Die einsame Stadt geschlossen

Kapitel 5

I clutched my pounding heart and rang Sumi's doorbell. I was sure Sumi wasn't home, because I didn't see him return.

"Hello!" I said with a smile, looking at the beautiful woman who looked suspicious. She wore exquisite makeup, charming but not gaudy, and her every move exuded the charm of a mature woman.

"I'm new here, please take good care of me!" I continued with a smile.

"Oh!" she smiled back. "So you're our new neighbor. Come in and have a cup of tea!"

I couldn't have asked for more, so I stepped aside and entered Sumi's house.

Sumi's house remained unchanged, still filled with mirrors.

"So many mirrors!" I exclaimed deliberately.

"Yes," she smiled, admiring her reflection in the mirror. For a moment, I felt that the person in the mirror was the real her, while the real her was merely a reflection.

"Oh...do you live here alone?" I asked nervously.

“Yes!” She stood up and stretched. “It’s time to make dinner…” Clearly, she was telling him to leave.

I tactfully got up to say goodbye, glancing at the roses in the living room, which Sumi had bought yesterday.

4.

When I got home, I slapped my forehead and thought, "That woman, could she be a burglar?" Nowadays, many thieves are very clever at committing crimes, breaking into homes in a seemingly legitimate way, and they are also very skilled at responding if they encounter acquaintances asking questions.

Thinking of this, I immediately dialed Sumi's number.

"Summy, where are you?" I asked anxiously.

"I'm home!" Su Mi's voice came through the phone leisurely, and the sound of cooking could be faintly heard.

"Oh..." I took the phone and walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, I saw that Sumi's door was tightly closed.

"Which house?" I asked.

"Who else could it be!" Sumi's voice was even more suspicious. "What exactly happened?"

"I...I...I want to see you..." My voice was a little nervous. "Could you come out for a moment?"

"Now?" The sound of stir-frying seemed to stop.

"Now!" I said firmly, "I'll be waiting for you at the usual place!"

After hanging up the phone, I stood guard by the peephole without blinking. A moment later, I saw Sumi rush out of the house. My mind was filled with questions.

Could it be... that Sumi was at home the whole time? Could it be... that Sumi was deliberately avoiding me?

Not long after Sumi left, I also went out. Before going downstairs, I pressed the doorbell hard, but no one answered.

When Sumi finally saw him, she was already getting impatient.

"You were the one who said we should meet right away, and you're the one who's late!" He glanced at his watch, then at me.

"I'm sorry..." I sat down, panting. "Um... I bought some things. How about we come to your house for dinner later?"

“I’ve already eaten. If you’re hungry, just order whatever you like here.” Su Mi took a sip of water and glanced at his silhouette reflected in the French windows. Undoubtedly, even his silhouette was perfect.

"Um..." I lowered my head, "Have you ever loved someone?"

"Huh?" He seemed to find the question abrupt and paused for a moment. "Why are you asking this?"

“Because…” I gritted my teeth and mustered my courage, “Last time I proposed to you…you refused. I feel that you might love someone else!”

"A proposal?" He was taken aback. "When?"

"It was that time you said the wedding dress was beautiful..." My face instantly turned red to the roots of my ears.

"Silly girl! Proposing is something a man should do!" He chuckled easily, picking up a rose from the table. "Will you marry me?"

"willing……"

Happiness can be so sudden and so simple. Most women become foolish in the face of happiness, but thankfully I wasn't. In the moment of our embrace, I secretly took his house key.

5.

I made an excuse and got home before Sumi. I leaned against the door and peered through the peephole.

Sure enough, Sumi frantically rummaged through his pockets by the door, finally pounding on it in frustration. I thought, if there was another woman in Sumi's house, he could get in even without a key.

Obviously not.

Sumi made a phone call, and a moment later, the landlord came in, trembling and full of complaints. He took out a bunch of keys and opened the door. As he opened the door, he glanced in my direction.

"What? Do you have new neighbors across the street?" Sumi asked.

"Oh... I just moved here today, haven't you seen me yet?" The old lady looked at me again, as if she knew I was hiding behind the door.

"No!" Sumi said.

The old woman's face broke into a knowing smile, a smile that made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Just as I was getting ready to go to sleep, I heard what sounded like an argument coming from Sumi's house.

I quietly opened the door and pressed my ear against Sumi's doorway.

"How could you love someone else? How could you propose to someone else?" a woman's shrill voice cried out.

“I…I…” Sumi seemed very afraid of that woman.

"Is she prettier than me? Does she understand you as well as I do? Does she love you as much as I do? You know, I love you as much as I love myself!" The woman's voice turned into a sob.

"I...I'm sorry...I also...I love you, just like I love myself..." Su Mi's voice was soft, but firm. My heart was clenched and torn apart.

How could you possibly be interested in other women?

"I...I'll go talk to her right away!" I could vaguely hear the sound of shoes being changed from inside the door. I hurriedly went back to my own house. Just as I closed the door, I saw Su Mi rushing out.

My feelings right now are hard to describe: anger, confusion, and inexplicable fear.

Who exactly is that woman? When did she go in? If she was home the whole time, why wouldn't she open the door for Sumi? Perhaps, she really isn't human?

My phone rang like a thunderclap in my pocket, and I answered it with trembling hands.

"Could you come out for a moment?" Sumi said.

"What's up?"

"We...can't get married..."

"You love someone else?"

"No, I don't love anyone else!"

"You're lying!" I said.

"I'm not lying to you, I really don't love anyone else!" For some reason, he emphasized the words "someone else" in his tone. Could it be... that the one he loves isn't human?

"See you at the usual place, let's make things clear!" I hung up the phone, but instead of going to see Sumi, I took the stolen key and went into Sumi's house.

6.

In Sumi's home, the light shone through the mirrors, making it unbearably bright. My reflection in the mirrors on all sides looked uneasy.

I gently opened the bedroom door. Inside was a single bed, but no one was there. The kitchen, the bathroom, the balcony, under the bed, the wardrobe, even the drawers and under the carpet—anywhere a person could or couldn't hide—were devoid of the woman. She truly was like a ghost, a ghost living in the mirror.

In a space where I can see myself everywhere, I always feel like danger lurks everywhere. Perhaps, that ghost might peek out from some corner of the mirror at any moment, glaring at me menacingly.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of keys outside the door, and I quickly hid behind the curtains.

Sumi walked in dejectedly, threw her phone on the sofa, and sat down with her head down.

Suddenly, he stood up, turned his back to me, and looked in the mirror. Following his gaze, I saw him in the mirror, his lips trembling: "Have you made it clear?"—It was that woman's voice.

When did she... no, when did it come in? Perhaps it's always been here, always watching me from somewhere, like watching a farcical clown show.

“No…” Sumi’s voice was listless, “She stood me up…and she didn’t answer my calls…”

"Are you disappointed that she doesn't answer your calls? Are you so afraid of losing her?" The voice in the mirror was filled with jealousy.

"No...it's just..."

"Just what? Just that you don't love me anymore, that you've fallen in love with her?" The woman's voice was filled with anger.

"Ugh... Ugh..." Su Mi suddenly clutched her neck, her face instantly turning purplish-red. Was the female ghost about to strike?

Yes, that female ghost, it's always been there, but I can't see it. Aren't ghosts supposed to be invisible? It's forcing Sumi to kill herself.

"Let him go!" I grabbed Sumi's arm, which was choking me, without hesitation.

"Get out of my way!" Su Mi shoved me away, and the voice that came out of his mouth was that of the woman.

Oh no… I’m possessed! I cried out inwardly, recalling scenes from movies, and blurted out, “Please, let him go… Humans and ghosts are different, you two won’t end up together… Please…”

The possessed Sumi sneered, "I can't possibly fall in love with you... nor can I fall in love with anyone else..." He looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes filled with love, not the kind of love that is romantic, but the kind of love that transcends romantic love.

"Sumi, I love you! I love you to death! Don't be bewitched by ghosts..." I cried out.

"Love me? Love me to death? Fine... then give me your life to show your love for me!" He forced me step by step toward the balcony.

7.

"Xiao Mi!" A loud shout came from outside the door, and Su Mi froze. The landlady walked in unsteadily, saying as she went, "I knew something bad was going to happen!"

She pulled Sumi close and gently patted his back. Sumi relaxed and fell asleep wearily in her arms.

“He is my son… my wonderful son…” The old lady looked at me, still shaken, “This child… is too outstanding… there is only one person he deeply loves…”

"Is it that ghost?" I asked in a low voice.

The old lady shook her head. "It was him..." She gently helped Sumi lean back on the sofa and opened the wardrobe. I hadn't noticed when I checked the room earlier that half of the wardrobe was filled with women's clothes, including the wedding dress I had once admired.

"Perverted, perverted... So, the woman I met was actually himself? Then why does she seem not to recognize me?" I murmured to myself.

“He’s not a pervert! Don’t talk about my son like that,” the old lady said seriously. “He just loves himself too much. Because he loves himself so much, he decided to fall in love with himself, to marry himself. He’s completely immersed in playing the role of his own lover. When he’s playing his own lover, he’s truly a different person, and therefore doesn’t recognize you. You can’t understand how painful it is for someone to be narcissistic…”

I got up blankly. In the mirror, Su Mi, still asleep, had his brows furrowed. Perhaps in his dream, he was also struggling, torn between loving me and not loving me.

Indeed, the person we love most in this world is ourselves, whether people are willing to admit it or not.

However, I really can't understand what it feels like to be narcissistic to this extent.

Sumi had always deeply loved himself, a love that surpassed any other love in the world.

8.

I moved and left Sumi.

Occasionally, I'd see his photos in fashion magazines. In those photos, he was still as perfect as ever, his eyes filled with a love that could captivate women all over the world.