Searching for Clues
Searching for Clues
"Oppa! Oppaaaa!!"
A piercing voice drilled into my eardrums at the crack of dawn.
My body was shaken relentlessly.
Thanks to that, I woke up and spoke in an irritable tone.
"Ah, what..."
"You're awake? It's a huge problem, huge! Come here right now!"
What the hell is all this commotion?
I glared at Jeong Ji-min through half-open eyes, then scratched my messy hair and got up.
At the same time, Ha Hui-ryeong and Kang Ha-rin, who had been sleeping on either side, stirred awake as well.
"Mm... let's sleep more..."
"Don't go..."
Believe me, I wanted to do exactly that.
But seeing Jeong Ji-min chewing her fingernails and trembling with anxiety, I figured it was better to put my desires on hold for now.
"You two sleep a bit more."
"Ugh. Hey, Jeong Ji-min... I'll deal with you later."
"Huh, huh? Why, why? It's an emergency! I couldn't help it!"
"Shut up..."
Ha Hui-ryeong, who had managed a weak scolding, soon closed her eyes again and began breathing evenly.
On the other hand, Kang Ha-rin sat up belatedly and linked her arm with mine.
"You're not sleeping more?"
"I'm fine. Let's go."
The atmosphere had definitely shifted.
Kang Ha-rin, leaning against me, no longer gave off even a trace of disgust.
If anything, she kept initiating physical contact, as if she felt anxious without me.
It was a bit of a letdown, actually.
There was a certain sharp charm in the way she used to frown with disgust every time our eyes met.
But this new clinginess, this stubborn refusal to leave my side—it had its own cute appeal.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"What's so urgent?"
"Ah, because it's urgent!"
I see.
A compelling answer.
Still groggy and half-asleep, I followed behind Jeong Ji-min.
Leaving the room like that, we arrived at the bathroom.
More precisely, it was the first bathroom we'd built, and the place Kang Ha-jun had effectively commandeered.
"Why here?"
"Go inside. Then you'll know."
"Are you seriously giving me orders right now?"
"Ah, that's not it... Tch, fine. I'll open it."
When I narrowed my eyes at her unbelievably bold attitude, Jeong Ji-min flinched in surprise and hastily threw the door wide open.
She should've just done that from the start. Why does she have to act up every chance she gets?
That's why I keep bullying her.
I was letting out a short sigh when...
"What the... why is it empty? Where did they go?"
Beyond the open door, surprisingly, there was no one.
Aside from the toilet, sink, and small bathtub, there wasn't even a shadow of the guy.
"Hoo... Looks like he ran away."
"Ran away? Him? How?"
"Why are you asking me that? How would I know? I found out because Number 2 wasn't at roll call, so I looked around."
This was unexpected.
I knew something like this would happen eventually, but I didn't think it'd be this soon.
Seeing this, the Kang family really does have a gift for taking action.
I subtly lowered my gaze to observe Kang Ha-rin's reaction.
"...So Ha-jun did it, after all."
Kang Ha-rin wore a bitter expression, as if she were feeling complicated.
But that was all.
Even though her beloved younger brother had vanished, she maintained a calm demeanor.
It seemed my efforts hadn't been entirely meaningless.
Just as Kang Ha-jun had made the choice to leave this place,
Kang Ha-rin had apparently reached a resolution of her own.
"Well, don't worry too much about that guy. He's an ability user, so he'll manage on his own."
"...I'm not worried. He said he'd handle it himself. I... I've decided to stop meddling too."
That was a good answer.
I curled the corners of my lips in satisfaction, and catching my smile, she let out a small, soft laugh.
"Oppa. So what are you going to do now? Ha-yoon and Angelica went out to search, by the way."
"The two of them? No wonder I didn't see them."
There was no real need for that, though.
"Just tell them both to come back. We don't need to worry about it anymore."
It was bound to happen eventually anyway.
So I hadn't bothered to implant a suggestion to block his escape.
I had given him a choice.
Either leave voluntarily—or stay out of lingering attachment and end up with everything stolen from him and a miserable death.
He chose the former.
Surprisingly, he had some sense.
Well, right now, something else caught my eye.
[Player 'Solutio' has escaped from the enslavement of Player 'Lucky One & Dark Merchant'. Player 'Solutio' no longer follows you.]
I noticed it late, but this message had appeared in the notification window.
He had clearly pulled some trick with his ability.
I heard it was called Accumulation and Release... was returning the damage he took not the full extent of it?
"How curious."
So the bastard hadn't told me everything.
Anyway, this enslavement thing still had a lot of inexplicable aspects.
Even though I'd ordered him to spill everything without omission, for some reason it didn't work on him.
'I'll have to ask Angelica about this when she gets back.'
When it came to abilities, she was the expert.
At least among us.
"What's curious?"
"No. Nothing."
"What? Can't you tell me?"
Kang Ha-rin was subtly mixing a nasal tone into her voice and acting cute.
Maybe because it contrasted with the cold attitude she'd shown me before, my heart felt strangely tickled.
"Umm...?"
And it wasn't just me.
Jeong Ji-min also seemed quite surprised, her eyes widening as she tilted her head.
But that was only for a moment; she prioritized my instructions first.
She tapped her phone from her pocket and spoke.
"Oppa, I just checked and the phone isn't working. The signal's suddenly gone... I think it's starting to break down."
"Huh... So communications finally died too. Well, it did last quite a while. What about the power?"
"I checked the bulletin board earlier, and they say the power's gradually becoming unstable. Signs it might go out. Lots of posts about it."
"Is that so? Hmm."
For us living in the camper, it wouldn't be a big problem, but it was probably serious for others.
Same for the signal.
Even if phones were down, we still had the surreal communication method of the bulletin board.
Since we knew each other's IDs, we could get in touch anytime.
However...
"Ha-rin. Do you know how much fuel we have left?"
"Uh... wait a moment."
Only then did Kang Ha-rin unlink her arm and step away from me.
She clearly distinguished between public and private; there was no lingering attachment.
"About two-thirds left. We have enough fuel. But..."
"But?"
"The remaining power is tricky. Since it's self-generating, it needs to get some sunlight occasionally."
Well, we'd been cooped up in this underground parking lot for too long.
Maybe it was time to go outside—both to find clues about Ha Hui-ryeong's mother and for a change of scenery.
"Should we use the auxiliary battery? I think we could last a while longer with that."
"We have a self-generator, right? Then we need to go out. I was planning to anyway, so this works out. Jeong Ji-min, contact Ha-yoon and Angelica through the bulletin board. Tell them to come back."
At that, Jeong Ji-min glanced at me hesitantly.
Wondering what was up now, I stared at her.
"Um... do you happen to know Ha-yoon's ID?"
"What? You don't know her nickname?"
I thought you two had gotten pretty close; was I wrong?
"That's why I'm asking! She won't tell me when I ask! She only acts that way toward me, like she's being spiteful! She only gives me a hard time!"
Uh... isn't the hard time because of the karma you built up?
Since you're the only one who messes around with Ha-yoon that brazenly, maybe she thought, 'Does this girl think I'm a pushover?'
Well, to her it was probably a way of showing friendliness, but still.
"Ha-yoon is khy23. Angelica is Captain (Jin)."
"Uh, uh, wait. Let me remember."
What's there to remember?
Honestly, this isn't something you should have to ask again.
"Weren't you from a prestigious university? You should catch on right away when told once."
"Ugh. Oppa, you're only harsh to me! Treat me with a little care too!"
"There are many ways to show care. Try thinking differently. Since I only do this to you, maybe I'm giving you special treatment?"
"Is... that so?"
"Exactly."
At that, Jeong Ji-min muttered with a confused expression, "Hmm... that does seem right... but also not..."
She's just as much of a blockhead as the rest of us.
Leaving the deeply agonizing Jeong Ji-min be, I approached Kang Ha-rin, who was checking various things in the driver's seat.
"How about we sneak off by ourselves until the others get back?"
"Since Ji-min is here, it wouldn't exactly be sneaking off, would it?"
"So, you don't want to?"
Kang Ha-rin turned her head, blushing shyly.
Then, a moment later, her cherry-like lips moved.
"...No. I'd like that."
*
"Hwaaahhhh."
A huge yawn.
Ha Hui-ryeong yawned ungraciously and leaned against me.
"Ah... I'm still sleepy."
"Then you should've slept more. Why'd you get up?"
"It messes up my sleep pattern. We're getting older; we need to be careful about that."
What's twenty-five? That's nothing.
By that logic, what about Ha-rin, the eldest?
In fact, Kang Ha-rin's expression instantly soured upon hearing Hui-ryeong's words.
She hadn't shown it before, but she seemed sensitive about age.
Well, since she was on the verge of turning thirty, she probably couldn't help but care.
I could tell her it's a pointless worry since I'd obtained a vending machine that sells Youth Elixir... but maybe I'll save that for later.
It's not urgent.
"So. That Squirt ran away? Even broke the spell scroll's effect?"
"Yeah. Looks like he overcame it somehow with the ability he just awakened."
"That part's a bit unsettling. It might become a hindrance later."
"If we run into him, that is."
The possibility that he'd return with a grudge wasn't zero.
Having lost his sister and the woman he loved, he might come back after building up his strength somewhere.
Ha Hui-ryeong seemed to be worried about exactly that.
"The chance is small, but we can't rule it out. Grudges tend to last a lifetime."
"Why's the chance small?"
"Isn't that obvious? He's the one who knows us best. Since he knows exactly what we're capable of, I can't imagine he'd rashly confront us."
On the other hand, Angelica voiced the opposite opinion.
"You never know. Not everyone thinks rationally. He might just act impulsively."
"Like you?"
"Ugh, this bitch...!"
Angelica smirked at Ha Hui-ryeong's flare-up and continued.
"Anyway, that's my take. If he tries to set up a base elsewhere, it'll clearly take a long time, and success won't be easy. Even if he succeeds, would he abandon a stable foundation to chase us? Highly unlikely. Unless he's a dictator, the people around him would stop him."
"True, he did drag a couple of bitches with him. Number 2 and... that nasty one."
Can a guy without an enslavement scroll build a group as easily as I did?
Whether he can even get along with those two he took is questionable.
He basically forced them into submission; would those bitches obediently follow his lead?
There's a limit to ruling by violence.
You can make someone submit through absolute force, but you can't earn trust and loyalty that way.
Besides, even if he somehow built a foundation, it'd be hard to time an attack against us when we're constantly on the move.
Barring some absurd coincidence, it wouldn't happen.
Even if it did, we wouldn't just take it lying down.
"But what I'm curious about is how the hell he undid the enslavement. Serving me is the third effect. Shouldn't there be resistance the moment he tried to undo it?"
"Hmm. I can only speculate about that for now. I haven't reached a conclusion yet either."
Angelica gave an uncharacteristically uncertain answer.
"The third condition: 'Serve you.' As I said before, it's similar to a suggestion. However, the act of suggestion itself is inherently very ambiguous."
"What do you mean?"
"What is a suggestion? It's the process of indirectly hinting at an intended meaning to guide thoughts, feelings, and actions. The indirectness is the key point. It rarely takes effect immediately. It only guides; to give it compulsive force, you have to put in considerable effort."
"Uh... but it worked on you right away."
Maybe reading the question on my face, Angelica added an explanation.
"That's probably because I had already accepted you. Everyone here has. Whether out of fear, loyalty, or affection, we didn't want to be hated by you, so we naturally complied with what you told us not to do."
"So for him, it didn't work because his sense of defiance was too strong?"
"That's highly likely. The way I see it, this is a half-baked slave magic. First, it prohibits self-harm. Second, it prohibits harming the master. Those two are compulsive, but the third is not. That's why he could harbor defiance and a will to resist you."
It seemed plausible at first glance.
But it still wasn't a full answer.
"But, you know. When I warned him last time not to even look at the women or think about touching them, it felt like it worked properly. Why was that?"
"Probably because he wasn't confident he could handle the consequences if he did, so a natural restraint formed. That's my guess. In any case, deeply accepting it in the heart seems important. If he had openly rebelled and could predict how you'd react, it'd be hard to act rashly, right? So I think he thought, 'Ah, I shouldn't,' and the suggestion was easily applied."
"So... in other words, you have to program it well?"
Which means there's a high chance that just vaguely saying 'It's for my sake' won't work.
More precisely, it might work to some extent, but not completely.
That's why, when I told him to tell me everything about his ability without omission, he was able to only reveal part of it.
At that, Kim Ha-yoon also nodded in agreement with Angelica.
"That's... true. At first, I thought, 'Why should I do that?' but after realizing it was beneficial to stick together, I found myself naturally accepting everything."
"Hmm. It's a bit vague. So in the end, you need to make them understand, right? 'Why should I do this?' You need to convince them, and then they'll act... Tch, it's harder than I thought."
Angelica patted my shoulder.
"Well, it's just my speculation, so don't take it as gospel. As you said, it's ambiguous. So rather than expecting mastery over it, just think of it as insurance to prevent them from harming you."
It's a shame, but I guess I'll have to.
From the start, I was that wary of him because he was a man.
I don't expect complete mind control when dealing with women.
They need free will to bring out diverse opinions, don't they?
There's no reason to prefer dolls that only follow my will.
"Hmm. Well, I get the gist. I'll just think of it as insurance, as you said. But anyway, what about the search? Did you find any clues?"
"There were... some. You're not actually going to track him, are you?"
"No, I was just asking. I was just curious about where he ran off to."
Frankly, I wasn't that interested in Kang Ha-jun's whereabouts anymore.
I was busy worrying about Hui-ryeong's mother; did I need to bother with him too?
"Let's just do what we were doing. Let's go outside soon and search for Hui-ryeong's mother."
Along with looking for vending machines and survivors.
Ha Hui-ryeong brightened up at that.
"Hmph, I thought you'd forgotten, but I guess not."
"How could I forget? You're not the only one who has business with that woman."
I do too.
The source of the ruin of my happy family, yet the woman who showed kindness to me when I was left alone.
I resented her, but I was grateful.
Ironically, those conflicting feelings both remained in me.
"Ji-min. Bring that bitch we caught recently. I have something to hear from her."
If it's about Gangnam, she, who used to live around here, would know best.
If not, that's fine too.
We can just find another survivor and interrogate them.
"You're, you're only making me do the hard work again."
"You're the only one."
"What do you mean only me! Everyone's right here!"
"Shut up and do it."
"Heeing..."