OL Ch 25

Chapter 25

[Complete the key.]

A clear voice echoed inside his head. Following its instructions, Hayun moved his hand. He reached into someone’s chest, tearing through flesh to grasp something other than bone. As he pulled it out, he heard a blood-curdling scream.

He hastily looked up and saw Seo Iju’s agonized face. Hayun quickly withdrew his hand, trying to explain that it was a misunderstanding, not his doing. However, his arm was drenched in bright red blood up to the elbow. Seo Iju’s limp hand suddenly lunged for Hayun’s neck.

Terrified, Hayun bolted upright. Someone was chasing him. Although unsure who, he felt overwhelming fear. Without hesitation, he turned and ran as fast as he could. Mid-sprint, a sudden realization hit him.

‘No, no! Teacher, Teacher was already dead before removing the gogok.’

His heart sank, and his body felt like it had collapsed beneath his feet. Startled awake, Hayun jolted upright.

“….!”

He slowly rubbed his face and head with both hands. Every hair on his body stood on end. Gradually exhaling, he relaxed his tense muscles.

Had he moved slightly differently, he would have fallen off the edge of the couch. Hayun got up to check the time; it was just past 2 AM when he fell asleep, yet now it wasn’t even 5 AM.

Hayun stepped onto the balcony to gauge the outside temperature.

‘It’s cold.’

It wasn’t cold enough to see his breath, but it was chilly enough to make Hayun shiver. Rubbing his arms, he stepped back onto the balcony. The mountains peeking between apartment buildings were gradually changing their attire.

Hayun dreaded each new day due to Seo Iju’s fragile emotional state, fearing any accidental trigger might lead to tears. Initially, the days felt endless and hopeless; however, looking back now, time seemed to have flown by quickly.

‘…Time sure passes.’

The brutal summer had given way to autumn, which would soon be replaced by winter before anyone realized it. Hayun sighed softly as he glanced at the calendar. The wedding anniversary of Seo Iju and her husband was approaching fast.

Could this be related to Seo Iju’s dream?

‘How should we commemorate their wedding anniversary now that they’re both gone?’

In Seo Iju’s home, Lunar New Year, Chuseok, and their wedding anniversary were considered three major celebrations. As they had always celebrated these occasions grandly each year, Hayun felt compelled to do something special for the anniversary.

‘Since it was one of their significant holidays, should I perform a memorial ceremony?’

Hayun picked up his phone and started searching online. When he searched for “wedding anniversary memorial,” most results involved queries about how to handle the death anniversaries of parents coinciding with a couple’s wedding anniversary. He couldn’t find any instances where people performed memorials specifically on a wedding anniversary.

Eventually, feeling exhausted from his search, Hayun decided to post his own question online. He asked whether multiple memorial ceremonies could be held within a year and if it was appropriate to conduct one on his parents’ wedding anniversary.

Afterward, he went for his morning exercise slightly later than usual. By the time he returned home, there was one comment on his post: “Crazy bastard.” Hayun grimaced and deleted the thread.

‘Thinking about rituals before even retrieving the body isn’t right.’

He sighed heavily, feeling disheartened. He wished, just for a moment, that his ability could return. Then, at least, he could retrieve Seo Iju’s remains.

‘I only need enough time to bring back her body.’

Just once would suffice.

However, such a thing wouldn’t happen. With a self-deprecating murmur, Hayun began his typical morning routine.

Hayun would help Inyeong after his morning workout. After breakfast, he saw off their father and twins to school. If Hayun looked more puffy than usual, his father would secretly slip extra pocket money without the twins knowing. Today was one such day.

“Buy yourself some drinks, okay?”

As fast as lightning, Gyeongyeon’s hand swiftly reached into Hayun’s pocket and back out, leaving behind rustling bills. Smiling broadly, Hayun hugged his dad tightly. Despite playfully complaining about his grown son’s clinginess, Gyeongyeon couldn’t hide his delight with a subtle grin.

“Have a good day.”

“You too. And where are those twins?”

“Haa, it’s Kim Jiha again. It takes forever for them to get ready in the mornings.”

“Ah, you forgot to put on your socks!” Kijun sprinted back with a grin as Jiha yelled at him while giving chase. Indeed, Kijun had stuffed his socks into his pocket. His father shook his head and tightly closed his eyes due to all the commotion. Hayun chuckled softly and stepped aside. The house became quiet once the twins and their father left for school and work.

However, it was now time for Inyeong to get ready for her own commute. Meanwhile, Hayun quickly tidied up the dining table. He rinsed empty dishes under water before placing them in the dishwasher, then washed a dishcloth and wiped down the table. Still not used to handling chores, he struggled to keep the dishcloth from slipping out of his hands amidst stray pieces of vegetables.

“Oh dear, I told you, no need to go overboard.”

“It’s fine. It’s just some cleaning.”

Mookyeong’s words held some truth. Although Hayun pretended to help clean up, Mookyeong and Baek Jinha would do most of the work. Urging Inyeong to leave for work, Hayun rinsed out the dishcloth and hung it on the balcony railing. He glanced through the window at the bustling crowd below before heading back inside.

“I’m off to work.”

“Have a good day!”

“Oh right, Hayun-ah, here. Don’t let the twins know about this. Use it to buy snacks after your rehab session.”

“…..”

Hayun beamed brightly upon seeing three crisp blue bills. Inyeong patted him gently on the back before leaving the house. Hayun quickly tidied the living room where he slept and ate, then ran the vacuum cleaner. After watering the crowded plants on the balcony, he prepared to head out by himself.

Once his Mookyeong-related injuries were mostly healed, Hayun began rehabilitation to regain his powers in earnest. However, most esper rehabilitation programs focused on combat abilities. As such, after completing basic training at an esper-specific rehab center, Hayun continued his therapy at a research institute that had always shown interest in space manipulation.

The rehab center, the research institute, and his home were all quite far apart from each other. Consequently, he spent more time commuting than undergoing actual rehabilitation sessions. Fortunately, since the rehab center was both the starting and terminal point for the bus route between it and the research institute, Hayun could always secure a seat. This was especially welcome as he often felt utterly drained by the end of his rehab sessions.

After completing his rehab training, Hayun fell asleep deeply on the bus. Perhaps because it was the final stop, the driver recognized Hayun and safely woke him up at his destination. In a daze, he made his way to the research institute where they handed him a pile of medication.

The drugs were divided into three stages, with each stage requiring a thirty-minute gap between doses. After consuming the third-stage medication, researchers began monitoring Hayun’s condition every minute. He also had to undergo tests using various unidentified devices.

Compared to basic rehabilitation exercises, these sessions felt relatively comfortable for his body; however, they still left him exhausted by the end. Due to the bus schedule, he couldn’t linger and hurriedly departed from the research institute. Upon boarding the bus, he noticed that the middle seat at the very back was available. Normally, he would have hesitated, but today’s session had been particularly draining.

Hayun squeezed his way through the crowd and found a spot where he could hunch over as much as possible. He hugged his bag tightly against his chest like a cushion and closed his eyes. His heart was still racing from running to catch the bus, leaving him breathless despite it now slowing down. Hayun let out a small sigh.

Eventually, he fell asleep only to be jolted awake by the bus hitting a speed bump hard. It seemed he was the only one startled, so he quickly schooled his expression not to show any surprise. Just as he tried closing his eyes again, an announcement came on.

There were three stops left until his. To stay awake, Hayun rubbed his eyes vigorously and slapped his legs.

Once the announcement ended, the news started playing. The families of Pinocchio Incident victims held a press conference demanding answers, accusing the government of intentionally covering up the incident. However, before he could hear more, the bus driver changed the radio station after that segment.

“Argh, boring.”

“…..”

Someone’s muttered words struck his heart. He felt guilty despite not having committed any crime. Perhaps that was why? Even after getting off the bus, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

‘If something happened to their own family, they wouldn’t be saying such things.’

The Pinocchio case, which had caused turmoil in society, was long forgotten by most people. The members of the group were captured, and it was presumed that Geppetto Kim Deukcheol died on the day the labyrinth opened. Several more incidents involving the Pinocchio gang were revealed, but no new crimes occurred.

‘Geppetto.’

Kim Deukcheol had aimed to create a new superhuman. In the process, he killed gatekeepers, split open ships containing gogok, and forcibly expelled other minor espers from their bodies while they were still alive.

‘The gogok shattered in my hands, so if Kim Deukcheol succeeded in creating a new superhuman…’

Where could it be? 

Or perhaps it never existed at all?

Regardless of whether Kim Deukcheol created a superhuman or not, one liar among them was indeed transformed into a real person.

‘Then I guess that makes me Pinocchio.’

Hayun chuckled at his own thoughts.

“A lying Pinocchio.”

It felt both fitting and not quite right. With a sigh, he shook off these distractions and continued walking.