◈ Episode 123

'… … It's quiet.'

Echidna looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. White light illuminated the room. It was neither a luxurious chandelier nor a shabby incandescent light bulb, but an extremely practical LED light.

The walls were spotless, not even a speck of cobwebs. The air was clean, the bed sheets were straight and wrinkle-free. It was a much more comfortable environment than I had expected.

But I couldn't even feel at ease.

"What should I do?"

What should we do in the first place? What can we do?

He lost everything. Money and status. Weapons and subordinates. Old relationships… Everything that made him who he was disappeared overnight.

Old memories are replayed in the brain.

Don't do anything, Echidna.

You are an ornament. You are an ornament of excellent quality, just like your mother.

As long as you are faithful to your duty, I intend to take good care of you.

Don't look down on people. If you don't want to be abandoned.

The scenery of my hometown that was engraved in my mind was extremely disgusting.

It was a land where people who were sane were branded as mentally ill. What was even more disgusting was that when a gun was pointed at them, their alcohol- and drug-addled minds would briefly regain their senses.

- Echidna, I sincerely apologize. I, I guess I was a little crazy. Now that my father is gone, okay? I'll really come to my senses from now on. We're family.

- I have a child. A son who is only five years old! If I die, how will he live? Please, just have mercy once… .

I didn't mean to do that! It was the boss's order...

Excuses, begging for your life, excuses again.

The film of memory jumped through time zones as if it had been cut in the middle. What followed after the will of the psychopath and the shameless man was his own voice.

Shut up and follow me. There's nothing more to do in this backwoods place. We're eating Naraka.

Terrible self-righteousness.

… … I want to live. Help me.

And once again begging for life.

"What's the difference, you fucking bitch?"

Echidna curled up on the bed, feeling like she was going to burst into tears.

She needed a goal, something to live for, something to achieve, something to live for, something to prolong her ugly existence.

If this continues, it will rot away.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door, but she didn't feel like answering. Echidna just chose to lie there as if she was dead. She thought that if she left it alone, it would go away on its own.

Boom boom! Boom, boom!

"Ha, what the hell is this."

She couldn't ignore it because it seemed like it was going to break down the door. She wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face with her hand. She forced herself up and opened the door.

Kim Yi-hyun was there. The man whose face I found more awkward than anyone else in the world right now.

"I finished registering the authority and all… What's left?"

"No, I don't. I have some personal business to attend to."

"Sorry, I don't have any."

"I am. I'm going to pester you every day until you listen."

It was as if he was telling me to do whatever I wanted, whether I kicked him out or not. He seemed like a hateful guy. Echidna glanced at Kim Ihyeon, who had an indifferent attitude as usual, and then turned her back.

"...Come in."

"Excuse me."

As the door closed, I was once again cut off from the outside world. Naturally, I had an ominous feeling.

Echidna had always wondered why Kim Hyun had saved her. In her own opinion, the 'purpose' of the human named Echidna was extremely limited.

There were no weapons in his possession. He couldn't see any tools that could be transformed into spells. His body shrank on its own, but it turned out to be a worry that was wrong for a long time.

"Let me get straight to the point. I have no intention of interfering with what you do here."

"뭐?"

"Was that a difficult thing to say?"

The reaction of being puzzled is met with a question that seems even more puzzled.

"You can either run away one day, or suddenly realize the rewards of labor and go mining. Do whatever you want. If there's a country you want to go to, I can send you there."

"…What's the price? What do you want from me?"

"What price? What are you going to extort from a penniless person?"

Kim Lee-hyeon scratched his head.

"Think about it however you want. Maybe the days I spent with you were fun in their own way, or maybe I feel responsible for bringing you all here. I'm confused too, but whatever."

"...."

"If you feel like this is all my fault and you hate me so much that you want to die, then feel free to try to kill me. Of course, I won't just sit by and do nothing. If you fail, your head will be blown off immediately, so deal with it."

After a sigh, his eyes became sharp.

"Just remember this, there are people you absolutely must not mess with."

The expressionless face becomes filled with emotion.

"If you're going to harm someone, do it to me. If you cause even the slightest harm to someone I care about, then I recommend that you commit suicide gracefully. This is a research center. There are all kinds of drugs everywhere. I'm going to show you exactly how deep into a cesspool a person's situation can fall. Me."

Gulp.

Echidna swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.

It was the first time I saw Kim Yi-hyun so openly expressing her true feelings. It was completely different from the relaxed and reserved attitude she had known.

"I didn't realize you were this kind of person. Were you just acting in front of us?"

"I worked rather than acted."

Yeah, that was it.

In Banjar, Kim Hyun-i acted according to his purpose from the beginning to the end. The same goes for his relationship with Nuova Era. It cannot be denied that there was an exchange of emotions, but that was all.

What if he had changed his mind in the middle and wanted to save the members of the organization? He would have lost access to the relic, and he would have had to convince Echidna to give up Naraka.

It wasn't to that extent.

And from the beginning.

Even if he succeeded in persuading her and tied her up in Kavarati, if Kim Ihyeon left Banjar, she would have crossed over to Naraka again someday. That's the kind of person Echidna is.

What remains is the realm of the possible and the impossible.

Kim Yi-Hyeon didn't have the ability to fight against a dozen or so sergeants right away, so he used Nuova Era as bait. He used death. Just like the 'strategy' the professor used, efficiently.

There is no reason for Kim Lee-Hyeon to be criticized in the process.

The person who gave legitimacy was Echidna herself.

"That's all for now. Sorry for disturbing your rest. And…."

"…It's not over yet?"

"Don't die alone. It makes me feel dirty."

Kim Yi-hyeon, who had finished speaking, made a final eye contact and left the room. Contrary to Echidna's concerns, his attitude was very sharp. When she was left alone, she couldn't help but sigh.

"What do you want to do, really?"

* * *

I think I did something that didn't suit me.

Up until now, Kim Yi-hyeon has been making plans and carrying them out in a cool-headed manner. According to the rules, Echidna should not have been spared. Furthermore, saying that she would be given a chance to take revenge was the height of foolishness.

A choice based solely on emotion, not reason. Something like sympathy or guilt. A corner of ethics that has not yet completely worn away.

So to speak, humanity.

'Isn't this wrong?'

It was difficult to judge for myself.

In terms of risk factors, it should be excluded unconditionally. But if it becomes possible to do it without feeling like a machine, is that really a desirable change?

What was I like a year ago, two years ago?

'I don't know.'

The decision has already been made. It's too late to regret it. If I bring them to Lab and kill them right away, what will the agents think? I'll have to deal with whatever the outcome is.

Lab's private room is well-secured, so you don't have to worry about being raided while you're sleeping. Even if you take Echidna's abilities into account, you can handle most situations.

If we delve deeper than this, there is no end to it. In fact, this is something I can worry about because I am stronger than before and have more free time. Until recently, I had difficulty taking care of my own life.

I consciously stirred up thoughts.

"Chelsea, you've put on some weight since I last saw you."

"This crazy person."

Chelsea glared at him as she munched on the jerky. Her expression was quite fierce. It was enough to make Kim Yi-hyun, who was not easily swayed by threats, flinch for a moment.

"…But I still think I'm underweight. Eat more."

"Be careful, really. I'm already stressed out these days."

"Stress? Why."

"Is it because of him?"

The answer came from Asterike's mouth.

"There's this guy I worked with before who can't shoot a gun."

"Tattalia?"

"Yeah, yeah. I guess Chelsea is guiding him."

"It's the devil's talent. It's like the bullets are just bending and missing."

"At that point, it's just a question of aptitude. There's no need to insist on a gun."

"But the passion was also amazing."

It seemed like he didn't completely hate it.

Of course, he is not the type of person to ignore someone who is working hard. The Tatalia that Kim Yi-hyun remembers was a burdensome type, but compatibility is bound to be different for everyone.

"Anyway, it seems like you've been doing well. Arya…."

I moved my gaze to the side. It was the moment when my eyes met with Arya's, who had been glancing in my direction without me knowing.

"Hic!"

Arya collapsed on the floor. Chelsea and Asterike didn't react at all to her unexpected behavior. They just gave her a look that said, 'He's acting up again.'

"Why are you like that?"

"We don't know either."

"It breaks down once every two or three days?"

"It's broken," Arya said hesitantly, swallowing her bitter taste.

"It is an attitude of submission."

"…It was originally like this?"

"Yeah, this is your first time. Arya, what's wrong?"

"He is a fearful human being…."

"Who's afraid? Hyun?"

He nods and looks around.

Clearly having a hard time. The two of them turned their gazes towards Aria and focused on Kim Yi-hyun.

"What did you do to make the child like this?"

"You shouldn't bully me, Hyun."

"What about me? I haven't been back for that long."

Kim Lee-hyun felt truly wronged.

Since he left for Banjar almost immediately after bringing her to the lab, he had not developed any real relationship with Arya. I couldn't understand why she was scared at all.

In reality, Arya had almost no memory of Kim I-hyeon. However, she was a wild person who had just started to adapt to civilization. She tended to act based on instinct rather than reason.

Although her brain was so pure that she couldn't even grasp the whole story of 'I was kidnapped by a rapist after being given sleeping pills,' she had a vague intuition that the man in front of her had done something to her.

Something that others cannot know.

At the same time, it was also a good thing.

"Hyeon, just pack some food for a few days. Then she'll follow along well."

"Is that okay? When do you eat it?"

"Five meals a day, as you wish."

"Hey, you're eating well. That's what kids should do."

Kim Lee-hyeon grinned and said, "Okay."

The smiling face brought a sense of relief to Asterike. The expression that had always felt somewhat sinister was now noticeably relaxed.

If only he had led such a change.

That was a very happy thing.

'thank god.'

* * *

8th basement floor, production workshop.

"What, what, what, what…!"

Tamtam's hand holding the blade twitched. Even his pupils shook as if there was an earthquake. The shock quickly moved to the next level, and he stared at Kim Yi-hyeon with eyes filled with anger.

"What did I say? Did you forget?"

"I told you to take good care of it."

"Yeah, you didn't forget?"

"I'm confident about my memory."

"I see, ahaha."

"Yeah. Haha."

Ssaaa- and Tamtam's expression turned cold.

"…Are you laughing? Are you laughing?"

"Uh, hmm."

She squeezed her eyes shut as if her heart was pounding.

"Me too. I understand the situation. You go out and fight. You fight a lot anyway. It's a tool to help with that, and since you've been to Banjar, I think there must have been situations where you had to treat it roughly."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Still don't you understand this, you son of a bitch!"

He held the blade straight up and thrust it in. It was a dangerous move, but Kim I-Hyeon couldn't point it out. The blade was damaged and crooked like a pair of pinking shears, not to mention the teeth.

"Did you scrape against the rebar? Did you make it a showdown to see who's stronger? Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense!"

As expected, the nagging poured out.

It was the right answer to prepare an escape route. Kim Yi-hyeon nudged Edwin, who had been brought here on purpose and looked uncomfortable as if he was sitting on a bed of thorns, with his elbow.

Edwin, urged, stepped forward hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, but."

"Who are you? Don't interfere, it's serious right now."

"I did that."

"Hey, you little shit!!"

You can do that at first sight.

'As expected, there are a lot of troublemakers.'