The scent of burning toast wakes him up. He has a sharp headache. Frowning, he slowly opens his eyes. For a moment, he can"t see much in his blurry eyes. He tries to lift his hand to rub the sleepiness away. Oddly, he can"t move. He looks down and sees the ropes tied around him. He"s tied to a chair.
Uhh...? Is he kidnapped?
She knocked him out after tying him. Where did she bring him? What is she planning to do?
Ren blinks his eyes. He lifts his head. Around 3 barrels are lying in the corner. There is an unmade bed just two meters away from him. Magenta lingerie is lying near the foot of the bed. He gulps down.
Where is this? The air is sultry, making him sweat profusely. He wants to take his sweater off. The window is open. He tilts his head slightly to see. The only thing that he can is green.
His mouth turns dry. The place is a mess. Nothing is in the right place. The wardrobe is half-opened. The curtains are black. Who would use black? Is this a mourning house? The color of the walls is grey. He notices that the clothes lying near the wardrobe are quite colorful.
The burning smell must be coming from the kitchen. There"s a laptop on the table. He squints at the screen. He sees the latest update of his blog opened on the page. He widens his eyes. Is she his stalker fan?
That makes sense. She"s been acting suspiciously. She must have been obsessed with him for a long time. Then, she tried to...
She didn"t force herself upon him when he was unconscious, right?
His face turns red. He glances at his crotch. His clothes are intact. She probably hasn"t done anything to him. Phew!
Is he that popular that he has a stalker fan?
Ren wonders if anyone would look for him. Kiyohira is gone. Takes.h.i.+ is busy. Besides, Takes.h.i.+ won"t find it odd if he doesn"t call or visit his place when Kiyohira"s not around. What about the workplace? Yes, they should notice.
He hears the sound of footsteps approaching him. The door opens. Not knowing what to do, Ren closes his eyes and drops his head to pretend unconscious and observe the situation. The woman seems to be a psychopath. Why is his luck so bad? If he had known that she was a psychopath, he would have handled her better.
She"s probably mad because he threw her out of the car.
Nina steps inside the house. She looks at Ren once. It seems like he hasn"t gained consciousness. She sighs and walks toward the kitchen. She turns off the toaster first. She checks out her breakfast. It"s black as charcoal.
"Darn!" She lets out a curse. "I have to cook again. Why can"t they give me a cooking robot? There"s so much to do, but I have to cook for myself every single day."
Hearing her complain, Ren"s lips twitch. A robot? Is she that lazy? Can"t she be lazy about kidnapping people?
Nina tosses the burnt toast in the bin. She walks to the referigerator and opens it. She stares hard at the interior of the refrigerator. It"s empty. There"s nothing to eat. When did she go out to buy groceries?
"Darn those lazy b.u.t.ts!" She slams it shut and kicks it once. "Elite, my foot! They can"t even give me a maid. There"s so much work and they expect me to go and buy groceries. I am going to make a complaint."
Ren"s nose is itching. He has this urge to slap the back of her head. She doesn"t have free time to buy groceries, yet she has plenty of time to kidnap a man.
"Argh!" Nina rubs her belly. "Should I order something?"
He hears her walk around the house. "Where did I throw my phone last night?"
Her stomach growls. She glares at her stomach and says, "Shut up, would you? I am more frustrated than you are."
Who is she talking to? Ren opens his one eye a little. He is facing her back. She"s wearing a white loose t-s.h.i.+rt and shorts. She pulls the blanket away from the bed. The phone drops to the floor. A slight crack appears on the screen.
"f.u.c.k!" She picks up the phone and taps. "At least, it"s working. What should I order? I want to eat pasta with beer."
Ren closes his eye when she suddenly turns around. Nina glares at him. "This idiot isn"t waking up. He said that he didn"t have any dinner. Should I order something for him too?"
Touching! But he would appreciate if she unties him and lets him go.
She taps her chin and looks at Ren. "Did I hit his head hard? It can"t be that bad. He should wake up by now."
Ren bites his inner cheek to stop him from screaming at her. He wants to hit her head the same way, even if she"s a female.
"Such a weakling." Nina shakes her head and walks to the kitchen. She brings back a jug of water. Without a second thought, she pouts the icy cold water on his head.
Ren hasn"t expected this. Surprised, he lifts his head and gasps for air. His startled eyes meet Nina"s penetrating gaze. She smiles at him. "Done acting?"
"How did you know?" He asks her with a loud voice.
"Woman"s sense." She eyes his wet sweater. "Should I remove them for you?"
"No!" He shakes his head. "Woman, don"t get closer."
"I was going to untie you, but you seem fine tied up like that." He sees her rubbing her belly. With tears in her eyes, she whines, "I am going to die."
Shocked, Ren yells, "Don"t die before untying me."
"Oh G.o.d! I will really die." Nina wails." The delivery takes too long."
Ren gapes at her. What"s wrong with this woman? She"s crying for food.