Memorize

"We saw a woman while coming here. However, I can't be sure that the woman we saw is the one your people mentioned as having been kidnapped."

It was a statement made with the intention of softening the blow. However, the woman's eyes still held certainty. She quickly nodded in response to my words and replied.

"It's okay. Right now, I'm willing to grasp at straws. If she had long straight hair, I wouldn't be sure, but if it's a yellow dress, then I'm almost certain."

"Even if it was a yellow dress... it was in tatters, and we could only confirm part of it."

"W-what… Did you say?"

At my words, the woman stuttered momentarily. Wu Jung-Min, Seon Wu-Yun, and Cheon Seung-Hyun, who were next to her, clenched their hands, as if bracing for what was to come. However, her eyes still hadn't given up hope. Finally, in a trembling voice, filled with hope that it wasn't true, she spoke again.

"Why... why was her dress torn?"

"When we found her, the woman was leaning against a tree, collapsed. When we approached and checked... she was already dead."

"Won Hye-Soo…!"

As soon as I finished speaking, the woman called Won Hye-Soo went pale and collapsed, staggering to the ground. Cheon Seung-Hyun, who was beside her, quickly caught her, but by then her legs had already given out completely. Knowing the pain of losing a loved one better than anyone, I looked at the woman called Won Hye-Soo with a heavy heart.

For a moment, silence filled the air.

"How was Hye-Yeon when you found her?"

However, as if he had already accepted the reality, Wu Jung-Min asked me in a calm voice. Still, the heavy tone betrayed his inner turmoil. I remained silent for a moment. He continued speaking, as if waiting for my answer.

"It's okay. I had a rough idea. Just tell me as it is."

"...There were bloodstains around her mouth. It seems likely she bit her tongue to commit suicide."

"No. Wait. That can't be. There's no way she would have taken her own life."

"When we found her, she was almost naked. And... there was fluid, presumed to be from that monkey-like creature, leaking from her vagina."

As soon as I finished speaking, the atmosphere turned icy. Wu Jung-Min was genuinely furious. His eyes were filled with rage, and he clenched his fists so tightly, it seemed he could explode at any moment. Seon Wu-Yun, who had been quietly listening next to him, also had bloodshot eyes, making it clear how deeply they felt their grief and anger.

It was then. A scream echoed from Won Hye-Soo, who had been staring blankly into space with vacant eyes, as if she finally processed my words.

"Ha... haha... ha... haaaaaaa!"

"Hye-Soo! Get a hold of yourself!"

"Aaaaah! Aaaaaaah!"

Her outburst was so intense that even Cheon Seung-Hyun, who had been relatively composed, took a step back in shock. Unable to cope with her grief, Won Hye-Soo began clawing at the ground with her hands, screaming.

"No! Hye-Yeon! There's no way Hye-Yeon is dead! It's a lie! A lie! Hye-yeoooooon!"

"Won Hye-Soo! Pull yourself together! We also lost Jin-Tae, remember? Don't you? Back then, you told us not to let our emotions take over, to face reality calmly! So how can you act like this now?"

"Shut up! Hye-Yeon! Hye-Yeon!"

Like a madwoman, Won Hye-Soo frantically looked around and then locked eyes with me. Her face twisted in rage, and in an instant, she sprang to her feet and rushed at me. Seon Wu-Yun and Cheon Seung-Hyun, startled, quickly grabbed both of her arms, but even then, she screamed furiously at me.

"Lies! Don't lie to me! She can't be dead! You're lying, right? Right? Tell me it's a lie...! Tell meeee!"

"Hye-Soo… Let's go check first, okay? Calm down."

Cheon Seung-Hyun kept trying to soothe her, but Won Hye-Soo, nearly out of her mind, wasn't hearing him. I watched her silently for a moment, then spoke in a quiet voice.

"If you follow the road behind us for about 30 minutes, you'll find the body. There aren't many trees in that area. I'm truly sorry about your sister. We covered her body with a blanket."

"You bastard! You killed Hye-Yeon! Dead? Don't lie to me! No! You coward, you ran away when you saw her being attacked, didn't you? You could have saved her, but you ran, didn't you? You cowardly piece of trash!"

"What did you say? This crazy woman… Oppa?"

Lee Yun-Jung, who felt sorry for her but couldn't stand hearing me being insulted, was about to step forward. I gently grabbed her shoulder and shook my head. She frowned, but seeing my stern expression, she backed down quietly. Then, Wu Jung-Min, who had been silently gazing up at the sky, calmly raised his right hand.

"Slap!"

The sound echoed, and Won Hye-Soo's head snapped to the side. She stood there, her face flushed, staring in disbelief at Wu Jung-Min's hand. His expression was filled with disappointment as he looked down at her.

"Enough, Won Hye-Soo. You're becoming disgusting to watch."

"What… what?"

"Face reality... No, never mind. You wouldn't listen to anything I say right now anyway. Stop taking your anger out on others and accept the truth."

"Hah... I see. It doesn't matter to you because she wasn't your sister, right? Of course, that's how it is. To you all, she was just someone you knew for four days. But for me, for me... I've lived with her for over 20 years. And now you're telling me to 'accept reality'?"

As she spoke with a voice filled with venom, Seon Wu-Yun looked at her with pity. But in the end, he averted his gaze, unable to meet her eyes. When she saw him turn away, Won Hye-Soo began to sob again. To any outsider, it would have been clear that she was overwhelmed with despair, frustration, anxiety, and chaos, to the point where she seemed on the brink of madness.

"Won Hye-Soo, are you out of your mind? I'm not one to talk, especially after throwing that dagger, but you can't act like this! Calm down and get a grip. What's gotten into you?"

"Yeah, I'm crazy. I'd rather lose my mind completely. So just let me go! I said let go, now!"

Her hysteria grew worse by the second. Wu Jung-Min let out a deep sigh and spoke in a heavy voice.

"I don't think you're crazy. We also lost Jin-Tae here. So we understand the pain of losing someone you cared about deeply, like your sister. If anyone had seen how you and your sister spent those four days together, they would surely empathize with your grief. And… we still don't have absolute proof that the body is your sister, Won Hye-Yeon."

"Don't lie to me. Yeah! Maybe they're lying! Didn't they say they only saw part of the clothes? I'm going to check. I'm going now. It's probably not her. No, it can't be her."

They say humans are creatures of self-rationalization. At first, Won Hye-Soo had been so certain, but now she had completely changed her stance. She swung between begging, despair, anger, and now hope. She was losing her grip on reality. Unable to accept her sister's death, she was clinging to any interpretation that offered hope. I had seen people like this before, but it didn't make it any less painful to witness.

"Stop it. You saw Hye-Yeon get taken by those monkey creatures back then."

"If you're not coming with me, I'll go by myself. Let me go now. I'm going. I have to go. Right now."

"…Jung-Min, let's go too. We'll go check and… at least confirm… the body…"

Cheon Seung-Hyun, who had been speaking carefully, immediately stopped when he noticed Won Hye-Soo's sharp glare. As soon as Cheon Seung-Hyun and Seon Wu-Yun released her arms, she shot me a glare and then ran off in the direction I had pointed. The others exchanged awkward glances before hurrying after her. However, Wu Jung-Min remained behind, standing still.

"I've dragged you into unnecessary trouble. Sorry about that. I only spent four days with them, but even in that short time, it was clear how much Hye-Soo and Hye-Yeon cared for each other."

An Hyun nodded in understanding, his expression sympathetic. He seemed uneasy, holding An Sol tightly with his right arm. Wu Jung-Min, watching the two with a bitter look, then shifted his gaze to me and spoke in a serious tone.

"Anyway, thanks for avenging us. You spared me the trouble. But... you weren't lying about what you said, were you?"

"What?" 

Lee Yun-Jung immediately flared up, but Wu Jung-Min shifted his gaze to Kim Han-Byeol and An Sol, then chuckled softly.

"Well... they don't seem like the kind of people who would lie. My bad. I should get going too."

"I'm truly sorry for what happened to her. It's unfortunate, but we're busy as well. So we'll be leaving now."

"Ah, wait a second. Hey, you with the crossbow, come here for a moment."

Surprised by his sudden call, I glanced at him and then slowly walked over. Once I was standing in front of him, he looked around at my group, then lowered his voice so only I could hear.

"It's not much, but here's some information as a token of thanks. You're headed to the central warp gate, aren't you? Don't say anything, just give me a slight nod."

I nodded immediately, and Wu Jung-Min leaned in, whispering something softly into my ear.

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