episode_0088

… … … … …

After hearing unspeakable words from Yeoreum, I returned home heartbroken.

Looking back now, it was a very difficult time, but now I can bear it.

It was all thanks to my acquaintances, the women of the social club. At first, I was just stuck at home, but then someone would always come to visit me. For example… … .

Sister Seo-yeon would come early every morning and prepare breakfast for me, and CEO Haneul would come with a packed lunch. Teacher Wol-hee would also stop by often to check on my health.

Miss Seo-ah told me interesting stories about the economy, Miss Tae-yang came with some fine wine and snacks and asked me to drink with him, Miss Ghost quietly stayed by my side, and Sister A-young held my hand and prayed.

In this way, all my acquaintances comforted me in their own ways.

Of course, their consideration did not end there. My room was always filled with snacks and gifts they brought me. The refrigerator was always stocked with fresh ingredients, and my desk was filled with comics and novels they bought me.

Thanks to them, I was able to slowly return to my daily life. And now… … .

It was break time in the logistics center.

I sipped a can of coffee that was so cold it made my teeth chatter, while the wind from the large fan blew over me. My sweaty shirt was drying little by little in the wind from the fan.

I could hear my colleagues laughing and talking next to me, but I kept my distance from them and sat alone by the window, looking outside.

As I was admiring the clouds that were drifting by, I suddenly remembered what happened that summer. The events of that day still cast a shadow over my mind.

I sometimes remember the purple bruises on her wrists and the look of terror on her face as she looked at me.

Maybe… … I may have done something very wrong to Summer. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so scared of me.

I was lost in thought, looking up at the clear sky that was almost blinding.

Summer hasn’t shown up at the distribution center since then, and she’s been ignoring all my calls and messages, probably because she blocked me.

The sunlight streaming in through the break room window was really warm. The date plans I had planned with Yeoreum and the many stories I wanted to share with her all went down the drain, but fortunately, my heart didn’t hurt too much.

I took another sip of my coffee and smiled bitterly. Yeah, why would someone like me be so excited about having a girlfriend? It’s a little sad, but I guess that’s the reality. It seemed too early for me to be dating.

I finished my canned coffee and got up. It was time to go back to work. The sky outside the window was still clear, and the wind from the fan was cool. Today would be another ordinary day.

… … … … …

Time to leave work.

As I left the logistics center, the cool evening air brushed my face. Now, perhaps because my mind was lighter, the commute home from work didn’t seem so difficult.

On my way to the subway station, I suddenly realized that I have had fewer acquaintances come to my house these days.

But I didn’t feel particularly lonely. It was as if I had made a promise, because I happened to run into female acquaintances outside of my house every day.

Yesterday, Taeyang found me driving in her luxury sports car, and we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner and then went to her house to spend the night.

The day before yesterday, Ms. Seo-ah saw me passing by the mart and came up to me happily, offering to help me with my shopping. She even helped me carry my luggage home.

The day before yesterday, I ran into Seoyeon in front of the subway station, and the day before that, I was dozing off on the subway when Ghost was sitting next to me.

In addition, I occasionally met Dr. Wol-hee, who was visiting patients on outpatient visits, and I also met Sister A-young, who was very diligent in missionary work.

And today… … .

“Oh, son!”

There stood the Sky CEO, who called me by a strange title. She had a gentle smile on her face as always.

As I continued to coincidentally run into female acquaintances every day, there were times when I wondered if this was really a coincidence.

In this big city of Seoul, is it really possible to meet acquaintances almost every day without fail?

“How was your day?”

“Oh, that’s… …it was the same as usual.”

But those doubts were quickly forgotten when I spent time with them.

… … … … …

On my way home from work on Friday, the person who showed up today by chance was Seoyeon. While I was walking and talking with her, she suddenly spoke to me as if something had come to mind.

“You seem a little tired these days… …Would you like to get a quick checkup?”

“Yes? A detailed examination? Dr. Wolhee often palpates――”

“Not that. There’s a body scanning device that uses magic power. Let’s go together.”

“Ah, yes, yes… … .”

Sister Seo-yeon cut off Teacher Wol-hee’s story with one stroke.

In the basement of the Awakening Association headquarters building, which I was led to by her, there was a medical examination center that I had never seen before.

It was a very unfamiliar space, with a soft blue glow and a room filled with strange machines.

The monitors lining the walls constantly displayed unknown numbers, and the crystal-like devices hanging from the ceiling emitted soft light.

“This is a medical examination machine. Just go inside and lie down.”

“Yes.”

As I lay down in the transparent glass capsule according to my sister’s instructions, a warm light soon enveloped my body. It was a cozy feeling, as if I was floating in amniotic fluid.

While I was struggling not to fall asleep, Seoyeon stared intently at the monitor and quickly typed something with her fingers.

In the blink of an eye, the test was over, and several sheets of paper poured out from the printer next to me. Seoyeon organized them and came to me.

“Okay, let’s take a look?”

We sat down at the table side by side and started reading the test results. All the numbers were normal. Blood pressure 120/80, blood sugar 95 mg/dL, cholesterol 170 mg/dL… … . All the organ functions and immune levels were also healthy.

However, I found something strange on the last page. The words written in the special notes section caught my eye.

[Target: Those with special abilities – ‘Mark of Madness’

Ability Classification: Mental

Risk: Not measurable

Trait: The ability to extremely amplify affection and obsession with a target.

Manifestation Range: Powerful intelligence among the entities that come into contact

Note: The possibility of mental distortion of the target affected by the ability is extremely high, and as the mental distortion progresses, the physical abilities or abilities of the affected target are strengthened.

Risk Rating: SSS++

Note: Immediate quarantine is required. Contact with those with the ability is to be strictly restricted, especially those with strong powers.]

“That, this… … is it real?”

I lifted the test paper and looked at Seoyeon.

But there was no answer. My sister just looked at me with eyes as if possessed by something.

Her eyes lacked their usual warmth, and instead, they were swirling with something dark like a deep abyss. It was an intense, obsessive gaze that seemed as if it would swallow me up.

Her fingers moved unconsciously on the table, and I could feel her breathing becoming more and more ragged.

Looking at that older sister, a chill ran down my spine. The recent events around me, such as Yeoreum’s incident, the strangely frequent behavior of female acquaintances…

“Who… …Sister?”

I called out again, but there was no response. Instead, I saw Seoyeon’s hand slowly reaching out towards me. The tip of her hand was shaking slightly.

“Sister? Are you okay?”

My voice also trembled a little. The blue light in the examination room suddenly felt cold. The beeping sound coming from the machine became loud enough to be deafening, and the light from the crystal on the ceiling began to flicker unsteadily.

“Sister!!”

At the third call, Seoyeon shook her head in surprise. Her eyes also returned to normal. However, I couldn’t forget that eerie gaze just now, and the strange tension of that moment.

The beeping on the monitor stopped, and the light from the crystal returned to its steady state. As if nothing had happened. But my sister’s hands were still shaking slightly, and a cold sweat was forming on her forehead.

Sister Seoyeon didn’t say anything. She took a deep breath and muttered quietly.

“The test results… … might be a little strange.”

My sister’s voice trembled. Her hands still looked unsteady as she took something out of her jacket pocket.

What she took out was a pair of gloves. The surface of the gloves had strange patterns engraved on it.

“Wait a minute… … If I do this… … .”

She put on the gloves she had taken out, slowly reached out to me, and placed her gloved hand on my head.

The moment her fingers stroked my hair, a blue light emanated from her gloves. It was a dreamy light, like looking into the depths of the ocean.

Then suddenly my mind went blank. My thoughts became hazy as if fog was gathering, and my vision became blurry. It felt like my consciousness was slowly sinking below the surface.

“Okay, now let’s see the test results?”

I vaguely heard my sister’s voice. When I came to, my sister was showing me the test paper.

All the numbers were normal. Blood pressure, blood sugar, immune levels. There seemed to be no problem with his health at all.

“Thank goodness, it’s completely normal.”

I sighed in relief. But for some reason, I had a strange feeling that I had forgotten something very important.