episode_0032

… … … … …

“Oh, no. She’s not my real sister. She just took me in when I had nowhere to go, so we lived together.

And now I’m independent. My sister is on a mission beyond the dimension gate, so I can’t even see her face… … .”

“Is that so?”

Seo-ah answered briefly and remained silent. It seemed as if her feelings were complicated in many ways.

“Then… …Your so-called ‘sister’ seems to be a pretty powerful Awakened. A mission beyond the dimensional gate.”

“That’s right. Sister Seoyeon is truly an amazing person. She’s said to be superhuman among the Awakened just based on her physical abilities. She’s also incredibly smart.”

When I talk about the great things about my older sister Seoyeon, I feel good as if it were my own story and I want to brag about it. However, Seoah, who was listening to me brag about her older sister, didn’t look that happy even though she was smiling.

“Then there’s no need to worry. With an Awakener of that level of skill, gangsters like the Human Defense Association won’t pose a threat to you, Sister.”

For some reason, Seo Ah didn’t seem to want to mention her older sister Seo Yeon very much.

When I think about how Teacher Wol-hee and President Haneul had similar reactions when talking about their older sister, I wonder if I’m just being too sly.

“Rather… … Ga-eul-kun. Your safety is more of a concern. Ga-eul-kun is just an ordinary civilian, right?

If the Human Defense Society is after you, it would be very dangerous.

I heard that a certain person named Noona is currently assigned to a mission beyond the dimensional gate. Do you have anyone you know who can help you right now? ”

“Oh, there isn’t any… … ?”

“Hmm… … .”

Seo-ah, who had been silent for a moment, looked at me with sharp eyes again.

“As is typical of those types of people, the Human Guardians are really vicious to those weaker than them. For example, they leave dead dogs and cats on their doorsteps… … .”

After saying that, she lowered her voice and slowly pushed her upper body toward me.

“… … slowly kills people in various cruel ways. Then, they target the moment when they are vulnerable… … .”

She paused for a moment, staring at me from a distance so close that we could feel each other’s breaths. Concern and some unknown emotion flashed through her eyes.

“I’ll kidnap you. If that happens, there’s no way to survive.

Before killing you, I will make you experience the worst pain a human can experience, and I will kill you in an extremely cruel way.

Throwing them into boiling oil, cutting off their limbs one by one, or gutting them alive… … .”

“Me, really… … ?”

“Really. I’ve seen the dead bodies that I killed that way… ”

“… … .”

Oh no. What do I do now…?

It was only after hearing Seo-ah’s words that I truly felt that I was in danger. My stomach lurched and I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Ji, would it be okay if I gave them the money they asked for even now… … ?”

“No.”

Her reply came back almost immediately.

“Then they just keep asking for money until you end up with a debt you can’t afford to pay.

After squeezing the marrow out of you like that, I’ll kill you like I just told you. ”

“Then… …Should we pack our bags and run away? But where to… … .”

“That method is better than just being taken advantage of, but it’s still dangerous.

If you can live in the mountains for a few months without being found out, then you might not know, but if you leave Seoul and go to another city, you will definitely be found out.

The Humanity Guardians are all a bunch of idiots, but they are numerous. They are everywhere. If they are ever discovered… … .”

She looked down at me with pity. She didn’t finish her sentence, but I could well imagine the ending.

“Uh, uhhh… … .”

I lowered my head in fear and despair. To my shame, tears welled up in my eyes.

“That kind of thing.”

At that moment, a warm sensation enveloped my cheek. Seo-ah was caressing my face with her white, beautiful hands.

She opened her eyes wide, as if slightly surprised by my tears. There was a strange heat in her eyes.

“… … Really, I can’t help it. It’s okay.”

Seo-ah’s fingers brushed my eyes. Her breathing seemed to have gotten slightly rougher.

“This is… …my secret base is safe. Stay here. I will protect you.”

Seo-ah’s voice was slightly raised as she advised me to hide in her hiding place. She spoke to me with a slightly excited face.

“The Human Defense Association is old-fashioned and has many enemies, so they won’t remember you for long anyway.

At least, for the time being… …you just have to stay here for the time being.”

I hesitated a little at Ms. Seo’s generous offer.

She saved me, but this is the first time we’ve met.

It was burdensome to stay at Seo-ah’s house. However, in the current situation, there seemed to be no other choice.

“Really… …Is it okay?”

At the careful question, Seo Ah’s eyes shone strangely. Her breath touched my cheek.

“Of course. I… … yes. You said you were doing personal work for social justice, right?

There is someone in trouble right in front of you, so you have to help them.“

“, thank you… … !”

“Huh, not at all.

If you’re an Autumn Army, you’re always welcome. If you have nowhere to stay after the Human Guardians are quiet, Autumn Army can stay as long as you want. ”

When I bowed my head in thanks, Seo-ah smiled back at me. It wasn’t the scary smile I’d seen before, but a smile that seemed genuinely satisfied.

… … … … …

In the darkness, a little girl’s sobs can be heard.

“Mom… … Dad… … Please… … .”

The girl shrank inside the narrow box. It was so cramped that she could barely breathe.

How much time had passed? A day? Two days? My sense of time had long since disappeared.

What did she do wrong this time? The girl desperately searched her memories. But nothing came to mind.

Maybe she didn’t do anything. Maybe her parents just didn’t like it.

Then suddenly the box door opened and a dazzling light poured in. The girl blinked and raised her head.

“Have you reflected on it now?”

It was her mother’s cold voice. The girl nodded, not knowing what to reflect on.

“Really? Did I do something wrong?

… … Why is there no answer?”

slam–!

The mother’s hand flew towards the girl’s cheek. Fear came before pain.

“There’s no food until tomorrow. Drink tap water or something. Do whatever you want.”

The girl said nothing. She just lowered her head and swallowed her tears.

“You ruined our lives! You should never have been born!”

The voice of her father, who was very drunk, was heard. The girl turned her head and looked at her father. His eyes were filled with hatred and anger toward his child.

The girl was pushed into the box once again. As darkness engulfed her, something inside her slowly but surely broke apart.

My breath was suffocating, and my whole body was numb. A faint voice was heard by the girl trapped in the darkness.

“Seo, Seo-ah? Are you okay?”

Blinking, Park Seo-ah’s mind returned from the past to reality.

She realized that for the first time in her life, she had decided to ‘protect’ someone, and that she was sitting across from the boy who was the object of that protection.

The boy was hesitant, perhaps worried about himself, but he was reaching out his small hand towards her.

“… … It’s okay.”

But to anyone who looked at her, she didn’t look all right. She was drenched in cold sweat and her face was pale. Despite that, she tried to act as if nothing had happened and pushed the boy’s hand away.

Park Seo-ah took a deep breath and then exhaled. Her hand unconsciously wrapped around her arm.

“I’m sorry. I just suddenly remembered something… … .”

But her eyes still looked anxious, and her once relaxed expression was now a helpless frown. To her, the boy she had called Autumn reached out again and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Excuse me, is something wrong? I would like to help you if I can.”

Park Seo-ah flinched slightly in surprise at Ga-eul’s touch. A shadow of extreme fear crossed her eyes for a moment, but she immediately shook her head as if trying to hide it.

“No, I just… …reminded me of an old memory. Excuse me.”

… … … … …

Park Seo-ah quickly left the room, leaving the boy’s worried gaze behind her. Her legs trembled as she walked down the hallway and headed toward the bathroom.

“Quickly… … Quickly take the medicine… … !”

As soon as she closed the bathroom door, she took a small case out of her suit pocket. Inside was a powdered mixture of crushed antidepressants and high-dose antipsychotics.

Park Seo-ah opened the case with trembling hands and rolled up the bills she always carried around, making them into a straw shape. She poured powder on the lid of the case, then held the bills up to her nose and inhaled the powder.