Chapter 65: Omen (2)

Miko always wore a friendly smile while thoroughly concealing her true emotions.

Even someone like Hojoon had clearly been influenced by that side of her.

But this time—

As Miko lifted Ianna’s Spring into the air and shook her around like a toy, even Hojoon’s expression betrayed discomfort.

…What are you thinking?

For once, Hojoon shared the same sentiment as Han Byeolhwa.

Miko was a woman who didn’t think things through.

She seemed rational on the surface, but in truth, she acted based purely on her mood that day.

What mattered to Miko was only the result.

As long as she got the outcome she wanted, she didn’t care how it came about.

The real problem was this:

Miko suffered from paranoid personality disorder.

She didn’t trust anyone.

Not even Hojoon.

“Humans are bundles of malice.”

That was something Miko said often.

The enormous paranoia and mistrust of others hidden behind her mask had exhausted Hojoon time and again.

It was also why he’d tried to prevent her from meeting his daughter as much as possible.

From her preferences to her personality—

Hojoon understood everything about Miko.

After all, they’d been together for years.

Kakoshinomiya is dangerous.

Not just a lunatic—

A lunatic with wealth, power, and brilliance.

Paranoid to the core, convinced every human being was a threat.

A monster obsessed solely with efficiency.

…Prepare all deployable magical girls.

That was what Miko had whispered to him while clinging to him.

He didn’t know what she was planning, but he would be ready.

He had to be, to keep her claws away from Ianna.

“Look at this! Isn’t she adorable? Could you take a photo?”

Miko tugged at Ianna’s cheeks, stretching them out as she hugged her like a doll.

“U-Uugh…”

Ianna tried to speak, but Miko kept touching and prodding her all over.

She was genuinely curious.

How had Ianna survived?

Miko was one of the first high-level officials to receive the report after Ianna’s so-called “rescue.”

And Ianna’s condition had been… bizarre.

Several of her internal organs were missing.

Both legs had been severed.

Tubes had been inserted throughout her body.

Her eyes were nearly blind, and her teeth had been ripped out.

Her entire body showed signs of torture.

It appeared the cult had tortured her to extract information.

But based on her physical state, Miko concluded that Ianna hadn’t talked.

Her fingernails and toenails had been pulled out.

Her body was covered in large “holes.”

Some patches of flesh had been peeled or cut away entirely.

It even looked like every possible kind of truth serum had been used.

The photos attached to the report showed her body riddled with injection marks.

Her stomach had been cut open—

Inside, a massive parasitic organism had coiled up and taken residence.

The cult had experimented on her in countless ways.

Ianna’s body had endured grotesque forms of torture.

…How is she even alive?

Even if the Control Bureau’s biotech was far beyond other institutions—

Ianna’s survival defied belief.

That was why Miko kept inspecting her.

“…Stop it.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. I was just so happy to see you again, Janwol~ I got carried away!”

Stupid girl.

Does she not understand who she owes her life to?

She should be on her knees, thanking her.

Or better yet—

She should be offering up her body in gratitude.

You can’t hide your origins, can you?

Miko interpreted anything and everything as malice directed at her.

That was why Hojoon was moving with such extreme caution.

Janwol was already dead.

What remained here was just an expensive doll named Ianna wearing her skin.

She should at least know her place.

Miko was genuinely offended that Ianna resisted her touch.

The moment her brow twitched slightly, Hojoon sensed the shift in atmosphere and stepped in to change the subject.

“…We can’t keep her here like this. I’ll escort you to a proper room.”

“Oh my, you personally?”

“Yes, I will.”

“How nostalgic! Let’s bring Janwol along too!”

Miko, unusually tall for a woman, used her size to scoop Ianna up like a doll.

Thanks to Ianna’s diminutive frame, it was possible.

“C-Can’t… breathe…”

“Shall we get going then?”

It was Miko’s petty revenge for being rejected.

She had always repaid everything, no matter how small.

“She’s mine…!”

Byeolhwa could do nothing but grit her teeth as she watched.

“…Tsk.”

“Loser.”

The three little girls jeered beside her.

***

“…Um, is it okay for me to be here too?”

“Of course, Janwol! You’re the Bureau’s director, aren’t you?”

“Mm…”

Ianna found Miko’s “kindness” stifling.

No, it wasn’t kindness at all.

She’d already sensed Miko was hiding something.

Miko was as tall as Aewon.

Being held by her had been unpleasant in a way that was hard to describe.

The difference between their bodies was too great.

It made breathing difficult.

…I can’t let my guard down.

Ianna thought of Miko as similar to Hojoon.

The type who hides their true intentions while manipulating others.

She didn’t know what Miko was after, but she knew not to relax.

She glanced at Hojoon.

‘…’

Hojoon met her gaze and subtly gestured with his eyes.

Wait.

Don’t provoke her—at least not now.

With the heavy steel door sealed, only four people remained inside Hojoon’s office:

Steven, Miko, Hojoon, and Ianna.

Steven silently lowered his sunglasses and stared at Ianna in Miko’s arms.

He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

He knew what had been done to Ianna.

At his core, Steven was not an evil man.

He couldn’t help but pity her.

But still—

He couldn’t delay the plan any longer.

This was the only chance.

Miko, her minions, and himself—

They could all die together here.

Even if Ianna got caught in the “rampage,” it couldn’t be helped.

His family’s lives were on the line.

Hojoon’s room had no bugs or security cameras.

In the Control Bureau—where privacy didn’t exist—this was an anomaly.

A space where nothing could leak.

A space where secrets were whispered.

Naturally, the first topic the three had to discuss was Aewon.

“…Hojoon. What were you thinking, releasing Aewon?”

Miko’s voice was silky but laced with hidden blades.

Calm—and deeply unsettling.

That was how Ianna perceived it.

“I apologize. We had no way to counter the newly emerged evolved type.”

“You have Heosang, don’t you? Couldn’t she have handled it? That girl Cheonching joined recently too, didn’t she? Why open Pandora’s box?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Pandora’s box.

It was an apt metaphor.

The Bureau’s upper echelon understood what Aewon truly was.

They knew there was no way to kill her.

They had suspected long ago that she should never be touched.

Seated delicately in her leather chair, Ianna stayed silent and listened to the conversation.

“…Miko, but didn’t Aewon return on her own and submit to restraints?”

“Steven, you still think that’s really Aewon?”

Steven flinched and turned to Miko.

“That one’s an impostor. The real one disappeared. Wake up.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Go check yourself—if you can.”

There had been a hidden motive behind Ianna’s request for Aewon’s release.

To divert the upper echelon’s attention.

To prevent their full focus from falling on her.

She’d opened a Pandora’s box and thrown it into the ocean—

To keep herself out of the spotlight.

She had no way of knowing what consequences that would bring.

This world had already deviated far from what she once knew.

It was irresponsible, perhaps.
But Ianna had one thing—

A firm belief.

That Aewon could be sealed.

A method to seal Aewon had been discovered in the original novel—
through the immense sacrifice of Heosang and other magical girls.
Ianna remembered it vaguely.

The air in Hojoon’s office grew heavy with tension.

…If possible…

Steven had slipped his hand into his inner pocket.

Ready to eliminate Miko by force, if necessary.

Miko, catching this, smiled with her eyes and raised her ever-present fan to her lips.

“We can’t undo the past, can we? Well, I’ll forgive you. Hojoon.”

“Thank you.”

Now, all three pairs of eyes turned to Ianna.

“Shall we begin the real discussion?”