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

“…”

Yoo Yeonha had an idle thought while looking at her. They weren’t even that close a year ago. She might’ve entirely cut off contact if it wasn’t for the relationship between their families. However, things had changed before she realized. So much that her heart ached looking at Chae Nayun’s state. It was all because of that person. She barely knew him at the start of last year, but he took an important place in her heart and changed her.

“I’ll be back.”

Yoo Yeonha stroked Chae Nayun’s hair and left after feeling the cold sweat on her hand.

“Eh?”

She saw two familiar faces when she came out to the hallway. Kim Suho and Rachel peeked into Kim Hajin’s 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 went? He’s not in his room.”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha shook her head.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him either.”

Rachel innocently stared at her. “You really haven’t seen him? I have something to talk to him about.”

“No, sorry.”

“Ah…”

“Anyways, I have to go now.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Yoo Yeonha walked past them and left the hospital. Then she immediately headed to Sunshine Hotel in her limousine. It only took 15 minutes. The hotel owner heard she was coming and waited for her at the back door. Yoo Yeonha showed him a picture of Kim Hajin.

“Let him in if he comes. Don’t forget to keep it a secret from Father.”

“Of course.”

The hotel owner gave her 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’ll make sure no one knows.”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha smacked her lips in dissatisfaction and went up the elevator. Ding— It stopped on the 88th floor and opened to the VIP penthouse. A well-decorated bar caught her attention first.

“Does he drink?”

She wondered if he would come. There was a higher chance he wouldn’t. Still, Yoo Yeonha considered opening a bottle beforehand. Alcohol shouldn’t be a problem since he smoked. Yoo Yeonha went up to the counter and looked at the different types of alcohol. Whiskey, brandy, vodka, scotch…

“But I don’t drink…”

Yoo Yeonha took pride in not drinking or smoking. Her mother, Jin Yeojung, detested it.

“Hmm…”

However, that only made her more curious. She picked up a random bottle and opened it. Sniff, sniff. She carefully smelled it. Immediately, the strong smell stabbed her nose.

“Uuk! Ueeek—!”

Yoo Yeonha felt queasy and backed away.

“Uek, ueek… auu, w-what is… ueek.”

Dad drinks this every night? Yoo Yeonha pinched her nose. She had a sensitive smell, so her nose hurt even more.

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

Then she was notified of a guest.

— Young Miss, the young man you mentioned 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 2 glasses from the cupboard and headed back to the table.

“L-Let him in— kyak!”

However, she tripped from her high heels. CLANG. Crack. The 2 glasses broke along with one of her heels and the bottle fell off the table and hit her head.

“…”

Her eyes dried up as she looked at the mess.

— Yes, he’s been let in.

“Ah, wa…it.”

However, the elevator was already going up. 1, 2, … 33. It seemed to move faster than normal. Yoo Yeonha quickly unleashed her magic power.

***

“Over here.”

“Thank you.”

I followed the hotel owner and stood in front of the VIP elevator. The interior appeared just as luxurious as the presidential suite I used before. I got on with a deep breath. 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 it moved up at a scary pace.

“W-What?”

Ding— I arrived on the 88th floor by the time I blinked 5 times. The elevator door slowly opened and I didn’t have any time to collect my thoughts. I held back my beating heart and walked out.

“Hm?”

The penthouse floor was empty and silent. A huge swimming pool appeared outside the wall-sized windows with a full view of Seoul.

“Y-You’re here.”

A voice rang out. I turned and saw Yoo Yeonha.

“…?”

However, something seemed strange. First, a broken heel was under the chair and Yoo Yeonha sat barefoot. Next, the table had 2 glasses and a bottle of liquor, but one glass was already filled. Lastly, Yoo Yeonha’s hair was wet and her cheeks were red for some reason. I couldn’t help but ask.

“What were you doing?”

“…”

She observed my expression for a moment.

“Erm…”

She smiled after about 30 seconds and gently swung her glass as she kicked the high heels under the chair.

“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 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 forcefully increased my perseverance stat to a whopping 8.4. I used the sedative medicinal effect my body had memorized and used the Random Consolidation System to amplify a cigarette’s perseverance effect by 40%. As a result… I was insanely sane.

“But it won’t last long.”

“… Huu.”

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.”

She crossed her legs with a well-planned excuse. She looked especially seductive in this posture, but none of it entered my eyes.

“…”

I checked the liquor on the table.

[Alcatraz Booze] [Liquor] — Aesthetics of Alcohol: Will decreases intelligence by 0.5-5 points depending on the amount consumed. Will increase strength and vitality by up to 3 points depending on the amount consumed. However, overconsumption will decrease them by up to 6 points. — Quality Liquor: This alcohol can make superhumans drunk. This alcohol will not cause hangovers.

A liquor with 64% alcohol and 1% mana concentration. It seemed strong and expensive. Yoo Yeonha drank this? I looked at her suspiciously.

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

“…”

Yoo Yeonha casually handed me the empty glass. I looked at it for a moment and felt like I could use some. Yoo Yeonha poured the liquor into my glass as naturally as possible.

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

“Ice?”

“No, never mind.”

Yoo Yeonha didn’t prepare any ice, but now wasn’t the time to be picky. I gulped down the entire glass and felt a burning sensation. It made me close my eyes and clench my teeth.

“Huu.”

Then I opened my eyes again 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 at the glass in front of her with a complicated expression. She slowly grabbed her glass after peeking at me. However, I wasn’t concerned about her and only focused on picking out the countless words that popped up in my head. Yoo Yeonha raised her glass and brought it to her mouth after much hesitation. Slurp. She barely took a sip.

“…”

Slurp. She drank a bit more after glancing at me again.

“Cough, 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 with flushed cheeks.

“I have many questions I want to ask.”

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

I leaned against the chair. Yoo Yeonha cut straight to the chase after pondering for a moment.

“… 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. That I had to carry all the burden alone, but now…

“No, I’ll tell you.”

“… Yes?”

It must’ve been quite a shock since her nostrils also widened.

“W-Why?”

“Mmm…”

I stared at her. I knew what kind of a person she was as her creator, 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 she 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. Then she realized what I meant and made a complicated expression. She looked embarrassed, but her expression turned sad as she recalled something.

“Then—"

“But, I have conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Yeah.”

I raised my index finger.

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

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. Nothing would change even if Chae Nayun found out and understood why I had to do it.

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

“But still…”

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

I remembered writing this sentence. [Despair, loss, and rage always nourished Chae Nayun.]

“No, it’s definitely better.”

The one thing that Chae Nayun would hold onto after losing everything. That would be her anger towards me. Chae Nayun would only break even if I told her the truth and she believed me. The child that admired her older brother and wanted to become a hero wouldn’t 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, making me speechless. However, I soon shook my head and grinned.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean.”

“Never mind that. Now…”

I took a deep breath. Where should I start? I suddenly felt a surge of regret. If I hadn’t already killed Chae Jinyoon. If I had thought more about it or consulted someone who would believe me. Would things be better now? However, regret was late no matter how fast it came.

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

***

Boss thought about the strange message she received from Kim Hajin in the Chameleon Troupe’s hideout covered in webs.

[I was found out.]

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

“Mmm… It must’ve been Yoo Jinhyuk. Looks like he improved.”

Jain spoke, but Boss remained silent. Khalifa took off his sunglasses and looked suspiciously at Jain.

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

“…”

“Boss?”

Boss glared at Jain, seemingly annoyed by her incessant talking. However, Jain leisurely received her gaze and even smiled.

“Boss, shouldn’t we get revenge now that things have turned out like this?”

“…”

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

“Shut it.”

Boss interrupted her. Jain shrugged without complaint.

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

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

Boss’ magic power erupted in every direction and a soul-crushing pressure descended on Jain.

“You better stay shut until then.”

***

I told her the truth. The concept of devils and the seed that gave birth to one. That this devil’s seed was stuck inside Chae Jinyoon’s head and there was no way to cure him (I couldn’t find anything even with the Book of Truth). I had no choice but to kill him.

“…”

Yoo Yeonha remained silent after listening to the entire story. I picked up my glass. However, it was empty because I kept drinking in the middle of talking. I had already finished the entire bottle Yoo Yeonha prepared.

“T-That…”

Yoo Yeonha finally opened her mouth after 10 minutes.

“You want me to believe that?”

“…”

I shook my head. After all, I had no evidence.

“You don’t have to if you can’t. Just don’t deny it.”

Yoo Yeonha silently dropped her head.

“Haaa…”

She sighed deeply and rubbed her chin. 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 walked 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? 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, it immediately opened again. I looked at her with a curious expression.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

I could see her thin smile through the opened door.

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