The Preserved Remains

In the room, something draped in white cloth lay lined up along the display cabinet. …What is that? I turned on my phone’s flashlight and swept it across the space, but nothing in particular stood out. I had felt a flicker of anticipation because the door was locked, yet all I found were these unknown objects wrapped in white fabric. The thick curtains drawn over the windows to block any sunlight suggested she considered them extremely precious. Just what are these things…? Some kind of art pieces? But my wife had never been the type to care about art.

…This is ridiculous. I’ll open just one. It feels stupid to hesitate after coming all the way here. I’m not going to steal anything, so taking a quick look can’t hurt, right?

I stepped up to the nearest object and gently lifted the cloth covering it. The rounded shape beneath the fabric reminded me of a globe….

“…Huh?”

The instant the cloth came away, something completely unexpected appeared. A large glass orb sat on a flat base, and inside the sphere an unidentifiable object floated suspended in liquid. It looked like fresh meat… or rather, like animal organs preserved within the glass.

…What the hell is this? What on earth has that woman been collecting?

I replaced the cloth and reached for the next object. Then….

“Hiiik…!”

My eyes met something inside the glass orb. Startled by the loud noise I had unintentionally made, I clapped a hand over my mouth and slowly shone the light into the sphere once more. Holding my breath, I inched closer.

…Th-this….

Inside the orb was a single human eye. I tilted the light from every angle, wondering if I had seen wrong, but no matter how I looked it was unmistakably an eye. A person’s eye. The sight of that black pupil drifting inside the glass orb was so horrifying it defied description.

What had Ju Yeonhee been doing to collect objects like this? And where had she even obtained a human eye?

At that moment a chilling thought sliced through my mind. No way….

I moved frantically, ripping away every cloth, and froze.

“Ha.”

The grotesque sight before me left me stunned. It looked as if she had dismantled a person and carefully stored the pieces. The scars still visible on the skin told me my suspicion was correct.

Unable to speak, I restored every cloth to its original position and hurried out of the room. The hallway light flickered overhead, but I barely registered it as I rushed back to my own room.

Thud—

“Haa… haa….”

Back in my room, panting, I wrapped my arms around my trembling body and burrowed beneath the blankets. My mind was a storm of confusion. Ju Yeonhee collects corpses? And they looked so fresh, as if she had treated them somehow. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I could understand her killing people. She had slaughtered countless vicious criminals who hid inside Gates. But collecting their corpses was something I could not comprehend. Not just any corpses, either; every piece belonged to the same man.

When I was still alive we had been together nearly twenty-four hours a day, so she would never have had the chance to develop such a bizarre hobby. That meant this began after my death. Even if she had been heartbroken by her husband’s death, still! How could she collect something like….

Then a conversation with Jeon Nando suddenly resurfaced.

‘You disappeared with that man’s corpse.’

‘Then where is my grave?’

‘I have no idea. Thanks to that I couldn’t even visit it…’

N-no way….

I desperately tried to remember whether there had been a grave nearby, or even a small headstone, but… nothing. Cold sweat trickled down my back. It couldn’t be. No, I wanted to believe it wasn’t. Preserving my corpse? The mere thought made my skin crawl, and the objects I had seen in that inner room left me dizzy. I could only pray with all my heart that my beloved wife was not that kind of insane woman.

Perhaps because she had dreamed sweetly the night before, Ju Yeonhee felt strangely cheerful today. She rose slowly, tended to her “husband,” then walked leisurely toward the window. As always, she leaned back in the chair, slipped on the ring, and cradled the glass bottle to her chest. It was an ordinary day without her beloved husband or her noisy daughter.

She gazed absently out the window, recalling the meetings with her husband that she replayed every single day. He really had been a gentle man.

Sixteen years old, December 27th, eleven in the morning. The day of the blizzard. That was when she first met her husband. She had gone to the Academy to submit paperwork and could never forget the moment they encountered each other by chance. Back then she had believed love ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at first sight existed only in fairy tales. She had not even considered romance….

They happened to wait at the same bus stop, happened to board the same bus, and happened to get off at the same place. He had casually asked whether she was heading to the Academy. At the time she had no tolerance for men, so she had been curt and prickly with him. Yet he shamelessly continued speaking to her and offered to accompany her. She ignored him, assuming he would give up, finished her business, and was about to head home when the blizzard began.

She had foolishly forgotten an umbrella and resigned herself to walking through the snow. At that exact moment, as if he had been waiting for it, he spoke to her kindly.

“Want to share my umbrella?”

Seeing him smile brightly while holding the umbrella, she had nodded without thinking and walked home with him. He claimed she now owed him for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠umbrella and naturally asked for her contact information. That was how their relationship began.

Even now it sounded like something out of a movie. The next memory was December 29th….

Knock, knock—

The sound of someone rapping on the door shattered her concentration.

“Madam, I’ve brought breakfast.”

A low male voice. It was the new boy. She had no idea what that old man had been thinking when he sent this child, nor did she particularly want to know. She was merely annoyed that her memories of her husband had been interrupted.

A short while later the boy entered without permission and began setting the meal before her. She turned her head, expecting him to leave soon, and continued reminiscing, when a mouth-watering aroma brushed her nose. When she glanced over, the dishes on the table looked different from usual. Freshly baked scones, warm coffee, and… her favorite coffee cookies.

The same sense of déjà vu as yesterday washed over her. She slowly lifted her gaze to the new boy.

“…Ugh.”

The moment their eyes met he flinched and quickly looked away. To the left.

“…Did you prepare this?”

When she spoke slowly, his eyes widened and he met her gaze.

“…Y-yes!”

The way he swallowed hard made his nervousness obvious. …He swallowed saliva. She turned her head slightly to check the coffee cookies on the table, then asked again.

“…These cookies too?”

He rolled his eyes as though avoiding her stare and answered carefully.

“…I bought them because I thought you might like them.”

His eyes flicked left again. She withdrew her gaze and sipped the coffee. It was smooth, not bitter, with the exact aroma and flavor of the Brazilian blend she loved.

“….”

Setting the cup down, she glanced at him once more and asked the final question.

“…Did you cook yesterday’s dinner as well?”

He hesitated, fidgeting, then answered softly.

“…I only grilled the fish.”

Even the grilled fish that had been part of the special deal yesterday. This boy knew her preferences perfectly. Someone who knew her well, swallowed when nervous, and looked left whenever he was troubled. Only one person ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matched that description.

“…E-enjoy your meal.”

Avoiding her eyes, he pulled the cart and fled. Just before the door closed, she swiftly activated her ability.

Click—

It had been a long time since she last used her ability, so her head spun slightly, but that was unimportant now. Mana 89. Sexual experience 7650. And… “Mage of Salvation.” The title assigned by the system never changed. Tears flooded her eyes at the beloved title she never thought she would see again.

“Sob… ugh….”

Once the tears started they poured out endlessly, as if filling a dry well, and the heart that had lain still for so long began to beat once more.

After delivering the food to his wife, I fled back to my room using the excuse that I had no appetite.

“…I’m losing my mind.”

When I first heard my wife’s voice I had been overjoyed. I wanted to pull her into my arms immediately, tell her I was sorry, and thank her for never forgetting me. But….

I had hesitated. The moment I met those lifeless eyes, the chunks of meat I saw yesterday flashed through my mind and fear seized me. Was she truly the woman I once knew?

Giving her every possible benefit of the doubt, I could understand her abandoning Soyeon. It was still difficult to accept, but she was only human. If she could not even take care of herself, how could she be expected to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠care for a child? …If it had been me, I would have protected our daughter even at the cost of my own life.

Yet the corpse fragments I witnessed yesterday surpassed my ability to understand. No matter how much I loved her, I could never accept the idea of her dismembering and preserving her dead husband.

“Haa….”

My head throbbed. Clutching my aching temples, I summoned the “message” before my eyes.

It was the same message as always, pointing solely at Min Soyeon. Just as it had been with Jeon Nando, it seemed I was permitted to reveal my identity to my wife. Would it be right to do so now? Since I could speak to her normally, a few pieces of evidence would probably be enough to convince her.

At that moment the message flashed and began to change.

“Wh-what…!”

“…Huh?”

I was utterly bewildered by the message’s transformation. The fact that it was changing in real time, as though someone were watching me, was alarming enough, but the final line was worse. It did not list any penalty; it simply stated that it was not recommended.

“…No, what…”

The moment I tried to complain about being unable to make my own decision, the message changed again.

I was left speechless by the events unfolding in an instant.

…What the hell is this?