NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
–Clang!
“Ugh-”
Before I could even finish my scream, I was launched far away and crashed into the wall.
As my back hit the wall, my breath was abruptly cut off.
“Hey! Are you alive?”
Song Ah Rin rushed over from a distance to support me.
“You confidently said you would fight, and now you’re waving that metal rod around?”
“W-well, did you think I had some extraordinary fighting skills?”
I replied to her while trying to catch my breath.
What fighting ability do I have? I can organize charts faster than others and distribute salaries more thoroughly than the average person, but that’s about it.
“Can you hypnotize her?”
“I already tried. It didn’t work at all. It felt like punching a wall.”
“This is a big problem.”
At my words, Song Ah Rin flared up.
“But you were so cocky about it!”
“I have confidence that I can win.”
I recalled the results of the three experiences I’d had so far.
First, failed.
Second, failed.
Third, failed.
Fourth, finally, we could fight properly in the same ring.
“First, we have to relax as much as we can.”
“How?”
“What do you mean how? We have to fight.”
“I have no fighting ability!”
“Do I?”
At my words, Song Ah Rin grimaced and snatched the metal rod from my hands.
“Fine, if we’re doing it, let’s just do it!”
Then she bravely rushed at the Red Lady, swinging the metal rod—
–Clang!
“Eek-!”
She soon tumbled beside me.
“…Is it really possible to win this?”
Song Ah Rin, barely managing to stand, looked at me with doubt.
“Yes. We can win.”
We just need to land one good hit.
The problem is we don’t have any guns here.
What if I use my metal rod to hit her critical point, and she blocks it?
Then I’ll have no way out.
In other words, I have to find an opportunity to strike that one hit.
That will only happen if we can coordinate our attack well.
Even if our physical condition and reflexes are those of ordinary humans, if we have fluid cooperation—
Huh?
“Wait a minute, Song Ah Rin.”
“What?”
Song Ah Rin stared at me intently.
“What was that? You said you could infer my thoughts, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then maybe we can move like one body?”
“Ah… why did I infer that?”
Song Ah Rin scrunched her face.
“…It’s not impossible.”
“But why do you look like that?”
“First, it’ll take too long. Second, if we get too mentally synced, I think I’ll feel really bad. Mostly the second is the bigger reason.”
“Ah, I see. Then hurry up and get ready. I’ll buy us some time.”
“Okay.”
Song Ah Rin stepped back a few paces and met my gaze.
“I’ll leave it to you. From now on, I’m going to imply your existence to me even deeper.”
“Yes.”
Feeling Song Ah Rin’s piercing gaze, I held the metal rod and confronted the Red Lady in front of me.
Nothing was visible above her lips, but I no longer felt any discomfort looking at her.
I understood.
Now, her role in this play was not that of an overwhelming killer.
She was just a villain emerging from a bad play.
The problem is, villains can be strong too.
If Yu Da On were here, she could endure the blows alone, and if Jang Chae Yeon were here, we could fight on equal ground.
But here, we currently had a visually good buffer and one debuffer with hypnosis abilities.
Can we win?
Originally, it would be impossible.
But I never intended to win by fighting like this.
I just need to keep a few steps back.
I raised the metal rod and waited for the Red Lady to come closer.
Slowly, she approached me,
Suddenly, she attacked with a swift strike aimed at killing me, but I barely managed to meet it with the metal rod.
–Clang!
As I was met with the resonating sound echoing in my ears, my body was pushed back, but I managed to withstand it.
I could hear something being swung around, and this time there was no gap even to block.
I kicked off the ground and rolled sideways.
A fist slammed into the spot I just occupied. Cold sweat dripped down my spine.
Before I could even see the next move, a kick towards my solar plexus was blocked by crossing my arms.
–Crack!
“Ugh…!”
I heard a sound from my left arm that I shouldn’t have.
My left arm must have broken.
But I can’t run away.
I gripped the metal rod tightly with my right hand and stood back up.
I glanced at Song Ah Rin.
Even while sweating bullets, she continued to watch me.
Not much time left.
Just one more block.
Her mouth opened wide.
Fangs dripping with drool faced me.
As someone who has died once because of that, I can say it’s an experience I never want to repeat.
She approached me grotesquely, charging her foot towards me.
I can’t block it with just one hand.
I barely held the metal rod with my aching left arm, bracing myself for the impending impact.
–Bang!
The Red Lady’s teeth bit into the metal rod, pushing it back, and unable to bear the force, my body was pushed away.
“-!”
I couldn’t even afford to groan.
I rolled along the ground with her attack and came to a halt.
My left arm was engulfed with unbearable pain.
The first to rise was the Red Lady.
Its head twisted grotesquely to look in my direction.
With a grin, it revealed a bright smile.
There was no longer any way to hold on.
Just as I desperately called out Song Ah Rin’s name in my mind, at that moment, a woman in familiar attire stood in front of me, protecting me.
It was Song Ah Rin.
She turned her head to look at me.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I managed to hold on.”
“Why do you sound like that?”
“My speech pattern is like this after synchronizing with you. From now on, you can just speak informally.”
Song Ah Rin confronted the Red Lady, and with my aching body, I barely stood up behind her.
Song Ah Rin’s gaze was directed above the Red Lady’s head.
Following her cues, I now understood what information was floating above.
At this point, calling me Kim Jae Heon MK-2 wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“Why do you keep unnecessarily looking up while fighting?”
“Do you know your speech pattern is oddly irritating?”
“Shut up.”
With who knows where she found them, Song Ah Rin stood beside me with bricks in both hands.
“Just aim for one good hit.”
“I got it.”
Song Ah Rin glared at me, and I averted my eyes.
“If you move first, I’ll take my shot.”
“Yes.”
Once again, the Red Lady opened its mouth and charged at us.
I took the metal rod and received its teeth once more.
In that moment, as if it were a promise, Song Ah Rin timed her attack perfectly with a shot at its head using the brick.
A dull sound reverberated.
Its head squashed grotesquely.
With the metal rod still in its mouth, it began to swing its arms wildly.
Song Ah Rin quickly pulled back, and I, taking advantage of the opening, exerted strength into the rod and pried it free.
We resumed fighting.
I would block, and Song Ah Rin would strike; if she evaded, I would strike again. This back-and-forth went on countless times.
My left arm no longer had any strength and hung limply, while Song Ah Rin was also panting, bleeding from various parts of her body.
But the Red Lady was no longer unscathed either.
Its head was caved in, making it hard to recognize, and its arms and legs twisted grotesquely to the point it was almost unrecognizable as human.
“Let’s finish this!…now!”
“I understand.”
Song Ah Rin shouted breathlessly, and I agreed with her words, raising the metal rod.
[Critical: 1->0]
The world turned black and white and slowed down.
In this now-familiar sensation, I looked at the Red Lady.
A red dot flickered near its neck.
I swung the metal rod down.
At the same time, its right hand shot towards my face.
In this slowed world, that hand charging toward my face was fear incarnate.
But I wasn’t scared.
Song Ah Rin raised the brick, striking its arm.
The right hand brushed past my face, and—
–Crack!
My metal rod struck deep into its neck.
“-! -! -!”
The Red Lady, who had never once screamed, now let out a horrifying wail.
Its body began to crumble.
And,
[Your bond with Song Ah Rin has increased.]
[Due to the bond with Song Ah Rin, she gains a cooperative skill – Method.]
[Method – You can perfectly synchronize with someone and imitate their traits without changing your appearance.]
[Method – 1]
If you’re going to come out, come out sooner.
“Damn it! We did it!”
Song Ah Rin raised both hands triumphantly and shouted.
Her nails were broken, and her fingers were bright red and swollen.
She looked at my left arm.
It hung limply, having completely lost its functionality.
Smack!
Song Ah Rin slapped her cheeks with both hands.
“Ouch! Finally, it’s over!”
Did she release the hypnosis? She shook her head a few times and looked at my left arm with a worried expression.
“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah, well. I’m alive.”
Eventually, once the play is over, my arm will return to normal, right?
“Come here.”
With a grunt, Song Ah Rin supported me by my shoulder.
“Do we really have to do this?”
“Be grateful. How many men in the world have Management Agency’s Song Ah Rin helping them?”
“With that attitude, you should be ashamed.”
Song Ah Rin jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow.
“Anyway, you did well.”
“You too.”
The world crumbles around us.
People vanish, and the ground collapses.
Soon, the two of us also began to fall apart.
…
I blinked awake in the theater.
Where’s Song Ah Rin?
I turned my head to look beside me, and—
“What are you looking at?”
Song Ah Rin gazed at me with a pouting expression and raised an eyebrow.
“Is it over?”
“I just finished contacting the Management Agency when the communication was restored.”
Song Ah Rin pulled out her phone.
“The Management Agency will be here soon—”
–Bang!
“Jae Heon!”
Yu Da On’s familiar voice called out.
“…Did you call the Human Resources Team?”
“…No.”
At my question, Song Ah Rin shook her head.
“I guess they just came on their own.”
I sighed as I watched two people approach me at a quick pace, then reached into my pocket to pull out my phone.
“…?”
I felt the strange texture of paper in my pocket.
I pulled out the paper.
[Thank you for watching Act 1, Mr. Kim Jae Heon of the Management Agency. We eagerly await your next visit. - Theater Company Staff.]
A luxurious piece of paper elegantly written.
“…”
I felt something ominous.
Still, for now, it’s over.
Let’s take a break. Request some time off. And—
*
“Say hello. This is our new team member, Song Ah Rin.”
“…”
“…”
“…What’s up?”
“There’s a long story behind this.”
Song Ah Rin let out a long sigh from beside the Team Leader.