An Unexpected Development Even in Dreams
“……”
“……”
The vast room was so barren that the word “desolate” fit it perfectly. Now that only the two of us remained inside, the air grew thick with an awkwardness that was almost suffocating. There was no need to wonder why. I had far too many secrets to keep, so tension was inevitable, while the man across from me was clearly uncomfortable simply being alone with a child. Still, we couldn’t just sit in silence forever. Both of us knew this meeting carried significant weight, so avoiding it wasn’t an option.
At last, the one seated broke the heavy quiet. “You probably can’t drink coffee. Sit over there. I’ll bring you some juice.”
He rose slowly from his chair and gestured toward a classic reception area straight out of a drama. A rectangular table stood in front of the head seat, with guest chairs arranged on either side. Without hesitation, I walked over and took the nearest seat. My heart wanted nothing more than to bolt from the room, yet my expression remained perfectly blank. I had spent the time leading up to this moment steeling myself, and the preparation proved useful now. I refused to let any sign of unease show.
The moment I sat down, an AI robot materialized from somewhere and placed a glass of juice on the table. The sight was curious, but I had seen it once before, so it didn’t rattle me. By the time the man took the head seat, everything was ready.
His reason for summoning me was obvious. He wanted to discuss my future treatment face-to-face. Honestly, given the gap in our positions, he could have ignored my opinion entirely and done whatever he liked without much trouble. An S-rank hunter’s influence was rare enough in Korea, and he also led an investigation team within the Council. Compared to that, I was, at best, a highly suspicious little girl. If he chose to push something through, few people could openly oppose him.
Yet he had chosen to meet my eyes and talk. Whether that stemmed from simple pity or his natural disposition, I still couldn’t tell. I quickly pushed aside the memory of the suspicious program I had seen in that woman’s lab a few hours earlier. This wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Regardless, this meeting was an opportunity. The fact that he had arranged this conversation meant he was willing to consider my input to some degree. I had to steer things toward the best possible outcome.
Since I had already revealed part of my abilities, they wouldn’t simply let me go. They would try to place restrictions on me. A child with limitless potential whose limits couldn’t even be measured was simply too tempting a prize. My task was to strip away as many of those troublesome chains as possible.
Fortunately, the situation wasn’t entirely against me. He still hadn’t spoken, and the expression on his face suggested he was carrying a heavy load of guilt. He had promised to guarantee my safety, yet he had vanished without any proper explanation after that incident. Now he was finally showing his face again. If he simply brushed those matters aside, I would have no grounds to complain, but given everything I had learned about him, I doubted a man with his moral compass would do so. In other words, I already held a small advantage before the conversation even began.
Even so, the difficulty of the situation remained unchanged. While my mind raced through every possible scenario, I slowly voiced the line I had prepared in advance.
“…I didn’t get the chance to say it earlier, but thank you for saving me. And for providing such a nice place to stay…”
“……”
By speaking first, I seized control of the conversation’s flow. On top of that, my words were crafted to stir his emotions. A wounded girl thanking the very person who felt guilty about her, even calling the place that had essentially been a prison a “nice refuge.” To someone already burdened with remorse, those words would land like a bomb. At the same time, they reinforced the image of an innocent child. It was a calculated move to deepen his guilt and influence what came next.
Of course, this act would have been impossible in my old body, but the fragile appearance of a young girl made it feasible. Even an S-rank hunter who had seen every kind of hardship was not immune. Humans really were creatures of adaptation. In the past, trying to perform such a role would have twisted my entire body in discomfort, yet now I had grown somewhat accustomed to this new self. Whenever that happened, my old self would sound alarm bells, desperately warning of danger, but what could I do? The situation demanded it. Every time I thought about it, the excuse sounded hollow, but it was probably just my imagination.
Meanwhile, the man who had been struggling to respond let out a deep sigh and finally spoke, his voice heavy.
“…It’s nothing. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I promised to keep you safe, yet I let you go through something so terrible. I have no excuse, no matter how many mouths I had. I’m truly sorry.”
Just as I had expected. Watching his sincere expression, I cheered inwardly without letting it show. That apology proved my strategy had landed perfectly. Even so, I kept my face rigid and offered no reply. Instead, I hunched my small shoulders and lowered my head slightly. It was the perfect picture of a hurt little girl, complete with a faint trace of wariness in my eyes. This wasn’t merely to amplify his guilt; it was to make the performance feel more natural. How could I fully trust someone after being betrayed like that? If I accepted his apology without reservation, it might actually raise suspicion. Acting like a girl my apparent age was the wiser choice.
As predicted, his face twisted with discomfort. The sight of such a large, intimidating man fidgeting helplessly was almost spectacular. At the same time, seeing him react so strongly to my single remark stirred something strange inside me. A quiet voice seemed to whisper from the back of my mind: Wouldn’t it be fun to toy with him a little more?
I widened my eyes inwardly and shook my head. Had I finally lost it? Entertaining such a ridiculous thought in the middle of such an important moment? The tension must have temporarily scrambled my brain. Under normal circumstances I would have noticed something off immediately, but given the situation, I brushed it aside. The man, who had been wearing a troubled expression, was slowly beginning to speak again.
“Yeah… that reaction is normal. Still, could you answer one question for me? Did you already know about your own ability… or at least have some idea what it was?”
He asked with a faint glimmer of hope. I shook my head without the slightest hesitation. Admitting I had known wouldn’t have caused major problems, but it would contradict the story I had already told. I had claimed my memories were hazy; suddenly knowing my abilities would seem inconsistent. I had decided on this persona, so I would stick to it all the way through. Half-hearted answers now would only cause headaches later.
He nodded as though he had expected as much, though his face showed clear disappointment. He stroked his chin repeatedly, lost in thought. To me, however, his demeanor looked less like contemplation and more like hesitation. It was the same feeling one got before having to give a presentation in front of the entire class. That was exactly the impression he gave off right now.
Not knowing the reason made it all the more agonizing. I had plenty of guesses but no certainty, so the worst possible scenarios flooded my mind. Had my treatment already been decided, and was this meeting just a formality to inform me? Was the outcome so unfavorable that he wore that expression? Doubts piled upon one another, growing heavier by the second. I wanted to shout at him to just say it, but doing so would shatter the image I had carefully built. I had no choice but to endure the suffocating silence, where every second felt like an hour.
After what felt like an eternity, the man finally spoke, as though he had made up his mind.
“You probably already know this, but… the ability you possess is very special. It’s not common at all. In fact, it’s a completely new type that’s never been discovered before.”
He began in a calm voice. I nodded, my face still frozen with tension. It wasn’t a lie. While the details differed from what he believed, the power itself undeniably overturned common sense. After observing my reaction, he continued.
“Of course, having a rare and powerful ability is a good thing. It’s what every awakened person dreams of. But in your case, it’s a bit more complicated. Your ability isn’t just good—it’s overwhelmingly so. If word of it spreads publicly, your safety could be threatened. You’re still young, so you might not fully understand, but adults have their own circumstances. On top of that, you’re so young… To stand on your own, you’ll need at least some form of ‘protection.’”
He emphasized the word “protection” with particular force, his expression resolute. Without that justification, he would look no different from the people who coveted my power. From everything I had seen of him so far, I believed he was sincere. Still, what mattered more was what came next. So, what exactly was his solution for this “protection”?
The most ideal outcome from my perspective would be placement in a specialized facility that handled young awakened orphans under state care. The worst would be being sent back to the underground research facility for an indefinite period. There were other possibilities, but my response would depend on what he said next. I had prepared several persuasion strategies for this moment, so I was ready. Still, I prayed silently that the worst case wouldn’t come to pass, clutching my racing heart as I waited for his voice.
“Hoo… I’ll just say it straight. Would you… become my daughter?”
“……Huh?”
The composure I had built to withstand any proposal crumbled like a sandcastle in an instant. At the same time, an indescribable, awkward silence descended between us. It took me a moment to fully process the meaning of his words.