From Contempt to Obsession
"Wow. You really are one tough little bastard..."
After a single minute, the boy was literally a broken mess. His clothes had been ripped to shreds in so many places that he looked like a beggar, and his entire body was covered in dark bruises.
"It's been a minute, so scream as much as you want now."
The collapsed boy slowly opened his mouth in response. He spat out the blood pooling in his throat and finally released the scream he'd been holding back.
"Guhhh... It hurts! It hurts so fucking much!!! Fuck... fuck!!!!"
"Heh... Nice set of lungs on you. You actually seem pretty useful. Good instincts, and you've got some real grit."
"Haa... Haa..."
"Noona's sorry~ Okay? It's not like beating up a little kid makes me feel all warm and fuzzy either~"
Bullshit... The boy barely swallowed the curse that had crawled all the way up his throat.
Still... I can save Eunah. Both of us are still alive. That's enough. That has to be enough...
"Now... please help Eunah!"
"Huh? What are you on about? When did I ever say I'd do that?"
"...What?"
Right in front of the boy's trembling eyes, she spoke with a casual shrug.
"I said I'd vent my anger. Nowhere in there did I promise to help you brats."
The boy's eyes bulged as he glared at her like she was his mortal enemy.
"Whoa, scary. ...Avert your eyes if you don't want to die."
But she simply laughed at him, completely unfazed.
"...You did promise."
Stay calm... You have to stay calm. Whether it's through food or anything else, getting angry here ends everything.
"You said you'd give us food... that you'd do anything!"
"The food is obviously mine by right. And I already saved you once, didn't I?"
"Besides, you might be worth taking with me, but that little runt over there is a hard pass. She gives off serious cancer vibes. Feels like she'd start preaching about the value of life or some shit. Noona's got killer instincts for that stuff."
This crazy bitch... that's seriously her reason?
"Since we're here anyway, Noona will do you a favor and help you cut ties."
She raised her arm and began walking slowly toward the girl.
No way...
"Dragging a kid with a broken leg all the way here. Must've been rough. Damn, that's some real loyalty. I'm starting to like you more and more."
"No... Please don't..."
The boy grabbed her ankle with every ounce of strength he had left.
"Let go. I'm seriously about to get pissed now."
She frowned and lightly shook her leg.
With a sharp swing, the boy was sent flying into the distance.
He hit the ground hard.
"Cough..."
Even as his consciousness began to fade, the boy kept thinking the same thing.
I can't... I have to save Eunah...
But how...? There are no more options. If that's the case, then...
She approached the girl, raising her arm high.
"One light tap from this hand and her neck will snap right off. Watch closely."
I don't know anymore... Fuck it.
"Hey, you fucking psycho bitch!!!!"
She froze.
"...What did you just say?"
She stopped her arm and turned around.
The boy hurled gravel and stone shards at her as he screamed.
"Did we really do something that wrong?!!! You psychotic fucking bully!!! You're all alone, aren't you?! Bet you were a total fucking outcast at school, weren't you?!!!"
"You crazy bitch. You throw a tantrum even when someone offers you food. Everything's a fucking tantrum with you. Just do whatever the hell you want. Oh wait, you don't have a dick to do it with. You pathetic fucking bitch!!!"
The boy hurled every curse he could think of, then, exhausted, painfully lifted his injured middle finger with both hands.
A strangely refreshed expression crossed his face as he thought,
At this point, nothing I do matters anymore. If I stayed quiet, she might have spared me, but...
He didn't want that. Call it pride. Call it stubbornness.
If Eunah is going to die, I'd rather die with her. At least I got to curse her out properly before the end.
"...You done?"
When she turned back, her face was twisted like a vengeful demon.
"Haha..."
The air itself was trembling. The boy instinctively knew.
I'm dead... I'm definitely going to die.
But I'd rather die than be dragged around by that crazy woman...
She must have had someone precious to her once... If I had been that person, would things have been different?
Ding—
You have awakened the Affection Manipulation ability.
Please call out the Affection Window.
You can summon the Affection Window of the closest entity to yourself.
"Affection... window?"
Name: Yu Sohee
Race: Human
Affection: -20 (Mild Contempt)
This is the Affection Window...? It shows name, race, and affection level?
In the desperate situation, the boy's mind spun at full speed.
"It said 'Affection Manipulation,' so... I can change the number?"
Whatever it is, I have to try!
The boy tapped the affection value with his finger in the air.
Affection: -20 (Mild Contempt) ↑↓
I can adjust it with these arrows? I need to raise it fast!
Watching the boy point at empty air, she muttered in disbelief.
"Did he lose his mind before dying...? Whatever. Just die already."
Affection: 0 (Neutral) ↑↓
Damn... I can only raise it one point at a time. I need more time!
How can I buy time...? Oh!
"Sohee Noona!!!"
She froze mid-attack, visibly shaken.
"You... How do you know my name?"
"It's me! Don't you remember? Think hard!"
"...Who the hell are you?"
She looked momentarily confused before regaining her composure and asking again.
"That is... I mean..."
I'm fucked. What now...?
"I'm... Yu... Yu Hanseong! Noona, you really don't remember? I only just got my memories back too. I'm sorry for cursing at you..."
I need to use the same last name to make it more confusing for her...
While she listened and mulled over the name "Yu Hanseong," the boy frantically tapped at the air. Every time she repeated the name in her head, a strange feeling bloomed inside her—ticklish and warm. Like reuniting with family...
Affection: 70 (More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers) ↑↓
Of course, it was all a delusion created by the boy's ability.
After being cursed at, she had resolved to kill him without fail. But now, looking at him again, he seemed unbearably lovable. She even began to regret brutally beating him moments ago.
It's incredibly suspicious. But... I can't kill him.
Having finished thinking, she asked,
"Where are you from, exactly?"
"Well... the truth is, I have amnesia. I don't remember anything before the Gates opened."
Gulp... Did that work?
She suddenly burst into tears.
"I'm sooooooo sorryyyyyy. Noona made things so hard for youuuuu..."
Her attitude had flipped 180 degrees in an instant. She pulled the boy into her arms and began sobbing.
"Noona was wrong... I'm so sorryyyyy..."
Whew... I survived. But now I just want to rest...
Having used up every last bit of his strength, the boy collapsed.
"Hanseong? Hanseong!!"
She quickly moved to carry him away, but then remembered the girl who was his friend and glanced back.
"I don't like the little runt, but... she is my brother's friend."
Without hesitation, she tucked both the boy and the girl under her arms and leaped powerfully into the air.
Yu Sohee. She was an orphan.
The girl who had grown up in an orphanage since childhood suffered greatly because of her exceptional beauty. After enduring all sorts of trouble, she came to a conclusion.
If I act like a complete lunatic, maybe everyone will stay away from me.
With no one to back her up and no family, the only method available to her was to behave like a total maniac. It was a horribly twisted way of thinking, but it was the best she could come up with.
She walked around spitting curses and committing bizarre acts. As a result, even with her stunning appearance, people gradually distanced themselves from her.
By the time she became an adult and needed to prepare for independence, the orphanage director called her in privately and revealed a shocking secret.
"...What? You're saying I had a younger brother?"
"Yes. It's been a long time so the memories are faint, but you did have a little brother. The child was frail, though, and passed away not long after..."
She thrashed in shock at the revelation. The fact that a blood relative she couldn't even remember had died filled her with deep sorrow.
After becoming an adult, her beauty only ripened further, drawing the envy and jealousy of countless people. Women felt envy, men felt a twisted mix of love and hate.
The cursing and strange behavior that had become habitual since childhood completely ruined her ability to form normal relationships. In the end, she developed a profound disgust toward human connection.
She was miserable.
A few days later, when the Gates appeared, she stared blankly and smiled.
So this world is finally ending.
Amid the pouring monsters—Kaaaaoooo— Kirik, kirik——she awakened.
Before long, she rose from the wreckage of the monsters.
Kyaaaak...
Crack.
"Haha... Hahaha. This is fun."
Her awakening ability was Predation. The traits of every monster she killed and consumed became her own power.
She grew stronger with every monster she slaughtered. Countless people who approached her without fear, lured by her beautiful face, only to threaten her, died by her hand.
As she grew endlessly stronger, she began to feel a terrible, crushing boredom.
"Anyone want to buy some food!!!!!"
Until she heard the boy's voice.
"Hmm... A person? I was running out of supplies anyway. Perfect timing."
That was how she met the boy.
"I'm... Yu... Yu Hanseong!!!"
The old memory that rose with those words.
She became convinced that the boy was her long-lost younger brother.
Looking lovingly at the boy tucked under her arm, she whispered,
"Noona hasn't been able to take good care of you all this time, has she? Let's live together from now on ❤︎"
Even though the boy was unconscious, his body somehow shivered at her words.