By Zephyria “Just a moment. I need a more detailed explanation. That the Soul was dragged away…”
Jung-bin looked back at Yoon Ga-eul, who was lying on the operating table, with anxious eyes. Nam Woo-jin, who poked the light with his finger, replied nonchalantly.
“Exactly as it sounds. The body here is just an empty shell.”
“But…”
Jung-bin trailed off, staring at the chest that swelled and deflated slightly. Then, he took a step closer to the operating table and carefully touched her wrist, which had red marks. He could clearly feel a pulse. She was alive. According to Nam Woo-jin, yes, even without a Soul.
“In that case, how is this… body being maintained? I mean, its life activity. It’s breathing on its own without an oxygen respirator attached.”
“That’s an area I don’t know either. It’s the first time the Soul itself has been dragged over there. All we can do is research it from now on.”
“…….”
“Don’t look at me like that. I was someone who was struggling to see even a tiny facet…”
Nam Woo-jin tapped his eyes with his index finger. Jung-bin sighed.
“Yes, you were.”
“Well, I have some guesses though… There it is.”
Nam Woo-jin, who was looking around, found a whiteboard shoved in the corner and dragged it over. Kicking away the books piled up in the path was a bonus. Jung-bin was about to say something but closed his mouth.
Something was densely written on the whiteboard, but only traces of it were visible, and it was blurred in places, making it impossible to understand the contents. Nam Woo-jin roughly wiped the board with an eraser and opened the cap of a black magic marker. Then, he hesitated trying to scribble something on the whiteboard, and opened the cap of another magic marker. It didn’t come out. Jung-bin, who was frowning and holding his forehead, finally threw a word.
“How long has it been since you used the whiteboard?”
“Don’t ask. Hmm, it shouldn’t have been long.”
“Master.”
The boy, who approached with hurried steps, held out a magic marker box. Nam Woo-jin took the box and roughly stroked the boy’s head.
“Thank you.”
“Yes, Master.”
The boy smiled as if he had drawn it and disappeared from sight again. Jung-bin shook his head.
“Is it even possible to live without that Marionette?”
“Don’t ask. Let’s get back to the main point.”
Pop, Nam Woo-jin, who opened the cap of a new magic marker, scribbled something that looked like a person, then added a small circle on top of the round head. Jung-bin, who narrowed his eyes, asked.
“Is that by any chance… Yoon Ga-eul you drew?”
“You recognized it well.”
Jung-bin glanced at Ga-eul. It was a bit disheveled, but she had what they call a messy bun….
“From the beginning, Yoon Ga-eul’s ability is one of the most unique among many abilities. It’s closer to the System than any other ability. In a world that runs under the laws of the System… that’s quite a big power. And it’s exceptional.”
“That’s… true.”
“Besides, she’s an existence allowed to see the Fragment of the world. From the System.”
Nam Woo-jin began to twist his long, white hair with his fingers. Laughter lingered in his white-burned eyes.
“Unlike me.”
“…….”
“Anyway, the Soul of such a person was dragged into another world. Then, did the System predict this situation?”
Jung-bin couldn’t easily come up with an answer. Nam Woo-jin tapped the whiteboard with the back of the magic marker as if he knew it would be like this.
“I don’t think so. It must have happened suddenly.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Hey.”
“Yes, Master.”
The boy, who appeared silently, handed Jung-bin a small dagger the size of an adult’s palm. Jung-bin, who received the dagger in a daze, asked.
“What is this?”
“Stab her. Yoon Ga-eul.”
“Yes?”
Jung-bin’s voice grew louder. Nam Woo-jin frowned and clicked his tongue.
“Who do you think I am? I’m not telling you to stab her in the neck or anything like that. Just poke the tip of her finger lightly. Like a blood test before donating blood.”
“…….”
“Why, if you can’t do it, should I do it?”
“…No, it’s okay.”
Jung-bin, who slowly approached Ga-eul, took a deep breath. Then, he carefully raised his hand and stabbed her index finger with the dagger.
At that moment,
“Keuk!”
Paaat―
A pure white light burst out. Jung-bin covered his eyes and stepped back. When the light subsided, he could see a finger with no wounds, even though he had clearly stabbed it properly. Jung-bin’s eyes widened.
“This is….”
“That must be why her life activity continues even without a Soul.”
“…Is the System taking care of Ga-eul’s body?”
“It won’t last long though.”
Nam Woo-jin, who answered briefly, closed the magic marker cap.
“The world is wide, and there are many things to manage. Even if she’s close to the System, the System can’t put all its attention on just her. It will be temporary.”
“…You’re saying there’s a time limit. Can we go save her?”
“I don’t know. She’s the only one who’s been to that world. We’ve only heard about it, we have no contact. Unless there’s someone else who’s seen that world…”
“…….”
“Well, it’s all in the stage of inference. The person who can explain that world in detail…”
Nam Woo-jin sighed.
“Is lying down like that.”
A small breath continued through the heavy silence. She was still breathing, but even this might stop at any moment. Nam Woo-jin muttered. His pure white eyes shone strangely.
“Why Yoon Ga-eul? Why…”
Jung-bin looked down at Ga-eul with worried eyes. Then, he found the necklace hanging around her neck. Are students these days allowed to wear such accessories? Jung-bin tilted his head and observed the necklace more closely. He noticed a silver square thing that had gone behind her neck. He reached out and checked it.
HYS
Jung-bin’s expression hardened.
“…I’m sorry, but I’ll borrow the necklace.”
Jung-bin carefully supported Ga-eul’s head and took off the necklace. Nam Woo-jin, who was looking at the whiteboard and lost in thought, raised his head and pushed up his glasses that had slipped down.
“What is it? Did you find anything?”
Jung-bin, who was fiddling with the necklace, replied briefly.
“I’m going to try to find something now. Please take good care of Ga-eul.”
“Where are you going?”
“…….”
Jung-bin clenched the necklace tightly. A voice that sounded like he was grinding his teeth answered.
“Bukhansan.”
Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes.
He was sitting on a chair inside the Hanover Soup Restaurant with the lights off, slumped over the table. He slowly raised his upper body.
‘What is it?’
Did he fall asleep for a while? For some reason, his body felt sluggish and heavy. Had there been a lot of tiring things to do? No, that’s not right. Business was the same as usual. Eui-jae tried hard to blink his closing eyes.
“…….”
Even though it was clearly a familiar landscape and Shield, it felt unfamiliar. An instinctive sense of rejection. A strange feeling was rising up. He clenched and unclenched his hands for no reason. His palms were clean.
There was no golden scar.
The evidence of the contract with Lee Sa-young.
Something that shouldn’t be missing was missing.
“…….”
The moment Eui-jae opened his eyes wide, someone knocked lightly on the door. Knock, knock, knock, Eui-jae immediately got up from his seat and guarded his surroundings. The moment he gave his gaze to the table, a dented ladle appeared. Without any more room for suspicion, he grabbed the ladle.
In the meantime, the sound of knocking on the door continued.
A situation where he couldn’t easily open his mouth. Eui-jae examined the door with a tense face. A glimpse of round, curled brown hair was reflected in the glass above the iron door.
“…….”
There was only one person he knew who had hair like that.
‘But….’
Eui-jae bit his tongue.
It didn’t hurt.
At that time, the sound of knocking on the door stopped. Instead, a small voice was heard.
“…J.”
The hair and the voice were familiar. But he couldn’t easily open the door. Eui-jae readjusted his grip on the ladle.
After a long time of not saying anything, the small voice whispered.
“I’m sorry for coming like this. But… this was really the best I could do. I really tried.”
“…….”
“Ah, you don’t have to answer. You can just listen…”
The hesitant voice said.
“Do you remember? The world in the Fragment I showed you, uh, so… J… yes, that world. The, the piece that fell out of the Destroyed world… that I said.”
“…….”
“That, I, that, I think I’ve come to the Destroyed world. I don’t know what happened or how…. This, I was going to go to other people, to Jung-bin, but, this… J, you’re the only one I can go to right now. Aish, why do I keep…”
As the words got longer, the mumbling voice was mixed with tears. Soon, a long sob followed. After the sound of rustling as if wiping away tears with her sleeve, the voice that sniffed carefully said.
“I’m really sorry, but… can you help me?”
“…….”
“Here, here is too….”
The presence that had been pacing in front of the door disappeared. Only then did Eui-jae carefully open the door. On the sidewalk with wet sneaker footprints, a small, white piece with black stains was left alone. It seemed like there was black ink on the edge of the piece.
Eui-jae stared blankly at the piece. The last words mixed with sobs.
‘It’s quiet.’
The silence that came to the Destroyed world. He could bitterly know what she was talking about. In fact, Cha Eui-jae would be the only one who knew it.
That’s why Eui-jae grabbed the piece without hesitation.
A small light flickered in his grasp.