Chapter 10: Towards Death (4)

‘…Why?’

Why is Hojoon coming out of my room?

All security systems, including iris scan and fingerprint recognition, had been deactivated.

The thick double-layered metal doors stood wide open.

And from within, Hojoon walked out confidently.

He was dressed in a black suit.

Even from a distance, the sharp fit added to his imposing presence.

But.

Despite the intimidating build, Hojoon’s expression was endlessly gentle.

It was the face of a loving father gazing at his daughter.

A strange sense of dissonance sent chills through my body.

My entire being recoiled instinctively.

“…Director.”

Our eyes met as Hojoon adjusted his glasses.

I tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Hojoon and a team of medical staff had surrounded me before I could.

Six medical staff members in surgical gowns entered my field of vision.

They were the specialists in charge of my regular maintenance.

I had been cut open by these hands more times than I could count.

Trembling.

My entire body began to shake violently from the psychological pressure.

Isolated within the Bureau, I had been pushed to the edge.

There was no way I could calmly accept another surgery.

The countless life-prolonging operations had ravaged my mind.

“Uuurgh…”

Now, even the sight of surgical gowns made me want to vomit.

“D-Deputy Director…!”

I barely held back the acid rising in my throat and grabbed my aide’s sleeve tightly.

He stood in front of me, visibly nervous.

“Why are you here? The regular check-up is scheduled in three days. Even inside the Bureau, this is the Director’s private quarters. You can’t just barge in.”

“…That’s none of your concern.”

Hojoon brushed off the aide’s objections and walked right up to me.

“The medical team discovered an anomaly in the Director’s brain. It’s quite serious.”

“D-Deputy Director!”

“Stop shouting so obnoxiously and be quiet. Just stay still.”

With sheer pressure, Hojoon silenced the aide.

The aide, dwarfed by Hojoon’s large frame, stepped back.

Hojoon reached for my head again.

“U-Uhm…”

“Quiet.”

He gently brushed aside my white hair and ran his hand over my scalp.

“Is this the spot?”

“Yes. The faint scar indicates this is the place.”

A few members of the surgical team in blue scrubs approached Hojoon and stared intently at my crown.

One of them brought a small, unidentifiable device to my head, and with a beep, the device began to emit a signal.

“We’ve found it.”

“…Good. Thank goodness. We made it in time.”

Hojoon gently stroked my head, clearly relieved.

“What… is going on…?”

“I’ll explain on the way. We’re moving to the nearest medical room. Quickly. Use whatever’s necessary.”

“We’ll head to Medical Room 3.”

Hojoon personally pushed my wheelchair and began moving quickly.

My aide followed in quick steps while the medical staff moved slightly ahead of us.

“H-Hojoon…”

“There’s been an abnormality in the Director’s brainwaves. After analysis, it seems the memory assist chip in the Director’s brain is malfunctioning. We confirmed a defect in the chip replaced six months ago.”

Memory assist chip?

Most likely, he was referring to the surveillance chip in my head using a more polite term.

Although it wasn’t visible due to his suit, he wore a white band on his wrist.

That band allowed him to access my mind whenever he wished.

But this time, I hadn’t felt the usual headache that came when he used the band.

The surveillance chip must have broken.

That would explain why Hojoon was acting so urgently.

“You’re wrong. The surveillance chip isn’t broken. The reason you don’t feel the headaches is because I lowered the sensitivity.”

“W-What…?”

Hojun smiled faintly.

He genuinely looked like a pervert.

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment. But the memory assist chip in your brain is indeed malfunctioning. I swear on everything I have. If we leave it alone, it’ll be no better than a chunk of silicon in your head.”

“Then…”

“We’re moving up the regular inspection. Since there’s clearly something wrong with your body, I’ll take my time and examine you thoroughly from top to bottom.”

“…”

There was no need to respond.

After all, Hojoon already knew exactly what I was thinking.

‘…’

He simply smiled without saying a word.

“H-Haha…”

I forced a smile, trying to hide the urge to cry.

Chhhk

Hojoon’s ID card triggered the heavy metal doors to open, revealing a surgical room bathed in white.

It was filled with equipment—some recognizable from movies and TV shows, others completely alien.

“U-Um… I…”

My chest trembled.

It felt like I was going to wet myself.

My body was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the surgical room.

Before I knew it, the medical staff had tied down my arms and legs to the operating table.

Since everything below the knees had already been amputated, the restraints wrapped around my thighs.

Lying flat, blinded by the glaring surgical light, I was immobilized.

“Strip her.”

At the command of the surgeon, nurses rushed in.

My white blouse, black ribbon tie, and the black skirt gifted by my aide were all removed.

Due to temperature regulation, I wasn’t wearing any underwear.

I was completely exposed.

I quickly glanced around.

My eyes met Hojoon’s.

He stared at my naked body without a hint of emotion, his expression solemn.

My aide wasn’t even allowed into the surgical room.

He waited outside the door.

Though I was fully exposed in front of the medical team, I didn’t feel embarrassed.

Because I’d gotten used to it.

Ianna had undergone life-saving surgery more times than could be counted.

In the process, she had shown parts of herself far more vulnerable than just nudity.

Nudity alone didn’t feel shameful anymore.

Not anymore.

“We’ll begin.”

The surgical table began to rise.

The medical staff surrounded me, and strange pipes and machines began connecting to parts of my body.

‘…’

When a needle-like instrument approached my scalp, I realized something was wrong.

Everything felt too vivid. My consciousness wasn’t fading.

Which meant—I hadn’t been anesthetized.

“Excuse me…”

I mustered up the courage to speak.

“Is something bothering you?”

“N-No, it’s just… the anesthesia…” “?”

The moment I mentioned anesthesia, the medical staff exchanged troubled looks.

“Director, if we administer anesthesia, some of your implanted organs will necrotize.”

“W-What…?”

“All surgeries are done without anesthesia. You know that, don’t you?”

My eyes widened.

I tried to confront Hojoon, but my neck was restrained and a long hose was inserted down my throat.

“Mmmph… mmph…!”

“Let’s begin.”

“Deputy Director, the subject is displaying irregular behavioural patterns.”

It began with a single report from the surveillance room.

Recently, Ianna had started to act differently.

She had begun eating meat and instant food instead of her usual vegetable-based diet.

Her bedtime at 8:30 PM had grown irregular.

Snoring patterns, sleep depth, tossing frequency, talking in sleep—everything was different.

She started regularly visiting the lounge and talking with agents—something she’d previously avoided.

There were other changes: the direction she brushed her teeth, how she hugged her doll, her tone of voice, how she distributed weight in her wheelchair, stopping her murmuring under the blanket, laughing less, producing more trash, taking more candy from Medical Room 1…

To someone monitoring her every move, it felt… wrong.

Like she wasn’t herself.

They monitored her for about a month, hoping maybe she’d regained her memories.

But that wasn’t it.

It was a simple emotional shift.

It seemed the newly assigned aide had influenced her.

There was no other explanation.

[“I wanted to give you both a gift… because you worked hard today…”]

CCTV was running in every part of the Bureau—even inside Ianna’s room.

Microphones installed everywhere transmitted her words to the surveillance room in real-time.

After the incident in Zone 79 was resolved, Hojoon had been sipping coffee while watching Ianna.

Her mention of a “gift” struck him like a bolt.

Until now, Ianna had always looked gloomy.

She’d avoided contact with other magical girls.

He didn’t know why she had changed her mind.

But those words stirred Hojoon’s curiosity.

‘…Maybe.’

Even broken as she was, Ianna had once reigned as a top magical girl.

Branded a witch, shunned by all she tried to protect.

‘One more time…’

Hojoon sipped his coffee without a word.

If Ianna remembered him, even just once—

He didn’t care what he had to become.

As long as she remembered him.

“The modification is complete. The memory assist chip has been removed, and the program you requested has been successfully installed.”

“Thank them for their work.”

The procedure had gone smoothly.

Hojoon smiled quietly, imagining Ianna sulking for the next few days.

“…Also.”

The agent hesitated.

“There was no defect in the chip. The error was caused by interference from the Illusory Magical Girl…”

“It’s already been removed. Leave it buried.”

“Understood!”

…Ianna had changed.

To him, it was just a tiny flutter.

But it was proof she was no longer a living corpse.

‘…Her mind hasn’t broken.’

Hojoon smiled oddly.

His lips curled upward, but his eyes weren’t smiling.

It was a bizarre look, but the surveillance agents didn’t react.

“How’s the moon?”

“Pardon…?”

“What kind of moon is out tonight?”

The surveillance agent looked confused but typed on the keyboard and pulled up the external cameras.

Soft moonlight filled the screen.

A waning moon.

It was a night with a waning moon.

Hojoon smiled, teeth bared.

To others, it looked forced. But to him, it was genuine.

He smiled bigger and wider than ever before.

And at that moment—

“…Deputy Director! The Starlight Magical Girl has returned with two people!”

“I’ll head out to receive them. Prepare accordingly.”