March locked the door and returned to his room. Li was sitting on his bed. When she saw him, her eyes drooped like a puppy nervously waiting to get punished. March brushed her tousled hair and smiled.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°That girl did something bad to you, right? Then you can¡¯t just sit around and take it. Good job, Li.¡±


    He brought over ointment and bandages and treated her arm. Li secretly nced at him and nervously opened her mouth.


    ¡°Um, March?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you like that girl?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    March lifted his head in utter horror. He saw Li¡¯s clear green eyes. She did believe that he liked Alice. He sighed.


    ¡°White Rabbit kept saying that, and now you too. Hey, I don¡¯t want to hear that, especially from you...What I mean is, I don¡¯t like her. No, I hate her. That is a secret to White Rabbit. White Rabbit cares for Alice.¡±


    Not yet calmed down from the fight and anger toward Alice, Li blurted out her thoughts. ¡°How can someone care for a girl like her? That girl thinks that she can make White Rabbit do whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Li, realizing what she just said, jumped in surprise and closed her mouth. Knowing no one would believe her, she had decided to take this secret to the grave.


    But this was March. Li thought back to the one that had protected not Alice but her. It was March. She hesitantly opened her mouth.


    ¡°My real name is not Alice. I¡ªI¡¯m the real...¡±


    She told him her real name and about her parents¡¯ death. She told him how Alice had snatched her body and how she hadpletely lost it to her and ended up waking up in this new body.


    ***


    Alice was a mess when she arrived at Heart¡¯s house. She went up to her bedroom. Only after being alone in the room was she able to review the situation.


    Her name was Li. She was a character nonexistent in the original story. She had seduced March, so he must be the target. How angry she would be if he were taken from her. She read over the notes she had made about the original story in regards to March. Soon, there would be a perfect situation to fix this problem. She smiled joyfully.


    Someone knocked lightly on the door. Was it Heart? Alice nted a smile on her face and opened the door. The person who stood there was not Heart, but Peter.


    ¡°Peter? What brings you here?¡±


    Peter didn¡¯t miss the look of disappointment on her face. But there was something more urgent at the moment. When he saw the state she was in, he blurted out.


    ¡°Alice, right now...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Who¡ªwho did this to you? You aren¡¯t hurt, are you?¡±


    At his words, she remembered the fight and hurriedly looked at herself in the mirror. She realized she had walked all of the neutral zone in this state. She patted down her hair and hid her bruised face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good time for me to be seeing anyone at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I asked you who did this?¡±


    Alice calcted quickly. Should she tell this man and hope the rumor reached Heart, or should she tell Heart directly? Peter¡¯s widened eyes were full of anger. If she told him, she was sure that he would run after that Li girl. That wouldn¡¯t be so bad, she thought as she came to a decision.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Peter. I want to rest...¡±


    After she had turned March back to her side, she decided to tell Heart and cause that girl hell. Thinking this, she dismissed Peter.


    ***


    That night, Peter was drinking at Central by himself and ended up meeting a drinking buddy. He was a man good at listening and was very considerate. His light blond hair was thick and tousled, and he introduced himself to Peter as Chester.

 Chapter 78: Crossroads

    <h4>Chapter 78: Crossroads</h4>


    The day Alice was meant to hear the fourth hint came. But Alice, who was not at all interested in the hint, forgot this. Even though Heart knew this, he didn¡¯t remind her.


    March heard a strange story from Li and became lost in confusion. He believed the thing that happened to her was magic because he had given up trying toprehend it in any simple manner.


    He wanted to talk to someone about this and get advice. He hesitated between his desire to find answers and Li¡¯s request to keep it a secret from everyone else.


    ***


    Peter spent more and more time with Chester these days. They conversed about various things. Sometimes they were so drunk they would talk without knowing what they were saying.


    Peter talked about Alice¡¯s misunderstanding and her crush on Heart and his own feelings for Alice. Even though he repeated this topic endlessly, Chester seemed not to get tired of it and even prodded him.


    She had note into contact with those from the research facility as of yet.


    ***


    SoYoon was extremely busy trying to finish all the work that she had been forced to put aside for a while. She started getting hurt as a consequence.


    The third night after she hade out of Twins¡¯ house, a client asked for a rush request: help to evade the Outhouse police. She had gone to Outhouse immediately and had returned the following morning with arge wound in her side. And as she was treating the wound by herself, Mad Hatter caught her when he came to visit her in the early morning.


    ¡°Did you get hurt?¡±


    Mad Hatter hurried over and used his magic to cure her. But that was not the only wound on her body.


    She had taken off her clothes so that he could treat her properly, but when she did, he saw her many other scars. Not only that, but she also had a red cut across her cheek. Mad Hatter used his powers to heal her.


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere else? How about your leg?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get¡­I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Before SoYoon could finish her answer, Mad Hatter pulled up her pant leg. He saw a long scratch that looked like someone had dragged her across a rough floor.


    ¡°Yes, you look perfectly okay,¡± he said sarcastically as he healed her.


    ¡°You sure are truthful. Why bother even trying to hide it if you¡¯re going to get caught so easily?¡± Mad Hatter said as he lifted SoYoon¡¯s chin with the end of his finger. His thumb swept slowly down her chin and neck and stopped at her vicle. His other fingers were moving slowly around the bone. Thinking that Mad Hatter might tear off the rest of her clothes any minute, SoYoon confessed to all her other wounds.


    ¡°I got a bit hurt on my thigh.¡±


    Mad Hatter, instead of answering, removed her pants. The thin material fell erotically past her white legs. Following its path, his long fingers touched the area of the wound.


    The wound had now disappeared, but his fingers remained there. SoYoon nced at his eyes. The dark green pupils burned as if harboring mes. She pushed away Mad Hatter¡¯s fingers and got up.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to wash up.¡±


    SoYoon stepped into the bathroom and sighed. Mad Hatter was special to her. But this feeling was not the one Mad Hatter hoped to get from her. Was there always such a wide array of feelings? Her stream of consciousness drew another person into her mind. SoYoon shook off the dizzying thoughts. She ced her head on the cold tiles and turned on the water.


    When she came out after washing up, Mad Hatter was gone.


    ***


    The next day, SoYoon got hurt again. She looked down pathetically at her left arm as she headed over to Mad Hatter¡¯s house. Mad Hatter red at her wound and sat her down on the sofa.


    ¡°Stitch.¡±


    As the words flowed out of Mad Hatter¡¯s mouth, the wound began to stitch itself closed. He checked to see if there were any scars left and slowly stroked her arm. SoYoon pulled away from his hands and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re thankful, please be careful.¡±


    He wet a towel and wiped away the smears of blood on her arm. Then he lowered the sleeves of her hooded tee he had previously lifted to treat her. SoYoon watched him as he fiddled with her hands, wanting more.


    When they had first met, his blue eyes had looked cold as the winter sky, but now there was a soft warmth about them. She buried her face into his shoulder.


    This ce was no longer the one from the story ¡°Wondend.¡± To be exact, from some point on, she stopped believing that this ce was the setting of a book. Seeing the living, breathing people here with her own eyes made it difficult to think of them as mere characters.


    When she leaned in close, Mad Hatter froze in surprise, and his face blushed as he smiled. His arms gently hugged SoYoon¡¯s back. In the peaceful afternoon air, with the slightly cool touch of his embrace, SoYoon became lost in her thoughts.


    In the original story, Dor had left the house secretly because she missed Alice. When she did, she got attacked. As Dor currently didn¡¯t like Alice, the risk of this happening had significantly lessened, but even so, SoYoon sent March a message.


    SoYoon was not the only busy one. During the time she had been resting, March had taken over the small jobs for her and had been spending his days busy with work. And one day, he received a message from SoYoon.


    /[Don¡¯t let Dor leave the house alone.]/


    Normally, March forbade Dor and Li from leaving the house without him escorting them. The fact that SoYoon emphasized this even though she already knew this about them gave him an unsettling feeling. He called her.


    He heard from her that the atmosphere in Wondend was a trifle rowdy at the moment, and he easily agreed with her. Cheshire¡¯s downfall, White Rabbit¡¯s prolonged disappearance, and other happenings in Wondend recently had made Wondend¡¯s pervading mood somewhat chaotic.


    The moment SoYoon hung up, Mad Hatter lightly kisses her frowning forehead. As he did, she rxed. He whispered to her quietly.


    ¡°Are you worried about something?¡± he uttered with his red lips. She pushed him away with the excuse that he was tickling her forehead.


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, I knew you wouldn¡¯t answer me that easily. I¡¯ll just have to ask your body¡­¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. He started to chuckle gleefully as he stroked his fingers over her lips.


    ¡°Normally, even if you have a lot of requests, you wouldn¡¯t get this hurt. Also, you usually wouldn¡¯t beat around the bush as you did with this phone conversation. What is it that you know?¡±


    Mad Hatter¡¯s tone was not different from usual. She didn¡¯t know the best way to answer his question.


    She didn¡¯t want to lie to him. But she couldn¡¯t tell him the truth either. When she remained still, Mad Hatter hugged her and fell onto the sofa with her in his arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a fool. If you believe I don¡¯t know anything, it will getplicated,¡± he told her as he smiled. SoYoon buried her face into his chest.


    ***


    Dor¡¯s mental age was that of a seven-year-old. Because she had spent the majority of her time at home, she did not know what kind of ce Wondend was. When March couldn¡¯t take her outside because he was too busy, she began to throw a tantrum. It was the third day March had broken his promise¡ª¡±I¡¯ll take you out tomorrow¡±¡ª that Dor muttered to herself while looking out the window.


    ¡°I hate being stuck at home every day¡­¡±


    Dor remembered the first time she had stepped outside. She had felt the euphoric rush that her world suddenly had be so muchrger. When Dor drooped her shoulders, Li anxiously looked at her and gazed out the window with her. This ce was the neutral zone. She had heard that in the neutral zone, crime was banned. Also, she remembered that Alice had wandered around the neutral zone all the time by herself.


    And so, Li blurted out words that she would soone to regret.


    ¡°Should the two of us go out together?¡±


    ¡°Huh? But, but my brother said¡­if he catches us, we will get in trouble.¡±


    The fact that Dor was more worried about getting caught than actually going out helped Li know that she had already halfway persuaded her. Li was also tired of being cooped up in the house all day and looked to Dor with hopeful eyes.


    ¡°If we go out only for a little bit, we won¡¯t get caught.¡±


    And so, the two girls held hands and stepped outside.


    The prohibited outing was sweeter than the ones they had enjoyed with March by their side. The two girls giggled at any little thing and ended up in Central.


    Central in the afternoon was very busy. Dor saw through the hectic crowds the face of someone familiar and pointed.


    ¡°It¡¯s Rabbit¡¯s friend!¡±


    The person she pointed at was Twins, Tweedle Dum. He turned his head reflexively at the word ¡°Rabbit.¡± Dum, seeing Dor, smiled at her. Dor found his smile appealing and headed over to him.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    Dor greeted him. He searched his memory and realized that he had never met Dor as Dum and so smiled a bit awkwardly at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve never seen you before. Do you perhaps know my brother?¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a twin.¡±


    Dor looked confused. Li, who was standing next to her, exined to her what a twin was.


    ¡°How interesting,¡± Dor stated and stared at Dum.


    ¡°Then are you not friends with Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to be friends with SoYoon even if the position was given to him. When he shook his head, Dor looked at him with a confused expression. After bing close with Li, she hade to like the term ¡°friend¡± and couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would hate to be someone¡¯s friend.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you close? I¡¯m close to her.¡±


    Dor¡¯s choice of words was literal, and she blurted them out in the way she understood them. Her words seemed to cut through him, however, and he lowered his eyes. His dark-blond long eyshes hid the jealousy reflected in his blue eyes.


    Dum calmly persuaded himself: You can¡¯t kill this girl. If SoYoon found out, she would kill you, he realized. He was d Dee was currently asleep. If it had been Dee, the moment Dor uttered these words, he would have strangled her.


    Instead of killing Dor, Dum said to her in a cold voice, ¡°I¡¯m close. Soon, I¡¯ll be closer to her than you.¡±


    Before Dor could answer, Dum walked away. The two girls he left behind blinked at each other.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    They weren¡¯t sure why, but he gave off a scary feeling. The two girls held each other¡¯s hands tight and got far away from the ce.

 Chapter 79

    <h4>Chapter 79</h4>


    After wandering for 30 minutes, the girls walked outside of Central and reached the edge of the neutral zone. There weren¡¯t any signs or borders that marked the area, however, so they did not know where exactly they were.


    People were watching them. Young and pretty girls like them were worth money. They waited for Dor and Li to take a few more steps. And it was when the two girls stepped over the boundary of the neutral zone that they heard the words, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go that way.¡±


    As the people watching Dor and Li waited with bated breath, a man stepped in front of them and blocked their way. His hair was ck as ink and came down to his waist, and he was quite good looking.


    ¡°This is the end of the neutral zone,¡± the man told them as he leaned against a crumbling building. Dor and Li realized that they were one step away from leaving safety.


    ¡°Look there.¡±


    The man pointed somewhere into the distance. Following his finger, Li made eye contact with the greedy eyes of those who had been watching them and jumped in surprise.


    ¡°You guys were in danger.¡±


    ¡°Thank¡ªthank you.¡±


    Li bowed gratefully. Dor looked at the man confusedly and bowed also. They followed the man and walked back into the neutral zone, where they introduced themselves to him.


    ¡°Li and Dor? What pretty names. Oh, that¡¯s right. I have something good to show you.¡±


    The man searched his pockets and pulled out tworge, colorful lollipops. Their sweet scent made Li and Dor drool.


    ¡°Here, take them.¡±


    The man held one in each hand and gave them to them. The two girls hesitated a bit, but the man lightly prodded them on to take it. His pumpkin-colored pupils looked kind.


    ¡°My brother and Rabbit said we shouldn¡¯t receive things from strangers...¡± Dor mumbled, unable to take her eyes off the lollipop. The man¡¯s shoulders drooped. He looked so disappointed that Li, not wanting to hurt him, took the lollipop from him, and Dor¡¯s hand quickly followed. Seeing this, the man smiled sweetly.


    The lollipop was shaped like the horn of a ram and was as big as their hand. The moment they tore off the clear wrapper, its smell tickled their noses and spread sweetness through their senses. Li, who hadn¡¯t had any sweets since she arrived in Wondend, and Dor, who had had snacks only once a month, put the lollipops in their mouths as if in a trance.


    The lollipop was so sweet that it numbed their tongue. Li took a couple of licks but got sick of it and ced it back in its wrapper, but Dor bit through the whole thing and chewed on it delightfully.


    ¡°Is it good?¡± the man asked. Dor and Li nodded, smiling brightly. They had been walking for five minutes when the man grabbed their shoulders and pulled them into the shadows of a building.


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    Li was about to say something when he blocked her mouth and warned them to be quiet. A littleter, sinister-looking men passed the path they had been walking. Dor whispered to the man.


    ¡°Are they scary people?¡±


    ¡°They are scary people,¡± the man whispered back. The scene in front of her looked like an uncle ying with his niece, and Li had to stop herself from bursting outughing.


    It was then Li¡¯s vision started to blur. She shook her head to try to get rid of the dizziness and saw that Dor was already falling asleep leaning on a wall a few steps in front of her.


    She wanted to call out to the man standing next to Dor but realized that she had not heard his name. Anxiety started to creep into her heart.


    ¡°Do¡ªr...!¡±


    Li tried to walk toward Dor, but her legs gave out, and she copsed onto the floor. The man approached her. Li¡¯s eyes widened as she saw the manic happiness in his glistening eyes.


    ¡°Such a pity,¡± the man said as he touched her cheeks. Li pped away the hand that felt like crawling bugs and shook her head hard, but half asleep, she couldn¡¯t get her body to move correctly.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty young looking also. I¡¯d like to take both of you, but...¡±


    The man, Duke, was feeble; he could carry only one girl. His preference was not for the catlike Li but the naive and innocent Dor.


    He left Li and went over to Dor and examined her face in detail. It would have been better if she was blond, he thought. That¡¯s when he remembered another girl with blond hair. The girl in herte teens was older than what Duke preferred, but her innocent-looking eyes were precisely his type. He licked his lips and got up after cing Dor on his back.


    Through her hazy vision, all Li could do was watch Duke¡¯s back and Dor¡¯s light brown hair waving to and fro as they retreated from her.


    At that moment, someone watched Dor, Li, and even an unaware Duke. That someone was Dum, and he was lost in thought.


    It was mere coincidence that he hade upon this scene. He hadn¡¯t done anything when he had seen Duke following the two girls walk out toward the end of the neutral zone because of his jealousy toward Dor.


    His vision of Duke was progressively getting smaller. Duke would take Dor to his house, kill her, and start embalming her.


    Dum sighed in annoyance and headed toward Li. Li stared up at him with nk eyes. Her lips twitched but closed. Dum supported her as they walked out of the alleyway.


    ¡°Can you hear me? I¡¯ll follow Duke, so you wait where it¡¯s safe. If you pass out of this alleyway, it will be the neutral zone.¡±


    Dum passed through the alley, leaving Li behind, and quickly walked to Duke¡¯s house. Li, unable to resist the oing sleepiness, kept sleeping and waking up. At this rate, she was sure she would fall asleepfortably in a tiny cradle. She clenched her fists and desperately prayed: Please. I can¡¯t fall asleep now. Wake up! Move!


    ¡°Please...move...¡±


    At that moment, the heavy feeling that was pressing down on her when she had not been able to wake from her sleep moved inside her. That something mixed quickly with its surroundings and made Li¡¯s wishe true.


    With a strong enough will, power can be summoned from its surroundings and cast into effect. People called this magic.


    The first time Li was able to call upon her powers, she was able to cast away all the sedatives circting through her body.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Realizing her sudden clear-headedness, she stood frozen for a moment in confusion. Thening back to her senses, she reached into her pocket and pulled out an old cellphone. March had previously used it, and he had given it to her for emergencies. She called March and waited anxiously as the phone rang. She heard a familiar voice over the speaker.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°March!¡±


    ¡°Li? What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    When Li called March, SoYoon had been exining a request he needed to fulfill. When she heard Duke¡¯s name over the phone, she bolted from her seat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to Duke. You bring Li.¡±


    March clenched his teeth and knew that was the best way to resolve the situation. Instead of answering, he started to run toward the ce Li had described. He heard Li sniffling through the phone, but there was no time tofort her now.


    Parting ways with March, SoYoon ran to Duke¡¯s house. His house was 40 minutes away from March¡¯s. She sprinted and arrived much sooner.


    The first thing she saw when she arrived was Dum walking out of Duke¡¯s house with a sleeping Dor hanging from his side.

 Chapter 80

    <h4>Chapter 80</h4>


    Tweedle Dum knocked roughly on Duke¡¯s door when he arrived. Duke had been happily mixing up a drug to feed Dor and so answered with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Duke.¡±


    Thest time Dum and Duke had met was when Dum hade to buy the drugs to kidnap SoYoon. Thinking that the potion had failed him, Duke smiled pathetically. Dum was sure that the situation would go as he had anticipated.


    ¡°Oh, Twins. What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°What brings me here? Do you not know why I¡¯m here?¡±


    Because the drug that Duke sold him didn¡¯t work on SoYoon, Dum didn¡¯t feel guilty about tricking him. He stepped inside and walked into the living room and observed him without letting Duke realize what he was doing.


    ¡°Would¡ªwould you like to sit down?¡±


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re even sweating. Are you hiding something special?¡±


    ¡°Of course not...! Twins! You can¡¯t go that way...!¡±


    Duke grabbed at Dum, who was heading to hisboratory. Dum stopped and looked down at Duke. Sensing a coldness in Dum¡¯s narrowed eyes, Duke hesitated a moment then removed his hands. Dum dusted off the spot where Duke had touched him and smiled.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we on good terms? Don¡¯t make me angrier than I am now, Duke. I¡¯m already quite upset about your fake drug.¡±


    ¡°Fake!¡±


    ¡°Yes, fake. What else would you call that? You told me that it was undetectable and odorless, but Undertaker figured it out before even putting it to her mouth. I ended up paying expensively for nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s a special case...¡±


    Dum put down his hand slowly from dusting his clothes and stared at Duke. Duke swallowed hard at seeing his blue eyes filled with annoyance and maliciousness.


    At that moment, Dum kicked Duke in the stomach. In an instant, Duke flew across the room and hit the wall. To Duke, who was gasping for air, Dum said coldly, ¡°Are you seriously telling me that as an excuse? You already knew all that. If you hadn¡¯t listened properly, then isn¡¯t it your fault?¡±


    Due to the sudden attack, Duke couldn¡¯t get his bearings straight and was toote to stop Dum from getting to hisboratory. Dum opened theb door.


    Dor wasid out on a cot. Dum lifted her by her cor. Duke must have used a strong sedative on her because even when Dum handled her roughly, she didn¡¯t wake up. He lifted her and came out to the living room.


    ¡°Look, Duke. Shame on you. Hiding something this good here for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t...¡±


    Duke, having just recovered his voice, stumbled over to Dum. Dum stared coldly at the hand that was reaching out toward him and Dor.


    ¡°This is the kid that Undertaker cares for, right? What great bait.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Twins. I¡¯ll refund the money for the drug I sold you but return the girl. Hm?¡±


    For a moment, Dum looked at Duke with a nk face, then he smiled.


    ¡°No.¡±


    He headed for the front door. Duke trembled in anger as he watched Dum and Dor getting farther away from him. Impulsively, Duke grabbed a small bottle.


    Dum heard something fly at him from behind and reflexively swung his arm. The sound of ss shattering and a spicy smell diffused through the room as his hand throbbed with a burning sensation.


    Dum red at Duke. Unable to believe that he had done this, Duke nced at Dum with a look of desperation. When Dum moved, the color from Duke¡¯s face drained rapidly.


    ¡°Uh, I...¡±


    ¡°I must look very easy to you these days. If that¡¯s not the case, how would you dare to do this to me? Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Dum swung back around and kicked Duke in the leg. When Duke fell, Dum put his foot on his knee.


    ¡°Your hands may be important, but not your legs, right?¡±


    After spitting out those words, he crushed the legs beneath his feet. With Duke¡¯s scream echoing behind him, he walked out of the house.


    The thing Twins hated most in the world was not burnt porridge or starvation. It was physical pain. Unable to curse when he was Dum, he muttered under his breath as he walked.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what Duke intended this drug for, but his shirt had already melted in ces, and the spot where it made contact with his hand was excruciating as if it was burning through it. The only person that this made him think of was not Doctor but SoYoon, however.


    And soon after, he found SoYoon looking at him.


    ¡°Tweedle Dum.¡±


    SoYoon calling his name always sounded sweet. Forgetting his pain, he smiled and hurriedly handed over Dor, whom he had been carrying at his side.


    SoYoon received Dor and examined the girl to see if she was all right. Her rosebud lips smelled of sugar and potent sedatives, but she could not detect blood. Relieved, SoYoon ced Dor morefortably in her arms as Dum said to her, ¡°I immediately followed him, so she should be fine.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Dum blushed at the simple words as SoYoon called March to tell him that Dor had been saved. A few momentster, March and Li ran in. SoYoon handed Dor to the two of them and exined what had happened.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Really, thank you...¡±


    March and Li teared up gratefully as they looked at Dum¡¯s face. However, Dum had no interest in them and continued to nce over at SoYoon.


    Unlike when she was at his house, her bangs were over her face, and she had the mask on, so it was hard to see her expression. But somehow, he seemed to be able to sense her position and her feelings. Her head was lowered slightly, resting on his left arm. Dum couldn¡¯t help but smile a little.


    Since two people needed to see Doctor, they all headed over to see him. And after they had left, Alice came out from hiding from a ce a few meters away.


    Alice ground her teeth as she saw them getting farther away from her.


    In the original story, Duke kidnaps Dor when shees out to meet Alice. After hearing the newste, March runs to save his sister but finds her toote, her body already cold. Losing his mind at his sister¡¯s death, March tries to kill Duke, but Duke is protected by Heart, who knows that Wondend¡¯s citizens need Duke¡¯s skills. Unable to get proper revenge, March goes insane and starts to murder people without reason until Alice brings him back to sanity.


    Twins saving Dor and March and Li thanking him for it were nowhere in the original story. Alice red at the back of Li. That girl that rolled in from out of nowhere was messing everything up.


    ***


    After checking Dor, Doctor predicted that it would be at least five hours until she woke up. Dum was in a more serious state. Chemicals had burned his hand and parts of his arm below his left elbow.


    Even so, he refused Doctor¡¯s treatment and instead bought ointment and a bandage and handed them to SoYoon. She stared at them for a long time and eventually took them.


    SoYoon treated Dum at her house. Dum sat on the sofa and didn¡¯t take his eyes off of her as she sterilized his wound. He noted her fluttering whiteshes, her smooth cheeks, her cute pale lips.


    As his gaze got progressively hotter, she red at him. They had already sat close so that she could treat him, but the space between them got smaller.


    ¡°Give me some space,¡± SoYoon reprimanded coldly. Dum made a face, pretending he was in pain¡ªalthough he had forgotten his distress while staring at SoYoon.


    ¡°Stop acting like a baby.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not acting like a baby. It hurts,¡± Dum said, casting his eyes down. Although her expression was hard, she seemed to have decided to be a bit lenient with him, so he carried on. As she bandaged him, Dum put his lips lightly to her cheek then moved toward her ear.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask why I went to save her?¡± his gentle voice asked her. She didn¡¯t answer him, but he didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°You know the reason, don¡¯t you?¡±


    There was no reason for Twins to save Dor. And yet, he had gone over there to do it, even getting hurt in the process. There was only one reason for him to do that.


    SoYoon tied a small knot after wrapping his arm with the bandages. As she had done on Earth, she tied it in a pretty butterfly shape, which Dum touched carefully. It was as if he had found a hidden personality within her. Unable to resist any longer, he cleared away the ointment and bandages and fell onto the sofa, hugging her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s voice was blunt, but that in itself sounded cute to Dum. He massaged her lips with his fingertips as he spoke to her.


    ¡°If you resist, it will hurt...me.¡±


    She had been ready to fight him at the first part of his sentence, but on thest word, she blinked.


    ¡°I got this wound exclusively for you, so you wouldn¡¯t hurt me, would you?¡±


    She could practically hear those words hidden beneath his statement.


    Dum rxed his arms. Naturally, the two bodies came into close contact. SoYoon could feel his pounding heart underneath his thin shirt. His heartbeat was a truthful profession of his feelings.


    ¡°Can I kiss you?¡±


    When she opened her mouth to answer, he shook his head and stopped her.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to kiss you.¡±


    He licked her slightly open lips, and his tongue pushed its way inside. SoYoon¡¯s hand pped his forehead. It was like a mother scolding her child. Dum didn¡¯t know how normal mothers were supposed to act, yet he felt a strange maternal sense about the situation.


    ¡°If you ask a question, then wait for the answer.¡±


    Dum realized that SoYoon¡¯s voice was a bit softer than usual. He leaned his body closer.


    ¡°Can I?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Even though it was a rejection, Dum¡¯s eyes smiled. He hadn¡¯t gone to save Dor expecting anything in particr, but through what had happened today, he¡¯d found her weak spot.


    She was weak to those who were weak, actions were stronger than words, and most importantly, she had a soft spot for anyone who considered her feelings. He had thought that she was a blunt and cold girl, but she was a girl who lived in this world with little tact. He felt that he had seen the real SoYoon for the first time.


    That day, Dum left the ointment and bandages that Doctor gave him at SoYoon¡¯s house.

 Chapter 81

    <h4>Chapter 81</h4>


    Just because she was safe didn¡¯t mean that all the problems had been resolved. After Twins left, SoYoon headed to March¡¯s house. The moment she opened the door, the sight that met her was an angry March standing in front of Dor and Li.


    SoYoon figured out what was happening at first nce. Having lived alone with his sister from a young age, March had never gotten mad at anyone and had never reprimanded Dor. SoYoon looked at Dor and Li and pointed to the sofa.


    ¡°Go kneel over there.¡±


    The two girls looked at her anxiously, then scuttled over and kneeled. SoYoon spoke again.


    ¡°Raise both your arms.¡±


    Having experienced being punished by her parents before, Li immediately put up her arms, and Dor followed.


    ¡°This is punishment. Stay like that for thirty minutes.¡±


    After telling them this, she went to sit on the sofa opposite them. March sat next to her and asked, ¡°That counts as punishment?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Not even three minutes had passed when the two girls¡¯ arms started to shake. After ten minutes, they had lost the feeling in their legs. March had been furious before SoYoon had arrived, but now he was taking turns looking at each girl with anxiety. The girls¡¯ faces were red, and their eyes filled with tears.


    SoYoon, seeing their arms falling,manded coldly, ¡°Raise your arms properly.¡±


    ¡°Rabbit...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    SoYoon ignored them. After five more minutes, she looked at the two girls. Tears streamed down their faces.


    ¡°Put down your arms and sit properly.¡±


    They were just able to move their numb legs to get into a sitting position. SoYoon signaled to March. March, catching his cue, reprimanded them.


    SoYoon tuned them out and started to recount what happened. SoYoon couldn¡¯t figure out which part of this situation followed the original plot and which part did not. The Li figure was still a mystery, even though she had been the one to save her. Did White Rabbit meet that girl in the original story? If that was the case, did she not make it into the story narrative because he had handed her over to Duke? She removed her gaze from Li.


    SoYoon remembered the reason she hade into Wondend four years before. Truthfully, she wasn¡¯t confident that she could be ustomed to the ways of Earth anymore. Plus, her personality had changed so much. She was sure that if something happened, she would resort to violence before trying to talk it out. But, still...,


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was just one more time; she wanted to see her family.


    But right now, she couldn¡¯t pick either side.


    ***


    The next afternoon, after March had left to fulfill a request, a visitor came to meet Li. When Li opened the door and found the face of the girl with the long blond hair in front of her, she frowned. The visitor, Alice, didn¡¯t care one bit about Li¡¯s expression and stepped into the house.


    Li left Dor inside her room likest time and red at Alice. If all else failed, she could grab her by the hair again. This time, she was determined to give her a bigger bruise that she wouldn¡¯t be able to cover up with heavy makeup as she had done now.


    The two girls red at each other without saying a word. The first person to talk was Alice. She questioned Li in a sharp tone.


    ¡°Who exactly are you? What are you nning to do?¡±


    Alice didn¡¯t exclude the possibility that Li could be from a different world. And so, she could only ask these questions without including the pivotal word.


    Truthfully, she wanted to ask Li if she knew about the story ¡°Wondend¡± and to interrogate her about her knowledge of it. She also wanted to p her across the face. Last time, Li had taken her by surprise, but that was not going to happen this time around, Alice told herself determinedly.


    ¡°Who am I? And I don¡¯t n on doing anything. And even if I was, why should I have to tell you about it?¡± Li answered with her most menacing expression.


    Alice couldn¡¯t remember a time after she had arrived in Wondend when she had been treated inhospitably. Twins, Baby, Cheshire, and, most recently, March were the only ones. Filled with anger, she clenched her fists.


    ¡°I¡¯m Alice. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the rumors about me.¡±


    She was Heart¡¯s girlfriend¡ªto be more exact, his mistress¡ªand the miracle girl. Those were the rumors floating around Wondend about Alice.


    Li snorted. She had heard from March that Heart seemed to like someone else. And a miracle? That power had initially belonged to Li, and she knew it wasn¡¯t as great as Alice was making it out to be.


    Her parents had always warned her about the dangers of her powers and had wanted her to stay at home most of the time. And so, from a young age, she had not been allowed to go out freely or even attend school. She had to be home-schooled instead. Up until then, her healing powers had been nothing but a burden to her.


    And finally when her powers were revealed to the world, they had be the cause of her parents¡¯ death by the agents who worked with her father. In the time she had been able to prate Alice¡¯s memory while living inside her, she had gathered this information. After learning all of this, she despised her powers.


    A miracle? To her, these powers were nothing but a curse.


    Upon hearing Li scoff, Alice red at her angrily. Even though Li knew this, she went even further and looked at Alice with eyes full of hate.


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡±


    ¡°It must be so nice to be living in a dream.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Those powers look good to you? That pathetic power that can¡¯t even heal yourself? Even when the reason you ended up in this ce alone was because of those powers?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about...?¡±


    The only people who knew that she was unable to heal herself with these powers were Heart, Peter, Jeremy, and Cheshire. Among these people, the only possible person who could have told Li about this was Cheshire. Or she had already known about it. It was then that Li started to reprimand her.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed that you had to lose everything with powers that didn¡¯t even belong to you?¡±


    Alice¡¯s face turned white as she stared at Li. Li didn¡¯t realize what she had said and continued to talk, but Alice deciphered immediately the meaning of what she had just said. There was no one who knew that Alice was a substitute for the real Alice Liddell. If she had to choose, there was only one person who knew.


    ¡°Are you...Alice Liddell...?¡±


    Only the owner of the body knew.


    At that moment, Alice felt like she was in danger. Alice also remembered March taking Li¡¯s side instead of hers. If it continued like this, she might lose everything. She charged at Li.


    Crash! The two girls fell to the floor. Alice¡¯s white and lovely fingers were crushing Li¡¯s thin neck. Li was kicking at Alice with her nails digging into Alice¡¯s hand, but the strength of her grip did not loosen.


    ¡°Die, die, die,¡± Alice muttered like a curse.


    Li, who had been thrashing, soon went limp, and her head fell to the side. Alice smiled like an angel.


    ¡°I am the lead. I am the lead to be loved. So I don¡¯t need the likes of you here.¡±


    Hearing Li¡¯s pulse and breathing, Alice knew that she was still alive. Alice went into the kitchen and found the box that she had seen only once before. Inside it was charcoal.


    After many failed attempts, she finally got the firewood to light, and she brought it over to the living room. Li was still unconscious.


    When Alice got close to Li, she heard a doorknob turn. Alice jumped in surprise and dropped the firewood. The sofa caught on fire. At the same time, the door hit the door sill.


    Alice ran out of the house. Jeremy was waiting for Alice from a few feet away. Worried that he would overhear what was happening inside, she hadmanded him to stay away from the house. She was d she had done this.


    After Alice was far away from March¡¯s house, a man appeared from the narrow space between the houses. He had light blond hair that was tousled messily and had a bandage around his left eye and cheek.


    He looked up at the ck smokeing out of the house and smiled widely.

 Chapter 82

    <h4>Chapter 82</h4>


    Despite Li¡¯s warning to stay locked in her room, Dor could feel that something was not right in the living room. She opened the door.


    When she stepped back out, the first thing she saw was arge me. The fire spread quickly through the sofa, cushions, and the old carpet. And near it, Li was lying unconscious. The inferno looked close to swallowing Li at any moment, so Dor ran over and pulled her by her legs away from the mes.


    ¡°Li! Wake up! Li!¡±


    Fortunately, Li woke up. By the time she did, however, the mes had already surrounded them. Li hugged Dor tightly and trembled at the thought of Alice. Angrily, she thought how unfair it would be to die this way. Besides, she was not alone. But what could she do?


    She suddenly remembered the power she had harnessed to get rid of the sedatives in her body. It was different from her healing powers. She had never felt anything like it in her 18 years of life. Li thought that this had to be magic.


    She knew the way to release her magical powers. The magic circting in her body had to be summoned by her will. Her desire tomand it had tobine with the surroundings to create its power. And finally, she had to ignite the magic to release it.


    What they needed now was water. Li collected all her will and strength to release that power outside her body. In the least, she had to stop the licking mes froming any closer to them.


    After failing several times, Li finally seeded in doing what she wanted. The magic of water and her urgencybined fluidly. Li¡¯s instincts told this was the perfect time to release it.


    ¡°Give me water. Enough to shower everything around us.¡±


    Dor, who had her head buried in Li¡¯s embrace, lifted her head when she felt something on her neck. It was raining inside.


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s rain.¡±


    The magic circting inside Li¡¯s body listened to her request. The cold and wet rain was sprinkling around the room, slowly taking out the mes.


    Later that day, when March returned home from finishing his requests, he found his house burnt to ck. He jumped in surprise and ran inside, but what met him was a bright voice calling out to him.


    ¡°Brother, here!¡±


    ¡°Dor! Are you okay...? Li?¡±


    He turned toward the sound and quickly spun around. What he saw was the white face of Dor with smeared ck ash and Li, who was asleep on her shoulder. March ran toward them.


    ¡°What happened? Why is the house like this?¡±


    ¡°Uh, so what happened was...¡±


    Alice¡¯s visit, the sudden chaos, fire, Li, who had fainted, and raindrops¡ªDor recited the story excitedly in fascination, but March was not fully paying attention to her words. He clenched his fists.


    ¡°And the other people helped us, and we stopped the fire...Brother?¡±


    ¡°...Let¡¯s ask White Rabbit to let us sleep at her ce today,¡± Dor added.


    The sun was going down. March carried Li on his back, but Dor gripped the end of his shirt.


    ¡°Are you mad, Brother? I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t bring anything from inside...¡±


    Only then did March realize that his face had frozen like stone. He tried with all his might to change it to a softer expression as he petted Dor¡¯s hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you or Li. Here, hold your brother¡¯s hand.¡±


    Dor held his hand. It was not easy to lift Li with one arm, but he did not let go of his sister¡¯s hand. His heart sank as he imagined how close he hade to losing her.


    ¡°I¡¯m so d both of you are safe.¡±


    He muttered. There was a surprising desperation in his voice. Hearing this, Dor burst outughing.


    ***


    The people who lived in Wondend had nowhere else to go. To these people, fire was a sensitive issue. The buildings were so close together that there was a high chance of mes spreading. Everyone had helped quell the fire, and March¡¯s house did not suffer much damage except for some scorch marks on the exterior.


    The next afternoon after they all had dealt with the fiasco, Dor and Li were fast asleep as SoYoon came over to help March examine the interior for damages.


    The first must have started in the living room because only remnants of the sofa, carpet, and curtain were left. As March checked the bedrooms, SoYoon checked the round piece of carpet left in the living room. Although the thought urred to SoYoon, who was aware that Li was originally from Outhouse and assumed she probably had magical powers, this idea never crossed the minds of any of their neighbors.


    March came out after checking the bedrooms. ¡°The inside looks to be okay.¡±


    He nced at SoYoon nervously after telling her this. He wore an expression on his face that he didn¡¯t have even when he messed up on a request.


    ¡°I have something to tell you. It¡¯s about Alice.¡± He repeated word for word what he had heard from Dor yesterday to SoYoon.


    SoYoon blinked repetitively under her white hair. The Alice she knew would never do such a thing. After seeing the rage in March¡¯s eyes, however, she came to a realization. Even though so many things had already changed, she was reading the situation as if it was the Alice from the original story.


    ¡°And...there is also another strange story I recently heard.¡±


    His lips started to recite the tale even he could not understand.


    ***


    Right now, Li dreamed someone was pushing her up the stairs.


    ¡°Stay hidden like you always have. Do you understand? Then Mom and Dad wille get you.¡±


    Mom! Li wanted to turn around and look at her. But her body would not listen and refused to move. She ran up the stairs and saw the second story. She realized she was currently in the house where she had lived with her parents.


    Soon, Li was in her room, hiding in the secret ce within it. She pushed the door closed easily, and darkness overtook her. The door had been sealed so that only she could open it from the inside. And unless her parents¡¯ blood or several strong spells overpowered it, she would remain safe until her parents came to get her.


    This was a familiar situation. Li knew this was a dream because ever since that day, she had never again hid inside the secret location. And on that day...It was when she had thought that far that she heard a voice from nearby.


    ¡°She¡¯s not in this room either!¡±


    ¡°Jekyll, where are you?¡±


    ¡°If wee back with nothing, we¡¯re dead.¡±


    Li froze as she held her breath. She remembered when she had first heard this conversation.


    It was that day¡ªthe day she had lost everything, which meant that downstairs, her parents were being killed. Go back down! Go and save your parents! Li cried to herself, but her body refused to move.


    When she had exhausted herself from crying, Alice started to move. She opened the door, looked around her surroundings and walked toward the stairs. Li, getting closer to the first floor, closed her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to see anything.


    Alice moved diligently. She was shocked at the sight of her parents¡¯ corpses, but she didn¡¯t forget the words that were engraved into her head.


    She gathered a couple of her things and headed toward her father¡¯s friend¡¯s house, the home of a man she trusted. But she had to leave that ce also because she had overheard him calling someone to hand her over to them.


    Her parents were gone, and there was nowhere left to go. Her parents had repeatedly told her that if she had ended up in such a situation, she should never go anywhere that had a connection with the government. They told her that she should be more careful of the people she knew because the people who killed her parents and tried to kidnap her would already have contacted those who were close to her. Maybe, they were the ones who...


    She had thought that far when she stopped herself. Because if this was true, then there was nothing more she would be able to do.


    Even if she had stopped herself, it was impossible topletely rid herself of the thought once it manifested in her head. This was the reason that Alice had chosen toe to Wondend. It was the one ce no one, not even the government, could control. She had thought that if she could just get inside that ce, even the murderers wouldn¡¯t dare touch her there. Although she knew that it was a dangerous ce, she thought that it couldn¡¯t be worse than this ce.


    Even though she had been trained to fear the ce since she was young, she headed over to it anyway.


    And when she finally arrived in front of the mboyant Wondend entrance sign, she copsed from fatigue and cked out. She had probably thought that it would be better to die. Maybe this was her punishment. When Alice opened her eyes again, her body was upied by someone else.


    The person who took over her body was a girl with a strange name. Alice was able to catch only glimpses of the girl¡¯s thoughts or memories from time to time because the girl had shoved Alice¡¯s identity deep into her consciousness. She was able toe to only in the rarest of times.


    Surprisingly, that girl was not of this world. Alice had never once thought that another universe could have existed, and so she thought the girl was crazy. But when she caught glimpses of her memories, she had to admit to herself that this other ce existed.


    That may have been the reason that this girl was both ignorant and yet had extensive knowledge of Wondend. Her ignorance gave the girl the courage to strut around Wondend without even the slightest of the trepidation that Alice had of the ce. Soon, Alice, more afraid of forever losing her body, forgot all about her fears of Wondend.


    But it didn¡¯t matter how fearful she was; there was nothing that she could do. One night, Alice was banished from her own body.


    She had thought that she had died. In the dark space, she floated aroundzily until she saw a light emanating from far away. She was suddenly reminded of something from the other girl¡¯s memory. That girl had moved toward that same light and had thene to upy Alice¡¯s body.


    Then would it be possible for her also? With ast grasp at hope, she swam through the darkness.


    Unlike the scene from the other girl¡¯s memory, she moved through the darkness with great difficulty. Next to the light, she saw something that caught her eye. It wasn¡¯t bright or beautiful, but the more she looked at it, the more it continued to hold her attention.


    And suddenly, she intuitively knew: this thing would receive her. When she realized it, Alice quickly swam toward it and got sucked inside.


    It was this moment that she left her life as Alice and started her life as Li.

 Chapter 83

    <h4>Chapter 83</h4>


    March heard a story out of Li¡¯s mouth that he directly ryed to SoYoon. March didn¡¯t understand the importance of what and to whom he was telling this story because he did not know how all this rted to SoYoon. He only hoped to rid himself of his suffocating feeling and to remove the rose-colored sses that SoYoon seemed to have on regarding Alice.


    ¡°Li was only able to see snippets, so she can¡¯t be sure of everything, but she saw that girl kill someone in her own world and get sucked into this one. She said something about stealing¡ªwhat was it? Well, I can¡¯t remember what exactly she said, but anyway she supposedly stabbed a girl who stole her boyfriend away from her. Li found even that hard to believe. She thinks it¡¯s more likely that she was obsessed with a man, and when he ended up with a real girlfriend, she lost her mind.¡±


    SoYoon stood frozen as she listened to March, and a strange realization hit her.


    She turned around and ran toward her house.


    ¡°Huh? White Rabbit!¡± March called, but she couldn¡¯t hear.


    She arrived home in under five minutes. Seeing Li asleep on the sofa, she ran over and shook her by the shoulders to wake her up. SoYoon¡¯s fingers pressed painfully against her shoulder. Li jumped in surprise at SoYoon¡¯s intense expression.


    ¡°Ah! What¡ªwhat are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That girl. What¡¯s her name?¡±


    Murder due to blind love wasmon. SoYoon thought that maybe she was overreacting to the situation. However, her heart was pounding so hard that it was difficult to shake off her intuition. Li instantly figured out who she meant by ¡°that girl.¡± Her lips trembled so much she was barely able to answer.


    ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t really know. It was a weird name, so I forgot it easily. Ow, it hurts! Please, let me go!¡±


    ¡°Hey, she says she doesn¡¯t know! Let her go, huh? White Rabbit!¡± March, who had followed SoYoon home, cried.


    ¡°Remember it. Now.¡±


    SoYoon threatened her menacingly. Li was on the verge of passing out from pain and fear. March removed SoYoon¡¯s hand from Li¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Do you not remember? Not even one letter?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...! Heart! That girl asked Heart to call her by that name...¡±


    She released her before she even finished talking and ran out of the house.


    ¡°What¡ªwhat is...?¡±


    Li mumbled with painful tears in her eyes. March became nervous as he concluded that something was very wrong.


    ***


    ¡°It has to be a lie. It can¡¯t be,¡± SoYoon muttered to herself as she ran toward Heart¡¯s house.


    The moment she barged through the front door, Heart was notified and went downstairs to the lobby. Sensing violence in her demeanor, the men stepped between her and Heart.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You may all leave.¡±


    ¡°But...!¡±


    ¡°I said to leave, ¡°Heartmanded as he red at his men.


    The men disappeared from the room like low tide and left the two people standing in the lobby. SoYoon observed the man approaching her and tried to calm the emotions that took over her mind.


    It¡¯s not confirmed yet, she thought. I¡¯ll have to verify if it¡¯s true first.


    Unable to swallow all of her anger, she asked in a low voice, ¡°Where¡¯s Alice?¡±


    ¡°She went out.¡±


    Seeing the state that SoYoon was currently in, Heart sensed that what he had been dreading had finallye to pass. He lifted SoYoon like a small child, hugged her, and patted her back. Feeling the slow rhythm on her back, she was able to calm herself down a bit.


    ¡°Do you perhaps know?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Go ahead, my Whitey.¡±


    ¡°Do you perhaps know...Alice¡¯s other name?¡±


    Heart looked up at SoYoon¡¯s face. Confusion, hesitation, and anger showed through her mask and hair-covered face. He knew now that the name he hadn¡¯t given much importance to was part of an incredible secret.


    ¡°Yes. She told me it was GaHyun.¡±


    The anger flowing out of SoYoon disappeared utterly. Realizing her devastation, Heart quickly walked up to the third floor.


    Even when he hadid her down on the bed, SoYoon was staring nkly at him. Only after he closed in on her did shee back to her senses.


    ¡°Get off!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°This is not the time to be doing...¡±


    Heart hugged SoYoon. When his warm body embraced her, she realized she had been trembling.


    He whispered to her. ¡°You can cry,¡± he said tenderly, in a manner brighter than the sunlight filtering into the bedroom. ¡°In here, there is no one other than me who can see you. Cry immediately.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane?¡±


    The one person who knew SoYoon the best in Wondend was Heart. He knew that if he had left SoYoon alone, she would explode. Then when she had calmed down, she would regret it painfully. He had no intention of letting her do that to herself.


    At some point, the mask disappeared off SoYoon, and he could see her. Heart¡¯s lips kissed SoYoon softly all over her face. He kissed her cute nose and went up to kiss her eyes, then he said to her, ¡°I¡¯ll stay next to you, my love.¡±


    An animalist feeling hit Heart as SoYoon¡¯s arms and legs wrapped around him, and he blurted out his confession. His words shocked her, and he went further to sow the seeds into her heart.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    Those seeds would take root inside her heart and keep her here with him. He positioned her head so that she could no longer look away from him, but he did it in a way that she wouldn¡¯t realize what he was doing and did so sweetly.


    Hot hands touched her cheek. His fingers swept across her eyes, and he was surprised to find her crying.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    She quickly tried to wipe her eyes, but Heart stopped her.


    His arms warmly hugged her. His hands caught her continuously flowing tears, and his lips kissed hers. Her lips burned red with emotion, and they tasted bitter like life, salty from the tears and sweet like love.


    In Heart¡¯s embrace, SoYoon cried as she imagined her family¡¯s faces drifting farther and farther away. Now, she could no longer hold on to the hope she had been carrying all this time.


    She didn¡¯t know what she was doing or muttering to herself. Heart concentrated on her every breath, and the sound of her tears falling and found that a corner of his heart was growing cold.


    The ce that she had always looked toward was a ce he could not touch. His arms tensed without him noticing.


    SoYoon cried for a long time and finally ended up falling asleep. Her eyes were red from crying. He wet a handkerchief in cold water and ced it over them. He carried his smartphone out to the terrace and closed the door. He stared through the clear ss, unable to take his eyes away from SoYoon. Then he called Mad Hatter.


    Soon, he heard his short answer.


    ¡°You knew, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?


    ¡°Whitey¡¯s home.¡±


    Mad Hatter sighed through the phone. Heart could hear the disappointment in his tone.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair. Didn¡¯t we agree to cooperate?¡±


    ¡°I could say the same thing about you. Stop bbing about such silly things and get to the point.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way for Whitey to go back?¡±


    ¡°Other than by a miracle, no,¡± Mad Hatter said shortly. Heart, hearing what he had wanted, hung up and went back inside.


    His shirt, drenched in her tears, felt cold to the touch when the wind hit it. After taking it off, Heart examined the ash-colored pool on the white silk sheets. Her attachments, regrets, hopes, and greed were all collected here. He was determined to burn all that away.


    When Heart returned to the bed, SoYoon was curled up tightly, whimpering.


    He slipped into the bed andy close to her. Feeling his warmth, she turned toward him. She fell into his embrace, and he hugged her tightly. He smoothed out her crinkled forehead by gently rubbing it. As he did this, her breathing became peaceful.


    And so she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


    ***


    SoYoon woke up from her sleep before even an hour had passed. The moment she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Heart¡¯s sleeping face.


    ¡°...¡±


    She stared nkly at him, and then without her knowledge, her hand was reaching out to him. His cheeks were smooth and warm and made her feel good.


    As she touched his face without much thought, he opened his eyes. SoYoon avoided his look. At that, Heart pulled SoYoon into a hug and smiled.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    Heart stuck out his tongue and lightly licked her swollen eyes. She closed her eyes and pushed him away. She got out of bed.


    She put on her mask and wore her sword over her back, then headed to the door. Heart spoke quietly as she walked away.


    ¡°I love you. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    SoYoon was turning the doorknob when she froze.


    ¡°...All right.¡±


    Her voice sounded as if she was squeezing it out of her.


    ¡°Because I love you too.¡±


    m! The slightly open door closed.


    She ran instinctively over to him, and Heart blinked at the girl under his arms, staring at her back. He was unable to tell if what he had just heard was true.


    ¡°What did you just say right now...?¡±


    His tone sounded as if he was halfway in a different ce. SoYoon lowered her eyes to hide the miserable yet sweet emotion she felt.


    ¡°Whitey.¡±


    Him calling her was like an awakening. But still, SoYoon didn¡¯t turn to face him. So instead, Heart kissed her revealed neck.


    ¡°Come back safe.¡±


    SoYoon opened the door again and turned back for a moment. Heart¡¯s eyes burned with a passion that looked as if he wanted to eat her up. She quickly closed the door.

 Chapter 84

    <h4>Chapter 84</h4>


    Heart left his house and thought about SoYoon as he walked in long strides.


    Wi GaHyun¡ªit was a name he could now never forget.


    She stopped walking and pressed her eyelids. All the pain and heartache she had gone through had been because of that girl. It was hard to push down the anger rising inside of her, and she wanted nothing more than to kill her this very moment.


    But she shouldn¡¯t do that. She needed to show her that there was something in this world much worse than death.


    SoYoon headed back to her house. The moment she entered, Dor woke up and hugged SoYoon around the waist as she asked her, ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    ¡°I just stepped out for a bit. Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    With Dor still wrapped around her waist, SoYoon sat on the sofa and looked at March and Li. The two of them peered at her with tense expressions. SoYoon carefully examined Li. She had the face of a young teenager.


    ¡°Should I be calling you Alice?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. That name now belongs to that girl. Call me Li.¡±


    ¡°All right, Li. I¡¯m sorry about what happened before.¡±


    SoYoon nced at Li¡¯s shoulder. Li touched the area and still felt pain.


    She was sure SoYoon had bruised it, but Li couldn¡¯t utter a single word about it because SoYoon¡¯s gaze seemed to be burning into her. Li realized that it was her suppressed anger.


    ¡°I want to hear the specifics about that girl.¡±


    SoYoon said this calmly, but it was hard to hide the fire that rose inside the deepest corner of her heart. It had already be deeply ingrained in her.


    The White Rabbit Li knew was Alice¡¯s most trusted supporter. And so, it was hard for her to understand White Rabbit¡¯s sudden change in emotion.


    When White Rabbit first had met Alice, another soul had already taken over. This meant that the Alice who White Rabbit knew was that girl from the beginning. In this situation, it didn¡¯t make sense that she would suddenly get this angry by the mere fact that she found out that their souls had been swapped.


    Li stuttered as she exined what had happened to her. She had looked up at the Wondend sign and passed out. Upon waking up after a long time, she realized that someone had taken over her body. Then she told her what she saw of Wondend from that girl¡¯s perspective.


    SoYoon frowned with her pale lips and called Baby.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. I need information about Alice Liddell.¡±


    ¡°I can get it to you now....I wondered when you would ask me for it,¡± Baby said and hung up.


    It seems as if the only person unaware of all this was SoYoon herself. SoYoon looked at Li.


    ¡°This was a debt. And you have to pay back a debt.¡±


    ¡°If you want, I can give you the information you desire.¡±


    For example, who was the culprit who killed the Liddell couple? When she told her this, Li shook her head.


    ¡°...I already know.¡±


    Hers was a puzzling tone. SoYoon looked down at Li and thought, It is not right to me the child for the parents¡¯ wrongdoing. But she couldn¡¯t help thinking that this was how Henry Liddell got punished for what he had done.


    ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± Dor asked SoYoon as she got up from the sofa. She told her that she was going over to Baby¡¯s and left the house.


    And not long after, she ran into Mad Hatter.


    ¡°Yochanan?¡±


    SoYoon¡¯s voice was slightly lower than usual. Sensing that something was wrong just from that sign, Mad Hatter swept aside her hair. When he did, he saw that her eyes were red with tears. His cool fingers helped reduce the swelling of her eyes.


    ¡°Who is it? Heart?¡±


    Uncharacteristically, he seemed to emanate heated anger at the situation. SoYoon hurriedly grabbed his arm.


    ¡°No.¡±


    She grabbed firmly onto him so he wouldn¡¯t explode.


    ¡°Did you know that there was something strange about Alice?¡±


    ¡°She did this to you?¡±


    No wonder Heart asked him about SoYoon¡¯s home.


    Mad Hatter observed her in detail. He silently assigned me. SoYoon hesitated then pulled away from the finger that was still touching her eyes.


    ¡°How much do you know?¡±


    ¡°Well. Without knowing how much you are hiding, it will be hard to tell you...I probably know about half the story.¡±


    His long fingers wrapped around her rough fingers. She stared longingly at the intertwined fingers that were like thread and needle. Mad Hatter squeezed her hand and asked her.


    ¡°That girl is from the same world as you, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Was he a genius, or was she stupid for not realizing it? She suddenly knew how blind she had been regarding Alice.


    ¡°You figured out that much, and you said you only know half?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because I don¡¯t know the most important part¡ªhow you and that girl know so much about this world.¡± He added in a small voice, ¡°How you two know the way this world will unfold.¡± Even the genius Mad Hatter probably hadn¡¯t thought that this world could be the narrative of a book.


    SoYoon removed her gaze from Mad Hatter and looked around her surroundings. Air, light, color, and feel¡ªeverything was so real.


    After experiencing all this, could she say she was inside a book? But to say that this was apletely different world was too farfetched because it functioned just like Korea: one year, 12 months, 365 days. One day was 24 hours. It started with winter and transitioned to spring, then summer, and finished with autumn. The standard measuring system was in meters and grams, and the nativenguage was Korean.


    As if it was built up fueled by the power of magic, this ce seemed to be a parallel universe thaty beyond the other side of a mirror.


    She looked up at Mad Hatter again. His deep blue eyes didn¡¯t waver once from her face. Seeing this clearly, she justified the existence of this ce.


    ¡°Where Ie from, there is a novel with Wondend as the setting of the story.¡±


    Thest missing piece of the puzzle seemed to have popped out at Mad Hatter from the box. Hearing this unexpected truth caused him to blink confusedly, but not long after, he hugged SoYoon with his entire body.


    ¡°It must have been difficult.¡±


    Her affections had already been weakened by Heart previously, and they were getting attacked once again. SoYoon closed her eyes.


    ¡°So, do you think of me as a character from this novel?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She felt his cool body on hers. Thump, thump¡ªhis heart roared in her ears. How could this be a part of a book, just a scene fabricated by words on paper?


    He didn¡¯t ask her any more questions. When she asked him if he was okay, he smiled and answered, ¡°Is there a reason to not be okay? If you had thought of me as merely a character from a book, then I wouldn¡¯t have felt great, though.¡±


    ¡°There was no way I would feel that way.¡±


    Mad Hatter had been able to see SoYoon¡¯s world through what she had told him. When he found out that she knew information about this world, he had assumed that the people of her world had been able to see into his world through advanced technology or even have created it themselves.


    ¡°I already assumed that it would be something like that. What¡¯s important is not whether this ce is just a part of a novel or not.¡±


    He wrapped her white hair around his finger. He enjoyed the crisp feeling of it and continued. ¡°Your touch feels real, and you don¡¯t see me as a character, so what does that matter?¡±

 Chapter 85

    <h4>Chapter 85</h4>


    Even if he was created not by a god but by a human, even if this was an imagined ce drawn through the end of a pen, even if this world ended at the turn of thest page, he knew that even at its end, his feelings would not change. And if that was true, then what did it matter if this was a novel or not?


    ¡°Also, didn¡¯t this ce change a lot from the one you knew about?¡± Mad Hatter said in a bewildered tone. SoYoon recalled the time he had tried to tell her something without being able to finish it. ¡°I have, for you...¡±


    As if he had read her mind, he finally said the end of the sentence he had been holding at the tip of his tongue all this time.


    ¡°I have feelings for you.¡±


    Her arms tensed. His embrace felt warmer than ever before.


    ¡°I love you,¡± he whispered. She lifted her head.


    With love and affection, his cheeks blushed as his eyes met hers. His expression was so lovable yet regrettable that SoYoon extended her arm and hugged him tightly


    .


    The two bodies that had no space between each other were able to feel their beating hearts. Mad Hatter smiled as he felt her warmth against him.


    ¡°You...like me, too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    She remained silent. Mad Hatter rubbed his cheek against her hair and mumbled, ¡°In this type of situation, you should just say that you do. You sure don¡¯t know how to keep the mood.¡±


    His voice sounded so sad. SoYoon hesitated for a moment then lightly pushed him away. As she did, the blood from his already pale face drained.


    ¡°So¡ªYoon...?¡±


    Mad Hatter was able just barely to utter her name with his pale lips. Her white hair swept across his nose as her lips touched his forehead, which had turned cold from anxiety.


    .


    Even on her tiptoes, she was too short, and so Mad Hatter had to lift her to help her seed. SoYoon looked into his face. All he did was blink at her, then suddenly blushed red with mixed emotions. He stared at her like this for a moment then said to her casually, ¡°Where were you going? Were you looking for that girl?¡±


    ¡°No. I was going to meet up with Baby,¡± SoYoon answered in her usual tone and nced over at his neck. Mad Hatter insisted that he go with her, and so the two of them finally arrived at Baby¡¯s house. Baby was waiting outside, and when Baby saw the two of them, the silence that SoYoon had maintained for the sake of manners was immediately broken down with a few words.


    ¡°Why are your face and neck all red? With Mad Hatter¡¯s personality, I don¡¯t think he would have done that without reason...Did you confess?¡±


    ¡°You are supposed to pretend as if you don¡¯t notice these types of things...¡±


    ¡°Close that mouth of yours.¡±


    Mad Hatter blocked SoYoon¡¯s lips. Even though she could have easily avoided him, she remained still, and Baby, seeing this, smiled slyly.


    SoYoon received a thick envelope full of information regarding Alice from Baby and started to read it immediately. It noted everything that Alice had been up to since she arrived in Wondend.


    What SoYoon wanted to figure out was Alice¡¯s motive. Only after figuring this out would she be able to destroy that hope in front of her eyes. But based on the information, Alice¡¯s intention seemed to be extremely childish.


    In this dangerous world, the only thing her movements reflected was that she wanted to receive love. SoYoon realized that Alice might just be crazier than expected.


    SoYoon rubbed her fatigued eyes. As she did, Mad Hatter, who had been ying with her hair, asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°What do you think Alice¡¯s motive was in making contact with you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think she was trying to seduce me...but I don¡¯t know what her motive for it was.¡±


    As the main character, Alice¡¯s greedy motive was to be loved, but that was not her main objective. As this was not a part of the original plot, it was understandable that Mad Hatter wouldn¡¯t know.


    The man Alice wanted the most was in her grasp. SoYoon stared at Mad Hatter. Could this be a sort of revenge? As she thought this, she found herself surprised at how severely ufortable that made her feel. It was like witnessing someone dumping paint to ruin a valuable artwork.


    SoYoon got up from her seat. She had wanted to check everything and thoughtfully create a n ordingly, but she knew this was all useless.


    Anyway, this ce was Wondend. If there was something she wanted revenge over, there were many ways to return the pain she felt multifold.


    ***


    Right after SoYoon left Heart¡¯s house, his men, whom he had secretly told to tail Alice, reported to him on her whereabouts.


    To him, Alice may have been a girl he was sorely tired of; to someone else, she was his savior. To make sure that his ns would go uninterrupted, Heartmanded his men to capture Alice the moment she returned to the house and, at the same time, lock up Peter.


    Locked in the basement prison without knowing the reason, Peter was able to find out from conversing with the people passing by that Heart¡¯s intended target was not him but Alice.


    Alice¡ªshe was the most precious and beautiful flower in the world to him. Not wanting ever to see that flower wither, he made up his mind after much back-and-forth.


    In a couple of hours, Peter had seeded in escaping and hid in an alleyway that led to the house.


    It was when Alice returned home from her usual rounds of healing people. He watched her from afar and found Jeremy right at her side. Peter stuck his hands inside his jacket pocket. His fingers touched the knife he had hurriedly prepared before leaving.


    A few momentster, the sound of one heavy and one light footstep came closer. Then, Alice¡¯s silverbell scented perfume hit him, and he breathed it in sweetly. He poked his head out slightly and saw the delicate blond hair and the pearl-like skin that shimmered under the afternoon sunlight.


    Peter took out his knife. And for the first time in his life, he decided to dirty his hands to save the life of another. He plunged the knife into Jeremy¡¯s neck and sliced through his pulse.


    ¡°Ah! Jeremy! Pe¡ªPeter?¡± Alice cried.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go back to the house, Alice! Heart is preparing to kill you!¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about...?¡±


    Jeremy¡¯s blood had drenched Peter, whose eyes were wild, so that he looked like a crazy person. Alice, unawares, took a step back. Peter strutted up to her and grabbed her shoulder.


    ¡°Listen carefully, Alice. Heart doesn¡¯t love you. The person he loves is White Rabbit!¡±


    Hearing his words, she blinked confusedly then burst outughing. Frustrated by herck of belief, Peter yanked at her arm.


    ¡°First, hide...No, let¡¯s go to Outhouse. Just in case, I¡¯ve secured a hideout in Outhouse. You and I, the both of us, we can survive for a couple of months with the money I saved up. We¡¯ll run far away and live together.¡±


    ¡°Peter?¡±


    ¡°Hurry! We don¡¯t have time! Heart wille after you soon!¡±


    Peter pulled hard at Alice¡¯s arm. He didn¡¯t even notice herining that he was hurting her. It was then that Alice started to get scared and desperately tried to get away from him.


    ¡°Let go, Peter. It hurts! I said, let go!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave, huh? Let¡¯s leave and live together, just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to! Please let me go! Let go, you jerk! I¡¯m not going with you!¡±


    Alice looked at her surroundings and tried to find someone to ask for help. But even the few people that were there when the sun had been up had all disappeared.


    Alice made eye contact with one of the two men standing inside the alleyway and desperately eximed, ¡°Help me! This man is trying to kidnap me!¡±


    The man smiled, however, and it was a smile that triggered something in her memory.


    Gripped with fear, she tried to pull away from Peter¡¯s grasp and hit him, trying to get away. But it was useless to resist someone whose power was strengthened by fighting others his whole life. Feeling that she would be dragged away in this state, she looked again to the men inside the alleyway. The man had brought over a friend and wasing out of the alley. She rejoiced.


    ¡°Here! Help! I¡¯ll pay you handsomely!¡±


    Frazzled, she had not noticed that the person next to the man was bloodied and that the two people were not friends. Alice only realized this after the man stepped out of the alleyway¡¯s shadows.


    Bandages covered the man¡¯s left eye and cheekbones. The bandages curved in like a skull. He had blood all over his body and was leaning on the arm of the other man. The blood-covered man was in a suit like Peter, and there was a knife stuck in his chest.


    There were not many people who wore suits in Wondend, and the ones who did were mostly...Heart and his men. Alice felt a chill down her spine.


    The man smoothed back his tousled blond hair with bloody hands and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Peter.¡±


    At this, Peter, who had ignored all of Alice¡¯s pleas and resistance, stopped walking.


    ¡°Chester.¡±


    When Peter said the man¡¯s name, Alice knew that this situation had taken a turn for the worse.


    ***

 Chapter 86: Ye SoYoon

    <h4>Chapter 86: Ye SoYoon</h4>


    ¡°Chester.¡±


    Peter stopped walking and called out the raggedly dressed man¡¯s name. He greeted him in a bright voice as if he was a friend. The man, Chester, threw the corpse he was holding in front of Peter and gave him a crooked smile.


    ¡°I knew this would happen. Peter, there¡¯s always something about you that isn¡¯t quite up to par.¡±


    The afternoon sun revealed the face of the corpse. His eyes were rolled up, but Peter knew this person. Peter¡¯s face stiffened like a statue.


    ¡°Was I already being followed?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Chester definitively negated Peter¡¯s question as he looked at Alice. It looked as if he had not washed his dirty blond hair for several days, and she could see his gray eyes under the bandages stare sharply at her. Alice got the sudden feeling that she had met him somewhere before.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the one being followed. She is.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Like a fog lifting away from her memories, she hazily remembered something from what Chester said.


    Chester pulled out a flip phone from his jacket pocket. After pressing the numbers on the keypad, he shoved the phone toward Alice. His fingers were dirty with blood, and Alice stepped away in disgust, but Chester didn¡¯t pay attention to her.


    After a few seconds of silence, several audio files started to y.


    ¡°We are currently at Central. Nothing major has happened.¡±


    ¡°She is healing a girl. It is a girl who had hurt her leg.¡±


    ¡°We are currently heading toward the house from Central.¡±


    ¡°She is healing a man. He has an illness. He looks to havee to her after hearing the rumors.¡±


    ¡°As long as nothing major happens, we will arrive at the house in twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°I understand. If Alice pulls anything strange as we return, I will capture her.¡±


    The audio files ended there. After standing numb for a while, Alice came to her senses and red at Chester. But all he did was shrug.


    ¡°You may not want to believe it, but if you continue to go this way, you will get captured and potentially killed. I don¡¯t care if that happens, but¡­if you really can¡¯t believe it, you can try calling Heart.¡±


    Alice hesitantly nced at him and pulled out her smartphone from her clutch bag. Peter paced anxiously and tried to stop her as he nced at his surroundings, but Chester pulled Peter away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop her, Peter. This girl needs to be aware of the reality of the situation.¡±


    Peter could not take his eyes off of Alice, who pressed the home button on her phone. Alice ignored the pleading face that she could see by the light of her phone and swept her finger across the home screen to unlock it.


    Then, they heard a low whimper near the men. She turned up her head reflexively and saw a knife sticking out of Peter¡¯s chest. Her eyes met with Chester¡¯s. Chester was smiling back at her joyfully.


    Alice turned her body and started to run. But she was caught after only a few steps.


    ¡°Let go! Ahh! Help¡­! Oops!¡±


    ¡°I can finally greet you properly. Hello, Alice. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve seen each other, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    She gagged. Alice looked up, trembling, at Chester.


    He hummed and swept back his hair with the free hand that was not blocking her mouth. His hand, which was drenched in Peter¡¯s blood, was able to slick back neatly his thick blond hair and hold it in ce. The homeless facade he had earlier was stripped away as he revealed his handsome profile and cold gray eyes.


    ¡°You still can¡¯t tell who I am, even if I do this? Or should I put on a pair of sses?¡±


    Swept back and matted with dirt and blood, his hair was light blond as it shimmered upon catching the light. Then there were his gray eyes and the sses. Alicebined the three elements and came up with only one person who would fit that profile. Her eyes grew wide.


    ¡°You¡¯ re¡ªyou¡¯re not¡­Cheshire¡­?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Alice¡¯s legs gave way as she felt like a hammer had hit her over the head. Cheshire bent down and leaned into her, smiling widely.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alice. I¡¯m not here to hurt you. You and I have something inmon that we both want.¡±


    ¡°Why¡ªwhy now¡­?¡±


    In the second half of the book ¡°Wondend,¡± Cheshire kidnapped Alice and tied her to the sign at Wondend¡¯s entrance. A lot of time was left before that was supposed to happen, however, and this was not how the kidnapping should have gone in the first ce. Plus, the story always depicted him in a suit, and never in the original story did he show up in this sort of attire.


    Cheshire listened to Alice muttering nonstop to herself then stole the smartphone away from her. She had been holding it tight in her hand, so it had remained unlocked. He fiddled with it a bit, and because he was intelligent, he was soon able to figure out how to use it. He nced over at Alice and shoved a dirty handkerchief into her mouth. Then he pulled out a knife stained with blood and put it near her neck.


    ¡°Just stay quiet. Then I won¡¯t touch a hair on your head.¡±


    He touched the icon with the picture of a phone on it and called Heart. A few momentster, a smooth voice called out the girl¡¯s name.


    ¡°Alice?¡±


    ¡°Hello, is this Heart?¡±


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I doubt you would know who I am, even if I told you.¡±


    Alice looked down at the knife in front of her neck. Since her hands were free, she might be able to escape if she could catch the right timing. When Cheshire was distracted, she could remove the handkerchief over her mouth and yell for help.


    But how would it change her situation if she did? Cheshire was right next to her, and Heart was far away at his house. While she was trembling in fear, Cheshire continued to pretend to be a kidnapper who captured Alice to gain money.


    ¡°One million carol. One million carol. You got it?¡±


    ¡°I would like to hear Alice¡¯s voice.¡±


    ¡°The girl is currently asleep after being drugged. Hmm, maybe if I cut off a few fingers, she¡¯ll wake up from the pain.¡±


    ¡°Tell me the location where you want to meet and the time.¡±


    ¡°Meet me one hourter, at four twenty-three. I¡¯ll be at Wondend¡¯s entrance. Every ten minutes you arete, I will cut something off her body. Remember that.¡±


    Cheshire¡¯s voice was menacing. Hearing this threat mere inches away from her face, Alice fell into despair. Heart, help me, she cried silently. Then, she heard Heart¡¯s cold voice.


    ¡°As long as she stays alive.¡±


    Although it may have sounded like the whisper of a lover, he had not a single drop of worry about Alice¡¯s well-being. Hisck of expression woke up Alice to the reality of the situation. She looked nkly at Cheshire. After hanging up, he told her, ¡°Do you understand now?¡±


    He removed the handkerchief from her mouth. She was unable to say anything, however. Cheshire grabbed her roughly and dragged her away.


    They arrived at an old house near the slums, and he pushed Alice inside. Finally,ing to her senses, she slowly started to creep away from him. As she did, he sat down in the only chair there and asked her, ¡°Who are you? Have you really switched souls with the real Alice Liddell?¡±


    His tone was so casual that Alice didn¡¯t take in his meaning until a few secondster. Her face flushed in fear.


    ¡°I heard everything. You and Li¡ªno, the real Alice Liddell¡ªthe two of you fighting with each other.¡±


    Cheshire pointed to the back of her hand. There remained the scratches she had gotten when she had tried to choke Li. Alice quickly hid her hands behind her back. Cheshireughed at the girl who couldn¡¯t even maintain eye contact with him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t care what your identity is. I only need your cooperation. This will benefit you also, you see? It¡¯s a chance to get revenge over Heart and Undertaker.¡±


    ¡°Undertaker? White Rabbit¡­Is that who you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    Alice remembered what Peter had said to her. The person Heart loved was not her but White Rabbit.


    ¡°Yes, White Rabbit. That girl is Heart¡¯s real mistress.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t White¡ªWhite Rabbit a man? And he and Heart both like me¡­¡±


    ¡°White Rabbit a man? I don¡¯t know how you came to that conclusion, but she is a girl. Also, that girl not only has a rtionship with Heart, but with Mad Hatter and Twins.¡±


    White Rabbit was a girl? In the original story, White Rabbit was definitely a man. Also, Heart, Mad Hatter, and Twins all liked her? Alice¡¯s mind went nk.


    Cheshire exined to her about SoYoon. He told her about the Caucus Race and Croquet Game four years ago, Heart¡¯s insistence on being left alone whenever SoYoon visited, the rumors that spread on ount of Heart¡¯s minions gossiping, Heart¡¯s and Mad Hatter¡¯s reaction to Cheshire¡¯s fake request, and Twins¡¯ attack.


    ¡°You were being used. Your healing powers are a useful skill, so Heart used his seductive skills to hold you captive.


    ¡°Who¡­is that girl?¡±


    ¡°I heard you escaped from the research facility. Alice Liddell¡¯s father, Henry Liddell, used to work there, but I don¡¯t think that has anything to do with you¡­Oh, that¡¯s right. She was the hundredth-something dimension shifter or something like that.¡±


    Alice¡¯s eyes slowly grew wider.


    The real irregr character, the person who stole everything from her, had not been Li after all. She quicklyprehended the current situation.


    She had been fooled all this time. How much she would have mocked her knowing she was none the wiser. Alice clenched her fists.


    Chesterughed as he saw the anger and hatred reflected in her bright blue eyes.


    ¡°So now¡­¡±

 Chapter 87

    <h4>Chapter 87</h4>


    ¡°We just need her alive.¡±


    After ending his call with the kidnapper, Heart tried to locate the two men, Jeremy and David, whom he had kept next to Alice at all times. He pulled out a ck disk from inside the cab.


    Mad Hatter had added a GPS locator to Alice¡¯s smartphone when he made it for her. He had given Heart one of the devices that would help locate her. When Heart activated it, arge map opened up over the disk, and a red dot indicated her location.


    He moved the map with his fingers and expanded the area in Wondend it indicated. The red dot seemed to be moving toward the slums.


    ¡°We cannot get into contact with either Jeremy or David.¡±


    ¡°Find them. They will be near here...What about Peter?¡±


    Heart pointed to the map as he brought up the name of the escaped prisoner. Instead of an answer, all he heard were apologies.


    Surprisingly, however, Peter¡¯s whereabouts were easily revealed. Not far from the house, they found his corpse, along with two other men. After determining their cause of death, his men directly reported it to Heart.


    ¡°We think that Peter killed Jeremy, then another person killed David and Peter. This person was probably lying in wait for them and first killed David, then approached Alice and Peter and killed Peter...But there is one strange thing. There is no evidence that Peter fought at all with the assant.¡±


    ¡°There is a high chance that it was someone he knew, then. And that must be the kidnapper.¡±


    They wondered if there was anyone in Wondend brave enough to threaten Heart in this way. Most wouldn¡¯t dare because of the obvious repercussions. Because of this, Heart didn¡¯t believe everything the kidnapper said. If the kidnapper intended toe to the promised location at the specified time, then he would have to start moving soon.


    ¡°Divide up the men and send ten to the entrance and send ten here.¡±


    When they arrived at the ce they had assumed Alice to be, however, the only thing they found was a sky blue smartphone. Heart immediately called Baby and asked to find information about where Alice was currently.


    ***


    Alice looked in the mirror. She saw the reflection of a girl in an old grey dress and a brown wig. She angrily pushed back the strands of stiff hair that were falling past her shoulders.


    ¡°Do I have to go on like this?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be noticed, then you have no other choice. Just wait an hour. Oh, and give me your cellphone.¡±


    ¡°This, this...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? You have to leave all your belongings in this ce. Even if it was me, I would have put a tracking device on that phone of yours.¡±


    Cheshire snatched the smartphone away from Alice¡¯s hesitating hands and ced it on top of the chair. The phone contained little data and there weren¡¯t a lot of apps on it, so it was nothing like the smartphones that she was used to. The only thing that she was attached to about it was the fact that it was one-of-a-kind.


    She looked at the smartphone with a tinge of regret. She had to abandon her greed.


    The two people finally went to the streets. Cheshire lead Alice to an unknown ce. Other than the handful of people they passed, the back alley he took her down was very quiet. The spasms of fear that often reared up were quelled by her rising anger at the people who had betrayed her.


    Heart and White Rabbit. She ground her teeth more toward the thought of thetter. She was determined to pull out all the white hairs from his head. If Cheshire¡¯s scheme went as nned, she would have such a chance.


    Finally, the two of them arrived in front of an old building. After checking his surroundings and finding no one there, Cheshire spoke to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you are pivotal to this n seeding.¡±


    As Cheshire moved far away from the ce, Alice took a deep breath and stepped inside the building. There was nobody inside. She called someone on the flip phone that Cheshire had given her.


    A few hourster, a group of people arrived. A few people within the group looked at the dirty building with disapproval andined about their surroundings. They shut their mouths once they found Alice. Alice read the contempt in their eyes and was taken aback.


    A few momentster, a younger man within the group approached her.


    ¡°Are you the person who called us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m Chester¡¯s assistant, Sarah.¡±


    When Alice gave him her alias, the man looked her up and down.


    ¡°You can call that person for us?¡±


    His gaze was extremely rude. Irritated, she didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she pulled out her cellphone and made a call.


    White Rabbit didn¡¯t know that Alice knew about her. The only thing White Rabbit knew was that Alice had been kidnapped. If that was the case, SoYoon would most likelye in an attempt to hide her knowledge.


    Alice opened up her cellphone and typed in SoYoon¡¯s number.


    ***


    After finding out what Alice was up to, SoYoon came out of Baby¡¯s house. Just as she was about to pass through the front door, her smartphone rang. It was Heart.


    ¡°Alice got kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°Something doesn¡¯t seem right about it, but as of now, yes.¡±


    SoYoon hung up the phone and stood there for a while. Mad Hatter, who was standing next to her, asked, ¡°What are you nning to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find her.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem efficient.¡±


    SoYoon felt the same way, but she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to stay still. Mad Hatter let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll also try to figure out what to do.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    After parting ways with Mad Hatter, SoYoon started to search every corner of Wondend. A little whileter, her smartphone rang with an unknown number.


    This wasn¡¯t something particrly unusual, but not wanting to get distracted by a client request, she decided to ignore the call. But the unknown caller was very persistent. The phone rang, again and again, every few seconds. Eventually, SoYoon picked up the phone after the third time it rang through.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°White, White Rabbit? It¡¯s me...¡±


    A girlish and lovely voice rang through the receiver. It was Alice. SoYoon resisted the urge to hang up on her. Alice was not aware of who she was or how she felt about her at the moment. SoYoon wanted to make sure that she didn¡¯t do anything that would cause Alice to run away.


    ¡°Where are you? I heard you got kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I hit the kidnapper over the head and was able to run away. I¡¯m calling you from that person¡¯s cellphone, but I have no idea where I am. Pleasee get me.¡±


    ¡°Do you see anything noteworthy in your vicinity? Can you describe the building at all?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...Oh! The building¡¯s walls are green! And while we wereing here, I saw a yellow pole. It¡¯s a fairly old building and the first floor is veryrge.¡±


    There were not many ces that fit the characteristics that Alice had just described in Wondend. SoYoon moved towards the ce that fit the description.


    Meanwhile, Alice hung up the phone and observed the group of people standing in front of her. ¡°She¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Gripping hard onto the cellphone, she kept her distance from them. Their gazes felt like they were looking at an object, not at a person, and it gave her the chills.


    While Alice stayed crouched in the corner out of the way, one of the people broke away from the group and started to move around unnaturally. He started cing objects around the room here and there and drawing things on the floor with colored liquid. They moved so quickly that they were done with their tasks within 10 minutes.


    And then, when another 15 minutes had passed, SoYoon stepped into the building. As arranged by Cheshire, Alice was hiding on the 1st floor, crouched in the corner of the building. Sensing her familiar presence, SoYoon moved towards her without hesitation.


    ¡°Alice, stay there...!¡±


    The unexpected happened when SoYoon stepped foot into the center of the 1st floor. A blinding light shot up from the floor and started to curve into beautiful shapes. At the same time, SoYoon felt a wave of dizziness ovee her and she hurriedly stepped back. It was already toote.


    ¡°Ack...!¡±


    The brand on her shoulder gravitated toward the magic insignia drawn on the ground. Trapped inside the dust-filled room, she gasped for breath as she ced her hand securely on the floor to leverage her body from colliding with it.


    As if being pulled in by a strong ma, her body and mind were being dragged down, and it took all her strength to lift her upper body back up. Suddenly, SoYoon was able to sense the presence of many more people. Someone had prepared the trap and had used stealth-magic to hide their presence.


    Their only motive was to capture her. There was only one group that would pull a stunt like this.


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible how much she can resist the power of the spell,¡± a young researcher said as he nced over at SoYoon¡¯s arm. Her arms and legs were shaking from the immense strength she was using to resist the spell. Worse, the powerful sleeping spell was causing her consciousness to be hazy.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    She scratched at the floor. As the tips of her fingers slid across the rough surface, long trails of blood followed out. Using that pain, SoYoon was able toe back to her senses and see from a distance that a doll was looking down at her. The tousled wig and old dress couldn¡¯t hide the beauty of the girl. Alice was there.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± SoYoon muttered. Alice¡¯s eyes burned in anger.


    ¡°How dare you talk to me like that...!¡±


    ¡°All of you, aren¡¯t you looking for another girl other than me?¡± SoYoon said in a loud voice, ignoring Alice. Alice knew that this magic spell did not affect normal people, so she stepped inside.


    Alice had stretched out her leg to step on SoYoon¡¯s head when she saw the brown eyes underneath the tousled bangs. When their eyes met, she felt a sense of deja vu.


    ¡°She¡¯s trying to stall for time. Ignore her and increase the power of the spell...¡±


    ¡°Alice Liddell.¡±

 Chapter 88

    <h4>Chapter 88</h4>


    The leader of the group, who looked to be middle-aged, stopped midmand. The name that SoYoon had called out was very valuable.


    The daughter of the traitor Henry Liddell, the person with a power that no one had witnessed before, Alice Liddell. The government, upper-ss society, and researchers hadpeted vigorously to get their hands on her.


    SoYoon looked straight at Alice and continued. ¡°This girl is Alice Liddell. The girl you¡¯ve been desperately looking for with the healing powers. She¡¯s wearing a wig to disguise herself, but she can¡¯t fool me with that.¡±


    Alice was reminded of the reason Alice had run away to Wondend in the original story. She started to run towards the exit. But she couldn¡¯t get further than a couple of steps before she was caught.


    ¡°Let go! Let me go! No, it¡¯s not me! I¡¯m not Alice Liddell!¡±


    The shoddy wig was snatched off her head and fell away easily. Even though it had been pinned securely to her head, the action revealed her beautiful golden hair. Once the pins were removed, the researchers saw the same girl that they had seen in the pictures.


    SoYoon administered the final blow. ¡°Also, another soul is living inside that body. That rare case you guys had always been going on about.¡±


    Alice, who had been thrashing about, suddenly froze. ¡°You, how did you know that...¡±


    She looked at SoYoon, her face as white as a ghost. SoYoon¡¯s eyes under hershes curved into a smile as if looking at a lover.


    ¡°This time, let¡¯s fall into hell together, Wi GaHyun.¡±


    When she called her by her real name, a memory crossed Alice¡¯s mind.


    The brown eyes of the girl who had looked up at her from the pool of blood, and the moment their light had started to slowly fade away.


    ¡°You¡¯re... you can¡¯t be...Ye So...¡±


    Alice lost consciousness before she couldplete SoYoon¡¯s name. They used a simple fainting spell on her, then ced chains over her thin wrists and tightly tied up the rest of her body.


    Feeling her eyelids getting heavier, SoYoon thought to herself that it must now be her turn.


    It was. Practically asleep and no longer able to use her strength, she heard the sound of something cutting through the wind. Behind that, a piercing scream and the strong scent of blood. SoYoon was barely able to open her eyes.


    The first things she saw were two legs standing on the floor, and the first things she heard were the words, ¡°Who the f*ck are you? Who permitted you to do this to her?¡±


    She lifted her head a little higher. The soft sunlight that was filtering through the cracks in the building was shining onto the dark blond hair like an aura.


    Tweedle Dee. When her lips twitched into a smile, Dee nced over at her. SoYoon could see the blood-stained knife held tightly in his hand.


    Dee observed his enemies. Three men in casual attire... There had originally been four. One was dead now. There were also seven men and women d in ck suits.


    On both sides, he smelled something that made his mood sour. To be more exact, on one side, he smelled the arrogance of those who thought themselves to be more superior. Twins had experienced these sorts of people when they were younger. On the other side, they smelled of people who had lost their humanity.


    ¡°Hey, Blondie! Who are those punks?¡± As Dee asked SoYoon this question, one of the suited men ran towards him. Running at full speed, the man pulled out a knife from his back pocket and swung it quickly. Dee defended himself with his knife.


    ng! The sound of shing metal echoed sharply through the building. Dee used all his strength to push off his enemy. However, the opposition, contrary to his frail-looking stature, had immense strength. Dee knew of someone else who was even thinner than this man that was many times stronger than even this guy.


    ¡°I think I bit off more than I can chew.¡±


    Of all the people he could have been fighting, his opposition was one of the research facility¡¯s reengineered experiments. Dee¡¯s lips curved into a smile. He hated pain. He hated being in pain because it made him get hit even more. But if he was to back away now, he would lose SoYoon forever, and that thought spurred Dee on.


    He was d that he¡¯d decided to follow SoYoon when he saw her on the street earlier. Thanks to that decision, he had the chance to protect her and could brag about it to herter.


    He stuck the knife into the man¡¯s neck and kicked hard at the side of the second offender. The girl flew backward butnded lightly against the wall. It felt like he had kicked a boulder. Dee frowned.


    After observing how well Dee was doing, the researchers nodded to those waiting in the back. At this, the five that were left all moved at the same time.


    He never thought that he would die for a girl. He mumbled curses under his breath as he stepped back toward SoYoon.


    ¡°Blondie,¡± Dee called her in a small voice. The experiments were slowly closing in on them. ncing around at them, Dee said, ¡°I¡¯ll distract them so you can run away.¡±


    SoYoon blinked her half-closed eyes. Dee nced down at her and yelled urgently, ¡°What are you looking at me for? Hurry!¡±


    SoYoon had been barely able to keep upright with her trembling arms, but now one of her shoulders thudded to the ground heavily. The strength of the spell pulling her body and mind down had increased immensely.


    She looked at the researchers who were standing some distance away. Missing the cockiness they¡¯d disyed before, they were now muttering to each other and sweating.


    ¡°Blondie, are you not able to move?¡±


    Dee gasped. At the same time, SoYoon heard the patch on her left shoulder rip. With the patch no longer there to defend against the power of the spells, the magical spell pulled her in hard. She copsed and looked at Dee through her hair.


    Even if he was the strongest of the crazies in Wondend, fighting against six experiments at the same time was beyond his skill.


    Through her blurring vision, she could see Dee getting pummeled.


    Knowing he couldn¡¯t possibly win, he had still insisted on fighting to buy her some time. SoYoon saw the bandages on his left arm. Yesterday afternoon, she had wrapped them around Dum¡¯s arm.


    SoYoon¡¯s eyes were about to close for good. Thud. Something heavy fell to the floor. The smell of blood swept past her nose. With thatst memory, she lost consciousness.


    After Dee copsed and SoYoon got close to fainting, the researchers used magic to check their states again. When they were sure that both of them were unable to move, they looked around and clicked their tongues.


    As an added precaution, they had brought along seven experiments. Three were dead and four were severely hurt. Although this was unfortunate, the death of one of the researchers was far more detrimental.


    ¡°Why did this guy feel the need to intervene to this extent?¡±


    If they had brought fewer than six experiments, they may have lost another researcher. Thinking about this, one of the researchers shook his shoulders in fear and spoke. ¡°Should we take him too? He looks to be nonmagical.¡±


    At that moment, one of the researcher¡¯s cellphones rang. The researcher pulled out a phone that was the size of his arm and answered it.


    ¡°Yes. We have seeded in capturing her but what¡¯s the problem?... Yes, I understand.¡±


    After hanging up, the researcher turned toward the leader. The person who had called was Cheshire. Since bringing Alice to this ce, he had been hiding near Heart¡¯s house and observing what was going on. He¡¯d told them that Heart had started to move. They hade into Wondend secretly and plotted all this out. Heart was someone they wanted to avoid.


    Upon hearing this information, he decided to give up on Dee. Either way, there were only two avable spaces for the prisoners, and their priorities were SoYoon and Alice.


    They hurriedly left, leaving Dee there alone. The researchers thought that he was at the point where he would die on his own. They didn¡¯t feel the need to kill him on the spot. What they didn¡¯t realize was that Dee was born and raised in the slums of Wondend.


    A few momentster, Dee opened his eyes. What woke him up was none other than the sound of his cellphone. He spat the blood out from his mouth and picked up the phone.


    ¡°F*ck, bring the car to the entrance. You¡¯re the driver.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even consider what the other person had called him about as he spat outmands. Afterward, he was barely able to lift himself. Before exiting the building, he had been staggering and on the brink of copse. Once he breathed in the fresh outside air, he started to walk normally as if all the blood on his body was not his own. The only way you would recognize his state was by his slower than usual walk.

 Chapter 89

    <h4>Chapter 89</h4>


    SoYoon slowly opened her eyes. No, she may not have closed her eyes in the first ce. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing but darkness. Thest thing that she could recall was the smell of Dee¡¯s blood.


    Had she passed out and ended up at the research facility? Feeling a sudden sense of fear, she took in a deep breath. Her surroundings didn¡¯t have the unique chemical smell she associated with the ce. Then where was she? She got up from her seat and started to walk. Doing anything seemed like a better idea than doing nothing.


    After walking for a long time, she came upon a gray translucent wall with familiar people on the other side. They were the faces she had been missing for a long, long time. SoYoon stopped walking and turned towards them. She headed toward the wall and carefully reached out with her hand. Her hand hit the wall.


    She hadn¡¯t expected to reach them in the first ce. She had endured too much disappointment to believe in such a dream-like hope. If she had been able to touch them, she would have been positive that they were fake.


    Unable to touch them, she knew they were her real family. At the same time, she intuitively knew that this might be thest time she would be able to see her family. She stuck her body as close as she could to the wall and called to them in a small voice.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, SoHa.¡±


    They were sitting in the living room watching TV. Although they were watching aedy program, there was no joy in their eyes. When her mother¡¯s lips started to tremble, SoHa grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. After that, the three people were still and silent.


    SoYoon observed her family quietly. The wall progressively turned ck. Everything around her was shrouded in darkness, leaving her all alone. She was only able to remove her gaze from that ce after the image of her family disappeared. Not wanting her vision to blur, she had been holding back her tears, but now they flowed out freely and trickled down her cheek.


    ***


    A couple of hours after Dee left, Heart arrived at the ce with his men. He instructed his men to investigate, then looked around at the dust and bloodstains on the floor.


    ¡°Based on the footprints, the location of the bloodstains, the amount of blood, and other evidence, it doesn¡¯t seem like White Rabbit did the fighting herself. Based on the information Baby gave us, it¡¯s most probable that Twins is responsible. There is also a clear indication of magic being used here...¡±


    The man didn¡¯t finish his sentence. Instead, he handed Heart a brown wig and several hairpins. There were several strands of blonde hair attached to the hairpins that indicated what had happened here.


    The evidence of magic, Alice¡¯s forcefully removed wig, SoYoon¡¯sst known location. It all pointed to one thing.


    They suddenly heard something loud at the building¡¯s entrance. Someone was yelling, ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Normally, Heart would have frowned at this, but the situation was different now. With a nod, he permitted Mad Hatter to enter.


    Before he¡¯d even entered, Mad Hatter had sensed the use of magic. He headed to the ce where he felt the strongest presence. He felt simr energy to that of SoYoon¡¯s brand from 4 years ago. He was sure it had been created from the same source. Mad Hatter told them his conclusion.


    ¡°It was them.¡±


    The researchers, who were associated closely with the government, should have feared the repercussions ofing into this ce. But there wasn¡¯t anyone there who cared about that at the moment. With a crooked smile, Heart said to Mad Hatter, ¡°You can transport us to where the research facility is, right?¡±


    ¡°Just hand over the map.¡±


    He quickly handed over the map that showed the research facility¡¯s location.


    Mad Hatter scanned it, wrinkled his brow, and looked at Heart.


    ¡°Are you nning to go?¡±


    To transport someone with him, he had to make physical contact with them. Heart, instead of answering him, put his hand on Mad Hatter¡¯s shoulder. His expression didn¡¯t look too happy. ¡°I¡¯m not a mode of transportation,¡± Mad Hatter muttered to himself as he moved his powers. Then, in the blink of an eye, they disappeared.


    ***


    Cold air touched her wet cheeks. Due to the sleeping spell, SoYoon had fallen asleep. She was woken up from her slumber by the cold touch. In conjunction with that sensation, she could smell the familiar scent of chemicals and metal in the air. She examined her surroundings to check to see if anyone was there, but upon sensing no one, she opened her eyes and sat up.


    The sterile white scenery she had seen every day 4 years ago was spread out in front of her. She lowered her gaze to find her wrists tightly chained by an imprisoning spell. SoYoon twisted her wrists with great strength. Unlike before, they did not break so easily. They knew she had broken out and escaped from the chains previously. They must have used a more powerful spell this time. She clicked her tongue then twisted her wrists again. As she did, the chains made a creaking sound. On the third try, she was able to throw off the chains from her wrists.


    She broke the chains off her ankles as well and hopped off the experimental table. There was a magic insignia marked on the table as well. With the tip of her tongue, she felt the inside of her gums where Mad Hatter had drawn the magic insignia. It should have stopped the fainting and sedative spells. She thought to herself that it was a good thing she had prepared for this.


    As she had expected, she was naked and without a single thread of clothing. Even the patch on her left shoulder had gone missing.


    It was the patch that had covered the brand. The researchers from the facility were definitely skilled enough to find out what the patch¡¯s purpose was. She concluded that she had been left here for now because of the patch. There had been extra patches inside her cross bag, so the researchers were probably screaming with joy as they concentrated on their experiments.


    Figuring out the truth behind the reason they had captured her, SoYoon walked over to the door. The thick door was locked by magic. Maybe it was because she had been trapped by a simr door at Twins¡¯s house and escaped, but SoYoon didn¡¯t get frazzled and instead thought up a n to get out.


    After examining the door and the surrounding wall, she turned around and grabbed the experimentation table. She dragged it across the room and took it to a spot next to the door. Standing in front of the wall, she swung with all her strength.


    ng! The sound of metal on metal echoed loudly through the room. Instantly, she made a huge dent in the wall. SoYoon swung the table again. However thick the walls were, they would be easier to get through it than a door reinforced with magic.


    On the fourth swing, the wall started to crack. On the seventh one, it split open. She ced the table legs in between the crack and pushed. The crack soon became wide enough for one person to get through. She thought to herself that it had actually been much more difficult to get out of Twins¡¯ house than here.


    SoYoon was sure that the researchers wouldn¡¯t have bothered to think that she would prepare a defense against the fainting and sedative spells. It was because these people didn¡¯t think of her as some thinking or feeling human being, but merely as a specimen, nothing but an object under a microscope. As SoYoon slipped out of the room, she felt something strange and turned her head. A small surveince camera was attached to the wall. She threw the thing she was holding at it. The table leg that had acted as leverage flew towards the surveince camera lens and shattered it to pieces. SoYoon observed the shimmering pieces of broken ss as they scattered around the room.


    This ce had been where SoYoon¡¯s nightmare had begun. To GaHyun, the research facility was her living nightmare. With magic and the government¡¯s power on its side, the research facility was too great a force for anyone of their world to be able to handle. After several repetitive attempts to escape ormit suicide and failing at it each time, SoYoon hade to ept the fact that she wasn¡¯t allowed even the freedom of death. To cope, she was forced to give up everything about herself.


    Personal identity, freedom, shame, the three basic human needs, happiness, sadness, and, most importantly, hope. Eventually, all these things were chipped away to a point that, even when she had regained her freedom, they were never able to fullye back.

 Chapter 90: Ye SoYoon-5

    <h4>Chapter 90: Ye SoYoon-5</h4>


    There was a story she knew about the elephant and the stump. Circuses would raise baby elephants tied to a stump with a rope. The baby elephant would try to attempt to escape, but not yet being strong enough, it would continuously fail. And when this baby elephant grew and became stronger, it would automatically think that there was no hope of escaping and so it would not even attempt to try to escape the confines of the rope. When she heard this story during her lecture, SoYoon had only felt sympathy for the poor elephant.


    But, what if¡­


    SoYoon clenched her teeth. If, by some chance, the elephant could escape its entrapment, then what would happen? It didn¡¯t matter what that situation was. The stake could have been pulled out by ident, or maybe that day, the stump had looked smaller than normal, or some passerby had kicked it to knock it loose.


    If the elephant could look out to the world beyond that stump even once, there was no way that stump could hold it back any longer.


    SoYoon¡¯s brown eyes shed menacingly. She was ring at the second surveince camera when she threw out her fist.


    It was easy enough to destroy any of the surveince cameras that came into view. If the wall blocked her, she could break it apart, and if a person was blocked her, she could kill him. If they attacked using magic¡­ After thinking this far, SoYoon snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out then.¡± When had she ever been so cautious that she needed to worry about a potential magical attack?


    In reality, these things that wereplicated and detailed were weak against brute strength. SoYoon thought this to herself as she smashed the third surveince camera.


    After walking for some time, she reached the end of the hallway. As she was turning the corner, the magic trap that was hung between the ceiling and the pirs in a triangle activated.


    All the water in the air condensed to form a small tornado. When SoYoon realized what had happened, it was already forming into a deadly sharp de. She hurriedly hid her body behind a pir.


    ng! The water and metal hit and the sound reverberated through the surroundings. The force shook the pir but she didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, instead sharpening her focus on her hearing. She could sense four tornadoes. And now, all four were charging towards the pir. Water droplets trailed behind them, causing the surroundings to get wet. Then, SoYoon heard a tiny sound she was barely able to pick up on. It was like the sound that an electronic device makes right before it breaks down¡­The moment she thought this, she moved away from her position, but it was already toote. Another magic trap shot out like a wildcat and attacked her. She clenched her teeth hard.


    ¡°We got her!¡±


    Someone was watching her. The researchers were observing the situation through the surveince cameras and when they saw the electric magic trap shoot out towards her, they cheered.


    Even if she was considered a sessfully reengineered experiment, she was nothing but skin and bones. Soon, she would be nothing but a corpse. The thought that they had to capture her alive had long left their minds as they had witnessed SoYoon¡¯s violent streak through their screens.


    The bluish-white electricity filled the screen with light. The researchers who were watching the screen in interest closed their eyes for an instant.


    When they opened their eyes again, there was nothing there but white smoke floating before them. They waited expectantly for the smoke to disappear.


    One of the researchers pointed to something. ¡°Huh? Over there, there¡¯s something..!¡±


    When the smoke cleared, another white something was standing there. Unlike the smoke, this had a solid form. More importantly, it was the experiment that should have died. Their eyes all grew wide as they watched the smoke move strangely in front of SoYoon. Only after the smokepletely cleared did they realize what had happened.


    ¡°A barrier spell?¡±


    An almost colorless translucent barrier was protecting SoYoon.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be..!¡±


    The researchers were not the only ones who were surprised. SoYoon looked with wide eyes at the sceneid out in front of her.


    When the electricity had charged toward her, she¡¯d predicted howrge and powerful the effect would be. She had undergone tests to see how much electric shock could take and she knew that this would, at the very least, cause 2nd-degree burns. She had been predicting what would happen to her if she got hit full-on with it.


    However, the thing she had been anticipating had not happened. The magic spell swept past her and filtered out and away from her. That was when she¡¯d found the barrier set up in front of her. There was only one person that could do this for her.


    ¡°¡­Mad Hatter?¡±


    There was nobody there. Then maybe¡­ She used her tongue to sweep across the magic insignia inside her mouth. She remembered the extremely tired face of Mad Hatter after he had ced his insignia onto her.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    A smile unfitting for her current situation shed across her face for a moment. At the same time, she unknowingly realized that she had regained the confidence she had once lost. She no longer saw the research facility as a hellhole prison with no exit.


    All it was now was a grey wall. It was a surprising revtion.


    Finally, when the thick smoke subsided, SoYoon destroyed the surveince camera that had been watching her and left the spot.


    Not long afterward, she was attacked again. This time, they were the same type of experiments as her. Realizing magic wouldn¡¯t work, they had decided to attack by sheer physical force. Maneuvering around a sword that was swung at her with enough force that it could have cut her in half, she kicked hard at her opponent¡¯s stomach.


    Immediately afterward, a second enemy attacked. She jumped up lightly and wrapped her legs around his head, squeezing with all her might. His skull copsed and he dropped with the smell of blood rising in the air.


    The moment SoYoonnded, she charged at her enemies. She may have been randomly numbered as 137, but she was a dimension jumper, and thus a rarity. Due to this trait, the researchers had spent a lot of time on her body. There was no way the regr experiments would be a match for her.


    With the continuous onught of experiments as her enemy, SoYoon¡¯s body was soon covered in injuries and blood. In the short moment she took to wipe away the line of blood that was hindering her view, they started to attack again. Arge, muscr man trapped SoYoon in a bear hug and squeezed. The immense pressure was crushing her body. On top of that, another man wasing toward her with a knife in his hand.


    SoYoon moved her arm, grabbed the man¡¯s wrist, and put strength into her fingers. As she did, his skin was pulled off by the tips of her fingers. The man screamed and released her. She grabbed his arm and twisted her body. Crack. With a spine-tingling sound, the man¡¯s arm separated from his body.


    The white body of a girl covered with blood, holding an arm that she had physically ripped off. Even though a lot of time had passed, there was not much change in her demeanor, and the man who had been charging at her started to hesitate. He could still see the ruthless way SoYoon murdered any man or child at the drop of amand.


    He looked back as he trembled in fear. The hallway behind her was filled with several syed out corpses. Most were almost unrecognizable as humans.


    ¡°Monster¡­¡± the man muttered in absolute fear. The current state in the research facility was one of a fleshy massacre.


    She tossed away the arm that she had been holding and turned her attention to the man. The next moment, she was standing right in front of the man¡¯s nose. She hooked her fingers into his eye sockets and broke through his skull, squashing his brain. The man fell like a rag doll.


    If the experiments had been more efficient with their attacking strategy, there would have been fewer victims and they may have been able to stop SoYoon. However, they were in a narrow hallway, and her strength was so much greater than theirs that there wasn¡¯t much they could do to stop her.


    And so, the bloody massacre ensued.


    Thest one standing, SoYoon, gathered the many weapons and stomped forward.


    She walked for a long time, then found the person she was looking for and stopped. That room was also locked by magic. She chose the ax that she brought with her and started hacking at the wall.


    Thud! Thud! Thud! The rhythmic sound continued. She soon created a hole in the wall and was able to go inside.


    That ce was also an experimentation room. SoYoon walked over to the experimentation table.


    On top of the table, a naked Alice was lying there. Already subjected to experimentation, her arm was strangely swollen and her leg had a growth on it. SoYoon looked at Alice¡¯s pretty face, swollen with tears, and smiled.


    SoYoon broke apart the chains around Alice¡¯s wrists and dragged her off the experimentation table. Not really caring about Alice¡¯s well being, Alice fell to the floor.


    Not even a minute had passed before the fainting and sedative spell was lifted and Alice opened her eyes. She blinked several times until she realized that SoYoon was staring at her, inches away from her nose, and she jumped up in surprise.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    ¡°Come out.¡±


    SoYoon ignored whatever Alice was about to say to her with those vicious eyes and exited the room. Alice yelled at her, fuming.


    ¡°Why do I have to listen to you?¡±


    ¡°Then just live there.¡±

 Chapter 91

    <h4>Chapter 91</h4>


    Alice, who had always thought that SoYoon was cold, realized that right now, her tone was very warm. The temperature difference made Alice remember thest memory she had before she had passed out.


    She remembered the researchers¡¯ eyes full of madness and ecstasy as they had witnessed her healing abilities, she remembered the rough touch of them forcing pills into her resisting mouth, she remembered the fear she felt as she realized that there was no one to help her and that there wasn¡¯t anyone who even felt pity for her.


    Her body trembling, she stood up. Suddenly, she realized that she didn¡¯t have any clothes on. If she continued like this, that girl would leave her here. Then, she would be stuck here all alone. Alice became desperate.


    ¡°Wa, wait! I¡¯ming too! Bu, but, um... clothes...¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone here interested in your naked body.¡±


    Alice got angry at her sarcastic tone, but when she heard the sound of SoYoon leaving, Alice ran over desperately towards her. Through the broken wall, she could see SoYoon¡¯s back.


    Her body was sttered with blood here and there and was also unclothed. How many men had she been naked around that she was so nonchnt about this? As Alice muttered to herself, she realized that SoYoon had gotten farther away.


    Alice hesitated, not knowing what to do. Finally, she stepped into the hallway. She covered her chest and lower body with her long hair and tiptoed after SoYoon.


    After they had been walking for a couple of minutes, a girl shot out to attack SoYoon. SoYoon moved away quickly to avoid the girl¡¯s knife, then swung at her exposed neck with her sword. As the head detached from the body, SoYoon was sprayed with blood.


    As a result of all the people, including SoYoon, who had sought to protect Alice, even though she had spent a long time in Wondend, she had not truly been exposed to such a scene this up-close and personal. Alice turned blue as she stepped backward. Then she tripped over her own feet and fell hard onto her backside.


    SoYoon was too busy observing her surroundings to pay attention to whether Alice had fallen down or not. A few feet away, she felt a presence in the hallway. They wereing towards the two of them. One of them felt familiar to her.


    SoYoon tried to hide her presence and moved towards them. Eventually, she got close enough to hear what the voices were saying. The surveince camera, the violent actions of the white-haired experiment, Alice Liddell, etc. After listening to the parts of the conversation, SoYoon was able to figure out why the researchers had taken this into their own hands.


    SoYoon had been destroying any surveince cameras she had seen along the way to find Alice. Unable to track where their precious Alice had gone, they were moving quickly to get a handle on the situation.


    She gripped her weapons tightly and charged at them. The busily walking researchers screamed at her as she popped out at them suddenly.


    ¡°Get her!¡±


    At themand of one of the researchers, the experiments who they had brought along as guards started to attack SoYoon. As expected of the highest elites, the experiments they used as guards were the best of the best.


    Some even looked familiar to SoYoon. One was a man that had grown exponentially taller since she¡¯dst seen him 4 years ago. As their knives made contact with each other, SoYoon said to the man in a quiet voice,


    ¡°What are you so afraid of that you are staying here?¡±


    The gigantic man hesitated. A girl half his size had broken through and escaped. Her signal had been interrupted afterward, so the researchers assumed she had died and had told the other experiments as much. ¡°Look, this is the end you will meet if you leave this research facility.¡±


    Right now, they were inside the research facility. This meant that they had not been forced to eat the poison they had to take when they left this ce, and because they had to fight against SoYoon, they were unchained. The girl that they had assumed was dead because of the lost signal was alive and well in front of them. There seemed to be a way to block the brand¡¯s power as well.


    This meant that, right now, there was nothing to stop him. He came to the conclusion quickly. SoYoon¡¯s voice had been small, but it wasn¡¯t quiet enough that the re-engineered experiments could not hear her. Each of her attackers came to a halt. In each of their minds, they had quickly reached the same conclusion as the man.


    The research facility. Pain. Escape. Freedom. They quickly agreed with each other as the idea rippled through them.


    At that moment, SoYoon said something to close the final deal. ¡°Today, I¡¯m going to destroy this ce.¡±


    At the same time, all the experiments¡¯ movements slowed. The researchers reacted sensitively to this and eximed angrily, ¡°What are you doing! Capture Alice Liddell first! You can get the white headter! No, just kill her!¡±


    The reason the researchers had captured her was to figure out how she had stopped the signal from being emitted from her brand. But they had figured out that it was the patch that allowed her to do this. This meant that they no longer had any need of her.


    But even at the researcher¡¯smands, the experiments not only failed to attack, but their power over them slowly started to fade.


    SoYoon passed the hesitating experiments and walked toward the researchers. The researchers, getting desperate, attacked her using magic which she was easily able to maneuver around. Compared to her previous opponents who had been agents, their attacks were too slow and weak to have any effect over her. As elites who enjoyed work at a desk, their lives warranted little practice when it came to perfecting attack spells.


    However many times they attacked, they couldn¡¯t get a scratch on her. And as she came closer, they became enraptured by fear. Among them, there were those who became weak in the knees and copsed. There were others who screamed at her that she was a monster. What happened next flew by in a blur.


    They were all wiped out by the weapon they had created.


    SoYoon looked at thest researcher standing, an old man. He backed up into the wall and muttered pleadingly, ¡°Save... save me...¡±


    He was this research facility¡¯s project manager. SoYoon adjusted the ax she was holding in her left hand. The ax de had be bent when she had used it to free Alice. As a consequence, it looked even more deadly. She raised it and swung it down powerfully at the man pleading for his life. It ripped through the man¡¯s shoulder to past his chest.


    His pain-stricken scream echoed through the halls. The man cried in agony with his face full of tears, snot, and blood. SoYoon observed this quietly and casually turned around.


    The experiments were all holding weapons and staring viciously at that man. She stepped lightly out of the way and asked.


    ¡°Would you like the honors?¡±


    ¡°Are you content with this?¡±


    ¡°As long as you all finish him off. It will be more painful to be murdered by many than by one.¡±


    SoYoon removed the blood from her knife and ax as she approached Alice. Alice, who had copsed onto the floor, scooched her butt to get as far away from her as possible. SoYoon looked down at Alice as she did this.


    ¡°Why? Are you scared?¡±


    There was not a spot from head to toe on SoYoon¡¯s body that was not sttered with blood. In both her hands, she held weapons. Alice trembled and clenched her jaw tightly.


    Her head was spinning from the gruesome scene she had witnessed only a few meters away from her. Even if she turned her gaze just a little, she would see decapitated heads and intestines pouring out of split open stomachs.


    Alice resisted the urge to throw up as she looked away from SoYoon¡¯s gaze. SoYoon tilted her head as she stared at the fear-filled blue eyes. From her white hair, drops of blood dripped onto the floor.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you kill also? You also killed...¡±


    Me. Alice stuttered without saying thest word that came into her head.


    ¡°You, are you really Ye SoYoon?¡±


    SoYoon threw the ax onto the floor and swept back her long bangs. As she did, Alice saw the face of the girl from her memories. Alice faltered as her arms and legs got weak. She quickly stepped away from SoYoon.


    ¡°Go, go away! Why are you following me all the way here and bothering me?¡±


    SoYoon looked down at Alice who was creeping away like a bug and instantly reduced the space between them as she threw out her fist. The fist that was heading straight for Alice¡¯s face stopped inches away from her nose. Alice hadn¡¯t even realized that the fist was getting closer She jumped in surprise as she blinked repetitively, realizing something. Ye SoYoon was extremely weak-hearted. Even when she had known who had started the rumors, she hadn¡¯t uttered one word of defense. That¡¯s how easy that girl had been to manipte.


    And that must still hold true. That¡¯s why she was unable to hit her now and was still hesitating. However, the moment Alice thought this, the powerful fist hit her hard in the stomach.


    SoYoon looked down at Alice who had fainted. The naked Alice looked even more pure and innocent than before. As she collected her thoughts, she heard the conclusion form in her ear. Thest experiment had been annihted.


    SoYoon warned all the experiments to be careful of the magic traps, then grabbed Alice by the hair and dragged her along as she started to walk.


    ***


    Aftering out of Wondend, Dee opened the door to the car that his assistant had waiting for him. The assistant, who was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, looked over in shock when he saw him covered in injuries.


    ¡°Dee! Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    ¡°You should first get treated...¡±


    ¡°Shut up and drive!¡±


    Dee sat in the passenger¡¯s seat, opened the glove department, and started to search it. The assistant started the car utilizing the magic capsule he had eaten before and asked, ¡°What are you looking for, sir?¡±


    ¡°Magic capsule.¡±


    ¡°It is over here.¡±


    His assistant reached into his front pocket and pulled out a small pouch which he handed to Dee. Dee pulled out the magic capsule and swallowed it. Then he gave his driver his destination.¡±Go to the government research facility. The ce where Blondie is.¡±

 Chapter 92

    <h4>Chapter 92</h4>


    Sensing a desperation he had never seen before in Dee¡¯s face, the assistant didn¡¯t ask twice and started the car. During this time, Dee had found the first aid kit from the glove department and pulled out painkillers and bandages.


    The one thing anyone born in Wondend had inmon was that they were used to pain. Even though he had some severe injuries, Dee had no intention of treating his wounds at that moment. The assistant nced over at Dee opening the painkillers and asked, ¡°What are you going there for? We¡¯ve never paid attention to anything that happens in Outhouse.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and drive. And when we arrive, you can leave.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do not make me say it again.¡±


    Thest words were not from the physical persona of Dee, but from Dum, who had quietly risen from his subconscious. Caught off guard by Dee saying something without cursing, the assistant closed his mouth.


    Dee put the ointment and bandages back in the glovepartment and pulled out all the weapons. He tested the feel of them in his hand and, except a couple of knives, he dumped the rest back into thepartment.


    It was silent inside the car. About 2 hourster, the car neared the research facility. The assistant slowed his speed and nced over at Dee.


    ¡°Are you really going to go like this? What are you nning to do in there all alone?¡±


    ¡°I am going to mow through it with the car.¡±


    ¡°Um, Dee. Don¡¯t get mad... but listen to me calmly. Are you insane? Or do you have a sudden urge tomit suicide...¡±


    Dee turned to his assistant with an extremely angry expression. His assistant pressed hard on his temples and sighed. ¡°Oh, alright. If this is what you want. But what is the reason? Even you being this hurt right now has something to do with the research facility, right?¡±


    The reason? Dee and Dum ground their teeth. He could not bring himself to admit the dirty fact that he had passed out with SoYoon behind him. They red at the assistant with red eyes, infuriated by their defeat.


    Thebination of both their fury and annoyance made even those who had worked many years below them tremble in fear.


    ¡°Park the car and get out.¡±


    ¡°Uh, but Dee, you are not the best at driving because all you ever do is ride in cars while other people drive for you.¡±


    ¡°eleration, brake, steering wheel. I only have to know where those things are located. What else do I need to know? Quit the chatter and park the car now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to end up dead at this rate, Dee. The state you are in right now is even...Ow!¡±


    Dee pped the back of his assistant¡¯s head menacingly. The assistant muttered quietly and parked the car near the research facility. ¡°Oh, really, please reconsider..! Dee!¡±


    The assistant opened the door and pleaded with him, but Dee kicked him with his foot and shooed him away. He hurriedly sat in the driver¡¯s seat. Holding on tightly to the steering wheel, he breathed magic into it and the car¡¯s engine roared as it started roughly.


    Dusk soon fell over the research facility. SoYoon was somewhere in there. The car elerated faster. The guard hurriedly ran toward the car and waved his arms. The speed did not decrease and he quickly jumped out of the way. The car revved through the barricade and into the facility.


    ¡°What is that...¡±


    ¡°Is he crazy...?¡±


    ¡°Get him!¡±


    Magical spells bounced off the back of the speeding car heading toward the research facility. However, Dee ignored them and pressed harder on the eleration. Finally, he could see the door that marked the entrance to the research facility. Dee grabbed the steering wheel tightly. Dum, who had crept up to the surface of their consciousness, also put his energy into it.


    Crash! With a loud noise, the research facility¡¯s door shattered to pieces. Twins just barely made it out of the collision in one piece as he forced the door open from inside the severely crumpled car and stepped out.


    As he did, he saw a very thin man holding a bunch of documents. The man smelled like the rest of those people who had taken SoYoon away. Twins twisted the man¡¯s arm and pushed him against the wall.


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    ¡°Where did you take that girl?¡±


    ¡°Who, who are you talking about...! Ah! Okay, okay! I will tell you, so please, my arm!¡±


    ¡°Talk.¡±


    ¡°Ack! Uh, inside! She¡¯s in sector 6!¡±


    Dee tormented the man until he was able to find out where sector 6 was and Dum memorized the way to get there. After confirming that Dum had memorized the directions, Dee pushed the man away and slit his throat.


    A long trail of blood sttered against the white walls. Twins had already left without a backward nce when the man took hisst breath. His eyes were still wide open in shock.


    Twins walked swiftly towards sector 6. As he got closer to the center of the building, the smell of blood strengthened and the atmosphere within the ce seemed to get more chaotic.


    A portion of the researchers had documents and research tools with them as they walked to their respective locations within the facility. That was unfortunate for them. Twins swung his knife carelessly at the unsuspecting victims and slit all their throats.


    A few minutester, they smelled the potent smell of blood. When he turned the corner, he saw many corpses. Dum sensed SoYoon¡¯s style in the execution of the corpses and clicked his tongue, scratching his head.


    ¡°We were idiots to think that this girl would just sit quietly back and get captured.¡±


    Thinking this, Twins suddenly realized that he was not in sector 6 but sector 4. They assumed that the man had tricked him and regretted killing him so swiftly and peacefully. Two girls had been captured that day. SoYoon was in sector 4 and Alice was in sector 6. By chance, the man had thought that Twins was looking for Alice who was a much higher priority. He had answered based on this assumption and even in death felt like he¡¯d been framed as a liar for no reason.


    Twins hesitated for a moment, then walked forward, following the scent of blood. He concluded that SoYoon would be standing at the end of this trail of chaos. He walked for a couple of minutes before he found SoYoon. When their eyes met, they quickly decreased the space between them and ran toward each other.


    She was bbergasted upon finding Twins there and soon had to make an effort to stand upright from the heavy weight that pressed against her.


    Twins hugged her tightly and rubbed his face on her thin shoulders and neck. ¡°Did you get hurt anywhere?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t run any weird tests on you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Did they threaten... looks like you did it instead so never mind.¡±


    SoYoon hesitated a bit before patting Twins on the back awkwardly. Then, in a sentiment mixed with curse words, he muttered, ¡°I was worried about you.¡± He must have finally felt at ease because he rxed his arms a bit.


    A little whileter, Twins removed himself from SoYoon and looked at her with an embarrassed expression that he tried desperately to hide. At the same time, their face burned furiously red.


    ¡°You, your...¡±


    Due to the specks of blood here and there, her skin looked even whiter. Her body, in their eyes, was the most seductive thing they had ever witnessed. They quickly turned their head. They took off their rider jacket and shirt and handed it to her. ¡°Wear this now!¡±


    SoYoon took the slightly dirtied shirt spotted with dust and blood and pulled her arms through the sleeves. Unable to stand hearing the sound of her skin rubbing against the fabric, Dee kicked the wall. Dum, feeling equally embarrassed, didn¡¯t stop him.


    Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud. After the fifth kick, he heard SoYoon¡¯s voice tell him, ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± They turned to face her and became hot for a different reason.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so...¡±


    They stomped over to stand in front of her and kneeled. Then, they tied the rider jacket tight around her waist and muttered, ¡°Why are you so cute at this random moment?¡±


    SoYoon, instead of asking what he meant by this, stared down at Twins¡¯s injuries. Aside from the bandages he had wrapped here and there, there were cuts and dried blood all over him.


    Merely ncing at him, she could tell that he should not be in a state to be moving around. The only way he was able to move this much was through the power of pain killers.

 Chapter 93

    <h4>Chapter 93</h4>


    Twins finished tying the jacket around her waist, looked up at her. SoYoon was looking down at them. Twins continued staring at her with a somewhat dazed expression. However, SoYoon coldly turned her body away from him and picked something up. Between her fingers was a thin golden strand.


    Twins frowned at her. ¡°Is that really important?¡±


    She grabbed Alice by the hair as Twins turned around. Her face seemed to not realize even an ounce of how they felt. Sighing, he stood back up.


    SoYoon lead the way as Twins followed behind her. Twins, looking down at Alice being dragged, asked her, ¡°Why are you even bothering taking that thing?¡±


    It was a fair question to ask, especially since he knew how SoYoon had ended up in this situation in the first ce. However, SoYoon didn¡¯t answer and continued to walk through the research facility. As they walked, the two of them felt the presence of several shuffling people.


    Twins whispered to SoYoon, ¡°I¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡°Take good care of this.¡± SoYoon tossed Alice at Twins¡¯s feet and ran out quickly.


    Like a cat, she moved without making a sound as she turned the corner. Several researchers were hurriedlying through the open door. The moment they did, SoYoon pushed through the closing door. As a consequence, the researchers who had been first to go through it fell on top of each other like dominoes.


    ¡°Ah, why are you pushing all of a sudden...! What, what!¡±


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    The researchers who saw SoYoon gasped in fear. Through the surveince cameras, they had been able to see the footage of her relentlessly killing all the researchers who got in her way. The only exit door was now closed, and SoYoon was standing in front of it. All of their eyes looked lost to desperation.


    It didn¡¯t take her even a full 10 minutes to kill all of them. The only survivor was a man in his 30s who¡¯d fallen unconscious in the pool of blood.


    SoYoon checked her surroundings. On top of the desk, some documents were syed out all over the ce. Familiar to her, they were Karte (medical records) and experiment reports.


    She suddenly thought of Heart and scanned through them. Then she chose a couple of them and put them inside a bag that had been left abandoned next to the desk. She put the bag over her shoulder, then stepped on the stomach of the man who had fainted to wake him up.


    ¡°Wake up.¡±


    ¡°Cough cough...¡±


    SoYoon had stepped lightly, but the moment the man opened his eyes, he started to cough violently. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him up, then dragged him over to the door.


    He sputtered, choking, but she didn¡¯t pay attention to it. When they arrived in front of the door, she tossed him aside andmanded him, ¡°Open the door. Then I will let you live.¡±


    ¡°Will, will you really let me, live...¡±


    ¡°Open it,¡± SoYoon said with menace in her voice. Her robotic tone was scarier than if she had been angry. Not having much of a choice, the man opened the door, trembling.


    By this time, Twins, having lost sight of SoYoon who¡¯d gone inside, looked down at Alice at his feet. Due to the force of her being tossed to the ground, her eyelids fluttered as if she would soon wake up. He kicked her in the head to make her pass out again then stared at the door. Interestingly, the door didn¡¯t have a handle. Twins kicked the door hard, but the door didn¡¯t budge. They clicked their tongue.


    After a couple of minutes, Twins felt a presence approaching from the end of the hallway. They were concentrating on it when he made eye contact with some of the experiments. The experiments, like SoYoon had been, were not clothed.


    They were conversing among themselves when they turned to Twins. Twins tensed up and got himself ready to fight. Then the experiments stopped a few steps in front of Twins.


    A few moments of silence passed until one girl asked, ¡°Are you an intruder? Do you know Number 137?¡±


    ¡°...Who¡¯s Number 137?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a girl who¡¯s short and has white hair... You¡¯re apanion of hers, right?¡±


    Twins looked at them suspiciously and nodded. Seeing that the man wore no clothes on his upper body and looked nothing like the researchers, the experiments concluded that Twins was not an enemy and slowly started to rx. But Twins, on the other hand, who had been beaten half to death by the other experiments a few hours ago, couldn¡¯t help but keep up his guard.


    Then, the door opened and SoYoon made an appearance. At that moment, the other experiments¡¯ expressions brightened. Seeing that, Twins suddenly got in a sour mood and reached out his arm to her. As he did, SoYoon let herself be dragged over to him without resisting.


    Having her in his arms, Twins looked through the door to find an unknown man inside it. He frowned.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The man had already been getting menacing stares from the other experiments. When Twins gave him his full attention, he looked at SoYoon as if pleading. She ignored the man. The man¡¯s face instantly turned an ashen gray. ¡°You said you will let me live...¡±


    ¡°Did I?¡±


    That man and many other researchers had given hope to the experiments and then enjoyed their torment as they tore them down.


    They¡¯d given them the hope that the experimentation would soon end, that if the experiment was sessful, they would be freed from the research facility. They¡¯d given hope that their families woulde to rescue them. But the experiments continued, and the repetition of it made the experimental subjects surrender in defeat. Unable even tomit suicide, they¡¯d given up the concept of hope.


    The person subjugated to her revenge became desperate and angry but it didn¡¯tst long. The other experiments killed him viciously.


    SoYoon slipped away from Twins¡¯ embrace and walked toward the unconscious Alice. Twins was faster than her and he grabbed at a chunk of Alice¡¯s gold hair. ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡±


    SoYoon nodded at the smiling prince-like face.


    Not much time had passed before Twins regretted his decision to take on Alice. As they walked, SoYoon and the experiments sensed more researchers and charged inside.


    Twins didn¡¯t have much of a reaction when they were bashing open doors or releasing other experiment subjects. When the researchers started to attack using magic, his expression changed. Obviously, his facial expression was directly rted to the magic¡¯s use against SoYoon. He had been nervous about her safety. With a face that looked as if he didn¡¯t care, he frowned and said to SoYoon, ¡°Take this back.¡±


    SoYoon, who was choking a researcher, looked at Twins. Twins tossed the body attached to the hair he had been gripping. But when SoYoon stepped out of the way, Alice thudded into the wall with a loud bang.


    ¡°Ow...¡± Alice whimpered quietly but didn¡¯t wake up. Not knowing that Twins had knocked her out a second time, SoYoon thought that she was staying unconscious for an unusually long time.


    After killing off thest of the researchers, she stepped towards Twins. In Twins¡¯s eyes, the girl wearing his clothes looked many times more lovable than ever before. They swallowed hard.


    ¡°Wha, what?¡± he asked defensively. But only his tone was like that. If anyone heard, they would have known that she had taken him by surprise.


    SoYoon tilted her head slightly. Is she doing that on purpose? Dee grumbled internally as Dum thought hard.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d hold it for me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would be fighting your way through all over the ce.¡±


    SoYoon nced over at Alice and Dum, a better conversationalist than Dee, answered for him. When Dum came to the surface, he examined SoYoon. Even if the barrier had been activated, you still wouldn¡¯t know.


    After making sure she was alright, Twins scanned over the fallen researchers who were still alive. Then he spotted the man who had attacked her with magic and shotsers out of his blue eyes at him.


    Twins swept the ends of his fingers softly over her cheek and walked towards the man, flipping him over by with the ends of his feet. As if in pain, the researcher whimpered as Twins lightly kicked his side. The shock of it made the researcher open his eyes and Twins smiled. If anyone who had known Twins had seen him at that moment, they would have bolted 100 meters away at that very instant.


    Twins ced his feet on the researcher¡¯s chest and pressed down. With the sound of breaking bones, the researcher¡¯s chest copsed. Twins looked down at the screaming researcher, this time stepping on his elbow and causing the joint to shatter. Then he stepped on his knee and stared down at the trembling researcher. ¡°I¡¯ve never had the urge to eat a man before.¡±


    The researcher, who had been focusing all his concentration on Twins, opened his eyes wide. He didn¡¯t even want to think what the word eat meant in this situation. He soon heard his teeth mp together.


    ¡°But it looks like I will enjoy eating you a lot. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Twins smiled widely. His thick pink lips curved into arge grin that showed his perfectly straight teeth. His handsome features made his smiling face look magnificent, but in the researcher¡¯s eyes, he looked like a monster. The researcher iled around desperately, causing his broken ribs to puncture his intestines and making him faint from going into shock.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t eat something like you if I was starving.¡±

 Chapter 94

    <h4>Chapter 94</h4>


    Twins stepped on the researcher¡¯s neck and killed him. Afterward, he turned around and met SoYoon¡¯s eyes. She seemed to have been watching him all this time. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he avoided her gaze.


    ¡°Um...It¡¯s probably better for you to drag that thing from now on.¡± Twins added that he would do the fighting and SoYoon responded, ¡°Alright.¡± Twins shut his mouth after hearing her exasperated tone.


    When he turned back around, she was reaching out her arm toward Alice. She must have hated the thought of touching Alice because SoYoon¡¯s lips were pursed tensely. Twins opened his mouth then closed it, muttering a sigh. He messed up his hair angrily and stomped over to SoYoon.


    SoYoon looked up at Twins who grabbed Alice¡¯s hair before she could get to it. They left to go outside, dragging Alice behind them. SoYoon watched them then killed off the rest of the researchers who were still alive. Then she followed behind Twins and left the room.


    The slowly made their way forward until they made it to the exit. Before they were able to step foot outside, Twins grabbed SoYoon and stopped her.


    ¡°Wait. You¡¯re barefoot right now.¡±


    SoYoon followed his gaze and looked down at her bare feet. In her mind, stepping on the dirt with her bare feet was not a big deal. But for Twins, that was not the case. He bent down and wrapped one arm around SoYoon¡¯s legs then stood up.


    Lifted like a small child, she was carried out of the research facility, staring down at Twins. Because she was hovering above him, she could see the top of his head.


    SoYoon asked abruptly, ¡°Why do you like me?¡±


    Twins was so surprised by the question that he clenched Alice¡¯s hair tightly. As a consequence, a clump of frail golden hair got pulled out by ident. Twins¡¯ face frowned as he tossed the strands away. ¡°Why are you interested in it all of a sudden?¡±


    SoYoon thought back to just a few hours before. Twins had grown up with an abusive mother and was exposed to so much violence at a young age. They hated being in pain. He had also known that he was no match for the opposition. SoYoon had never in her life been protected with this much fervor by anyone. On Earth, there had never been a situation that warranted such protection and at the research facility, she had not been worthy enough to ever receive it. And at some point, she always became the protector to someone else.


    She never wanted to get stuck in a simr situation again. But the feeling she got seeing the person in front of her fighting for her did not feel bad at all. Truthfully, she felt a little happy. It was as if she had been told that she was worthy of being saved.


    Then Twins asked, ¡°...Can I kiss you?¡±


    SoYoon looked at Twins¡¯ ear peeking out through his golden hair. It was red. SoYoon thought that his ear looked cute. When she didn¡¯t answer, Dee rose up to the surface and started toin. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, we came all the way here. Can¡¯t you give us permission just once? You really shouldn¡¯t be so mean all the...¡±


    As Twins wasining, SoYoon lowered her head. The smell of blood and soap shot through the air, and her rough lips touched the top of Twins¡¯ forehead.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Their mind drew a nk for a second, and when they came back to their senses, they looked up at SoYoon. She was wearing her expressionless face as usual. Was it a dream? Was the medicine I ate earlier actually a sedative? But my forehead still feels hot.


    Twins tossed Alice carelessly and made SoYoon stand on top of their feet. The brown fairy dust-filled eyes were staring directly at him. His blushing face was reflected inside them.


    I don¡¯t have this stupid expression on my face every time I see this girl, do I? As Twins¡¯ face grew redder, SoYoon opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Thank you foring. Before, and now.¡±


    ¡°Wow...Hey, you, don¡¯t look at me. Look over there!¡± Twins yelled, not knowing what to do about his deeply reddening face. She turned away as he had requested. The next moment, her eyes grew wide.


    In the space that had previously had nothing, a colored silhouette could be seen. It quickly formed into the shape of aplete human. She opened her mouth reflexively. The first name that flowed out naturally from her mouth was one that was extremely familiar to her. ¡°Heart.¡±


    As SoYoon called out his name quietly, Heart, who had been hugging her tightly, released her and whispered, ¡°I was worried.¡±


    ¡°...Sorry.¡±


    Twins muttered curses. From his perspective, he had her stolen from him so it was reasonable for him to do so. When Heart made eye contact with Twins, his lips curved into arge smile.


    ¡°Whitey, what is this? If you want to raise a dog, I can get you a different one. One that is much more loyal.¡±


    Twins charged at him growling like a real dog. Heart easily got away from Twins¡¯ grasp, but SoYoon stopped both of them. She tapped lightly on Heart¡¯s shoulder and handed him the bag she had been wearing.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Look inside.¡±


    SoYoon handed him the bag and simultaneously tried to remove herself from Heart¡¯s arms. But when she jumped out from his embrace, she was caught by Mad Hatter who had walked towards them. Mad Hatter hugged her tightly with his long arms, then started to rub his face into her neck and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m so d you are all right.¡±


    His voice was shaking so much that the person listening felt sad just listening to it. SoYoon epted the suffocating hug. A little whileter, he lifted his head and smiled like a blooming flower. She had been a bit out of it but soon returned to normal.


    ¡°I have something to ask of you.¡±


    ¡°Ask me anything,¡± he said, ready to do anything for her, wanting to give her the entire world if he could. SoYoon pointed to the research facility.


    ¡°That, burn it down. So that nothing is left of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple enough.¡±


    With one word out of Mad Hatter¡¯s mouth, the research facility burst into mes. All the experiment subjects had gotten out of the research facility. The only people left inside were the researchers themselves. The few of them who were able to still move soon scuttled out of the research facility. Mad Hatter massacred them all with his magic.


    Watching the scene, SoYoon asked, ¡°What is the function of the magic insignia you branded on me?¡±


    ¡°It got activated I assume. I was hoping there would be no need for it... It¡¯s nothing special, it was meant to create a defense against a magical attack. It was difficult trying to shove the whole thing in a tiny insignia. Although it wasn¡¯t of much use against a sleeping spell.¡±


    If he had made it block all magic spells, healing spells would also have not affected her. And so, he had only made it defend against attack type spells which, as a consequence, led to its downfall. After hearing his exnation, SoYoon smiled meekly. Then, Twins came growling in anger towards SoYoon.


    ¡°Youters, get lost.¡±


    As Mad Hatter was distracted from using his powers, Twins snatched SoYoon away from his embrace. SoYoon, who had consequently been shuffled back and forth among the men, frowned in annoyance. Then, she heard a small whimper from a few steps away. SoYoon turned her gaze to the ce where she heard the sound.


    Alice woke up with immense pain in her stomach and head and looked around. Then she found SoYoon. At that moment, the pretty blue eyes turned a vicious red.


    ¡°Ye SoYoon!¡±


    Alice ran at SoYoon with her fingernails up like ws. But she was unable to even get close to SoYoon. Her whole body tensed and she fell face forward at the speed she was running.


    SoYoon turned toward Alice then looked at Mad Hatter. As she did, he raised his eyebrows and smiled innocently. At that moment, Alice lifted her head and screamed at SoYoon.


    ¡°What the heck is up with you! You were like this from the beginning! With DongHyun Oppa! And now! What do you have against me that you keep stealing what¡¯s mine away from me!¡±


    The name DongHyun caught SoYoon off guard but SoYoon remembered that it was the name of her previous boyfriend. Alice had realized the slight change in SoYoon¡¯s expression and continued to scream at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°Stop acting like you¡¯re innocent! A girl like you...You don¡¯t know an ounce about the true weight of love, do you! Do you know how much I wanted the thing that you took for granted?¡±


    ¡°For someone so adamant about that, you seemed to have asked for a lot from here and there ever since you came here.¡±


    SoYoon muttered as she stepped out of Twins¡¯ embrace. This time, she walked over to Alice. Through Alice¡¯s immensely tousled gold hair, SoYoon could see the blue eyes that red up at her as if wanting to stab her dead.


    ¡°Is there anything that was actually yours? All of them and DongHyun also, not one of them were ever yours.¡±


    ¡°I am Alice! If you didn¡¯t mess it up, they would all have loved me!¡±


    ¡°...What do they call this? Megalomaniac?¡±


    SoYoon muttered with an expressionless face and Twinsughed hysterically. Heart and Mad Hatter had on a bitter smile. Alice huffed as anger boiled up to the top of her head.


    ¡°Whether I¡¯m a megalomaniac or not, doesn¡¯t matter. The important thing is that I fell into this ce and suffered because of you.¡±


    SoYoon flipped Alice over easily with her foot and stepped lightly on her neck. Alice quickly started to turn blue fromck of oxygen as her airway was blocked.


    SoYoon looked down at Alice gasping for air, not even able to il in resistance then removed her foot off of her. Alice made a croaking sound like a toad and curled up her body. That was the first time she had felt such pain. She waited, trembling, for the next attack, but SoYoon turned her back to her.


    SoYoon got farther away from Alice and walked towards Heart. Heart hugged her and lifted her into the air.


    ¡°I have legs too.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t have shoes. So what are you nning to do with that girl?¡± SoYoon asked in discontent.


    Heart watched her as he removed the dirt on her feet. SoYoon watched him in return then opened her mouth. ¡°Do you know anyone that runs an illegal experimentationb? If he¡¯s a crazed wizard, that¡¯s even better.¡±

 Chapter 95

    <h4>Chapter 95</h4>


    The experienced researchers at the facility knew just how much they could push the limits of the human body until the subject would break down. But a person running their own experiments was different. Their motive for the subject was to gain knowledge and insight and had no reason to reuse their test subjects. As an agent, she had witnessed these personal experimenters several times and so knew them well.


    In the hands of the government research facility, Alice had the potential to be strong like SoYoon. But SoYoon didn¡¯t want to take any chances, however small.


    ¡°Are you going to hand her over to them?¡±


    ¡°Now right now. Before I do...¡±


    SoYoon only said that much then suddenly put her hands into Heart¡¯s jacket pocket. Heart moaned at the unexpected action.


    ¡°Oh, Whitey? What¡¯s this all of a sudden...¡±


    ¡°Let me borrow it,¡± SoYoon said as she pulled out the smartphone from his jacket¡¯s inside pocket. She had only borrowed Heart¡¯s smartphone because hers had been trashed but to the other two men, it looked like so much more than that. SoYoon dialed and called someone while she stood amid the three men¡¯splicated gazes directed toward her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Heart but me. I have a question. Of the potions you make, do you perhaps have...¡±


    Hearing that much, the three men were able to deduce who she was calling and why she had called him.


    Pedophile necrophiliac, Wondend¡¯s potion master, Duke. After hearing about a specific potion she needed and hearing a positive answer, she hung up. She returned Heart¡¯s smartphone to him, meeting Alice¡¯s blue eyes. SoYoon smiled widely at her.


    ¡°Mad Hatter, can I request one more thing?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to ask me for every little thing. I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Then, please heal Alice.¡±


    ¡°...If that¡¯s what you want, then I will.¡±


    Understanding what she intended, Mad Hatter, although not liking it, moved his magical powers. As he did, not only did the small scratches on Alice¡¯s body disappear, but her swollen arm due to experimentation and the growth on her leg instantly became healed.


    The only thing left is to return. With Mad Hatter in the center, he moved his powers and readied their transportation. In the blink of an eye, they were inside Wondend, at Heart¡¯s house.


    The moment Mad Hatter stepped into the lobby, he let go of the golden hair he had been holding. Alice, who had been knocked out to move her here, slumped onto the ground. Heart called one of his men nearby andmanded, ¡°Take her to the torture room.¡±


    SoYoon watched as Alice got farther away as the man carried her like a sack. When her long golden hair disappeared around the corner, Heart turned SoYoon around.


    ¡°I think we have something to talk about, just the two of us.¡±


    Heart¡¯s lips were curved upwards but SoYoon could tell that he was not in a good mood. SoYoon recounted the things that happened when Heart and Mad Hatter arrived but couldn¡¯t think of what could be bothering him. Heart realized what she was thinking and smiled even wider.


    ¡°Ye SoYoon, is that your name?¡±


    Mad Hatter clicked his tongue. Twins looked like a dog trying to gain the attention of his owner as he circled her trying to get information about her name. Mad Hatter removed her from between them and said, ¡°Instead of standing around out here, we should talk about it inside.¡±


    ¡°Hm, it looks like you already knew about this.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the important thing right now. I also have something I¡¯m curious about so let¡¯s find somewhere quiet to talk.¡±


    This group of people was enough to warrant plenty of attention. Already, Heart¡¯s men were positioned here and there to eavesdrop on their conversation. They decided to move their conversation over to the drawing-room.


    ¡°Is that your real name? Ye SoYoon? What is yourst name?¡±


    ¡°Ye is myst name.¡±


    ¡°Then I should call you SoYoon.¡±


    When SoYoon answered Twins¡¯ question, Heart spoke as if certain. He red at Mad Hatter, and his auburn eyes looked as if ready to kill. But Mad Hatter didn¡¯t mind him at all.


    ¡°Have you always known this girl? And who is DongHyun?¡±


    To answer Mad Hatter¡¯s question, she would have to exin everything that had happened before she arrived here. SoYoon looked at the two men who, unlike Mad Hatter, didn¡¯t know what was going on. She was sure that they were not ones to not believe her orugh at her and so she chewed at her lips then started to exin.


    ***


    Heart took SoYoon to the bedroom, realizing how much more tired she looked from her usual self. He next opened the bathroom door and handed SoYoon a shower gown.


    ¡°Wash up and sleep. You can put the clothes anywhere and someone will throw them out for you.¡±


    ¡°...Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± SoYoon stepped inside the bathroom after saying this, knowing exactly what the three men were up to. After closing the door, the three men passed through the long hallway and went down the stairs.


    Heart¡¯s torture room was in the outbuilding. Heart opened the undecorated gray metal door and was thankful to the previous king for building this torture room here. If it had been built in the basement, Alice¡¯s screams would have been heard by SoYoon, and that would have interrupted her sleep for sure.


    The moment Heart opened the door, he was hit with the potent smell of blood from many years ago. However, if it wasn¡¯t for the torture devices hanging on the far inside walls, it would just be an ordinary-looking clean space.


    Alice was strapped to a chair. Seeing that she was still unconscious, Heart¡¯s men shook her awake. At that moment, she woke up to a nightmare.


    Heart instructed his well-known torture master to make it as slow and painful as possible. The first thing he did was stab thin pieces of wood under her fingernails. The wood prated cleanly through the ends of her fingers until they were raw.


    Then her finger and toenails fell off and he poured salt water on them. A heated iron seared her flower-like cheeks and left gruesome burn marks. He put thorn filled shoes on her feet. He rubbed her bare thighs with sandpaper and salt until the skin was raw.


    With the instructions to make it as slow and painful as possible, the well-known torture master¡¯s skill multiplied tenfold. He did not even permit Alice to pass out. When it looked like she would go into shock from the pain, Mad Hatter would use his magic to bring her body back to a normal state. When the torture master dumped urine all over her head, Alice screamed at the men. They were watching her without a change in expression.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this! You will regret treating me this way! You just wait! Even if I die, I¡¯ll make sure I get back at you!¡± Her voice was raspy from the continuous screaming. Upon hearing her metallic voice, Heart stopped the torturer. He got up from his seat and walked slowly up to Alice.


    His shiny polished dress shoes stepped into a pool of Alice¡¯s blood. He wore a smile on his face. Alice, looking up at him, mumbled, ¡°But why...?¡±

 Chapter 96

    <h4>Chapter 96</h4>


    Heart had always whispered sweetly to her with a picturesque smile nted on his face. Sugarcoated words that were full of love. But if that had all been a lie, then why would he have done that?


    Alice red strongly at Heart. But Heart just shrugged his shoulders and answered, ¡°That¡¯s just because SoYoon was nice to you.¡±


    ¡°...What, did you say?¡±


    ¡°If I had just let you be, then what do you think would have happened?¡±


    If Alice hadn¡¯t gone into Heart¡¯s house, she would still be wandering around Wondend doing whatever met her fancy without any fear of repercussions. And in that case, SoYoon would have had to follow her around in an attempt to protect her from harm.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to see SoYoon be in danger by protecting the likes of you. That¡¯s why I felt that I should take matters into my own hands and keep you tied down in my house.¡±


    Heart had pretended to be a man in love even with the risk that Alice presented. It was all in an attempt to keep SoYoon away from any situation that warranted her involvement. As a consequence, he was able to cause SoYoon to be jealous, so to Heart, this was a very good deal that worked in his favor.


    ¡°I¡¯m very grateful to you. Thanks to you, my Whitey... SoYoon gave up on her attachment to her world and has decided to stay here with us. Plus, the reason she was able toe to this world in the first ce was that you killed her. As repayment, I will at least let you live.¡±


    Heart lowered his head to look at Alice. She was covered in blood and urine but she was still very pretty. After knowing everything about her, her beauty disgusted him even more. Heart smiled maliciously and whispered sweetly to her, ¡°Really feel how it is to want to die when you can¡¯t.¡±


    The way that SoYoon had suffered. Heart swallowed thesest words into the back of his throat.


    After being tortured night and day for 3 days straight, Mad Hatter healed Alice and she was handed over to SoYoon. She tossed Alice over her shoulder and headed to Duke¡¯s. He saw the unconscious Alice and smiled happily.


    ¡°Are you really letting me keep her for 3 years?¡±


    ¡°If you have the potion I am looking for.¡±


    The potion that SoYoon was requesting from Duke was something that would keep the mind intact but the body dead like a corpse. It was something he had created when he realized that, even with all the efforts he put into preserving a dead body, it would go bad after very little use.


    From hisboratory, Duke brought over a small ss vial and put it to Alice¡¯s mouth. The clear, colorless liquid flowed smoothly between Alice¡¯s lips. When the bottle was almost empty, SoYoon spoke.


    ¡°And from now on, stay away from me, Dor, and Li. This is myst condition. If you break it.. that will be the end of your life.¡±


    With this final threat to Duke, SoYoon left the house without a nce. After a few steps, she stopped walking.


    ¡°You cane out now.¡±


    There were a few seconds of silence before the three men slowly crawled out. When she had been carrying Alice, she¡¯d ignored them, not wanting to be bothered. But no longer burdened, she couldn¡¯t help but give them her attention. ¡°Why are you following me?¡±


    SoYoon looked from one man to the next. As she did, the three men didn¡¯t answer and tried to avoid her gaze. After a minute passed, Dee, no longer able to stand the situation, yelled out, ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon. Hey, if it was you, you think you wouldn¡¯t have done the same? Think about it. You tell us that girl is the key to you going back to that Earth or jungle or whatever world that you came from and then you just leave the house carrying her away and you ask us what? Why did we follow you?¡±


    SoYoon blinked several times, then let out a sigh. As she did, the three men flinched.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you were following me because you were afraid that I would go back to Earth with Alice?¡±


    They didn¡¯t answer her. SoYoon could read the anxiousness in their faces. She didn¡¯t want to admit these words out loud but she told them the truth. ¡°I can¡¯t go. There is no way to go back.¡±


    The only person who could naively be happy about this news was Dee. He was trying so intently to hide his happiness that his lips became skewed strangely. Heart looked at her with mixed emotions then smiled. Mad Hatter walked up to SoYoon with a face full of conflicted feelings.


    If she could put her emotions on a scale, her desire to return to Earth and her desire to stay here were equal. If somehow she found a way to return to Earth, she would have to think it over again. And so, other than this truth, there was nothing more she could tell them.


    She felt guilty and sorry and so changed the subject. ¡°How did you know I left the house with Alice?¡±


    Alice had been trapped at Heart¡¯s house. When she had carried Alice away, neither Mad Hatter nor Twins were there. Heart was one thing, but the other two should not have known about this.


    Not only Dee stiffened at her question. Mad Hatter slowly avoided her as his face stiffened also. Heart, the only one not fettered by this question, spoke up. ¡°Well, I know the reason.¡±


    ¡°You better shut your mouth.¡± Mad Hatter red sharply at Heart. He looked like he wanted to rip Heart¡¯s mouth apart with his wire this instant. Heart looked at that face and smiled.


    ¡°Now, if you say something like that, I¡¯ll have to reveal the truth. To tell you the truth, SoYoon, there is a surveince camera installed in front of your house. He was spying on you inside your home all this time, and now that you¡¯re leaving, he was following...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You use your intel to get information on all of SoYoon¡¯s movements and you dare to try to frame me as the bad guy! You, Heart, are the one that needs to exin. I, at least, never searched SoYoon¡¯s house without her permission.¡±


    ¡°When did I ever...¡±


    ¡°Looks like you just remembered.¡±


    Mad Hatter smiled with his red lips as he nced over at SoYoon. When he saw that she was observing them, he continued confidently. ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t think I¡¯d know that you switched out all of the previous White Rabbit¡¯s masks to new ones.¡±


    SoYoon thought back to her past. One morning, she had woken up to find that all the masks had been changed to new ones. The masks no longer smelled like chemicals, and when she got it checked by Mad Hatter, he had confirmed that it wasn¡¯t tampered by magic, so she had just used them. So Heart had done that.


    Dee ced his arm over SoYoon¡¯s shoulder and said so that the other two could hear clearly, ¡°Wow, both of you are messed up.¡±


    When they heard this, Mad Hatter, who was trying to prove that it was Heart who had switched the masks, and Heart, who was trying to convince SoYoon that he would never do such a thing, both turned around and looked at Dee.


    Mad Hatter snorted.¡±I don¡¯t think you of all people should be saying that to us. Who was the one who ced a spy to watch SoYoon in front of her house?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re the truly messed up one.¡±


    ¡°Spy! I was just worried about her!¡±


    Dee hurriedly turned to face SoYoon. When he did, his eyes met with her brown ones which were staring at him curiously.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that! I was really worried about you!¡±


    Even though she had been the one to ask the question, SoYoon wasn¡¯t much offended and just nodded without much further thought. As she did, Heart responded to Dee. ¡°You¡¯re both so insidious. I, at least, don¡¯t do live surveince.¡±


    ¡°Getting information on her through your intel is even more insidious!¡±


    ¡°I was only doing it to check that SoYoon didn¡¯t get hurt by doing those dangerous things, and making sure she isn¡¯t ill. I didn¡¯t spy on her to get information like you unmannered fools.¡±


    SoYoon looked forlornly at the three men bickering with each other and sighed. She let their rising voices in one ear and out the other. The sky was very clear. She didn¡¯t have any requests to fulfill or weight on her shoulders. It was a very peaceful afternoon.

 Chapter 97: Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 97: Epilogue</h4>


    The day she handed Alice over to Duke, SoYoon felt a fevering on as the sun started to go down. As usual, she ignored it.


    The next day, she opened her eyeste in the afternoon. She realized her body felt heavier than normal. Her vision started to tunnel and she became dizzy. She closed her eyes again.


    She heard the monotonous ring of her smartphone. She listened to it numbly as she pulled the nket over her head.


    She wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed. Sensing someone¡¯s presence, SoYoon opened her eyes. Something hazy like a fog was heading towards her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that¡­¡± SoYoon thought.


    Something hard touched her forehead. The cool temperature felt good and she reached out to hug it.


    ¡°Sleep¡­! Fever¡­ Medicine¡­¡±


    It moved for a little bit before going still. SoYoon rubbed her cheeks against the cool surface. As she did, a tickling wind blew against her hair. A long and strong something embraced her body.


    ¡°Sleep well,¡± the smooth voice whispered. SoYoon let her whole body be embraced by the nice and cool ce as she fell into a deep sleep.


    ***


    After a long sleep, SoYoon woke up and drowsily blinked her eyes. The first of her senses to wake up was her smell. What she smelled was the delicious aroma of food.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± Mad Hatter asked her brightly as he stepped out of the kitchen. In his hand, he was holding a small pot.


    ¡°Yochanan? Why¡­¡± She had intended to ask how he was here, but hearing her raspy voice, she closed her mouth. Mad Hatter put down the pot and ced his hand over her forehead.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a bit hot.¡±


    SoYoon looked up at him nkly. She was still suffering from a high fever. Tears welled up in her eyes and her cheeks were red. Mad Hatter sighed.


    ¡°You have a cold. I know you haven¡¯t eaten, but have you at least taken some medicine?¡±


    ***


    SoYoon didn¡¯t answer and reclined again. As she did, she heard Mad Hatter sigh loudly.


    ¡°You have the sense to know you are sick, don¡¯t you? Oh, you¡¯re here.¡±


    SoYoon turned her head, sensing a presence there. March was standing stiffly in front of the door. He nervously looked around, then slowly handed Mad Hatter the small packet of medicine.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Mad Hatter handed March the payment for the medicine and put the packet in his pocket. March nced over worriedly at SoYoon who obviously looked very sick. His silent worry made her smile. At that moment, Mad Hatter blocked her view of him.


    ¡°Your work here is finished. You may leave instead of bothering a sick person.¡± His tone was icy cold. March flinched and ran away with an awkwardugh.


    SoYoon looked up at Mad Hatter. He answered her look with a trace of regret. ¡°You are a patient. You need to rest. I¡¯ve made you something you can eat, so eat this first. Then you can take your medicine.¡±


    Mad Hatter picked up the pot he had put down and brought it to the bed. He opened the lid to reveal some warm oatmeal. Steam rose from it and SoYoon was reminded of the porridge her mother had made for her. She picked up the spoon. Mad Hatter¡¯s cooking skills were getting progressively better. The oatmeal was quite delicious.


    ***


    In a dark alleyway at Outhouse, a man wearing a hat over thick brown hair was walking carefully to avoid making noise. He stopped for a moment to check his surroundings, then moved toward the inside of the alleyway.


    The man walked for a long time until he arrived at an old house. Without making a sound, he opened the door and stepped inside. He locked the door behind him and took off his hat. His zed gray eyes showed through his stiff hair.


    The man, Cheshire, took the bag of food he had gotten with difficulty and sat on the dusty bed. He put his hand inside the bag and pulled out a small piece of bread and put it in his mouth. He didn¡¯t mind that the crumbs were falling on his clothes and the bed.


    With a barren face, he finished off two pieces of bread and tossed the bag to the side of the bed andid down. He blinked a couple of times until his eyes slowly started to close. The dirty ceiling full of soot, rat urine, and old blood stains slowly disappeared from his vision as his eyelids drooped. Like his vision, his consciousness soon fell into a deep sleep.


    A couple of hourster, Cheshire opened his eyes and put his hand in his back pocket. He took out his cellphone and opened it. The screen showed the time as 9:38. As a trade for handing over SoYoon, the head of the research facility had promised to fabricate a new identity for him. However, four days had already passed without any contact.


    His dyed brown hair and his shabby clothes would have made it so that even his parents wouldn¡¯t recognize him. ¡°Will I have to live the rest of my life in this state?¡±


    Cheshire pushed down the dark thoughts that rose up from the bottom of his stomach. It had been a while since this feeling had started to bother him. He rubbed his forehead for no particr reason. He felt cold sweat at his fingertips. He cursed under his breath. All of a sudden, a voice that should not have existed in this space answered him.


    ¡°Oh no. Is your n not working out as you expected?¡±


    It was a baritone voice that his ears knew all too well. Cheshire pulled out his knife and stepped back into the corner. Then, the person who had been hiding showed his presence. After seeing the bright ginger hair, the feeling that Cheshire had buried just moments ago came rising back up.


    People called this feeling fear.


    Cheshire clenched his jaw and ran at Heart. In the darkness, the silver knife shed. Heart hit the knife away with his ax and kicked Cheshire hard in the stomach. The moment Cheshire crashed into the wall, he followed after him and swung his leg. His shiny dress shoes sharply kicked Cheshire¡¯s side.


    ¡°Ah! Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Heart looked down at Cheshire groaning and coughing, then swung down with his ax. He aimed at Cheshire¡¯s left leg. With the sound of bone breaking, Cheshire screamed.


    Looking nonchntly at the leg he¡¯d just chopped off, Heartughed contentedly. Cheshire red back at him with reddened eyes. Heart kicked the stump of his leg that was bleeding heavily and said to him, ¡°If you were nning to mess with my girl, you should have prepared for something like this.¡±


    My girl. The smell of blood filled the room as the warning voice echoed through it joyfully. It sounded extremely pleased with itself.


    By torturing Alice, he had found out that Cheshire¡¯s actual intention had been to get SoYoon kidnapped. After finding out about this, Heart moved fast. Not only did he badger Baby, but he also got all informants in Outhouse to find out where Cheshire was hiding.


    Heart left the one-legged Cheshire to his men and returned to Wondend. The first ce he stopped by was SoYoon¡¯s house.


    The moment he opened the ss door, the heat hit him. Heart headed quietly over to SoYoon who was lying on the bed. Unlike her usual self, her cheeks and lips were burning red. Heart¡¯s hand gravitated towards them, but someone pped the back of his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch SoYoon with those hands when you haven¡¯t even washed.¡±


    Mad Hatter put down the small basin he was holding. Inside the basin, cold water was swishing around. He dunked a towel into it and squeezed the excess water out then put it over SoYoon¡¯s forehead. As he did, her tensed-up face rxed.


    Heart returned after washing his hands and red at him with a vicious expression. A few momentster, he could hear nking noisesing from the kitchen. He sat at the edge of the bed and observed SoYoon¡¯s face. Even with the cold towel, her cheeks still remained red. His hands reached over again but he stopped.


    ¡ºWondend¡»


    ording to SoYoon, Heart¡¯s character was meant to fall in love with Alice. When he¡¯d first heard this, Heart snorted. He was not one to think about the reason for the existence of this world. Even if some higher power had created this world and determined that his fate was to be Alice¡¯s partner¡­ he frowned in disgust at the thought¡­ it didn¡¯t mean that he had to follow it.


    However, there was one thing that bothered him.


    Through his peripheral vision, he saw SoYoon¡¯s eyelids tremble. The whiteshes fluttered with it and Heart stared at it, enraptured. Soon, hazy eyes opened to reveal her brown eyes zed over with fever. He hid his expression and smiled.


    ¡°How do you feel¡­¡±


    His mistake was that his hand was already extended out towards her. Having been distracted by SoYoon, he had left his hand in midair and she was now looking at it. She blinked and slowly moved her own hands. Her hot fingers touched the ends of his then quietly slipped deeper into them.


    Heart was staring at the intertwined fingers and holding his breath. When she caught him smiling, he hid his face. He didn¡¯t want it known that his heart was burning hot from the invasion of her warmth.


    He was amazed by how her holding his hand with impable timing could make him disregard the fact that she thought of him as a character in a book. Even as he thought this, he realized how ridiculous it was.


    A littleter, Mad Hatter came out of the kitchen with a tray of food and started scolding him with a frown. ¡°What are you smiling for in front of a sick person? Getting on my nerves. Move. I have to feed SoYoon.¡±


    If it had been any other day, he would have retorted back, but he was lost in his happiness. Mad Hatter¡¯s words sounded like the nagging of a mother-inw. If Mad Hatter had heard this thought out loud, he would probably have exploded in his face.


    He leaned over SoYoon and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then a honey-soaked voice woke her up.

 Chapter 98

    <h4>Chapter 98</h4>


    In the evening, Wondend started to be rowdy. The bystanders near the slums tried to find a good spot to watch the group of people that rushed into the empty building.


    This was the first Croquet Game to open after the one yed four years ago for the position of White Rabbit. The people waited expectantly for the night to begin.


    It was a little after 10:30 when Heart showed up.


    As always, he wore a tailored suit as he made an appearance on the 2nd story balcony. He stood leaning on its corner. However, there was an unexpected guest next to him. Next to Heart stood Mad Hatter. As if advertising their dislike of each other, they were standing on the opposite sides of the balcony.


    A few minutes before 11, Heart¡¯s men appeared, bringing in a man with them. The man was tied up tightly with rope. Heart¡¯s men put him down, cut the rope, and left.


    Upon checking the identity of the man, the people below started to talk amongst themselves. Throughout the crowd, his name popped up in their conversations. Cheshire, today¡¯s special guest. His hair had returned back to his light blond color and he was wearing an expensive suit that they associated with him. Heart¡¯s men had even provided him with a striped necktie toplete his look.


    However, there was something out of ce about his look. One thing was that a long scar ran from his left cheekbone to his lip. The other strange thing was his left leg. Every time the wind blew and his pant leg fluttered, they were able to catch glimpses of an artificial leg.


    Evidently, he was today¡¯s Croquet Ball. Although he had carried immense influence in the past, his breaking of thew had forced Heart to cast him out. Cheshire was enough to gratify the violence the crowd wanted.


    11 o¡¯clock. Finally, the Croquet Games started.


    Cheshire was not given a weapon. Because he had been captured as a prisoner, other than a ss of water, he had not been given anything to eat or drink. Also, due to his injured leg, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run properly. He fell down after the first step. Instinctively, he tried with all his might to run away, determined to escape, even if he had to crawl to do it.


    The image of Cheshire crawling on the ground, groveling for his life in front of the contempt-filled masses... that was the picture that Heart had wanted to see. However, even after witnessing what he had hoped for, he felt bored.


    His thoughts wandered over to SoYoon. She was still not over her cold and so she was probably still sleeping. Although he had ced a guard dog to protect her, he wasn¡¯t too happy about it given who that guard dog was.


    Cheshire¡¯s head rolled around in the dusty dirt.


    At that time, SoYoon woke up, sensing someone staring intently at her. The dark blond hair shimmered slightly in the darkness of the night.


    SoYoon called out his name/ ¡°Twins?¡±


    The guard dog, Tweedle Dum¡¯s face cast a shadow over her. He mouthed something and mumbled, ¡°Think about us...¡±


    However, the words became muffled so that the rest of the sentence could not be understood. Dum stayed there in ce with his mouth closed tightly, then buried his face in her embrace. It felt like he was trying to cling onto her.


    This world was the inside of a book and SoYoon was its reader. Having lived in this world since he was a small child, telling Twins about this did not affect him whatsoever. But one thing, the fact that she knew everything about them, even the things they had wanted to hide, made them ufortable.


    Would she know this also? To find relief from the guilt he felt at eating his brother, he had created this fantasy. Dum was that fantasy. This had never been a problem to him before, but now, mixed with the new emotion of love, it all seemed ridiculous.


    SoYoon pet his head. Her action was awkward and rough. But even that made Dum want to cry and so he hugged her waist tightly.


    SoYoon nced down at Dum. There was a red burn on his left arm that he had gotten when he was trying to save Dor. She gently pushed Dum away. His face drained of color, expecting the worst, but she pointed at something.


    ¡°There¡¯s ointment over there. Bring it here.¡±


    With a slightly dazed expression, he got up from his seat. The ointment she pointed out was something familiar to him. As he brought the ointment over, SoYoon got up.


    ¡°Sit.¡±


    She pointed to the chair that Mad Hatter had used when he had treated her wounds. Dum sat on the chair as she opened the medicine packet and dumped out its contents. Rubbing alcohol for sterilization, ointment cream, and bandages fell onto the bed.


    ¡°Give me your left arm.¡±


    Dum showed her his left arm without a word. SoYoon started to put on ample amounts of ointment from his arm to his hand. He felt a tickling sensation as she touched his burnt skin. His cheeks blushed red and he lowered his head.


    SoYoon, seeing this, told him, ¡°You have to take care of this so that you can get better fast.¡±


    The injury was so tant that it was best to fix it as soon as possible so that others would not catch onto the fact that Dee and Dum were the same person. Dum, realizing her meaning, knew that if their secret was revealed, they may lose the trust of their men. But what came out of his mouth was something entirely different.


    ¡°I wish it would continue not getting better. Then you will continue to take care of me.¡±


    The hand that was wrapping the bandages froze for a moment. SoYoon finished tying the ends and put the rest of the bandages into the prescription packet. As she did, Dum took it away from her and pushed her down on her back.


    ¡°Sleep more. You still have a fever.¡±


    SoYoon closed her eyes without resisting. Soon, her breathing slowed. Dum, watched her sleeping, let out a small yawn. Whether it was because her sleep was contagious or because he was finally able to rx, sleep was rushing towards him. He ced his arm on the bed and propped his head on it.


    Right before he fully fell asleep, Dee spoke. ¡°Hey, you punk. The thing you locked yourself away for all this time to think about was this? I thought you were smart but it looks like you¡¯re an idiot. That oblivious girl won¡¯t even care about that.¡±


    That was true. Dumughed to himself drowsily.

 Chapter 99

    <h4>Chapter 99</h4>


    A guest had suddenly arrived at Heart¡¯s house. The guest was escorted to the fancy drawing-room as Heart nced up at the clock hanging on his wall. There was only an hour left before he had to leave for an important appointment, so he had to finish business with this guess as soon as possible.


    The guest was a man in his early 20s. He hade to deliver a message from the government. He looked nervous as he continually rolled his eyes all over the ce. After observing him, Heart concluded that he was a neer. After Heart had killed all the elites that had visited himst time, they must have sent someone they didn¡¯t mind losing. Heart looked at the letter with the government seal stamped on it and then looked up at the messenger. The letter was extremely long but the content could be shortened to one sentence.


    ¡°Are they telling me that an experiment is the government¡¯s property and you want me to hand it over?¡±


    ¡°That, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t, then they will assume I am an aplice to the escaped experiment and will require payment for damages?¡± Heart asked with blushing eyes and a soft smile. The messenger was not able to sense the anger and violence within those eyes and thought that his task was going well. He smiled back at Heart. Heart fanned himself with the letter.


    Thest time he had gotten rid of the corpses, he had made it look like they had gotten into an ident when they¡¯d first stepped into Wondend. The government must not have been as stupid as he thought because they seemed to have not taken his full word for it.


    ¡°But, there is something much more interesting I have up my sleeve.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to see it?¡±


    Heart handed the messenger a stack of documents. The messenger received it and read through it. Not even five minutes passed before the expression on his face started to stiffen.


    ¡°This, This is...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting?¡±


    The document was one that SoYoon had brought out with her when she escaped from the research facility. Inside it, it described the kidnap and experimentation of nonmagical people and the results of their reengineering experiments.


    ¡°It is surprising. Using citizens as experimentation subjects. If it was me, I would never trust the government and might go crazy. It¡¯s such a scary thought.¡±


    Heartughed heartily as he shrugged his shoulders. Not every nonmagical person was treated as if they had an illness. Among them, some grew up with a parent¡¯s love as Alice had. With thebination of the sorrow of those parents who had lost their children and the fear that the government could invade their personal space anytime, any small urrence would cause an upheaval. Also, with Mad Hatter as a sponsor, they would have arge cash-flow avable to them.


    The messenger looked at the documents in despair. Then, as if he¡¯d just realized something, his mouth dropped open. ¡°How do you have this? Do you really...¡±


    ¡°Do I really what?¡±


    ¡°Uh, oh, never mind...¡±


    The messenger trailed off. Heart was pacing back and forth when his smartphone alerted him to an iing message. After checking the contents on the screen, he smiled softly. The messenger¡¯s eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Another guest has arrived so it will be difficult for me to continue entertaining you. Oh, you can take that with you. It¡¯s a copy anyways.¡±


    Heart got up from his seat.


    The messenger hesitated, not knowing what to do, then looked up at him.¡±Um, your...answer...¡±


    ¡°Answer? Oh, that¡¯s right.¡±


    If he was to send this messenger away like this, another messenger woulde to take his ce. To avoid that, it was better to give him a definite answer. With this resolution, Heart chose his words wisely. He answered in a way that would be straightforward and to the point so that they won¡¯t daree back to this ce.


    ¡°Truthfully, I am extremely offended. The girl you called an experiment is my fiance.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how difficult it was to resist beheading you right now? Your neck and the neck of those who sent you...¡± Heart smiled widely. It was a smile that signaled the smell of blood. ¡°If you evere here again talking about my girl as your property, I will immediately behead you in a heartbeat.¡±


    His anger exploded like a bomb and filled the drawing-room with his wrath. The messenger trembled, unable to even look into Heart¡¯s eyes. As a consequence, the documents fell away from his hands and onto the floor. Heart bent down and picked up the documents himself, then tapped the messenger on the cheek with them.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t forget this. Make sure you take this.¡±


    Leaving the drawing-room, Heart immediately went to the bedroom. The moment he opened the door, he saw SoYoon sitting on the sofa next to the window. She had been in bed due to her cold up until now. He wondered if that was the reason her face looked more pale than usual. He took long strides across the room and kissed her on the lips lightly.


    ¡°Did you wait long?¡±


    ¡°Not really. They told me you had a guest. You¡¯re back early.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything important.¡±


    Heart brushed off the government¡¯s threat as if it was nothing and again found her lips. This was much more important than talking about some useless politics.


    There had been so many things happeningtely that SoYoon may have forgotten, but to Heart, today¡¯s meeting was very special. He remembered what had happened the day SoYoon had left to go find Alice.


    In this bedroom, he had confessed his love to her, and... she had returned those words to him.


    Because I love you too.


    It was sad and sweet, and so it had been more desperate at that moment. And he would never forget it.


    As he became more rushed, SoYoon flinched and stopped him with her tongue. Heart was no longer able to think straight. Deeper, closer. Heart¡¯s lips pushed onto SoYoon in desperation.


    They had been sitting on the one person sofa, but soon their bodies wereying across it with the armrest at their heads like a pillow. This was not the reason SoYoon hade here and so she pushed away his shoulders. But his burning lips continued to move and be relentless.


    ¡°Wait, mm...Hea..rt...¡±


    Even in her ears, the voice that rang through the bedroom sounded sweet. At this rate, she was sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave this ce until tomorrow morning. SoYoon forced her hazy mind back to its senses and turned her head.


    ¡°Heart. Wait... Heart!¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh.¡± His low voice refused her in discontent. His auburn eyes looked to have already lost its sanity. His cheeks were red from the rising heat and his moist lips were extremely seductive. SoYoon, determined to not get sucked in, opened her mouth.


    ¡°I told you I came here because I had business with you.¡±


    ¡°Good. I have business with you too.¡±


    SoYoon kept him at bay by pushing at his shoulders as he charged at her again and quickly told him what she wanted to discuss. Having heard it, Heart sighed and got up. She got up, following him. He hugged SoYoon¡¯s waist and whispered, ¡°My SoYoon is so cold.¡±


    Her shoulders flinched. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he had whispered this in her ear, or if it was the way he said, ¡°my SoYoon.¡± Heart hoped it was thetter reason and smiled brightly. There was plenty of time anyways. He had canceled all his ns upon hearing that she wasing to see him. The business she wanted to discuss with him would probably take a mere 30 minutes. After that, he could go back to finishing his business.


    A few momentster, Heart¡¯s assistant finished the preparation in the bathroom and left. Heart got up from the sofa and reached out his hand to SoYoon. SoYoon naturally grabbed it and got up. Heart lead her to the bathroom.


    There was a small chair that looked like it didn¡¯t belong in the bathroom. Heart sat SoYoon down on the chair and picked up the scissors that were sitting on the counter. He put a clump of her white hair between his fingers and straightened them out. ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    SoYoon did as he requested. With the sound of sharp metal clipping at her hair, the cut bangs fell to the floor. She reflexively clenched and unclenched her fists.


    This is Heart¡¯s house. The person who was with her now would never betray her. Once these things became ingrained in her head, the metal clipping sound no longer bothered her.


    The thick bangs that had blocked her vision were now gone. She had only asked him to trim her bangs, but Heart had touched the rest of her hair also. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, SoYoon muttered to him, ¡°You¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve cut my mother¡¯s hair too. There, all done.¡± He put away the scissors as he said this. Inside the mirror sat a person with neatly trimmed hair. SoYoon examined her face as if looking at it for the first time.


    To fit the character of the original ¡°Wondend,¡± she had covered her brown eyes and had worn a mask. Now, she no longer had to do that.


    ¡°It looks good on you,¡± Heart whispered to her as he twirled her hair through his fingers.


    ¡°I think so too,¡± SoYoon answered with a refreshing smile.

 Chapter 100: Extra Stories 1-IF The Return Home. If SoYoon Returned back to Earth

    <h4>Chapter 100: Extra Stories 1-IF The Return Home. If SoYoon Returned back to Earth</h4>


    What happened was something that no one had ever expected to happen.


    One night, SoYoon was returning to Wondend from Outhouse after finishing up a request. She met up with a group of people who had been lying in wait for her. Magic traps, storage units, and wizards were all there as part of the borate n to capture her. Although the magicians had acted quickly, no one could have predicted that such an error could have happened.


    Magic collided with magic. The wizards could not handle the rising,bining power as it was thrown out of its sphere. The magic traps and storage units shattered.


    In the center of the magical explosion was SoYoon. As if the magic had been searching for a target, it concentrated on her.


    Then everything becamepletely calm. Those who hade to capture SoYoon looked around. They were unable to find anything, not even a single strand of white hair.


    ***


    A gentle breeze with the faint scent of chemicals floating within it¡­ That was the first thing SoYoon noticed when she woke up. It was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time as she opened her eyes to see the white ceiling above her. Thinking that she was back at the research facility, she bolted up. Then froze as she realized her actual surroundings.


    A white bed, white walls, thin curtains fluttering in the airing through the slightly opened window, a smartphone lying atop a side table. In the corner was a small door. On the other side of it, she heard the sound of running water. A long time ago, she had seen such a setting in the dramas she saw on Earth.


    A little whileter, the door opened and a woman stepped out. It was a middle-aged woman with a small stature, a sadly drooping mouth, and tired eyes. She had been walking back slowly when her eyes met with SoYoon¡¯s and she halted.


    ¡°So¡­ Yoon?¡±


    As if unable to believe her eyes, the woman blinked several times and called out her name. SoYoon blinked exactly as she had and called out to her.


    ¡°Mom?¡±


    The towel and the basin her mother were holding dropped to the floor with a loud noise.


    3, 4,


    A couple of days after she was released from the hospital, SoYoon went back to school. If she really had no choice but to live on Earth, then she wanted to prepare herself for the future. Luckily, her injuries had healed enough that they didn¡¯t cause her pain to move.


    As she got closer to the school, more and more eyes seemed to be watching SoYoon. It was surprising enough that she had been stabbed at school, but knowing that it was due to a love triangle¡­ There was no greater gossip-worthy story.


    Having been the subject of various rumors even before GaHyun stabbed her, SoYoon was already a well-known person around the school. This may have bothered her a long time ago, but she was so used to the spotlight now that it didn¡¯t faze her. She walked through the school nonchntly and went into the administration office.


    As she discussed the missed sses she needed to take with the counselor, random people she didn¡¯t even remember knowing asked her if she was feeling okay. It always started with a harmless ¡°hello,¡± but would drift onto a different subject. They wanted to know what happened to GaHyun and how she¡¯d felt when she had been stabbed, etc. When SoYoon responded coldly to all their prying questions, they eventually walked away.


    Unlike them, SoYoon was able to gain some insightful information. For example, she heard that DongHyun had gone into the army. She also learned where GaHyun was residing. After finishing up what she needed, she left the school office.


    ***


    A few dayster, SoYoon left on the subway to go somewhere. After a long ride on the subway, she arrived at the prison. She¡¯d made an appointment online and didn¡¯t have to wait long to go into the visiting room.


    She saw GaHyun¡¯s poison-filled face through the ss window. Just by looking at that face, she became unsure about whether or not she remembered any of Alice¡¯s memories.


    SoYoon said to her through the microphone, ¡°Did you enjoy your trip?¡±


    The moment the words escaped her lips, GaHyun¡¯s eyes grewrge. SoYoon¡¯s lips curled into a smile.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    It seemed that SoYoon was not the only one who had visited that world. Seeing the fear reflected in GaHyun¡¯s eyes, she seemed to relive all the things that happened to her there. She had returned to Earth after being treated as Duke¡¯s pretty little corpse. Compared to that, her new situation must seem like heaven.


    ¡°Ye SoYoon! I¡¯m going to kill you! I will kill you once and for all!¡±


    GaHyun was causing a ruckus. The guards forced her down. However, GaHyun did not remove her gaze from SoYoon.


    ¡°You wait,¡± SoYoon mouthed silently. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back there.¡± Through the speakers, she heard GaHyun curse and scream.


    The only reason she hade to see GaHyun was to confirm the existence of Wondend. By the change in her body, she had already been sure. She¡¯d still wanted to double-check.


    Having seeded in establishing her theory, SoYoon got up from her seat. As she was about to leave the visitor room, she saw the reflection of her white hair in the ss window and stopped.


    Her dark brown hair had turned white. It looked as if frost was sitting on top of it. There was no reason to change this back to normal.


    There was nothing left to do but wait. As she walked toward the subway station, SoYoon wore a slight smile.


    ***


    7, 8


    ¡°SoYoon has disappeared.¡±


    The three words that Baby said to Heart were enough to exin the situation to March. In the time she¡¯d been gone, how many had lost their lives to his ax? All of Wondend seemed to be holding its breath. Even Outhouse was shaking with fear at the threat of the serial killer in their midst.


    ¡°Now there is no longer any reason to,¡± Heart mumbled as he put down the food he¡¯d ordered from room service. He hated having anyone elsee into the room where he was spending time with SoYoon, so he ordered them to deliver the food to the door. After setting everything up, he felt strangely content. Now the only thing left was to wake up SoYoon.


    SoYoon was still deeply asleep. Heart bent down over her. Her eyes were red with tears. They were the consequence of Heart pushing himself on herst night. He smiled happily and kissed her eyes.


    ¡°Wake up, SoYoon. Let¡¯s eat.¡±


    But when his lips touched her soft skin, the thought of food disappeared from his thoughts. He looked down at his wristwatch.


    11:47


    She was probably tired from everything that had happenedst night. Maybe he should just let her sleep longer. But he did think it would be better to feed her. After going back and forth between the two thoughts, he kissed her again and whispered, ¡°I know you¡¯re sleepy, but you should eat before you go back to sleep.¡±


    But SoYoon still did not move. He thought about it again, then said, ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up now, I¡¯m gonna move in. I¡¯m still not satisfied.¡±


    Sensing truth in his words, SoYoon opened her eyes. Still not fully awake, the first things she saw were his shoulders clothed in a light grey shirt and his dirtied ginger hair.


    ¡°Heart?¡± she mumbled like a baby as she crept closer to him. Drowsy, she had done it without knowing, d to see the familiar color she had longed for. But to Heart, the action was like a spark. He froze for a moment, then quickly jumped on the bed and hopped onto SoYoon.


    ¡°What¡­oop!¡±


    SoYoon pped Heart on the back as he interrupted her breathing the moment she woke up. From the sound, he was sure her handprint would be imprinted on his back, but he continued to kiss her passionately.


    His hands soon traveled under the nket and enjoyed the touch of her body. She was not wearing a single thread of clothing. SoYoon realized his intent and pushed him off.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I am too,¡± Heart said as he licked his lips. Although they were both hungry, SoYoon realized that the subject of their hunger was different. She pushed him away again.


    ¡°Did you order room service?¡±


    SoYoon could smell the aroma of fooding from the opposite side of the room and felt so hungry that she had no intention of fulfilling Heart¡¯s hunger. Heart¡¯s shoulders drooped and he sighed. It looked like the moment has passed.


    SoYoon went into the bathroom and washed up. She came out wearing a bathrobe. Heart was waiting at the door and ran right up to her when she stepped out of the bathroom. She nced casually at him as if she barely saw him and walked over to where the smell of food wasing from.


    ¡°I thought I would die waiting for you and this is how you act? Don¡¯t you think you are a bit harsh?¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    ¡°You should know by now that even if I look rxed, I really am not.¡±


    ¡°From what I see¡­You seem very rxed,¡± she replied ndly, pretending not to care. It was her small punishment to him for making her cry. Heart knew it.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I know the other two won¡¯ty a hand on you. But I¡¯m different,¡± Heart said,ughing jovially.


    SoYoon stopped walking and looked up at him. ¡°¡­Viin.¡±


    ¡°But you still love me, right?¡±


    His crooked smile annoyed her. She contemted whether or not she should pinch those smiling cheeks, but changed her mind and stretched out her hands. She reached for his shirt. She grabbed it and pulled him in quickly, kissing him on his lips.

 Chapter 101: Extra Stories 2-IF Maybe So Sweet. If Mad Hatter was the Only Route. (1)

    <h4>Chapter 101: Extra Stories 2-IF Maybe So Sweet. If Mad Hatter was the Only Route. (1)</h4>


    ¡°Will you live with me?¡± Mad Hatter said, his ceramic cheeks blushing pink. SoYoon turned her head as she heard these words.


    ***


    After returning from the research facility, SoYoon went back to her routine of working requests. Then one day, March, Dor, and Li came to visit her. It was unusual for Li toe along, so SoYoon¡¯s gaze was directed at her. As she looked, Li hid behind March, cringing in fear. March pulled Li back and stood her in front of SoYoon.


    ¡°Tell her properly.¡±


    SoYoon stared at the awkwardly acting Li with an emotionless expression. Li tensed up again. That was expected. Just a few days before, SoYoon had forced Li into the slums after finding Li exining to Dor about crimes and about situations in which she should be careful.


    She had spent precisely one week in the ce. Because she had told the slum residents to noty a hand on her, she hadn¡¯t been in danger, but it was still scary. SoYoon slightly lowered her gaze. At this, a little of Li¡¯s nervousness seemed to subside.


    ¡°Um, so¡­ Do you think you can tell me who I can go see to learn magic?¡±


    She had started the sentence in a small voice, but it ended in almost a scream. It was because SoYoon had looked up at the word magic.


    ¡°Magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nonmagical?¡±


    ¡°Well, I used to be¡­ but now, I¡­ have¡­ it¡­¡±


    Li¡¯s voice was shaking as she cried, but SoYoon was lost in thought. There was only one wizard that SoYoon knew about. There were also very few people who knew of his wizarding ancestry in Wondend. And so, she didn¡¯t think that it would be too horrible to let a couple more people know of his magical powers. The real problem was whether he would be willing to teach someone else or not.


    SoYoon pulled out a smartphone from her bag. The one she usually used had been left at the research facility, so Mad Hatter had created a new one for her. She opened up her messaging app and sent a text to Mad Hatter. After a few minutes, a response came in. She stood up from her seat and looked at Li.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He said he¡¯ll teach you. Hurry up.¡±


    SoYoon didn¡¯t force her. However, Li, reading the look in her eyes, hung onto March in fear. And so, all four people headed to Mad Hatter¡¯s house together.


    SoYoon, who had been holding Dor¡¯s hand while they walked, looked back at Li. She hade to realize something that she hadn¡¯t thought about.


    In ¡ºWondend¡»Mad Hatter loved Alice. And Li had the soul of the real Alice. Although the original story had crumbledpletely, it bothered her. What would happen when the two of them met? The thought kept manifesting itself into ufortable images in her head.


    Once they arrived at Mad Hatter¡¯s house, SoYoon knocked on his door. If she had been alone, she would have walked in without an invitation, but this time she was with guests. A few momentster, they heard the second story window opening. All the guests¡¯ gazes looked up toward the direction of the sound.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Li eximed under her breath. Even Dor, who didn¡¯t know enough people topare Mad Hatter to anyone, didn¡¯t remove her gaze from him. An absolute beauty was standing there. A man, shimmering in the golden light of thete afternoon sun, smiled at them.


    ¡°You¡¯vee, White Rabbit. I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± he called out to her, a bit awkward because other people were around. Then he opened the door quickly. When he disappeared from the window, the three people who had been entranced by him came back to their senses. SoYoon was able to understand how they felt. Mad Hatter¡¯s beauty had even made her mind go numb in surprise.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    The moment they stepped inside, Mad Hatter was waiting for them on the 2nd floor of the staircase. As always, he was wearing a bluish-green cardigan, a wrinkled shirt, and pants. Today¡¯s hat was a violently purple nightcap. Because it was able to cover his grey-blue hair, it could not distract from his extravagant beauty.


    Mad Hatter came down the stairs and headed directly toward SoYoon. His cool arms wrapped around her. He bent over and whispered into her ear, ¡°I missed you, SoYoon.¡±


    SoYoon put her forehead on his shoulder. She sighed deeply and felt the strength go out of the shoulder.


    ¡°¡­ Me too, Yochanan,¡± she said to Mad Hatter in an even smaller voice than he¡¯d used. His heat rose suddenly as he hugged her. If he had looked up at this instant, she would have seen how red his cheeks were. A slight smile rose on SoYoon¡¯s face.


    If she had let him, she was sure that Mad Hatter would have never let go of her. She coaxed him to release her and she told him the reason she hade.


    ¡°This is Li. She wants to learn magic. And¡­This is the real Alice.¡±


    Mad Hatter realized what SoYoon meant by telling him that and his eyes grew cold.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Mad Hatter looked Li up and down. Upon being scanned by his gaze, Li held on tightly to the ends of March¡¯s clothes. March, in turn, wrapped his hands over hers. Upon seeing this, Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes seemed to rx.


    They decided to start the lessons after he could prepare the lesson ns. After March, Dor, and Li went inside, SoYoon stared up at Mad Hatter.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, SoYoon?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to teach her if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡±


    ¡°¡­Of course, I am.¡±


    Mad Hatter didn¡¯t like people in general, but he especially seemed to hate Li. SoYoon could sense this by the way he¡¯d looked at Li. After she admitted that she was worried about him, he looked relieved. Feeling embarrassed, she ignored his gaze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that girl. And I¡¯m a bit afraid.¡±


    SoYoon blinked. These were not words the great Mad Hatter would ever say about anyone. But she continued as if it didn¡¯t faze her.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve done something like this before.¡± Mad Hatter was talking about the time that SoYoon had pushed Alice upon him. SoYoon closed her mouth. His eyes curved into a pretty crescent shape as he smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for you to feel sorry.¡±


    Those words were scarier than if he had demanded an apology. But she was unable to apologize. Back then, she had thought that it had been the right thing to do. And he seemed to be saying this now because he also realized that she¡¯d had little choice.


    SoYoon nced over at Mad Hatter. She realized that a shadow had fallen over his face. She asked him, ¡°Were you unable to sleep?¡±


    It was easy to tell that this was the case. He still had his sleeping cap on in the middle of the day and his ceramic-like face was shadowed. She was certain that he had woken up the moment he¡¯d received her message. He shook his head at her question and brought her rough fingers up under his eyes, smiling a bit embarrassedly.


    ¡°My head is hurting a bit.¡±


    His headaches were practically a chronic illness. And the only treatment for this illness was SoYoon. Mad Hatter grabbed SoYoon¡¯s hand, which was getting farther from his face, and ced it back on his cheek.


    ¡°Are you busy?¡±


    He pressed his red lips onto SoYoon¡¯s palm and smiled with his eyes. His eyes drooped as if he was drowsy from the medication and it made him look irresistibly seductive.


    She was already weak when it came to his attractiveness, but looking at his face right now, it was impossible to say that she was busy. She shook her head and Mad Hatter smiled joyfully.


    The two of them went into the bedroom on the 1st floor. The bedroom had the curtains drawn shut and it was dark and peaceful inside. Mad Hatterid down first and SoYoon removed her sword andid down next to him.


    His long arms reached out and pulled her in, closing the remaining small gap between them. He buried his face into her hair and breathed in deeply, then kissed the top of her head. First, it was a light peck, but his lips started to move more and more with purpose. SoYoon pushed him away gently.


    ¡°You should sleep now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s been such a long time since I¡¯ve spent time alone with you.¡±


    Mad Hatter was forcing his closing eyes to remain open. She saw his eyelids twitching and no longer let him continue his tantrum. SoYoon put her hands over his eyes and pressed slightly down on them.


    ¡°I will stay here until you wake up.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll just sleep for just a little bit¡­¡± he mumbled in a voice full of regret. But he already sounded as if he was half asleep. In a few seconds, the sound of his deep rhythmic breathing spread through the bedroom.


    SoYoon looked up at him. A smile was nted on Mad Hatter¡¯s face. She wondered what he was so happy about. But she could see the tiredness in his face and she reflected upon her ws.


    SoYoon knew that she was not sensitive to these sorts of things. And as White Rabbit, she was expected to be so. Knowing how hard it was for Mad Hatter to sleep without her there, she knew that he must have spent several nights in agony.


    She had finished most of her work. She could concentrate on him for a while, but this was only a temporary fix. SoYoon buried her face into his chest. His drowsiness was contagious and sleep overtook her.


    ***


    When SoYoon woke up from her sleep, all her surroundings were dark. To check the time, she looked for her smartphone.


    ¡°It¡¯s only 1 o¡¯clock. You should sleep more.¡± Her hands had been feeling around the bed when Mad Hatter grabbed them. His voice melted into the peaceful night air and was crisp, unlike that of someone who had just woken up. SoYoon escaped from his embrace and got up.


    ¡°When did you wake up?¡±


    ¡°Just now.¡±


    Mad Hatter got up also. SoYoon looked over him. Sensing her gaze, Mad Hatter smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve gotten a lot better.¡± He told her this as hebed through her tousled hair. But even in the darkness, she could see that, contrary to his words, he looked exhausted. SoYoon remembered the thought she¡¯d had right before she fell asleep. Her lips moved impulsively.


    ¡°Should we live together?¡±


    At that moment, an unnatural silence nketed them. Mad Hatter froze in the middle of sweeping back her hair over her ear. Stone-faced, he looked like a strange, living doll. Then the red lips moved.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Only then did he realize what SoYoon had said to him and his eyes grew wide. His cheeks started to blush, then the redness spread to the rest of his face. When SoYoon blinked, he hurriedly covered her eyes.


    ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t look at me.¡±


    ¡°Yochanan?¡±


    ¡°This is cheating¡­¡±


    Even his voice seemed to be blushing. SoYoon removed his hands. When she did, he hugged her tightly. Through the thin clothes, she could feel that his temperature was higher than usual.


    By his reaction, it didn¡¯t seem to be a rejection, but she still felt a little insecure from hisck of an exact answer. Then Mad Hatter mumbled softly, ¡°Really, I was preparing myself to ask you myself.¡±


    Mad Hatter¡¯s arms rxed and released her. SoYoon lifted her head and looked at him. Still blushing, he asked her cautiously, ¡°Will you live with me?¡±


    That was when SoYoon understood how Mad Hatter felt. She turned her head swiftly. Mad Hatterughed quietly and kissed her blushing cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to assume I already heard the answer.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    She had always been so determined to leave if given a chance. But this moment had officially allowed her to ground herself in this ce.

 Chapter 102: Extra Stories 2-IF Maybe So Sweet. If Mad Hatter was the Only Route. (2)

    <h4>Chapter 102: Extra Stories 2-IF Maybe So Sweet. If Mad Hatter was the Only Route. (2)</h4>


    Based on the size and the overall number of pieces of furniture to move, it was a much better decision for SoYoon to move into Mad Hatter¡¯s house instead of him into hers. After moving a few stacks of clothes and the induction, she was pretty much done. Mad Hatter was surprised to find that she had so few things and clicked his tongue. It was evident that she¡¯d had no intention of wanting to stay in Wondend.


    ¡°Well, now you have me.¡±


    SoYoon looked taken aback at the sudden statement, but Mad Hatter didn¡¯t care whether she understood him or not. He hugged her tightly and ced his cheek against her white hair.


    ¡°I put myself in your kind hands.¡±


    ¡°I hope you will do the same for me.¡±


    Even though they had decided to live together, their daily life patterns didn¡¯t suddenly change. Mad Hatter¡¯s sleeping schedule was, as always, all over the ce, and she was constantly out of the house fulfilling requests. Unlike Mad Hatter, who was sensitive to small details, SoYoon didn¡¯t really have any routines she must abide by, so there wasn¡¯t even much to fight over.


    But there was something that had changed.


    SoYoon crouched down to avoid the de of the ax aimed at her head. She charged into the opposition and mmed into his chest. In her left hand was the knife she had just pulled out.


    The silver-blue de jabbed into her enemy¡¯s stomach and she slid it upward through his body. She moved it until it slit through his fatty stomach, then his deting chest, then up to the end of his neck. A geyser of blood exploded wildly and sttered all over her pale face.


    The burly man fell, spewing blood. SoYoon wiped away the blood that had sttered near her eyes and looked around. Three men had fallen, and there were four left.


    When she made eye contact with them, they avoided her eyes. SoYoon asked with an expressionless tone, ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to take the ce of White Rabbit with this sort of skill, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    After people found out about her rtionship with Mad Hatter, they had found out SoYoon¡¯s gender as a girl. And as a consequence, those who were trying to steal her position as the White Rabbit increased. These people were some of those hopefuls. She snorted loudly so that they could hear her.


    ¡°So weak.¡±


    Aggravated by her words, the man charged at her. SoYoon held up her sword in her hands and readied to defend herself.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    It was then that the man ran at her with quick speed waving his sharp de at her. Her smartphone rang. The ringtone waspletely the opposite of the current menacing atmosphere and was a sweet melody meant for one person. SoYoon ced her hands into her pocket and pulled out the smartphone, then unlocked the screen.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    The edge of the de just barely missed SoYoon¡¯s left shoulder. She maneuvered around the sword with a half step and as if dancing, spinning her body around to slip away. Herrge sword followed her movements and cut through the wind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll bete today.¡±


    The man with the long gash on his chest screamed. It was loud enough to filter through the smartphone and be heard by the person on the other side. But neither SoYoon or the person at the other end paid much attention to it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish quickly ande back soon.¡±


    With the end of the phone call, the man¡¯s life ended also. SoYoon put the smartphone in her pocket and pointed her sword at the remaining three men. Sensing that their rage towards her had not disappeared, she jumped off the floor.


    Her boyfriend had delicious food ready and was waiting for her. That was enough reason to hurry back home.


    ***


    The biggest reason the two of them decided to live together was for the sake of Mad Hatter¡¯s sleep. The times he had nightmares decreased and the days he had peaceful sleep increased. The most noticeable change was that there was someone to wake him up when he was having his nightmares.


    This night was one of those nights.


    In his dream, Mad Hatter became the young Chapelier Yochanan and was lying on the floor of the experimentation room. The effect of the drugs he had ingested with his breakfast had still not faded and he was unable to move his body.


    For several hours, he stared out at the scenery beyond the window. An extravagant tower rose up into the red-dyed sky. The young Yochanan saw this as a human¡¯s arrogant sword piercing the sky, causing it to shed tears of blood.


    He wished he could kill all of them.


    He looked past the sky and wished this curse upon them. Then, the sound of heavy footsteps came from behind the door. With only father and son living here in this castle, the owner of those footsteps was all too certain. The young Yochanan wanted to quench his dry mouth with the spit on his lips but he still could not move his body.


    The door opened. With the darkness as a backdrop, an even darker shadow stood at the entrance. Yochanan wanted to close his eyes. But even that he was unable to control. The shadow came closer to him one step at a time. The faint smell of food swept past his nose and he felt like throwing up. Anyone, please, anybody.


    It was then, the moment he had pleaded, that a round hand shook at his shoulders. He regained his consciousness. This is a dream. The moment he realized this, he was no longer afraid.


    The image he saw when Mad Hatter opened his eyes was a pale face surrounded by white hair.


    ¡°Yochanan,¡± SoYoon called out his name in her low alto voice. A warm embrace hugged him. She awkwardly patted his shoulder as she called out his name again. This time, he was able to answer her. ¡°Yochanan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, SoYoon.¡±


    ¡°I woke you up because you seemed to be having sleep paralysis.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I was having a nightmare.¡±


    It was summer. It was slowly starting to get hot. But Mad Hatter felt cold and shivered. There was no way that SoYoon, who was in contact with him, would be unaware of this. She stroked Mad Hatter¡¯s back in a long sweeping motion. His thin shirt was drenched in cold sweat. It would be best for him to change.


    SoYoon brought over a change of clothes for him and ced them on top of the bed. But she had no choice but to return to the bed because Mad Hatter pulled her in toward him. Heid her down on top of the bed and tossed his wet shirt away.


    SoYoon looked up at Mad Hatter. His blue eyes reflected the darkness of the light and looked calm. She reached out her arm and wrapped it around his neck. At that moment, Mad Hatter¡¯s eyes became aze with an internal fire. His lips curved downward as he muttered, looking over at SoYoon.


    ¡°You are too kind. Really, you could easily just ignore my childish antics.¡±


    ¡°You are probably the only one that would say that about me.¡±


    ¡°That, I¡¯m happy about. Because that would mean that SoYoon ispletely mine,¡± Mad Hatter added as he took off her shirt and tossed it somewhere in the room.


    She kissed the top of his blue-grey hair that was tickling her neck and answered, ¡°I guess it¡¯s not untrue.¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you not want to sleep today?¡±


    As if he hadn¡¯t been under sleep paralysis just now, he asked her this in his normal voice. SoYoon smiled nervously.


    ¡°Please be gentle.¡±


    ***


    Twice a week, Li went to see Mad Hatter and learn magic. Today was the fifth day of her lessons. As she approached Mad Hatter¡¯s house, she stared at the front door and swallowed her sigh.


    The lessons were good. On the second day of lessons, she had seen a strand of hair slip through his hat and had figured out his true identity. She realized how lucky she was to be learning from him.


    A true genius, Mad Hatter pointed out in detail which areas she wascking in. When the lessons ended, her mind was usually wiped out, but that was not the main problem. It seemed as if her teacher didn¡¯t like her. And Li, who was usually slow at realizing these things, had figured it out on her first lesson, so he was being pretty tant about it.


    Maybe White Rabbit had spoken ill of her to him. Li thought this, not having the greatest affection for SoYoon.


    Li hesitated, then knocked on the door. A few momentster, the door opened. She muttered an excuse, then stepped inside. But Mad Hatter, who was usually standing on the 1st floor with a scowl on his face, was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Teacher?¡±


    ¡°Over here.¡±


    The sound of someone¡¯s voice she could hear but not see wasing from the bedroom. Li saw a person that she assumed to be Mad Hatter through the crack in the door and swung it wide open.


    ¡°Um, teacher..!¡±


    Li opened her eyes wide. Mad Hatter was sitting on the bed with his head against the headboard. But he was not alone. He was holding someone in his arms.


    The neatly organized white hair, the pale face, the small stature. It was someone very familiar to Li.


    ¡°White Rabbit?¡±


    ¡°Shh. Be quiet.¡±


    Mad Hatter warned Li with a frown. Li shrunk at his angry voice and flinched.


    ¡°This is why I pushed back today¡¯s lesson until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I knew you were naive but I didn¡¯t know you couldn¡¯t understand words. Go back today¡­ Oh no.¡±


    SoYoon, disrupted by the two people¡¯s conversation, started to stir. Mad Hatter patted her lightly on the shoulder as she sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can keep sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Um, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Li said she had something else to do today anyway so it would have been difficult to proceed with the lesson. So there is nothing to worry about.¡±


    Hisughter filled voice echoed throughout the living room. Even if all the sugar in the world had been poured into the situation, nothing could have sounded sweeter. Li stood in front of the door and watched them apathetically.


    Mad Hatter looked over at her. Even Medusa¡¯s gaze, which turned whoever she looked at to stone, would not have been scarier than what she observed on him now. She crept out of the bedroom and closed the door, then ran out of the house.


    The moment he heard the front door close, Mad Hatter stroked SoYoon¡¯s hair. However, she did not wake up. He smiled as he realized that this was how much SoYoon trusted him.


    This was a moment he would have never imagined he woulde to enjoy so sweetly. Mad Hatter remembered the memory of his past. If he was able to go back and meet his younger self, he wanted to make sure to tell him. If you persist and live on, there wille a time when you will be filled with happiness that overflows the brim of your head. He hugged SoYoon tightly with his arms and smiled widely.

 Chapter 103: After 10 Years. The Things that Won’t Fade Even as Time Passes

    <h4>Chapter 103: After 10 Years. The Things that Won¡¯t Fade Even as Time Passes</h4>


    The season for frost arrived. A gust of chilly autumn wind blew across the path near the ruins. The man swept back his windblown hair with little care. But the wind blew again to tangle up the recently organized strands. The man, feeling that the effort was nothing but a bother, he just let it be. The curly dark blond hair blew away the strands to reveal his forehead and cheeks.


    The man looked like a prince who had walked out of a fairytale. It was Twins. The person who was in charge of their body today was Tweedle Dee. He stood at the entrance to Wondend and observed the surrounding scenery. He had only been away at Outhouse for a couple of days, but this ce he had been so fed up felt strangely homey. Lightughter escaped his lips.


    ¡°Maybe my eyes have gone crazy.¡±


    If that wasn¡¯t the case, then there was no way he could have missed these ruins. He started to walk. The ends of his unbuttoned trench coat waved in the autumn air, leaving ck shadows behind him. His men who had followed him on his outing moved with his footsteps. Among them, a new recruit looked around at his surroundings and asked his superior a question. ¡°Is there somewhere else that we need to stop? This direction doesn¡¯t seem to be the way to either the office or to Mr. Dee¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°He is going to meet a girl he likes.¡±


    ¡°What? Mr. Dee has a girlfriend?¡±


    The new recruit spoke louder than he had intended to and closed his mouth immediately as he nced over at Dee. His superior clicked his tongue at him and exined. ¡°Don¡¯t go talking about it elsewhere. If word gets out, it will be bothersome.¡±


    ¡°Of course! But who is this girl? Is she pretty? If she¡¯s Dee¡¯s girlfriend then she definitely must be pretty, right?¡±


    ¡°To be exact, she isn¡¯t really his girlfriend¡­¡±


    It was when the superior had started this conversation that a small doll appeared on the other side of the street. It was a girl who looked to be around six or seven years old. The girl, who had long ck hair, recognized Dee and waved to him.


    ¡°Hello, Uncle Dee.¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m your uncle?¡±


    ¡°You told me to not call you ¡®mister¡¯st time. So what am I supposed to call you?¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t call me anything.¡±


    The girl pouted her red lips. Her adorable face looked just like her mother¡¯s. She was so cute, you could just eat her up. However, the person in front of her could have literally eaten her up.


    ¡°Stop trying to act cute in front of me. Get lost¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go see my mom right now.¡±


    The girl¡¯s mother would not be happy if anyone said anything remotely rude to her daughter for no reason. Plus, that sly child was sure to make up something to tattle on him. Dee was clicking his tongue when he realized something and checked his surroundings.


    ¡°Why are you alone? Your father lets you wander around alone?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Uncle Dee, really. Who at my age needs permission from their father to wander about? This is why they say the young can¡¯t converse with the old. Plus, my brother left me and went off by himself. He sure is one useless person in my life.¡±


    ¡°For such a little thing, you sure can talk. Come here. I¡¯ll take you home.¡±


    ¡°Psh. You were on your way to see my mom anyways, acting like you¡¯re doing me a favor.¡±


    Dee and the girl had known each other from the day the girl was born. The two of them always bickered but they had a very close rtionship with each other. The girl¡¯s mother would say that they had a love-hate rtionship. The new recruit, who had been listening to their conversation, looked at his superior. The superior nodded his head at the wide-eyed new recruit. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°But that girl is..!¡±


    The girl was famous in Wondend. She was Valerie, the daughter of Heart. Her mother was nicknamed Undertaker but was better known as White Rabbit.


    Rumor had it that she was the strongest person in Wondend. Neither her face nor her body looked special, and her personality was not the greatest either. The new recruit could not believe that the Dee he so looked up to could fall for a girl like her. The new recruit¡¯s superior added one more thing. ¡°Also, she may not be Dee¡¯s girlfriend, but she is the girl he likes, so one wrong move and you¡¯ll be in deep trouble.¡±


    Confused, the new recruit closed his mouth.


    Soon, they neared White Rabbit¡¯s house. Dee¡¯s men disappeared after cing the shopping bags in front of the door. Valerie¡¯s gaze locked onto one of the people within the group and muttered, ¡°You must not be very bright, mister. How could you just realize that Uncle Dee has a crush on my mom? Are you sure it¡¯s okay to keep such a dense person around with you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not something you need to worry about. You need to first¡­¡±


    ¡°Need to first be worried about wandering around on your own without permission.¡± Valerie flinched after hearing the sound from behind her. Without having made a sound, SoYoon was now standing at the open door.


    ¡°Oh, mom.¡± Valerie skipped towards SoYoon and grabbed the ends of her shirt. At the same time, SoYoon greeted Dee. Dee kissed SoYoon on the cheek naturally.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cold, you shoulde inside.¡±


    SoYoon and Valerie stepped inside first. Dee gathered up the shopping bags that his men had left and followed them in. Inside, as Valerie had mentioned, was another visitor. The moment he stepped foot inside the house, his eyesnded on the person who had arrived before him. Dee frowned at him.


    The visitor was eight-year-old Victor. The boy looked exactly like his ginger-haired father and he bowed in greeting. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Dee nodded his head and waved him away as he put down the shopping bags in front of SoYoon. They were clothes and shoes that he had bought for SoYoon at Outhouse.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°These are for you.¡±


    Dee separated one of the shopping bags and ced them in front of the children. They stood next to each other and the two pairs of eyes stared up at him. They both had clear brown eyes. And that was the reason Dee could not bring himself to hate these two children.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to get in my favor with this? As I¡¯ve said before, your thought processes are that deep.¡±


    They would say annoying things like this to him every time they met.


    SoYoon had gone to the kitchen to get some drinks when Victor¡¯s lips curved into a crooked smile. Dee, instead of getting mad,ughed with a snort. Dee would be willing to bet his left arm that SoYoon had heard what Victor had said from the kitchen.


    And a few minutester, SoYoon was pinching Victor¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Ow, it hurts! It hurts, mom! Ack! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°You should be apologizing to Dee, not me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mister Dee! I should have thanked you for the presents even though they are pretty pathetic¡­! Mom, really, it hurts!¡±


    ¡°Forget it, SoYoon, let him go.¡±


    With Dee¡¯s approval, Victor was released and he ran away to the sofa immediately. SoYoon sighed.


    ¡°Who does he take after to have such an attitude?¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Smiling slyly while saying sarcastic words was Heart¡¯s specialty. The boy had the same personality as his father. SoYoon couldn¡¯t disagree with him and so she chose to stay silent.


    The autumn air shook the windows as it passed. As the outside weather became colder, the four people sat on the sofa in the warm house. Dee watched the children sitting across from him. Both of them seemed to like their presents because even though they had pretended to not find the gifts appealing, they couldn¡¯t stop fiddling with them.


    Dee suddenly found a pair of brown eyes looking at him. They were Valerie¡¯s. The present he had bought for her was avender colored cloak. Its edges were decorated with silver-grey fox fur which went well with her ck hair and pale white skin. Valerie suddenly removed the hood from the cloak which she had worn over her head.


    ¡°Thank, thank you.¡± As Valerie thanked Dee with a prim expression, a hint of a smile crossed SoYoon¡¯s lips. Victor, seeing that, followed suit immediately.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    The present Victor received was a dark grey coat. The color was quite muted for a child his age, but on Victor, it suited him. The two children took turns thanking him, then red at each other until they simultaneously turned away from one another.


    The peaceful time slowly passed to be night. It was time for the two children to return home. Their father, who refused to leave his children in the hands of anyone else, was sure toe soon to take them home.


    Having had two of Heart¡¯s children, it might have made sense for them to live together, but SoYoon didn¡¯t do that. Dee believed it was SoYoon¡¯s way of allowing Mad Hatter and himself toe to visit her freely. He slowly stretched out his hand and ced it over SoYoon¡¯s. When he did, she ced her other hand over his and patted the back of it. After many years, she had be much more benign and her hand¡¯s action brought him peace.


    However, he was not able to enjoy his peace for more than an hour. Heart had arrived. He hugged and greeted SoYoon, then ced the squirming Victor¡¯s hands in front of him and looked down at Valerie.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I told you to stay quietly at home today.¡±


    Unlike his younger sister who hung her head low in shame, the boy looked up at his father defiantly. However, there was no way an eight-year-old boy could beat the thirty-five-year-old Heart. The boy bit his lips.


    Heart looked down at his son as the boy refused to lower his gaze, even with his intense pressure. He smiled with a twinkle in his eye.


    ¡°Be prepared to finish getting in trouble when we get back.¡±


    Victor nced over at SoYoon. However, Victor¡¯s care and punishment were wholly handed to Heart and so all she could do was give him a bitter smile. She didn¡¯t intervene. Victor answered in defeat, ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°Valerie, you too.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Valerie¡¯s obedient answer followed. But SoYoon knew that he would never scold their daughter harshly. Even though she was Heart¡¯s daughter, she got along well with Mad Hatter. Valerie was well known to melt her parent¡¯s hearts with her lovable personality. Also, Valerie looked very much like SoYoon and so Heart usually became weak and breezed over many things for her. SoYoon thought to herself that she would have to severely scold Valerie one day.


    When the three people left for their home, there were only two of them left inside. The ce where the children had been felt strangely empty. Dee hugged SoYoon¡¯s waist. SoYoon patted his shoulder gently. The stress he had endured at Outhouse seemed to dissipate with her touch.


    ¡°Did your work end well?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dee answered with a contented sigh. As he inhaled deeply, the scent he had missed so much filtered into his lungs. Mixed with it though, was now the scent of the children.


    ¡°The kids¡­¡± Dee closed his mouth before finishing his thought. The children she had born with another man.


    He didn¡¯t like young children because they were small and weak, and you didn¡¯t know when they might die. And if they were her children, he hated them more. Already feeling deprived of her attention, he hated sharing it with even more people.


    But every time he saw the two children, he was struck by the same thought. What if among them, there was one with blond hair and brown eyes? How would that make him feel? SoYoon¡¯s child who would have the same face as Dee and Dum. That was something he could never have.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    SoYoon didn¡¯t further question him about it. Instead, the hand patting his shoulder became more affectionate. Dee felt abination of sweet and bitter emotions and closed his eyes. His crush on her still lingered.


    /-The End-/


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