Mina Receives the Apology

When Dohyung forced the three of them to apologize, he was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠torn between two conflicting desires. First, he wanted to prove that these pieces of trash were utterly incapable of sincere remorse. Unlike an unreliable lie detector, his magic allowed him to discern the absolute truth of their hearts. He could verify with absolute certainty whether their words carried genuine weight. Even though Mina had said she could forgive them if they apologized from the bottom of their hearts, Dohyung wanted to use this to prove that forgiveness was impossible. He firmly believed that human trash who had ruined someone else's life could never truly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠repent. Since they would never genuinely reflect on their actions, forgiveness would remain out of reach, meaning his revenge would never have to end.

Conversely, his second desire was the exact opposite: he wanted to see them offer a truly sincere apology. Only then could the words Mina had spoken to him become a reality. Though he believed his revenge would never end, if there was even a one-in-a-million chance that these scumbags could genuinely repent, then there was a sliver of hope that he, too, could forgive them. If he could forgive the perpetrators, it would mean he was no longer bound by the past and could finally move toward the future. In other words, a different ending would await him—one that didn't involve his own destruction alongside his completed revenge.

Before meeting Mina, Dohyung had never once harbored the hope for such a future. No matter how things ended, he had always assumed that once his vengeance was complete, he would drag himself down into ruin along with them. But now, the concept of forgiveness offered a different path, allowing him to envision an alternative future. Thanks to Mina, a tiny corner of his heart had begun to paint a picture of a life beyond revenge.

Of his two conflicting desires, the first had been far stronger. The second existed, but he hadn't expected anything to come of it. Yet, right before his eyes, someone was actually showing genuine remorse. Dohyung had hoped, yet refused to hope. He had believed that the trash who tortured Mina would ultimately fail to repent, giving him the perfect excuse to subject them to an endless electric hell under the guise of waiting for a sincere apology. He had never expected anyone to truly break and reflect, let alone so quickly. He couldn't help but wear a completely dumbfounded expression.

'What the hell? She's actually repenting?'

Just to be absolutely sure, Dohyung used his magic once more to peer deep into Ara's mind. But the magical feedback returned the same undeniable truth: her words were entirely sincere.

While enduring the electric torture today, Ara had been forced to contemplate why she was here. At first, she had felt wronged. She couldn't understand what she had done to deserve such agony, and her mind had been consumed by a desperate desire to just go home. However, as she complied with Dohyung's demand to recall and voice her past sins, the vivid details of what she had done to Mina began to resurface. Assaulting Mina alongside Sujin's clique was just the baseline; they had left physical scars on her body. Ara, who claimed her dream was to become a nurse, had intentionally inflicted wounds on Mina under the pretense of "practicing medical treatment," subjecting her to excruciating pain.

Back in high school, she hadn't cared about Mina's suffering. She had simply followed the crowd, mindlessly joining in on the bullying because everyone else was doing it. As time passed after graduation, those memories faded into obscurity. Perhaps if she had regularly met up with her high school classmates to reminisce, things would have been different, but she had been far too busy after becoming a nurse to spare a thought for the past. But looking back today, she realized just how monstrously she and Sujin's group had behaved. In fact, the more she detailed the atrocities they had committed, the more she felt a profound sense of awe that Mina hadn't committed suicide. If Ara had been on the receiving end of that relentless torment, she knew she would have ended her own life.

The ultimate catalyst for her genuine repentance, however, was the sudden, heart-wrenching realization of what it would feel like if her own daughter suffered the same fate. Her daughter was barely a year old, but imagining her growing up, going to school, and coming home as a victim of such horrific school violence triggered an indescribable wave of complex emotions. Rage toward the perpetrators. Sorrow at the sight of her hurting child. And a crushing guilt for having been a perpetrator herself. These tangled emotions, far more than the physical agony of the electric shocks, caused tears to stream down Ara's face. She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to stop apologizing to Mina.

"I'm sorry... No, I'm so sorry... I was... I was such a piece of trash... *Sob!* If I had been put through that, I would never have survived. I'm so sorry... *Hic!* Truly... I'm so incredibly sorry..."

Watching Ara's tearful, heartfelt apology, Dohyung was left speechless. The same went for Sujin and Hyemin, who were still reeling from the electric shocks beside her. Even without the aid of magic, it was glaringly obvious to them that Ara was speaking from the bottom of her heart. The only sound filling the damp basement was the desperate, weeping voice of Ara begging for forgiveness.

Dohyung stared at her, momentarily conflicted over what to do. Should he lie to this genuinely repentant girl, claim her apology was fake, and continue shocking her to prolong the torment? Or should he acknowledge the truth his magic had revealed and accept her sincere remorse?

"That's enough."

Dohyung cut off Ara, who was still weeping and repeating her apologies to Mina.

"Since you didn't trigger any signs of deception... I'll accept that your apology is genuine. I will show the recording of your apology to Mina."

Dohyung walked over to Ara and released the restraints binding her to the chair. Finally able to move her hands, Ara wiped the tears streaming down her face, her shoulders shaking as she continued to weep.

"Get up and follow me."

"*Sniff...* Mina, I'm so sorry..."

Dohyung had briefly wondered if her mind control was somehow sophisticated enough to bypass his magic, but seeing her continue to apologize to Mina even after being freed from the chair convinced him. If she had been faking it to trick his magic, a spark of triumph or relief would have flared up in her mind the moment the restraints clicked open. Yet, even then, her thoughts remained entirely consumed by guilt and remorse toward Mina. At this point, Dohyung had no choice but to acknowledge her repentance.

"I'm going to put her in another room for a moment. While I'm gone, you two had better think long and hard about what you did wrong."

Dohyung barked at Sujin and Hyemin before leading Ara out of the room.

The two remaining girls watched them leave in utter disbelief. The moment the door clicked shut behind Dohyung, their internal irritation boiled over. They wanted to scream and vent their fury at the top of their lungs, but they held back, terrified that Dohyung might hear them and turn right back around.

"Fuck! What the hell is wrong with that bastard? Why did he let Ara go just because she cried a little?! I repented too, goddammit! Let me go already, you crazy fuck!"

"Why the fuck is he playing favorites with her? Don't tell me... is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ara his type? A plain bitch like her? I'd gladly let him fuck me if it meant getting out of these chains... Goddammit!"

Just as Dohyung's magic had revealed, neither of them felt a shred of genuine remorse. They had merely offered hollow, lip-service apologies to Mina in a desperate bid to go home. They felt absolutely no guilt. In Sujin's case, she was actually burning with rage toward Mina. She felt utterly victimized, furious that she was suffering like this all because of some worthless nobody from her past.

"Mina must have put this guy up to this to get revenge on us. I swear to God, the moment I get out of here, I'm going to find that bitch and beat her half to death. No, I'll pay some illegal immigrants to gang-rape her and leave her a crippled vegetable for the rest of her life!"

Had Dohyung read Sujin's mind at that moment, he likely would have flown into a rage and torn her limb from limb. Unaware of the death sentence she was manifesting, Sujin continued to direct her silent fury at Mina, desperate to escape. Meanwhile, Dohyung led Ara up to the first floor. Still unable to calm her emotions, Ara followed him quietly, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Dohyung opened a room on the first floor and ushered her inside.

"Wait here. I'll prepare some food. But let me make one thing clear: Mina hasn't forgiven you yet. If you try to escape... I will make sure you live here forever."

Ara sniffled and nodded frantically. Dohyung transferred the video of Ara's apology to his phone and dialed Mina's number. After a few rings, Mina answered.

"Oh, Dohyung! I didn't expect you to call first."

"I have something to ask you. I'm going to send you a video right now... Watch it, and tell me what you think."

"Huh? What do you mean—"

Dohyung hung up before she could finish, fearing he would get dragged into a long conversation otherwise. He sent the video of Ara's apology to Mina, accompanied by a text message explaining the context.

"Will she... actually forgive her?"

Honestly, Dohyung wasn't even sure if this was the right thing to do. Was it really okay to send a video featuring one of her abusers to Mina, who was still struggling to overcome her trauma? At the very least, by explaining what the video was beforehand, he had prevented her from being blindsided and traumatized by a sudden face from her past. But whether she would accept the apology was entirely up in the air. All he could do was wait for her answer. Before long, his phone rang. It was Mina. With a trembling hand, Dohyung pressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear.

"How do you feel? Watching that... do you think you can forgive her?"

Dohyung quietly awaited her response.