Two Hearts
Hyeji guided her underground.
Heading in the opposite direction from the punishment room, they soon reached a thick iron door.
“Huh…? Why is it closed?”
Hyeji muttered in confusion.
“When I came here before, there definitely wasn’t a door like this. When did they….”
“Could you step aside for a moment?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
Jieun stood before the door, staring at it intently.
If Hyeji was lying, this action might provoke her senior’s wrath.
It could even lead to irreversible consequences.
After all, Senior hated women who overstepped their bounds.
And more than anything, he despised those who doubted him.
But.
This is so I can trust Senior a little more….
That’s right.
This was to confirm that she was wrong.
To prove that her suspicion had been mistaken….
“Haaah!”
Jieun channeled the power of an Awakener in an instant and kicked the iron door with all her might, letting out a fierce shout.
With a deafening boom like it had been struck by a cannonball, the iron door crumpled and flew far into the distance.
“Whoa… Are you… really human?”
“More or less.”
Jieun stepped inside.
Inside, unknown machines hummed as they operated.
And on a massive screen mounted on one wall, a familiar symbol was displayed.
The symbol of the Dark Byurut-byurut Dan.
“This place…”
A strong sense of déjà vu washed over her.
It felt as if she had been here before.
Jieun barely managed to recall it.
Yes. This place had an atmosphere similar to the forward base the Dark Byurut-byurut Dan had used.
The so-called Nexus.
A kind of passageway connecting Earth to the Dark Byurut-byurut Dan’s headquarters located somewhere deep in outer space.
“That’s right. This is the place….”
Hyeji entered as well, looking around before she spoke.
“Last time I came here… ugh…?!”
Mid-sentence, Hyeji suddenly clutched her head and staggered.
“What’s wrong, Hyeji?”
“My head… ugh…!”
Hyeji’s eyes rolled back as she began groping and kneading between her breasts and thighs.
“I received grace from Master Kang-hyuk… In return for that grace, I offer my body and heart entirely to Master Kang-hyuk… I am a maid who obeys Master Kang-hyuk’s commands… I will follow any order given to me… I received grace from Master Kang-hyuk….”
“Hyeji…? Ugh…?!”
While watching Hyeji with concern as her condition grew strange, a sudden headache slammed into Jieun.
She frowned and turned toward the machines.
These machines… they’re messing with my head?!
The moment she thought to destroy them and took a step forward—
“What are you doing here, Jieun?”
A voice came from the doorway.
When she turned, there stood Senior and Violet.
“This is a place you’re not allowed to enter. I’m certain I told you not to wander around the mansion as you please, didn’t I? And you even broke the door. You know this can’t be brushed off with a simple apology, right?”
Senior spoke coldly.
The thought that she must apologize flooded Jieun’s mind.
For a split second she nearly dropped to her knees, but Jieun grit her teeth and held on.
“Senior… what is this place? Why is the Dark Byurut-byurut Dan’s mark….”
“Who knows? I have no idea.”
“Stop playing dumb!”
“Don’t raise your voice, Jieun. I’m your boyfriend, aren’t I?”
At those words, Jieun let out a small “Ugh…” as her resolve visibly faltered.
Even now, that phrase—that excuse—still held power over her heart.
“I don’t know why that mark is floating there. Maybe someone hacked in. This is my game room. Those machines over there are all computer parts. Take a good look.”
When she looked again at his words, the suspicious machines whose purpose she couldn’t discern just moments ago now looked like ordinary computers.
“Ugh… No… No…!”
It was an illusion.
She mustn’t fall for his words.
“Why are you acting like this, Jieun? Have I done something wrong to you? Ever since you came to the mansion, I’ve done everything I could to give you the things you like. You know that, don’t you? Weren’t you happy too? Come here and take my hand. I’ll forgive you for this incident.”
Senior extended his hand as he spoke.
At those kind, benevolent words, Jieun almost gave in for a moment.
“Then… I have one request.”
“A request?”
“You said it yourself, Senior. There are restrictions when bestowing grace. So let’s do this. Please grant me grace. The grace of speaking only the truth. I’m begging you. Senior… do you truly have no connection to the Dark Byurut-byurut Dan? Is it true that this is a game room? Senior… do you have absolutely no ties to the VVIP organization?”
At those words, Senior fell silent for a moment before breaking into a chilling smile.
“Our Jieun has gotten smarter, hasn’t she?”
The moment she heard that, Jieun realized.
It was a situation even a fool could see through.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!”
Jieun’s body was engulfed in flames.
She drew upon the power of an Awakener and charged straight at Kang-hyuk.
“Violet.”
“Yes, Brother!”
The instant the command left his lips, Violet stepped forward to confront Jieun.
Violet summoned a sword from thin air and faced off against her.
Violet’s blade became wrapped in dark flames. The clash of fire against fire unleashed a shockwave strong enough to whip up a violent storm throughout the area.
“Violet, Senior… that man… is our enemy!”
“My enemy is you, Jieun. Anyone who tries to harm Brother is my enemy.”
“Wake up! You’re being controlled!”
“Shut up!”
An ominous energy filled Violet’s sword.
She swung it downward.
The sword energy sliced through the air and engulfed the spot where Jieun had been standing.
Jieun dodged and immediately closed the distance, launching a kick at Violet.
“Kyaa!”
Violet blocked it with her sword a moment too late and couldn’t fully absorb the impact.
She was sent flying far back, but managed to plant her blade downward mid-air to land, quickly regaining her stance.
However, her legs trembled from the lingering shock.
This is a bad matchup, Violet thought, biting her lip.
Violet was a speed shooter type. In other words, she specialized in overwhelming enemies with rapid movement, striking at their openings. Her style focused heavily on offensive power.
On the other hand, Justice Red—Jieun—was a balanced type. Both her attack and defense were evenly developed, making her a near-perfect hexagon with almost no weaknesses.
Moreover, the location and circumstances worked against Violet even more.
The space was enclosed, severely limiting her range of movement, and she had someone she needed to protect.
If they could fight freely in an open field, Violet might have had a chance, but not here.
“Violet. Hyeji told me everything. Senior… that man twisted your father’s mind and stole his fortune. And he’s connected to the Dark Byurut-byurut Dan. Which means perhaps….”
Jieun said, looking at her with pity.
“Shut your mouth!”
Violet glared at Jieun and shouted.
“What does any of that matter! Brother… Brother is my entire life now! My life was already ruined long ago! Do you even understand? I have nowhere to return to, no face left to show anyone.”
Violet’s face turned deathly pale as she spoke through sobs.
“Everyone around me saw my disgrace and turned their backs. My body and mind are both tainted—I can never go back to how I was. Only Brother… only Brother is everything to me now. Only Brother makes me forget everything and fills me with happiness. Ah, yes. You wouldn’t know… Because you still have all your teeth, your hair, your nails. I had everything taken from me. Even this hair isn’t mine. Every strand was pulled out and new ones implanted. I can’t even give birth to a child or eat proper meals anymore. My stomach and intestines have been pickled with drugs, so I can’t even touch normal food. My life is ruined… There’s no one left who would embrace me except Brother.”
“Violet…”
Jieun looked at Violet with eyes full of sympathy.
“I’ll… stay by your side.”
Jieun reached out toward Violet.
“…What?”
“I’m sorry. For not being there when you were suffering. Even though we were comrades… for not protecting you. Even now, I’ll be on your side. I’ll take responsibility and stay beside you no matter what. So… let’s go back together. To our normal lives.”
For a moment.
The image of a certain person flickered in Violet’s eyes.
A person wearing a tacky red bodysuit and a mask, pretending to be a champion of justice—no, someone who truly became that hero, a magnificent and wonderful figure who sought to protect everyone.
“Justice Red…”
Violet slowly approached Jieun and reached out her hand.
The moment their fingers were about to touch—
“Violet.”
Kang-hyuk called her from behind.
Her heart suddenly pounded violently.
A headache surged alongside dizziness, and her vision began to sway.
As her senses grew distant and everything became hazy like a dream, only Brother’s voice rang clearly in her ears.
“You’re not going to disappoint me ‘again,’ are you? Violet.”
Upon hearing those words, Violet remembered.
The countless tests that had been performed on her.
The endless trials and errors she had gone through.
Even in her dreams, Violet could never escape Brother’s grasp.
In those dreams, she had hurt the people she cherished countless times.
She hurt them, and hurt them, and hurt them again.
Simply because she had been ordered to by Brother.
Every time she hesitated, she was punished.
Sometimes with pain, sometimes with pleasure torture, sometimes by being stripped naked and abandoned outdoors.
“Ah… aah… ♥”
Violet… realized.
This too was a kind of test.
Brother was testing me.
Yes. This is all an illusion. I’m still inside a dream.
That’s right. There’s no way Justice Red would come to save me.
After all, after all that searching. For the past several months, no matter how much I searched and searched and screamed, he never came.
You were the only one. The only person who could save me was you.
But you didn’t come. You wouldn’t come. You would never come.
Brother told me.
That the only one who could save Violet was Brother.
Violet belongs only to Brother.
Justice Red won’t come. Won’t come. Won’t come. Won’t come. He will never come. Never. Never. Never.
This is a dream. A dream. A dream.
Brother is testing me. I must succeed. I can’t disappoint him this time. Violet must not disappoint Brother any longer.
Shunk.
“Ah… ugh… Violet…?”
Instead of taking the outstretched hand, Violet drove her sword into Jieun’s stomach.
“Hehehehehehehehe ♥ Ahahahahahahaha ♥”
Violet laughed maniacally.
She wept as she laughed like a madwoman.
“Brotheeer ♥ Violet did it ♥ This time… I didn’t waver ♥ Violet did not disobey Brother’s command ♥”
How many times had it been?
In every dream where Justice Red appeared, Violet had always hesitated.
Because of that, she had always been punished.
But not this time.
This time was different.
This time, she had succeeded.
“Well done, Violet.”
“Thank youuu ♥ Brother ♥”
Jieun felt all the strength leave her body.
In the end, she collapsed with a thud.
“Vi… olet…”
Finally, Jieun lost consciousness and fell.