episode_0138

The death of her younger sister. The woman, overwhelmed by sadness, ultimately crossed a point of no return. Unaware that she had been played by evil. Unaware that all the tragedies that befell them were… merely a script. The betrayer’s end was the completion of a world where no one could be happy.

It was a point where the gloom of the story hit rock bottom. All that remained after the catastrophe was regret and despair. As such, there were many opinions expressing pity.

[Category: Free Bulletin Board] [Title: Isn’t Selena pitiful too?]

When you think about it, she’s a victim too. She was used and discarded by those bastards, the Baobab, from beginning to end. What’s more, it was revealed that even her younger sister, whom she missed so much, was actually targeted by the cult she was cooperating with. From the start, there was a huge movement to corrupt Selena. It seems they targeted her because she was the Dean’s top disciple. It seems right to see it as her just being swept away by a big current.

[She’s pitiful, but she’s still a bitch.] -> How many people died because of her? You can’t whitewash that. -> It’s not that I don’t understand the situation, but given what she’s done, I can’t look kindly upon her.

[I did feel a bit sad. She was my favorite character among the faculty, though.] -> Selena is quite popular, after all. -> Well… characters with the ‘noona’ archetype are rare in this game. -> Bang ㅋㅋ -> Those heinous ‘Bang-bang’ gang bastards again.

[Info) It was the Dean who brought Selena to the academy.] -> Is it you again… -> I’m tired of making fun of it now. -> He’s just the root of all evil.

Selena had quite a solid fanbase. Her unique cold demeanor, her respectful attitude towards students, and her mature, almost imposing physique that even gave off a ‘violent’ impression. Thanks to this, her betrayal left a strong impact.

[Category: Free Bulletin Board] [Title: No, FUCK! My Noona!!!!!!!!]

It can’t be… it’s a lie, right? Tell me it’s a lie. How could you do this to me? I admired you so much, how can it be betrayal? Please, if this is a dream, I need to wake up. If I open my eyes again, Professor-nim will smile at me as always…

[He’s going crazy too.] [He’s about to hyperventilate ㅋㅋ] -> From the way he’s talking, it seems he already has. -> She’s an irreplaceable character in many ways. -> Bang ㅋㅋ

[I don’t get why everyone likes that old hag betrayer so much.] -> Oh, she’s well-aged. -> Does the second-place winner of the faculty popularity poll look like a joke to you? -> If we re-vote now, she’d probably be pushed out of the top 10. -> Fact ban!

[These guys like rotten things.] -> Please don’t call anyone over 13 a woman. -> ? -> ? -> Get out of here. -> Those heinous ‘Nong-nong’ gang bastards again.

Opinions were divided into two sides. Of course, no one defended Selena’s betrayal. Because the ending she brought about was utterly catastrophic. There were only those who expressed pity for the Drunkard’s story, and those who refuted such pity. In my case, I was closer to the former.

‘Of course.’ Her evil deeds were unforgivable. Because she had created too many victims. No matter how much pain one receives from life, it is not right to wield it against others. Just as one should not stab innocent people under the guise of their own wounds. Selena crossed the line. Even knowing that. If there was a reason I pitied the Drunkard. It was simply.

-Oppa!

Because I felt she was similar to me. Because I saw myself reflected in her broken state. My stomach churned for no reason.

The only person precious in life. A happy daily life because they had each other. But then, the sudden death of her younger sister. Despair, frustration, longing, loss… I, who couldn’t bear all of it and went mad. Or. Selena.

‘Perhaps.’ All this time, I had identified myself with Selena. Because we had lived through similar pains. I understood the despair and brokenness she experienced. I grieved over the blind emptiness. Because I, in my previous life, had walked a path no different. I saw yesterday overlaid.

“…….” I gaze at the woman before me. Her wavering crimson pupils. As if questioning the answer forming on their surface, her silent lips slowly parted. It was a snippet of a conversation we had once shared.

“You once said that, didn’t you?” During our brief chats. “That the reason for drinking alcohol is to forget shame.” Was this the shame you wished to forget? Yourself, conflicted between longing and guilt. Was it because of the problem that made your stomach churn that you couldn’t stop drinking for a single moment? During all that long time.

-It is because they cannot stop that they are adults. -Even knowing what is wrong… they are already too old to change.

You were afraid. Once you sobered up. Of all the conflicts and anguish that would follow.

The woman speaks with a subdued voice. “…….It will be a long story.” Her lips slowly begin the preamble. The Drunkard begins to confess the sins she had harbored for a long time. I listen intently to the subdued resonance.

“That’s how it started.” The cultists who reached out their hands. Selena cooperated with them for a long time, providing information. There wasn’t even a trace of guilt in such actions. Only longing for Lianne filled her.

“At that time, I thought nothing else mattered. If only I could meet that child again… I was ready to take on any sin.” The woman was willing to sell everything. All of her gold and home, her lifespan, sorrow, love, and even her guilt. She resolved to use everything she could. Malice forged from sorrow. However. Since when, I wonder?

“Shall I say, I gradually became weaker.” She felt even that malice wearing away. Children approaching with smiles. Fellow professors who served as role models as educators. Selena feared the kind environment around her. Because she felt that if she grew close to them, her plans would be ruined. Therefore, she built walls around herself.

“I always drew a line.” The reason she hadn’t appointed a direct assistant until now was likely similar. Because she didn’t want to get closer than necessary. She was always drunk, prickly with her fellow professors, and respectful but maintained a certain distance with her students. As someone who existed within the academy but didn’t truly belong. She faced her daily life calmly. However. The creeping passage of time was not something she could simply ignore. Her time at the academy became more familiar with each passing day. That troubled her heart. Perhaps the reason she gulped down alcohol was also due to that shame. The desire to escape reality, if only for a moment. The woman could not shake off her confusion.

“Perhaps that was why.” In truth. If she had been preparing for betrayal, she could have been more decisive. Currently, Selena was the most likely candidate for Head Professor, holding power equivalent to the Dean. Meaning, she could have moved the academy’s main forces out at an opportune moment. If it aligned with the cultists’ plans, it would have been appropriate to weaken the academy’s forces as much as possible. If that approach had been taken, the academy would have already been half-destroyed. Even if I had stepped forward to stop it, I would have had to expend my lifespan. But the fact that she didn’t.

“…….Master-nim, you hesitated.” “It’s similar. Though I don’t know if it’s right to phrase it in such a nice way.” Even while still longing for her younger sister. The academy’s scenery kept coming to mind. The longing for what she loved and the guilt towards her students became stickily intertwined. Her divided selves fought as if to kill each other. Her mind, a tangled mess. In the end, the woman couldn’t do either. She was stuck in an ambiguous position. Selena hesitated. What to choose. Though it’s useless now that everything has come to naught. The Drunkard avoids his gaze.

“From the start, accepting Yuda as my assistant was for an experiment.” “An experiment, you say?” “I needed it. Not yet a star, but talent capable of reaching for one soon. More precisely, I needed a sample of an undeveloped star.” “It was an experiment related to resurrection, then.” “The concept of a ‘star’ itself is so rare. And an ‘infant star’ even more so, needless to say. That’s why I had to force myself to take on the role of homeroom professor for 1st-year Class A. Even just to approach Yuda.” “Professor Cadell, who would have originally been appointed as Class A’s homeroom professor. It was your will that pushed him out of that position, wasn’t it?” “That’s right.”

Now I understood. How I had suddenly received top marks in the entrance exam. How Class A’s homeroom professor had changed, unlike in the original work. And how Selena, who always preferred to work alone, had accepted me as her head assistant. It was all to approach me.

I form a complex smile. And at the corner of my lips, I add a question. “The experiment you mentioned… what exactly was it?”