Mama Katsu Bunny Girl (2): The Lullaby That Never Ends
The mother sang a lullaby. She did it without even knowing why, simply reciting the lyrics as they came.
“When Mama goes to the island shade… to gather oysters…”
At first, she had definitely known the reason. Because her precious little one was trembling. Her child was timid and easily frightened, but would fall asleep like an angel whenever she heard her mother’s lullaby. The thought that she had to keep singing so the child wouldn’t be scared—
—slowly blurred as her mind grew hazy. It was swallowed by the sticky, black unconsciousness lurking on the other side.
In the end, the mother sang without understanding why. To anyone listening, it was nothing more than incomprehensible muttering. The melody had lost all reason and meaning, yet the song never once stopped.
“The baby stays home alone… watching the house…”
Because the moment this song ended, something would be over. The fear that the fragile thread still connecting her would snap completely kept her from stopping.
Whenever she tried to stop singing, it felt like her severed intestines were tearing apart. Even when she had killed those hateful, loathsome things that made her shed tears of blood.
Even when she had fought against something so brilliantly radiant that its shape was impossible to see. Even when she had faced a monster that had devoured thousands of lives.
None of it had been as terrifying as stopping the song. It hadn’t hurt as much as the time she had tried to stop singing even though her limbs were crushed.
That was why the mother stood up again. She had once been so afraid of even the tiniest flying insect, yet now she could become strong without hesitation.
“Mama… runs along the sandy path…”
—But that strength could not last forever.
The manager’s assault was brutally massive. Every time it moved, the ground and sky shook. Thousands of screams drowned out her lullaby. The black mucus covering her body splattered across the floor.
Perhaps because the mucus had decreased, something changed. The mind she thought had completely sunk rose back up, if only a little. The dreamlike world grew clearer, and she faintly recalled what she had once been.
It was not a good sign. It meant she was returning to her original state. A vengeful spirit that had released its grudge, let go of its resentment, and lost its power could no longer exist as an anomaly. And once she was no longer an anomaly, she would be nothing more than a corpse.
If she ran away now, she might still be able to preserve what little identity she had left.
Of course, Su-yeon did not run.
- Praise me. - Become one with me.
She gripped the kitchen knife once more and stood before the mass of flesh. She trampled on the corpses that continued to applaud even in death and devoured its existence. Then she pointed in a certain direction.
Toward the girl who had carried her precious treasure out for her.
Without even bothering to meet her eyes, she stretched out her arm and indicated the exit. Since she could never return from where she was going, she held no lingering attachments.
She simply offered one final word. Melting down the last remnants of her humanity, she breathed out a small wish.
My beloved son, Saebit. Even though you cannot see the light, you were surely my light. Please don’t resent your mother too much for not being able to stay with you. And even if the world treats you cruelly from now on, please don’t hurt too much. I hope you grow up healthy and happy.
[Danjangjiae]
📍 Hazard Rank: B
📍 Identification Number: BPA-PHE-II-033
A phenomenon that occurs very rarely in parents who have lost a child or experienced an equivalent situation. The parent’s corpse undergoes anomaly transformation and indiscriminately attacks nearby anomalies, living beings, and objects. Significant individual variation has been observed among manifested anomalies.
It is presumed that the emotions or circumstances immediately before death, personal disposition, and memories have an influence. Even if the victim’s child is still alive, rational communication cannot be expected.
Common external features include a torn abdomen and weaponized intestines. The entity’s mucus, bodily fluids, and intestines all possess properties identical to Class 2 toxic substances. Solo subjugation missions must only be assigned to combat-specialized awakeners of A-rank or higher.
Investigation Record 058
Discovered by Lee Hasol inside the Kids Cafe of ‘■■ Mart.’ Estimated to be an A-rank or higher entity due to its size exceeding three meters and its manifestation of weapons other than intestines. (Lee Hasol stated that there were traces of the victim being dragged away by anomalies.) (Consistent with the account heard from the victim ■■■’s son ■■■.) (Presumed that the situation and lingering attachments before death influenced its appearance.)
At the time of discovery, it was in the process of slaughtering the anomalies inside the Kids Cafe and was incapable of communication. Combat with Hunter Lee Hasol also occurred. Even while sustaining fatal injuries, it refused to yield the path to where ■■■ was hiding. After the appearance of ■■ ■■, Lee Hasol succeeded in a surprise rescue of ■■■. Lee Hasol stated that the Danjangjiae anomaly assisted during the escape. It blocked the pursuit of ■■ and pointed toward the exit. (The statement had low credibility but was later confirmed as true.) (■■■ stated that he heard the victim’s voice saying, “Grow up healthy, my baby.”) (Lee Hasol, who was moving with him, did not hear it, but both accounts were confirmed as true.)
Defined as a unique behavior occasionally observed in mutation-type anomalies. It is advised not to expect the same miracle when confronting future Danjangjiae entities.
The dream hill of the Kids Cafe came crashing down. The blue sky that had once stretched overhead now revealed crude paint. A green hill. A shabby hut. Everything returned to shabby reality. The picture-perfect space had been nothing more than old, rusted structures.
The disappearance of an urban legend’s illusion meant the anomaly was collapsing. It also meant the ‘manager’s’ power was so overwhelming that the Kids Cafe couldn’t withstand it for even a few minutes.
And in times like these, running away was the only answer.
I sprinted desperately toward the exit.
“W-wait, what was that sound just now?”
“It’s okay, so hold my hand tight. I’ll take care of everything. I promise.”
A human becoming an anomaly… sadly, it wasn’t that rare. But for an anomaly that had once been human to regain its senses, even for a moment, was extremely rare. It was even rarer if the victim had been an ordinary person with no power.
The moment we emerged from the side path, the intestine anomaly—no, the woman who had chosen to remain a mother even in death—blocked the manager in my place. Without a single word, she pointed in one direction.
The exit had to be at the end of where she pointed. There had been no conversation, nothing at all, yet I was absolutely certain. And my faith was not betrayed.
I kicked the firmly shut door with all my strength, forcing it open. I sent the clerk who had still been enthusiastically soliciting customers flying and succeeded in escaping.
“Get lost!”
- Kuuuuurgh?!
Thanks to that, I drew a ton of attention, but it didn’t matter anymore. My body was already covered in wounds anyway. A bleeding, injured human was practically a delicacy among anomalies. If I was going to draw attention, I might as well do it in a spectacular way.
Fortunately, the other anomalies weren’t nearly as strong as the manager. One punch. One kick, and their bodies would burst apart. Whether customers or clerks, the small fry couldn’t stand against me.
Even so, the situation was far from optimistic.
‘This is troublesome. How the hell do I get out of here now?’
The Anomalous Entity Management Bureau’s rulebook had said to find an exit somewhere in the mart. But Daon Mart was by no means small. How was I supposed to know where that damn exit was?
On top of that, I had now become the ‘customer causing a disturbance in the mart’ first. Since I was pulling aggro so aggressively, it wouldn’t be strange if security team anomalies started chasing me. Unlike the Kids Cafe, this time I was the one running out of time.
Most of all, I now had people I had to protect. Seo-gyeom in the machine room had injured his leg, and the child in my arms was clearly a protection target. Wandering around looking for an exit wasn’t realistic.
‘Think. I have to come up with something. If I can’t, people will die.’
Right now, let’s pretend I’ve become this child’s mother. If I were a mother. If I were a mother who could do anything for her child. How would I overcome this crisis?
Since a standard escape was impossible, the only remaining option was to destroy the mart’s identity itself. But the method of digging into the mart’s role-playing had already failed. I couldn’t start over now, and even if I did, I had no confidence I could win against the manager in a war of words. Fighting and taking them all down was also impossible because of the manager.
The only thing I could confidently declare right now was that I could run away? But running had stopped being a solution the moment I gained people to protect. I couldn’t abandon the two of them just to save myself.
‘Wait. There is one way!’
How could a mart continue to exist as a mart? It had to sell products and serve customers. Then what did a ‘large’ mart need? It would need customers as well. A whole lot of them.
Let’s go back to the most basic point. The land where this urban legend had taken root was South Korea. It was heavily influenced by the perceptions of Korean people. And as far as I knew, buildings that large crowds frequented had several mandatory requirements.
“Mr. Seo-gyeom? We don’t have much time, so listen carefully to what I say from now on.”
Back at the machine room I had returned to, I explained the plan to Seo-gyeom.
“……Hunter-nim, are you sane?”
Seo-gyeom gave an extremely normal reaction.