Winter Rabbit in Wonderland

Chapter 49

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 slammed in his infuriated face. Dum glared 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 similar calm when she was with Heart, believed the lie. He felt her stiff shoulders relax, 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 relaxed 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.

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“Mad Hatter.”

“I didn’t sleep at all last 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 should compare 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 unrelatable and presumably unpleasant.

Being in the same space, however, feeling each other’s warmth, and sharing similar 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 place at Heart’s house. Like a chirping bird, it was the sound of Alice’s lovely laugh.

Thinking that she would like to see Alice, she headed in that direction, but remembering the last place they had met—Jack’s lair, the unconscious girl, the blood on her cheeks—SoYoon stopped.

She was reminded of other things, too—the 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 delicate laugh 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 place.

“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 had come into the drawing room, Heart entered. He sat not at his desk or on the sofa but instead got comfortable 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 welcoming 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 planning never to come see me?”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Really? Even now, you only came because I called you.”

Heart chuckled softly. It was a dry laugh. 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 collar 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, dilated in ecstasy, looked black.

“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 other complicated 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 collar. 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 Wonderland 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 play 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—the 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 nonchalance also aroused his competitiveness.

When he had realized that this passionate game had caused him to lose his heart to her, it was already too late 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.