Jeong Ho-san, that foolish guy, couldn’t do anything as soon as I was taken hostage. Kneeling and trapped in the basement, I looked at Jeong Ho-san in panic.
Jeong Ho-san was asking me with his eyes.
Where on earth had I been, and what had I gone through? Was everything I said on the phone true?
But because of the men watching us, I couldn’t properly say anything to Jeong Ho-san.
From the moment Seol Rok-jin appeared, breaking through the suffocating tension, I realized something had gone terribly wrong.
What business did that high and mighty person I’d only seen on TV have here?
And when he looked at me with his pupils turning yellow, I flinched.
‘He was an awakener?’
My goodness, to think this member of the National Assembly who had been on the most famous anti-awakener line in Korea was an awakener.
Damn, now that I know this fact, there’s no way to get out of here unscathed. I nudged Jeong Ho-san. But there was no response from Jeong Ho-san.
The moment I turned my head slightly and saw Jeong Ho-san’s face, my whole body broke out in goosebumps. Like an android with its power turned off, Jeong Ho-san’s pupils, frozen without any expression, were dyed yellow.
“What the…”
Seol Rok-jin responded to my unconscious mutter.
“I know, right?”
Seol Rok-jin, whose eyes met mine as I bowed my head kneeling, tilted his head and said:
“This is interesting.”
I drew in a sharp breath at his face coming close to mine.
“Are you hiding something perhaps?”
At Seol Rok-jin’s gesture, one of his subordinates standing nearby started undressing me. I struggled and cursed at that guy, but with my body weakened from being in an illegal Gate for a month, I couldn’t shake off even one person holding my body.
“It doesn’t seem like you have any special artifacts either.”
Seol Rok-jin’s eyes scanned me. I didn’t even have time to feel the shame of suddenly becoming naked.
Except for me, the pupils of everyone in this room were all yellow. Just like Seol Rok-jin’s. As soon as I realized this fact, my whole body broke out in goosebumps.
But even after realizing that, there was nothing I could do.
My heart grew as cold as the air touching my bare skin.
“It’s not right to keep looking at someone else’s naked body. Give him some clothes.”
Seol Rok-jin had his subordinate return clothes to me. As I put on my underwear and pants again, Seol Rok-jin said:
“I wonder why my ability doesn’t work on you?”
I frowned at the strange way of speaking that was neither informal nor polite. Though I felt I shouldn’t irritate this guy’s nerves right now, my mouth was beyond my control.
“Because your skills are terrible?”
Seol Rok-jin laughed at my sarcasm. Seol Rok-jin’s eyes shone and Jeong Ho-san stood up.
“Ho-san-ah!”
My stupid friend didn’t even turn his head at my desperate call. I realized. Though I didn’t know exactly what Seol Rok-jin’s ability was, it was clear he was controlling Jeong Ho-san now.
And that as long as Jeong Ho-san was captured, I could never ignore his words.
“Let me ask again, why doesn’t my ability work on you?”
I had no choice but to spill all my secrets to Seol Rok-jin, who had taken Jeong Ho-san hostage.
“An indomitable will. And an ability that’s a lie?”
How ridiculous. Indomitable? Isn’t that a word that terribly doesn’t suit me, who’s in the most humiliating state of all?
I prostrated myself on the floor and begged him.
“I-I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but please let my friend go. H-he just got caught up in this by chance…”
I could do anything if I could just save Jeong Ho-san.
“I’m sorry, but that can’t happen.”
Seol Rok-jin, who had discarded his previous detestable way of speaking, smiled at me.
“Your friend is already finished, you see. Ah, what a shame.”
“What do you mean?”
Seol Rok-jin gladly answered my question. That the moment he releases his ability, Jeong Ho-san will become an idiot.
That he originally intended to use me, but he had no choice but to use Jeong Ho-san in the plan instead.
The moment I heard what that plan was, my reason flew away.
Already finished? What nonsense is that when he’s alive like this? Let that guy go right now and use me instead. I begged and pleaded and earnestly appealed to him.
Actually, I don’t remember well what words I uttered then.
I only clearly remember someone’s arms firmly binding me as I struggled, and Jeong Ho-san’s back disappearing before my eyes.
The bodyguard firmly held my body that was staggering as if about to collapse. Then he started dragging me somewhere.
“Still, he ‘was’ your friend, so you should watch the end.”
Thanks to Seol Rok-jin’s consideration, I was able to clearly watch the terror Jeong Ho-san committed from the rooftop of a tall building.
My kind friend, who had said he wanted to protect people from monsters, became a monster crushing people gathered to take the bus with those two hands.
20-year-old youths who were waiting for the bus to go meet friends, an elderly couple who were planning to go to a nearby park together. A couple in their 30s who were going to an amusement park with their child.
Ordinary people all scattered as mere blood under Jeong Ho-san’s hands.
In an instant, the peaceful city became hell.
Police who belatedly arrived rushed at Jeong Ho-san. Jeong Ho-san pushed them away and attacked them too.
I bit my lip watching that scene, forgetting even tears.
“See, that’s not your friend.”
Seol Rok-jin was right.
That wasn’t my friend Jeong Ho-san. It was a monster wearing Jeong Ho-san’s skin.
Because my friend Jeong Ho-san would never do such a thing.
I desperately hoped.
That Jeong Ho-san had died the moment his body was taken by that monster, that he had just died.
If my friend Jeong Ho-san was still in there, he would be suffering more than anyone. Because there’s no way he could endure destroying part of the world with his own hands when he said he would save the world.
And once again I desperately prayed.
Please, for someone to stop Jeong Ho-san.
To stop that monster.
At that moment, a woman stood in front of Jeong Ho-san holding a gun.
Looking at Jeong Ho-san who was still rampaging like a beast, not even realizing a gun was pointed at him, I thought.
Run away.
No, don’t run away.
Let’s end it here, so you don’t have to kill innocent people with your hands anymore.
If you’re the person I know, you’d willingly accept death. No, you’d want to die.
The woman with a bob cut pulled the trigger towards the rampaging Jeong Ho-san.
The bullet flew in a round trajectory, ignoring physical laws, and accurately lodged in Jeong Ho-san’s head.
The bullet imbued with magic power penetrated Jeong Ho-san’s skin as hard as steel and passed through Jeong Ho-san’s head.
Blood splattered and Jeong Ho-san’s body stopped abruptly.
Situation over.
Watching that scene, I lost my mind.
The Yeouido Massacre incident, which lasted about an hour, ended like that.
When I woke up again, I was trapped in a basement. It was like an underground prison with a bed, table, and makeshift toilet. Looking at the door made of iron bars, I laughed emptily.
“Why.”
Why did they keep me alive?
If only I had died with Jeong Ho-san then, there would be no reason to feel this pain.
Belatedly, I sobbed recalling Jeong Ho-san’s death.
I absolutely couldn’t believe what happened yesterday. I knocked over the lunchbox that came through the iron bars.
Though my body that had been starving for days was crying out that it was hungry, I absolutely couldn’t think of eating anything.
For several days, I was trapped in darkness. For the first two days, food came in, but after I threw away the food every time, that stopped coming too. I don’t know how much time passed. I just repeatedly cried alone, shouted until I was exhausted and collapsed.
Thinking I might die living like this, around that time someone appeared in front of the iron bar door.
The moment I saw Seol Rok-jin looking at me from outside the iron bars, I mustered all the strength in my body and clung to the bars.
“You…”
“Sorry, I wanted to come a bit earlier but there was a terror I had to clean up.”
At those nonchalant words, I lost my mind once again. Because it was obvious what he meant by terror.
“I’ll kill you!”
Clinging to the iron bars, I shouted just those words like a beast. I won’t let you off, do you think you can live after doing such a thing? I cried out like a beast.
Seol Rok-jin said something towards me rampaging crazily, but his words didn’t enter my ears at all. I only had thoughts of revenge towards Seol Rok-jin.
“I’ll kill you, I’ll tear you to pieces and kill you.”
At my words, Seol Rok-jin smiled brightly.
“How?”
At Seol Rok-jin’s words, my breath caught.
“How are you going to take revenge on me while trapped in there?”
It was quite a friendly tone, but the content it contained was incredibly sharp. Seol Rok-jin said:
“Look at yourself.”
Seol Rok-jin frowned looking at me, who hadn’t eaten properly or washed properly.
“If you want to say you want revenge on me, you should have lived properly.”
It was as he said. How dare I talk about revenge when I was barely alive, just breathing. To take revenge on him, I needed to live properly.
My strength drained away. Actually, I didn’t even have the strength to give a shit anymore. I collapsed at the end of the iron bars with my strength gone.
“Why did you keep me alive?”
Why did Seol Rok-jin keep me alive in the first place? Why didn’t he just kill me at once like other people?
Seol Rok-jin answered my question.
“Because you’re special.”
“Special?”
“Yes, you’re special. Unlike others.”
It’s just that his orders don’t work on me. Can you call something like that special?
If only Seol Rok-jin’s brainwashing had worked on me, then Jeong Ho-san wouldn’t have ended up like that.
“Look.”
Seol Rok-jin’s pupils turned yellow. Even the bodyguard standing next to him had his pupils turn yellow. Seol Rok-jin pointed at the man who had stiffened up and said to me:
“Do you really think you’re the same as something like that?”
I didn’t understand Seol Rok-jin’s words at all.
What’s different?
Aren’t that man and I both being played by Seol Rok-jin all the same? Seol Rok-jin, who examined my face, sighed and said:
“Yi-sin is a bit stupid.”
What are you saying, you bastard? I clenched my fist. Moreover, Yi-sin? As if we’re close enough to call each other’s names like that.
“You just haven’t realized yet. You deserve to live a more amazing life. Hmm, yes. You deserve to live a splendid life.”
“What splendid life.”
I was so dumbfounded by Seol Rok-jin’s words that I couldn’t even laugh. A splendid life for me who lost my only friend and is just crawling around trapped in a prison made by my mortal enemy?
“There’s only one splendid life for me, and that’s you dying.”
“That’s unfortunate, because I have no intention of dying for the time being.”
Seol Rok-jin, who said that, smiled brightly and said:
“I quite love my life, you see. You’ll soon realize too. How meaningless the discipline, rules, conscience, and what people call justice that bind you are. Once you realize that, you’ll know. Ah, I’ve been struggling because of such fleeting things all this time. When I could live so splendidly like this.”
At those words, I gritted my teeth. A splendid life?
“You killed my friend.”
“Yes, yes. But it’s just a friend, isn’t it? Are you thinking of dying because your friend died?”
It was a face that truly didn’t understand.
“It’s not family, not a lover, just a friend. You can just make another one.”
At those words, I clenched my fist.
Jeong Ho-san wasn’t just a simple friend. Such a light word couldn’t explain him. He was the only family in my life, the only thing I was proud of in my life.
Unlike me, who was terrible at everything, he was so brilliant that I was ashamed to be bound by the name of friend, but he was someone so precious I couldn’t think of letting go.
“It’s not something you can just make another of.”
The more I talked with Seol Rok-jin, the more certain it became.
Though he seemed fine on the outside, this person was completely messed up. How on earth does he think of people, of relationships with people?
But it was I who drew in that monster, and so caused Jeong Ho-san’s death.
I should have let go earlier, he shouldn’t have associated with someone like me.
I collapsed once again and sobbed.
Seol Rok-jin clicked his tongue looking at me.
“There’s no need to care that much. He’s dead anyway, and even if you show such loyalty, he won’t know.”
“I have no intention of playing along with you.”
Seol Rok-jin is just playing with me. Unlike those trembling around him, he just thinks of me, on whom his ability doesn’t work, as an interesting toy.
“If you’re going to kill me, just, kill me quickly.”
I gritted my teeth and shouted. Seol Rok-jin quietly looked at me.
“I told you I don’t want to kill you. It’s you who wants to kill yourself, isn’t it?”
At those words, I flinched. Seol Rok-jin’s words were right. I absolutely couldn’t forgive myself. That’s why I tried to pay for my sins with my death.
Seol Rok-jin asked me:
“Won’t you regret it if you die like that?”
Regret… I probably would regret it. I know too. I just wanted to run away cowardly. Death was a perfect choice as that method.
But how could I live? How could I continue this wretched life?
Seol Rok-jin, who lowered his head, started whispering to me in a voice as sweet as a devil’s:
“You say you cherished that friend so much, don’t you have any thoughts of taking revenge on me?”
Revenge? How could such a thing be possible? Me, who has nothing, taking revenge on Seol Rok-jin who’s like a monster?
Isn’t that impossible from the start?
“If you’re alive, who knows? I intend to cherish you, so if you stay under me, won’t a chance to take revenge on me come someday?”
Seol Rok-jin, who said that, smiled with narrowed eyes and said:
“But if you still want to die, I can’t help it.”
Hearing such words, I absolutely couldn’t die.
Alright, let’s live. Let’s survive and take revenge on that bastard no matter what.
That was certainly how it started at first.