Chapter 23: Debut ②

“I am…….”

In the middle ground between Nova and Telon,
Yu Hyesun silently waited for my contemplation.

“Reminis is still resentful.”

No matter how hard I try to clear my mind, the resentment lingers like a knot in my chest.

Seoran deserves punishment.
If she had witnessed my death, she would have suffered quite a bit. If it didn’t bother her, that would be a shock in itself.

In other words, she has already been punished, but…

‘It’s not enough.’

The punishment isn’t enough.
I want to utterly break Seoran. So thoroughly that she can never recover. Completely.

If it were her, I’m sure she could overcome this ordeal. As a fan of the original work, and as her younger sibling, I’m sure of it.

[Understood.]

Yu Hyesun didn’t say anything further and turned her body.
But my words didn’t end there.

“Still, I guess I have to forgive her?”

Yu Hyesun hesitated for a moment.

My resentment is an emotion instilled by the villain.
I realized that my true feelings are different.

Therefore…

“I want to see Reminis first. I’ll think about what to do after I see her.”
[……Impressive, Master.]

Spring sunlight seemed to settle in Yu Hyesun’s mind. The warm air reflected her joy.

Yu Hyesun happily accepted my decision.

[Since you’ve said it, I’ll speak plainly. Until now, you were like a puppet.]

Yu Hyesun revealed the hidden truth as we headed towards Nova.

What must it feel like to have your companion brainwashed? I don’t know, but it must have been just as frustrating for her as it was for me.

“Sorry for worrying you.”
[It’s a relief that it’s been resolved. We should quickly find a way to undo the remaining brainwashing.]

A way to undo brainwashing… I wish there were one.

That’s when an idea struck me.

“If the brainwashing is completely undone, will I lose my powers?”

The power of the Darkness attribute comes from emotions.
My rapid growth was greatly fueled by the anger the brainwashing fueled.

Erasing that brainwashing would mean removing the foundation of my power.

Yu Hyesun nodded as if it made sense.

[Even so, what of it? You will live a life where you no longer need to rely on that power.]
“…That’s true.”

She’s right.
It’s just returning to how things were.

As a powerless, naive younger sibling.
A proud civilian who is proud of having a wonderful hero as a sister.

Villains, heroes…
I no longer need to care about such complex matters.

Seoran, my sister, will take care of it all.

I feel much lighter in my heart.

We continued on, exchanging light conversation.

Nova, back to everyday life.

[Apparently, “Churu” is a special treat! When we get back, let’s acknowledge my daughter’s efforts and give her ten Churus a day!]
“No, don’t overdo it or you’ll get a stomach ache.”
[No way…….]

It’s all over now.
My brief detour has come to an end.

…Or so I thought.

---

[Is this Master’s original residence?]

Beyond the shared vision, a familiar house came into view.

A detached house with lush green grass in the yard. The space I had spent my entire life in appeared, bringing back nostalgic feelings.

Our home, after nearly 10 months of absence.
It felt like more than 10 years had passed.

“I really came back…”
[Would you like to switch?]
“Please.”

The moment I spoke, the world seemed to grow distant, and my body floated up.
When I blinked, I found myself outside of the mental world.

The hard concrete floor felt strangely unfamiliar.

“……”

Carefully, like a spy in a movie, I tiptoed through the yard.
It was my own house, but as I was about to enter, I felt strangely self-conscious. Could it be because my body had changed?

“Haah……”

Finally, when I reached the front door, I took a deep breath.

My heart was pounding like it had a motor inside it.
It beat so fast that it was almost painful.

At the same time, countless thoughts rushed into my mind.

‘What should I say when I see them?’

Should I say “Hello”?
“Hey, I’m back”?
Who… would it be?

‘Should I tell her I’ve committed murder?’

Then, how would Seoran react?

My head is muddled by the swirling current of thoughts.
The streams of thought stretch in every direction, but eventually, they converge at a single destination.

‘What if she despises me?’

I’m scared.
I would rather die than face such a gaze from Seoran again.

But, it’s something I have to do eventually.

Steeling my resolve, I knocked on the door.

Knock knock knock.

“……”

I waited for a long while.
10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes…

‘Did she not hear me?’

I pressed the doorbell this time.

Ding dong. Ding dong.

“……”

But no matter how long I waited, Seoran did not come out.

‘She must be out.’

After all, Seoran, the greatest hero, spent more time at the association than at home.

My nervousness quickly dissipated as I deflated.

‘No choice then.’

In the end, I entered the passcode for the door lock. The lock opened on the first try, as it seemed she hadn’t changed the code.

Beep.

“……I’m coming in.”

The moment I stepped inside, my brow furrowed.

‘There are shoes…?’

So, she must have been asleep.

How deep must her sleep have been for someone so sensitive not to hear the doorbell?

She must have been troubled.

Honestly, I didn’t feel bad about it. I knew it wasn’t the best of feelings, but at least I could indirectly feel Seoran’s love.

“I must have been really precious to her.”

Heh.

With light steps, I dashed into the living room.

Right, I should make that pasta I couldn’t make before.

And when Seoran wakes up, I’ll surprise her with a little party.

Would she like it? What if she cries—how should I comfort her?

But all those thoughts vanished the moment I stepped into the living room.

‘……’

I thought I might have been seeing things. Or maybe it was a dream.
Otherwise, the scene before me made no sense.

[……It doesn’t look good, actually.]

Empty alcohol bottles scattered across the floor.
Clothes strewn across the sofa. Crumbs of instant food scattered across the rug.

On the table, my photos were scattered frantically.

‘……’

Cognitive dissonance set in.

The flawless Seoran,
the one who couldn’t even tolerate crumbs on the rug,
the superhuman who would glare at anyone who skipped brushing their teeth or neglected their self-care…

How could she leave the house in this state?

It would make more sense if Seoran had moved out already.

‘Then the door lock code would have been changed.’

My breath quickened.

I hurried to Seoran’s door.

A tightly shut door.

The hand gripping the doorknob trembled. What is this? Why is opening this door so terrifying?

This is Gwangmyeong’s Reminis,
the greatest light-attribute user.

Seoran’s greatest weapon isn’t her power or her popularity.

It’s her mental strength.

If she could materialize her mind, Seoran would be a person living with diamonds embedded in her chest.

Her unshakable mental fortitude was the main reason Seoran was chosen as the protagonist of the original work.

‘So she must have overcome it.’

Everyone eventually faces the death of someone precious to them and overcomes it.

If ordinary people can do it, then surely Seoran must have overcome it. It doesn’t make sense otherwise.

‘……’

But my hand on the doorknob stiffened, and I couldn’t move.

In the end, I asked Yu Hyesun, who had the gift of clairvoyance, for help.

‘Cleo, check for me.’
[…It’s safe to open. There’s nothing to worry about.]

I felt a sense of relief at those words.
With newfound courage, I slowly turned the doorknob.

Creeak.

The door creaked open, revealing the interior.

Just like the living room, it was filled with clutter—scattered trash, rolling pills, a computer spitting out dust…

And finally, someone on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with empty eyes.

“……Reminis?”

Slowly, she turned her head.
Her lifeless body moved as her gaze locked onto me. Dark circles sagged under her hollow eyes.

“……Who are you?”

Her voice was hoarse. Had she been crying?

Unable to believe her condition, I stood frozen in place like a stake nailed to the ground.

“……”

Seoran just stared at me blankly.

To her, I must have been a stranger suddenly intruding into her space, and there wasn’t the slightest trace of emotion in her eyes.

“……What are you doing?”

A surge of anger hit me.

“……?”

My vision blurred.
I rubbed my eyes with my sleeve and steadied my breath.

Strangely, in the corner of my chest, there was a small part of me that felt a twisted sense of satisfaction from seeing her like this.

[These villains did a terrible thing, after all…….]

After calming my emotions, I asked again.

“What are you doing?”
“……Who are you?”
“An assassin.”

I just blurted it out. I wanted to provoke a reaction from Seoran, any way I could.

Wasn’t she just like a corpse now?

“Is that so?”

But Seoran just indifferently acknowledged it.

“……Is that so? Is that so!?”

Furious, I approached Seoran’s bed.
I was thoroughly examining whether this broken person could really be my own sister.

“……”

She continued staring blankly at me before glancing up at the ceiling.
When I looked up as well, I saw my picture there. The blonde girl smiling brightly.

“Ran… I’ll be leaving now.”
“……”

Could it really be because of me?
Just because I died, could Gwangmyeong Reminis be reduced to this?

Did I, in fact, destroy Seoran?

I staggered back and slammed the door shut behind me.
I ran out of the house, as if escaping.

I couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality.
I was just heading in some random direction when Yu Hyesun, who had been quietly watching, gave me advice.

[Master, prove to your sister who you are.]

…A reasonable suggestion.

Seoran must have thought I was dead, which is why she ended up like this. If I show her I’m alive, maybe she’ll come back.

‘That must be it.’

But…

In the original work, Reminis’ mental strength was her very identity.
If the original Seoran were here, even if she lost Kim Dohyeon right in front of her, she would have risen again.

And she would move forward as if she had never felt despair.

That’s how incredible she is.
The greatest hero of all time, the hero of the century.

‘……’

But I changed that.

My existence, it seems, has hurt Seoran.
If I had never existed, Seoran would have been a much stronger person.

I thought I was doing well.
I believed that Seoran had become much happier than in the original, thanks to me, and that thought had comforted me.

But it was all an illusion.

…No.

‘I won’t admit it.’

Reminis isn’t so weak.

The Seoran now is even greater, stronger than the one in the original work.

‘I know what I need to do now.’

With a glint in my eyes, I made my resolve.

‘I’ll make sure to restore Reminis, no matter what.’

She’s the greatest hero, someone who doesn’t crumble over losing her little sister. I’ll prove that, without fail.

[……This will be a tough journey.]

As always, Yu Hyesun calmly accepted it.

---

[Master, rise.]

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the broadcast room.

[Quite the grand move. You managed to pull off a large-scale hostage situation and then fall into a dream.]

I had no words in response. It was an undeniable fact.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

[Anyway, get it together. They’ve arrived.]

For a moment, I felt a sense of relief.
But then I shook my head.

‘This is to be expected.’

There’s no need to feel relieved.
It’s unthinkable that Reminis would ignore this situation.

I loosened my neck and stood up.

“Let’s begin.”

Gwangmyeong’s rehabilitation.
It’s going to be tough.

I never imagined a day would come when I would torment my own sister…

But somehow, it felt both sad and thrilling.

“It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

I laughed bitterly, pretending to be weak.