IU sat in her room, anxiety gnawing at her thoughts from within. She murmured softly, as if trying to understand what was happening to her:
"Why... why is this curiosity killing me like this?"
It was a strange feeling over her—a mix of fear and a desire to know the truth. After a few moments of inner conflict, she tightly shut her door and decided to secretly look into Jungkook, to find out more about him without him noticing. The idea of leaving the apartment entirely also crossed her mind.
But exhaustion overcame her, and she fell asleep.
The next morning, she woke up at eight, quickly got dressed, and stepped out of her room.
She saw Jungkook on the balcony, speaking calmly. Gathering her courage, she approached him and said firmly:
"I want to pay the rent now and leave."
Jungkook looked at her coldly and said:
"That's not allowed."
He added firmly:
"Didn't you read the contract? The stay is set for three years, and you must commit to it."
IU hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Isn't there any exception?"
He replied coldly:
"No."
As she listened to him, she suddenly felt extremely dizzy. Then she lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
In a quick moment, Jungkook caught her before she hit the floor and carried her to the hospital.
There, after examining her, the doctor said:
"She's fine, but she's under severe stress and suffers from anemia. It seems she's not eating well."
Jungkook nodded calmly and said:
"Thank you."
The doctor left, and after a while, Jungkook entered IU's room as she was regaining consciousness.
The moment he opened the door, IU felt intense fear and tension—her heartbeat noticeably rising.
He noticed and said in a low, sharp tone:
"Why are you afraid? Didn't you say you didn't see anything last night? Didn't you see me killing a woman?"
IU froze for a moment, then quickly said:
"It wasn't a woman... it was a man."
Silence filled the room.
Then a faint, cold smile appeared on Jungkook's face—one that didn't reach his eyes—as he said calmly:
"So... you did see what happened."
IU tried to explain, but her words didn't come out clearly.
He said coldly:
"You crossed the limits of my privacy."
She replied fearfully:
"I'm sorry... my curiosity made me want to know what was happening."
He looked at her sharply and said:
"I'll remove the lock you asked for. You don't respect privacy."
She nodded in fear:
"Okay..."
But deep inside, her unease only grew stronger.
Then she raised her gaze and said after a pause:
"Can I ask you a question? Please answer me honestly."
He looked at her and said:
"What do you want?"
She hesitated, then asked:
"Why did you kill that man? He was begging you..."
Silence lingered for a moment before Jungkook answered in a deadly calm tone:
"That man you felt sympathy for... did things your mind couldn't even imagine."
Then he continued:
"He assaulted an elderly woman, pushed her in the street, and burned her feet with hot iron while she was on her way to get medicine for her grandson."
IU's eyes widened in shock.
Jungkook continued:
"That's why I kidnapped him... and made him live the same pain—many times over."
Silence fell again.
Then IU said in a low voice:
"He deserved it..."
Jungkook looked at her for a long moment and said:
"Weren't you sad for him before you knew the truth?"
She replied quietly:
"Before I knew the truth..."