Ch.86Cocktail Chocolate 7

“Misha, did you know…?”

The girl with her hands behind her back looks at me with a gentle smile.

She had been waiting for me in front of the emergency elevator all along.

“04 told me that you’ve never been outside the laboratory-.”

Misha stares at me intently with narrowed eyes.

I freeze completely, as if pierced by her gaze.

“Why did you go into 09’s room, even lying to me?”

The blonde girl approaches me and circles around.

Then she stops abruptly and looks up at me steadily.

“Did you find what you were looking for there?”

“…”

I couldn’t answer her direct question.

I just keep my lips tightly sealed, thinking about how to overcome this situation.

Seeing me like this, Misha strokes my hair with a gentle voice.

“Don’t worry. 09 doesn’t know you entered the room.”

“What…?”

Could it be that Misha deliberately hid it from 09 for my sake?

The girl pulls up the corners of her mouth as she notices my wavering eyes.

“You’ve figured it out now? That’s right.”

“Me leaving the lounge with 09, opening Lab 3 for you—it was all intentional.”

Misha gently places her hand over her chest.

“Lab 3 was the only escape route besides the entrance.”

I looked at the girl with an expression of incomprehension.

What could possibly be her reason for opening Lab 3 and showing me everything?

“You don’t mind me looking into Lab 3?”

“Yes, there’s no particular reason to hide it.”

Misha shrugged at my question.

She grabbed a rotting tree trunk and pressed it firmly.

Ants emerged from between the cracks in the wood and crawled around.

“What’s wrong with enhancing injured people?”

“All we do is take care of people who can’t control themselves, people who are hurt.”

Lies.

If you were really such people, then why is my arm attached to 09?

Why am I trapped in this body, and why is my sister trapped in that red glass tube?

My clenched fist trembles.

I want to grab her by the collar and reveal all the truth right now.

And I would ask.

Why did you do this to us?

Why did the Association that protects Korea kill innocent low-rank hunters!

But it’s not time yet.

Confronting Misha in this defenseless state won’t change anything.

I’d be lucky not to get caught and killed.

I somehow managed to open my constricted throat.

And I mumble quietly.

“I guess so… The atmosphere was so scary that I must have misunderstood.”

“That’s what it was, right?”

Misha was satisfied with my agreement.

But her investigation didn’t end there.

She grabbed my shoulder to ask the most important question.

And she brought her face close to mine.

“Now, will you explain why you entered 09’s room?”

Perhaps because I now know my sister is alive.

I remained calm despite her persistent questioning.

“I had family. 09 resembled the person who killed my family, so I just wanted to check.”

“So, was 09 the culprit?”

Misha’s blue eyes sparkle.

As if listening to an interesting story, she kept asking me questions.

“No. That person didn’t have a tattoo on their neck.”

“Hmm-, then it definitely wasn’t her. 09 has had a tattoo on her neck since she was very young.”

Misha agrees as if the case is solved.

She gently embraces me from behind and presses her plump cheek against my back.

“You know, I really like you. I’ve been watching you from afar for a very long time.”

She casually mentions that she’s been monitoring me all this time.

I felt a chill down my spine but tried my best not to show it.

“Even without any power, you live so diligently—it touches my heart, like a shoujo manga protagonist.”

“That’s why I don’t want to lose you. I want to keep you by my side forever.”

Her hand slips between my armpits.

And in that hand, there was already a syringe with a needle.

The syringe is filled with an unknown purple liquid.

Could it be the same substance that was in the glass tube?

“In the past, I would have just ‘poked’ this pointy thing into your neck.”

“And then I would have taken you, collapsed, to my room and adored you forever. Like a puppy.”

Misha’s round forehead rubs against my side.

I swallowed hard at that eerie sensation.

“But I want to give you a chance.”

“A chance…?”

“Yes.”

She points her finger toward the bottom of the mountain.

Through the tangled trees, a two-lane road is visible.

“If you go straight down there, you’ll reach a small village. Taxis pass by occasionally.”

I stared intently at the road following Misha’s finger.

But soon my view was completely blocked by her.

Because Misha stood in front of me and brought her face close to mine.

“If what we do disgusts you, just leave. I can understand completely.”

“But if you want to work again, come back anytime.”

I stared at the syringe in the girl’s hand.

Is she giving me a choice?

Any normal person would run away immediately.

Like the other employees who supposedly quit the laboratory.

But.

How could I escape alone after seeing my sister in that state?

These people are definitely plotting something.

My sister’s body might also be merged with 09.

I swallow deeply and look at the syringe Misha is holding.

Her sharp syringe and obsession are terrifying.

My arm attached to 09 is horrific, and the gloomy atmosphere of the laboratory is the worst.

I crouched down to meet Misha at eye level.

And removing my guarded expression, I smiled gently.

“No, I’ll come to work tomorrow.”

“Really? You mean it?”

“Yes. Like you said, there’s nothing wrong with the laboratory, right? Now that I know it’s actually a wholesome place, I want to work there even more.”

“Thank you for understanding. Most people just run away…”

“But the pay is good-.”

I made a ‘money’ gesture with my fingers to reassure the girl.

Misha seemed satisfied with my words and nodded her head quickly.

Then she hugged me tightly.

“But you must never stick that syringe into me. Understand?”

“Of course.”

Misha threw the syringe she was holding onto the ground.

And she buried her nose in my chest, taking a deep breath.

“I’m so happy.”

“Yes, I’m very happy too.”

I embraced the child.

But my expression wasn’t happy at all.

It was colder and more calculating than ever before.

Thanks to clearing up the misunderstanding with Misha, I was able to safely board the bus.

But when I arrived home, I didn’t head straight to Moment.

Too much had happened.

I didn’t have the energy to meet someone, force a smile, and pour drinks.

So I staggered straight home.

I barely climbed the stairs and stood in front of my door.

Today, my home feels strangely unfamiliar.

Just like the first day of my possession.

The sight of my sister at the laboratory reminded me of the nightmares from my male days.

I collapsed weakly on the floor and leaned against the edge of the bed.

“Sis…”

The reason I’ve been able to endure until now.

The reason I’ve been able to survive various dangers after the possession.

It was all thanks to my sister’s advice.

To think that she was still trapped in such a place…

“What should I do…”

I buried my face in the bed.

I just sobbed.

I can endure having my arm attached to 09.

But I can’t bear to see my sister, who was brutally murdered, having her body violated as well.

Nevertheless, there’s nothing I can do for her.

I’m still too weak.

Moreover, there’s no one to help me.

No one…

“—.”

The clock at Moment Bar now points to 10 o’clock.

There’s still no sign of Siho, who said she would come right after leaving the laboratory.

Jeoksa finally gets up from the counter after flicking her lighter repeatedly.

“Are you leaving?”

Jiwook asks her cautiously.

Jeoksa silently nods.

In her hand is a small cake box.

Jeoksa holds the cake preciously as she heads to her newly acquired Genesis.

There’s no need to turn on the navigation.

She drives the car unhesitatingly toward a familiar address.

The place she arrives at is a quiet apartment complex.

She climbs the stairs gracefully, holding the cake.

But soon she had to stop walking.

Because she saw the silhouette of a suspicious person in the apartment corridor.

“What are you doing here?”

Jeoksa asked the shadow in a cold voice.

Then the person hiding in the shadows reveals herself.

It’s Anna.

She looks at Ilshim’s female executive expressionlessly, with both hands in her pockets.

“What brings you here?”

Unlike Jeoksa who just got off work, Anna is dressed in casual clothes.

The woman who used to stick to black clothes is wearing plain gray sweatpants today.

“Why else? I came to see Siho.”

Jeoksa smirked at Anna who came empty-handed.

And she held up her cake box.

“Don’t tell me you came empty-handed?”

“Is that a problem?”

Anna turned her head coldly.

And she only stares at Siho’s front door.

“When Siho ignores calls, it usually means she’s not in a good mood.”

Jeoksa stood in front of the door, passing by Anna.

And she lightly knocks on the door.

“And when she’s in a bad mood, sweets are the best.”

Anna’s lips twitch at Jeoksa’s provocation.

She searched her pockets diligently.

But no matter how much she searched, her pockets only contained a dagger, smoke bombs, and a small amount of poison.

A faint footstep is heard from inside the house.

Soon the front door opens slightly.

Through that gap, a small woman peeks her face out.

“Who is it…?”

The two women simultaneously leaned forward when they saw Siho.

“Since there was no contact…”

Displeased at speaking simultaneously, the two killers fell silent.

And they glared at each other as if they wanted to kill each other.

“I’m sorry… I was just resting at home because I was too exhausted.”

Siho opened the door with a bitter smile.

As moonlight poured through the open door, the dark circles under Siho’s eyes became visible.

“Are you okay?”

Jeoksa carefully asked the small bartender.

Siho clearly didn’t say anything.

But her drooping eyes clearly prove that something sad had happened.

“…”

Siho didn’t answer the question.

She just looks back and forth between the two women.

Soon the small bartender’s eyes turn red.

Siho’s body trembles as emotions begin to surge at the sight of the two.

Soon she reached out to Jeoksa and Anna.

And she hugged them both at the same time.

The two killers looked at each other, seemingly perplexed by Siho’s behavior.

But soon they silently patted Siho’s back.

The small woman sobbed quietly in their embrace.