The Second Collapse #3
"Doctor."
"....."
"Doctor?"
The Doctor, who had been leaning back against the bed lost in thought, only snapped back to reality after Marcela called out several more times.
"Yes?"
"What's the matter? Is something wrong?"
"No... My head just hurts more than usual today."
"Really...? Would you like some medicine for the headache?"
"No, it's fine. It'll pass if I sleep. The research today was enjoyable."
"For me as well. Then I'll take my leave so you can rest."
Marcela bowed her head politely in farewell and left the room. The Doctor waited a moment, deliberately stalling for time, before locking the door. She swept her gaze across the ceiling once more, double-checking for cameras, then lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket all the way over her head. Only then did she slip her hand inside her pants.
Life here was incredibly satisfying. But... there was one person she missed more than anything, and that absence left a painful void. That person was Jihyeok.
Jihyeok...
Even while conducting research with Marcela, even during private conversations with Sehwa, thoughts of him never left her. Especially when she was alone like this, his image would flicker before her eyes until it became unbearable.
In the end, the Doctor's longing for Jihyeok found expression through masturbation.
Yet no matter how she pressed two fingers together and thrust them crudely into her sex, no matter how she writhed as if Jihyeok's cock had entered her, the satisfaction never came. It was only natural. The difference between making love face-to-face and losing herself in solitary fantasy was vast.
If she at least had a tool it might have been different, but she didn't even have that. The self-loathing was overwhelming. At this point she was ready to throw away every last scrap of pride and beg Sehwa for blood. The ecstasy that came with drinking it would at least let her forget this emptiness for a while.
"Haah..."
The Doctor squirmed beneath the blanket, desperately trying to coax some pleasure from her body, then scolded herself for the pathetic display and sat up. In the room where the only sounds were those she herself made, the silence felt heavier than usual. The unsatisfying masturbation and the oppressive quiet combined to make her feel far lonelier than normal.
After washing her hands and face in the bathroom to cool her flushed cheeks, the Doctor switched on the coffee pot. She prepared a simple black coffee, sat at the table, and took slow sips as thoughts flooded her mind. Most of them revolved around Jihyeok and the true nature of Sehwa's form.
Come to think of it, when Sehwa had revealed her true self, the Doctor had sensed something strangely familiar in the energy she radiated. At the time she had been too focused on Sehwa's words to dwell on it, but now the question refused to leave her alone. Why had she felt that way?
No matter how hard she racked her brain, the answer wouldn't come.
It felt like something fundamental was drawing me in...
It had been reminiscent of maternal affection, yet also carried the fresh innocence of first love. Just as she had concluded back then, she couldn't put a name to it.
She was curious. If she experienced it again, perhaps she would understand. Yes—she would ask to see it one more time. Not from Sehwa, but from Marcela. The two were both demons; their energies should be similar. She would carefully observe a demon's aura and identify it properly this time.
Having made her decision, the Doctor opened the door. She currently had free access to both Marcela's laboratory and the kitchen. It meant she didn't need to worry about anyone's watchful eyes. Still, it was late at night, so she moved with caution, padding quietly down the corridor—not quite sneaking, but close enough.
As she passed the room where Yuria was being held, the Doctor suddenly felt a pang of worry. Given the girl's defiant attitude, she was surely still bound. If she remained immobile for too long, it could cause muscle damage... She should check on her condition. While she was at it, she could try persuading her again. All so Sehwa would be pleased.
If she insists on being stubborn this time as well...
In that case, the Doctor would stop helping Yuria altogether.
Only after finishing that thought did the Doctor realize she didn't know the password to the room.
What an idiot... Why hadn't that occurred to her?
She let out a hollow laugh at her own foolishness, then scanned the spacious laboratory in search of Marcela. Since they had discussed theories for improving the jammer earlier, she expected to find her tinkering with it, but Marcela was nowhere to be seen. Aside from the steady beeping of machines, the lab was utterly silent.
The Doctor was about to continue on when she noticed the communication device beside the situation board and swallowed hard.
"....."
Just once... Should she try contacting Jihyeok?
Let's do it. There was no one around.
If she adjusted the frequency to mask the transmission location, it would be safe.
The longing to hear Jihyeok's voice seized her entire body and paralyzed her reason. As the Doctor naturally moved to sit at the console and reached for the headphones—
Hm...?
She caught a faint sound in her ear. Tilting her head to listen, she realized it was the soft pad of bare feet coming from the outer corridor that led to the kitchen. The gait was steady—one person. And they were heading this way.
Was it Sehwa? Or Marcela? Had her hearing always been sharp enough to pick up something like this?
Whatever the case, now was not the time to wonder. The Doctor quickly returned the headphones to their original position and lowered her stance. Although she had been granted freedom, being alone in the lab at this hour—especially right after attempting to contact Jihyeok—made her feel strangely guilty.
Click—!
The door opened and footsteps crossed the laboratory. They stopped somewhere. Then came the sound of a keypad: Beep. Beep-beep-beep!
The location was the room holding Yuria. The Doctor cautiously poked her head out to see who was entering.
Her eyes widened.
'....!'
It was difficult to make out clearly in the darkness, but the long, sleek silhouette and the hair that fell all the way to the waist told her everything she needed to know. That person was unmistakably... Yuria.
The very Yuria Elenar who should have been tied up inside the room.
Clack!
The door shut, and the laboratory fell silent once more. The Doctor's body froze solid at the impossible scene.
The sound of water roared at full blast from the faucet. The Doctor stood at the sink with both hands braced on either side, staring blankly ahead.
Why was Yuria freely coming and going from her room? Had she surrendered quickly? Like the Doctor herself? No, that was impossible. Given Yuria's personality, the chance of her yielding in merely a day—or even a few hours—was virtually zero.
Did I see wrong...?
No, that wasn't it either. She hadn't consumed any blood, so her mind was perfectly clear, and that beautiful back view had undoubtedly belonged to Yuria.
Her thoughts were a chaotic mess. What on earth was happening right now? It felt as though she were nothing more than a toy being played with in someone's palm.
Wait... played with...?
Now that she thought about it, Yuria had seemed slightly... off from the beginning. The circumstances of her capture had been suspicious. After the Doctor herself had been discovered by Sehwa, she had sent a signal to Yuria. The usual Yuria would have come running immediately. The fact that nothing had happened until the Doctor was caught suggested Yuria had already been captured beforehand.
With her extraordinary physical abilities, Yuria was not someone who could be taken down easily. Moreover, she had been wearing her Device, which enhanced all five senses. The moment she sensed anything suspicious, she should have transformed. Most crucially, capturing Yuria without injury would have required at least two S-class monsters, yet none of the Evilion detectors spread across Korea had reacted at all. That meant no monsters had appeared.
At a stretch, the Doctor could accept that some unknown method had been used to capture her effortlessly. But the behavior Yuria had shown after being brought here could not be overlooked.
In the past, the Doctor had once asked Yuria a question: If she had to choose between a chance to take revenge on Tyrat or a chance to save humans, which would she pick? Yuria had proudly chosen the latter. Someone who valued life so highly—why would she drive humans into a trap?
Even earlier, when the Doctor had summoned Yuria to Lyon under the pretense of needing help, she had explained Tyrat's schemes. At that time, Yuria's attitude had been remarkably calm. So why was she acting like this now? Even taking into account the shock of being inside Tyrat's stronghold and her vow never to yield to the enemy, none of it made sense.
It was almost as if her actions were deliberately meant to invite punishment.
Thump—!
Her heart beat unpleasantly. A bad premonition gripped her. It felt like she had become someone's plaything. The fear was so intense it made watching a horror movie seem laughable by comparison. She felt as if she were flailing helplessly in a swamp someone else had created.
The words Sehwa had spoken after revealing her true form flashed through the Doctor's mind: Even if hardship comes, don't worry. I am your only sanctuary. The only one who will embrace you is me.
Why had Sehwa said those things? Simply for the Doctor's sake? At the time she had been too awestruck by Sehwa's demonic form to question it, but now that she reconsidered, the words had carried an undertone of coercion—an insistence that the Doctor should rely on her when shocking events occurred in the future.
Something is happening... Something I don't know about...
Whether this suspicion came from paranoia or genuine insight no longer mattered. If she stayed like this, she would truly go mad. She needed to confirm the truth. She had to find out what was really going on!
The Doctor left the bathroom without even turning off the faucet and pulled on a pair of socks. She kicked off the soft slippers, opened the door—and froze in shock.
"Haaahk!"
Sehwa stood right outside with a stern expression, arms folded across her chest.
The Doctor stumbled backward and fell hard on her backside. She scrambled away from Sehwa using her hands and feet. Watching her, Sehwa let out a long sigh, approached slowly, and asked,
"It's late. Why aren't you sleeping?"
"S-Sehwa... How did you..."
"There are no cameras in your room, Doctor, but the corridors and laboratory are different. I saw everything."
"....."
Sehwa looked down at the stunned Doctor for a moment, then went into the bathroom and turned off the faucet. She returned with a towel and gently wiped the cold sweat from the Doctor's face and limbs. As she did so, she spoke.
"It wasn't our intention. We wanted to make things feel more natural for you, so you wouldn't be shocked."
The sudden strange words made the Doctor stare. Sehwa continued in a sorrowful voice, as if truly regretful.
"Why do you keep doing things that stand out... Both in Lyon and here... This is why we end up having to... Haah... Never mind."
The Doctor's eyes snapped wide open. The phrase Both in Lyon and here contained countless implications. She instantly understood the true meaning behind Sehwa's words, which suggested she knew everything about the Doctor.
Convinced that her ominous premonition had been correct, the Doctor sprang up from the floor. She glared at Sehwa with burning eyes and demanded,
"Have you... been playing with me all this time...?"
"It hurts to hear you say it that way. We never meant to—"
Slap—!
Sehwa's head snapped to the side. The Doctor had struck her cheek with all her strength. Seeing the fair skin swell red in an instant, the Doctor felt a sudden pang of guilt. It was like committing an unforgivable sin. Yet she did not soften her stance.
"Stop making excuses and tell me the truth!"
At the shout that seemed to shake the entire room, Sehwa touched her cheek briefly, then looked the Doctor straight in the eyes and asked,
"Very well. What do you want to know?"
The gentle response despite being slapped brought the Doctor some relief. She asked in return,
"Yuria... What is Yuria's true identity?"
"It seems you've already guessed... I'll show you directly."
The Doctor tried to steady her trembling heart at that answer and nod, but then froze. She understood that Sehwa had no intention of humiliating her. But why was she using the plural we? It couldn't be referring to Yuria... So was she talking about Marcela?
While the Doctor wrestled with that question, Sehwa's next words made her expression grow serious.
"I know everything you're curious about, Doctor. I intend to tell you the whole truth today. But first, let's meet with Sister Yuria and talk afterward."
Sincere emotion flowed from Sehwa. Although the sense of betrayal was overwhelming... even after being slapped, she showed no sign of retaliation and instead worried for the Doctor. The Doctor decided to trust her. They had already come too far for her to start doubting Sehwa now.
"...Fine."