episode_0092

… … … … …

What had just happened seemed like a nightmare, but it was definitely reality.

The radiance that radiated from the sun’s golden eyes, the glowing air mass that was fired at Wol-hee-sensei at her will, and even Wol-hee-sensei’s flesh that was regenerating in a terrifyingly grotesque way.

That’s why, even though I witnessed everything, I didn’t go back and stayed until the end.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I thought the president of the association would tell me the truth.

“Excuse me, Mr. President. Please explain.”

“… … What, do you mean? Be specific.”

“Those people… …Are they the people I know?

Mr. Sun, Ms. Wol-hee, Sister A-young… …and Mr. Ghost.

And… …other people too.”

“… … … .”

My voice trembled as I continued to speak. The scenes I had just witnessed came back to me again.

Murder and hatred towards one another, and myself at the center of it all.

“The last time the three of you just stood there and looked at each other… …you all said you were protecting me. Right?”

The president of the association was silent. He simply listened to what I said, his mouth heavy and shut.

“As expected… …it was strange. Everything that happened… …around me.”

Starting with the strange coldness flowing between the women at the social gathering, to the female acquaintances at the social gathering who I met by strange ‘coincidence’.

Looking back now, it was all strange. But I thought I was just going about my daily life peacefully without knowing anything, and it wasn’t until the unusual came right before my eyes that I realized how strange it was.

I took a moment to catch my breath. The glass shards scattered across the floor from the battle glowed faintly.

“Now… …I think you should know, Chairman.”

The president of the association let out a deep sigh after hearing what I said. His eyes were filled with regret.

“I don’t think you… … necessarily need to know.

You’ve done well so far. Keep doing it the way you have been doing.”

“I can’t… …not know anymore.”

My hands slowly went to the floor. My heart started beating fast in fear, but I couldn’t stop. I had to know the truth.

The moment I picked up the broken glass, my hand trembled slightly. A sharp pain was felt as the sharp edge brushed my palm. Normally, I would not have touched such a dangerous object.

“Please explain. Or… … .”

With trembling hands, I held the shard of glass close to my wrist. My heart pounded faster and a cold sweat ran down my face.

◦Don’t do %◦.”

The president’s voice became sharp. But I didn’t stop. The shards of glass touched my wrist.

“Association President, please… … .”

I felt my skin tear as I applied a little force. Tears welled up in pain, but I still did not close my eyes. As I pleaded with a trembling voice, a small drop of blood formed on my wrist.

“Haa… … … .”

The president sighed deeply. His shoulders slowly slumped, as if decades of time had poured out at once.

“I’ll tell you. If you want it so badly… … .”

The president paused for a moment and looked at me.

“You are… … an Awakened One.

It also has a very special ability. It’s called the ‘Stamp of Madness’… … ”

“Ability… … ?”

“Yes. It’s the ability to be loved by beings with strong power.

If you could have stopped at the exact level of power you had when you first unleashed your power… …you would have lived a very comfortable life.

While wearing the favor of the powerful Awakened Ones.”

I slowly put the shard of glass down. The small wound on my wrist stung.

“But even though you aren’t aware of it, your abilities are growing stronger.

And the strengthened ability… … distorted the minds of those affected by the ability.

Their curiosity turned to favor, favor to affection, affection to obsession, obsession… … turned into madness.”

“That’s, what is… …?”

“The way you saw them today is proof of that.

Their feelings towards you… … have long since gone beyond the range that can be suppressed by reason.”

As the president spoke, the events of the day flashed before my eyes. The maddening eyes of Tae-yang, the body of Teacher Wol-hee that instantly regenerated even after exploding, Sister A-young’s eerie smile…

It felt like reality was slowly crumbling away.

… … … … …

“That can’t be… … .”

My voice trembled. My legs lost their strength and I collapsed on the spot.

“Because of my ability… … all this happened… … ?

Sister Seo-yeon, Mr. Ghost, Teacher Wol-hee, President Haneul, Mr. Tae-yang, Sister A-young… … all because of me… … ?”

“… … Don’t blame yourself.”

The president of the association approached me slowly and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“It’s not your fault. Just because a flower has a fragrance, can you say it’s the flower’s fault?

Flowers are just blooming. It’s not the flower’s fault that bees are attracted to their fragrance.

Your abilities are the same.”

“But… ….”

“Your abilities are just a part of who you are.

Even if it affects others, it wasn’t your choice.

It’s just a natural phenomenon, like moonlight moving the sea.”

The association president continued speaking.

“It’s never your fault that they were seduced by you.

However… … the problem is how to control the things that inevitably happen due to your abilities.

So I did my best… for now.”

The president’s voice grew increasingly tired.

“I made a meeting to make them aware of each other’s existence, to keep them in check, and to have them meet you in turns… … I tried to somehow hold on to the things that were falling apart.”

His sighs echoed heavily.

“But in the end… …it was nothing more than a broken window haphazardly taped together.

And in the end… … it turned out like this.”

The president’s voice gradually subsided. His shadow grew long under the fluorescent lights.

“They are increasingly… …unable to bear the time without you.

At first, meeting once every ten days was enough… … but not anymore.”

“The impulsive behavior displayed by Yongjong-in Kim Taeyang today is nothing more than a harbinger of the coming catastrophe.

The fact that he suddenly committed such an extreme act with no prospect of success… … means that he was that desperate.”

The eyes of the association president darkened as he continued his explanation.

“But next time… …you might not be alone. Maybe some of them will join hands. To break this imperfect balance.

Since I can only observe the present, this is just a guess, though.”

I bit my lip. I thought of the girls I saw today. If these girls, who have already lost their sense of reason, were to hold hands, what would happen?

“They will use increasingly extreme methods in the future.

It turns out that kidnapping through a dimensional gate isn’t easy… …so they’ll have to resort to other means.”

“Then what should I… … do?”

The president of the association was silent for a while. He closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again and looked at me with eyes that seemed to be preparing for something.

“Actually… …I have a method in mind.”

… … … … …

The president of the association only said that there was a way, but did not finish the story.

He explains that the reason he doesn’t reveal the details is because there is a risk of information leaking.

He seemed to think that I, who spent a lot of time interacting with female acquaintances, might drop a line in conversation.

If you think about it, he was very reluctant to even reveal the fact that there was a method.

How could it be that there was a secret between us who had become a community of shared destiny? I was a little disappointed, but I couldn’t question the president any further because he wouldn’t open his mouth until the very end.

The last thing he told me was, ‘This is something you and I will have to risk our lives for.’

Putting that ‘final solution’ aside, what I needed to do now was simple.

As the president of the association advised, I spend time meeting with female acquaintances who are members of the social club.

It may sound a little strange, but he said this was the surest way to stabilize them.

And today is… …the day I have an appointment with Teacher Wolhee.

The teacher invited me to her mansion for the first time, and I accepted, taking a taxi to her mansion.

‘You have done a great job of stopping the kidnapping attempt on Yongjong, so as a reward, I have given you priority time to spend with me.’

The president’s words came to mind. I wondered if it would be that fun to be with me, but if the person in question is having fun, I guess I shouldn’t interfere.

The taxi I took left the city center and headed toward the suburbs.

‘I didn’t think that Professor Wolhee’s private residence would be this far away… … .’

“Over there――”

I raised my head at the driver’s voice.

“Customer, is this the right place… …?”