Escaping Reality (2)
"Do not turn away from reality."
Dungeon raid failed. Or could you even call it a raid? We got cut off at the entrance before we even stepped inside. When the challenge failed because of me, the two of them said it was okay and that we'd try again next time, but my face refused to relax.
Do not turn away from reality, huh...
There were four people in my family. But only three were listed in the family register. So was my sister excluded? No. My family register was fake. It was completely filled with stand-ins.
At first I was suspicious. Why was only my register different? The family wasn't on bad terms. If anything, we were pretty harmonious. Everyone had taken devoted care of me while I lay bedridden.
At first I told myself there must have been some circumstances, but as time passed my anxiety only grew. What if there was something I didn't know?
It was right when I started digging deeper into my family that I enrolled in the academy. And the news that reached my ears was this: Death due to rape by Lee Seongyul.
It was terrifying. The fear that everything I knew might be a lie made me turn my back on reality.
After all, even if I learned the truth about the past, it wouldn't change anything. My dead parents and sister wouldn't come back to life.
In the end I looked away. My sister had simply lost her life in an accident. There was no way a college student like my sister would have entered the Hunter Academy.
I turned my eyes from reality. I brainwashed myself.
But now even running away had reached its limit. The terrible headache I suffered when I saw Lee Seol's album. And.
Shin Suyeon.
I needed to obtain the Dispel skill. This half-baked effect wouldn't cut it anymore. A dead end.
Yes. There was no longer any path left to run.
Let's face it. My past.
"Going down to your family home, you say?"
"Yes."
My words made Irena's expression stiffen slightly.
"How about I accompany you this weekend? I can drive you there."
"No. I'm also planning to visit the columbarium, so I'll go alone."
"I see..."
Irena nodded as if she had no choice.
"Understood. Please be careful on your way."
She looked a little disappointed, but it couldn't be helped. This time I had another purpose besides simply visiting the family home.
After leaving the professor's office, I sent a message to the group chat.
I gave a wry smile at Choi Ahyeon's screaming text, grabbed the bag I'd packed in advance, and got on the bus.
After a long ride I arrived in Incheon. My hometown.
It's been so long.
After my sister and parents died, I almost never visited my hometown. There was no one there anyway. Since I practically lived at the hospital, the only friends I had were Kim Jihun and Yoon Seah, and I didn't have many good memories. So after being discharged I visited the family home only once before basically abandoning it.
It's been a while.
Including the time since my regression, it had been several years.
Should I stop by the columbarium first?
After changing buses and walking a few minutes, a two-story building tucked inside the forest came into view. A place only those in the know would recognize. Unlike the city, no noise existed here at all.
I entered carefully. There was no one inside.
Second floor, all the way at the end. Our family's spot.
Father. Mother. Sister.
In the photo the three of them sat cozily on a bench, smiling.
"......"
They looked happier than anyone else. Smiling brightly.
I gently stroked the photo.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't even attend the funeral, yet I should have visited often... I have no excuse even if I had ten mouths."
A voice that would never reach them. Even so, I kept rambling. It was a habit. Something I did every time I came here.
"I'm still attending the academy. You told me so earnestly not to do dangerous things, but in the end I'm out there slicing monsters."
I placed the artificial flower I'd bought at the shop in front of the photo.
"I guess this is just my fate. Instead, I'll come more often from now on. I'll visit the family home too, so please don't be too disappointed..."
Swish.
A small. Very small sound. The faint brush of fabric.
I hurriedly turned my gaze toward the stairs.
"......"
No one was there.
Did I mishear? No way.
I killed my presence and carefully moved toward where the sound had come from.
I could hear someone's breathing. Slightly panicked, breathless sounds.
No way...
Irena?
The image of her following me around at school flashed through my mind. But she should be in class right now...
Full of questions, I approached, and a familiar scent stung my nose. A refreshing, cool perfume.
"Seol...?"
"Haha... Hi, Hyun..."
It was Lee Seol.
Today her outfit was quite different. She, who always wore bright-toned clothes, was wearing a black dress and heels.
And that Lee Seol was kneeling on the floor.
"Defendant Lee Seol, I will give you time to explain yourself."
"Th-that... I'm sorry."
"Does that mean you admit your guilt?"
"That thing I said..."
"What?"
"It's nothing. I'm sorry..."
A familiar conversation. It was exactly the same as when I had broken my promise to go to the fireworks festival with her.
He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.
Lee Seol was now being subjected to the interrogation she had once used on me.
"So. Why did you come here?"
"Um..."
The place Lee Seol pointed to. A woman was smiling in a photo there.
"It's the memorial day of an unnie I know. Then I heard your voice, Hyun, so I paused for a moment. It's absolutely not that I was trying to eavesdrop!"
Seeing her shout as if asserting her innocence, her purity, I let out a small sigh and nodded.
She was the association president's daughter. She probably knew many hunters and had many dead acquaintances.
"Alright. I'll believe you."
"Then is today your parents' memorial day too, Hyun?"
"Yeah."
"Can I pay my respects too?"
"Respects?"
"Yes!"
Having said that, Lee Seol stood beside me and gave a deep bow to my parents and sister.
"Hello. Mother, Father, Sister. I'm Seol, Hyun's friend."
Lee Seol spoke with her hands neatly clasped as if real people were standing there.
"Hyun is living healthily. He's made many good friends, and he's receiving a lot of love from the professors."
"Although I'm still lacking and immature in many ways and only receive help from Hyun... I'll polish myself well and definitely become someone who can help him. So please don't worry too much and watch over us comfortably from heaven."
Lee Seol placed one of the flowers she had brought in front of the photo.
"I will definitely make Hyun happy."
She smiled with a meaningful smile.
After Lee Seol paid her respects to the deceased acquaintance, we left the columbarium.
"Where are you going now, Hyun?"
"I'm going to stop by the family home before heading back."
"The family home? Can I come with you?"
Lee Seol asked with sparkling eyes. I smiled bitterly and shook my head.
"Sorry. I'm not in the mood today."
"I see... Okay then. I'll head back first. See you at school!"
"Yeah. Get home safe."
Lee Seol waved and walked away. The moment she disappeared from sight, I headed toward the family home.
A single detached house. An ordinary one-story home. Because it had been abandoned for years, the doorknob was covered in dust.
Creeeak.
A musty smell and a house covered in dust greeted me.
It's exactly the same.
As if time had stopped, the house was exactly as I remembered. The photo hanging in the living room was identical to the one in the columbarium. Father, mother, and sister sitting on a bench, smiling. The master bedroom and living room hadn't changed at all.
I entered my room beside the living room. An empty room. There wasn't a single piece of furniture. Since I had practically lived at the hospital, it was only natural.
Having nothing to see, I left immediately and entered my sister's room. It was exactly as it had been when she was alive. The framed photo of the two of us, the bed, desk, and computer all remained in their places.
I reached for the drawer but stopped. Hesitation. I still hadn't made up my mind. I wasn't ready to face the truth.
"Huu..."
After a deep breath, I opened the drawer. All sorts of miscellaneous items greeted me. I rummaged through them but nothing stood out. Just in case, I reached deeper into the drawer and felt around.
Something was there.
I quickly pulled it out.
◈ Stores a portion of a deceased person's soul and memories upon bodily death
◈ Allows the soul to manifest as a temporary projection
My breathing grew ragged.
The reality I had tried so hard to ignore was closing in, and my head throbbed as if I'd been struck by Thunder God ten times.
Urk!
Pain like dozens of needles stabbing into my brain. It wasn't something I could endure. On top of that I felt the world spinning. The moment I tried to move my legs to steady my shaking vision—
My legs...!
They wouldn't move. I looked down. My body was freezing over. The terrible headache had delayed my reaction by a beat.
I hurriedly tried to raise my magic power and activate Thunder God, but—
Crack.
My brain...!
The time it took for my body to turn into an ice statue was faster. Inside the ice where even oxygen had vanished, I slowly lost consciousness.
Fuck...
Beyond my hazy mind, only the clicking of heels echoed.