episode_0089

… … … … …

“Now, I get it… … .”

Lee Seo-yeon was left alone in the darkened examination room, looking at the test paper. The blue monitor light illuminated her pale face.

Her hand, which had just been stroking the boy’s head, was still warm.

“The brand of madness… … .”

An ability that extremely amplifies affection and obsession for the possessor of the ability.

A terrifying power that distorts the minds of powerful entities that come into contact with the holder of the ability, further enhancing their abilities.

This, this power, was the cause of everything that had happened until now.

Seo-yeon Lee smiled coldly. Seo Yu-ryeong, Yoon Ha-neul, Jin Wol-hee, Park Seo-ah, Kim Tae-yang, Park A-young… … The obsession they showed toward Seo-yeon Lee’s younger sister was nothing more than false emotions distorted by their abilities.

What this means is that their ‘love’ is nothing more than a fake affection and an illusion that is the result of a distorted mind.

But Seo-yeon Lee was different. From the moment she first met her younger brother, Seo-yeon Lee loved him.

The feelings that Lee Seo-yeon had for her younger brother were pure, true, and undistorted love. She was able to bet everything on it and be certain of it.

She looked at the crystal in the examination room. Her own reflection in it glowed coldly.

“No matter how obsessed and affectionate they are… …in the end, it’s just an illusion.”

True love was something only Lee Seo-yeon had.

A cold smile spread across Lee Seo-yeon’s lips in the blue light of the monitor. Now she knew for sure. She was the only one who could truly protect her younger brother.

The lights in the examination room flickered, casting her distorted shadow on the wall. Lee Seo-yeon held the examination paper close to her chest and sighed excitedly.

Seo-yeon Lee was momentarily overcome with a sense of superiority, but her smile gradually faded.

She had to face reality. She read the contents of the test paper carefully once more.

‘As the mental distortion of the contacting entity progresses, the physical abilities or powers of the affected entity become stronger.’

The implication of this phrase was clear. Even if they were falsely affectionate, they were all formidable foes. Moreover, the more they came into contact with his younger brother, the stronger their power would become.

Lee Seo-yeon sighed and sank deeper into her chair. Every time the monitor light flickered, a shadow appeared on her face and then disappeared.

It was impossible for Lee Seo-yeon to eliminate them all on her own. Seo Yu-ryeong’s stealth ability, Yoon Ha-neul’s brute strength and endurance, Jin Wol-hee’s regenerative power, Park Seo-ah’s fighting ability based on millisecond foresight, Kim Tae-yang’s magic and fire… … and Park A-young, who had just joined them.

This uncomfortable and misguided sharing relationship had to be broken. But how?

Lee Seo-yeon looked down at her gloves. Her brain manipulation abilities were limited. A more fundamental solution was needed.

She got up from her seat and walked around the examination room, her shadow stretching across the wall.

To protect his brother, to save him from these women who love him falsely, a new plan was needed.

The light from the crystal reflected in Lee Seo-yeon’s cold eyes.

… … … … …

“Is it all over… … ?”

A long time after Lee Seo-yeon left the examination room, Seo Yu-ryeong’s voice rang out faintly in the darkness.

The shadow in the examination room began to move little by little, and the figure of Seo Yu-ryeong, who had been one with the wall, was slowly revealed.

“As expected… … .”

The blue monitor light illuminated her purple hair. Seo Yu-ryeong checked the screen of the examination machine first.

As expected, Lee Seo-yeon neatly erased all the records.

“You’re such a fucking bitch. But you can’t stop me, right?”

Seo Yu-ryeong clicked her tongue as she approached the chopsticks placed in the corner.

Taking a small tool out of his pocket, Seo Yu-ryeong began to disassemble the shredder with his skilled hands. Finally, a pile of papers appeared inside the shredder.

“Now it’s really starting… … .”

Seo Yu-ryeong carefully took out a pile of papers and spread them out on the desk. The torn papers were scattered on the desk like a puzzle.

Her purple eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. She began to calmly put the puzzle together, smoothing out the pieces of paper with her fingers.

“If they brought Autumn Seed and simply did a health checkup, they wouldn’t have erased the traces like this. There must have been something… … .”

Every time the monitor’s light flickered, a shadow appeared and disappeared across Seo Yu-ryeong’s face. Her eyes became more and more serious.

The truth that Lee Seo-yeon tried to hide will soon fall into Seo Yu-ryeong’s hands.

… … … … …

As the torn pieces of paper were put back together one by one, the contents of the document were slowly revealed.

And as she read the contents of the document, Seo Yu-ryeong’s fingers began to tremble slightly. The Brand of Madness… … As she read the true nature of that ability, her face turned pale.

Mental distortion, forced attachment, abnormal obsession. The light from the monitor illuminated her hand.

It confused her that all the feelings she had felt for the boy had been amplified by his powers.

Then, suddenly, footsteps were heard from behind.

“That’s it.”

Seo Yu-ryeong tried to make her body transparent for a moment, but it was already too late. Lee Seo-yeon was standing in front of the door. She had been hiding nearby while pretending to leave. The gloves on her hands were glowing faintly.

Seo Yu-ryeong stepped back, extremely nervous. The pieces of paper on the desk scattered and fell to the floor.

“You saw it.”

“… … … .”

To the silent Seo Yu-ryeong, Lee Seo-yeon slowly approached and spoke in a soft voice.

“Don’t be so nervous. I have something to say about what you read.

… … We just need to keep it between us, right?”

Lee Seo-yeon’s footsteps stopped. Her eyes were cold, but her voice was filled with sweet poison.

The light emanating from the examination room separated the two people. Seo Yu-ryeong remained silent, but her purple eyes shook anxiously.

“Why… …Why?”

A cold smile spread across Lee Seo-yeon’s lips as she watched Seo Yu-ryeong barely open her mouth to answer.

“Is it really necessary to ask why?

You were planning to hide it anyway.”

Seo Yu-ryeong thought for a moment. Lee Seo-yeon was right. There was no reason to share this information with the other crazy women surrounding the boy.

“… … Okay. Let’s keep it a secret between us. But… … .”

Seo Yu-ryeong stared at the pieces of paper scattered on the floor for a while, then slowly raised her head.

“You know that your love for Autumn C… …was because of your ability, right?”

As if she had been waiting for those words, Lee Seo-yeon curled the corners of her mouth. Her pupils dilated greatly.

“Your love may be like that. But I am not.”

Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes flashed with madness. Like a broken doll, her fingers unconsciously began to scratch down the desk.

“I loved Gaeul since I first met her. This is pure, true, and undistorted real emotion.”

Lee Seo-yeon placed her hand on her chest. As if she didn’t even feel her nails digging into her flesh, her eyes grew deeper and deeper. Like a bottomless abyss.

“Different from your false feelings. My love is… … .”

Lee Seo-yeon’s lips trembled slightly, and drops of blood formed on her fingers.

“Only my love… …is real.”

Every word she said was permeated with mad affection. Every time the monitor light flickered, Lee Seo-yeon’s expression distorted and then returned. At each moment, her eyes took on a more dangerous gleam.

“Autumn is… … mine. Always has been, always will be.”

… … … … …

“… … … .”

Seo Yu-ryeong couldn’t take her eyes off Lee Seo-yeon. Her bloody fingernails, her distorted expression, her maddening eyes. Everything was confirming that she had already lost her senses.

Every time the lights in the examination room flashed, Lee Seo-yeon’s face looked even more grotesquely distorted.

True love? Pure emotions? A cold sneer rose from within Seo Yu-ryeong.

This woman… … no, the other women surrounding Ga-eul are all extremely dangerous lunatics.

Seo Yu-ryeong clenched her hands tightly. She must never, ever hand Ga-eul over to these crazy women.

Lee Seo-yeon, Yoon Ha-neul, Park Seo-ah, Kim Tae-yang, Park A-young… … They are all dangerous beings. None of them are qualified to protect Ga-eul. Ultimately, they must all be eliminated.

‘Only me… … .’

Seo Yu-ryeong clenched her fists even harder. Her purple eyes glowed coldly, and her lips trembled slightly. In her head, worries about Ga-eul continued to linger.

Only she, Seo Yu-ryeong, can protect the boy she loves from these mad women.

And protecting him is the only way to prove that Seo Yu-ryeong’s love is true.

But… …now was not the time. She knew very well how powerful Lee Seo-yeon’s ability was.

If you use your stealth ability, which has grown strangely rapidly in recent times, to make a surprise attack, you might have a chance of winning, but if you fight her head-on, Seo Yu-ryeong will never be able to win.

Seo Yu-ryeong took one last look at the scattered pieces of paper on the floor.

And as if nothing had happened, he walked past Lee Seo-yeon standing in front of the door and headed towards the exit. Her body slowly began to become transparent.