Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 228. The Family's Gift
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I've seen the darkness before. Even been swallowed by it.
If I had to sum it up, it's fortunate in a way, but getting devoured by the darkness doesn't come with any pain.
Of course, the fear is overwhelming.
The child heads calmly toward the door, and my little sister comes to my side.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
My sister grabs my hand, her voice far calmer and more composed than mine.
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
"Outside the house first?"
She leads me by the hand toward the balcony, and the childhood friend who'd been watching us turns around with a gentle smile.
"Watch your step when you jump."
"Got it."
My sister replies nonchalantly to her calm words and leads me along.
"Oppa. Let's jump."
"Out of nowhere?"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Even as a kid, I must've been pretty calm about this kind of talk.
Don't most kids that age freak out and cry in situations like this?
My sister jumps down calmly, and I follow her lead.
Thud! Two small figures hit the ground.
"This way."
"Yeah."
I nod at her words and follow behind.
I glance back at the childhood friend watching us.
She watches me jump, then shifts her gaze to my sister.
The two of them look at each other for a moment.
"...Yeah."
She nods without a word.
My sister looks around, then grabs both my arms.
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"If something chases us from the darkness, you have to run right away."
"What about you?"
"I..."
My sister looks at me, then drops her gaze to the ground.
"I can handle myself."
"That's... not okay."
"It's fine."
She shakes her head at my mutter.
"I can do it."
My little sister replied.
"So, when the darkness comes, run the opposite way, oppa."
"I don't abandon my sister."
Child me said that, and hearing it, my sister let out a small laugh.
"I know."
"Huh?"
"...Oppa never abandons his sister. Come on."
My sister smiles, grabs my hand, and runs toward the school.
The darkness chases after us from behind.
"Ugh...!"
With a crash, my sister struggles to topple a locker.
I follow her lead, clueless, knocking over a trash can and then a mop.
"This'll slow it down!"
My sister shouts, her eyes oddly lifting upward.
That habit is exactly the one Song Arin pointed out in me.
The quirk of looking just above people's heads.
Watching my sister scan the surroundings with a gaze like mine fills me with a profound sense of wrongness.
It's like my sister, looking around with the same eyes as me, suddenly leaps out the window, grunting as she throws herself outside.
She waits for me to come out, then bolts toward the tunnel the moment I do.
"Where!"
"The exit!"
My sister runs toward the tunnel like it's familiar.
Kid me follows her without a second thought.
But I knew.
That going into that tunnel meant death.
I wanted to yell for her to stop, but it felt like someone was gripping my throat, keeping me silent—no sound came out.
Not that yelling would make her hear anyway.
My sister and I head into the tunnel.
We reach a dead end.
"..."
My sister falls silent.
Shwaaa...
The darkness surges in.
"Oppa."
"This place is dangerous."
My sister speaks to me, and I rub my temple, looking at her.
"My head hurts here."
"Your head hurts because you have strong resistance to mental attacks."
"Resistance? Mental attacks?"
My sister looks at me and speaks in a gentle voice. Kid me asks back in flustered confusion, unable to comprehend.
That's when I realized.
Right now, my sister is speaking in a way that's too mature for a child.
Like she wasn't a kid at all, my sister talks and gazes at me like an adult.
"Oppa. Listen carefully."
"Y-yeah?"
"I believe in you."
My sister speaks maturely, gripping both my shoulders.
"And I'll always be by your side."
"What's that all of a sudden?"
"That's the last duty I can fulfill as family."
At that moment, the darkness swallows us whole,
and the scene shifts.
"..."
The childhood friend walks barefoot through the tunnel.
Her face serious as she scans the surroundings, she spots someone and runs over with a grave expression.
Something cuts her foot, blood flowing, but she ignores it and keeps running.
"You're... safe..."
She lets out a sigh of relief and hugs kid me.
"Ugh, ugh...!"
Kid me groans, clutching my eyes.
"It hurts..."
"It's okay... it's okay..."
She strokes my forehead in response to my mutter.
"..."
She keeps stroking my head, her gaze fixed on the darkness.
"Until your eyes settle... about ten years..."
She mutters while staring into the darkness.
"...Thank you."
And with that, she just keeps stroking my forehead.
That's where the memory ends.
*
"...Jaeheon...!"
"..."
"Jaeheon!"
"...I'm awake."
I open my eyes, and Yoo Daon's face is right there.
Tears welling up, she strokes my forehead.
"A-are you okay...?"
"How long was I out?"
"...Uh, about a minute..."
Yoo Daon mutters, looking at me.
"Are you really okay?"
"...Yes, I'm fine."
I sit up slowly, responding to her worried words.
"They said they were giving you the prize, and then you collapsed."
Team Leader, who'd been watching, nods at me.
"I thought something was wrong. Was there a problem with the prize?"
"...Doesn't seem like it."
The prize had reached me perfectly.
"Team Leader, can I head home for a bit?"
"Home? Sure, go ahead. You've got vacation days piling up—use some. Take a breather while you're at it."
My expression must've looked seriously grim. Team Leader pats my back with his palm.
"Don't worry about work. I'll handle it."
"Yes. Thank you."
"Then we... should..."
"You three, get back to work."
Yoo Daon raises her hand at my words, then lowers it. Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin also avert their eyes without a word.
"It'll just be a day. House isn't far."
With that, I hurriedly stand from my seat.
There was no time.
Or rather, more than no time, I was anxious.
I had to get home and check fast.
*
The way home was a blur.
I can't even remember what I was thinking.
Just one burning thought: get there as fast as possible.
And so, I arrived home in record time.
"What's going on, calling once out of the blue saying you're coming?"
Maybe because she'd never seen me like this, Mom greeted me with a face full of worry.
"Mom."
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"...Areum."
"Yeah?"
"Where's Areum?"
Mom looks momentarily confused at my question.
"Jaeheon, who's Areum...?"
"What...?"
What are you talking about?
"Areum. My little sister. Mom's daughter Areum!"
"Jaeheon. Hold on. Just hold on..."
Mom grabs both my arms, looking flustered at my outburst.
"Is something wrong? Tell Mom."
"No, Areum—"
"Jaeheon. You're an only child."
Mom's words hit me like a hammer to the head.
"...What?"
"You really okay? Jaeheon. You're an only child."
"...Wait, just wait..."
I rush to my sister's room.
Opening the door reveals an empty room with nothing inside.
"...What about this?"
"This was always the storage closet. Your coworkers stayed here once."
Am I under some mental disruption right now?
I press my fingers to my temple, but feel no pain.
That fact drives me even madder.
"..."
"...I'll get you something to drink. If work stress is too much, come home. ...Mom's always on your side."
With that, Mom leaves the room.
Creeak...
The door closes, leaving me alone.
"..."
I close my eyes and sink into thought.
Darkness. Eyes. The manual and my sister.
"..."
I slowly open the manual.
"Show me what you want to show."
At my words, the manual's pages begin to turn slowly.
[Office Manual]
[Containment Object - Darkness - HR Team Kim Jaeheon's Record, Third Self-Revision]
Darkness.
An entry I wrote myself after encountering it.
But self-revision?
I've never revised this entry.
[The subjugation status of this object remains uncertain, rewritten based on past records.]
[This object consists of darkness, and being fully devoured leads to permanent loss of the body.]
[To counter it, an item with a light source is required. Upon encounter, find a light source by any means.]
[Those fully devoured by this object appear to lose not only their body but their identity as well.]
[Details remain unconfirmed, but it is presumed to be closely related to the Church.]
[This case is believed to be in the Church's main hall, though data on the main hall is scarce, preventing direct description.]
Hand-scrawled notes.
Not my handwriting. But familiar.
I've seen it somewhere, but what?
No time to dwell now.
I step out, and Mom is there holding coffee.
"What's so urgent this time!"
"I'll step out for a bit."
"Jaeheon!"
As I move to leave hurriedly, Mom grabs my shoulder.
"...Come back if it's tough."
"...Thank you."
I bow to Mom, get in the car, and make a call.
[...What's up?]
A familiar voice rings in my ear.
"Head to the church. Now."
"...Got it."
Eirin said that and hung up.