LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 38
Shin Woo looked back.
There was no one.
“······.”
His expression stiffened.
Is Hana still looking at Sophie even now?
The girl’s expression was strange.
He couldn’t read her inner thoughts.
“···Sophie is behind me? Even now?”
“No. She’s not here now.”
“Where did she go?”
“I don’t know.”
As their conversation continued, his conviction grew stronger.
Just as the teacher said.
Hana is seeing things.
Whether it’s a side effect of the painkillers or the aftereffects of her attempted suicide, he wasn’t sure.
The problem was whether Hana was aware of it.
From how she spoke, it seemed she wasn’t.
Hana truly believed that Sophie was alive.
This couldn’t be left as is.
He had to inform her of the truth.
But the words wouldn’t easily come out.
Shin Woo hesitated for a long moment.
He was scared.
The resentment and hatred that would be directed at him.
He could easily anticipate what kind of reaction would come.
Yet, even so.
He had to say it.
It was the choice for Hana’s sake.
“···Sophie is dead.”
“Why?”
“They investigated everything at the academy. And they confirmed that Sophie is dead.”
“Then who was the Sophie I saw?”
Shin Woo hesitated for a moment before he answered.
Then he spat it out.
“···You just saw wrong. There was no one behind me.”
Silence hung in the air.
Hana simply stared blankly at Shin Woo and didn’t open her mouth.
Time passed, and the girl spoke softly.
“I see.”
Shin Woo was taken aback by her unexpected response.
Did she really accept it so readily?
“Y-you believe me?”
“I’m not sure, but you said it, Shin Woo. There must be a reason.”
For a brief moment of shock, Shin Woo then sighed in relief.
Their relationship hadn’t completely broken down after all.
She believed his words entirely.
He felt deeply moved by that fact.
Soon, Hana spoke in a drowsy voice.
“I’m sorry. I keep getting sleepy···.”
“Oh, you must be tired. Rest well. You’ll recover faster that way.”
“Yeah···. Thanks···.”
“Well then, I’ll be going. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
The girl fell silent.
As Shin Woo momentarily gazed at Hana’s neatly curled eyelashes, he turned to leave.
Right. Let’s take it slow, one step at a time.
They could rebuild from the beginning.
The boy left, and the hospital room fell silent.
Hana, lying on the bed, stared blankly at the ceiling.
The starlight that used to sparkle in her eyes was no longer visible.
A small murmuring escaped her lips.
“Is it true?”
Her hoarse voice felt empty.
“···Is it really fake? Sophie?”
“······.”
No answer came.
Soon, only the sound of a girl’s sobbing echoed in the hospital room for a while.
*
A dark space with not a ray of light.
Despite it being bright daylight outside, the room had no windows.
The room was stark and lacking any decor or furniture.
Only a massive round table in the center remained.
Twelve people sat attentively around the large round table with its center hollowed out.
Their faces were obscured by the darkness.
“You must have heard the news?”
“Did we gather here just because of the Messiah’s suicide attempt?”
“That’s enough. It means we’re completely out of options now.”
“The problem is that the Messiah still hasn’t awakened. It’s more dangerous now.”
“I agree. The current situation is perilous. If we lose the Messiah, all our plans will be ruined.”
“There’s no need to panic. We just have to act according to the prophecy.”
“And we have already prepared a contingency plan. That boy, after all.”
“Still, we must be careful. The time is truly near. When humanity’s wishes are fulfilled.”
“Indeed. Let’s start preparing that spear soon.”
*
In the student council room.
Sehee remained alone after all the other officers had left to take care of her work.
Recently, this scene had become commonplace.
Her work speed had noticeably slowed down.
“Ugh···!”
Sehee grimaced as she paused writing documents.
Her hand had unconsciously found its way to her abdomen.
It was a remnant of the battle from the previous day.
It was too ambiguous to call it an injury.
From the outside, it looked like there was no problem at all.
She had even undergone a thorough examination, and there were no internal injuries.
The periodic pain.
Rather than fading, the aftereffects had been worsening over time.
Could it be a result of the Mind’s ability?
Whatever the reason might be, she felt a strong gut instinct that she shouldn’t ignore it any longer.
Today, she would have to go out and find a recovery ability user.
That wasn’t the only issue, however.
Her sister’s friend.
Yu Hana.
From what she heard, it seemed her condition was quite serious.
Just the fact that she jumped off the roof was enough to indicate the situation.
Rumors had spread significantly within the academy already.
Various stories circulated as if they were facts without any repercussions.
Especially the stories related to her sister took up a considerable portion.
The disciplinary incident involving Han Si-hyun had become well-known throughout the school.
This recent attempted suicide incident was also being reexamined in that context.
“Hah···.”
While one could say it was karma, that didn’t change the fact that as an older sister, she couldn’t feel good about it.
Especially when hearing baseless slanders about her sister, she momentarily lost her reason and thought this.
Honestly, it wasn’t just her sister at fault, was it?
Wasn’t there shared liability to some extent?
No matter what, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed.
Bringing up a deceased sister to provoke is too much.
Slap!
She slapped her cheek to snap back to reality.
It was a matter that was already over.
Her sister had recognized her own mistakes, and that was the end of it.
Bringing it up further would do no good for anyone.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind.
Having finally regained her composure, Sehee sighed.
It seemed like accidents had become particularly common lately.
But then again, in a world like this, maybe it couldn’t be helped.
Just as she turned her attention back to her work to focus on her documents.
Knock knock.
A knocking sound echoed through the room.
It was already 5 PM.
There shouldn’t be anyone visiting the student council room at this hour.
Sehee, puzzled, said.
“Yes. Come in.”
“Then I’ll intrude.”
A heavy voice of a middle-aged man.
The man who stepped into the student council room smiled leisurely.
“Do you have a moment?”
“···Vice Principal, what brings you here?”
The Vice Principal scratched his eye patch and said.
“Oh, I wanted to talk about something privately.”
Privately?
Sehee tilted her head slightly.
However, she soon readily accepted.
“Well, if it’s just for a bit, that’s fine.”
“Glad to hear that.”
Swoosh.
The door closed.
*
She opened her eyes.
The surroundings were completely dark.
She only slightly turned her head to glance at the window.
Night.
The time when the sun hides its body.
The time when the moon rises into the sky.
The time when the stars twinkle.
She should be going back to sleep.
Even thinking that, sleep wouldn’t come.
So she stared blankly at the window.
She admired the stars.
Sophie.
Where are you?
Where did you go?
I miss you.
Even if we’re far apart, you said that as long as we think of each other, we’re together.
I’m thinking about you right now. So why are you leaving me all alone?
Don’t you think of me? Doesn’t Sophie think of me?
You’ve become a twinkling star.
If you’re truly one of those countless stars.
Should I be happy about that?
Or should I be sad?
I don’t even know that anymore.
“······.”
Slowly, tears welled up.
It was strange.
I’ve cried from pain and from sadness.
But crying from sadness hurt more than crying from pain.
It hurt so much.
It felt like my heart was breaking.
All I want is for everything to be okay.
I don’t need powers or anything anymore.
I just wanted to see Sophie one more time.
I missed those blue eyes I saw on the roof.
Yeah. That Sophie back then was real. No doubt about it.
For sure, it’s certain?
Honestly, I’m not so sure.
Then what about the Sophie who was behind Shin Woo?
That’s···.
I get it.
So then, is the Sophie next to you real?
You’re lying in bed, hugging her tightly.
Just like in those happy memories from the dormitory.
“······.”
No. I’m all alone in this hospital room now.
At that moment, the warm touch that held me vanished.
I felt cold. Lonely. Isolated.
I shivered from the cold.
No matter how many blankets I piled on, the chill wouldn’t go away.
Sophie, who sat by the window, smiled.
Am I real right now?
No. You’re fake.
Then, is the you right now real?
No. I’m a fake too.
Then, is this world real?
No. This world is all fake too.
Then, is that knocking sound real?
No. That’s fake too.
Then, is the sound of footsteps I hear real?
No. That’s fake too.
Then, is the light coming through the gap in the door real?
No. The light is fake too.
Then the man standing in front of you is real?
No. He’s fake.
Then listen.
Is the voice you hear real?
“It’s been a while, Hana.”
“······.”
Ha. Haha.
“You look very troubled.”
She opened her eyes.
In the dark hospital room, her gaze met the man looking down at her.
Her vision wavered.
Her heart began to race.
Her breathing grew slightly ragged.
“Do you want to be happy?”
From his arms.
A familiar glass vial.
Inside it, a red potion.
Suddenly, the long-gone Sophie whispered in her ear.
Is that strawberry real?
“Of course, the choice is entirely yours, Hana.”