Chapter 57: False Truth (4)

“…Hojoon, what exactly are you asking of me? You seem fully capable of doing this on your own.”

“Until the magical girls have been sufficiently ‘saved,’ I’d like you to act as my stand-in.”

Until their numbers are low enough—

In other words, until Hojoon’s purging campaign is fully underway, he wants Ianna to be the public face of it.

Just like now, he wants her to play the puppet—
So that if any arrows of rebellion are loosed, they won’t be aimed at him.

“…Hojoon, aren’t artificial girls being developed by other Central Organizations too? Even if you reduce their numbers, won’t the others just make more? Doesn’t that make it pointless?”

“There are comrades who share my vision.”

What?

There are others helping Hojoon?

Do they each control influence within different Central Organizations, starting purges of magical girls in tandem?

No.

The purging of magical girls is already a global initiative.

It was passed unanimously by the inter-organizational board.

It’s a non-negotiable resolution.

That meant—the purge had already begun.

‘…’

So Hojoon’s wish really was to see everyone dead?

Why had he adopted such an extreme ideology?

And how did someone like him ascend to a high-ranking post in the Bureau?

The Bureau, along with the other magical girl governing bodies worldwide, is a group composed strictly of elites.

Mediocre applicants don’t even survive the entry-level roles.

There’s no way someone this dangerous would’ve passed psychological evaluations unless—

Unless someone is backing him.

And if everything Hojoon said is true—

Then he’s already laid all his cards on the table.

“So I don’t have the option to refuse, do I?”

“Of course not.”

If she refuses, he’ll kill her.

And if not that, he’ll literally turn her into a puppet—just like in the original conclusion of the novel.

Unable to think, awaiting a pitiful death.

The options given were far too few.

But—

He’d spilled his entire plan.

It was juvenile and dangerous enough to dismiss as a middle schooler’s delusion, and now it was permanently etched into her mind.

That was Hojoon’s fatal mistake.

She’ll gather evidence.

And with other magical girls, she’ll destroy him.

That’s the only way.

And the only righteous path.

‘Does Hojoon truly believe this absurd plan is possible? Maybe it’s not too late for him to turn back.’

A thousand conflicting thoughts gnawed at her clarity.

Ianna had once wanted to save everyone—even Hojoon.

But—

If his dream, his desire, his karma, was to murder nearly everyone except a chosen few—

To devastate the world—

Then she would kill him.

Without hesitation.

With everything she had.

Who was it that pushed countless magical girls into their deaths?

Who had built up this mountain of sin?

“…In that case, I have a request too.”

If she nodded too easily, it would seem suspicious.

Even if she had to take Hojoon’s outstretched hand to survive, she couldn’t act too compliant.

Hojoon was meticulous.

The fact he’d kept this whole ideology hidden until now showed how cunning he was.

That’s why—

All she could do was feign helplessness while waiting for an opportunity.

Which, to be fair, wasn’t far from the truth.

“What is it?”

“Give me authority.”

Authority.

In other words, the powers of the Bureau Director.

To gather allies and push back against Hojoon’s influence, she needed power.

Even if it was handed to her by Hojoon—it was better than having none.

“…And now you seek power?”

“I… can’t die for nothing…”

“Just like you, Teacher.”

Hojoon’s eyes curved slightly.

He wore a mocking smile.

Naturally.

A body that would die the moment Bureau protection was withdrawn—

Now demanding power under the guise of future foresight.

There was no place for her in the future Hojoon envisioned anyway.

Besides, her body wouldn’t last long regardless.

“Do you know why I let you live?”

“…To take the fall.”

“That too. But more than anything… you are the most precious person to me. Perhaps even on par with Byeolhwa.”

…Precious?

If someone like Byeolhwa or Harsa had said that, she might’ve blushed.

But coming from Hojoon, it felt eerie and muddled.

“Ugh…”

“You used to always stroke my hair like this, Teacher. I can still remember that warm touch.”

Hojoon ran his hand roughly over her head.

“The moon in the sky, forever out of reach. So I simply watched from afar.”

“…Hojoon.”

“I did everything I could to find the ones who did this to you. Even now, the Bureau’s eyes are searching for them around the world.”

It was hard to tell truth from fiction in Hojoon’s words.

But his sentiment seemed real.

“You taught me how to live. Taught me everything. You were like a parent to me. And now… I just wanted to repay that, even if it took the ugliest form.”

She understood what he meant.

“There was no other way to keep you alive but to put you up front.”

“…”

She had suspected as much.

Despite the Bureau’s financial struggles, enormous resources had been poured into her.

The synthetic organs and mechanical parts in her body functioned so perfectly, there was no discomfort at all.

Even if Hojoon had taken control of the Bureau, funding still came from its upper ranks.

“There was no other way.”

That was how Hojoon had brainwashed himself.

But—

“You should’ve just let me die!”

Ianna’s time had already passed.

Like a full moon fading into morning, she was destined to vanish.

She had thought it countless times—

Each time family cursed her, insulted her, and attacked her.

Wouldn’t dying have been better?

She hadn’t wanted to cling to life like this—reviled and pitiful.

What she’d wanted—

Was to die with blessings.

To leave the world peacefully, with no one left to hate or mourn her.

That had been her truest wish.

“…You can resent me. This was all my selfishness. My sin won’t disappear. I’m sorry, Teacher.”

“If you feel remorse… then stop. Let go…”

“I can’t. This is my mission. My wife, too, would want revenge.”

His wife.

Was she the reason Hojoon began to spiral?

“She looked a lot like you. We had over ten years’ difference, but it didn’t matter. She was the one who approached me.”

…Ten years?

“Hojoon, you…”

“Those were the happiest days of my life. Don’t you remember, Teacher? When we pretended to be a normal family and went to the amusement park—you, me, and my wife. It was everything I’d dreamed of.”

She couldn’t even access Hojoon’s private data; it was locked beyond her security clearance.

She had no way to verify if his family was killed by rampaging magical girls—or if his wife ever existed.

She only knew Byeolhwa was his daughter.

But—

His eyes looked genuinely sorrowful.

“Filthy humans took everything. My parents, my sister, my wife, you… and even my daughter.”

So it wasn’t just the wife.

There were multiple reasons.

His entire family was slaughtered.

By rampaging magical girls.

His wife was murdered.

By human hands.

His mentor—her body ruined.

Also by humans.

Even his daughter was targeted.

Because of human greed.

“They tried to use my daughter as a hostage. I had to treat her like she was worthless—expendable—so they’d leave her alone. As a father, I shouldn’t have… I never did right by her…”

Of course he was filled with hatred.

She understood.

“Around the time Byeolhwa started school, a disgusting fat pervert from the upper ranks offered to buy her. He said he’d give me the Deputy Director seat in return.”

“…No way.”

Did Hojoon really ascend to his position by selling Byeolhwa?

“So I killed him. Tied him down, ripped out his eyes and tongue, and burned him alive—slowly—so he wouldn’t pass out. I killed his dogs, the children his age, his parents, siblings, every relative.”

Hojoon’s face was full of smiles.

She said nothing.

“I considered running, but there’s no escaping magical girl trackers. Then they contacted me—said a spot opened up on the Judgement Committee. I took the seat. That’s how I got my power.”

There was no more need to listen.

Hojoon was simply justifying his genocide of humanity.

So he could be understood.
So he could be accepted—by her.

“Is it possible? Don’t I have the right to judge them? Please… help me, Teacher.”

He laughed as he said it.

“You definitely have a chance.”

No—he didn’t.

There was no possibility his plan would succeed.

Because she would stop him.

Even if he pulled it off—if intelligent Unknowns emerged—it would still fail.

They weren’t wild animals driven purely by instinct anymore.

They had built advanced societies in shockingly short timeframes.

And if they started multiplying—

What then?

Hojoon didn’t understand any of it.

And she had no reason to tell him.

All she had to do was prepare—

To tighten the noose around Hojoon’s neck.

To stab him at the decisive moment.

She could understand his rage.

Hearing his story stirred up anger in her too.

But—

Would Ianna really want a world built by Hojoon’s vision?

No.

Ianna only ever wanted—

A peaceful tomorrow.

She reached out her hand slowly.

It would be Hojoon who took it.

It would be Hojoon who let himself be deceived.