Chapter 9: Sweet deception, bitter truth
Eun-woo didn’t know if it was a good sign not having nightmares. He also didn’t know if it was normal to be surrounded by an endless array of scents. Normally, his cell didn’t emit any odors, so the sudden change was strange.
He let out a soft moan as he tried to open his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy and sticky, his throat burned, and his lips were dry.
He remained still for a few seconds before clutching the surface he was resting on and opening his eyes. White light blinded his vision. He blinked with difficulty, trying to adjust to the specter, and when he did, the first thing he saw was a lamp hanging from the ceiling.
The object reminded him of the lamp he had in his bedroom as a child, a shiny white tube, without much grace or uniqueness.
He swallowed as he remembered his life before arriving at the compound, which wasn’t so different from his current life. The only thing that changed was the layout of the cell and the objects inside. Everything else was similar.
He glimpsed movement to his right, so his gaze flew to that spot, giving him a better view of the place. The walls were white, as were the immaculate tiles, and there was a shelf full of glass vials. To his left was a machine he’d never seen before: a black screen, a metal tube with a bag filled with white liquid, and a blue curtain.
He assumed the scenery on the other side didn’t change, so he dropped his head back to the surface and focused on the ceiling.
What am I doing here?
"I hope you slept well."
A calm voice appeared, alarming him. It wasn’t someone familiar, nor did it sound like a threat.
He glimpsed a woman sitting in the chair opposite him.