Chapter 151: A Woman's Heart (5)

I got a message from Wang Ja-hyun. He wanted to meet up, just the two of us.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

In this world, people say you're practically an accomplice if you fall for the same trick twice. After the painful backstabbing from Gong Ye-rin, I couldn't let myself fall into such an obvious trap again.

If it weren't for what happened with her, I might have believed this invitation and gone out, maybe hoping we could work things out through conversation.

Since I gained the ability to turn back time with points, my attitude had become either bold or foolishly optimistic, depending on how you look at it. I guess that's what happens when you combine the 《Strong Heart》 trait with the 《Sloppy Clock》.

"So what do you think I should do?"

I called Jung-seok to ask his opinion about this. After pondering for a while, he replied through the phone.

"Didn't he say to keep it a secret from others? By calling me, you've already broken that agreement, haven't you?"

"I guess so."

"It's obviously a trap. Didn't they stab you in the chest and take you hostage before? As if guys like that would genuinely want to meet one-on-one. If you go out this time, you'll end up a hostage again."

"That's what I thought too."

"But the fact that you called me means you're considering taking the risk and meeting him, right?"

"..."

I carefully examined my feelings.

Rationally, I knew rejecting this offer was the right choice. But part of me thought it might not be so bad to meet Wang Ja-hyun and talk things out.

That's why I called Jung-seok for his opinion.

"Remember, your time-rewinding isn't unlimited. It costs a lot of points too."

That was true.

I currently had 410 points. It’s not exactly a large number.

"By the way, did you know a new series of 'Abyss Corridor' is being released?"

"'Abyss Corridor'? You mean that game?"

"Yeah, there was no announcement or prior notice, but they say it's going to be released for free on online platforms tomorrow."

'Abyss Corridor' was a game set in the old school building I was exploring. It was based on the developers' real experiences, so of course it would be similar.

I think Mr. Kang Bada was the CEO of the game company.

A surprise release of the next series.

I'm not sure what this means, just as we're about to face the 4th floor.

"I think it might be good for all of us to get together tomorrow and play the game."

"Yeah."

We had one computer in our secret base. Playing the new series on that might give us some insights.

While we're at it, I should contact Mr. Kang Bada too.

So, in conclusion, I decided not to meet Wang Ja-hyun.

If I put myself in danger, it would be the same as putting everyone in danger.

***

[Ha Young-won: Not possible]

Wang Ja-hyun was furious at the rejection message from Young-won. The anger rushing to his head made the back of his skull throb again, but he didn't care.

'So this is how you want to play it, huh?'

He had let his guard down, he had to admit. Who would have thought Young-won's group would attack them first?

'No, I expected we'd clash eventually, but I never imagined they'd be so brazen as to ambush us like this.'

Waiting at the old school building entrance and then striking from behind with a blunt object. It was an extremely cowardly act, filled with malice.

Wang Ja-hyun had barely managed to escape the sudden attack, but Gong Ye-rin and Im Hee-yeon weren't so lucky. He tried contacting them, but couldn't reach either girl.

Just then, Ja-hyun's phone lit up.

Ding!

[Ye-rin: Ja-hyun, can you come to the address I'm sending? I managed to escape somehow, but it's scary and cold here. Please.]

It was a message from Gong Ye-rin.

A spark of hope ignited in Ja-hyun's dark mood. But then, he noticed something odd.

'Ye-rin doesn't usually send messages like this. She prefers talking on the phone directly.'

Suspicious.

Ja-hyun called Ye-rin. No answer.

[Ye-rin: My throat hurts too much to talk on the phone :( ]

The suspicion grew stronger.

Ja-hyun decided this must be a 'trap'. The person sending these messages clearly wasn't Gong Ye-rin.

'Is this another trap set by Ha Young-won?'

Ja-hyun thought about Ha Young-won as a person. He wasn't exactly what you'd call ruthless.

No matter how many surprising experiences you have, a person's true nature doesn't change easily.

'It might not be Young-won's doing.'

If that was the case, the situation had become even more complex and tricky.

Having lost all his companions in a single day, Ja-hyun pondered deeply and finally came to a conclusion.

'I can't give up now. I have to protect people. If I do nothing, the sea will overflow and sweep away many people. I'm the only one who can stop it.'

A noble, solemn, and sacred mission. It still burned like a hot flame in Ja-hyun's chest. He was truly a man who could be called a hero.

However, he had no immediate solution.

Given the circumstances, the only option was to meet Ha Young-won and settle things.

'If I tell the truth, maybe we can understand each other.'

***

[Everyone okay last night? Report in.]

[Jung-seok: All clear.]

[Bong ji: Sleepy]

[Sua: Couldn't sleep because cats kept meowing all night]

[Dahee: Haha, cats must be cute]

[Juhee: Yeah]

[Miri: Probably cat mating season lol]

At least everyone seems safe.

I was relieved that another night had passed without incident, and I was a little annoyed.

"Having to check if everyone's okay every night. Is this really how it should be?"

Gari-gek-gek.

I took some cherry tomatoes from the fridge and offered them to Giganoto, my lizard. Giganoto opened its mouth wide and swallowed a cherry tomato whole.

"If it's tasty, say 'boom-boo-boom-pow'."

Boom-boo-boom-pow.

"Good boy."

To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was okay to feed cherry tomatoes to a lizard. But Giganoto ate pretty much anything without discrimination. If I gave it chicken, it ate chicken. If I gave it bones, it ate bones too.

As expected of a dinosaur.

"Mom, are you sleeping?"

I quietly opened the door to my mom's room. Mom, who wasn't working today, was sleeping while scratching her stomach.

"I'm heading out, okay?"

No response. She must be in a deep sleep.

I turned to Giganoto and said.

"You watch over my mom."

Gari-gek-gek!

Alright.

With Giganoto around, I feel at ease.

Thanks to this little guy, I haven't seen any cockroaches lately. Life's become quite comfortable.

Stepping outside with that sense of security, I found the morning sun blazing hot. If summer continues like this, I wouldn't be surprised if the asphalt starts melting.

The scorching heat made it hard to even keep my eyes open.

Just as I was thinking how parched my mouth felt, someone suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Hey."

"...!"

I managed to hold back a scream, but I couldn't stop my heart from skipping a beat. The shock was so intense it made my chest hurt.

"Wang Ja-hyun!"

I scanned my surroundings, looking for anything that could serve as a weapon.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), the old apartment building I lived in was made of aged bricks, and you could often find loose ones lying around.

As I picked up a brick, Ja-hyun held up both his palms towards me.

"Don't be so defensive."

"Wouldn't you be if you were me?"

"Fair point. But if you think about it, aren't I the real victim here? My stuff got stolen. My friends were attacked."

Looks like he's convinced I stole the talisman and that I sent a ghost after Kim Geon-ho.

Still, I played dumb.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid. Then why are you holding that brick? You must feel guilty about something and be scared of me, right?"

"This? This is... Listen, you jerk. Think about what you did to me. Because of you, my three years in middle school were hell. You bullied me, remember?"

"Okay, I'll admit it. I did bully you in middle school. It was because your father caused my dad to lose his position as lead pastor. Our whole family got dragged through the mud because we were from the same church."

"You felt bad about being unfairly criticized? Well, I was unfairly criticized too, you know."

"Are a criminal's family innocent or equally guilty? Interesting question. Anyway, spare me some time. I'm not here to threaten you. I couldn't even if I wanted to."

I still thought it was a trap. Gong Ye-rin and Im Heeyeon might be hiding nearby.

"You say that, but you're probably planning to have Ye-rin jump out and stab me in the chest if I get close, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

This bastard, is he trying to play innocent? I experienced it firsthand, and he's still trying to deny it?

I couldn't afford to waste another 100 Points.

Seeing my wariness, Ja-hyun spoke as if he had no choice.

"This isn't the place to discuss everything. At least tell me if Ye-rin and Hee-yeon are alive or not."

Why is he asking me that? Did something happen when he sent those mercenaries after Geon-ho yesterday?

When I didn't answer, Ja-hyun growled.

"Trying to play dumb? Yesterday, you ambushed us in front of the old school building and hit our heads with something like that brick you're holding."

This was news to me. Is he lying?

It was entirely possible. Ja-hyun had always been a frequent liar. He often told truths that sounded like lies, too.

"And you need to stop what you're doing right now. You don't know what will happen if you dig too deep into the corridor. Look at the world after the earthquake. It's total chaos."

Ja-hyun was now trying to persuade me.

Listening to him, it was as if I was the bad guy causing trouble in the world. I couldn't just stand there silently, so I decided to fire back.

"You're the one who had something like a baby's finger, weren't you?"

"That's because we need it to enter the invisible world. And you seem to think I killed a baby to make it. That's a misunderstanding. It was originally your father's possession."

...What?

I was shocked.

"Yes, it belonged to your father. It's something he couldn't retrieve when he was arrested. I'd like to ask why your father had such a thing in the first place."

Ja-hyun's words sounded very plausible.

Statements from a tall, handsome guy could make even a simple yawn sound poetic. I could see why Ye-rin and Heeyeon were so blindly loyal to this guy.

"Is that how you sweet-talked those girls? It won't work on me."

"I've said my piece. And if possible, send Ye-rin and Hee-yeon to this address. They're just caught up in this, they're not really at fault."

Whoosh—

Ja-hyun took out a paper airplane from his pocket and threw it at me. As I caught the fluttering thing, a question suddenly popped into my mind.

"...What about Kim Geon-ho?"

My heart was pounding.

It was beating so hard it hurt. Ja-hyun spoke softly.

"He's dead. He suddenly tried to attack Ye-rin. She resisted and then..."

This... is a mix of truth and lies.

The death part seemed true, but the rest felt like a lie.

Ja-hyun probably thought he was good at lying, but he wasn't. I've been watching him scrunch up his nose bridge every time he lies since elementary school.

'They killed him.'

It was them who killed Kim Geon-ho.

Realizing this, I wanted to get away from there. But there was one thing I felt I needed to make clear.

"Don't come within 100 meters of my house."

This wasn't just a simple warning. Ja-hyun seemed to sense my resolve and turned his back.

My heart was still racing from this unexpected encounter, but I felt like I'd had a lot of conversation and gained plenty of information.

I headed to our secret base. Dahee was watching a cat at the entrance.

"Look at this cat. It's a neighborhood stray that looks like a mackerel, so we call it Mackerel Tabby. Mackerel tabbies are famous for being grumpy, but this one's so gentle. Isn't it cute?"

"Wow, it is cute."

The cat was calmly eating treats from Dahee's hand.

A high school girl and a cat in summer. It's like a scene straight out of a youth manga.

"Dahee. Are you keeping Im Hee-yeon and Gong Ye-rin?"

"Yeah. I've got them locked up in our storage room. They're still alive."