Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Brainwasher II
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Shin Noah
3
And so, the two black holes collided, and the solar system met its end… That conclusion, regrettably, did not come to pass.
The world remained perfectly fine. The encounter between Go Yo-ri and Yoo Ji-won stirred no storms in the macroscopic world.
One could tell just by observing how, even under colonial rule by countless anomalies, it stubbornly held out for several decades—this universe was surprisingly resilient.
“…… ……”
“……? …… ……”
From a distance, the two were engaged in conversation.
It was too far for even my hearing to reach, so I couldn’t eavesdrop. To begin with, Go Yo-ri’s [Perception Manipulation] would have distorted the content of the conversation anyway.
Go Yo-ri bowed at the waist. She handed over something unclear—perhaps a business card or a letter. Yoo Ji-won accepted it and lowered her head in return.
Shortly after, Yoo Ji-won returned as if nothing had happened.
I rushed over to her in a hurry.
“What did you talk about? What was your impression of Go Yo-ri? Did you feel any sudden fondness, like you inexplicably wanted to heed her words?”
“Huh? No?”
Yoo Ji-won uttered a sentence that perfectly captured the subtleties of the Korean language.
“We just talked. She was very easy to converse with.”
“Oh…!”
I sighed in lament. As expected, could a mere psychopath stand against Go Yo-ri’s power?
“…I see. Good work. Still, I think this was a profoundly special experience for you. After all, isn’t it your first time feeling even a sliver of goodwill toward a human? When else would you get to have an experience like this?”
“Hm?”
Yoo Ji-won tilted her head.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency, but I don’t understand what you mean. I felt no fondness toward the target.”
Now it was my turn to tilt my head.
“What are you talking about? You just said you two got along very well.”
“Yes? That’s true, but.”
Then, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, Yoo Ji-won recited in a flat tone.
“Does getting along well in conversation logically necessitate feeling fondness for the other party?”
?
“Your Excellency, the emotion evoked by getting along well is comfort. To describe it more precisely, it’s the satisfaction from not needing to expend unnecessary conversation to promote mutual understanding. In other words, it’s the gratification of saving time. It’s much faster and more convenient to take the subway instead of walking to school. That doesn’t mean Your Excellency feels human-like fondness for the subway cars, does it?”
“……”
“Ah. My apologies, Your Excellency. Human tastes vary widely, after all. Do you happen to feel fondness for subway cars?”
Of course I didn’t. There was already one person with a bizarre attachment to railways—Dang Seo-rin—and that was more than enough.
But listening to Yoo Ji-won’s lengthy explanation made me realize something.
‘Maybe it could work! Against Go Yo-ri! With this once-in-a-lifetime psychopath, a miracle might just happen—escaping [Perception Manipulation]!’
Snap. Unable to hide my excitement, I grabbed Yoo Ji-won’s shoulder.
“Ji-won.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“From now on, use any means necessary to get close to ‘that person whose name must not be spoken.’ Become friends, or whatever—establish some special relationship. Observe her every move and report back to me. Can you do it?”
“Of course, Your Excellency. Leave it to me. However…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to relay your dying words to you in the next loop.”
“I pledge my loyalty, Your Excellency.”
An exchange of wordless understanding passed between our eyes.
At that moment, the Saintess, who had been silently watching the proceedings, murmured.
[Mr. Undertaker, I’ve been debating whether to point this out, but right now… no matter how you look at it, doesn’t it seem like you’re the one stalking Ms. Go Yo-ri?]
It wasn’t even worth considering.
Did they think I was insane enough to stalk someone who ran a cafeteria for ordinary people without pay, doling out food in a green Romance of the Three Kingdoms apron while smiling politely at everyone? Did I, the Undertaker, look like the type? Absurd.
From that day on, I immediately launched Operation Name: Contradiction.
The Korean Peninsula’s greatest shield. The kind of cancer cell that, in any story, would pop up with a warning: [※This character is a sub-sub-sub heroine and absolutely cannot be攻略ed]. I had planted one right in the heart of Daejeon.
That’s right. Yoo Ji-won was now stationed in Daejeon, making contact with Go Yo-ri every single day. After all, Go Yo-ri had to commute to the cafeteria morning and evening, and there was no way for her to block Yoo Ji-won’s approaches at those times.
On day 2, nothing unusual happened. To outward appearances, the two exchanged only pleasant small talk.
Day 3 as well.
Day 4 too.
Finally, on day 5.
[Mr. Undertaker, it seems like something anomalous is happening around Ms. Yoo Ji-won.]
The bite was finally coming.
“What kind of anomaly?”
[…It’s something bizarre. Hard to explain, but whenever Ms. Yoo Ji-won leaves her lodging and starts walking, strangers approach her and strike up conversations.]
“Hm. Ji-won’s got Hermes-level looks skin-deep, you know. Aren’t people just mesmerized by the luxury vibe?”
[You’re the first person I’ve heard describe outstanding looks that way… Um, no. It’s really bizarre. It’d be faster if you came to see for yourself.]
So I did.
I tailed Yoo Ji-won without anyone noticing.
“Oh my, Ji-won! I got lucky with some sweet apples this time—take one! Huh? Money? What money? Just take it and eat! I swear, every time I see you, I just wanna pinch those cheeks!”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Waaah! It’s big sis Ji-won! Sis, sis, let’s play together today too! Swing on the swings at our playground!”
“Sure. If I have time in the evening.”
…As the Saintess said, it was an eerie sight.
Every time Yoo Ji-won walked down the street, people of all sorts approached and spoke to her.
As I’ve mentioned countless times before, Yoo Ji-won was beautiful like a sculpture carved from eternal ice. Her unchanging expression always carried the chill of permafrost.
Would anyone rashly approach such a person and try to act friendly?
Even if they did, all they’d get in return was a voice devoid of inflection and eyes beyond her glasses showing no trace of emotion.
In short, there was no reward for being friendly.
Yet the residents were approaching Yoo Ji-won as if they were having the time of their lives doing so.
“Saintess, please connect me to Ji-won via Telepathy. I need to check her mental state.”
[Understood. …Connected. I’ll relay Ms. Yoo Ji-won’s words, so speak freely.]
“Thank you. Hey, Ji-won. You okay?”
[I’m fine.]
Yoo Ji-won’s response, reproduced in the Saintess’s voice, was utterly nonchalant.
“In my view, Daejeon has already fallen into Voldemort’s hands. At the very least, everyone talking to you is definitely under Voldemort’s sway. They’re trying to curry favor with you to keep you in this city somehow.”
[Hm. I’d already judged it strange myself. But if it’s a ploy to draw out my goodwill, it’s pathetically shallow.]
“What?”
[It’s annoying.]
“……”
[When I go to a restaurant and the owner recognizes me and starts chatting, I don’t show it, but it’s the type of person I find bothersome. Right now, the whole street feels like one giant neighborhood diner.]
The next day.
The city of Daejeon itself had fallen silent.
“……”
Yoo Ji-won emerged from her lodging, but no one approached her for conversation.
The auntie who had showered her with apples yesterday, the neighborhood kids who had begged to play—all passed by with blank expressions, treating her like a stranger.
I couldn’t help but be seized by dread.
[Now it’s a bit more comfortable.]
Yoo Ji-won wasn’t shaken in the slightest.
To her, it was like, say, walking into a café and luckily finding the window seat empty—nothing more.
Despite the city residents who had been obsessed with her suddenly turning cold and ignoring her, she showed no anxiety or confusion whatsoever.
But naturally… this was Yoo Ji-won’s victory.
If there was zero interaction or conversation, there was no way to bewitch her!
That’s when it began.
The city truly started going berserk.
“Fwaaaah!”
A resident came running and bumped into Yoo Ji-won—thud. The resident lost balance and fell.
At that instant, screeech—boom! A truck barreled past right in front of them, smashing into a building. The resident sprang up and grabbed Yoo Ji-won’s hand.
“Ah, thank you! Thank you so much! If you hadn’t bumped into me, I’d have been run over by that truck and died! You’re my lifesaver!”
“Yes. Please manage your life carefully.”
“……”
The moment Yoo Ji-won entered the bakery, the staff lined up on either side and set off fireworks.
“Congratulations, customer! You’re exactly our 100,000th visitor since opening! As a special event, from today onward, we’ll give you five free items of any product daily…”
“Ah, sorry, but I don’t care for such events. Please give it to the next customer. I’ll take a baguette if there’s any left.”
“……”
Wherever Yoo Ji-won went, her life was saved from “accidental mishaps,” and “incredible strokes of luck” befell her.
Yoo Ji-won brushed off every encounter.
[Why ignore them? Because obeying Your Excellency’s orders yields far greater benefits than building friendly relations with those people.]
[They’re not the ones who’ll take care of my next loop, are they?]
Yoo Ji-won lived luxuriously in this apocalyptic world, eating what she wanted and buying what she desired with the funds I supplied, while casually chatting with Go Yo-ri twice a day in the plaza.
In essence, she enjoyed abundance, doing whatever she pleased.
Conversely—whether it was just my imagination or not—the city residents’ faces grew increasingly gaunt with each passing day.
Bang! Bang bang, baaang!
By day 30, a shootout erupted near Yoo Ji-won’s lodging.
The following scene is a reconstruction based on Yoo Ji-won’s later testimony.
Right after the gunfire, a man with a gunshot wound on his forearm pounded on Yoo Ji-won’s door.
“H-Help me! Please open the door! I’ll repay you, I swear!”
Before the landlord could say anything, the door opened on its own.
Yoo Ji-won, reading a Latin book by the window, merely twitched an eyebrow in annoyance.
“What is it this time?”
“Ah. I-I’m the head of the top guild in this city. One of my underlings just backstabbed me. But… even with the surprise attack, he couldn’t kill me. My brothers will come and avenge me.”
“Haa.”
“If you hadn’t opened the door, I’d have died in the hallway. Thanks. If you want, I’ll give you everything in this city…!”
Yoo Ji-won set down her book and walked over.
For reference, Yoo Ji-won was the operations chief of the National Highway Management Corps, and in the loop where we subjugated the Meteor Shower, she proudly led Team 1 of the 12-unit task force.
In other words, in terms of aura manipulation, she was second only to me.
Naturally, some warlord with a bullet hole in his arm was no match. Yoo Ji-won lifted the guild leader single-handedly, as if picking up a chicken.
“Huh?”
She opened the door and flung him into the hallway. The guild members playing the betrayers flinched upon spotting their target.
Yoo Ji-won addressed the assassins.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to kill him?”
“……”
“Then I’ll go back to reading, so don’t disturb me.”
Thud. The door closed.
That was the scene as reconstructed from Yoo Ji-won’s memory.
No gunfire echoed from the hallway.
4
That night.
Strange, eerie sounds reverberated across the pitch-black sky over Daejeon.
-Ooooooh… Oooh…
-Ehehe, ehehehe! Ehehehe!
It resembled a beast’s howl, a tiger’s growl, or the laughter of countless children. All the sounds mingled, echoing simultaneously.
An anomalous phenomenon even I had never witnessed before.
“Saintess, can you observe what’s happening in the city?”
[I’m sorry. I can’t see anything. The awakeners in Daejeon are either all asleep or for some other reason—everything’s just pitch black.]
“…”
[If you permit, I could… with Ms. Go Yo-ri.]
“No.”
I answered instantly.
Some kind of intuition told me.
This state wasn’t the result of the “correct攻略 method.”
To put it in gaming terms, it felt like using a cheat key to unlock an ending.
The problem was that this was far from a happy ending. Whatever had been forcibly awakened was undoubtedly furious.
“Go Yo-ri—or the anomaly cloaking Go Yo-ri—can bewitch and control the entire city’s residents. Confirming this information alone is the greatest achievement. Further contact is dangerous.”
[Yes. Understood.]
“How about Ji-won?”
[Pitch black. Same as the other awakeners.]
The bizarre wails continued all night.
Yoo Ji-won’s whereabouts became clear at daybreak. At 7 a.m., she woke up as if nothing had happened and walked out of her lodging.
I immediately entered Daejeon and made contact with her. I asked if she had heard the strange sounds last night.
“The sounds, Your Excellency?”
Yoo Ji-won tilted her head.
“I’m not sure. Your Excellency, I’ve worn a sleep mask and earplugs every night since fourth grade.”
What vanished with the dawn wasn’t just the wails.
The city residents had all disappeared.
Even the Saintess’s [Clairvoyance] observed nothing. The only observable awakener was Yoo Ji-won.
I immediately spread out a map and activated Yoo Ji-won’s [Minimap], but the result was the same. Not only Go Yo-ri, but none of the awakeners in Daejeon registered.
As if they had evaporated in an instant.
From that day until the loop’s end, Go Yo-ri and the Daejeon citizens never reappeared.
“Oh.”
Yoo Ji-won pulled something from her pocket. A letter.
It was the epilogue to this episode.
“Your Excellency, please take it.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a letter from Ms. Go Yo-ri for Your Excellency.”
“…”
“More precisely, she asked me to deliver it to [the first person I met upon waking that day] if she could no longer run the cafeteria.”
I hesitated before accepting the letter.
I opened the envelope. A sweet apple scent wafted from the paper.
-謀事在人, 成事在天.
-Planning affairs lies with man, but their success depends on heaven.
“…”
Mousaija-in. Seongsaejacheon. A phrase from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Similar in meaning to “Man proposes, heaven disposes,” it seemed like a proverb anyone could receive.
But the fact that it was drawn from the Three Kingdoms unnervingly shook my heart.
‘Doesn’t it feel like she knew in advance that I was the one who dispatched Yoo Ji-won?’
…Above all, I knew Go Yo-ri’s handwriting. She had once been in my guild, so it was natural.
The script on this letter was distinctly different from Go Yo-ri’s handwriting from back then.
Perhaps these words on the letter were the first true glimpse of Go Yo-ri I had ever seen.
The first trace untouched by the [Perception Manipulation] filter.
I flipped to the back of the letter.
-The butterfly of the typhoon and the butterfly in the dream are different beings.
My entire body prickled as if electrified.
The blue Morpho butterfly of the anomaly “Butterfly Effect.” And the butterfly that appeared at the end of the “Logout Game.”
A phrase hinting at the existence of both.
A message only I in this world could recognize… and at the same time, one of the pieces of information I was most curious about at this point.
How much did Go Yo-ri know? Or was this, like a mirror, merely reflecting back the information I wanted to see?
From where had I been bewitched?
“…Ji-won. When did you receive this letter?”
“Oh. I got it on the first day, when we parted after meeting.”
“…”
“She promised that as long as I delivered the letter, she wouldn’t harm me directly no matter what. It was an acceptable offer.”
Yoo Ji-won tilted her head.
“Is there something strange written in it, Your Excellency?”
“…”
I shut my mouth.
It was merely that, folding the apple-scented letter, I thought anew.
――As expected, pitting the ultimate spear against the ultimate shield could only end in a draw.
- Brainwasher. End.