Chapter 78.1

Chapter 78 – Rule 25: The Leader Welcomes a Colleague’s Return (2)

I observed Kim Dalbi’s reaction. Since she was a child, she was never good at hiding her emotions. Even if she tried not to show them, it was always evident.

After watching Dalbi for a while, I asked, “Why did you tell me Baek-seo’s location?”

“Why indeed?” Dalbi replied, tilting her head.

“It felt like a whim. I can’t really explain it,” she said with an awkward smile.

She clearly didn’t want to explain.

“…….”

I didn’t know what Dalbi’s intentions were.

However, without her help, would I have even found Baek-seo’s corpse? I couldn’t be certain.

It was clear that her help had been significant. So, I decided not to press the issue further.

“…Thanks. Thanks to you, I found Baek-seo.”

“Huh? Aren’t we…enemies? You shouldn’t be thanking me, my friend,” Dalbi said, scratching her cheek awkwardly.

“Gratitude is gratitude.”

I looked at Dalbi’s wrist, which I held in my hand.

“And…”

I stopped myself from continuing with ‘I heard something quite strange.’

The most suspicious thing I had heard from Moon Chae-won: ‘You can steal a unique ability.’

I didn’t know if it was true, but recalling the time when I rescued Baek-seo, it didn’t seem like a lie.

It wasn’t information known to this world, nor was it something I could find. Even I, who had played the original work, had never heard of it.

What would happen if news of such a thing spread in Neo Seoul? The city would be in an uproar.

Dalbi was on the Head Principal’s side, after all.

Moreover, Dalbi didn’t know that I was aware of the Head Principal being behind her.

So asking Dalbi about ‘how to steal a unique ability’ carried too much risk.

‘I shouldn’t talk about it.’

I made my decision.

“‘And’?”

“!”

Suddenly, Dalbi leaned towards me and looked into my eyes with a serious gaze. My reaction must have seemed suspicious.

“Nothing…. Hold on.”

“Huh?”

Seeing Dalbi’s face up close, my hand moved instinctively. It ended up on her cheek.

Dalbi flinched but didn’t resist. She seemed a bit tense, though.

As I gently brushed aside her hair, a hidden scar on her cheek was revealed.

‘This is….’

It was a burn mark.

It had been left untreated for at least a day. The color suggested it hadn’t been properly healed.

‘She has a flame attribute, doesn’t she? She shouldn’t get burned by ordinary flames….’

It could only be interpreted as ‘she allowed herself to be burned.’

“Who did this to you?”

I asked, looking directly into Dalbi’s eyes.

“Huh? Oh…, huh?”

“Tell me.”

My voice carried weight.

No matter how much I tried to dilute past memories, sometimes those efforts were in vain. This moment, with my heart burning like a furnace, was proof of that.

Was it because I had come to understand the truth behind Academy City? Aside from feeling an obligation to catch Dalbi, seeing her intentionally injured drove my mind to the edge.

Despite the twisted, contradictory emotions, I didn’t feel confused.

I realized that I still missed her when I met Dalbi again at New Yongsan Street.

Yet, I knew I had to be firm because our relationship had already gone awry.

I could easily tell that this burn mark was caused by the Head Principal.

Seeing Dalbi now reminded me of the six sinners I had fought in the past. It made me want to uncover the Head Principal’s methods.

Dalbi, who had been flustered, eventually smiled softly. She closed her eyes and gently leaned her head towards my hand as if savoring my touch after a long time.

“…I’m human too. I can get hurt.”

Her voice carried a hint of playfulness.

But it was also as soft as a droplet falling into a tranquil lake under the moonlight, creating small ripples.

“You are….”

Kim Dalbi.
Han Seo-jin.
Moon Chae-won.
And someday, Hong Kyu and Hong Bin, whom I would fight.

Besides Goliath, the six sinners.

What kind of treatment were you all subjected to?

It was a meaningless question, so I couldn’t ask it. In the end, I was at a loss for words.

“And it’s silly for someone in the Disciplinary Committee to worry about an enemy. Right, Woo-jin?”

Dalbi gently pushed my hand away.

“…It’s not worry. I just wanted to know.”

“Really? Are you trying to find out how I got burned to use it against me later?”

I had no response.

Dalbi smiled understandingly and moved on with a fresh laugh.

“I just came by because I was feeling nostalgic, as you said. Since we’re connected, you could call it a kind of exploration?”

“Make sense.”

“Hehe, sorry for waking you.”

Dalbi apologized playfully.

“I won’t come like this again.”

“…….”

“Rest, Woo-jin.”

Dalbi turned into a gentle flame and disappeared.

Only silence remained in the hospital room.

***

Even in the middle of the night, Neo Seoul was filled with bright lights.

Kim Dalbi sat on the edge of a high-rise building, quietly staring at the hospital where Ahn Woo-jin was hospitalized. Her cherry blossom-colored hair fluttered gently in the night breeze.

As a child, Dalbi had placed a goblin’s contract mark on Woo-jin. It was invisible and had no significant effect. It simply reported to Dalbi through sensations if the marked person was injured.

A few months ago, Dalbi had visited Woo-jin when he caught the flu, something she could only know thanks to the mark.

Recently, Dalbi had undergone ‘discipline’ in the punishment room. It was the price for defying the Head Principal, and it was essentially torture.

During that time, the mark had reported that Woo-jin was severely injured.
It drove her mad.

Dalbi endured the torture, holding on to her sanity as she clung to her worry for Woo-jin.

She had heard from Spartoi’s Son Ye-seo that Woo-jin had fought a full battle against Moon Chae-won.

Her heart sank, and before she knew it, she found herself at the hospital.

It was possible because the Head Principal’s surveillance had loosened. The Head Principal’s health was deteriorating day by day.

Dalbi didn’t want to visit Woo-jin like this again. However, she couldn’t control her worry for him. Perhaps the torture had affected her sanity as well.

She had intended only to check on his condition while he slept, but in the end, he woke up.

It seemed his senses had sharpened after being promoted to the 6th tier.

“I’m glad you’re safe…. I’m really glad….”

Dalbi sighed deeply in relief, hugging her knees and burying her head. She had felt like her heart would collapse until she reached the hospital.

If Woo-jin had been critically injured beyond recovery, Dalbi wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

“…….”

The night breeze caressed Dalbi’s skin.

The lingering touch of Woo-jin’s hand on her cheek remained like an afterglow.

When she felt Woo-jin’s touch, her heart had surged momentarily. She thought she’d never experience it again.

To her, who had no place to return to or rely on, that touch felt like salvation.

─ ‘Because it’s detestable.’

Woo-jin’s cold voice filled Dalbi’s mind. She understood why he said such things.

It was because she had deeply wounded Woo-jin’s heart in the past, and their relationship had become something they couldn’t handle alone due to their positions.

Now, Dalbi decided not to seek out Woo-jin impulsively. Confirming his safety was enough; she didn’t want to cling any longer.

Besides,

‘Oh Baek-seo…, I’m glad you’re alive too. You need to stay alive to protect Woo-jin.’

Woo-jin had Baek-seo.

He needed Baek-seo by his side.

Even if it wasn’t for personal reasons, having Baek-seo alive was beneficial to Dalbi’s plans.

So, Dalbi had ordered the goblin to reveal Baek-seo’s location to Woo-jin.

‘And…’

Dalbi gazed at the glittering city, recalling the Head Principal who had broken the promise not to harm Woo-jin.

“Head Principal….”

Contrasting with the beautiful cityscape, her eyes were dark and resolute. A determined resolve was evident in her gaze.

Dalbi’s plan was approaching.

***

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