Chapter 137
To You (2)
***
“……”
Roxanne was performing her usual prayer ritual.
Wearing a snow-white priest’s robe, she knelt reverently and quietly prayed to the heavenly God.
The prayer room where she was seated was as quiet as always.
In this prayer room where not a single presence could be felt, sitting alone like this and offering prayers often caused various thoughts to bloom vigorously.
Thoughts about Lee Jinhyuk who had already died.
“……”
How much time had passed like that?
Roxanne eventually got up and left the prayer room.
Walking with steady steps, Roxanne returned to her private office and sat down in a chair, letting out a deep sigh.
“……Haah.”
After exhaling a deep sigh, she casually glanced towards the calendar.
Is it already winter?
Time really flies.
Quite a lot of time has passed since he died.
It feels like it was midsummer just recently, but it’s already gotten this chilly.
‘I still can’t believe it. That he’s gone like that……’
The face of Lee Jinhyuk, who always wore a confident-looking smile, gently surfaced above the water.
He was quite an extraordinary person from the first time she saw him.
Not only did he have the strength to take down Seong Yura’s assassins alone, but he could also be said to have a very sharp mind.
He also had the ability to foresee the future, saving Roxanne from crisis several times and doing her many favors.
Like at Yuksung Mountain, during the midterms, and when arresting Seong Yura.
Looking back, it seems she really owes him a lot.
So she had made up her mind to repay him someday.
Who would have thought he would meet such a sudden death.
She really couldn’t have imagined it.
“……Why does God.”
Punish the good instead of the wicked?
He was a person this world needed enough as a hero.
Roxanne couldn’t hide her complicated feelings about how God had taken away so futilely a hero who had stood against great evil.
“He was my first friend……”
Lee Jinhyuk, who could be called Roxanne’s first real friend.
Because Roxanne couldn’t form normal friendships due to Seong Yura’s constant surveillance and bullying, Lee Jinhyuk was her first proper friend.
But that friend had suddenly become a cold corpse.
Roxanne could only blankly watch as he was buried in the ground.
Lee Jinhyuk, who seemed like he would always come back alive no matter what happened, died so futilely.
It was hard to accept the fact that in just a few days, he had become mere flesh buried in the ground.
But as always, reality is cruel.
He died.
No, he was murdered.
Far from avenging his parents.
He himself lost his life to his parents’ enemies.
Ah, God.
Why is this world so cruel?
And why do the wicked prosper while the good perish early?
Why.
For what reason.
What purpose.
“……I have to save Soyeon somehow.”
Was she greatly shocked by Lee Jinhyuk’s death?
Jin Soyeon, who had burst into tears at the funeral, locked herself in her house for a month after he was buried.
Then one day, Jin Soyeon suddenly disappeared.
Or more precisely, she strayed from the path of a hero and started walking down the wrong path.
To carry out her goal of avenging Lee Jinhyuk.
She began to stain her own hands with blood.
“……Soyeon.”
Because she couldn’t prevent Lee Jinhyuk’s death, Roxanne wanted to somehow save Jin Soyeon, Lee Jinhyuk’s precious childhood friend and Roxanne’s friend, from the pit of evil.
However, when she met Jin Soyeon again, only a form filled with evil remained.
Jin Soyeon had changed too much.
She paid no heed to the persuasion of Roxanne and the others.
She was only focused on punishing the wicked and carrying out her revenge.
The sight of her mercilessly dismembering, cutting off, and crushing the limbs of evildoers, endlessly stained with evil, even evoked a bit of fear.
The image of her blankly staring while covered in the blood of evildoers remained vividly in Roxanne’s mind. In the world, she was already gaining notoriety, being called the Blood Drinker.
A hero who was not a hero.
Truly a second Vigilante.
Thinking she would really become irredeemable if left alone any longer, Roxanne joined forces with Lee Siwoon and the others to try and subdue Jin Soyeon by force.
But Jin Soyeon’s power had already far exceeded normal bounds.
Even with Aisha included in the suppression team, they absolutely could not prevent Jin Soyeon from escaping.
Roxanne knew well that Jin Soyeon was one of the top geniuses at the academy, but she never imagined she would grow this much in just a few months.
It was hard to believe she was just a hero trainee.
Perhaps all the rumors about her were true.
The rumors of the Blood Drinker who wandered the dark underworld, taking down countless evildoers.
“……How much more karma do you intend to accumulate, Soyeon.”
Roxanne wanted to bring Jin Soyeon, who had taken the wrong path, back to her original self.
She had to stop her from committing more evil deeds, evil karma, evil nature.
But would she really be able to stop Jin Soyeon?
When she didn’t know how much the current Jin Soyeon had grown?
To be honest, even with a high ranker like Cynthia, Roxanne didn’t think they could easily stand in her way.
Unlike injuring and taking her down, subduing her required much greater skill.
Even the great Cynthia would not be able to easily capture Jin Soyeon, who was showing monstrous growth.
Moreover, Jin Soyeon was likely still growing even at this very moment.
Subduing such a Jin Soyeon without major injuries was clearly almost impossible.
Then did that mean they had to be prepared to inflict some injuries?
Roxanne really didn’t want to hurt her if possible.
But it seemed Roxanne also needed to steel her resolve in order to set Jin Soyeon straight.
“Roxanne.”
“Ah.”
A familiar voice suddenly gently caressed Roxanne’s ears, and she turned her head towards the source of the voice.
Cynthia had approached close by without her noticing.
Cynthia was standing blankly, silently gazing at Roxanne.
“What are you thinking so deeply about? To the point you couldn’t even hear the knocking.”
“Just for a moment……”
Seeing Roxanne avert her gaze and trail off, Cynthia let out a deep sigh.
“Is it because of Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon?”
“……”
“It’s not your fault, so don’t worry too much, Roxanne.”
“……Yes.”
Roxanne answered reluctantly.
Cynthia could only blankly watch Roxanne, who seemed to be in deep sorrow.
Given Roxanne’s personality, she would likely torment herself every time she remembered Lee Jinhyuk’s death and Jin Soyeon’s deviation.
Cynthia wanted to comfort Roxanne who was suffering alone.
But there was nothing Cynthia could do.
She could only hope that Roxanne would shake off her feelings of guilt and stand up well.
After all, Roxanne had endured to the end despite seeing those around her get hurt due to Seong Yura’s bullying for so long.
Cynthia believed Roxanne’s mental fortitude was stronger than anyone else’s.
“Roxanne, it’s almost time for your appointment. Shouldn’t you start getting ready to go out?”
“Ah, you’re right. Thank you, Cynthia.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Roxanne looked at the clock and nodded.
Time had already flowed this much while she was lost in thought.
It was almost time for her appointment with Yoo Seolhyun.
Yoo Seolhyun had invited Roxanne and a few others to her mansion, saying she had something important to say related to Jin Soyeon.
She needed to leave now to avoid being late for the appointment.
“Then could you wait outside for a moment, Cynthia?”
“Sure.”
Nodding at Roxanne’s words, Cynthia soon walked towards the outside of the office.
As it was her private office, there were several wardrobes available, and Roxanne hurriedly changed into her outdoor clothes.
Then she headed to Yoo Seolhyun’s house, escorted by Cynthia.
A little while later.
Upon arriving at Yoo Seolhyun’s residence, familiar faces could be seen.
It was Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan.
Roxanne stepped into the reception room along with them.
What on earth did Yoo Seolhyun call Roxanne, Lee Siwoon, and Kang Daehan for?
Roxanne was curious about exactly what she would say, though she had heard it was something important related to Jin Soyeon.
Perhaps she had located Jin Soyeon who was active in the underworld first.
The thought crossed Roxanne’s mind that maybe Yoo Seolhyun had called them to request help from Roxanne, Lee Siwoon, and Kang Daehan.
But if she had located Jin Soyeon, she would have mentioned it in advance.
However, Yoo Seolhyun only said she had important things to tell them in person, without giving any specifics.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Yeah.”
“Sigh, really, why did Yoo Seolhyun call us so troublesomely. It better not be something trivial.”
The three of us reached the front of the reception room.
Suddenly, they slowly opened the door.
And there.
“Long time no see, everyone.”
“Y-you are……”
“Have you been well?”
Lee Jinhyuk was simply greeting Roxanne and the others, waving his hand casually as if it was no big deal, just like when he attended the academy.
End of Chapter