Chapter 446: Lily of the Valley (21)
Chapter 446: Lily of the Valley (21)
Chapter 446: Lily of the Valley (21)
~The innermost part of the HanEun Group, where a soft light spreads madly~
There, confronting Kim Sun-woo, Han Seo-eun’s head was spinning.
‘What is this…?’
Calm, calm, calm.
Taking a small deep breath, Han Seo-eun quickly analyzed what Kim Sun-woo had said.
Everyone’s assumptions were wrong.
What Kim Sun-woo was after wasn’t just terrorism, but something higher.
Powers come from the gods and as long as humans are granted powers by gods, they will forever be puppets of gods.
Therefore, he wanted to create a new species by making all human beings gain powers arbitrarily.
Since he is already dying, it is a sacrifice that has nothing to do with his own self-interest.
It was plausible, but it was nonsense.
A rational mind could come up with dozens of counterarguments.
But why?
From the moment she heard his maddening voice, her heart began to stir.
‘No… Wake up, Han Seo-eun, you can’t fall for that kind of propaganda.’
Her head was dizzy from the realization that Sun-woo was already dying in the first place.
Her enemy, the one she had always thought of killing…How was she supposed to accept that he was dying because he sacrificed himself?
‘…No. Stop thinking about it. Get a grip. It’s not important.’
Having gotten herself under control, Han Seo-eun somehow managed to calmly continue her thoughts.
‘In the first place, if all humans had superpowers…’
Even when there were only a few, there was terrorism every day, so what would happen to the world if everyone had it?
It would be no different than giving a child a gun.
The world would be a war zone all day long, and there would be no safe place.
It could be a complete dystopia, where a simple fight could lead to death.
Han Seo-eun, who had thought about it up to that point, was thinking about refuting Kim Sun-woo with this logic, but…
‘Yeah. Fighting could happen. The world could become a battlefield. But what’s the point? The fact is, the world is already full of fights, not necessarily violence, but conflict in relationships. It is imperfect.
So what difference does it make if they have superpowers? On the contrary, doesn’t it give the victims, those who are defenselessly exposed to violence without a single weapon to defend themselves, a chance to fight back?’
Her quick mind had already predicted what Sun-woo would say in retort.
…It was a sophistry, but getting caught up in such wordplay would only hurt her weak side.
Therefore, the only thing that matters to her is time.
“….”
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Having come up with all of this in a matter of seconds, she glanced down at Da-in.
“…Ugh.”
His breathing was becoming irregular, like he was about to wake up.
She just needed to hold on until he woke up. After that, he’ll take care of everything. He’s always been the one to figure things out and find solutions…
So, all she needs to do now is cut through Sun-woo’s rhetoric.
…and find a way to destroy that mysterious machine behind him.
For now, it was her turn to refute his words. An attack that would hit him so hard, so surely, that he wouldn’t be able to refute her words.
And what that attack would be.
She knew all too well.
“…Ha. Yes. All you want to do is make the world greater, and you’re willing to sacrifice your life for it?”
With that, Han Seo-eun finally said in a low voice.
Sun-woo nodded, smiled, and said.
“Yes, child, you finally understand.”
And he was about to continue but he was cut off by Han Seo-eun’s cold words.
“…Disgusting.”
The words came out coldly, as if she was truly disgusted.
At those words, Kim Sun-woo frowned but there was no need for him to react.
Han Seo-eun opened her eyes in disdain, glaring at him, and her mouth opened in anger.
“…You, you’ve always been like that, deceiving and manipulating people with your ridiculous sophistry, and now what, adult cosplay? It’s not even funny.
You’re doing it for the sake of the world? You’re doing it for the sake of humanity? Right… A person who cares for humanity like that! A person who cares for humanity! Kidnapping me… an innocent person like me and my sister… and torturing me…?”
Han Seo-eun’s words were filled with such desperate hatred that Kim Sun-woo just stood still with his mouth closed.
Han Seo-eun cringed even more at his behavior.
With reddened eyes, she cried out as if she were about to vomit blood.
“Don’t get me wrong. You’re a disgusting piece of trash. No matter how much you pretend to act for the good of the world! My colleagues in heaven… my friends… my family!! They all know that you’re a bad guy!!! If only you weren’t here, I, I…”
Seo-eun cried out like that while Kim Sun-woo just listened.
Soon, he opened his mouth.
“…Yes.”
“……”
“You’re right, Han Seo-eun, I can’t undo the sins I’ve committed.”
“…What?”
“In this world, to raise your voice against me like that… You are the only one left who can punish me for my original sin, so I speak to you here on behalf of all those who have been wronged by me.”
“You… What were you thinking…?”
“I am sorry, Han Seo-Eun, I have done a terrible thing to you and to them, and I will take this sin with me to Hell.”
With those words, Kim Sun-woo bowed his head.
Han Seo-Eun became even more and more enraged.
Yes. She had imagined it. Kim Sun-woo apologizing for everything he’d done to her…begging for his life.
So, it could be said that this was what she had hoped for, but…Not like this.
“…You, are you crazy, apologizing? Ha. With those words, you think you can be forgiven for everything you’ve ever done!”
Han Seo-eun shouted in anger but Kim Sun-woo raised his head again and said calmly.
“Of course I can’t be forgiven, because this is the original sin that I’m responsible for, but, Han Seo-eun…You must be misunderstanding something.”
Sun-woo continued.
“An innocent person. You still don’t know the truth about you, child.”
“Shut up with your bullshit. I don’t even want to know!”
Just then, Han Seo-eun cuts off Kim Sun-woo’s words.
“No! You must know, Han Seo-eun, the truth about you!”
Kim Sun-woo suddenly shouted in a loud voice.
While Han Seo-eun flinched at this moment, Kim Sun-woo continued in a rare high-pitched voice.
“Yes, it’s true. I, on my own initiative, conducted experiments to artificially create superpowers in the HanEun Group, under the direction of the executives of the HanEun Group, all of whom I have now killed.
And, as you know, the process required human testing. Talented children were needed. That’s what you four were.
But!!! We didn’t just take any child and experiment on them. We only picked them up from orphanages, from the side of the road, under the hypothesis that abilities are manifested in those who are defective in some way.”
With those words Kim Sun-woo gave her a twisted, wry smile.
“Han Seo-eun, you were taken because you were the most evil of all the humans we found.
Pure evil. A being whose birth was a mistake. Someone who will one day make everyone unhappy and kill the person they care about most with their own hands. That’s what you are, Han Seo-eun!”
To Kim Sun-woo, who says so with a voice dripping with madness, Han Seo-eun, filled with unbelievable rage, shouted.
“Shut up!!! Now you’re saying that the reason you were allowed to kidnap me and experiment on me was because I was evil? You’re crazy…You expect me to believe that? Are you out of your mind?”
“Haha…Hahahaha!!! Yes, I knew you would deny it. Of course, you are not evil…It’s this world and people that are wrong…You say so, but you know what, Han Seo-eun?”
With that, Sun-woo snapped his fingers with his other hand, the hand that had been pointing the lightning bolt at Da-in.
And with it the great walls around him glowed.
At that moment, Han Seo-Eun flinched and looked around.
Kim Sun-woo opened his mouth, his voice sounding like he was laughing.
“You know, Han Seo-eun!!! I, in my research after the loss of superpowers, accidentally discovered the art of dimensional manipulation. And I’ve been able to see other dimensions!
And you, in another world. Do you know what kind of human you were in a world where that man didn’t exist!!!”
With those words he flicked his hand and with that, on the gray walls, different images appeared.
[Off! Off! Off! Help!!]
[Emergency! There is currently a massive jailbreak at Villain Prison Carqueas by the S-class Villain White Witch! All citizens, please evacuate…]
A city was burning, fires were raging, countless villains were rampaging through it, slaughtering citizens and in the center of it all, with long, white hair looking more mature than she is now, a woman wrapped in a pure white cloak, was flying through the air with cold eyes, leading a large army of soldiers.
Looking at her, Han Seo-eun muttered to herself.
“No…”
No, no.
It can’t be.
It can’t be. I, I, I can’t be… I can’t be…
And before she could finish her thought, Kim Sun-woo drove the wedge in, as if there was no escape.
“Yes! That’s who you are, Han Seo-eun, the one who rose to the pinnacle of villainy without anyone telling her to. The woman who caused the greatest prison break in history, and fought to the death against Stardus in the other world!!!
A feat of humanity. S-class villain White Witch.
That’s your true nature, Han Seo-eun!!!”
Kim Sun-woo’s words gradually became faintly audible to her.
No, it’s not.
I’m not.
I’m not.
I can’t be.
[Gahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!]
[Stop it, White Witch….! Why, why, why are you doing this!!!]
[Ah. You must be Stardus. Nice to see you. Why am I doing this? That’s…]
‘Pure evil.’
‘A being whose birth was wrong. Someone who will one day make everyone unhappy and kill the person they care about most with their own hands. That’s you, Han Seo-eun!’
“No…”
No, I’m not… I’m…
Where did I go wrong?
How did that happen?
In that moment of panic, the all-too-familiar sound of my own voice was so clear in my ears.
[Yeah… I was just. angry. I just did this. Why? Why can’t you do this?]
I, silently, thought.
Where did I go wrong?
I wonder what happened to me in that world.
Did I not meet Da-in?
Did I not go out into the world?
Because I distrusted people?
Because I ran away, leaving everyone behind?
Because I was kidnapped by the group?
…No.
Maybe it was wrong from the beginning…
With that last thought my consciousness settled into the depths, toward the first memory.
***
That time.
“Ugh… Ha, ha….”
Da-in, finally regaining consciousness, in the midst of the commotion.
“No… No, I’m not…”
“This is your nature. Han Seo-eun!!!”
Watching Seo-eun crumble before my eyes and the images reflected on the walls I thought to myself.
‘Ah. This is a problem.’