Reassembly
After Miel finished reassembling Seona's memories, he found himself lying once more on the master bedroom bed, held in Yurin's grasp.
Every time he felt her gaze on him, he flinched and trembled. He didn't know this woman—and yet looking at her filled him with dread, as if she were someone who had done violent things to him again and again.
In truth, he and his lover and wife, Miel-noona, were imprisoned in what appeared to be this woman's house. Miel-noona was confined in what looked like a bathroom, her every movement restricted by an iron chain and collar that seemed impossible to break. On top of that, after exchanging some incomprehensible conversation with Miel-noona right in front of them, the woman had kicked the bathroom wall, putting her violent streak on full display. How recklessly she would act was obvious without needing to see more.
And yet, at the same time, the expression she wore as she looked at him was sad and full of pity—almost as if she were worried about him.
"Have we… met somewhere before?"
"No. Just a stranger…"
Yurin had no choice but to lie. Before leaving the bathroom, Miel had told her that until things stabilized, she must cause as little confusion as possible to Seona's memories where Yurin was concerned.
What the hell does "as little" even mean, you bitch…
What Yurin knew was this: Seona currently believed himself to be Miel's lover. His memories of his parents had vanished completely. And for the sake of stabilization, everything except everyday knowledge—his memories of school, of making friends, nearly all of it—was gone. She had felt the weight of that again just now when he asked her the question, and nothing could have been more heartbreaking. A bitter smile rose unbidden.
As she sat with that thought, Seona spoke carefully.
"Um… could you please let us go?"
"No. Don't ask why."
Yurin had no idea how to explain it. Under ordinary circumstances she would have said she'd brought him back as his lover, to undo the brainwashing—but she felt she couldn't risk anything further that might strain his mind. Besides, if he kept saying Miel-noona, she might snap and spill everything about his old memories. So she shut the questions down.
"…"
Intimidated by the unpleasant edge in her voice, Seona clamped his mouth shut.
The next day, Yurin set out somewhere.
That morning she had prepared meals for Seona and Miel. For Seona—gaunt from the mental shock and the sheer volume of blood he'd lost through his nose—she made a steak. For Miel, she mixed dog food with spit in a dog bowl and served it up. Miel trembled with rage but didn't dare say a word.
Dog food is perfect for a bitch like her. What's wrong with that?
She had also brought a refrigerator into the master bedroom. Worried Seona might get hungry, she had woken before dawn, cooked a mountain of dishes she wanted him to try—everything she'd learned while studying cooking—and stocked the fridge full. That Miel bitch could drink shower water or toilet water if she got hungry, for all Yurin cared. But she couldn't bear the thought of Seona going without.
She also fastened a newly bought collar around Seona's neck so he couldn't wander freely, then closed the bathroom door so the two of them couldn't see each other. They could still talk through the door if they wanted, but there was no need to stop even that. Jealousy stirred in her, yes—but if Miel and Seona couldn't converse at all, it wouldn't even qualify as ordinary life between lovers. That was why she allowed it.
Leaving Seona and Miel behind as she left the house filled her with deep dissatisfaction and unease.
Duty Hunters were normally required to stay in designated lodgings, but Yurin was a Duty Hunter of the Hwaryong Guild. With help from her mother, the guild representative, she had registered her own house as Hwaryong Guild Duty Hunter lodging—a loophole that let her commute from home. Something she could never have managed before being kidnapped into a Gate. Back then her mother had been an executive of the Hwaryong Guild, competing with the other board members for the representative's seat. If she'd pulled that stunt then, she might well have been pushed out of the internal politics and forced into retirement instead of becoming representative. That stroke of luck was what had allowed her to bring Seona here.
But now Yurin found herself drowning in far too many worries.
Seona, reclaimed at last. The Gate expedition team formed to recover him. Seona's parents. All of it churned through her mind. The conviction that she ought to reveal he had returned to this world—and the certainty that revealing it would mean losing him again. The two thoughts kept tossing her heart into turmoil.
Learning that the marriage registration filed the day before the wedding had been rejected had been agony. And that was when she had realized: even if Seona returned from the Demon Realm, he would never be able to stay by her side.
In truth, bringing him to her house now had never been about kidnapping him to keep forever. She had only wanted to undo the brainwashing of that succubus's grasp and have him remember her again. Once the brainwashing was lifted, she had planned to return him to his parents and tell them about his relationship with the succubus. Knowing the sins she had committed, she had wanted to make amends.
But looking at Seona as he was now—would he and his parents even be happy if she brought him back like this? And wouldn't she herself become unhappy too? Rather than everyone ending up miserable, finding a way for everyone to be happy seemed wiser.
Besides, during those hellish days in the Demon Realm, Seona—before the brainwashing—had devoted himself to her despite suffering tremendous humiliation. Thinking of that, she couldn't believe Miel's claim that their time together had become trauma for him. And considering Seona's state of being unable to escape Miel's clutches, she felt she was the only one who could resolve this.
Even if he went back to his parents, Miel would still have to stay by his side—and imagining the shock Seona's parents would feel seeing their son become a succubus's mate… that could never be allowed to happen.
In the end, Yurin made a choice—one that would cause Seona even more pain, but that she saw as unavoidable. Believing this was the only choice that could save him…
Mina was at Hyuntae's hospital again today.
As Yurin had said, she had decided to join the expedition to save Seona—but she couldn't leave Hyuntae in this state, so she had switched to the second expedition team. She still resented Yurin, but she felt only gratitude toward Yura, who was going out of her way to help her family.
There was only one reason she wanted the second expedition rather than the first.
Hyuntae's condition had deteriorated so sharply that he was now living day to day. Wrists thin as twigs. A face that resembled Seona's, now sunken and hollow. The oxygen mask fixed to his face. The monitor tracking his pulse and heartbeat. Her husband and Seona's father, Hyuntae, had refused food and drink for far too long and had now fallen into a coma. His attending physician had said he didn't have much time left.
She still vividly remembered how, upon hearing that, she had sobbed madly and clung to the doctor's pant leg, begging him to save Hyuntae. Judging that joining the first expedition would keep her too busy with training to be there when Hyuntae passed, she had told Representative Yura she would switch to the second expedition instead.
Today, as always, she held Hyuntae's motionless hand and spoke to her child's father of memories with Seona—knowing full well no answer would come from his lips. Her heart ached, and hot tears kept soaking her cheeks.
And as always, she made a vow. Clutching the hand of the unconscious Hyuntae, she promised she would definitely save Seona. Even though one of them didn't even know the promise was being made.
Yurin was a crucial figure for the first expedition team that would cross into the Demon Realm as the vanguard.
A B-rank Hunter selected as expedition staff officer at the age of twenty-one. The first Awakened to return from the Demon Realm. Those were the titles attached to her name.
Though she was a Duty Hunter, once she joined the first expedition she could no longer enter Gates. Moreover, the expedition itself carried an almost gambling-like quality. The risk of never returning was considerable, so those who volunteered were either highly confident in their skills or driven by greed.
Perhaps out of concern she might not return, until the expedition launched the guild had given Yurin free rein to move as she pleased. Work hours had become free time. With four months still remaining until departure, it was as good as four months of liberty. Having a key expedition member idle was a problem, but there was no one among the staff officers who could replace Yurin—who at least knew something of the Demon Realm environment. Her value was what made this possible. Her knowledge wasn't expert-level, but she was a precious asset who could provide significant help. Being the first carried that much weight.
It was only natural that such a Yurin would belong to the first expedition. The primary goal of the first team was to serve as a pioneering force that would cross into the Demon Realm first and establish a base camp—making her nearly essential. Once she also met the minimum qualification of B-rank Hunter, no one objected to her joining as staff officer.
Yurin knew the situation Mina, Seona's mother, was in. She herself occasionally visited Hyuntae in the hospital. Guilt drove her to go apologize to Hyuntae and Mina from time to time. Of course, she often received a fist as the answer to her apology. She always said she was sorry, and ended by promising she would definitely bring Seona back.
But today, that promise was going to become a lie.
It hurt—but it was an unavoidable choice if she was to save Seona. Yurin steeled her resolve and entered the hospital room where Hyuntae lay.