I'm Too Afraid To Break It Off ( So I Lie Again)

CHAPTER 3

I'm sorry, Mingyu, for making your life difficult.

I'm sorry, Joshua, for not keeping my promise. And lastly, I'm sorry, Jeonghan, for not trusting you.

I'm sorry to everyone whose lives I have affected just by existing.

And to the Seungcheol of ten years ago, who dreamed of living a happy life, I am truly sorry.

Thank you for being my confidant all this time, Carat. You have made life in this house bearable.

Signed,

-Choi Seungcheol.

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#ENTRY-13

I never thought I would write another entry in this diary again...that day I wrote that last entry, I tried to kill myself.

I rolled up my bedsheet to create a makeshift rope and tied it to a fixture on the wall that was meant for chandeliers. I used a chair placed on top of my bed to reach it, looping the sheet around to create an opening.

Taking a deep breath, I grasped the rope. Suddenly, I felt the locked door of my room start to shake. I heard voices from outside, so I put my head through the loop and tightened the rope, kicking the chair away. I just wanted to stop feeling pain.

Then, the door burst open, and Mingyu rushed in. He gasped when he saw me, and alongside Jeonghan and Joshua, they climbed onto the bed and managed to get me down. I was choking from lack of breath, and despite everything, I found myself crying.

Why? Why couldn't they have just let me die?

I think I screamed and cried as they held me down, but I can't remember what happened clearly.

I survived. But I wish I didn't.

I wish I had never agreed to marry Mingyu. I wish I never entered this mansion. I hate my life so much.

Yesterday, Jihoon visited me and left me an envelope, telling me to open it when I was alone. I could only bring myself to open it today. Inside, I found photographs.

I picked one up and realized it was from the fire accident. However, what caught my attention was the small silver lighter among the burnt debris. I froze as the memory of that lighter, along with its inscription, flooded back to me.

Another photo drew my eye—a picture of Seokmin-nim's body at the crime scene. In the corner of that photo was a broken white statue, covered in blood. I recognized that statue too; I had seen it many times before.

I know who the murderer is. I am going to call the poli

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The next morning, Seungkwan approached Soonyoung as soon as he saw him in the breakroom of the police station.

"Are these the last entries, hyung?" he asked, frowning as he flipped through the pages, only to find them blank.

Soonyoung nodded. "Yep. It's quite abrupt, isn't it? What made him stop writing? Did he witness the fire? Or was it someone else—perhaps someone who realized they had been discovered and wanted to silence him for good?"

Seungkwan contemplated this. "It raises so many questions. Was the last entry written on the day the mansion caught fire, or was it before that? If it was the latter, could the fire have been a ploy to erase Seungcheol from everyone's memory? Since the entries aren't dated, we have no idea when they were written."