The End of a Long Adolescence – Part 2

D-25 until the College Scholastic Ability Test.

Kim Sung-ah’s increasingly gaunt appearance worried Kang In-ho.

“Something’s definitely up.”

Her subtly subdued demeanor for the past few days had been weighing on his mind.

Considering she went to school perfectly fine but seemed downcast from the time she got home, something definitely happened at school.

“Everything else is the same as usual, it’s just her expression that’s awful…”

They ate together and talked well enough. That was what complicated Kang In-ho’s thoughts.

While letting the braised short ribs simmer, he sat at the table and thought.

“Is there some kind of underground water vein in the house? I haven’t been sleeping well lately either.”

The influence of the evil forces that appeared day and night might have had something to do with it, but he hadn’t been getting proper sleep recently.

He had been dreaming every night, and as he pieced together the hazy memories, it was always the same thing.

“Master keeps appearing.”

The content of the dream was that his Master, Namgung Soyou, came to him every night.

He didn’t remember exactly what they did, but he remembered that they mostly talked or shared intimacy.

“I understand having erotic dreams because of pent-up desires… but was I that starved for conversation? It seems like I talk to Master a lot too.”

[Is there something you’ve been secretly plotting recently?]

[What is your true purpose?]

The face of his Master, who persistently asked him something, faintly came to mind.

“Something about her personality was off, though.”

His Master in the dream was different from the young Namgung Soyou or the Heavenly Demon, the leader of the Black Heaven Cult.

In some ways, her appearance was exactly the same as the Namgung Soyou in his memory, but her words and actions were similar to Seong-a.

“Master’s face with Seong-a’s personality… Ugh…”

A chill ran down his spine, and he shuddered as he stood up.

He could have been suspicious of that strange gap, but he thought it was a product of his subconscious.

Perhaps it would be even stranger to think that the impudent child was crawling into his bed every night.

“It’s a special braised short rib… I hope she eats it and feels energized.”

He muttered to himself, thinking of Kim Sung-ah, who would be coming home soon.

D-20 until the College Scholastic Ability Test.

“Why are you so nice to me, Mister?”

That was what Seong-a, who was studying late into the night, said when he brought her fruit, thinking it was admirable.

“What do you mean, ‘nice’?”

“This kind of thing. Bringing me fruit and stuff.”

She pointed to the plate placed within easy reach.

“Have you forgotten? You bought all this with your own money, you know?”

When Kang In-ho said that with a serious face, Kim Sung-ah gave her usual listless smile.

“The sincerity of buying fruit with that money and bringing it to me like this is your kindness, Mister.”

“You’re good with words. Have you been studying language?”

“Language? Oh, are you talking about Korean?”

“Korean? Not the language section?”

Kang In-ho blinked a few times.

“Wrong.”

Kim Sung-ah chuckled and put an apple in her mouth.

The apple was sweet, and she was smiling, but there was still a burden on one side of her face.

“Anyway, study hard. And go to bed early. Managing your condition is important too.”

“Yes. When are you going to sleep, Mister?”

“Me? I think I’ll sleep within an hour. I haven’t been getting good sleep lately.”

“……You’re not waking up in the middle of the night, are you?”

“I don’t wake up, but I think I’ve been dreaming a lot.”

“Hmm….”

“Why?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll enjoy the apple.”

She put another slice of apple in her mouth.

Crunch. The door to the room closed with a sound.

Kim Sung-ah, who had been listening to his receding footsteps, leaned back against the chair and exhaled a long sigh like cigarette smoke.

“In the end, he won’t tell me why he’s being so nice to me.”

D-13 until the College Scholastic Ability Test.

“Sorry, are you hungry? I’ll make something quickly.”

Kang In-ho, who had just returned home, said to Kim Sung-ah as he entered the kitchen, where ingredients were scattered messily.

She must have just gotten home too, as she was still in her neat school uniform.

“Looks like there was an attack.”

She asked, looking at the sweat beading on his forehead and the half-cut vegetables.

The shadow cast on her face grew darker day by day. Kang In-ho was about to say something about it, but he soon closed his mouth.

It was clear that he wouldn’t get an answer even if he asked.

Instead, he decided to answer her question.

“Yeah, I was making dinner when suddenly…”

Kim Sung-ah, listening to his words of exhaustion, sat at the table without even changing her clothes.

“But the attacks have been a bit strange lately.”

“Strange?”

“They usually appear in places where there are a lot of people. So until you erase their memories with Star’s Power, videos of them circulate on the news or the internet.”

Kim Sung-ah said with a puzzled look.

“Yeah, so?”

Kang In-ho picked up the knife and started cutting the vegetables again, responding to her words casually.

“But there’s no news like that lately. No emergency alerts either.”

“I cleaned up quickly, but I think it’s because all the recent attacks have been happening in high places?”

As he recalled the battles, Kim Sung-ah’s expression darkened even more.

“Exactly. The fact that the location they suddenly appear in has changed is bothering me. It’s like they don’t want anyone to know they’re attacking.”

“Isn’t it just a whim? There’s no reason for them to do that.”

“Who knows? Maybe they want to have a secret meeting.”

Kim Sung-ah glanced at Kang In-ho’s face. Kang In-ho’s face, engrossed in cooking, showed no change.

Kim Sung-ah bit her lip slightly.

“Mister, aren’t you tired? Attacks are happening day and night…”

“It was hard at first, but I’m getting used to it. Hey, but how did you do this for years? Amazing, amazing.”

He shook his head as he lit the gas stove.

It was because he realized once again that the position he was standing in for was a heavy burden for a twenty-year-old child to bear.

“If you’re tired, I can do it again.”

“Let’s finish the College Scholastic Ability Test first.”

“…Okay. Then I’ll go change my clothes.”

“Okay, I’ll call you when dinner’s ready. It’ll take a while.”

“Yes.”

Back in her room, Kim Sung-ah slowly undressed.

Her white school uniform top fell onto the bed, and her plaid skirt fell to the floor.

After unhooking her constricting bra and throwing it into the laundry basket, she put on a baggy t-shirt.

“…If there’s no reaction even after doing this much, does that mean it’s not working?”

She tried to voice a conclusion she wanted to believe.

But then the scene of the day she met the Four Heavenly Kings and him came back to her mind.

“Then, why did he say those words?”

The worst conclusion suddenly reared its head.

She threw herself onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow.

And she screamed as hard as she could. The frustration, annoyance, and anger that had built up inside her were gradually mixed into the scream.

After a few minutes of venting her emotions, she took her flushed face off the pillow and lay on her back on the bed.

“…Is that the only way?”

That night.

Kang In-ho, who had gone to bed early to make up for his lack of sleep, woke up with a sudden sensation of something piercing his neck.

“…What…?”

Even with eyes that had not yet adjusted to the darkness, he could clearly see the sharp piece of metal aimed at his neck.

“What, what is it?”

Just as his consciousness, hastily pulled from the depths of a dream into reality, was floundering, a voice was heard.

“[Purity of Starlight, discern truth from falsehood. Libra.]”

As soon as the words were spoken, a green Libra, sparkling like starlight, appeared in the dark room, shining brightly.

“Swear while looking at the Libra. I swear to the Libra that I will only speak the truth.”

“…What?”

“Swear.”

As soon as her words were spoken, the metal began to press slightly against his neck.

With just a little more force, it would pierce his neck.

He swallowed.

“Swear.”

“Seong-ah, why suddenly…”

“Swear!”

Mysterious purple eyes, shining brightly in the darkness, were trembling.