---

Seo-A asks if she is still alive.

Is there a possibility of returning to an ordinary life with Seo-A?

Han Si-Hoo is not particularly bad at studying.

He understood exactly what was taught at school, which is that the possibility always exists.

Tossing a coin ten times and getting heads every time.

It’s possible.

Even if you increase the tosses to a hundred, it’s still possible.

What about a thousand tosses?

Possible.

What if you toss it ten thousand times?

That’s possible too.

The chance of tossing a coin ten million times or hundreds of millions and getting heads every time always exists.

Even if it’s close to zero, it’s not zero.

In some respects, a miracle is not a miracle.

It’s just that the probability is incredibly low.

So, theoretically.

Theoretically, Seo-A is still alive.

Or she could be.

If the possibility is low, then maybe abilities can somehow increase the odds.

The very existence of an Awakener is miraculous enough.

So hope always exists.

Bang.

Was the gun the doctor shot real?

Did Seo-A get shot?

Is there a possibility that it was all a hologram?

Neither the doctor nor Seo-A could be found among the ruins.

Then, isn’t she still alive?

I only thought of this after the Purification penalty was lifted.

It’s a simple deduction.

The problem is, in this case, can I really be sure that it would be good for Seo-A to somehow survive?

I wonder if something that looks like this happened in a photo.

Is the photo real or fake?

If it’s real, then when and who took it?

And why did the Saint decide to show such a photo to Han Si-Hoo himself?

Still, it’s better for Seo-A to be alive than dead.

Way better—by ten million times.

So I hope this photo is fake, but at the same time, I hope it’s true.

But even if this photo is real…

I still don’t know if Seo-A is alive.

“I kinda get it.”

I wonder who played such a prank.

The Saint.

I have no idea why she would do something like this.

“Um…?”

The Saint looks at me, seemingly bewildered.

Acting.

But it’s too clumsy.

Is she surprised by my unexpected reaction?

Han Si-Hoo thinks of the best course of action.

He wonders how much he should be toyed with by the Saint.

“Uh, Si-Hoo, what photo are you talking about?”

I want to calm the urge to ask if she really doesn’t know.

What would be the best thing to do?

Where should I go to extract information from the Saint?

“Well, what could this be?”

It’s unavoidable that my voice shakes a little.

I’m angry.

My childhood friend is laughing while trampled underfoot, but honestly, I want to confront the Saint right now.

The Saint stands there, seemingly unaware of anything.

Han Si-Hoo worries and worries again.

He reaches a conclusion.

“What is it?”

“…It’s a bit awkward to talk about it here.”

A back alley is way too open.

And it’s a bit tricky to have a conversation here.

So, where should we go?

The Academy is out of the question since the Saint isn’t a student.

A bookstore might have eyes watching us.

“Uh, then?”

Let’s go to the Saint’s house.

“How about going to your place?”

“My place?”

That place full of information.

Honestly, even if she refused, I planned on going in anyway.

“Uh, uh? Ah… I need to tidy up first. Wait a bit.”

The house needs cleaning.

“Okay.”

Wow.

Si-Hoo has come to my house.

Si-Hoo.

He unlocks the door and goes in.

The place is clean.

It’s just that some things are too awkward to show.

Like, for example, a syringe.

Thud.

The door doesn’t close.

Turning around, I see Si-Hoo holding the doorknob.

“Si-Hoo?”

“……”

It seems he has something to say.

“Si, Si-Hoo, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing much, just something I want to say.”

“Uh?”

I feel uneasy.

Something feels off.

Bang.

The door slams against the wall because Si-Hoo has completely opened it.

“So, where did you get this photo?”

Huh?

The photo I found a moment ago.

Is he asking me about it?

Asking where I got it?

“Uh?”

What did Si-Hoo just say?

My brain freezes.

“I know you’re the one behind this.”

He knows?

How?

Si-Hoo seems to be mad, perhaps because of me.

Si-Hoo is filled with certainty.

Would he believe me if I said I didn’t?

“Why…?”

“The reason is what I want to ask.”

“…Uh, that’s… there’s a misunderstanding.”

“Well, if you’re going to say that…”

Si-Hoo takes a step closer.

“Ah, uh.”

I’ve been caught.

Caught.

But I don’t even know where I’ve been caught.

Suddenly, Seol Ha-Jin’s words come to mind.

Han Si-Hoo is not normal.

I try to understand why she would say such a thing.

This isn’t the Si-Hoo I’ve known.

He’s intimidating.

Thud.

Si-Hoo grabs my shoulder.

“Please just tell me everything right now.”

“Ah…”

“Please.”

I know it’s my fault.

Maybe I should just tell him everything from the start.

I’ll just confess everything.

Why didn’t I just say it honestly from the beginning?

Because I might get misunderstood as the culprit who put Seo-A in the laboratory.

Regardless, even if it hadn’t been me, she would have eventually been dragged somewhere.

“……”

How should I say it?

My head feels foggy.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll find out in my own way.”

“Uh, that’s… so…”

I just wanted to get closer to you.

It seemed like you weren’t the type to open your heart easily.

Thinking about it, it seems like a really cowardly tactic.

I guess so.

But arriving at this point and just confessing also feels weird.

“Answer me.”

I can’t speak.

I really don’t know how I got caught.

I need to say something.

Anything.

“Uh, that’s… she’s already dead, she’s already dead so…”

I just said she’s dead.

My mind is a mess, and I just blurted out any words.

“……”

She must be dead.

If she’s not dead, that would be a bigger issue.

“Explain the photo. Who took it, where, and why. How did you come to possess it?”

I don’t know that well either.

“It was material that came out when I raided a government agency. I thought it might be your friend, so I was scared to just show it… and I was curious about what kind of relationship you had…”

“What do you mean?”

“…Uh, uh, it says in the material that it was your friend, but your friend wouldn’t be in a photo like this, right? So…”

“What…”

Si-Hoo seems confused by this too.

He’s covered one lie with another.

A moment of silence.

Si-Hoo, who was about to enter, is standing still.

It would be troublesome if he came in.

Since I didn’t clean up after using the medicine last time.

In fact, I haven’t just left the medicine lying around…

I’m normally the type to keep things messy, so that’s a problem.

The house is just dirty.

Ah, why did I invite him?

No, Si-Hoo was thinking with this plan to come to my house.

Because he’s suspicious of me.

That must be it.

“Are you saying Seo-A is dead? What are you talking about?”

Si-Hoo speaks again.

“…The material already said she’s dead.”

That’s a plausible excuse.

“Where is that material?”

I can’t read Si-Hoo’s expression.

“I threw it away…”

“Don’t lie.”

“……”

It is a lie.

I didn’t mean to think this way.

“I’m going in.”

“Ah, you can’t go in.”

I try my best to block him.

There’s no need to go this far.

“Then say it properly. What happened?”

“Sorry… I…”

My head just hurts.

Why did it end up like this?

Why?

Because I was having stupid thoughts.

Should I use some medicine?

I doubt Si-Hoo would say much about it anyway.

“Uh, sorry, just come in. It’s a mess in here.”

In any case, if Si-Hoo wants to come in, I can’t stop him.

It’s my own fault, so I can’t say anything.

I was still in panic mode.

Doing strange things with Si-Hoo.

This is why I hated when someone brought up the past.

The first aid kit with the medicine is in plain sight as soon as he walks in.

I was going to clean it up, but it can’t be helped.

I wonder if Si-Hoo even believes me.

Trust has already been broken.

“I’m sorry for doing something weird. I’ll tell you everything as it is, so just wait a bit.”

I guess I have to live normally.

My relationship with Si-Hoo is ruined.

Everything is a disaster.

Well, in truth, Seo-A and I are similar anyway.

She just ended up in a slightly worse situation.

For now, I just need to take the medicine to calm down.

“What are you doing?”

Si-Hoo grabs my arm.

“I think I can talk if I take some medicine.”

“You have healing skills too. What kind of medicine is it?”

“I’m using it because healing takes care of any side effects.”

“What?”

“As long as I use anything, I’m generally fine. As long as the healing clears the side effects, it’s all good.”

That’s right.

Maximizing convenience.

I can do anything.

“Do you want to use some? If I help, you can use it safely.”

Si-Hoo looks like he has nothing to say.

He lets go of my arm again.

So that means he’s okay with me using the medicine.

I pick up the pen-type syringe and jab it in.

Stab.

The effect hits immediately.

I feel a bit better.

Since it’s already ruined, I think I’ll just show my true self.

“Where did you get the medicine?”

“…Laboratory.”

The problem is becoming a bit drowsy.

“Laboratory?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

I’ve never properly told Si-Hoo about my past.

No, not just Si-Hoo, no one.

“I think Seo-A also got medicine from there. Or not?”

“What do you mean?”

“Anyway… the photo, the photo is…”

It was a mistake to try to gauge his reaction with the photo.

I did something terrible.

No, why did I do such a useless thing?

When I took medicine last time, I didn’t use any self-healing skills.

So as the drug effect kept going, it seems I made a weird choice.

It feels strange now too.

It feels like I’ve returned to the past.

Looking at it this way.

“Ah, Seo-A probably wasn’t suffering that much. If she used the medicine properly, she wouldn’t be in pain.”

Basically, it’s a medicine meant to reduce suffering.

“……”

“So Seo-A would have been happy. She’s smiling in the photo—”

My vision spins.

Bang.

My head hurts.

I fell to the floor.

I see the ceiling.

Si-Hoo seems to have not liked what I said.

“If Seo-A was fine, isn’t that all that matters? She probably never thought she was unhappy.”

I don’t understand which part made Si-Hoo angry.

Ow.

“Ugh.”

My stomach was stepped on.

He seems really mad.

Si-Hoo opens his mouth.

“See, this is kind of like the photo.”

That’s true.

Did Seo-A feel like this too?

“Ugh…”

Breathing has become difficult.

It feels like the oxygen is reduced.

Si-Hoo continues speaking.

“So what are you thinking now? Are you that happy?”

His voice is filled with anger.

He’s making me take Seo-A’s perspective.

It’s an interesting experience, if Si-Hoo is curious.

Honest impressions.

What am I feeling?

“Yeah… it’s fun. So… Seo-A would have liked it.”

She was smiling even while being trampled, right?

Just like me.