Chapter 55
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Treatment is the Answer
I never knew being stepped on could be this enjoyable.
But this isn't something a normal person would do.
Yes. I get it now.
You're not in your right mind either, Si-hoo.
You were sick.
You need treatment.
"...Did you do this to your sister, too?"
Stepping on someone, or just barging into their house.
"What?"
"Kidnapping, imprisonment, and blackmail. All to find Seo-ah. Right? Just how are you two connected?"
Now I finally understand.
"......"
"If I told you Seo-ah was dead, would you give up?"
"...No."
"I see. I know why you were so angry."
Seo-ah's very existence is the problem.
Like a thorn in your heart, the moment a girl named Seo-ah existed, a problem was born.
"You poor thing."
Healing-type Awakeners.
They can heal a sword wound, but not a common cold.
They can reattach a severed arm, but they have no way of treating mental illness.
But I am different.
I wasn't called a Saintess for nothing.
Whether it's the body or the mind, I can heal anything.
"I'll heal you."
This isn't a power I can use just anywhere.
Nor is it a power I use on just anyone.
"Ha?"
Si-hoo backs away.
But it doesn't matter.
Even if I'm lying down, even if Si-hoo is a few steps away.
"[Begin Treatment-!]"
*Fwaaang!*
A bursting, explosive sound.
The space is enveloped in white.
Pure white.
It's begun.
Si-hoo doesn't move.
Nothing moves but me.
As if time has stopped.
The skill has already been activated.
A light glitters.
Si-hoo's light glitters when he attacks, but mine glitters when I heal.
I'm going to treat what hurts.
I'll show you why they call me a Saintess.
Where does it hurt?
The heart.
In fact, that's the biggest problem.
Because a sickness of the heart is invisible.
"Don't worry."
First, I'll get up.
This is a space where only I can move.
I've discovered why Si-hoo is in pain.
I had planned to learn about it slowly, as if we were on an adventure together, but since things turned out this way, I have no choice.
I'll just have to heal him right away.
As long as I have a rough idea of the cause, treatment is possible.
"It's going to be okay."
Healing skills are also the most malicious of skills.
You can block an attack.
But healing?
There's almost no way to block it.
"I'm here for you."
I whispered in his ear.
This is a treatment.
A treatment to realign misplaced memories and heal trauma.
It's a power that exhausts me even after a single use.
But Si-hoo is someone I like.
So, as a special exception.
"[Open Mind]"
With a *fwaang*, the background shifts.
***
I'm inside Si-hoo's memories.
Looking into someone else's memories is a difficult task.
It looks like an alley in the slums.
"You're Si-hoo, right?"
It's a young Si-hoo.
"Yes."
He's cute.
He's holding something in his hand.
I never thought I'd meet the young Si-hoo.
"What's that in your hand?"
"A bird."
"It's a paper crane."
Did he do origami?
It looks strangely half-folded.
I was interested in origami once, too.
"A friend gave it to me as a gift."
A friend.
Who could that friend be?
"Seo-ah?"
"Yes, do you know Seo-ah?"
"I do. But this, it's not finished."
It looks odd for a bird.
"Yes."
"Are you sure it was a gift? It looks like she just threw it away."
"...It's probably... a gift."
Let's decide it wasn't a gift.
The lower his intimacy with Seo-ah becomes, the faster Si-hoo's recovery will be.
The problem arose because they were too close.
So, let's treat his memories in order, starting from childhood.
For the sake of treatment, any method is permissible.
That's why anything can be treated.
Even a sickness of the heart can be healed.
No matter the trauma.
That's why I'm called the Saintess.
Let's move to the next scene.
*Fwaang.*
The space scatters and reforms.
A different memory.
This time, it's a playground.
Si-hoo is on the swings, alone.
"Si-hoo?"
"Yes?"
"Playing alone?"
"Yes."
Seo-ah doesn't seem to be here.
"Where's your friend?"
"I had a fight with Seo-ah. I need to make up with her."
So they fought sometimes.
Well, they were just kids.
"What did you fight about?"
"While we were playing, we had different rules..."
"I see."
It seems they fought over something trivial.
"I'm going to go apologize."
"Was it your fault?"
"We were both at fault."
"Do you usually apologize first, Si-hoo?"
"Yes."
I thought so.
"How about waiting for Seo-ah to apologize? It's not always good for you to be the only one giving in."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes."
"So, should I just wait until she apologizes?"
"Give her the silent treatment, or ignore her. Whatever you want. Seo-ah needs to learn how to apologize, too."
Right?
Perfect advice.
What does it matter if their relationship sours a little?
"I guess so..."
"Because Seo-ah is the problem."
So now, on to the next scene.
*Fwaang.*
Spacetime distorts.
I rummage through Si-hoo's memories.
This time, it's inside a shabby house.
The interior is tidy, though.
Si-hoo is sitting in a chair.
A meal is set on the dining table.
He looks older than in the last memory.
"Are you eating with Seo-ah?"
But Seo-ah is nowhere to be seen.
"Yes. It's almost the time we agreed on."
"Looks like she's not coming."
"Well... her clock might be broken again. Or maybe she's just late because she's busy with something."
"She's late often?"
"Yes. But I prepare the meal with that in mind."
He says it as if it's not a problem.
"Still, it would be better if she kept her promises."
"That's... true."
"I'm not so sure Seo-ah thinks of you as much as you think of her."
"......"
I really don't know.
Right?
To the next scene.
To the next scene.
To the next scene.
I treat him so he won't be obsessed with Seo-ah.
So that Seo-ah's existence is no longer a problem.
So that Si-hoo is not obsessed with Seo-ah.
To the next scene.
To the next scene.
To the next scene.
As time passes, the Si-hoo in the memories changes too.
He doesn't obsess over Seo-ah much.
To the next scene.
Next, next, next.
I continue to the next scene, modifying his memories.
The treatment is going well.
I explore his memories, pointing out things the past Si-hoo hadn't considered.
To the next memory.
*Fwaang.*
A new memory appears.
It's night, so it's dark.
Still, I think I know where this is.
In front of Seo-ah's house.
After reading so many of his memories, how could I not know?
"......"
Si-hoo is just staring at the closed door.
As if waiting for something.
He waits.
And waits and waits.
Then, he turns around.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter."
I don't know what he was waiting for.
Probably Seo-ah.
It seems he doesn't plan on waiting that long.
I follow Si-hoo and speak to him.
"What's wrong?"
"I entered the Academy, and I think she hates me for it."
He answers while walking.
He must be on his way back to the Academy.
"Really?"
"She cursed me out completely."
Seo-ah cursed at him?
Is this a phenomenon caused by the distorted memories?
I don't know how much of it is true.
"I went for Seo-ah's sake, in my own way. But since she says she hates me that much, I don't see the need to try anymore."
The memory is modulated even without me touching it much.
The treatment is a success.
Si-hoo won't suffer anymore.
So, is this when Si-hoo and Seo-ah broke up?
It's already an altered memory, so it's different from reality.
The treatment is entering its final stages.
To the next scene.
*Fwaang.*
The background changes.
It's a cafe.
A cafe inside the Academy.
Si-hoo is drinking something by himself.
"What are you doing alone?"
"I... lent some money."
"To whom?"
"To Seo-ah."
She borrowed money?
"Why did she need money?"
"Something about needing medicine. It's probably an excuse. There's no way medicine would cost that much."
Ah, it's drugs.
So she started using drugs around this time.
She must have been lonely after Si-hoo left her.
"The money, do you think you'll get it back?"
"No. And I think it's fine if I never get it back."
"Right, I see."
Then let's move to the next scene.
*Fwaang.*
This time, it's a forest.
A dark forest.
I see Si-hoo standing alone, staring at the ground.
"What's wrong?"
"......"
No answer.
He seems to be frozen.
"Si-hoo?"
"......"
"Is this a memory I can't intervene in?"
This happens sometimes.
A memory that can't be changed, no matter what I do.
A time that seems to have hardened.
It seems some shocking event happened around this time.
I don't know what it was.
In that case, it's best to just move on to the next memory.
"Who are you?"
"Huh?"
A girl's voice.
It's the first time someone else has moved in Si-hoo's memories.
Usually, the only characters in his memories were Si-hoo and me.
It's dark, so I can't see well, but it's definitely Seo-ah.
Was Seo-ah in this place, too?
"Ahaha."
"Seo-ah?"
"Why are you doing this?"
She approaches.
Smiling.
She's just a figure in a memory, so she's not dangerous.
This is just another part of Si-hoo.
That's what memories are like.
"Your very existence is causing Si-hoo pain."
"Pain?"
"That's why I'm treating him, so please understand."
A ghost that will disappear when I move to the next scene.
It's a phenomenon that sometimes appears when I modify memories.
I know because I've performed this memory treatment on others a few times.
"You know, they were precious memories."
Memories, she says.
Strange for a memory.
"You look like you're in pain. You were stabbed, weren't you."
"Yes."
She's covered in blood.
She's crying.
What could have happened to Seo-ah in this place?
"Is suffering from a stab wound a good memory?"
I don't think so.
Do people count things like that as memories?
"I don't want to be forgotten."
"Memories are meant to fade and become distorted."
That's why treatment is possible.
A treatment no one but me can perform.
"Why are you doing this?"
She repeats the same line.
With an expression that's smiling, yet filled with despair.
"Don't worry. Because I'm here."
You'll disappear, and I'll be here.
I'll stay by Si-hoo's side.
I'll stay by Si-hoo's side and be with him.
I told you, I'm here.
Me, not you.
I'll treat Si-hoo again and again.
Until Seo-ah is trash and I become his one and only friend.
It's a long-term inpatient treatment.
I just need to remove the root of the problem.
Then Si-hoo will have no reason to be angry with me.
Not all the memories I've modified will be reflected as they are.
But they will have the effect I intended.
"I think I'll stop here for today. The more recent the memories, the harder they are to touch."
I learned so much more about Si-hoo.
I've come to like Si-hoo even more.
More, so much more.
"Don't."
Seo-ah says.
"One day, Si-hoo will be completely liberated from you. That's a good thing for him. As I thought, you don't want Si-hoo to be happy."
The Seo-ah in the memory didn't answer.
"Goodbye."
That's enough for now.
"[Cease Treatment]"
*Fwaang.*
With a bursting sound, I return to reality.
I'm in my house.
The color has returned.
Time flows again.
I see Si-hoo staggering.
This wasn't an end, just a pause.
I'll do it again soon.
Treatment is only effective if it's consistent.
*Thud.*
Si-hoo collapses to the floor.
I wanted to catch him, but I had no strength left either.
After a single treatment, I'm as exhausted as if I'd run a full sprint.
Still, I feel refreshed somehow.
Because I did a truly good deed today.
Because I helped Si-hoo.
I was glad I could live up to the name of Saintess.