Chapter 263
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 263
Chapter Title: Unmasked
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Pitch-black darkness.
The darkness lasted a little longer than before, but soon, the lights came on.
The stage brightened.
In the consultation room, Jung Chaewon was working on her computer, and a nurse was busy with her tasks.
Ding.
A bell chimed, and Seojun, who had been standing at the edge of the stage, entered the hospital lobby. Seojun had already become Kim Jinwoo.
Kim Jinwoo walked into the hospital with a rather light step. The nurse, surprised to see the white gauze on his cheek, quickly masked her expression and spoke.
"Sir. You'll have to wait a little..."
"Yes. I understand."
Nodding, Kim Jinwoo sat down on a chair in the lobby. As he sat facing the consultation room, the audience could only see his profile.
Kim Jinwoo picked up a book from the seat next to him. Despite his injured cheek, he had a light and cheerful air, as if he might start humming at any moment. The nurse, watching him read, quietly left her post.
Flip.
A page turned.
Just by sitting and reading a book, Seojun captivated the audience's attention. So engrossed were they in his performance that they didn't even notice the lights on Jung Chaewon's consultation room had gone out.
Flip.
Another page turned.
The lighting on the lobby dimmed. Yet, the light shining on Seojun remained bright.
Fli—
The page, about to turn again, stopped. Kim Jinwoo's hand had frozen mid-turn. As his hand stilled, his head drooped as if drained of strength. His shoulders slumped, and he became completely motionless. It was as if all the strength had left his body.
It was a situation that should have made people tilt their heads in confusion, wondering why he wasn't moving. A situation where one might quietly ask the person next to them, "What's wrong with him?"
But no one,
no one could take their eyes off the motionless Seojun. No one could speak. They were unable to look away from Seojun, who sat in the chair as if he were a statue.
'Something...'
There was something.
Kim Jinwoo's movements had ceased, but it felt as if something was happening inside him. No one knew why they thought that, or why they felt it.
The unusual atmosphere silenced Yeoul Hall to the point where a pin drop could be heard. The soft background music had stopped, but the audience didn't notice.
A stark white spotlight shone on Seojun on the stage.
The first-year acting students in the front row could see Seojun clearly. At first, it was a movement so small it was almost unnoticeable.
The tip of Kim Jinwoo's index finger twitched. Even that small movement seemed incredibly difficult. The motion that began in his index finger slowly spread to his other fingers.
Soon, the movement grew large enough for the audience in the back to see.
Kim Jinwoo's arm,
his shoulder, his foot,
his calf, his thigh,
his head twitched.
He was trembling.
The solitary spotlight made Seojun's movements even more pronounced to the audience.
The three directors filmed Seojun with their cameras. Director Choi Daeman, positioned on the left for the best view of Seojun's face, zoomed in for a close-up. Through the camera, Seojun's acting was even more detailed. Director Choi Daeman didn't even blink, not wanting to miss a single moment.
Kim Jinwoo's trembling intensified. There was no pattern to it; every part of his body seemed to move independently. The audience, watching with bated breath, realized.
Right now, inside Kim Jinwoo's body, two personas were fighting for control.
Who would be the victor of this fierce battle?
As they watched in silence, Kim Jinwoo's movements stopped. He hadn't even stood up from the lobby chair, yet his entire body was drenched in a cold sweat.
"...Doctor..."
Kim Jinwoo's faint voice echoed through Yeoul Hall via the microphone.
"Doctor... Doctor..."
A weak, exhausted, and tearful voice was calling for the doctor.
The audience glanced toward the dark consultation room. Puzzled by the unlit stage, they turned their gazes back to Kim Jinwoo.
As if his stiff body was finally loosening, Kim Jinwoo, who had slowly regained control, pulled a phone from his pocket with a trembling hand. After keeping his head down for so long, he finally looked up.
His face was utterly exhausted, his eyes vacant, as if he were dead.
Every single movement seemed difficult. Moving arduously, like burnt-out ash, Kim Jinwoo put the phone to his ear.
"I'm here..."
After uttering just one phrase, Kim Jinwoo's head dropped again. The sound of his phone hitting the floor echoed through Yeoul Hall.
The audience blinked.
Just now, that... which persona was that?
Kim Jinwoo? Or another one?
Before they had time to ponder, the lobby lights came on. The lights in the consultation room turned on as well. The returning nurse guided Kim Jinwoo into the room. Kim Jinwoo, who had seemed asleep, stood up. Unlike moments ago when he looked like he would collapse at any second, he now appeared vibrant.
"Welcome, Jinwoo-ssi."
"Hello, Doctor."
Jung Chaewon handed Kim Jinwoo a cup of tea and asked a question, to which he replied with a gentle smile. Jung Chaewon's face lit up.
"So it doesn't seem to be progressing any further. That's great news."
"Yes. The medicine you gave me seems to be working well."
"Then, let's continue with this medication..."
Ding!!
Just then, the hospital door flew open violently. Two men entered, breathing heavily. Before the nurse could stop them, they rushed into the consultation room.
"Jinwoo!"
"Kim Jinwoo!"
Kang Jaehan, playing Oh Jeonghwan, limped in, supported by Jeon Seongmin, who played Kim Jaeun.
Kim Jinwoo, who had been smiling and talking with Jung Chaewon, turned his gaze to the two men who had burst into the room. His eyes widened for a brief moment before he gave a soft smile.
"Who are you?"
Jung Chaewon stood up from her seat.
Kim Jinwoo also stood and introduced the two men. The two men were scanning Kim Jinwoo from head to toe.
"Ah, Doctor. This is Dr. Oh Jeonghwan from the hospital I used to go to. And this is his acquaintance, Detective Kim Jaeun."
Jung Chaewon's eyes widened. Kim Jinwoo scratched his cheek and approached Oh Jeonghwan and Kim Jaeun.
"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Doctor, Detective. I think the medicine Dr. Jung Chaewon gave me is working well. I'm staying lucid for longer periods now."
Seeing Kim Jinwoo approach them with a bright smile, the expressions on Oh Jeonghwan and Kim Jaeun's faces hardened in an instant. Kim Jaeun stepped in front of Oh Jeonghwan. And punched the approaching Kim Jinwoo in the face.
Crash!
Kim Jinwoo fell, and the nurse screamed. The audience gasped, covering their mouths at the sudden turn of events. Jung Chaewon was also shocked but quickly rushed to Kim Jinwoo, who was cowering on the floor, covering his face.
"Jinwoo-ssi! Are you okay?! Jinwoo-ssi! What is the meaning of this?!"
At Jung Chaewon's shout, Oh Jeonghwan spoke with a devastated expression. His face was filled with sorrow.
"I'm sorry, Doctor. But the one there isn't Jinwoo. It's the second persona."
"What?"
"That bastard is the second persona!"
Jung Chaewon froze at the shout from Detective Kim Jaeun, who was standing defensively in front of Oh Jeonghwan, wary of the cowering Kim Jinwoo. She couldn't see the face of Kim Jinwoo, who had fallen after being hit. Jung Chaewon looked back and forth between the two men and the huddled figure on the floor.
Oh Jeonghwan explained calmly.
"The Kim Jinwoo you've been counseling all this time is the second persona. The real Kim Jinwoo has been in counseling with me for the past six months."
"...What are you talking about?"
"So..."
Oh Jeonghwan sighed.
"That second persona took over Jinwoo's body and was committing crimes. Jinwoo knew about it and told me he'd rather be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The second persona, knowing everything Jinwoo does, must have realized and run away."
Shocked, Jung Chaewon looked at Kim Jinwoo.
"Then why did he come to me...?"
"To use you to take over the body, I suppose. Though I don't know the exact method."
"More importantly, you should get away from him right now."
At Detective Kim Jaeun's words, Jung Chaewon awkwardly got to her feet. But her complicated expression showed she didn't seem to believe them.
That frail and gentle Jinwoo-ssi is the second persona?
The audience was just as skeptical.
The Kim Jinwoo who smiled so gently, who trembled in fear at the sight of the other persona—he was the second persona? The audience, who had felt the same fear of the other persona alongside him, couldn't easily believe it.
"Reall—!"
Thwack!
A loud sound echoed through Yeoul Hall.
Someone had snatched Jung Chaewon's wrist just as she was about to ask again. Jung Chaewon froze. The two men and the nurse were some distance away, leaving only one person.
It was the hand of Kim Jinwoo, who had been cowering after being punched.
That single action plunged Yeoul Hall into silence.
An aura 'Kim Jinwoo' had never shown before settled heavily over Yeoul Hall. It was a chilling coldness that sent shivers down their spines. Tension crept up from their toes.
The cowering Kim Jinwoo slowly raised his head. In front of him was Jung Chaewon, and beyond her, the audience. As Kim Jinwoo slowly lifted his head, the audience members who would meet his gaze swallowed hard.
When Kim Jinwoo finally raised his head,
he was smiling.
As if amused. As if disappointed. His bloodless face was like white porcelain. He didn't seem human. His jet-black pupils gleamed like marbles.
"Busted, huh?"
Just one phrase.
At that one phrase, the audience gasped.
Goosebumps rose as if they were encountering something unknown. And they breathed a sigh of relief that his gaze was not directed at them. It felt like they were stealing a glance at Kim Jinwoo's eyes, which were fixed on Jung Chaewon.
Startled, Jung Chaewon took a couple of steps back, but Kim Jinwoo didn't let go of her wrist. Instead, he tightened his grip and slowly rose to his feet. Jung Chaewon trembled at the shocking situation.
The audience, just as shocked as Jung Chaewon, held their breath and hunched their shoulders. They unconsciously touched their own wrists.
The silence was broken by Oh Jeonghwan. As if familiar with this atmosphere, the gazes of Oh Jeonghwan and Detective Kim Jaeun were cold as they looked at the second persona.
"Where is Jinwoo?"
"Long time no see, doc."
"Where is Jinwoo!?"
"I am Jinwoo."
"Not you!"
At Detective Kim Jaeun's shout, Kim Jinwoo shrugged and rubbed the cheek he had been punched on. There was gauze on it.
"That hurt. Of all places, you had to hit me here."
As if his gentle voice had been sold off somewhere, 'Kim Jinwoo' spoke with a chuckle. An undeniable malice flowed from every word.
It was thanks to the ability he had been using since becoming the second persona.
[(Evil) Song of the Red Sea Siren - Intermediate >> Lowest]
This is the song of the sirens living in the Red Sea.
It controls the target through song.
An incomplete song leaves only a faint trace of demonic energy.
Because it was spoken lines and not a song, the song remained incomplete, leaving only the demonic energy. The voice, the most crucial element in a play, was delivered to the audience through the speakers.
'Kim Jinwoo' continued, smiling.
"I had to work so hard to stop him from trying to kill himself with a knife. After getting hit myself, I realized my punch is pretty strong. You must have been in a lot of pain, doc."
Oh Jeonghwan's leg twitched.
"Well, thanks to that, I got to take over this body."
"...What?"
"I can't believe he was still around. And I had no idea he'd contacted you people in the meantime."
As Seojun delivered his lines, he slowly diminished his presence. The focus wasn't supposed to be on him right now. Because of this, the audience's attention shifted from the chuckling 'Kim Jinwoo', who was shrugging nonchalantly, to Jung Chaewon standing right beside him.
Jung Chaewon, having heard the shocking truth, seemed to be out of her mind. Her wrist, caught by the second persona, throbbed with pain. Her hands trembled, and her legs felt weak.
Besides the audience, no one on stage noticed her condition. Gripped by fear, Jung Chaewon's gaze fell on the teacup on the table. Her free hand reached for it.
The audience's eyes widened.
The tea from the cup splashed onto Kim Jinwoo's face.
As the hot liquid splashed onto him, Kim Jinwoo reflexively let go of Jung Chaewon's wrist, covered his face with both hands, and screamed. The audience flinched at the pained scream. Even though they knew it was just cold water, the reaction was inevitable.
Jung Chaewon came to her senses. She clutched her freed wrist and stumbled backward.
"Oh, no... I didn't mean to..."
"Jung Chaewon! ...'Doctor'! Step back. I'll handle this!"
The nurse stood between Jung Chaewon and Kim Jinwoo.
Oh Jeonghwan and Detective Kim Jaeun also rushed to restrain Kim Jinwoo. While Oh Jeonghwan checked Kim Jinwoo's injury, Detective Kim Jaeun spoke. Even then, he kept glancing warily at Kim Jinwoo.
"It's okay. It doesn't look like he's badly hurt."
"...Huh? Yes..."
"We'll take Jinwoo with us."
"But..."
"It might be better for him to get hurt like this. The second persona is extremely aggressive..."
Detective Kim Jaeun said with a bitter expression.
"He was going to be admitted anyway, so it'll be fine now."
"Yes..."
Kim Jinwoo, groaning and unable to lift his face, was practically carried out of the hospital and off the stage by Oh Jeonghwan and Detective Kim Jaeun. As Jung Chaewon stared blankly after them, the nurse picked up the phone. This time, her voice could be heard.
"Yes. Yes. His aggressive tendencies are too strong; I think he needs to be hospitalized."
The curtain slowly fell on the nurse's words and the sight of Jung Chaewon standing there in a daze.
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