Chapter 12
Se-Ah continued to spend time with Jiwoo. Even when Jiwoo turned thirteen and was about to graduate from elementary school…
“Sister!!”
“…”
Pat, pat.
Se-Ah celebrated Jiwoo’s graduation in place of her busy, working parents.
When Jiwoo got a perfect score on her first test in middle school…
“Sister, I got a perfect score on my test this time! I don’t think anyone else did as well as I did, right? I’m super amazing, aren’t I?”
[Yeah. Jiwoo, you’re really amazing.]
“Hehe, heehee.”
She praised Jiwoo’s accomplishments and encouraged her to do even better.
When Jiwoo entered high school and totally bombed her first midterm exams…
“If the grade numbers are higher, that means it’s good, right? Please tell me that’s true, or else my life is meaningless.”
Flick.
“Ow!”
[You shouldn’t say things like that so easily. You can always do better next time, right?]
“Uh, yeah.”
Se-Ah was always there to lift Jiwoo’s spirits, giving her strength and courage to keep going.
And then, one stormy evening…
Se-Ah tapped Jiwoo on the shoulder to get her attention. She then handed Jiwoo a note that read: [I’m going to step out for a bit.]
Jiwoo thought she was probably just running out to the convenience store and asked her to buy some snacks on the way back, sending Se-Ah off without much thought. She had no idea that this would turn out to be her biggest mistake.
Vroom, vroom.
The car carrying Jiwoo’s parents roared as it sped toward its destination.
Inside the car, Sejeong, Jiwoo’s mother, was busy tapping away on her phone while occasionally glancing at her husband, Hyun Myungwoo, who was behind the wheel. Suddenly, her phone loudly blared, signaling the arrival of an emergency alert from the government.
“Oh my, what should we do? It looks like a monster appeared nearby. That’s a bit scary…”
“What’s there to be scared of? The government just established the Hunter Association and hired professional hunters who used to work privately, right? They’ll be here soon to deal with it.”
“I guess you’re right… I hope Jiwoo is staying safely at home.”
“She’s probably with Se-Ah. How long has it been since that kid got close to us?”
It had been nearly ten years since Se-Ah first appeared in their lives after being introduced by Jiwoo. To Jiwoo’s father, Hyun Myungwoo, Se-Ah was nothing more than a pitiful girl who couldn’t speak but took good care of his daughter in their absence.
“That’s true, but… Didn’t you ever feel that something was strange about that girl?”
“What do you mean?”
The thought that there could be anything odd about Se-Ah, who had been watching over Jiwoo like a nanny whenever they were away, was incomprehensible to Myungwoo, who had always shown unconditional trust toward her.
“She always appears and disappears without a sound, without a trace.”
“Some people are like that. It’s not a huge problem or anything.”
“That’s not all. Do you remember the news from a while ago, about that monster that caused so many casualties before vanishing in an instant?”
“What about it?”
“Well… The weapon that monster used was a black feather…”
It seemed like Sejeong was just about to relay something she’d realized after a decade, but she couldn’t finish her sentence. Dozens of black feathers pierced through the car. The front windshield, which wouldn’t have shattered even if it were struck by a brick, was easily penetrated as if cut by a knife.
“Ugh…!”
“Kyaaah! Wh-What is this… Myungwoo, honey!”
One of the feathers, almost as if by bad luck, had impaled Hyun Myungwoo’s shoulder. His wounded arm was unable to control the steering wheel, and the car, wobbling unstably, crashed into a streetlight that had been brightly illuminating the dark road.
The airbags failed to deploy when the car crashed, leaving them critically injured. With blood obstructing her vision and her consciousness slipping away, Sejeong turned her head to the left and looked at Myungwoo, who had kept his promise of safe driving up until the crash. His head rested against the steering wheel, his eyes closed. It looked like he’d lost consciousness. No, was he dead? He wasn’t breathing.
“Honey… Jiwoo’s dad, wake up. Please…!”
Seeing the man who had loved her and whom she had loved growing colder by the second, an unbearable emotion overwhelmed her, and tears began to pour down her face. They had promised to grow old together, to be with each other forever until their hair turned gray. She wished she had died instead of him. What was going to happen to their daughter now?
Step, step.
Light footsteps approached the accident site.
Sejeong felt a surge of hope that someone had arrived to rescue them. If they could just get to a hospital in time, she thought, there might still be a chance to save her husband. However, her hope was soon replaced with despair, as the person who greeted her wasn’t a rescuer but someone who would push her over the edge.
“Oh my, you’re still alive, Mother? I thought for sure you’d be dead by now.”
What? No, no… I must be mistaken. This must be a rescuer, a paramedic here to take us to the hospital.
“Or maybe not? Knock, knock… Are you dead yet?”
“Ah… Ah…”
“Oh, you’re still alive and kicking! Regular people die so easily that I was a bit worried, you know? But you’re really something, Mother! Truly remarkable!”
“Se-Ah… why… Why are you doing this?”
“Ah, I’m really sorry about this. But I had no other choice. You see, when you die, that’s it. But I’m… different.”
“You’re a demon… My poor Jiwoo…”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about her. The truth is, your deaths, yours and your husband’s, are all for Jiwoo’s sake. Heehee.”
“…”
She’s dead. Well, mothers are supposed to sacrifice themselves for their children, to die in their place. It’s not that unfair.
Even if I wanted to ask if she felt resentful, she’s already dead, so I guess I’m right. Jiwoo will never know that I killed her parents. There are no security cameras nearby, and I can easily cover it up with the monster corpse I brought.
Of course, I’ll collect all my feathers.
Jiwoo, I just want you to be happy. But if you’re always happy, you’ll never know what true happiness is. I am the Messiah. I am the Messiah who came from another world to teach Jiwoo the meaning of true love and true happiness. The children I choose always grow stronger through adversity. And I am the one who makes that adversity worthwhile.
“Heehee.”
****
Ding Dong.
The doorbell rang, the sound echoing through the intercom. It must be Se-Ah. I asked her to buy something to eat. What did she bring? Fried chicken? Pizza? Or maybe even some tteokbokki? Jiwoo eagerly opened the door, excited to see what Se-Ah had brought.
“Sister, you’re here? What did you get to eat?”
Se-Ah held out a white bag filled with a delicious aroma, motioning for Jiwoo to come inside. Jiwoo closed the door and rushed to the dining table to see what Se-Ah had set up. Spicy chicken feet, huh? Se-Ah always had such a great sense for picking food. As Jiwoo devoured the food, she glanced at Se-Ah. A bright smile spread across Se-Ah’s face.
“Sister, did something good happen? Your face looks so happy! Is it because you’re enjoying the chicken feet so much?”
Before she could get a response, Jiwoo’s phone, casually tossed on the couch, rang loudly, demanding attention. It wasn’t a call from her mom or dad as she had expected; it was from an unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Is this Jiwoo Hyun?”
“Yes, this is Jiwoo speaking. Who’s this?”
The man introduced himself as a detective and told her that her parents had been involved in an accident due to a monster attack and were in critical condition at the hospital. The phone slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor.
Jiwoo couldn’t believe it. She had just seen them that morning, saying goodbye like any other day. What kind of sudden, devastating news was this? Fighting back tears, she turned to Se-Ah.
“Sister, we need to go to the hospital. Right now.”
Jiwoo abandoned her half-eaten food and rushed to the hospital the detective had mentioned. When she arrived at the emergency room, she told the receptionist her parents’ names, Sejeong and Myungwoo, and was informed that they had just been taken into surgery. The hours dragged on as Jiwoo sat waiting, hoping for good news. One hour turned into ten, and the long surgery only ended after eighteen agonizing hours. The surgeon, who seemed to be the highest-ranking doctor among those who had exited the operating room, approached Jiwoo and began to speak.
“Are you the guardian of Sejeong Kim and Myungwoo Hyun?”
“Yes, yes! I’m their guardian! The surgery went well, right? They’re going to be okay now, right?”
Jiwoo, completely immersed in self-delusion and desperate hope, looked at the doctor, whose expression darkened even more.
“Sejeong Kim and Myungwoo Hyun were pronounced dead at 3:22 PM.”
What? Who… who died?
—
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