Chapter 53: Chapter 53

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Chapter 53: Someone Else's Memory (4)

[Connecting to channel E13-HRN-KJE#17995.]

The space previously occupied by countless screens was now filled with one enormous memory.

A gray sky.

A crumbling city.

The heavy concrete facade of a building shattered like a cookie in the middle of it all.

There was Jieun, collapsed, and me holding onto her.

【"PR Bureau Frisia" asks if this is going to end in a tragic finale.】

【"Audit Bureau Lemon Candy" tells them to hush because the male lead is saving her right now.】

It was the moment Jieun unleashed her telekinetic skill.

When an abrupt earthquake dragged me into the ground, and she, trying to save me, got struck by falling debris and collapsed.

["Yongsan-gu" survivor count: 1,000.]

From 999 back to 1,000 survivors.

Precisely the moment she had just used "Teleknesis," wasn't it?

‘You chose this memory?’

A bit surprising, but not entirely strange.

A memory of dying and coming back to life.

There’s hardly another memory as extraordinary as that.

【"Investigation Bureau Kitty" applauds, saying District 13 is truly a romantic haven.】

【"Audit Bureau Lemon Candy" cheers, saying it's been ages since they've seen love worth dying for.】

…The observers’ reactions were a bit odd, though.

Almost as if they were watching a romantic movie.

It was uncomfortable.

Jieun was fighting fiercely on the border between life and death right now.

"Please…!"

And the version of me holding onto her was wearing an equally desperate expression.

【"PR Bureau Frisia" asks if this is the part where a kiss wakes her up.】

【"Audit Bureau Lemon Candy" folds their hands together and urges for it to happen quickly.】

But talk of a kiss in a moment like this...

Would they still make light of things if their lives were on the line?

This lack of awareness was something else.

More importantly...

‘Why isn’t she waking up?’

By now, she should have opened her eyes.

When I used Stone Honey back then, her crushed skull began regenerating immediately, and she woke up right away—didn’t she?

Then.

【An anonymous observer wonders why she hasn’t woken up despite using Stone Honey.】

‘!!’

Just a thought, yet a message popped up automatically.

Was the system synchronized with my mind?

Anyway.

"Is it not working?"

The me on the screen was equally uneasy, gritting his teeth with a troubled look before moving to stand.

Then—

Swishhh!

Jieun’s hand caught his hem.

A delicate grip with just her index finger and thumb, moving ever so slowly.

"Something just happened…"

The world seemed to slow down.

"Like when using an acceleration skill."

Convincing myself it was just a feeling, I refocused on the screen.

"Eu-Eunho…!"

Jieun opened her eyes.

For some reason, her face flushed red.

【"Investigation Bureau Kitty" giggles, saying the female lead looks so adorable being shy.】

"Jieun! Are you okay?"

"Yes…!"

She was alive.

She survived.

An indescribable sense of relief and joy filled the screen.

The observers felt it too.

【"PR Bureau Frisia" asks if they just saved each other.】

【"Audit Bureau Lemon Candy" remarks they’re so happy they could die, grinning ear to ear!】

Hmm... The focus was still slightly off.

"Jieun, you just came back from the brink of death."

Interpreting this situation as romantic feelings?

"What were you thinking? You should have taken care of yourself first."

What an absurd misinterpretation.

A misunderstanding only possible for those who didn’t truly know Jieun.

Once they heard what followed, they’d realize.

"I’m sure Eunho would’ve done the same."

Her actions were driven by her kind nature and belief in humanity.

Which meant that even if it wasn’t me, she would have saved anyone...

"Because it was you, Eunho."

Huh?

That’s... a little different from what she said before, isn’t it?

"It was because it was you."

Because it was me.

The tone felt peculiar.

Her gentle smile was peculiar too.

And the strangest thing was—

─ She~ maybe the beauty or the beast~

The familiar pop song that began playing.

"Huh?"

"Jieun, what are you…?"

"Don’t you know?"

The camera zoomed in dramatically on my wide, trembling pupils.

─ Maybe the famine or the feast~

The cheesy BGM.

The unnecessary close-ups.

The time-consuming slow motion.

This was definitely—

"A romance drama?!"

【"Investigation Bureau Kitty" covers their mouth in shock at the female lead’s bold confession!】

【An anonymous observer is aghast at the syrupy editing!】

Good grief.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

As I sat there, mouth agape in disbelief—

"Thank you for saving me, Eunho."

Jieun leaned her small head against my chest.

Ba-bam—ba-bam—babababam—

Cue the dramatic band accompaniment.

And then—

─ I! Love! You! Baby~ and if it’s quite alright~

A lively song signaling the climax of the scene.

"Jieun, don’t tell me…"

【"Investigation Bureau Kitty" screams in delight over the sweet moment of physical affection!】

【1,000 welfare points donated!】

Phew.

Jieun’s boldness truly caught me off guard.

Really.

I never expected you to be this proactive.

So…

【‘PR Bureau Frisia’ blesses the beginning of this couple's journey!】

【500 Welfare Points donated!】

【‘Audit Bureau Lemon Candy’ applauds a couple that stirred their hearts after a long time!】

【1,000 Welfare Points donated!】

To think you decided to run a romance channel to analyze the personalities of observers and earn sponsorship points!

I knew you were sharp and perceptive as a former assistant, but…

I didn't realize it was to this extent.

You've completely changed my perspective.

‘Independent and capable, huh?’

It seems I don’t need to worry.

I should just step aside and avoid interfering—

【‘Research Bureau MeowMeow’ declares a 5,000-point donation for a kiss!】

【Welfare Points: 1,000 donated!】

…Huh?

What did they say?

【An anonymous observer freezes in shock and tension.】

I need to leave.

I really think that's the best option.

If I stay here any longer, I feel like I might lose my sanity too.

And if Jieun ever finds out I was watching this…

‘No, that can’t happen!’

Quickly.

I need to get out of here—!

—Whoosh!

I waved my hands frantically, dodging the strange close-up shots on the screen.

—Flash!

The grayish scenery that had filled my view disappeared.

* * *

It seems I exited in such a rush that I ended up switching to the adjacent video instead of the full-screen one.

[Connecting to channel E13-HRN-CJH#8251.]

It was a surreal sight.

A familiar yet unfamiliar space.

Here…

Dozens of desks and chairs.

A chalkboard bearing the remnants of the previous lesson.

Students in school uniforms.

A school.

And not just any school—

"S-stop it, you jerks!"

"We haven’t even started, so what’s there to stop?"

One student kneeling on the ground, surrounded by five others laughing mockingly.

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It was the video right next to Jieun’s earlier.

I skipped over it earlier because it was too unpleasant, and even seeing it now, it’s just pathetic.

Of all memories, why choose something like this?

—Slap!

The ringleader, a bulky figure, smacked the kneeling student hard across the face.

The boy’s head snapped to the side, his upper body swaying from the impact.

Sigh.

These are the kind of people I never want to associate with.

In school, those who resort to violence to prove their worth and boost their self-esteem.

Some may say, “It’s just immaturity,” but it’s precisely because they’re immature that their true nature shines through.

‘What a waste of my time.’

That was my thought as I prepared to leave the channel.

But then—

‘Wait… huh?’

I saw a familiar face.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

A familiar, timid face.

‘!!’

In the middle of a school violence scene, utterly out of place, stood—

‘Choi Jaehyuk…?’

Why are you there?

Choi Jaehyuk.

Twenty-five.

The guy who’d call out, “Hyung! Hyung!” and follow me and Jieun around like a younger brother.

A big guy, but such a scaredy-cat—flinching at small injuries and unable to stab even a dead monster properly.

It’s hard to believe he’s a former soldier; he’s such a soft-hearted guy.

But now Jaehyuk is—

—Slap!

Getting slapped.

—Thud!

Getting kicked.

By a bunch of brats wearing the same school uniform.

"Hey, idiot, do you know what today is? Collection day, duh."

"Bet he didn’t bring the money again."

"Then he should’ve stolen it, even if it meant raiding the family piggy bank!"

Piggy bank?

Jaehyuk had once mentioned that his parents ran a butcher shop when he was young.

And he used to be chubbier back then, which must’ve made him an easy target.

…For these trashy kids.

"Ha, Pig Jaehyuk."

The ringleader squatted next to him, pulling something out of his pocket.

"!!"

—Click!

The sight of a box cutter in the bully’s hand made Jaehyuk tremble violently.

But the bullies didn’t care if he shook or not.

"Don’t move, you pig."

With practiced ease, they unbuttoned Jaehyuk’s school shirt.

And then—

"Where did we leave off last time?"

"We separated the pork belly and loin, didn’t we?"

"Then… let’s flip him over today."

They laughed as one of them twirled the box cutter, as if he were an artist gauging his next stroke with a pencil in hand.

"Let’s see…"

And then—

—Swish!

"Argh!!"

The blade slid across his exposed stomach, just enough to draw blood.

"Today’s an easy one. This must be the pork belly, right?"

"Nah, that’s probably the spare rib, idiot."

"You sons of—!"

The reaction to the scene was explosive.

【‘Administration Bureau Cool Guy’ taps his feet in excitement at the thrilling action!】

【‘Sales Bureau Top Performer’ cheers for the rising star potential they see!】

Primal violence. The utter trampling of the weak.

Because they’re young, because they lack life experience, because they don’t know any better…

And precisely because of that, the “evil” they display is all the more pure.

The observers cheered in response.

【The 'Investigation Bureau’s Star Performer’ frowns at the frustrating turn of events!】

Some disapproved, but their dissatisfaction wasn’t with the violence itself—it stemmed from the frustrating developments in the story.

"Ahh! It hurts so much...!"

"Shit, I told you not to move! I messed up because of you!"

"I feel like I’m dying! Please, just stop..."

"You won't die from this."

...And then it became clear.

Why Jaehyuk was so unusually fearful.

Why he was so sensitive to even small wounds.

Trauma.

This memory was Jaehyuk's trauma.

Something he could never forget, even after almost a decade had passed.

No, perhaps it was a scar he could never erase in his lifetime.

A trauma he likely wanted more than anything to overcome.

【Anonymous observer is enraged by the unbearable atrocity!】

Snap!

It felt like the thread holding his sanity together had snapped.

After seeing something like this...

[Open the shop.]

...there’s no holding back.

─ Fwoosh!

[Summoning the mid-tier shop, ‘The Golden Carriage, Everywhere and Nowhere!’]

[Select the items you wish to purchase!]

'Strength boost, stamina boost, and…'

Should I just send him a weapon outright?

Like someone sweeping items into a cart during a store’s closing sale, he gritted his teeth as he picked out items.

"You bastards..."

Jaehyuk clenched his fists so tightly it seemed as if he wanted to pierce his palms.

"I'm like this because of you...!"

"What the hell is he saying?"

"What’s wrong with him today?"

Muttering through gritted teeth, pinned down with his arms and legs held tight by those bastards—

─ Fwoosh!

With his right hand, he grabbed the blade.

─ Crack!

And broke it.

"What?!"

"What the hell!"

─ Clatter!

The only weapon fell broken to the ground.

In the moment when the attackers were taken aback, Jaehyuk sprung up from his spot.

Then, holding up two fingers—

─ Stab! Smack!

He jabbed like a hummingbird.

Into one of their eyes.

"AAAAARGH! FUCKK! YOU PSYCHO!!!"

"This bastard's lost it!"

The ones nearby lunged at him, but—

"The crazy ones here are you! You damn scumbags!!!"

─ Screech!

Jaehyuk grabbed a chair from the floor—or rather, he picked it up and then—

─ Wham!

Hurled it.

Like bowling pins, they were sent flying.

'Hmm, this...’

Seems like I don’t need to step in after all.

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