Chapter 28: An Encounter with Familiar Faces.
Chapter 28: An Encounter with Familiar Faces.
“We did see a woman on our way here. But I can't be certain she's the one you said was kidnapped.”
I chose my words carefully, trying to soften the blow. But the woman’s eyes were still filled with conviction. She nodded quickly at my words and replied.
“It’s fine. Right now, I feel as though I have to grasp at any straw. Long, straight hair might not be enough, but a yellow dress would make it almost certain.”
“Even so… the dress was torn to pieces. We only saw a fragment of it.”
“What… did you say?”
The woman faltered at my words. Woo Jungmin, Seon Yuun, and Cheon Seunghyeon had already clenched their fists, apparently anticipating what I would say next. Yet hope still remained in her eyes. At last, she spoke in a trembling voice, desperately hoping that it was not true.
“Why… why was the dress torn?”
“When we found her, she was collapsed against a tree. And when we went closer to check… she was already dead.”
“Won Hyesoo…!”
As soon as I finished speaking, the woman called Won Hyesoo went pale and staggered, collapsing to the ground. Cheon Seunghyeon, who was beside her, caught her quickly, but her legs had already given out completely. I knew the pain of losing someone precious better than anyone, so my heart went out to the woman called Won Hyesoo.
For a while, silence fell.
“What condition was Hyeyeon’s body in when you found her?”
Woo Jungmin seemed to have accepted reality and asked in a calm voice, but the heaviness beneath it showed how deeply shaken he was. I remained silent for a moment. Still awaiting my answer, he spoke again.
“It's okay. I had a feeling it would be something like this. Just tell me exactly what you saw.”
“…There was blood around her mouth. I believe she bit her tongue and killed herself.”
“No. Wait. That can't be right. She would never kill herself.”
“When we found her, she was almost completely naked. And… bodily fluids, presumed to be from that monkey monster, were leaking from her private parts.”
The atmosphere turned ice-cold the moment I finished. Woo Jungmin was genuinely furious. Killing intent filled his eyes, and his fists clenched as though he might explode at any moment. Even Seon Yuun, who had listened in silence, had bloodshot eyes. Their grief and rage reached me with painful clarity.
Just then, as if my words had finally registered, Won Hyesoo—who had been staring blankly into space—let out a scream.
“Ha… haha… ha… Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Hyesoo-ya! Get a hold of yourself!”
“Aaaaaargh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!”
Her outburst was so ferocious that even the normally easy-going Cheon Seunghyeon took a step back. Unable to overcome her sense of loss, Won Hyesoo began to scream while clawing at the ground with both hands.
“No! Hyeyeon! There’s no way Hyeyeon is dead! It’s a lie! A lie! Hyeyeooooooon!”
“Won Hyesoo! Snap out of it! We lost Jintae too, remember? Back then, you told us not to be swept away by emotion and to face reality calmly. How can you act like this now?”
“Shut up! But Hyeyeon! Hyeyeon!”
Looking around like a madwoman, Won Hyesoo met my eyes. Her lips twisted in fury, and she shot up from her spot and lunged at me. A startled Seon Yuun and Cheon Seunghyeon quickly grabbed both her arms, but she still shrieked at me.
“Lies! Don’t lie to me! She can’t be dead! You’re lying, right? Right? Huh? Say it’s a lie…! Tell me! Tell meeeee!”
“Hyesoo-ya… Let’s go and check first. Okay? Calm down.”
Cheon Seunghyeon kept trying to soothe her, but Won Hyesoo was already half out of her mind and probably couldn’t hear him. I watched her for a moment before speaking quietly.
“You'll find the body if you follow this path straight for about thirty minutes. There aren't many trees around there. I'm sorry for your loss.”
“You evil bastard! You killed Hyeyeon! Dead? Stop lying! No—you watched those things attack Hyeyeon and ran away like a coward, didn’t you? You could have saved her, but you ran! You goddamn coward!”
“What did you say? This crazy bitch… Oppa?”
Lee Yoojung looked like she couldn't stand hearing me get cursed at and was about to step forward, even though she felt sorry for the woman. I placed a hand on her shoulder and quietly shook my head. Lee Yoojung looked displeased, but after seeing my stern expression, she quietly backed down. Just then, Woo Jungmin, who had been quietly looking up at the sky, raised his right hand with a calm expression.
Slap!
Won Hyesoo's face, which had been spewing curses at me, calling me a coward, snapped to the side. With a reddened cheek, as if in disbelief, she looked to the side, her eyes fixed on Woo Jungmin's hand. Woo Jungmin looked down at Won Hyesoo, his face full of disappointment.
“Stop it, Won Hyesoo. It's disgusting to watch.”
“Wha-what?”
“Reality… Hah, never mind. It doesn't seem like you'll listen to anything I say right now. Stop taking your anger out on the wrong person and accept reality.”
“Ha… Right. None of this matters. Because she's not your sister. Yeah~. That's it, isn't it? To you guys, she might just be someone you knew for four days, but me, me, me! I'm different. We lived together for over twenty years. And you want me to what? Accept reality?”
Seon Yuun watched Won Hyesoo’s venomous outburst with pity. In the end, he turned away from her gaze. Once she saw him avert his head, she began sobbing again. Even to an observer, she seemed on the verge of madness; disappointment, despair, anxiety, confusion, and every other negative emotion churned around her.
“Won Hyesoo, have you lost your mind? I know I’m in no position to talk after throwing that dagger, but you can’t act like this! Calm down and get a grip first. What is wrong with you?”
“Yeah, I'm crazy. I'd rather be crazy. So let go of me. I said, let go!”
Her hysterics were getting worse. Woo Jungmin let out a deep sigh and spoke in a heavy voice.
“I don’t think you’re insane. We lost Jintae here too, so we understand what it means to lose a younger sibling you were close to and cherished. Anyone who had seen how you and your sister treated each other during even these four days would understand and sympathize with you. And… there is still no guarantee that the person they found was Won Hyeyeon.”
“Don’t lie. Right! They might be lying. They only saw part of the dress, didn’t they? I’m going to look. I’m going. It probably wasn’t—no, it definitely wasn’t Hyeyeon. It couldn’t have been.”
They say humans are animals of self-rationalization. Won Hyesoo, who had been so certain at first, had suddenly done a 180. Pleading, then despairing, then raging, then hoping again. She was going mad. She couldn't accept her sister's death and was interpreting everything in the most hopeful way possible. It wasn't the first or second time I'd seen someone like that, but I couldn't help the heavy feeling in my heart.
“Stop. You saw Hyeyeon being dragged away by those monkey monsters too.”
“If you won't go, I'll go by myself. Now let go of me. I have to go. I'm going now.”
“…Jungmin-ah. Let’s go and check first. We can see whether… whether there’s a body…”
Cheon Seunghyeon spoke cautiously, then hurriedly closed his mouth when Won Hyesoo’s eyes sharpened. When Cheon Seunghyeon and Seon Yuun released her arms, she glared at me and ran in the direction I had indicated. The men exchanged uneasy looks before hurrying after her. Woo Jungmin alone remained behind.
“Sorry for dragging you into this. I only knew them for four days, but Hyesoo and Hyeyeon truly cared for each other that much.”
Ahn Hyun nodded with a sympathetic expression. He held Ahn Sol tightly with his right arm, clearly feeling anxious. Woo Jungmin watched the two with a bitter expression before turning his gaze to me and speaking in a serious voice.
“Anyway, thank you for getting revenge for us. You saved us the trouble. But… surely what you said wasn't a lie, right?”
“What did you say?”
After seeing Lee Yoojung flare up instantly, Woo Jungmin shifted his gaze to Kim Hanbyul and Ahn Sol. Then, he let out a short laugh and spoke.
“Then again… you don't look like the type. My apologies. I should get going now.”
“Again, I'm sorry about what happened to her. Unfortunately, we're in a hurry as well. We'll be on our way now.”
“Ah, wait. You, with the crossbow. Come here for a second.”
At the sudden call, I glanced at Woo Jungmin and slowly approached. Once I stood before him, he checked my companions and lowered his voice until only I could hear.
“It may not amount to much of a reward, but I’ll give you one piece of information. You’re heading toward the Central Warp Gate, aren’t you? Don’t answer. Just nod slightly.”
I immediately nodded, and Woo Jungmin whispered something into my ear in a low voice.