Here, I should hide here; surely, they won’t find me.
“You were hiding here, weren’t you?”
She found me almost immediately. I hadn’t managed to run far. ‘When So-yi died, I should have run away…’
Her hair, braided on both sides, swayed before me. Her eyes spun, and her mouth looked as if it were stitched like a doll’s.
No matter how I looked, she didn’t seem human. ‘Is it a homunculus? Nothing else makes sense.’
The woman moved her hands and feet, then sprang to stand before me. Dressed in a two-piece lady’s suit, she calmly touched the ribbon tied around her neck.
“Don’t come any closer.”
Holding an AR rifle, I threatened her. My threat, however, seemed to mean nothing; she slowly reached out a hand toward my gun.
-Bang.-
With the sound of a shot, I fired at her. An attack no human could survive. It didn’t matter if it hit or not.
I kept my eyes closed, continuously firing at her. ‘I have to live. I have to see In-ju again.’
-Click.-
The magazine must have emptied, as no more bullets fired. My eyes blank, I stared at the woman standing before me.
“Are you finished now?”
As she spoke, I felt a piercing pain in my heart. With a throbbing ache, blood welled up and trickled from my lips.
“…This feeling called love.”
She began speaking slowly. In her hand, a vivid crimson heart pulsed rapidly.
‘Is that my heart?’
“I don’t quite understand what it means to love or like someone… That’s why I’m killing you. Do you understand?”
My breath seemed to grow increasingly shallow. I couldn’t breathe.
-Crunch.- The woman before me was eating the heart.
“I can feel the emotion of love. Will I be able to love someone too…?”
****
“Hah, hah.”
I woke up with ragged breaths. My bedsheets were drenched with sweat. It felt like the first time I’d ever had such a nightmare.
‘Have I ever had a nightmare like this before?’
My heart ached. The woman in the dream had carved out my heart. ‘What on earth was that dream? To dismiss it as a mere nightmare felt impossible, given its vividness.’
-Thump!- Getting up abruptly, I immediately picked up the plastic bottle beneath my bed. There were still some of the pills Se-na gave me left. After this last one, I’d have to get more from her.
I gulped down water, swallowing the pill Se-na had given me. It went down with difficulty. I hadn’t forgotten to take the pills every day.
Since the day I killed So-yi, I had been managing to prevent headaches, and the pills’ effect was certainly reliable.
‘When I suffer a headache, I find myself acting without realizing it.’
‘This was the first of Ha Eun-ah’s abilities I’d discovered. Yet, it didn’t seem absolute. Feeling a headache didn’t always mean I felt murderous intent.’
Swallowing water, I opened my phone. Nam In-ju’s face smiled from the wallpaper. A smile unconsciously blossomed on my own face.
‘Someday, I will possess him.’
‘I will make him happy. I will bear his children, and I, too, will live a happy life.’
It was the first week of May, after the midterm exams. My academy life was passing peacefully. With the help of my friends, my grades were respectable.
It was all thanks to everyone’s help.
-Buzz.-
A message arrived on my phone. It was an announcement from the academy to students, usually about midterm and final exam schedules or practical training dates.
It seemed, however, that something entirely different was happening today.
[You have been selected for the St. John Academy Resistance Suppression Support and Cooperation Activity.]
I scrolled down, checking the message. St. John Academy, I see. It was a specialized academy for female students training to be nuns. I understood it to be an academy primarily composed of non-Awakened individuals.
[Excellent students have been primarily selected, and a Void will be provided for support in case of danger…]
I scrolled past the unnecessary paragraphs.
[List of Selected Non-Awakened Personnel: Ha Eun-ah]
My name was on the list of applicants. It seemed they had included me due to a lack of non-Awakened input.
I looked at the list of Awakened individuals. As expected, the name at the very top was there.
[Nam In-ju]
Nam In-ju had also been included in the selection. Since he was first place to begin with, there was no way he wouldn’t be chosen.
I scrolled further down to check the group assignments. The insufficient slots for non-Awakened individuals were filled by homunculi.
[Group A: Nam In-ju, Kang So-yi, Ha Eun-ah, Ret]
An unconscious smile appeared on my face as I saw the group assignments. The same group as Nam In-ju.
Kang So-yi’s presence didn’t bother me much. Was it not thrilling enough simply to have Nam In-ju there? I would be engaging in an external activity with him.
Budding love and affection. Surely, I would grow closer to him.
‘Oh, me.’
I placed my hands on my cheeks, smiling.
‘No, I can’t let him see these feelings. He might run away, and I don’t want him to discover how much I love him.’
I looked forward to the Resistance suppression activity with him.
I would surely win his love. I wouldn’t forgive anyone who got in my way.
****
Classes would proceed as usual today. While it made sense for the selected individuals to prepare for their departure to St. John Academy tomorrow, no separate announcement had yet been made.
Presumably, today would involve the distribution of Voids to the selected personnel and a briefing on the Resistance suppression.
Seated at my desk, I looked around. Nam In-ju hadn’t arrived yet. I wished he would come quickly.
-Grind.-
Unconsciously, I was biting my nails. ‘Wait, I shouldn’t be doing this. Calm down.’ I lowered my hand and took a deep breath.
-Thump.-
Kang So-yi approached me. She swept her red hair back, standing before me. I couldn’t recall us having exchanged words for nearly two months.
“Hey guys, just a moment. I need to talk to Eun-ah.”
Kang So-yi spoke sweetly to the male students. ‘That foxy woman.’ At Kang So-yi’s request, the surrounding male students dispersed.
Kang So-yi looked at me, slowly preparing to speak.
“Eun-ah, you’re in my group, apparently?”
I turned my head, staring at Kang So-yi. The moment our eyes met, she flinched. She seemed very tense. Was it because of me? Her hands trembling, Kang So-yi hid them inside her clothes and continued.
“So, try not to be a nuisance to our group…”
Kang So-yi, who had been about to say something, hesitated for a moment. Was it because I was staring into her eyes? She stammered, changing her words.
“I-I’ll do my best, so…”
At Kang So-yi’s words, I smiled. It was my turn to get one over on her.
“Thank you for telling me first. Let’s be careful not to get hurt during our group activities.”
At my words, Kang So-yi stammered, then turned her head.
“W-Whatever.”
Kang So-yi grumbled, then quickly returned to her seat. ‘She’s so simple. From my perspective, she’s a villain, but from In-ju’s, she’s practically a heroine, so I suppose she has no choice but to act this way.’
‘After all, I can’t turn the heroine into a villain.’
“Eun-ah!”
-Whoosh.-
Someone hugged me from behind. No matter who said what, this was Baek Seol. The girl who annoyingly stuck to me. Should I say she was annoying now?
“It’s Seol.”
As I smiled and replied, Baek Seol, as if she had been waiting, pulled out her phone from her pocket and showed me a message.
“It turns out I’m in a different group from you. I wonder if I can change it.”
Baek Seol muttered, looking at the message, seemingly disappointed. She had certainly been a cold child at the beginning of the semester, but ever since she opened her heart, she’d treated me warmly.
‘Perhaps she had always been a warmer person than anyone else.’
“I’m not sure about that.”
At my words, Baek Seol made a regretful expression. It couldn’t be helped. While it would be nice if it could be changed, it was highly unlikely.
‘But I like the group I’m in now. With In-ju in our group, there’s nothing to worry about, I suppose. Being with him makes me feel complete.’
“Hey.”
Nam In-ju finally entered the classroom. Although it was later than I expected, seeing him this morning still made me feel good.
“Hi, In-ju.”
He smiled and replied to my greeting.
“Oh, right. Did you guys see it?”
“If you’re talking about the groups, we already finished that conversation.”
Baek Seol grumbled as she spoke.
“Really? That’s too bad for Seol. Eun-ah and I are in the same group.”
Nam In-ju approached my side and pulled me toward him. I nestled snugly into his embrace.
‘W-Wait, what should I do about this?’
Even the dormant Ha Eun-ah within me seemed flustered. ‘I hadn’t even imagined such intimate skinship (TL Note: A Korean slang term for physical closeness or affection, often non-sexual).’
His skin touched mine. We had never been this close before.
‘Feeling intoxicated by his scent, my consciousness seemed to fade.’
I ended up a blushing mess, maintaining a blank expression.
“Eun-ah? Eun-ah, snap out of it.”
At Nam In-ju’s voice, I barely managed to regain my senses. I had almost lost consciousness. Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I looked around.
Nam In-ju and Baek Seol gazed at me with worried eyes.
‘As expected, everyone worries about me.’
-Clunk!- With a loud noise, the classroom door swung open.
“Good to see you all, full of energy today!”
Bursting through the door was Kang Chul, the homeroom teacher for Class 2, a vibrant instructor responsible for the class atmosphere.
He scanned the students closely, then let out a thunderous roar.
“Excellent! You’re probably already aware from the message, but starting tomorrow, our students will be assisting with the Resistance suppression.”
At his words, the students exchanged glances and whispered.
“Isn’t Resistance suppression dangerous? Why are they making students do something like that?”
“Exactly. Teachers just do whatever they want.”
At the students’ words, Kang Chul raised his hand and slammed it on the podium.
“Don’t talk nonsense! You are Awakened individuals. Isn’t it only natural to help another academy?”
Kang Chul’s words lacked context. ‘Hadn’t they asked why students were being mobilized?’
“The selected individuals were chosen based on merit, irrespective of their grade.”
At his words, everyone swallowed nervously, holding their breath.
“Selected personnel will be provided with Voids, which will connect with combat instructors to direct students’ combat power. That is all.”
Kang Chul spoke the necessary information, then scanned the students.
“Any questions?”
At Kang Chul’s words, a female student in the back raised her hand.
“Yes, speak.”
“Why are you using us students for suppression? It would be easier to use homunculi…”
“The Resistance has a group of Awakened individuals. Using homunculi wouldn’t be strategically helpful. You should already know from combat training that they wouldn’t stand a chance anyway.”
The female student lowered her hand, unable to say anything more at Kang Chul’s words.
Then another student in the back raised their hand and asked a question.
“Then why don’t the teachers step up? Why do students have to do it?”
“Do you know what happens to Awakened individuals later in life?”
At Kang Chul’s words, the area fell silent. As if he didn’t want to maintain a serious atmosphere, Kang Chul rubbed the back of his neck, trying to lighten the mood.
“Let me tell you why teachers aren’t used in combat. It’s because our Awakened abilities have already degenerated.”
“Degenerated?”
“Didn’t you learn this in class?”
Kang Chul hesitated as if annoyed, then wrote on the blackboard.
“As time passes, Awakened individuals grow weaker. If you imagine a vessel full of water, using Awakened abilities is like drinking that water little by little. So, what happens when the water runs out?”
“Do the abilities disappear?”
“Precisely. As you age, your Awakened abilities gradually fade, weakening to the point where combat becomes impossible, almost like becoming completely powerless. Typically, people say abilities are fully depleted around their thirties.”
“Then, Teacher…”
At the student’s words, Kang Chul slowly raised his hand. He then slammed his hand onto the podium. -Thud!- The podium cracked and shattered.
“See?”
“Huh?”
The students were bewildered. ‘This is what he calls a loss of strength?’ Everyone was confused by his words.
“If that had been my original strength, the classroom would have collapsed.”
Despite his words, the podium groaned and toppled to the floor, splitting in half. Kang Chul’s strength was indeed terrifying. Or was that power forged through training?
Kang Chul passionately explained why Awakened abilities disappeared when one grew older, and spoke at length about his own past abilities.
‘How tedious. Who assigned him to talk about this?’
Only when it was almost time for class to end did Kang Chul, as if suddenly remembering, look at his watch.
“Oh, my head. I got so carried away talking. Class monitor, dispose of this podium by separating the waste, and selected personnel, gather in the faculty office later. That’s all for the announcement!”
Kang Chul vanished with a brief announcement. He was a teacher with an eccentric side. ‘Gathering the selected personnel in the faculty office later—he was probably planning to distribute the Voids.’
I checked my inner pocket for my pills, as it was time to take them.
No pills. I needed to take them at this time. ‘Had I forgotten to bring them today?’
‘Now that I thought about it, I might not have had today’s dose.’
I quickly stood up from my seat.
“Eun-ah, where are you going? I was about to go for lunch.”
Baek Seol, who was beside me, grabbed my arm and spoke.
“I have something I need to do right now.”
“Oh, really?”
At my words, Baek Seol released my hand. ‘I needed to take the pills before I became anxious, so getting them from the infirmary was the priority.’
‘I needed to take the pills before I became anxious.’
I immediately headed to the infirmary. To get my pills…
****
“Are things progressing well?”
“Yes, they are.”
Han Se-na spoke softly to the man on the other end of the line. At the Boss’s words, Han Se-na hesitated for a moment, then continued.
“However, Boss. There’s something that troubles me.”
“What is it?”
At his words, Han Se-na paused. ‘Is it alright to say this now?’
“Whether it’s right to involve Ha Eun-ah in this operation…”
“That is for me to decide.”
At the Boss’s words, Han Se-na couldn’t say anything. ‘Having sworn absolute obedience to him, she couldn’t even contemplate an act of betrayal.’
“Se-na, haven’t I told you repeatedly to discard such weakness?”
“I apologize.”
A sigh echoed from the receiver.
“Se-na, I understand your concern for the test subject. However, suppressing the Resistance is also a crucial matter.”
“Yes.”
To Han Se-na’s subdued voice, the Boss on the other end of the line added.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“Yes, I understand.”
-Knock, knock.- At the sound of knocking from outside, Han Se-na quickly replied to the Boss.
“I’ll contact you later.”
After hastily hanging up, Han Se-na cleared her throat and spoke.
“Come in.”
As Han Se-na finished speaking, someone opened the door and entered.
“Hello.”
Ha Eun-ah. She reappeared before Han Se-na.
Han Se-na gazed at her, a smile gracing her lips. This test subject would not fail.
