episode_0104

… … … … …

Although I was very shaken by Seo-ah’s phone call, I eventually caught a taxi and arrived at the university that Yeoreum attended.

When I arrived in front of the large university building, I hesitated for a moment.

“My friends told me not to do that, but is it really okay… …?

… … No, I can’t back out now.”

I headed to the department building, checking the map I found online again. As I walked down the long hallway, I felt my heart beating faster and faster.

After hurriedly walking, I finally came into view of the office. But then… … my heart sank.

“Boy.”

Teacher Wol-hee was standing in front of the office. She looked like she had just run out of work, wearing a white gown, and she looked as if she had been there from the beginning.

“Now… …let’s stop. Isn’t this enough?

Please, don’t push us away.”

I was quite embarrassed because I could hear a hint of pleading in the teacher’s voice. I tried to avoid her gaze, but I could feel her cold yet desperate gaze scanning my entire body.

“But… ….”

“Boy.”

I tried to say something, but Teacher Wol-hee cut me off. In the end, no more words came out of my throat.

I stumbled out of the building. I was out of breath. I was afraid that they were predicting my every move and that they were always one step ahead.

As I was about to leave campus, I ran into another familiar face at the main gate.

“Little one, this is your final warning.”

It was the sun. Her golden eyes, once proud and fierce, were narrowed as if they had been pierced with pins, giving off a frighteningly cold feeling.

“Stop doing stupid things. I can’t even take responsibility for this body anymore.”

Without even having time to ponder the meaning behind those words, I ran away from school.

Today I didn’t find out anything about summer either. But I was sure of one thing.

They obviously know something, no, everything. And they are trying to hide it to the end.

“Now… …there is no other way.”

… … … … …

It was early in the morning, a long time after I returned home, that I was typing on the keyboard with trembling hands in front of my computer.

[Urgent tip-off request]

I’m looking for my missing friend.

One summer, while attending OO University, I worked part-time at a logistics center… …

Characteristics: Height 163cm, bright personality… …

Last seen time and place… …

My heart ached with each and every letter I typed.

Seo-yeon’s pleading eyes, Wol-hee’s desperate voice, Tae-yang’s cold warning, and CEO Haneul’s cool smile all passed by.

I could tell even as I was writing this. This was ignoring their warnings. Maybe they would be a little more upset about my actions.

But I couldn’t back down here. I absolutely had to know. What happened that night, why they were trying to hide what happened to Yeoreum.

Lastly, I attached a picture of Yeoreum. All the pictures we took together were gone, but fortunately, there was one profile picture that I had saved before her SNS account was deleted.

Move the mouse cursor over the [Register Post] button.

“I’m sorry, you guys. But… …still… ….”

I clicked the mouse with trembling fingers.

A few minutes after the post is uploaded.

The phone started ringing like crazy, as if it was dancing in a frenzy.

[Sender: Sister Seoyeon]

[From: Mr. Ghost]

[From: Sun]

[Sender: Sky President]

[Sender: Teacher Wolhee]

[Sender: Seo Ah]

[From: Sister Ayoung]

Seven calls came in at once. As if they had made an appointment, they were all calling me at the same time.

“This, first of all… … .”

With trembling hands, I put my phone on vibrate mode. But the screen kept flashing. No matter how many times I hung up, a new call came in.

When I didn’t answer the phone, the texts started pouring in like a waterfall.

[Mr. Autumn. I’m on my way now. Wait.]

[Kid… … Did you really betray me? This body?]

[Son, is it really okay for Mom to be angry now?]

[Boy, that won’t do. Call me.]

[Mr. Autumn, I’ve always been watching you… … Why did you do something like that… … .]

[Brother, your soul has been tainted by darkness. You will need repentance and purification.]

[Autumn, was that kid that good? More than a sister who would do anything for you?]

The texts kept coming, and they kept coming, and they kept coming. Dozens, hundreds… …and their contents became more and more bizarre and eerie.

At that moment, I heard the sound of the wind outside the window. No, it might not have been the wind.

The temperature in the room suddenly began to soar. It felt like a sweltering heat, just like when the sun was next to me.

“Ah, what?!”

The computer screen flickered and then turned off. And at that moment, all the electricity in the room went out.

In the complete darkness, footsteps were heard. Not from one direction, but from several directions.

“Autumn… … .”

“Boy… ….”

“Autumn Seeds… ….”

“Brother… … .”

Familiar voices echoed from all around. And then the doorknob slowly turned with a very small sound.

In this situation, I couldn’t rely on the light from my phone, but even the screen of that phone was filling up with increasingly creepy text messages.

[See you soon, Autumn.]

[You can’t run away, son.]

[I love you, Autumn.]

The moment I read the last message that appeared in the notification window, the door slowly froze. Several familiar silhouettes drawn by moonlight appeared.

“It’s okay now… … .”

“I will protect you forever… … .”

“Let’s be together… … .”

I heard a mix of voices. Someone’s hand gently stroked my face, while someone else’s held my shoulder.

I felt more and more hands. As if I was sinking into a deep sea, my body was engulfed in their loving embrace.

In the soft touch and scent of their flesh, my consciousness finally faded away. The last thing I heard was their affectionate whispers.

… … … … …

Association conference room, deep at night.

Seven women were sitting around a table.

“… … Sigh.”

And inside the conference room, a sigh was heard, whose name I couldn’t identify.

They gently(?) knocked the boy unconscious by pressing his carotid artery, thinking that this time, they couldn’t help it since the boy had done something bad.

I was struggling with the problem of how to deal with what had already happened.

There was no particular problem with the threats or coercion they used against civilians while they were interfering with the boy’s search for traces of midsummer.

Of course, if it doesn’t bother your conscience even a little bit, and the victims make a public accusation or something… … Well, if you want to be torn to pieces and die with your family, then go ahead and do it.

The problem was the boy’s memory. They couldn’t leave alone Hanyeoreum, the girl the boy had shown a rational interest in, and eventually the boy met Hanyeoreum right before she was disposed of by them.

The result of that is… …right now.

“… … How, can’t the memories be erased?”

Kim Tae-yang, with his arms crossed, glanced at Lee Seo-yeon and spoke. What she was referring to was very simple.

“No, that’s impossible.”

And Lee Seo-yeon cut off that hope with one stroke of a sword.

“Even my ability to manipulate the brain has its limits. In particular, the memory of midsummer is so intense that it is already deeply imprinted in the child’s limbic system.”

Lee Seo-yeon continued her explanation.

“Because it is a memory with strong emotions… … The hippocampus and the amygdala are intricately connected. Even if you try to erase just that memory, all the related emotions and experiences are intertwined… … .”

Jin Wol-hee took over Lee Seo-yeon’s explanation.

“That’s right. The boy’s hippocampus and amygdala regions are already too damaged.

Even now, symptoms often appear where short-term memories are not formed properly and past memories are fragmented. ”

“So, does that mean I have no choice but to preserve my memories of that woman?”

“Yes, it is very dangerous. It is not just something that makes you forget a short advertisement slogan you just saw, but if you erase the entire memory of a person… … it is irreversible. You will enter the early stages of Alzheimer’s.”

“Isn’t your elixir enough? It can even regenerate severed limbs.”

“Thanks to my elixir, the symptoms stopped progressing here. No matter how good the elixir is, there is a limit to how much it can heal damage caused by this ability.”

“So, this time, I can’t touch your memory.”

Kim Tae-yang gritted his teeth. They no longer had many options left.

“It’s okay. If you explain it well to Gaeul… …she’ll believe you.”

Park Seo-ah stepped forward among the silent women.

“Autumn is surprisingly stubborn, but is easily fooled and tends to always be optimistic, right?”

“… … Maybe so.”

There was an atmosphere of acceptance of Park Seo-ah’s claim among the women.

In fact, their lovely boy tended to believe whatever they said as long as there was some logic or evidence to back it up. This time, though, it probably took a little more effort to convince him.