episode_0068

22. Splitting Garam Settlement (2)

I ran to find where my older sister Yeonwoo was.

I was able to quickly find where my sister was because there were people who recognized me.

“Sister!!!”

“Yeonseo? How are you here?!”

“I told you I was coming to see you, Unnie! More importantly, Jinseok oppa! Where are you, Unnie?”

“Calm down! Suddenly, a light came down and all the injured people were being healed…”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. My friend has the ability to heal.”

“I see? Okay. Just follow me for now.”

” huh. ”

I followed my older brother Jinseok, whom I met like that, to where my older sister was.

When I opened the door to one of the rooms, I could see my sister lying on the sofa.

“Sister…!”

I walked over to my sister and grabbed her hand, then sat down.

Memories from my childhood when my parents were killed by demons disguised as humans, and those demons came to me in the form of my parents.

After that, my sister gathered people to live with me as a child.

It was a year ago that we founded the Garam settlement with people in the same situation as us.

Now, now! It’s a stable settlement!

“Sister… sob…”

When I grabbed my sister’s hand and placed it against my forehead, her hand moved with a ‘pop’.

“Sister… it’s okay… so don’t cry. Okay?”

“Now… you don’t look like you’re crying?! ”

“Don’t yell, my head is ringing.”

I hugged my sister and shed tears.

“Are you feeling calm now?”

“Yeah, wasn’t it Seok-Hyeon oppa who guarded the building? So when he arrived, he got rid of the demons outside, but why is this happening…”

“Yeonseo, I’ll explain that. First, Yeonwoo needs to rest a little more, so come over here and sit down.”

As I sat down on the chair facing the table where Jinseok oppa was sitting, Jinseok oppa looked at me with a serious expression.

“First of all, there were no injuries before we entered the building.”

“That means… those guys who are acting strangely…!”

“Yeah, this time… I disguised myself as a child. You know, the little girl family that came before I left. Do you remember?”

“Yeah… Wait a minute…!”

“Yes, I approached Yeonwoo in the guise of that child. I don’t know when it started to change, but… maybe it started back then.”

“That’s nonsense…”

“That’s not the only problem. After Yeonwoo was attacked by that kid, Seokhyun killed her, but the kid’s father saw it. ”

“What’s the problem with that?”

“The child’s father thinks we killed his daughter. No matter how much we explain, he won’t listen and says there’s no evidence.”

Those words made me really angry.

Some people get hurt while trying to protect themselves, but instead of properly assessing the situation… they get angry…!

“I have to meet her right now. Who is the one who got hurt?”

As I was getting up from the chair, Jinseok grabbed my hand.

“Calm down. This isn’t going to work out right now!”

“Really? How can I calm down! Who caused my sister to end up like this! It’s not even worth it to fight back!”

“I’m saying this because he’s not the only one who says that!”

“What? What does that mean…?”

“First of all, when Seok-Hyeon defeated the demon that had disguised itself as a child, all the parts that had transformed into the demon’s form were crushed, so all that was left was… one arm that looked like a small girl’s.

Because of that, rumors are spreading within the settlement that the child was killed.

Of course, those who saw it said that the child was a demon, but strangely, there were many people who insisted, “It’s not a demon, it’s a person.”

“How could that be? It wasn’t just my brothers and sister who saw it, there were other people too!”

“Those people… Those people who are said to be human, not demons… You may not know, but they are all people who entered the settlement not long ago. All of them…! ”

When Jinseok oppa said this, a word flashed in my head.

“Obelisk…!”

“Huh? Why that name… ”

“Okay. I’ll try to endure it for now. In return, please stay close to my sister. You’re in a weak state right now, okay?”

“Okay, I got it.”

I left the room where my sister and Jinseok were and quickly headed to where Charlotte and Hyunseok were.

If I’m right… the Garam settlement is now cracking.

*****

“Charlotte, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m almost healed now. Do you feel it, Hyunseok?”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s something strange about the atmosphere here right now. It’s like… we’re trying to devour each other.”

Lee Seok-hyeon, who was listening to what I was saying, asked.

“So, Charlotte? Right? Can you explain what that means?”

“Yes, I don’t know for sure… but people’s gaze is a little different. Right now, in this situation… they should normally be looking out for their own families, but instead, they’re glaring at us. Do you know why? ”

“Hmm, maybe… it might be because of me.”

“What are you talking about, Seok-Hyeon?”

“Shh! Actually… Yeonwoo wasn’t hurt until she entered the building. It happened after she entered the building.”

“What is that…? Wait a minute, bro! What does that mean…! ”

“Yes, Yeonwoo was attacked by a demon who pretended to run away and sneaked in. And he was attacked by a guy who disguised himself as a child.”

According to what Mr. Lee Seok-hyeon said later, when a girl suddenly approached him looking for her mother, Yeonseo’s older sister hugged her and the girl attacked her, revealing her true self.

And the story goes that he dealt with the demon that had transformed into the form of a child. However, the child’s father appeared there and cried, asking if he had killed his daughter.

After that, the opinion that claimed “It was a demon” and the opinion that claimed “It was a child!” including the child’s father were fighting until just a little while ago.

“That’s… quite a dangerous story.”

“Yes, the problem is that there are more and more people who sympathize with the child’s father.”

“Seok-Hyeon, if that’s true… ”

“Yes, if we make a mistake, Garam Settlement might be split in two.”

As I was listening to the story of the Garam settlement facing such a dangerous situation, someone approached me the moment I drew my sword.

“The young lady… is that the saint or something?”

The person who approached was an old woman.

An ordinary lady…that you could see around you. But I felt a sense of discomfort from that lady.

That atmosphere, that vibe of her calling me a ‘saint’ was somehow familiar and eerie.

“Oh, Hyunseok, your girlfriend is called ‘Saint’? That’s amazing~”

“Well, this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“Haha… Ma’am, where did you hear people call you a saint?”

“Ah~ Look at my mind. It’s just that… someone I know came over. There’s a girl who heals people for free.”

” is it so? ”

“That’s right. But anyway, miss. What do you think?”

” yes? ”

The lady grabbed me and dragged me away slightly.

“I… I heard that the man killed a child. Even if you know him, it’s better to be careful.”

“But that’s a trick…”

“Oh my! No matter what, the devil would come all the way here? We barely managed to survive by blocking and destroying them all!”

The lady who said that looked quite nervous.

I don’t know about the lady, but I definitely saw it. The demon that just came out from next to me and screamed was this lady…

She was lying to me right now.

“I see. I just got here so I didn’t know… Thank you for letting me know. ”

“Ugh, the world is going to end. There are too many scoundrels who don’t believe in God…!”

After saying that, the old woman left me and walked over to where a group of people were gathered.

There was a man there, crying, holding the ‘arms of a small child’.

But rather than comforting the man, the crowd was talking to each other and whispering to strangers.

That sight was so jarring.

“Saint… Saint… Hmm, now that I think about it, that guy back then… the ‘strange old man’ said the same thing to me. ”

“Charlotte!”

I heard Yeonseo’s voice calling me, so I stopped thinking and turned my head to look.

There was Yeonseo with a rather serious expression on her face.

“Can you… give me some time?”

*****

Voices outside looking for family, voices of fear, voices of people everywhere insisting that you are wrong and I am right.

Moving our bodies among those voices, we found ourselves in a room.

On the sofa lay a voluptuous woman with light green hair, and next to her was a man with a body that looked quite athletic.

“Hello? So, my name is Seo Yeon-woo, Yeon-seo’s older sister. Feel free to call me Yeon-woo older sister. ”

“And I am Kim Jin-seok, who helps Yeon-woo run Garam.”

“My name is Charlotte. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah! Thanks to you, I’ve gotten a lot better. Thank you.”

“No. Are you really Yeonseo’s older sister?”

“Huh? Right. Why is that?”

“No, that… well… um… ”

I looked at Yeonseo in turns with Seo Yeonwoo, Yeonseo’s older sister.

＇ Are you really… sisters? Even your bodies are so… different? ＇

Yeonseo seemed to notice something in my eyes and came over to me, grabbing my cheek.

“Hey! You bastard! I think you’re being quite rude to me just now!”

“No way…! It’s just… My sister has such a nice body, but our Yeonseo’s name is just like ‘Seo Yeonseo’, so it’s the same front and back…”

“Hey!!! You… these days… seem to be doing pretty well! Hey!”

“Phew, Yeonseo, stop it. You’re my friend.”

“Uh… Sister! But…!”

“And don’t tease me like that, I was just telling the truth.”

“Sister?”

At her sister’s words, Yeonseo sat down on the chair and was knocked down.

“Wow~ Jinseok hyung. This is the first time I’ve seen Yeonseo treated like that.”

“Ahem, me too… It’s my first time. Hyunseok, really, that kid… ”

“That’s right. She’s my girlfriend.”

I felt slightly embarrassed when I saw Hyunseok confidently saying that I was his girlfriend.

＇ Of course… I don’t hate the way you call me yours… but… it’s a little embarrassing to say it so confidently in front of other people…! ＇

As the mood eased a little, Yeonseo, who had been knocked down, lightly hit the desk and caught our attention.

“Ahem, Bul-yeosi, you… I’ll see you later. First of all, the reason I gathered everyone here is… ”

“Is it because of the people who instigate the fight?”

“Sister?! ”

As Unnie Yeonwoo said, the Garam settlement is now… cracking.

By a group that claims that the demon that attacked her was human.

“Yeonseo, just because I’m collapsed like this right now doesn’t mean I don’t know anything. Seojin, whom you love, is bringing me information.”

Sister Yeonwoo said that while pointing to the window. There was a small bird there.

“Indeed… then the story is fast!”

With Yeonseo’s face reddening, we began talking about the Garam settlement that was currently in danger.

A small ripple caused by a father of one child shook the large lake called Garam Settlement.

Not knowing that soon the ripples would begin to engulf Seoul…