Winter Rabbit in Wonderland

“You crazy? You a dog or something? What are you whining for?”

“It looks like we will see something fun happen in Wonderland soon. What did you call mea dog?”

Baby snickered, for he had remembered what Heart called Twins. You’re the dog, not me. Instead Baby decided to tell the Twins something else. Was it revenge for being called a prostitute? Well, maybe.

“Want to know something interesting? Some men don’t care about the size of a girl’s breasts—or example, Heart or Mad Hatter.”

“No way. With their taste in girls? The only way that would be true is if they were both blinded.”

“So you do think of her as a girl?”

“Then is she a guy?”

As the rumors had suggested, one of the Twins was not too bright. Although they spoke of SoYoon without actually referring to her specifically, Dee didn’t realize it. Baby stared at Dee. Baby pretended to run away as Dee started cursing. He had stopped by thinking that something bothersome had rolled into his friend’s way, but by the looks of it, there was nothing to worry about.

After Baby left, Dee punched the sofa cushions, not knowing why he was so annoyed. The cushion exploded after one punch, the white stuffing poking out of its edges. He threw it to the side and buried himself under the blanket. “F*ck, f*ck!” Dee cursed at no one in particular. But however much he cursed, he still felt frustrated.

SoYoon returned an hour later. Dee shot up and threw the pillow at her.

“Yo, Blondie! Why are you so late!”

SoYoon avoided the oncoming pillow easily. She turned to return it to its rightful place when she found the exploded cushion. She stared at Dee. Dee, feeling guilty, yelled in defense.

“What? Why?”

“Nothing. You hungry? Do you want to eat?”

“Is the only thing you ever have to say to me, is to eat?”

“I’m going to charge you for the ripped T-shirt and cushion…”

“Shut up!”

Was it a 21-year-old’s puberty? SoYoon sighed at his overreaction.

As she was preparing lunch, Dee got up from the sofa and wandered over to the kitchen. He leaned on the wall and watched her from behind.

She turned on the induction, unwrapped the food, and poured the contents into a pot. She threw away the trash. She put the pot on top of the induction and stirred the pot with her finger. She reached for the cupboards.

Her white skin beneath her folded sleeves was blinding. It was the place he had been entranced by last night: her slender arms, sides, hips, legs. From afar, it looked to be straight, but he could see the curves of her figure. Woman, girl—she looked so weak that it would be easy to rip her apart.

“Yo, Blondie. What’s your relation with that pervert?”

“Pervert?”

“The kid or child or whatever he is with the weird name, hairtail fish head.”

She’d never heard Baby being referred to those names—hairtail fish head. If Baby’s lovers had heard him speak about Baby’s silver locks like this, they would have ripped his hair out. SoYoon answered him, contemplating whether her nickname or Baby’s was more offensive.

“Friend.”

“You consider that weirdo your friend…Forget it, end it right now. Hey, aren’t you going to answer me? F*ck, what kind of pervert goes massaging his friend’s chest!”

Baby must have made it sound as if they were in a different type of relationship. It was true that Baby had touched her chest before, whether it was to show her the way to massage it to make it bigger or to figure out the best bra fitting or for no other reason than just because he liked the feel of it. But that was just all in fun. And more importantly, there was no reason for Dee to get so upset over it.

When she didn’t answer, Dee kicked the wall. She warned him the walls would break, but that must not have been the answer he was looking for, because he got even angrier.

“Then what about Heart and Mad Hatter…F*ck!”

There was no way that this man, who could have the most beautiful girls in Wonderland at his beck and call, would be so enamored by someone like her. Dee knew there was no point in even asking. But contrary to his thoughts, words he didn’t intend to say kept popping out. He shut his mouth. His frustration mounted.

***

After leaving White Rabbit’s house, Alice headed to Central. She decided to eat lunch then find White Rabbit. At Central, she realized the power of being the main character of a story. Even among a crowd of people, his aura emanated. Alice skipped over to the man with the ginger hair.

“Heart!”

Hearing his name, Heart turned. He was smiling. Alice felt both as cute as a kitten and as sexy as a wildcat.

Alice ran to Heart and clung to his arm, then placed her hand over his chest. She could feel the hard muscles under his thin, wine-colored silk shirt.

“Whew, ha…It was just so nice to see you. Oh! I’m sorry!”

Alice pretended to be surprised by her action and moved her hand. At this, Heart grabbed her hand and pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s been a while, Alice. What are you doing here?”

“I came to eat lunch. I was planning to go see White Rabbit afterward…”

She looked up at Heart. His manly appearance was dependable and calm, but his eyes narrowed as if he was on the verge of exploding. She swallowed hard and continued.

“Have you seen White Rabbit?”

The reason she had been looking for White Rabbit had been to meet Heart, but now that she’d met him, there was no reason to ask. However, Alice asked anyway—and Heart took the bait.

Thunderclouds shadowed Heart’s auburn eyes, and she could sense his jealousy. He put his finger on Alice’s cheek, sweeping it across her face, barely touching her, then slid away.

“Is there a particular reason you need to see Whitey…White Rabbit? You don’t need me instead?”

“Um…yes.”

Heart stepped back from Alice. There was no longer any remnant of a smile.

“I haven’t seen White Rabbit today. If I do, I’ll make sure to relay the message to her.”

Heart turned and walked away. Alice watched his back and smiled. She had contemplated whether she should have a meal with him or cause him jealousy, but she was glad she picked the latter.

***

SoYoon was doing the dishes after a late lunch and only stopped to dry her hands as her phone rang. Before she could even ask who it was, a low voice said, “Come.”

Heart’s voice was calmer than usual. She didn’t know the reason, but she was sure he was in a bad mood.

A message arrived, and SoYoon checked her map. It was a place 30 minutes outside of Wonderland by car. It looked as if Heart wanted to enjoy his hobby after a long time of staying quiet. She finished washing the dishes quickly and got ready.

Dee, seeing this, asked, “Was that Heart?”

“Yes.”

“If you go now, then f*ck, what about my dinner?”

“I’ll prepare it after I get back. If you get hungry, there’s jerky in the cupboard.”

They had eaten lunch after 2:00, so it was probably fine to have a late dinner. SoYoon left while Dee mumbled curse words at her back.

She stopped by Heart’s house to pick up some things then left Wonderland, trying to avoid being seen.

Even at ten meters away, the smell of blood was prevalent. SoYoon first checked to see if there was a car parked, then, without hesitation, headed inside.

Inside, there were five decapitated heads bleeding all over the floor and walls. Heart was in the center of it.

He was rolling the heads around like soccer balls, but upon seeing SoYoon, broke into a large grin. The ax he’d used was dripping blood.

“Welcome, Whitey.”

The blood-soaked red-haired man greeted her with open arms. SoYoon walked up to him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“You’re getting blood on me.”

“Hmm, should we wash up together?” Heart whispered as he buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. He put his hand under her shirt without permission as if it was his own body.

“Stay alert.”

Heart entangled his fingers into her hair and pulled. The mask fell away. The calming vetiver scent mixed with the smell of blood and played with her senses.

The smell was not the only thing tempting her. Heart’s lips grazed SoYoon’s ear, and his tongue licked its insides. The sound of wetness echoed.

She moaned quietly, and Heart chuckled. She could feel his throaty laugh in her body. SoYoon turned her head and tried to flee from the temptation, but Heart grabbed her waist and lifted her.

“Heart.”

Heart’s lips traveled from her ear to her chin and down to her neck as he carried her inside. He found a room that was clean of blood and placed SoYoon on top of the bed. She hadn’t even realized it, but he had already gotten rid of the knife that had been tied tightly to her body by a leather strap.