Can Dohyung Forgive?
After seeing the sadness in Mina's eyes, Dohyung posed a single question.
"Then let me ask you just one thing."
"Huh? What is it? I'll answer anything I can!"
When Mina saw that Dohyung seemed willing to keep the conversation going, even a little, she answered quickly.
"This is something only you can answer. Right now, you and I share similar pasts. We were both hurt by certain people, and our lives were completely destroyed because of it. So tell me... can you forgive them?"
Mina couldn't answer right away. She understood the intention behind his question. Her response might influence his future actions, so she knew she had to choose her words with care.
"I..."
Mina dragged up memories she never wanted to revisit. Just thinking about them brought a wave of nausea so strong she felt like vomiting everything she'd eaten that day, but she endured it. She searched her own heart for how she truly felt about the people who had ruined her life.
"I think I'm still resenting them. Even though you erased some of the pain today, the wounds they gave me run too deep to ever fully heal."
Dohyung had magically removed the scars from her body, but Mina knew that didn't erase the knots of bitterness still lodged in her heart. So she answered his question with complete honesty. She refused to sugarcoat her words with comforting lies, not when he was teetering on the edge of falling back into revenge.
"...I see. Thank you for answering, Mina. Goodbye, then..."
Dohyung turned the words over in his mind, then turned away and began walking home. He could have walked her back, but doing so felt like it would shatter the resolve he'd built to continue his revenge.
"But!"
As he headed toward the house, Mina's loud voice made him stop and look back.
"If those people truly regretted what they did and apologized with all their hearts... I might be able to forgive them. I won't claim it would erase every bit of resentment in my heart. But at least... I wouldn't be chained to the past anymore. I could move forward, couldn't I? We still have a future ahead of us—one that can shine brightly!"
Her words caught Dohyung off guard. The idea that he still had a future was so sweet he nearly ran back to her and kissed her. But he held himself in check, turned away without replying, and continued walking home.
Mina watched his retreating figure, silently praying deep in her heart that they would meet again.
The next morning, after parting with Mina, Dohyung returned home to face the new day.
"Haa..."
He had never imagined meeting Mina again and sharing such a joyful conversation. Yesterday had been so happy it was difficult for him to put into words. His heart kept whispering that he should see her again. At his core, Dohyung was still only human, and he wanted to spend more time with her. Perhaps that was why his heart wouldn't stop racing. He hadn't slept a wink, lying awake with his eyes open all night.
Staying up for a single night didn't strain his body. In the other world he had fought monsters for days without sleep, so this was nothing. The real problem was that his mind refused to settle. Mina's words had thrown everything into chaos, making it incredibly hard to take even a single step toward the basement.
If he hadn't met her, he would have gone down as usual and spent the day tormenting his prisoners again. But every time he remembered Mina telling him to abandon revenge and live with her, the drive that had always come from vengeance refused to rise.
"Forgiveness..."
Dohyung spent the entire night thinking about the word Mina had used. Could he truly forgive the ones he'd locked away?
The forgiveness Mina described would have to begin with the perpetrators fully acknowledging their crimes, feeling genuine remorse, and offering a sincere apology—not just empty words. Whether the victim accepted that apology was up to them. Acceptance would mean forgiveness. Of course, no victim was obligated to accept even the most heartfelt apology. Some sins could never be forgiven.
Until now, Dohyung had always placed himself in that category. No matter what happened, he had no intention of forgiving them. Thinking that far brought him no discomfort. Even if they were truly repentant, he had never planned to offer them mercy.
But Mina's final words kept echoing in his mind.
Not being tied to the past and being able to move forward... Is there really a future like that for me?
Dohyung stared at the ceiling, trying to picture a new future. The first image that came to mind was living a happy daily life with Mina. Just imagining it warmed his chest. Walking hand in hand with her, traveling, sharing delicious meals, eventually marrying and building a life together. He even pictured them having cute children.
"If only I could choose a future like that..."
Still, Dohyung stood and descended into the basement.
The moment he entered, Jia, Jiseon, and Eunji dropped to their knees and bowed deeply.
"Good morning, Master!"
"Yes, good morning. You may stand."
The three rose at his command, but they immediately sensed something was off. Normally Dohyung would be in high spirits, eagerly deciding which game to play. Today, however, he radiated a heavy, unpleasant mood.
What happened to Master today?
He doesn't look happy at all... I need to be careful.
Jia and Jiseon read the dangerous atmosphere and resolved to tread lightly. Eunji, however, couldn't even manage that much. The aftermath of yesterday's game still tormented her. She had come in last and received the four-star punishment. Dohyung had personally burned more than half her forehead and the skin above her right eye socket with fire. The agony had been so intense she fainted. Though he had wrapped the wound in bandages under the pretense of treatment, the pain remained unbearable.
Ugh... It hurts... It hurts so much I want to die. My face... my face...
The burns hurt too much to touch. Even the slightest movement of her head sent sharp throbs through the damaged flesh. Eunji instinctively glared at Dohyung before quickly smoothing her expression. Showing her true feelings here could lead to something far worse.
The three grew uneasy as Dohyung stood in silence, simply watching them. He was carefully observing every detail.
First was Jia, the initial captive. The butterfly-shaped piercings through her nipples and clitoris swayed whenever she moved. In the past, Dohyung had yanked on them with his fingers every time they caught his eye. She had endured every imaginable degradation—things no human should suffer. She had eaten live mealworms and even swallowed his urine. As a result, she had become the most obedient of the three, completely brainwashed. She now genuinely believed she was a masochistic slave devoted to her Master, Dohyung.
Next was Jiseon. She still wore the chastity belt at all times. It prevented her from touching her own vagina, and Jia was forced to wash her so she couldn't pleasure herself. The anal plug embedded in her rear had practically become part of her body. Over time her sphincter had weakened until she felt the hole could no longer close properly.
Taehyun was not present. He lay collapsed beside Dohyung's room, his mind shattered. Magic kept him breathing, but he was essentially dead. His body was ruined beyond repair. Despite being male, he had developed protruding breasts like a woman, and his testicles—the symbol of his manhood—were gone. He had eaten them himself. The final blow had been witnessing Eunji, the woman he loved, enjoying sex with Dohyung, then being insulted and treated like garbage by her. After that, Taehyun's psyche had fractured completely.
Last was Eunji. She was the one who had inflicted the deepest wounds on Dohyung and had also ruined Mina's life—the root of nearly all evil. Like her husband Taehyun, she was now a broken wreck. Her once-beautiful face had been burned by Dohyung in the exact same places where Mina had once carried scars. Like the others, she bore a womb tattoo branded below her navel with a heated iron. Her body was covered in bruises from Jia and Jiseon's beatings and marks from electric shocks.
Looking at them now, I've done so much...
Dohyung reflected on his actions and realized only a madman could have committed such atrocities. After observing them in silence for a long moment, he finally spoke.
"I'm asking again now, but... are you truly repentant?"
The unexpected question startled all three. They couldn't answer immediately. After two seconds of silence, they spoke in a rush.
"O-of course, Master! I reflected on the wrongs I committed against you long, long ago!"
"Me too! Hitting you back then, killing Kkami—everything was my fault! I'm truly sorry!"
"Ugh... M-me too! I'm reflecting! I really was... complete trash! I'm so sorry!!"
They shouted desperately, clinging to the hope that he might release them. Dohyung let out a deep sigh.
As expected...
He had asked because he wanted to test whether he could forgive them. If they had shown genuine remorse, he might have considered it. But—
Just send us home already, Master... None of this matters...
Reflection? That bastard deserved every beating he got... The second I get out, I'll track you down and ram a stake up your ass, you fuck!
A dog like you... I'll kill you no matter what it takes! You were nothing but trash without money, yet you did this to me over some old grudge... I can never forgive you!
Dohyung had read their hearts. Not one of them felt any real repentance.
With hearts like these... how could I possibly forgive them, Mina? When the very first step—sincere remorse from the perpetrators—is completely missing, what forgiveness is even possible?