episode_0055

My whole body feels cold.

The dampened clothes have clung to me, soaking through even the tank top I wore underneath.

I pinched the shirt sticking to my belly button and followed Sera.

She strolled leisurely down the dormitory corridor.

Her demeanor was so natural, as if she had expected such an event long before.

Before we knew it, we arrived at Room 103.

Sera paused for a moment and said to me, “Please excuse the mess in the room.”

“Oh, it’s okay. My room is a total mess too,” I replied, giving a light chuckle.

It was still May, but I felt extremely cold due to the wet clothes.

I wanted to change into dry clothes quickly.

As if in response to my thoughts, the door opened.

The fragrant scent of freesia tickled my nose.

I took a light whiff of the fragrance and stepped inside.

Upon entering the girl’s room, I felt a bit tense.

Oh, wait. I’ve been to Anna’s shelter last month, so it’s not entirely new.

But that guy’s house… It was so bizarre to consider it a ‘normal’ girl’s house, so let’s exclude that.

Who covers all furniture with white cloth?

“Well then, pardon me.”

I calmly took off my shoes and entered the room.

The room was dark with the curtains drawn.

Soon, when Sera turned on the light, a neatly made bed and wardrobe came into view.

Looking at the tidy setup, I thought to myself, “Girls really are neat…”

“Sis, please have a seat on the bed for a moment,” Sera said.

She opened the wardrobe and skillfully pulled out some clothes, as if they were prepared in advance.

It was a spare school uniform.

In the days before the Elite Brooch, there was only the supplementary class uniform—jacket, shirt, and a short skirt.

Among them, the shirt caught my eye.

Instinctively, I felt that the shirt would be small for me.

Because ever since the incident in Chinatown, my clothing size had changed.

A school uniform that fits Sera perfectly would definitely not fit me now.

“Um… Is this a school uniform?” I asked, feeling perplexed.

After all, it was impossible for an outsider to wear an academy uniform.

“Yes, it is,” Sera replied nonchalantly, seemingly unaware of my thoughts. “But we’re exempt from the uniform policy, so we only have gym clothes or this.”

She handed me the uniform.

As the clothing items drew uncomfortably close, I gradually retreated.

“Come on, hurry up. I’ll wash the dirty shirt for you,” she insisted.

“Ah, okay.”

Sera was somewhat intimidating when serious.

I took the uniform and removed the coffee-stained shirt.

She gratefully put the shirt in the washing machine.

A notification popped up indicating that it would take 2 hours for both washing and drying.

Do I really have to stay here for 2 hours?

I reluctantly slipped my arms into the shirt sleeves.

It went on smoothly up to my arms.

The problem arose when…

I started buttoning it up.

It fit well enough.

But the uncomfortably tight chest area was quite bothersome.

Why are girls’ uniforms designed to cling so tightly to the body?

It felt strange, like wearing a costume as an actor.

Next came the skirt.

I had never worn a skirt in my life, so I was at a loss.

Although I was forced to wear a qipao in Chinatown…

I was already drugged at that time, so I don’t remember it well.

“Sis, what about the skirt?”

“Uh… I guess I have to wear it.”

I slowly slid my legs into the skirt.

Then I fastened the zipper around my waist.

“…”

Surprisingly, it was quite comfortable.

Unlike the snug slacks, my legs felt free.

Still, something felt missing.

I stood up slowly and faced the mirror in front of the wardrobe.

Sera gazed at my reflection absentmindedly, seeming satisfied.

“Sis… Can’t you just attend our academy?”

“What are you talking about… How could someone like me, with lower abilities, attend there?”

I chuckled and calmly examined myself in the mirror.

The contours of my body were clearly visible through the shirt.

And even a skirt that reveals smooth thighs.

To anyone, it was clear that the past me was no longer there.

Moreover, unlike before, my elongated eyes were unsettling.

If they used to be round like a gentle animal’s.

Now, somehow, they seemed elongated, resembling those of a fox.

To me in such a state, Sae-ah approached cautiously.

“It would look nice if you tied your hair up here.”

She softly came up behind me.

Then, with her arms around my hips, she slowly led me backward.

Soon, we were seated on the bed.

Sae-ah took out a hair tie she had prepared.

And calmly, she began picking through my hair while looking into the mirror.

I gazed blankly at her actions.

“Do you know what, Unni?”

The girl asked as she ran her fingers through my hair.

“You have a really nice scent about you that I can sense from you, Unni.”

Surely she wasn’t talking about a faint fragrance.

Due to the remnants still in my body, even just breathing emitted a slight medicinal smell.

“It’s… a strange feeling that comes over me.”

Indeed.

My mouth involuntarily watered.

Could it be that this girl is also intoxicated by that scent?

“Um… Unni.”

“Yes?”

Sae-ah’s timid voice turned calm.

With a trembling voice, as if she had something to say, she asked,

“You said you have no experience with love.”

“That’s right.”

“So, does that mean there isn’t anyone you like separately?”

I was momentarily frozen by that question.

Despite feeling uneasy about her proactive demeanor, she couldn’t possibly like me, right?

Thanks to that, with goosebumps all over my body, I instinctively placed my hand on the bed.

And suddenly, I felt a sensation as if there was something under the blanket.

What’s this..?

Unconsciously, I lifted the blanket.

And then my eyes widened.

Under the blanket, numerous weapons were hidden.

Daggers…

Spears…

What is this?

There was even a doll made of straw.

A nail was driven into the doll’s head.

Even a cursed doll?

No, why does Sae-ah, a pyrokinetic, have these things?

Chills ran down my spine at the eerie sight.

“Uh, Sae-ah… what is all this?”

“Oh, this?”

Sae-ah, who had tied up my hair, gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

Then, smiling slyly, she looked down at me.

“These are weapons used by killers.”

So why do you have these?

My mind grew troubled.

To think that such brutal things belonged to her, whom I thought was an ordinary student.

“I thought you might be threatened by killers. They must have forced you to date them.”

Sae-ah casually covered the blanket I had lifted.

Then, leaning in close to me, she said,

“So I was researching how I could protect you from those people.”

Sae-ah’s red pupils pierced through me.

For her sake, I smiled bitterly.

“Sae-ah… it seems like there’s a misunderstanding. I’m not being threatened by killers.”

“I…?”

I placed my hand on Sae-ah’s hair.

And gently stroked her soft cheek.

“I actually owe those people a debt whenever I’m in danger. And they never ask for anything in return.”

I sat next to Sae-ah in our school uniforms.

And leaned my head against her shoulder.

But she still seemed discontent.

Resting her cheek against my head, she asked,

“So, do you like those people?”

I was momentarily speechless at the straightforward question from the girl.

And after pondering for a moment to find the right answer, I shook my head.

In the end, the words that came out were…

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

Even thinking about it, it seemed incredibly irresponsible.

But there was no other phrase that accurately represented my current feelings.

Truly, I… don’t know who I am.

Or who I like.

Se-ah fell into a silent contemplation, seemingly empty.

Just like how I used to peek into Jisoo noona’s heart in the past.

For her sake, I decided to open up a bit about my story.

With the hope that the young girl wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes as me…

“There was someone I truly liked in the past.”

At the mention of ‘someone I liked,’ Se-ah’s breath caught.

She calmly listened to my words.

“That person was someone who always gave me courage so I wouldn’t fall.”

I gently held Se-ah’s hands.

And calmly faced the girl.

“Then we found ourselves in a crisis together.”

“A few seconds later, we were in a dangerously life-threatening situation where we could have died…”

Se-ah’s face tensed as if she herself was in that situation.

She swallowed and waited for my next words.

“If you were in that situation, what would you say?”

“To the person you liked?”

“Yes.”

Se-ah seemed lost in thought for a moment.

Soon, as if she had made a decision, she spoke.

“Maybe I would say… that I’ve liked you all along?”

It was the expected answer.

Se-ah responded with certainty, one answer after another.

“And perhaps you’d ask. If I liked you too.”

“Right. That’s usually how it goes.”

I gently stroked the girl’s head.

And softly murmured.

“But I realized. Asking such a question in that situation is a selfish act.”

“What…?”

Se-ah asked, seemingly unable to understand my words.

“We have so little time given to us, so what’s the point of loving or not loving at this point, right?”

Se-ah still seemed puzzled, tilting her head.

For her sake, I revealed the answer I had agonized over all this time.

“The words I should have said to noona back then were…”

I half-closed my eyes.

And whispered softly.

“Thank you for being with me all this time.”

“Thanks to you, I was happy.”

That’s what I had to say.

So that even in the moment of death, she might have been a little happy.

However…

Until the last moment, I burdened her with whether she loved me.

The corner of my mouth twitched.

Two months had passed since the possession.

Only yesterday did I realize how wrong I had been to Jisoo noona.

And that realization began to weigh heavily on my heart.

Do I have the right to love someone and be happy while borrowing someone else’s body?

“Since that person, I haven’t opened my heart to anyone else.”

The bartender smirked with narrow eyes, a decadent smile on his face.

That expression was a tired face that had endured countless hours.

“Do I have the right to do that?”

But at the same time, Shiho’s face exuded feminine beauty.

Young Se-ah gazed at that grace as if entranced.

“Se-ah.”

I looked into Se-ah’s widened eyes with a somewhat serious expression.

And to avoid any further misunderstandings, I calmly stated.

“I can’t love or be in a relationship with anyone.”

It was a polite refusal.

I felt sorry for Se-ah, but this was for the best.

I’ve been swayed by someone based solely on their beautiful appearance.

But I never truly wanted to date that person.

And maybe…

I never will in the future.

“I see…”

Se-ah bowed her head deeply.

Her face was obscured by her long hair.

Soon, her shoulders began to tremble slightly.

I tried to pat those shoulders gently.

Before I could touch her, Se-ah suddenly raised her head.

The girl beamed a bright smile towards me.

“I understand. I can take a hint.”

Se-ah got up from the bed looking embarrassed.

But I knew.

She had tears welling up in her eyes behind that radiant smile.

She got up from the bed to hide those tears.

“But still… Even so. If those killers ever come after unni, you must tell them.”

“I understand.”

I chuckled softly.

Fortunately, it seems that Se-ah understands my circumstances.

Her once frightening expression soon softened back to that of a girl her age.

With this, there shouldn’t be any more troublesome matters…?

“I will definitely go find them, after dealing with their lives, tie them up in a cross and discard them.”

Isn’t that right?