Do You Remember? Your Sister, Jeong In-ah.
"Do you remember? Your sister. Jeong In-ah."
When I asked, Jeong Yun-ah tilted her head.
I let out a sigh.
Once I learned how to control the staff and got somewhat familiar with reverse voodoo, Jeong Yun-ah's condition improved noticeably. She could say things beyond just "be quiet." They were still simple responses like "yeah" or "dunno," but still.
She could even say "Did you wait long?" But that was just parroting my words verbatim, so it hardly counted as her own speech.
However, from some point on, her condition stopped improving. She tilted her head more often than she nodded or shook it in clear response. Some memories had returned. But the ones about Jeong In-ah, specifically, hadn't come back properly.
"……."
Sometimes, I lost my composure. Why the hell was I even doing this? How much longer did I have to keep it up? Would anything actually change if I kept going?
Thinking about it, what I was doing was no different from serving the Romanica Church. It was all for Jeong In-ah, a Romanica follower. Romanica holy knights had killed and injured many of Yuk Eun-hyeong's mercenaries. I'd injured and driven mad plenty of Romanica holy knights myself. To me, Romanica followers were clearly the enemy.
And here I was, doing something for the enemy.
Those thoughts made anger flare up out of nowhere. I wanted to quit, abandon it all.
"Did you wait long?"
At that moment, Jeong Yun-ah asked me. Her eyes looking at me were much clearer than before. Her complexion had improved too. At a glance, she looked like an ordinary person with just pale skin.
I took a deep breath in and out. Then I smiled and nodded.
"……Yeah, I've been waiting."
It was a meaningless response, but if I didn't do something like this, I'd burn out completely. I knew I shouldn't rush it, but impatience kept creeping in.
It had already been days since I'd gone to the Eastern Paladin Order and declared I wanted to join the "long-term missing persons search operation." Han Dae-ho had said they'd assemble a team a few weeks after exams and start the search then. By that time, I'd fake finding Jeong Yun-ah through some plausible method. At the very least, I had to fully cure her by then.
Drip.
In my impatience, I tried to use reverse voodoo one more time, but blood trickled from my nose, so I stopped. Sleep deprivation was the bigger issue than the side effects. For the past week, I'd barely slept, devoting myself entirely to treating her. Between going to school and treatments, I had no time, so I'd cut back on sleep.
As I lay on my bed in my room after leaving Jeong Yun-ah's, [Exams are coming up soon, aren't they?] Legba said.
Come to think of it, exams were right around the corner, and I hadn't studied at all. I'd skipped most classes too, so I had no confidence in doing well this time. Maybe that's why I didn't even feel motivated to try.
All my focus was on Jeong Yun-ah.
At that moment, my phone on the desk buzzed. A text from Mun Yo-seop.
Dozens of messages from him alone over the past few days, plus several calls. He was nagging me daily to meet up.
I let out a smirk. "He's way too obsessed."
[Looks like things are going just as you planned.]
Legba chimed in agreement. I nodded.
Mun Yo-seop contacting me this persistently meant everything was proceeding according to plan. I didn't know the exact details, but there had clearly been some friction between him and the Purification Clan. Whatever it was for him, it was good for me. One less thing to worry about.
Now I just needed to focus on treating Jeong Yun-ah and the exams.
The problem was the exams. Only about a week left. No way cramming now would make a real difference in my scores.
Might as well ditch studying altogether and devote myself to her treatment.
[Shall I help?]
Legba spoke up. I bolted upright in bed, startled.
Legba had subtly helped me plenty of times. But he rarely offered direct assistance like this.
He fell silent after that, as if waiting for my response.
I'd never relied on the Loa for exams before. While other kids studied until their noses bled, getting good grades solely through Loa help felt unfair.
But if I took the exam without Loa help again this time…… I might get my worst score ever.
"If I refuse help again, is that just stubbornness?"
[I wouldn't call it stubbornness. In some ways, it's upholding your principles.]
"Principles…… Well, it doesn't feel that grand."
[A principle born from your sense of unfairness. A resolve not to become an unfair person yourself.]
It felt like overinterpretation, but I nodded anyway. It wasn't wrong.
I'd always seen my circumstances as unfair. Sometimes the whole world felt that way. We'd committed no crimes. Yet we had to hide from the Papal Court's pursuit, and if our Voodoo faith was ever exposed, we'd be killed or imprisoned without question. Just being Voodoo followers was a crime in itself.
That reality pissed me off so much that I at least tried not to be unfair myself. Or at least, I tried.
[Ponder whether that principle sustains you…… or destroys you.]
"……."
[If it sustains you, it's a principle. If it destroys you…… then it's mere stubbornness.]
He was right.
Striving not to be unfair—obsessing over it at times—if that held me up, it was a principle. But if it broke me down, it was just stubbornness.
[Think it over. Then choose.]
Legba said. I nodded. I needed to mull it over.
*
Jeong In-ah trudged heavily toward school. Her head throbbed, her toes numb. Her eyelids and the corners of her mouth trembled.
She chalked it up to lack of sleep from studying—no big deal.
She'd lost track of time buried in books, pulling all-nighters, heading to school in the morning, taking exams. Then suddenly, it was the last day.
Today's subject: Sacred Materials Studies. Luckily, her strongest one—the most studied too.
Her condition sucked today, but she was confident in this.
She pulled out her notebook from her bag and mechanically read her notes on the subject as she walked.
"In-ah!"
Someone called from behind. She turned. Just that made her nearly lose balance.
Her head spun constantly. Her friend approached with worried eyes.
"What's wrong? Dizzy?"
"……A bit? Probably from not sleeping."
"You're studying way too hard. You'll drop dead."
"As if. This won't kill me. Just a little off."
Jeong In-ah smiled. Even smiling, her mouth twitched.
Her friend pointed at the notebook. "What's that? Notes?"
"Yeah, just the basics? Key stuff for last-minute review."
"Can I see? I barely studied! Maybe this'll boost my score."
"Sure, but…… my handwriting sucks. Hard to read."
She handed it over. Her friend scanned it. The beaming smile faded.
Jeong In-ah had said it was simple key points. But it wasn't. More detailed and voluminous than the textbook, tiny cramped script exhausting to read.
Her friend sighed deeply and handed it back. "Dude…… how's this simple? Makes me nauseous just looking."
"Nah, it's not that bad."
"It is. Jeez…… No wonder second in school isn't for just anyone."
It sounded like praise, but it didn't land that way for Jeong In-ah. Her goal was first place. She had to beat Ma Yu-hyeon this exam.
But without certainty, anxiety gnawed at her. She flipped the notebook open again, rereading the dense text obsessively.
"Oh, it's Ma Yu-hyeon."
As the words started swimming like dancing letters, her friend spoke up. Jeong In-ah looked up.
In front of the first-year building's flower bed, Ma Yu-hyeon picked up trash with tongs. His friends circled, teasing.
"Trash-picking skills on point. This Florence's 'Woman Picking Peas'?"
"Bending like that all day—won't it hurt? By the time demerits clear, you'll be a hunchback, Ma Yu-hyeon."
"Notre Dame's…… Nah, hair color makes it a Nordic hunchback."
"Shut it before I tong your mouth shut."
"That's a quotable. 'Hey, you trash.'"
"Even more epic picking trash with tongs."
"……."
They bantered and laughed. Ma Yu-hyeon started annoyed but ended up chuckling in disbelief.
Jeong In-ah and her friend watched disapprovingly.
Rumor had it Ma Yu-hyeon beat up Do Seon-woo recently. Do's lip and cheek split, big gash on his head. Yet per Do's request, no real punishment—just demerits, hence the campus service.
"So annoying. Normally he'd be suspended, not show his face."
Her friend said climbing the stairs. Jeong In-ah just smiled faintly.
Her friend tsked. "Why no school violence committee? He's no pushover. Bribe?"
"Probably didn't want it blowing up."
"Still…… Oh, right. Contacted Do Seon-woo?"
Jeong In-ah shook her head. "Nah, not lately."
"Too bad. Wanna ask why he got hit, but he just sits silent at school then leaves—no chance."
"Seems busy. No texts, no greetings."
Actually, she'd texted him recently. No replies. Over a dozen one-sided messages piled up. Pathetic.
Now, whenever asked about him, she said she didn't know. No contact? None.
"Well…… At least he shows up."
Her friend nodded casually. Different exam rooms, so they parted midway.
Jeong In-ah kept reading her notes en route. Only in the exam room, right before start, did the proctor tell her to stow everything but writing tools. She closed it.
Bell rang. Exam began. Papers distributed.
"……."
Jeong In-ah glared at hers. No tough ones at a glance. Solvable without mistakes.
She gripped her pen confidently, solving quickly.
Occasionally losing focus, thoughts drifted to Do Seon-woo and Ma Yu-hyeon. Rumors swirled: Do insulted Ma's parents; Do stole Ma's girl; even Kim Jin-seo tangled in a love triangle fight.
Hearing them, she resented Do. The love triangle one sparked inexplicable jealousy. Worry should come first, but resentment hit harder.
"Ten minutes left. Wrap up and start marking."
Proctor announced. Others groaned over problems; she'd finished and was reviewing.
She desperately wanted to beat Ma Yu-hyeon. For top rank, sure—but mostly revenge for Do's beating. Atonement for resenting him over worry.
Review done, she picked up her scantron pen for marking.
Thud.
Jeong In-ah blacked out, slamming her head on the desk. Red blood seeped and spread over the exam paper.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
