Chapter 24: The Story Begins (7)

A familiar voice could be heard.

A terrifying, dreadful voice.

It was Heosang’s voice.

“Ah, ah, aaah…”

Dribble.

Ianna involuntarily—without intending to—lost control of her bladder.

Held tightly in her aide’s arms, she completely soaked the uniform pants the aide was wearing.

It was stress incontinence from sheer fear.

Her body wasn’t ready to face Heosang.

Naked, without even a thread on, Ianna could only tremble as her aide smiled faintly and gently wiped her down.

“I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Sorry… Sorry… Sorry…”

Falling into a panic, Ianna shook her head and kept apologizing.

The aide gently stroked Ianna’s head, as if to say it was okay.

And Heosang, who had seen everything, smiled meaningfully.

“U-ugh…”

Ianna couldn’t stop shaking.

A part of her was glad Heosang had come, but more than anything, she was still deathly afraid.

Her eyes stayed locked on Heosang’s hands.

Clutching her stomach, Ianna clung even tighter to her aide.

The aide simply held her tighter, burying Ianna’s face against their chest to keep her away from Heosang’s gaze.

Ianna was trembling violently.

It felt like a nightmare was about to start all over again.

Like those two would kill the aide and violate her all over again.

Trauma was not easily forgotten.

And—

Heosang understood.

She knew very well that Ianna’s reaction was because of her.

She had merely enacted justice.

She had punished Ianna for betraying their cause, for becoming a puppet of the Bureau.

This was part of guiding Ianna back into the light—back into being the magical girl of Janwol.

Others might call it delusion, but to Heosang, it was the truth.

It pained her to see Ianna like this.

Not because she felt guilt—there was none of that—but because Ianna wasn’t in her arms.

She wanted to see Ianna back in her embrace, calm and secure.

Excitement.

That was the emotion now flooding Heosang’s mind.

Seeing Ianna react like this thrilled her.

This idol she once worshipped—who had raised her, taught her, been like a sister—was now blushing and panicking in front of her.

That alone was enough to ignite a dark spark in her chest.

A twisted pleasure.

And as a result—

When Ianna wet herself, Heosang… was affected too.

She didn’t show it, but she was definitely affected.

It was because she found Ianna far too endearing.

But—

The fact that Ianna was desperately clinging to the aide, not her, left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She felt as though something had been stolen.

Ianna should have been turning to her—not to some lapdog in a uniform.

“…Magical girl of Heosang.”

“I know.”

At Hojoon’s quiet warning, Heosang quickly discarded her fleeting thought of killing the aide.

Now was not the time to rebel against the monkeys.

The aide was Ianna’s faithful hound.

And for a monkey, they weren’t half-bad.

Killing them now and traumatizing Ianna further wasn’t the right move.

Everything she did was for Ianna.

She believed that with conviction.

After all, it was Ianna who had created the justification for it all.

This was all to help Ianna regain her “true heart.”

That’s why Heosang approached her despite the risks.

…And also—

Taking Ianna back from her aide might actually be fun.

If everything went her way all the time, it would be boring.

A bit of risk added spice to the process.

She would train Ianna—reclaim her into her arms.

In the process, she’d uncover all the schemes the monkeys were plotting with Ianna and outmaneuver them.

That was her plan.

All for the greater good. For the magical girls.

There was nothing personal about it.

She only wanted to possess Ianna to protect everything else.

It was her proof of devotion.

She would overcome obstacles like the aide and win Ianna back, just like in those tales of enduring love that overcame all odds.

With that thought, Heosang stepped toward Ianna.

“Step back.”

“…Calm down.”

With a frigid expression, the aide gently placed Ianna on the bed and shielded her with their back.

Then they stared Heosang down.

Just as Heosang opened her mouth to speak—

“Please calm down. All of you. The magical girls, including Heosang, came here to resolve a series of misunderstandings. There’s no need for hostility.”

Hojoon approached the two and spoke.

“…A misunderstanding? Director, do you even know what she’s been through?! She was in a coma for weeks…!!!”

“Aide.”

The aide shouted furiously—

And Hojoon pulled out a heavy pistol.

“…What are you doing?”

Even the aide, who never flinched before magical girls, faltered slightly under Hojoon’s presence.

He was in a league of his own.

Behind the intellectual appearance, he hid an imposing physical presence.

Compared to Hojoon, the aide was barely larger than Ianna herself and couldn’t help but take a few steps back.

On the bed, Ianna trembled uncontrollably.

Hojoon’s glasses reflected her curled-up form.

He flipped the pistol and handed it grip-first to the aide.

“This is all my fault. I’m sorry. I want to sincerely apologize to both you and the Director. Please—shoot me.”

“…What?”

“I’ll take full responsibility. The gun is loaded. Go ahead and pull the trigger.”

Hojoon forced the aide to press the gun to his own head.

“W-what are you doing… Vice Director…!”

“They aren’t to blame. This began with the death of Spes 3, following the Director’s order. That’s what I discovered during the interrogation. This whole incident was nothing more than an accident.”

He shifted the blame onto Ianna.

Ianna trembled even harder, hanging her head low.

“It was all a misunderstanding. I’m relieved we could come together like this and resolve it. Please. I’ll take responsibility. So go ahead—shoot.”

“V-Vice Director…”

The aide froze.

Heosang and Cheonching sneered at the sight.

The aide could already tell.

There was a deal between Hojoon and Heosang.

To cover things up, in exchange for some promise.

Their fists trembled in frustration—but they couldn’t do anything.

Because they too had a connection with Hojoon.

‘…’

Byeolmuri held her breath.

Even if Ianna had given the order, she wasn’t in her right mind.

Han Hojoon.

Her vile father was using Ianna to bury his own sins.

But—

She couldn’t step in yet.

Any action now would make things worse.

“…You raise your voice at Heosang, and now you can’t even pull the trigger?”

“I…”

“Don’t forget your duty.”

“…Understood.”

The aide, glancing at Hojoon, reluctantly stepped back.

Hojoon walked up to the bed and lifted Ianna in his arms.

“P-please… put me down…”

Ianna tried to resist, but her body was frozen.

Because Heosang stood right in front of her.

Clutching Cheonching’s hand tightly.

Lifted into the air by Hojoon, completely unclothed, Ianna was now looking down at the two of them.

Heosang, face flushed red, shouted:

“…I’m sorry, Janwol. I misunderstood. I couldn’t control myself after Oksana’s death. I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

Heosang bowed deeply.

Cheonching casually tapped on her phone and muttered an unenthusiastic apology.

Silence filled the infirmary.

Heosang was smiling.

Beaming more brightly than anyone.

Of course, with her head bowed, no one could see.

No one realized she was smiling.

“…Huh?”

In this dreamlike moment she’d always longed for, Ianna’s mind went blank.

She couldn’t understand what was happening.

Clearing the misunderstanding with Heosang.

Getting along again.

Her two greatest wishes seemed to be coming true.

She’d always dreamed of it. But now that it was happening, she didn’t know how to react.

It was completely unexpected.

“You’ll… forgive me, right?”

Heosang looked up at her with desperate eyes.

“Y-yeah…”

Ianna responded with a trembling voice.

Her foggy eyes shimmered with tears.

The overwhelming shock of facing someone who’d brutalized her—and the joy of someone she cherished deeply finally offering an apology—dragged her mind back into the past.

To the days when no one held her hand.

When she longed for death in a filthy basement room.

When she survived by chewing on her clothes.

Even though she was shaking in fear, tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

Because a moment she had only ever imagined… had finally come true.

‘…Again.’

With Heosang and the others—just once more.

Even if it was just for a moment.

Even if it was just to joke around like they used to.

That’s all she wanted.

She wasn’t asking for anything more.

She knew it was impossible.

But now—

Now, it felt real.

‘Again… Just once more…’

It felt like a dream come true.

The joy was overwhelming. She couldn’t even meet their eyes, she was so afraid—but it didn’t matter.

She truly believed all the misunderstandings were gone now.

She sincerely, truly believed…

That they could be friends again.

Of course—

That wasn’t what Heosang believed.