Chapter 142.

Yoo Yeonha returned Chae Nayun to her hospital bed . Chae Nayun’s complexion was pale, and her body was cold . The traces of tears around her eyes made her all the more pitiful .

“… . ”

Looking down at Chae Nayun, Yoo Yeonha had an idle thought .

Just a year ago, she wasn’t that close with Chae Nayun .

If it wasn’t for the relationship between their families, she might have cut off contact with her entirely .

But before she realized, things had changed .

Many things had changed, so much so that her heart ached looking at the state Chae Nayun was in .

It was all because of that person .

Although she barely knew him when school started last year, he came to take up an important spot in her heart and made her change .

“…I’ll be back . ”

Yoo Yeonha stroked Chae Nayun’s hair and murmured . Feeling the cold sweat that got on her hand, Yoo Yeonha turned around and left .

“Eh?”

When she came out into the hallway, she saw familiar faces .

Kim Suho and Rachel .

The two of them were peeking into Kim Hajin’s hospital room like meerkats .

“Ah, Yeonha, how’s Chae Nayun? Is she doing okay?”

Kim Suho spotted her and asked .

“Yeah . ”

“That’s great . Do you know where Hajin is? He’s not in his room . ”

“… . ”

Yoo Yeonha shook her head silently .

“I don’t know . I didn’t see him either . ”

At that moment, Rachel caught her eye . Rachel was staring at her with pure, innocent eyes .

“You really didn’t see him? I have something to talk about with him . ”

“No, sorry . ”

“Ah… . ”

“Anyways, I have to go now . ”

“Okay, see you later . ”

Yoo Yeonha walked past them and left the hospital .

Using a limousine that was prepared for her, she left for Sunshine Hotel .

15 minutes was enough .

The hotel owner seemed to have heard that she was coming as he was waiting for her at the back door of the hotel .

Yoo Yeonha showed him a picture of Kim Hajin .

“If he comes to the hotel, let him in . Don’t forget to keep it a secret from Father . ”

“Of course . ”

The hotel owner gave a wink . He seemed to have misunderstood, but Yoo Yeonha didn’t bother to correct him .

“He might not come . ”

“Of course, of course, I will make sure that no one knows . ”

“… . ”

Yoo Yeonha smacked her lips unsatisfactorily, then went up the elevator .

Ding—

The elevator stopped on the 88th floor, and the VIP penthouse floor revealed itself . A well-decorated bar was the first thing that caught Yoo Yeonha’s attention .

“…Does he drink?”

She suddenly wondered .

It was possible for him to not come . In fact, there was a higher chance that he wouldn’t . Still, Yoo Yeonha considered opening a bottle beforehand . Since he smoked cigarettes, alcohol shouldn’t be a problem .

Yoo Yeonha went up to the counter and looked at the different types of alcohol available .

Whiskey, brandy, vodka, scotch…

“But I don’t drink alcohol… . ”

Yoo Yeonha took pride in not drinking or smoking . A part of the reason was that her mother, Jin Yeojung, detested alcohol .

“Hmm… . ”

However, that made her all the more curious .

Wondering what alcohol tasted like, she picked up a random bottle and opened it .

Sniff, sniff . She smelled it carefully .

Immediately, the alcohol’s strong smell stabbed her nose .

“Uuk! Ueeek—!”

Yoo Yeonha backed off, feeling queasy .

“Uek, ueek… auu, w-what is… ueek . ”

‘Dad drinks this every night?’ Yoo Yeonha pinched her nose . Because of her sensitivity to smell, her nose hurt even more .

“Hmph, I’ll throw all of these away later…”

It was then .

She was notified of a guest .

—Young Miss, the man you talked about just arrived .

“!”

Yoo Yeonha quickly turned around . She grabbed the bottle of alcohol she was about to throw away and placed it on a nearby table . Then, she picked up two glasses from the bar’s cupboard and headed back to the table .

“L-Let him in— kyak!”

However, she tripped on the high-heels she was wearing .

CLANG .

Crack .

Along with one of her heels, the two glasses she was holding broke, and the bottle fell off the table, falling on her head .

“… . ”

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes dried up as she looked at the mess she caused .

—Yes, he’s just been let in .

“Ah, wa…it . ”

However, the elevator was already going up .

1st floor, 2nd floor… 33rd floor . It was almost as if it was moving at light speed .

Yoo Yeonha quickly unleashed her magic power .

**

“Over here . ”

“Thank you . ”

Following the hotel owner, I stood in front of the VIP elevator . The inside of elevator was just as luxurious as the presidential suite I used before .

With a deep breath, I got on .

The hotel owner kindly explained .

“You don’t have to press any button . ”

“…Ah, yes . ”

“Did you bring everything you need? If not… . ”

“No . ”

I shook my head . I wasn’t in the mood for any chitchat .

The hotel owner made an awkward expression and scratched his neck .

“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay . ”

“Thank you . ”

Koong .

The elevator door closed .

Then, the elevator moved up at a scary pace .

“W-What?”

Ding—

By the time I blinked five times, I was on the 88th floor . Soon, the elevator door slowly opened .

I wasn’t given any time to collect my thoughts .

Holding back my beating heart, I walked past the elevator door .

“Hm?”

The penthouse floor was quiet and empty . In front of the wall-sized windows that showed a full view of Seoul, a huge swimming pool was present .

“Y-You’re here . ”

A voice rang out in the silence .

I turned to the direction of the voice .

There, I saw Yoo Yeonha .

“…?”

However, something was strange .

First, the chair .

There was a broken heel under the chair, and Yoo Yeonha was sitting on it barefooted .

Next, the table .

There were two glasses and a bottle of liquor on the table, but one of the glasses was already filled .

Lastly, Yoo Yeonha .

For some reason, her hair was wet, and her cheeks were red .

I couldn’t help but ask .

“…What were you doing?”

“… . ”

Yoo Yeonha observed my expression for a moment .

“Erm… . ”

After about 30 seconds, she made a relaxed smile, swung her glass gently, and kicked the high-heels under the chair with her feet .

“A-As you can see, I already had a sip . ”

“…You drank that?”

“Y-Yes . Anyways, come sit . ”

I pretended to ignore her actions and sat down in front of her .

“I didn’t think you’d come . I thought you would need a couple of days to collect your thoughts . ”

“I took some helpful drugs . ”

“…Drugs?”

I wasn’t sure how sane I was at the moment .

[Perseverance 7 . 207 (+1 . 200)]

I could tell just by looking at my perseverance stat, which was amplified to a whopping 8 . 4 .

I used the ‘sedative’ medicinal effect which my body had memorized, then used the Random Consolidation System to amplify a cigarette’s perseverance-increase effect by 40% .

As a result… I was insanely sane .

“But it won’t last long . ”

“…Huu . ”

At that moment, Yoo Yeonha finished cleaning up her high-heels .

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter . ”

“So, why aren’t you wearing any shoes?”

“Because we’re indoors . ”

With a well-planned excuse, she crossed her legs . Although she looked pretty and especially seductive in this posture, none of it entered my eyes .

“… . ”

I checked the information of the liquor on the table .

===

[Alcatraz Booze] [Liquor]

—Aesthetics of Alcohol

*Decreases ‘intelligence’ stat by 0 . 5~5 points depending on the amount consumed .

*Increases ‘strength’ and ‘vitality’ stats by up to 3 points depending on the amount consumed . However, overconsumption decreases them by up to 6 points .

—Quality Liquor

*This alcohol can make superhumans drunk .

*This alcohol cannot cause hangovers .

===

A liquor with 64% alcohol and 1% mana concentration . By the looks of it, it was expensive and strong . Yoo Yeonha drank this?

I looked at her suspiciously .

“Do you want to try it? It’s quite bitter . ”

“… . ”

Yoo Yeonha casually handed me the empty glass .

I looked at the glass for a moment . Feeling like I needed the help of alcohol, I took it . Yoo Yeonha poured the liquor into my glass as naturally as possible .

“Thanks . By the way, do you have any ice?”

“…Ice?”

“No, nevermind . ”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t even have ice prepared, but now wasn’t the time to be picky .

I gulped down the entire glass .

As the bitter liquor entered my body, I felt a burning sensation in my throat .

I closed my eyes . I clenched my teeth and endured the pain .

“Huu . ”

Then, I opened my eyes with a sigh .

The first thing I saw was Yoo Yeonha’s shocked expression .

“… . ”

“…What?”

“N-Nothing . I just didn’t think you would chug it . ”

Yoo Yeonha looked down at the glass in front of her with a complex expression . Sneaking a peek at me, she slowly grabbed her glass .

However, I wasn’t concerned about her . I was only focused on picking and organizing the countless words that popped up in my head .

Soon, Yoo Yeonha raised her glass .

After much hesitation, she brought the glass to her mouth .

Slurp .

She barely took a sip .

“… . ”

Slurp .

Glancing at me once again, she drank a bit more .

“Kuhum, it’s good . Cough . Ah, I’m coughing because it’s cold . ”

“I see . ”

“…Yes, cough, so, by the way . ”

Yoo Yeonha straightened her neck and looked into my eyes . Her cheeks were flushed red .

“I have many questions I want to ask . ”

“Go ahead . I came here to answer them . ”

I leaned against the chair .

After a moment of pondering, Yoo Yeonha cut straight to the chase .

“…Did you really kill Chae Jinyoon?”

I nodded .

Yoo Yeonha’s expression immediately darkened .

“And the reason… ah, I guess I shouldn’t ask . You probably won’t tell me . ”

Yoo Yeonha swapped her crossed legs and scoffed at me .

I sighed .

Until now, I thought about everything on my own . At first, I thought that was my duty . I thought I had to carry all the burden by myself .

But now…

“No, I’ll tell you . ”

“…Yes?”

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes widened . It must have been quite a shock as her nostrils were widening too .

“W-Why?”

“Mm…”

I stared at Yoo Yeonha .

As her creator, I knew what kind of a person she was, how she had lived, and how she would change .

However, I didn’t come to this decision based on this superficial knowledge .

The attitude and sincerity Yoo Yeonha showed me as a person .

That’s what I decided to believe in .

“I just thought I wanted to be with you until the end . ”

“…Yes?”

Yoo Yeonha seemingly fell into a daze .

As though her soul left her body, she blinked repeatedly and stared at me blankly .

Then, when she realized what I meant, she made a complicated expression .

She looked embarrassed, but remembering something, her expression soon turned to that of sadness .

“Then—”

“…But, I have conditions . ”

“Conditions?”

“Yeah . ”

I raised my index finger .

“First, don’t ask questions . To be precise, don’t ask ‘how’ I found out . I can tell you everything else . ”

Hearing this, Yoo Yeonha nodded without complaints .

I raised a second finger .

“Second, don’t tell anyone . Not even Chae Nayun . ”

“…What? But—”

“I know . But it’s already too late . ”

The reason I killed Chae Jinyoon .

Even if Chae Nayun found out and understood why I had to do it, nothing would change .

“No matter the reason, I killed Chae Jinyoon . ”

“But still…”

“Plus, it might be better for Chae Nayun to not know . ”

I remembered writing this sentence .

「Chae Nayun’s nourishment was always despair, loss, and rage . 」

“No, it’s definitely better . ”

The one thing that Chae Nayun would hold onto after losing everything . That would be the anger she felt towards me .

Even if I told her the truth and even if she believed me, Chae Nayun would just break .

The child who looked at her old brother and wanted to become a hero would not be able to endure the fact that he became a devil .

“It will be better for you too . ”

“…Then what about you?”

Yoo Yeonha asked, putting me at a loss for words .

But soon, I shook my head and retorted with a grin .

“It doesn’t matter . ”

“…What do you mean . ”

“Nevermind that . Now…”

I took a deep breath .

Where should I start?

Suddenly, I felt a surge of regret .

If I didn’t already kill Chae Jinyoon .

If I thought more about it or consulted with someone who would believe my crazy talk .

Would things be better now?

…However, regret was late no matter how fast it came .

“I won’t say it twice, so listen carefully . ”

**

At the same time, in Chameleon Troupe’s cave hideout covered in spiderwebs, Boss was thinking about the strange message she received today from Kim Hajin .

[I was found out . ]

When she saw his message, she immediately summoned the Chameleon Troupe . To be exact, she summoned the members who were involved in Chae Jinyoon’s murder .

“Mm… it must have been Yoo Jinhyuk . Looks like he improved too . ”

Jain spoke .

However, Boss remained silent .

Khalifa took off his sunglasses and looked at Jain with eyes full of suspicion .

“What? Isn’t that the case? Everyone knows that Chae Joochul called Yoo Jinhyuk… ah, was it a mistake to leave Yoo Jinhyuk alive?”

“… . ”

“Boss?”

Seemingly annoyed by her incessant talking, Boss glared at Jain .

However, Jain received Boss’ gaze leisurely and even smiled .

“Boss, now that things became like this, shouldn’t we get his revenge~?”

“… . ”

“Yoo Jinhyuk helped us out a lot, but…”

“Shut it . ”

Boss interrupted Jain .

Jain shrugged without complaints .

“Well, I think it’s okay for now . It doesn’t look like Chae Joochul got a hold of the news yet . ”

“I’ll come to a decision after hearing what Kim Hajin has to say . So Jain…”

Boss’ magic power erupted in all directions .

A soul-crushing pressure descended onto Jain .

“You better stay shut until then . ”

**

…I told her the truth .

The concept of ‘devils’ and the ‘seed’ that gave birth to a devil; that this Devil’s Seed was stuck inside Chae Jinyoon’s head .

That because there was no way to cure him of it (I couldn’t find anything out even with the Book of truth), I killed him .

“… . ”

After listening to the entire story, Yoo Yeonha remained silent .

I picked up my glass .

However, there was nothing in it . Because I kept drinking in the middle of talking, the bottle of booze Yoo Yeonha prepared was already empty .

“T-That…”

After not saying anything for 10 minutes, Yoo Yeonha finally opened her mouth .

“You want me to believe that?”

“… . ”

I shook my head .

I wasn’t that naïve .

After all, I had no evidence .

“If you can’t believe me, you don’t have to . Just don’t deny it . ”

Hearing this, Yoo Yeonha dropped her head silently .

“Haaa… . ”

Soon, a deep sigh rang out .

Yoo Yeonha rubbed her chin, seemingly in thought . As if that wasn’t enough, she began to rumple her hair .

Tik, tok .

After another 15 minutes…

“Ah!”

Yoo Yeonha suddenly shot up . Then, she began to walk towards the elevator .

“Ah, hey, where are you going?”

“To Uncle . ”

“…Uncle?”

“Yes, he’s the one who told me about your tattoo . ”

“…Ah . ”

So it was Yoo Jinhyuk who found out about Stigma?

I thought he wouldn’t be able to find out . Did his Gift go through a second awakening?

“Huu… . ”

I grabbed the back of my neck . This is exactly why I wanted to quit relying on the original story .

“I don’t think Yoo Jinhyuk knows what I just told you . There’s no way he does . So talking to him won’t help—”

“How do you know that without talking to him?”

“… . ”

“Anyways, I won’t be back tonight, so don’t wait for me . Also… if you had any strange ideas because we were in a hotel, put that aside too . ”

“Do I look that crazy?”

Yoo Yeonha smiled as the elevator door closed .

However, the elevator immediately opened again .

With a curious expression, I looked at Yoo Yeonha .

“Just so you know, don’t misunderstand . ”

Through the opened door, I could see a thin smile .

“I’m going to him not because I don’t want to believe you but because I do want to believe you . ”

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