Chapter 4|Another Promise

As you woke up, your body was aching and you couldn’t get up. Suddenly there was a loud crash at your door, the door opened and you watch as your master angrily stomped in the room holding the bamboo whip, “What? You’re still here. Hurry up and get out you lazy !” he yelled slashing the whip across your body. You tried to cover yourself with the thin material you were given as a blanket, but it was too thin to stop any pain. “GET UP!!!” your master yelled continuing to hit you. You remembered to yourself that you had asked one of the maids sharing the room with you to tell the master, but thinking back, you reckon she didn’t even bother caring about you.

You could feel the splatters of you own blood as the wipe roughly slashed against your skin, the more you protested the harder the whip hit you. “I wonder why I even hire you! You’re just a slug! What happened to the hardworking person a few days ago!?” your master raged. Tears travelled rapidly down your face as you tried your best to sit up, but no matter how much strength you can gather, you would fall back down on the ground where you sleep.

***

The very next day, when the sun hasn’t rise yet you woke up. Grabbing a bucket, you headed to the well, the wounds you were given yesterday still ached, but you had no choice but to work. From the back door, you heard someone knocking, making your way quickly to the door, you were surprised to find your mother. “Umma? What are you doing here?” you confusingly asked as your mother pulled a small money bag and handed it to you. “Please help me. Appa is dying, he’s badly sick ad he needs money,” she pleaded with tears streaming down her face. You felt heartbroken seeing your mother the way she was.

“What can I do umma? What happened to the money before?”

“Darling, I’m sorry but the money before, your father used it to buy some medicine. Not so long, he came back from work badly sick. Please save him,”

“Umma, I don’t get money until next week,”

“You can just take some money first and return it later,”

“But that’s stealing umma, I can’t do that,”

“Please, help your father. He’s at home lying in bed, I don’t know if he’ll make it through,”

“…*sigh… Okay umma, tomorrow in the afternoon, meet me here,”

“Yes, thank you so much,”

Your eyes opened in shock, you found L lying beside on the bed. Sitting up with widened eyes you noticed that his eyes were wide opened. “Is he sleeping?” you asked yourself waving your hand over his eyes, but no movement was made, “Maybe he’s sleeping.” With a shrug you lay back down and irritatingly covered your head with the blanket, with your hands on your forehead you let out a sigh. “Did you have a good dream?” a familiar asked, you uncover your head and looked beside you. L had his body turned facing you and his eyes still opened wide, you jumped in shock, “You! I thought you were asleep?!” you asked moving back. L smirked and blinked, “I asked you a question,” he questioned as you moved even further.

“I didn’t sleep well, now leave me alone,” you ordered but he kept moving closer as you moved back. You noticed his eyes focusing on something on your face, remembering what SungYeol had said you covered your mouth, “Don’t come any closer!” you yelled as you muffled with your hand over your mouth. L didn’t reply or said anything, he kept moving closer, suddenly you were at the end of the bed, but now L’s face was approximately 5cm away from your face, not able to hold onto the edge of the bed any longer, you fell to the ground with a loud thud.

“Ow,” you complained rubbing your back, looking up you noticed those eyes, widen and deep brown. “Your lips are really dry,” he commented popping his head over the edge of the bed, “Do you want water?” “Err… No thanks,” you uncomfortably replied as he kept on staring at you, “Is there something you want from me?” “Yes… Would you give it to me?” he asked as he slowly blinked again. “You want to eat me right?” you questioned and he bluntly nodded, “No, I won’t let you eat me.” L frowned and looked at you, “You won’t let me eat you, but would you eat?” he asked, you felt hungry after he had asked you. You felt strange as why L was so nice to you and why didn’t he eat you when you were asleep. “Go wash up, we’ll go outside to eat,” he said before closing the door behind him. You sat up and headed into the intersected bathroom.

***

Uncomfortably cutting up the piece of steak, you held it up to you mouth, but you placed it back down on the plate as L just stared at you with his wide eyes. “L, why do you keep staring at me?” you asked while L continued staring at you. “Are you really going with that ugly farmer after you complete the task?” he asked, you felt the bitterness in his tone. “Is he worried about me? Or is he just worried that he can't eat me?” you thought as the both of you stared into each others’ eyes. “I guess so, I don’t want to be eaten by you,” you replied, averting from the gaze.    

“If I show you an easier way to obtain those blood droplets, would you come with me?”

“What is this ‘easier way’?”

“If I tell you then I’ll take it as you agree,”

“What about SungYeol?”

“You actually care about him? You know he’s trying to kill you too,”

“But it’s not as bad as someone trying to consume me,”

“If you agree to come with me, then I’ll help your father and tell SungYeol to change his death record, okay?”

“…*sigh… Fine, I’ll go with you after everything is done,”

“…*smirk… See that spider mark on your forehead, it’ll show you who has reincarnated into that body and you can easily obtain the three droplets after you’ve found the people, that mark would light up and it’ll sting a bit, but you’ll get your blood quickly. ”

“Are you sure it’ll work?”

“Of course,”

“Then I’ll believe you, now let’s eat,”

“I don’t eat steak,”

“Then what do you eat?”

“…*stare…”

“Oh, I forgot. Sorry, just try some,” you smiled and neatly cut a piece of steak, holding it up to his mouth, “Here.” “What?” he asked confusingly. “Eat it, I cut it for you,” you replied standing up and leaning over, you held the steak closer to his mouth, “Open your mouth.” L stared at you for a while before opening his mouth and ate the piece of steak. “How is it?” you asked him as he was chewing the steak. “Uh? It’s pretty plain,” he replied.

***

A week has past and nightmares of the past invaded your mind. You are now wondering around the place L call his home. L had taken you outside of the forest and in Seoul. “L, can I go outside? I need to find the blood droplets,” you sighed as L just blankly stared at you and replied, “Fine. But I’m coming with you.” You nodded as you headed to your room and took a jacket.

Walking down the path as L was standing beside you, it was silent, he didn’t speak to you and you also didn’t speak to him. Suddenly someone popped up giving you a heart attack. “How have you been doing?” SungYeol asked with a warm smile. “Fine,” you replied. You noticed SungYeol looking at L. “L, why did you decide to do that?” he asked as L looked at him with no surprise. “…*chuckle… You gave her a deal, why can’t I?” L replied as he raised a brow.