The TS Memoir of a Misogynistic Novelist

Being invited to Jae-Ah’s room was largely due to the fact that it provided a justification; being together didn’t inherently create any new activities to engage in.

Writing or tutoring was out of the question, and even attempts to talk were hindered as the majority of topics concerning the current narrative or my personal life were practically impossible to discuss.

From the beginning, Jae-Ah got along more casually with Hwa-won, whom she met later than me. Hwa-won was naturally an incredibly social person, so it was no surprise.

In the end, we spent time in the room doing separate things without much conversation.

I could guess Jae-Ah’s reason for inviting me to her room. She was likely worried because my state wasn’t particularly good. I also had my reasons for not refusing her invitation.

It was embarrassing to admit it, but I was actually running away from a real fear. As long as I was in this house, I would be safe. I was sure of it.

I knew all too well that being alone wouldn’t change that fact. However, being alone meant there was something from which I could never escape.

It was my memories.

In other words, it was myself.

I couldn’t run away from myself.

That’s why I was unreasonably with Jae-Ah. Just the simple fact of having someone next to me allowed me to turn away from my memories.

But even that had its limits.

Time went by, and night grew darker. My yawn slipped out naturally, echoing in my ears. Jae-Ah didn’t look sleepy at all, but I had reached my limit. Ever since this body had changed, I found myself sleeping earlier and needing more sleep than before.

Still, I couldn’t sleep in Jae-Ah’s room. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and got up.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Already going to sleep?”

“Yeah.”

As I returned to the guest room on the first floor, I saw Madame watching a drama in the living room.

“Is there anything you need?”

“No, I was just heading back to my room. I’m getting a bit sleepy.”

“You must be someone who goes to bed early.”

“I guess so.”

As soon as I lay down on the bed in the guest room, sleep quickly overtook me. Naturally, I knew I shouldn’t fall asleep right away. I still needed to wash up and go to the bathroom… However, the power of the soft bed didn’t let go of me easily. While telling myself to get up, I unknowingly crawled deeper into the bed and soon grasped the large pillow placed there.

Just a quick rest,

I could get up again after a moment and finish what I had to do.

Of course, it wasn’t a rational decision, but sleep has a way of making one foolish.

I slipped into sleep so quickly and stealthily that I couldn’t even tell when I lost consciousness.

This place was undoubtedly safe. After all, no one could possibly come this far. Yet, even in such a safe situation, dreams inevitably came for me.

The intercom bell rang, and I closed my ears and buried myself under the covers. I was caught in the middle of throwing a book away, and in that grip, there was hard calloused skin. I threw a glass and fled. Then, someone was cursing at me, and I found myself trapped in an aquarium, unable to breathe.

All around me was water. I was sweating cold, but it all vanished into the water. Struggling in pain, water rushed into my mouth, and I helplessly swallowed it all. The aquarium was gone, and I was gasping, my belly painfully swollen like a pregnant woman’s. Something damp protruded from my lower abdomen, and upon seeing the red, a swarm of sharks came rushing in. The sharks began to chew me alive, and just as that first meal ended, I woke up.

Ah.

As soon as I regained consciousness, the dream quickly evaporated. The pillow and blanket were damp from sweat. Thanks to the wet blanket and my tense lower abdomen, a momentarily fearful thought arose, but fortunately, nothing I dreaded had happened. My lower abdomen was just fine.

Even so, falling asleep and wetting the bed while staying at someone else’s house would be truly embarrassing. It wouldn’t just be embarrassing; it might make me consider hanging myself out of sheer shame. I couldn’t even imagine what Jae-Ah would think, and if this fact reached Hwa-won, I might just kill him.

Anyway, nothing had happened, but I was in a very urgent state of needing to go to the bathroom. I had intended to go before sleeping, just in case, but I had unintentionally fallen asleep, which was the problem. At least nothing serious had occurred, and that was a relief.

I carefully opened the door and headed to the bathroom. There were a total of four bathrooms in this house, and the nearest one was right in front of the entrance, not very far from the guest room.

Once I took care of my business, my tension eased. As I washed my hands and looked in the mirror, I saw a cute girl in pajamas staring back at me. The fact that it was me was still unfamiliar. Sighing heavily, I exited the bathroom and closed the door.

And at that moment, I encountered a schoolgirl in a uniform entering through the front door.

Naturally, when the front door opened, the hallway lights turned on, illuminating my appearance.

A brief, really short moment of silence passed. Neither the girl nor I knew what to say. But one thing was certain: it was an encounter none of us expected.

“Ahhh!! A ghost!!!”

The schoolgirl screamed and dropped to the floor.

~

The ghost incident at night eventually woke everyone in the house. Professor Seo and Madame rushed out in a daze, couldn’t hide their astonished expressions upon understanding the situation, and Jae-Ah laughed madly upon grasping what was happening, only to be slapped by her older sister and flee to her room.

Currently, we were participating in an unexpected hearing in the living room.

The girl sitting on the couch in front of me was Seo Eun-a, the second daughter of Professor Seo, currently a high school senior. Holding her head with a painful expression, Eun-a barely opened her mouth after listening to Madame’s explanation.

“So, this kid is Dad’s student who said she would stay at our house for a bit… the one who appeared on TV?”

“That’s right?”

Apparently, Madame had informed Eun-a that Professor Seo’s student would be staying at their house for a few days. The issue was that while she mentioned the person staying over was a girl… she never specified it was me.

“…I mean, it’s fine whether or not this person is a girl, but why didn’t you say it was this person?”

Eun-a pointed at me with a look of complete incomprehension.

“Why is this person wearing my old pajamas?!”

That was a completely reasonable observation.

“Oh, Eun-a. You shouldn’t point at people like that.”

“I’m sorry.”

Of course, I had no idea about it, and I hadn’t done anything wrong. Technically, I was in a position closer to the victim, but somehow I felt guilty and bowed my head.

“No, I can’t wear it anymore since it’s too small now. It was going to be thrown away or given away anyway, so is that a problem?”

“It’s a matter of feelings! The way it feels! No matter what… even if it looks like this, it was originally worn by a guy. No, okay. I could allow it. But still, at the very least, you should have said something first! Think about it!”

Umm… I thought about it carefully.

“I was coming home at 1 AM! I opened the front door and walked in, and there was a little girl with white hair wearing my childhood pajamas staring at me! What do you think I’d feel about that?!”

I would probably feel scared.

I don’t believe in ghosts. Fantasy does not exist for me. Yet, if I had found myself in the same situation, honestly, I would have been scared. Objectively, it was a scene that could easily make a high school student’s heart race.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Ha… Dad really…”

As a sidenote, Professor Seo had already returned to bed. After a brief awkward silence, Eun-a opened her mouth again.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for getting angry. As for the clothes… feel free to do whatever you want, since they’re unnecessary like Mom said. I do want to say more, but since you apologized, it feels a bit awkward for me to say anything else. I’ll just go back now. Mom, you should go back to sleep too; let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

It seemed that the hearing was coming to an end. Madame apologized to me before returning to her room, and Eun-a also seemed to have gone back to her room.

Although I had been completely awakened by the ghost incident in the middle of the night, I figured I would soon be able to fall asleep again once I lay down. It was over. I was feeling a headache from tiredness. I returned to my room and lay down, but maybe because I had remained tense, or because my mouth was parched due to dryness, I felt a thirst.

After reconsidering it for a while, I eventually sat back up. I was worried I would encounter Eun-a again if I went out, but since a good amount of time had passed, it would probably be fine. I decided to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

However, this world, as if written in a novel, tended to bring about unexpected events easily. As soon as I entered the kitchen, I encountered Eun-a, who was rummaging through the refrigerator with her hair loosely styled.

Upon seeing me, Eun-a made a face as if she had bitten into something unpleasant, then said.

“What now?”

“Just came to get a drink.”

“Ha.”

Eun-a sighed heavily, looking genuinely unhappy, as she took a cup out and poured some water. Surprised by her unexpected kindness, I stood there dumbfounded, and Eun-a shoved the cup at me with irritation.

“Drink.”

“Uh, thank you?”

Involuntarily taking the cup, I gulped down the water. I felt like I might choke on the uncomfortable atmosphere. After finishing, I set the cup down in the sink and turned to head back to the guest room.

At that moment, Eun-a suddenly tossed a remark at me from behind.

“By the way… I find it really unique for a guy in his twenties to wear something like that.”

“What?”

“No, it suits you.”

When I turned around, Eun-a was looking at me.

Of course, no one would think this was genuinely a compliment.

Eun-a’s expression was quite clear in its meaning.

Eun-a looked displeased.

“It’s cute.”

She was clearly mocking me, speaking with a derisive tone.

And Eun-a disliked me.

That was very familiar animosity.

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