The Meeting of Min-ah and Ara
"You see, I..." Do-hyung felt himself tense up as he listened to Min-ah's voice over the phone. The sheer unpredictability of her response only heightened his anxiety.
Whether she was aware of his anxiety or not, Min-ah trailed off, her voice falling silent. When her voice cut out completely, Do-hyung wondered for a moment if his phone had glitched, but a quick glance at the screen showed the call was still active.
"Min-ah?" Do-hyung called her name again. Perhaps it was a connection issue, or maybe something had happened on her end.
"Sorry, Do-hyung. My thoughts are a bit of a mess, so the words wouldn't come out right away..."
Do-hyung felt a wave of relief that the call hadn't disconnected. He waited quietly for her to continue.
"Min-ah, so... can you tell me your answer?"
"Yeah. I should. To be honest, the video you sent was... a massive shock. But I don't think I can decide whether to forgive her just by watching that. Is there any way... I could meet Ara in person and have her apologize to my face? I think I'll be able to make up my mind then."
"In person... meet her?"
"Yes. Is that possible?"
Do-hyung hesitated, caught off guard by her unexpected request. He had never imagined Min-ah would want an in-person meeting. He quickly weighed the potential risks of bringing Ara to meet her.
"Hmm... Alright. I'll figure out a time and place, and then I'll get back to you."
"Okay! Thank you for doing this for me, Do-hyung."
Hanging up the phone, Do-hyung returned to the room where Ara was kept. Just as he had ordered, Ara was sitting quietly on the sofa, waiting for his return. She hadn't even touched the food he had left for her, despite how hungry she must have been.
"Ah, you're back...?" Ara scrambled off the sofa the moment he entered, her eyes wide with desperate anticipation. "Did Min-ah... say anything?"
"Min-ah... hasn't given her answer yet. I sent her the video of your apology, but she said it's hard to make a decision based on that alone."
"Then... what should I do?" Ara's shoulders slumped, her spirit crushed by the realization that she hadn't been forgiven. She desperately wanted Min-ah's forgiveness, but when she thought about the horrific things she had done, she couldn't blame Min-ah for finding a simple video apology insufficient. In fact, if the roles were reversed... Ara wasn't sure she could ever find it in herself to forgive.
"Min-ah said she wants to receive your apology in person, not just through a screen. So, I'm going to take you to her."
"R-really?" Ara gasped, stunned to hear that she still had a chance. Just a moment ago, she had feared her path to redemption—and her ticket out of this hell—had been permanently severed.
"Which means... well, first we need to get some clothes on you. I'll grab something simple for you to wear. When it's time to meet Min-ah, I'll take you out. Once we're there, apologize to her again. And make sure you mean it."
"Yes, yes! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Tears welled in Ara's eyes once more as she bowed a full ninety degrees, pouring her gratitude into the gesture.
"Don't thank me. Save your thanks for Min-ah when you see her. And don't forget—your release is far from guaranteed. If Min-ah can't bring herself to forgive you... you will never leave this place. Ever."
Min-ah set her phone down with trembling hands. "Forgiveness... It really isn't easy..."
When Do-hyung had first called, she had picked up the phone with a flutter of excitement. She had never imagined that receiving a call from someone could make her feel so happy. But that fleeting joy had evaporated the instant she watched the video he sent.
At first, she had stared at the screen in confusion, wondering what she was looking at. It was only after reading Do-hyung's accompanying text message explaining the video that she realized who the person on screen was.
The dark background made it difficult to identify the figure immediately, but once Do-hyung's text confirmed it was Ara, Min-ah began to trace the familiar, hated contours of the girl from her memories.
In the video, Ara was weeping, begging Min-ah for forgiveness. But as Min-ah watched the girl sob and plead, her heart didn't soften. She didn't feel the slightest urge to forgive.
Instead, a boiling rage surged deep within her, making her earlier claim to Do-hyung—that she could forgive Ara if she apologized sincerely—seem laughably naive. Anger flared hot and sharp. Did Ara even truly comprehend the gravity of the atrocities she had committed in the past to offer such a pathetic apology?
Do-hyung had miraculously erased her physical scars, but more than half of those deep gashes on her arms and legs had been Ara's handiwork. Remembering how she had been forced to swelter in long sleeves and pants even in the dead of summer just to hide her mutilated skin, she realized it was impossible to weigh forgiveness based on a mere video clip.
"I guess I'm only human after all... To forgive everything from the past just by watching a video like this... you'd have to be a saint."
Min-ah stared at her phone and let out a heavy, conflicted sigh. Since Do-hyung, with his mysterious magic, had assured her that Ara was genuinely repentant, she believed there was no lie in that. But even if Ara's remorse was real, whether Min-ah could actually accept the apology was an entirely different matter.
Lost in thought, Min-ah turned the dilemma over in her mind before finally arriving at a conclusion: they had to meet in person. It was too difficult to parse her own chaotic emotions through a video. So, she had asked Do-hyung for a face-to-face meeting, and he had agreed.
If she only considered her feelings for Do-hyung, she wanted to forgive Ara cleanly and put an end to his obsession with revenge. She feared that if Do-hyung continued down this dark path of vengeance, the only future awaiting him would be absolute, hollow ruin.
If she had the power, she wanted to hold onto Do-hyung and pull him back from that tragic end. The first step toward doing that was forgiving Ara, the one who had hurt her. By forgiving a genuinely repentant Ara, she hoped she could show Do-hyung that it was possible to accept an apology and sever the vicious cycle of revenge.
Clinging to that hope, Min-ah waited for Do-hyung's message. A short while later, her phone buzzed. Do-hyung's text instructed her to meet them at a park tonight. When she searched the address, she realized it was quite close to her house—a thoughtful gesture on his part.
Min-ah pondered deeply. Would she truly be able to forgive Ara once they were face-to-face? And if she couldn't, what would she say? If she declared that she couldn't forgive her, Do-hyung would likely dispose of Ara in some horrific, violent manner.
When they had talked at the restaurant, Do-hyung had seemed normal on the surface, but beneath that facade, she had sensed something deeply broken. The definitive proof of his shattered state had been his casual confession that he had killed not only his direct abusers but even the bystanders with his own hands.
Even as a fellow victim of school violence, Min-ah couldn't bring herself to justify his actions. Nor could she fully understand harboring such a lethal grudge against mere bystanders. To anyone else, Do-hyung might have seemed cold and unbothered, but to Min-ah's eyes, he looked like someone secretly drowning in the quiet regret of his own deeds.
Ever since they parted ways at the restaurant, Min-ah had harbored the thought that she might be the only one who could save him. Even if someone else tried to approach him with sympathy, they would never be able to penetrate the thick walls around his heart. Do-hyung had lost his grip on a normal life too long ago.
The very fact that he had confessed his darkest secrets to her was proof, she believed, that she was the only one he was willing to open his heart to.
Preparing to meet Do-hyung and Ara, Min-ah stood before the mirror and looked at her reflection. Not long ago, she had loathed looking at mirrors. Every glimpse of those hideous scars had felt like a sharp needle stabbing into her soul.
But now, those scars were completely gone. All thanks to Do-hyung. Standing before the mirror once more, she saw a girl who had been transformed. The gloomy, shadow-draped girl of the past was gone, replaced by a version of herself that could smile brightly at her own reflection.
She felt that this alone was proof she had been saved by Do-hyung. Though barely a day had passed, she was overwhelmed by a profound sense of pure happiness. And because Do-hyung had given her this joy, she wanted to return the favor and make him happy too. Steeling her resolve, Min-ah began to get ready to head out.
"Ugh... Huh?"
"You awake?"
Ara blinked, suddenly realizing she was lying on a park bench. She pushed herself up, shifting her weight as she scanned her surroundings. She was in a park she had never seen before. It was pitch black under the night sky, and the area was completely deserted.
"Ah!" Ara gasped, suddenly realizing she was outdoors, and frantically checked her body. Her last memory was eating her meal stark naked. Finding herself dressed in ordinary, clean clothes, she let out a shaky sigh of relief.
"Um... Where exactly are we...?"
"Just wait. Min-ah will be here soon. You'd better spend this time thinking about how you're going to apologize to her."
Do-hyung's words sent a jolt of anxiety through Ara. The moment that would decide her fate had finally arrived. Whether Min-ah accepted her apology or not would dictate the rest of her life.
As Ara sat there, consumed by dread, she caught sight of a figure walking toward them from the distance, the sound of footsteps echoing softly. Even though it had been a long time, Ara recognized her instantly. As Min-ah drew closer, Ara scrambled off the bench, threw herself flat onto the cold ground, and cried out at the top of her lungs.
"I'm so sorry, Min-ah!" Ara screamed, keeping her forehead pressed firmly against the dirt. She didn't dare lift her head, terrified that even the slightest misstep might offend Min-ah and ruin her only chance at forgiveness.
"For now... stand up." After a tense silence, Min-ah's voice drifted down to her. Ara slowly, cautiously raised herself up.
Wait... Huh? Ara's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. She hadn't noticed it from a distance, but up close, the girl standing before her was completely unrecognizable from the Min-ah in her memories.
Most strikingly, the horrific scars they had carved into her skin were completely gone. Even with advanced medical treatment, some trace of those deep wounds should have remained, yet her skin was flawlessly smooth. As Ara stared in stunned silence, Min-ah locked eyes with her and slowly raised her right hand.
Slap! The sharp, stinging crack of a slap shattered the silence of the empty park, echoing through the night.