An Unexpected Reunion

Dohyung could not believe his eyes. Park Min-a. He had never imagined that Min-a, the only classmate who had ever taken his side during his darkest, most agonizing days in high school, would appear right before him.

When he first returned to his original world and slaughtered his former classmates, Min-a had crossed his mind. However, Dohyung was not so far gone as to target the only person who had ever stood up for him. He had spared her, systematically executing every other classmate instead.

Back then, he had wondered how she was doing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after she transferred schools, but he never sought her out or checked on her life. If he wanted to, finding her whereabouts with magic would have been trivial. Yet, he had subconsciously avoided her. He didn't think too deeply about the reason. Perhaps... he simply hadn't wanted her to see him as he began his bloody crusade. He didn't want her to witness his monstrous, ugly self.

Having resolved to put Min-a out of his mind and focus entirely on his vengeance, Dohyung was suddenly faced with this completely unexpected encounter. Since he hadn't known where she lived, he had simply chosen a suitable location to set up his lair of torment. What were the odds that Min-a would be working as a part-time clerk at the convenience store right down the street?

Even in a country as small as South Korea, the probability was astronomically low. Since his return to Earth, Dohyung had never been more shocked than he was at this very moment.

"D-Do... do you... know... me?"

Wary of the strange man who knew her name, Min-a took a step back behind the counter, trying to put some distance between them. Naturally, she did not recognize him.

Now certain that the woman standing before him was indeed Min-a, Dohyung began to examine her current appearance more closely. The most striking detail was her disheveled, waist-length hair, with long bangs that completely shrouded half of her face. Her cheeks were hollowed out, as if she hadn't been eating properly—a stark contrast to the healthy girl in his memories. Her eyes trembled with sheer terror as she looked at him. Unlike Dohyung, who was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, she was completely covered in a long-sleeved shirt and long pants despite the sweltering heat. Her frame, like her face, was painfully thin.

No matter how he looked at her, Min-a's state was far from normal. Most of all, there was the burn scar on her face that he had spotted earlier with his X-ray vision magic. Having personally scorched flesh when killing his former teachers and branding the womb tattoos onto Jia, Jiseon, and Eunji, Dohyung knew exactly what burned skin looked like. He was absolutely certain that the scar on Min-a's face was from a severe burn.

The facial scar alone made him suspect why she was wearing such heavy clothing in the dead of summer. Activating his X-ray vision ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magic once more, Dohyung peered beneath her clothes.

"This is..."

He had anticipated what he would see before he even cast the spell. Yet, a part of him had desperately hoped he was wrong. Reality, it seemed, was a gutter. Min-a's arms and legs were covered in gruesome, stomach-churning scars. He understood immediately. She wore long clothes to hide those hideous marks from the world. They were the kind of scars that any young woman would want to keep hidden forever.

Dohyung felt a wave of profound distress washing over him. He remembered her as a perfectly ordinary, healthy girl when she transferred. To see her reduced to this broken state made him question if this was truly the same Min-a he once knew. Yet, despite the scars and her gaunt face, Dohyung was absolutely certain. This was Park Min-a.

"W-Why are you doing this...? I-I'll call the p-police..."

Seeing Dohyung's face darken, Min-a panicked and pulled a phone out of her pocket. She pretended to dial a number, her trembling eyes locked onto him. Her terrified reaction made it painfully clear that she had no idea who he was.

Dohyung hesitated. Should he reveal his identity to her, or should he treat this as a passing coincidence and walk away? He had returned to this world for one reason only: revenge. Min-a had absolutely nothing to do with his vengeance. There was no reason to rekindle their connection here. He could simply apologize, go back to his hideout, and resume his routine tomorrow—mocking, beating, and violating Jia, Jiseon, and Eunji as they writhed in agony during his games.

Yes. I came back to this world solely for revenge. I must not forget that. Never...

Dohyung steeled his heart, resolving to forget this chance encounter and return to being a merciless avenger. He had made up his mind. And yet—

"W-Wait! It's me! Kim Dohyung!"

Seeing Min-a actually begin to press the buttons on her phone under his intense gaze, the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He had fully intended to apologize and walk away cleanly.

"Huh? Kim... Do... hyung?"

Min-a flinched at the sudden introduction, her eyes widening as she recognized the name. Though he had planned to leave, Dohyung felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw her register his name.

"K-Kim Dohyung? But... I heard you d-died..."

Even with her face obscured by her bangs, her shock was unmistakable. Her hands trembled so violently that she dropped her phone onto the floor.

"Ah... ah... My phone... The screen..."

Min-a hurriedly picked up the phone to check it. Unfortunately, the impact had shattered the LCD, leaving half of the screen completely black.

"Ah, are you okay? I'm so sorry. It's my fault your phone broke."

Dohyung stepped closer to the counter to apologize, but Min-a shrank back, pressing herself flat against the back wall to get as far away from him as possible.

"N-No... It's fine... D-Don't worry about it..."

Min-a shielded her face with her arms, her voice trembling in a tiny, frightened whisper.

Watching her reaction, Dohyung felt a deep sense of unease. Nothing about her was normal. The horrific scars on her face, arms, and legs, and the way she shook with terror the moment he drew near. He didn't know the details, but anyone with half a brain could tell that something terrible had happened to Min-a in the years since she transferred.

He wanted to demand answers right then and there. This wasn't the trauma of a mere accident. These were wounds—both physical and psychological—inflicted by human cruelty.

"Min—!"

Dohyung opened his mouth to ask, but Min-a was trembling so violently, her face buried behind her arms, that she couldn't even bring herself to look at him. Realizing she was in no state to have a rational conversation, Dohyung took a step back.

As he retreated from the counter, Min-a slowly lowered her arms, peering at him with anxious, wary eyes.

Dohyung turned around and pulled out his wallet. Since he usually paid with cards, there was no cash inside, but with a simple flick of magic, he summoned a stack of bills from his house directly into his wallet. He turned back around, pretending to pull the cash from his wallet, and placed it on the counter.

"Min-a, take this."

"H-Huh? This is... money?"

Min-a gasped at the sudden offering. The thick stack of bills on the counter looked to be at least several hundred thousand won.

"Your phone broke because of me just now. Use this to buy a new one. I noticed your current phone is a pretty old model anyway."

"What? No... wait..."

Min-a stared back and forth between the stack of fifty-thousand-won bills and Dohyung's face, trying to make sense of what was happening. But no matter how much she thought about it, it defied all logic. A man claiming to be someone from her past had suddenly appeared and handed her a small fortune. It felt like a dream. It was so surreal that she wondered if she was being scammed.

As she stared blankly at the money, Dohyung placed a slip of paper next to it.

"Th-This is..."

"My phone number. Once you get a new phone... if you're comfortable with it, I'd like you to call me."

Having said his piece, Dohyung walked out of the convenience store, completely forgetting about the alcohol he had come to buy.

On his way back home, Dohyung fell deep into thought.

Why did I do that...?

He couldn't understand his own actions. He had fully intended to walk away and ignore her, yet his body had moved entirely on its own. He had even given her money and his phone number. The entire sequence of events had bypassed his rational mind completely.

Since returning to Earth, Dohyung had lived in absolute isolation, refusing to form connections with anyone. He owned a phone, but there wasn't a single contact saved in it. Yet, he had handed his number to Min-a without a second thought. He couldn't fathom why.

No, that's a lie. I do know...

In truth, he had only claimed not to understand because he didn't want to face the reality. Deep down, he knew his actions were driven by a desperate, lingering desire to see Min-a again. He had simply turned a blind eye to his own feelings, pretending to be oblivious.

And so, he had left the choice to her. If she reached out, he would meet her and talk. If she didn't, their connection would end here. Like a coward, he had simply shifted the burden of choice onto her.

"What kind of person is he...?"

Min-a stared at the stack of cash, her mind reeling from the whirlwind of the past few minutes. A man had suddenly appeared, claiming to be Kim Dohyung. The mention of that name dragged up a voice from her past that she had fought so hard to bury.

Han Eunji... who had looked down at her, grinding her heel into Min-a's head while laughing hysterically.

Min-a shook her head vigorously to dispel the horrific memory. It was a past she never wanted to recall, tied to people she never wanted to cross paths with again.

Pushing the past aside, she focused on the present. Specifically, the money sitting on the counter. She hesitated to touch it, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unsure if she had any right to use it. But she couldn't just leave a small fortune lying out in the open. Min-a carefully gathered the bills and tucked them safely into her bag.

With this... Mom and I won't have to worry about food for a while...

She planned to buy the cheapest phone possible with the money, her thoughts turning to her bedridden mother. Her mother had worked herself to the bone, day and night, to support her, only to end up chronically ill and unable to move. Min-a resolved to buy her a delicious meal for the first time in ages.

Then, she picked up the slip of paper with the man's phone number written on it.

Should she actually call this number...? Min-a decided she would have to think about it a little longer.