Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: A Chilling Movie
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The movie was generally quite interesting.
The protagonist, Evan, was born with burn scars covering half his face.
Because of his unusual appearance, Evan endured a harsh life from childhood, facing contempt, scorn, and abuse not only from his family but from others as well.
Then one day, a turning point came to his life as he wallowed in the mud.
On an unusually hot summer day, his brother pushed Evan off the railing from the second floor, and he plummeted, his head smashing apart.
But Evan didn't die. When he opened his eyes again, it was the day before his fall.
Death had granted him another way of life.
Once, twice...
Evan was killed in various ways each time, only to return to the day before.
By then, he realized he couldn't die.
Growing bored with the endlessly repeating life, Evan began exacting revenge on people using the exact same methods they had used to kill him.
That day was no different. After committing another murder as usual and returning home, Evan discovered something strange behind a mirror he had accidentally dropped.
He had no memory of writing it, but there were piles of notes in his own handwriting.
'Keep going.'
'Stop.'
'Kill.'
'Don't kill.'
'Die.'
It was a jumble of opposing words.
After finding the notes, Evan searched the room thoroughly.
As he rummaged around, he eventually found a man with his exact face under the bed where he had been standing.
And the moment he spotted Evan, the man slashed his throat with the dagger in his hand.
"Waaah!!"
I screamed without thinking.
The idea of someone with your exact face jumping out from under the bed was terrifying.
Horror is always scarier when it feels like something that could happen in real life.
Ju Yeon-woo heard my scream and tried to comfort me.
"Noona, don't worry. That's just movie magic that wouldn't happen in reality. The vertebrae make it impossible to sever the neck cleanly with a dagger like that in one go."
"...?"
"Even with an axe or greatsword, you'd have to cut from above to do it properly, but from that angle, ambushing from below? It wouldn't slice that cleanly. The muscles would resist, and it'd get stuck on bone—you'd need two or three more slashes."
It was the most unique form of reassurance I'd ever heard.
After a moment of surprise at the novel comfort, curiosity kicked in.
"But really, you can't cut it with a dagger in one strike?"
In the Hermann Empire, users of sword aura could slice through bone with even small blades like that.
"Maybe if it was an Esper with that kind of ability, but the protagonist is set up as a non-Awakener, right?"
"Ah."
Right. There were Awakeners in this world.
Back in high school, before the possession or the world shift, I'd watched fantasy or sci-fi movies and just enjoyed those scenes without a second thought.
But now, realizing all of it could actually happen in reality made me feel strangely unsettled.
The movie raced toward its latter half.
The man under the bed was Evan himself from a previous death. He realized this because of the rope marks on the man's neck—the cause of his last death.
The countless Evans who had died. Half-corpses not even granted proper funerals endlessly killed the versions of themselves who kept repeating their lives.
As if killing, urging to kill... until someday they could become one...
The pleasure of murdering someone. And the fear of not knowing when he'd be killed himself.
Caught between those, Evan finally went mad.
On a dark night illuminated only by moonlight, Evan stood before the mirror. He faced his reflection and pointed a gun at his own head.
And that was the end of the movie.
"...It ends here?"
Watching the protagonist suffer like that, fail to complete his revenge, and end up punished instead left a bitter taste.
As I sat on the sofa with a dissatisfied look, Ju Yeon-woo handed me a small box from beside me.
Inside was chocolate with a beautiful, gem-like sheen.
"Here."
"Oh? Ah, thank you."
A crunch as the almond broke between my teeth.
It was coated in sugar powder and a layer of bittersweet dark chocolate, with hazelnut chocolate and almonds inside—delicious.
Was it because I looked upset? The unexpected consideration made me quietly chew without a word.
It felt wrong to just brush it off as repaying a debt. The repayment clause covered lending a house, but not giving tasty chocolate.
I subtly extended my hand.
"Um, do you need it right now...?"
"More chocolate?"
"No, not that..."
I had no experience with this, so I didn't know how to phrase it.
Until now, I'd only Guided one person, and with Yang Hyun-woo, it was just, "Help with some experiments when you have time."
"Guiding. I can do it if you need it."
"..."
"No, I mean, if you don't need it, forget I said anything."
I was pulling back my awkwardly offered hand when he grabbed it firmly.
"...Can I hold your hand?"
As I marveled and cringed at his swift movement, he wrapped my hand in his and looked at me.
The lights were dimmed to minimum for the movie. His eyes, melted into the darkness, deepened intensely.
Surprised by how close he'd gotten, I leaned back, and he closed the gap just as much.
I retreated again, he advanced, repeating this several times until I reached the sofa armrest with nowhere left to go. Then I gripped both his hands tightly.
"Stop. Good. Now, let's back up..."
"Okay."
Ju Yeon-woo obediently pulled back.
'...That startled me for a second.'
We maintained the distance, still holding hands. It was like a parent scolding a child by gripping their hands—extremely awkward.
To ease the embarrassment, I spoke first.
"Oh, right. I should've asked this right away, but things were so hectic I forgot."
"What is it?"
"Are you seeing anyone right now?"
"...Pardon?"
"No particular reason, but I'm a woman, after all. Even for repaying a debt, if you have a girlfriend, staying here doesn't seem right. Did things end with that woman you were dating before?"
I asked to clear it up, and Ju Yeon-woo tilted his head.
"...? I've never dated anyone."
"Ah, okay. So no one right now, right?"
"I don't know who you're talking about, but I don't have anyone like that."
"Got it. So definitely no one now? Alright then."
"I really haven't dated."
"I know."
"For real..."
Seeing him fidget uneasily for some reason, I patted the back of his hand reassuringly, as if to say I understood.
So what if he had someone? As long as he didn't cheat while they were together.
Thinking back now, I couldn't understand why everyone, including me, assumed he was a playboy.
He never met the same person twice at the cafe and always brought different ones.
As long as he wasn't seeing someone else while dating, it was his freedom to date someone new after breaking up.
I slowly channeled Guiding through our clasped hands.
His face grew languid over time, like a cat lounging in warm sunlight.
'This guy's life is kinda sad too.'
Low Esper rank, and low Matching Rate to boot...
He wasn't some Matching Rate fatalist, was he? Forget rates—just hire a higher-ranked Guide.
According to Han Se-young, if the Guide's rank was higher, even Awakeners with a big rank gap could Guide decently despite low Matching Rates.
Half wanting peace of mind, half pitying him, I decided to help with Guiding while staying here. At that moment, the hand I held twitched.
Nod, nod.
Ju Yeon-woo's head bobbed sleepily.
'This should be enough.'
It was about bedtime, so I carefully withdrew my hand.
The moment I did, his previously closed eyes snapped open.
"...?"
Ju Yeon-woo blankly alternated between his empty hand and my retreating one.
His expression made me feel like I'd done something awful, so I politely pointed to the clock.
"Time for bed. It's already 1 a.m."
"Ah..."
He let out a small sigh of regret and slowly nodded.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Bang, bang.
Early morning. What woke me wasn't sunlight filtering through the curtains, but noise.
Was the college kid next door banging on my door again, mistaking it for his place?
That guy gets drunk every damn day and pounds on the wrong door. No wonder his grades are trash.
"Ugh... That bastard. Gonna rip his guts out, stop knocking..."
On my day off, no less. He'll quit soon, I thought, plugging my ears with a pillow to go back to sleep—when the sound suddenly stopped.
Beep.
The lock disengaged, and the door opened.
My eyes flew open reflexively. As sleep faded, I remembered I was in Ju Yeon-woo's house, not Kim So-hee's studio.
"The door... opened?"
I scrambled out of bed, grabbed the metal stand I'd placed by the bedside for self-defense, and turned the locked doorknob.
I'd kept it handy just in case, but I never thought I'd need it so soon.
The homeowner wouldn't make that racket, so it wasn't Ju Yeon-woo.
I couldn't fathom why someone with a key would knock so aggressively.
Tensing up, I headed to the living room. There, standing in front of the dining table, was someone with purple hair.