Transformation or Death

A Little Money and a Place to Live Tomorrow is Enough (3)

Early this morning, Yoon Seol-hwa suddenly visited and desperately pleaded with him to go somewhere together with an extremely urgent voice.

Yoon Seol-hwa wasn’t usually one to play such pranks, and she extremely disliked causing trouble for others, rarely even making requests.

Therefore, Han Jae-jung followed without much suspicion.

Just as she had loved him without detailed explanations, he too acted in her crisis without any explanation.

There was sufficient reason to trust and abundant will to act.

He went through discharge procedures that were almost forcefully rushed to act quickly.

Following Yoon Seol-hwa’s guidance, they walked here and there after leaving the hospital. The destination was a secluded alley where it was hard to find a single person, a dead end blocked by walls on three sides. The moment he turned his head to ask if this was the right place.

Han Jae-jung lost consciousness.

“… Seol-hwa’.”

Chains binding his body and Yoon Seol-hwa’s brightly smiling face in front of him greeted him. His gradually widening vision as consciousness returned soon revealed where he was now.

High ceilings adorned with luxurious chandeliers, elegant ivory leather sofas and marble floors, not just one or two rooms – from where he was now, it was difficult to even count all the doors. The appearance of a room he’d never seen before. It felt like a luxury penthouse or the highest-grade room in a 5-star or higher hotel.

It was quite a luxurious interior structure for kidnapping someone.

At first, he worried that she too might have been kidnapped to this place.

But that wasn’t the case.

Yoon Seol-hwa had done this by her own choice. It didn’t take long to realize this.

“Hm? What?”

That face was too peaceful for a kidnapping victim. Moreover, she wasn’t bound by chains and was free.

As if she had no intention whatsoever of denying that she had planned and carried out all this, she casually greeted him with ‘Did you sleep well?’ when he woke up. Afterwards, she checked on his wellbeing, asking if the chains were too tight.

No matter how you look at it, these weren’t actions a victim would take. What kidnapping victim would worry about another victim like that?

At the same time, it was strange to call her a kidnapper. What kidnapper would ask after their victim’s wellbeing so kindly? Even the place where he was now. It was too luxurious for one person to live in.

Even the chains. They boasted enough length to move around this room sufficiently.

From this strange kidnapping that showed consideration, Han Jae-jung conversely became certain that Yoon Seol-hwa had planned this kidnapping. Because if she were to kidnap him, she would try to provide maximum service except for the restraint of his body.

It was the same when he just received the phone call. As soon as his phone vibrated, she smiled meaningfully and told him he could answer it. Instead, don’t tell them where he was now.

When he did as told, she stroked his head as if praising him.

There is control but no attempt at harsh regulation. Cherishing and letting him enjoy only the best things but not letting him escape. Like a pet.

It wasn’t difficult to think that Yoon Seol-hwa was the culprit of this bizarre kidnapping.

Therefore, the motive could also be easily guessed.

However, Han Jae-jung didn’t immediately confirm this guess. He didn’t want to.

“Tell me honestly. Are you being threatened by someone? Or….”

“That’s right.”

“…!”

Yoon Seol-hwa affirmed without hesitation when asked if she was being threatened. Color returned to Han Jae-jung’s face upon hearing the answer. It could mean that this outrageous act wasn’t her true intention.

“I am being threatened right now. Having to do this much, it’s no different from being threatened.”

No different. Those added words tore apart Han Jae-jung’s feeble hope that wasn’t even as strong as a thread.

“The world threatens me. As if delivering some revelation. Enough to make me, who doesn’t have any religion, resent God. No… Rather, this might be God’s final mercy, Jae-jung. Warning us several times to act before losing something.”

“….”

“Amen. No, was it hallelujah? Whatever works. I should be grateful. Right.”

Yoon Seol-hwa approached Han Jae-jung and closed her eyes, putting her hands together in prayer right in front of his nose bridge. It was a devout attitude like a praying nun. Soon her eyes opened again and her sapphire powder-like brilliant eyes fully captured Han Jae-jung’s face, reflecting it like a mirror.

It was a mirror that made him face things he had been ignoring until now.

“Jae-jung. Do you know how many times you’ve nearly died since we met again?”

“….”

“It hasn’t even been a year yet. Not even a year… Huh, in this less than a year, the number of times you’ve been hospitalized has far exceeded all previous numbers.”

“… Seol-hwa.”

“Jae-jung.”

Their names overlapped, but the man’s name was heavier, and it was the woman’s voice. Her voice, holding his name, bound him more heavily and strongly than iron chains.

“The fact that you and I met again and survived through so many crises to face each other like this now… Is it a miracle for you, or a misfortune?”

“Seol….”

“I’ll answer first. For me, it’s a miracle. A truly precious, beautiful miracle.”

It happened again this time. He couldn’t continue speaking. Her voice, heavy as lead, dragged him down to suffocate beneath these beautiful eyes.

“At the same time, it’s like an alarm bell announcing all the moments I was negligent. Without coincidence in this miracle, I would have lost you. I would have fully experienced the consequences of my inaction. People say I’m talented. Isn’t that laughable? My best quality is luck. Without luck, I would’ve been a fool who couldn’t do anything.”

Her clasped hands came apart, and Yoon Seol-hwa’s hands overlapped Han Jae-jung’s.

“That’s why I gave thanks to a god I neither believe in nor know the name of. How grateful it is. An existence that filled in all the moments I hesitated out of fear. Of course, I don’t believe in god. But isn’t it more comforting to create an absolute being and entrust all glory to it rather than being satisfied with results born from the uncertain element of luck? Jae-jung, I’m afraid to even believe in my luck. Even the glory created by that luck is burdensome.”

Han Jae-jung dared not continue speaking. He couldn’t even imagine how much pain she had been embracing to internalize such worries and verbalize them, to speak them out loud in front of the person concerned.

Seeing how she, who hated causing even the smallest inconvenience, must have shed bloody tears before binding these chains to his hands, he couldn’t even part his lips.

“And, I don’t want to rely on luck forever, Jae-jung. Before it’s too late, I want to use the miracle given to me as an opportunity.”

Yoon Seol-hwa loves Han Jae-jung. That’s why she wants him to live. Wanting a loved one to live is the most natural feeling. After all, humans are beings who bestow love even upon machines and pray to stay together. Humans are beings whose hearts flutter with anxiety when faced with the danger of breaking.

If they were the same kind of person, there would be no need to say this.

If they had spent much time together, it would be even more so, and if there was a complicated history in the past, it would be even more so. On top of that, if they had separated and met again with such a person, it’s clear as day how much urgency would arise.

If someone had been in danger of death countless times, if it wasn’t due to illness but external factors, if one had the power to prevent it but couldn’t.

If one gazed upon such an injured person.

The pain in one’s heart would be like the pain of dismemberment. Both eyes would close in shame of oneself. Instead of closing their eyes, they would cover their vision with blood and tears to express their shame.

“…Still, nothing has been resolved. There are many strange people. The ones who attacked you are still alive, and they’ll hurt you the same way next time. No, you could die.”

If he were to die, the bloody tears would flow endlessly.

“So… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Jae-jung. I had to do this.”

She had bound the endless bloody tears with iron chains to fix them in place.

“To save you. I had no choice… Otherwise, you would again….”

With trembling hands, she caressed the part where the iron chains connected to his wrist. That cold and hard sensation felt similar to the lead weight pressing down on conscience.

“The space under the sky is too wide to protect you. I prefer narrow spaces. When it’s wide, there are too many possibilities. I only need one possibility. I only need to achieve the one result of being able to protect you.”

After caressing like that, Yoon Seol-hwa quietly removed her hand.

“It’s okay if you hate me.”

Though trying to speak as calmly as possible, the trembling couldn’t be hidden.

“The more you hate me, the stronger my hatred will become.”

Yoon Seol-hwa gritted her teeth.

“From the Sagittarius villain who openly attacked you, Jae-jung, to the Argo Family who was damaged because of you. The Libra villain who kidnapped you and several other villains… The world is too dangerous to let you out.”

“…”

“Among them, the most dangerous one to you, Jae-jung… Is that villain called the Watcher. That arrogant villain of the Big Dipper and Ursa Major.”

“…?!”

Han Jae-jung was startled. He hadn’t expected that name to suddenly appear on the list of villains that threatened him.

“You might not know this, Jae-jung… But that villain appeared at every place where you were attacked by villains. It’s not a coincidence. It happened too frequently to be called that. Since that villain is particularly interested in magical girls… It’s probably because of me.”

“Ah, wait a moment…”

“It’s clearly monitoring you as a means to threaten me…!”

Suddenly, tears fell from her eyes out of guilt, but Seol-hwa quickly wiped them away and reignited hatred in her eyes.

“I can’t lose you too, not just Mom and Dad… I can’t lose you to the villains…!”

Crack. A chilling sound like breaking ice came from her mouth. An anger strong enough to chew villains alive echoed in her mouth.

“Villains are always selfish. They think the world revolves around their thoughts! They think they’re the center of everything! That’s why they break, use, and violate what others hold dear without any hesitation…! I can never… forgive them…!”

Han Jae-jung swallowed dryly while examining her expression. Right now, she seemed to be using even guilt and resentment as fuel for her hatred to kill villains.

He just blankly stared at her face. Her unique beauty hadn’t disappeared despite being distorted by anger, creating a distinctive charm.

At the same time, Han Jae-jung trembled in fear.

That hatred is genuine. It’s a pure hatred colder than snow. It’s an innocent heart, clean and untainted like a child’s. That hatred carries a weight similar to love. Han Jae-jung suppressed his words. He only hoped her hatred wouldn’t be directed at him.

He wanted to avoid being hated by her while showing his bare face without a mask.

“So, I’m sorry Jae-jung. Please stay here for a while.”

Seol-hwa’ cleared the anger from her face and smiled apologetically again.

“I don’t know how long ‘a while’ will be… But I think things might get a bit better once I deal with that most dangerous Sagittarius and Ursa Major. Let’s think about that when the time comes.”

There seemed to be no option of letting Han Jae-jung go.

“You can use everything here. There are basic cooking facilities, instant food, retort food, vegetables, seasonings, meat, and pretty much everything you need. If there’s anything you want to eat or have, tell me later and I’ll buy it when I come. I have the key to your chains. I’ll unlock them while I’m in this room. I’ve prepared all your clothes and underwear too. The sizes are based on your high school days… But I think they’ll fit. If anything’s uncomfortable, just tell me right away. I’ll replace everything. And also…”

She began explaining various guidelines for this kidnapped life. This too could be seen as a firm expression of her intention not to let him go.

It seems I won’t be getting out for a while. Han Jae-jung leaned comfortably on the sofa and listened attentively to her explanation.

‘Belt, could you recommend lunch considering the ingredients here… Ah, you’re sleeping.’

Even in this situation, Belt remained quiet. Well, normally it would have warned him before he fainted. The strange metal ball that had been floating around Han Jae-jung before and after he fainted just existed mechanically.

Sleep mode. When would this end? Han Jae-jung wondered while listening to Seol-hwa’s explanation.

“Umm… That’s… All… So, do you have any… Questions…?”

Seol-hwa’s suddenly dejected attitude at the end was quite remarkable. After briefly considering what to ask, Han Jae-jung opened his mouth.

“What do you want to eat for lunch today?”

“Huh, what?! That? Suddenly? You’re more… Carefree than I expected… That’s cool too… No, I mean… Um… Well… So… Um… Pa, pasta?”

“That sounds good.”

Figuring there was no point in worrying, he decided to fill his stomach first.

After all, hospital food wasn’t tasty.

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