Backseat of a Luxury Sedan Speeding Through Seoul's Night Streets
Seoul's night streets blurred past outside the window of the luxury sedan racing through the city. The car was oppressively quiet inside. Instead of Manager Jang in the driver's seat, one of the other office staff sat there. I stared blankly at the streetlights flashing by.
Brain dead... The image of Manager Jang sobbing at Yu-na's bedside choked my chest. But what weighed even heavier on my heart was what had happened in the office that afternoon.
— A few hours earlier, at the office.
It was right after Manager Jang had stormed out, yelling that he'd repay it even in death. A heavy silence blanketed the room. The staff who came in late with approval documents froze at the door, overwhelmed by the tense atmosphere.
"Hmmm..."
It was all because of Abhos. She gazed toward the door where Manager Jang had vanished, her face full of displeasure, as she set down her teacup.
Clink. That light sound rang out like thunder.
"Well, I suppose it's time to replace him."
She said it so matter-of-factly, as if brushing away her earlier irritation—like swapping out a dead battery or discarding a broken part. There wasn't even anger in her voice.
"Pardon...?"
I blinked in shock, my eyes widening. Replace him? Manager Jang? That meant killing him... or turning him into one of those things on the first floor.
"W-wait a minute, Abhos!"
I grabbed her hand in desperation.
"What do you mean? Manager Jang... he must have some unavoidable circumstances! You know how devoted he's been to us!"
"And?"
Abhos turned to look at me. Her golden eyes were coldly sunken.
"Does that justify defying my orders? I gave him a chance. Even though he put you in danger, if he proved useful, I'd not only spare him but shower him in wealth and glory. But he threw it all away for personal feelings."
She gently but firmly pried my hand away.
"It's only natural to discard a broken tool."
"He's not a tool!!"
My voice rose without me realizing it. Abhos's brow twitched.
"He's a person...! What parent wouldn't lose it if their family was in danger? I would've done the same if it were my family!"
"..."
Abhos's expression hardened strangely. She rose slowly from her seat. Her shadow fell over me.
"Min-woo."
She gripped my chin and lifted it.
It was always a tender touch, but not this time. There was strength in her fingertips.
"Are you... defying me right now?"
My breath caught. What I felt in her gaze wasn't hurt feelings. It was pure bewilderment—and displeasure.
My possession, my lovely companion, daring to take another human's side over me?
Her obsessive possessiveness stabbed me like thorns.
"N-no..."
I barely managed to speak amid the sharp tension. Until now, I'd seen Abhos's restraints as love. I'd taken her care for granted and considered myself happy trapped in the nest she'd built. That feeling hadn't changed. I'd never refused her once.
But now, for the first time, I was going against her will.
"It's not defiance."
I met her eyes with trembling ones. I was scared. I knew how terrifying she could be when angry. But I couldn't back down.
"I'm begging you. Just this once... please."
My vision blurred. Something trailed down my cheek. It was sincere pain, seeing my own self from three years ago overlap with Manager Jang.
"He's a father... He was just trying to protect his family. I had a family too... so I understand that feeling."
My tear fell onto the back of her hand. Abhos stared blankly at it. Her rigid expression slowly, ever so slightly, crumbled.
"Haa..."
Finally, she let out a deep sigh. She released my chin and wiped the tear with her thumb instead.
"I can't win against you."
Abhos smiled bitterly.
"How could I refuse when you're clinging to me in tears like this?"
"Abhos...!"
"Fine. Just this once."
She gently stroked my hair.
"If you want it, I'll spare him. That worthless worm's life—and his daughter's too."
... ...
Back to the present. I glanced sideways at Abhos sitting next to me. Her eyes were closed, arms crossed under her ample chest.
She helped. In the end, because of me.
She'd made the police back off and handled the legal issues. All because of my plea—she'd dealt with that hassle personally.
I was grateful. Truly grateful.
But... why did a corner of my heart ache?
'It's beyond my abilities.'
Abhos's words from the hospital echoed. She'd spared Manager Jang, but she hadn't helped Yu-na. Not that she wouldn't—she couldn't.
As she'd said earlier, Abhos's powers specialized in destruction, mutation, and domination... Reviving dead brain cells and waking her was beyond even the great Abhos.
Is this... just how it ends?
Would Manager Jang spend the rest of his life regretting today, drowning in guilt? He'd avoided prison thanks to Abhos, but was that really a happy ending?
"Kkiu..."
Then, Kkkomul on my lap wriggled. It nipped my finger lightly. A stinging pain brought a strange sensation flashing through me.
"Huh...?"
Suddenly, I remembered that morning in the office. The withered potted plant. The green leaves reviving like a miracle the moment my blood touched it.
Abhos can't... but maybe I can?
My heart pounded. I'm different from Abhos. I was human, becoming a monster. If she's the seed of mutation, then I'm the soil that receives and nurtures it.
Maybe... a different power sleeps within me.
Should I try?
It was a dangerous thought. What if it failed? What if Yu-na turned into a monster? Or worse—if Abhos found out I'd done this behind her back...
I sneaked a look at Abhos, eyes closed. She hadn't stirred.
...
I bit my lip. If I backed off here out of fear, that would truly be the end!
"Um... driver."
I steeled myself and quietly addressed the front seat.
"Yes, Director."
"Sorry, but... could you turn the car around? I have urgent business at the hospital."
"Hm?"
Abhos opened her eyes.
"What's this? Still attached to that father and daughter?"
"N-no! It's... the bathroom! I need the bathroom urgently! Kkkomul ate something weird earlier and my stomach..."
"Qyuuk?"
I spouted nonsense. Cold sweat trickled down my back. Please buy it...
"Hmph... so sloppy."
Abhos eyed me suspiciously but soon closed her eyes again.
"Hurry back. I'll wait in the car."
"Yes! Be right back!"
I exhaled in relief. The car soon pulled up to the hospital entrance. Clutching Kkkomul tightly, I opened the door.
— Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack!
I hurried down the hospital corridor, practically running. The 5cm heels that once threw off my balance now clicked crisply, familiar to my feet.
My heart raced. I'd lied to Abhos. I had to hurry before she grew suspicious or changed her mind and got out.
Bang!
Panting, I flung open the ICU door. The scene inside hadn't changed. Manager Jang was still slumped by Yu-na's bed, clutching his dying daughter's hand and sobbing.
"D-Director...?"
He lifted his head at the noise. His face was a mess—swollen eyes, bloodless lips. He looked ready to collapse any second.
"Why... are you back..."
His voice was hoarse. Instead of answering, I strode to the bedside. No time for words of comfort or pity. Only decisive action mattered now.
I looked down at Yu-na's face. Barely clinging to life on the oxygen respirator.
I took a deep breath and reached toward my hip where Kkkomul was.
"Kkkomul. Please."
"Kkiuk?"
It poked its head out. Maybe sensing my resolve, it dropped its playfulness and opened its mouth toward my index finger.
Ugh... scary.
In manga, ninja Sercret Chan bit their thumbs coolly for blood. Honestly, I'm a scaredy-cat. I even turn away from needles because they sting.
But now... I had to endure.
"Gently..."
Crunch—
"Eek!"
Pain flared as a red bead of blood welled at my fingertip. Grimacing, I raised it.
"D-Director...? What are you..."
Manager Jang startled, rising unsteadily. My sudden bloodletting and approach to his daughter must've looked insane.
I met his eyes, voice shaky but earnest.
"Manager Jang. Do you trust me?"
"Pardon...? What do you..."
"Honestly... I don't even know if what I'm about to do is right. No medical basis, no idea of the outcome. It could even make things worse."
I stared at the blood droplet. My blood, altered by Abhos's essence. Medicine... or poison and curse?
"But... if there's even a sliver of possibility, shouldn't we try?"
"P-possibility? The doctors gave up..."
"This afternoon."
I pressed on quickly.
"You saw the withered plant in the office. My blood touched it by accident... and it came back to life. Vibrant green, like a miracle."
"Ah..."
His eyes widened. Grasping at straws. To him, my absurd story must've sounded like a lifeline.
"I don't fully understand what's in my body. But if Abhos made me special... maybe this blood has power."
I reached for Yu-na. Her mouth was sealed by the respirator—removing it forcibly could kill her. Then... mucous membrane. The fastest, surest absorption point.
"In her eye."
I carefully lifted her closed eyelid. A dull, unfocused pupil stared blankly. Eyes of death, devoid of life.
"Please..."
Manager Jang held his breath, watching. I prayed inwardly too. God—no, Abhos. Please grant this child a miracle...
Plip.
A single red droplet fell from my fingertip. Defying gravity no more, it landed precisely on Yu-na's cloudy pupil.
That instant.
Whoosh...
The blood didn't spread like tears. It soaked into her eyeball like water into a sponge, vanishing in a flash.
"Huh...?"
And then.
Thump!
Shattering the silence, the heart monitor's beep spiked sharply for a moment.