episode_0151

151.

“Night falls once again.”

As usual, a dark night descended.

Even the faint rays of light that seeped through the window were swallowed by the darkness. The surroundings were engulfed in nothing but darkness.

In the silent darkness,

Jin Soyeon slowly closed her eyelids and pondered.

She hated the night.

She truly despised this dark, murky darkness.

Lying alone in bed, chewing on the darkness, she couldn’t help but shiver with an unknown sense of unease.

Night is the time of beasts.

Fears, anxieties, and restlessness, named as beasts, spread their gaping mouths and stick out their tongues.

Like a beast that has found its prey, it takes slow but steady steps towards its target.

And Jin Soyeon weakly trembled.

All she could do was pray, like a fragile girl, that the beast would just pass by without harming her.

But the beast had no intention of letting go of Jin Soyeon.

With a menacing grin, it leaned in close to her ear and whispered in a low voice.

When this night ends, you will wake up from a futile and happy dream.

You will be greeted by the sight of an old and worn hideout, stained with the blood of villains.

The resurrection of Lee Jinhyuk is nothing but a foolish delusion.

You are only turning away from the unhappy reality.

…Whispering like that, it bared its sharp fangs and sank them into Jin Soyeon’s neck.

Jin Soyeon quietly bit her lower lip and curled up her body.

Her whole body trembled with an inexplicable restlessness and fear, and she struggled to calm herself, murmuring inwardly.

Calm down.

Jinhyuk has come back to life.

It’s not just my imagination.

He will greet me with a smile as always when I wake up the next day.

So stop these foolish and silly thoughts, Jin Soyeon.

But the trauma of once losing Lee Jinhyuk constantly gnawed at Jin Soyeon’s mind.

An unknown voice murmurs incessantly. When she is alone in the darkness, anxiety always torments her.

…I miss Jinhyuk.

I want to hear his breathing, feel his body temperature, see him smile, hear his voice.

I want to feel assured that he is safe and sound by his side.

If that happens, this anxiety will fade away for a while.

But she knows it will only be temporary.

She will become anxious again if Jinhyuk is not by her side.

“…Jinhyuk.”

Jin Soyeon closed her eyes tightly, holding the blanket a little tighter. Sleep. I need to sleep. But sleep eludes her. Will she have to spend the night awake again? Why can’t she sleep?

Is she afraid that she will wake up from this dreamlike situation if she falls asleep?

Yes, that’s right. She’s too anxious that Jinhyuk will disappear by tomorrow morning. She can’t erase this anxiety. She’s afraid that this is all just a dream. A delusion.

Of course, she knows very well that it’s not a delusion.

Just until the evening, Jinhyuk was by her side.

But she can’t shake off this anxiety. She doesn’t want to go back to the time when she lost Jinhyuk and wandered aimlessly.

She doesn’t want to go back to the time when she fought alone, exhausted, and fell asleep.

“…There’s not much time left now. Until I fight with Yoo Dahee.”

Jin Soyeon’s anxiety stems from the fear of losing Lee Jinhyuk.

And as the day of the hero’s arrival approaches, her symptoms of anxiety worsen.

On the day of the hero, I could lose Lee Jin-hyuk again while trying to prevent Yoo Da-hee’s attack. Thinking like that, anxiety can only deepen.

“I really want to stop Jin-hyuk.”

I know very well what will happen if I can’t stop Yoo Da-hee.

I also know that Lee Jin-hyuk’s power will be a great help in holding back Yoo Da-hee.

But what if I lose him in the process of holding back Yoo Da-hee?

If Lee Jin-hyuk dies again, So-yeon might mentally collapse and never be able to recover.

There is no way to come back to life again.

Death will soon become eternal parting.

“Should I try to stop him now?”

I really want to keep Jin-hyuk by my side, even if I have to tie his hands and feet to prevent him from doing something dangerous.

Even if Lee Jin-hyuk has hidden something, he won’t be able to respond properly if So-yeon decides to attack.

Then what will happen to Jin-hyuk?

“You’re having strange thoughts again.”

“Huh?”

A clear voice coming from the head of the bed.

It was not an auditory hallucination or delusion, but a real human voice.

How did So-yeon deceive her senses and come into the bedroom? Startled, So-yeon sat up. A familiar face was seen at the head of the bed.

“You’re so silly. Really.”

A girl with a face identical to So-yeon’s. She had a colder and sharper impression. The girl, who seemed to have been worn down by life for a long time, sat cross-legged at the head of the bed and quietly looked at So-yeon.

It was a scene of So-yeon looking at herself.

So she thought.

This must be a dream.

“Did I fall asleep in the middle?”

Come to think of it, I think I had a dream like this before? While thinking about it, the So-yeon in the dream gave a sharp rebuke with a bitter voice.

“You’re always emotional and selfish. That’s why you’re really hopeless.”

“What?”

“You’re always afraid of such topics and have short thoughts, so you always make mistakes at important moments. And then you regret not knowing what to do.”

So-yeon frowned at the girl’s cold behavior. What is she babbling about?

“Sigh. I’m having another strange dream. Why am I dreaming like this again?”

“A dream. Yes, a dream.”

The dream So-yeon had a dry expression, but subtly conveyed a meaningful feeling.

“So-yeon, listen to me carefully.”

“What.”

“There’s not much time left.”

She said with a slightly serious look.

“So don’t make foolish mistakes like me.”

“You?”

“Like me.”

“What do you…”

Just as So-yeon was about to ask a question in a hurry at the girl’s incomprehensible words.

“So-yeon? Huh?!”

“Ouch?!”

She bumped her head.

So-yeon rubbed her forehead and blinked her eyes.

In front of her, Lee Jin-hyuk was lying down with his hand on his forehead. Huh? Why is Jin-hyuk here? What on earth is going on?

“J-Jin-hyuk? What’s happening?”

“Ah… my head.”

Lee Jin-hyuk groaned while rubbing his forehead.

It seemed that he had collided with So-yeon’s head when she suddenly sat up.

So-yeon blinked her eyes, feeling a little confused about the current situation, and quickly looked around.

Then she realized that it was quite late in the morning.

What? Is it already morning?

The dim scenery in the room had disappeared as if washed away, and beyond the window, the bright morning sunlight and the chirping of birds were the only things echoing.

“Phew, really. I came here today wondering why he wasn’t waking up, and of all times, why did this happen.”

Jinhyuk got up from his seat, muttering to himself.

“Your head is spinning… Huh? Soyeon, why are you so sweaty? Did you have a nightmare or something?”

“…Ah, a little.”

At the mention of a nightmare, Soyeon’s expression clouded.

“Not feeling well? Do you want to rest today?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Soyeon shook her head slightly.

“The Hero’s Day is coming up soon, you know.”

“Taking care of your body is more important, you know?”

“Don’t worry, Jinhyuk. I’m really okay.”

“Really? Well, then, I’ll be waiting outside, so change quickly and come out.”

“Okay.”

Jinhyuk then left the room.

Soyeon glanced at the door for a moment.

A phrase lingered in her mind.

– So don’t make foolish mistakes like I did.

Mistakes?

She wasn’t sure what mistake she was referring to, but one thing was certain.

She would never make a mistake that would cost her Jinhyuk.

Never.

***

“Today is the long-awaited main event.”

February 29th.

3:49 PM.

Near Gwanghwamun Square.

“Ah, Seoul, the center of South Korea. People are so lively here.”

Yudahee, who was quietly observing the scenery of Seoul from the rooftop of a building, smiled mischievously.

“Because it’s Hero’s Day, there are a lot of heroes here that we don’t usually see. Even the old folks from the back are here.”

She blinked her eyes with interest.

“Every time I see them, I can’t help but think that they all look like bugs from up here.”

Yudahee didn’t even bother fixing her hair that was tousled by the wind, just smiling dangerously.

“Squish them with a finger and they’ll die like that. Isn’t that right?”

Yudahee glanced over her shoulder.

Several Rebellion members were gathered there.

“Today is a memorable day. Hero’s Day. It’s the day the first hero emerged, right? Everyone was happy about the birth of a hero. Haha.”

She spread her arms out like a clown and shouted.

“On this important day when the monster threatening people was defeated and the hero proudly established himself.”

She clenched her fist tightly.

“Let’s show those scum who only seek heroes what we’re capable of.”

She laughed maliciously.

“Today is not the day the hero was born, but the day the hero dies.”

And.

“It’s not others, but oneself who can save themselves.”

Yudahee turned around.

“I know you all want different things. Money? Fame? Pleasure? Fine. It’s all good. I’ll make it happen.”

With one foot on the rooftop railing, she declared.

“So let’s have a proper showdown today.”

How will history remember today?

Yudahee wasn’t sure, but she could promise one thing.

Seoul would collapse today.

All thanks to Yudahee, who would go down as the worst villain in South Korea.