novelraw Chapter 268 : Chapter 268
Chapter 268 : Chapter 268
Chapter 268: Responsibility (2)
Ji-an swallowed, seemingly nervous.
It was the first time she had seen Ho-cheol so intensely serious and grave.
At least, the Ho-cheol she dealt with was gentler and more broad-minded than anyone.
For others, he demanded such a high moral threshold that he’d grudgingly give a single yellow card before immediately pulling out a red card, yet for her, it felt like she’d already accumulated fifty yellow cards.
For the first time, he was now looking at her with such gravity.
Ji-an pitifully hid her trembling hands at her side, clenching her fists.
It was still fine.
She was certain that if she just returned the correct answer to his question, he would return to his usual self.
She quickly rewound her memories with all her might.
The biggest crime that immediately came to mind was, of course...
Ji-an recounted a few episodes that she recalled.
Ho-cheol's expression grew even more serious as he listened.
I mean, she hadn't directly killed anyone, but she was quite malicious.
“You did things like that, too?”
“No, well. I was a bit desperate at the time...”
“That's also a bad thing, but it’s not the right answer.”
Ji-an grew more frantic and thoroughly rummaged through her memories again.
What could be worse than that?
She spoke again.
“That’s not it, either.”
As several wrong answers came out, a heavy silence flowed between them.
The things Ji-an had mentioned so far were certainly bad deeds, but her opponents were all just Villains.
It was simply the Villains’ bad karma returning to them in the form of Ji-an.
I had no intention of making her take responsibility for even that.
There was no reason to.
However, beyond that, there were also many innocent victims who were not Villains.
Ji-an had faced countless victims and offered her apologies, partly willingly and partly forced.
She had been tolerated, if not forgiven, for her existence.
But there were still things for which she had received neither forgiveness nor tolerance.
Ji-an gnawed at her fingernails and looked at the facility building directly ahead.
Why had Ho-cheol suddenly asked this question right here?
As her thoughts reached that point, one thing abruptly came to mind.
“...Don't tell me. In that facility...”
At Ji-an’s reaction, Ho-cheol let out a small sigh of relief.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed she had just barely remembered.
She hadn't completely forgotten.
I would have been quite disappointed if she had.
“Right. Those kids you made to be the next generation. They’re staying there.”
“Ah.”
Ji-an made a sound of regret.
Of course, the schemes of the Society operating in the shadows played a significantly large role in her choice, but ultimately, the decision and action to create and try to use those two were purely hers.
She could never be free from that responsibility.
Ho-cheol leaned his body toward the steering wheel and rested his chin on it.
“Dowon, Hwayeon. Those are their names, right.”
Ho-cheol scratched the back of his head and continued speaking.
Of course, it was a result largely influenced by the Society's schemes, but the choice and action to create and try to use those two were Ji-an's.
They’re the names of the kids you created through genetic manipulation, and they're living in that facility right now.
Ho-cheol scratched the back of his head and said.
“I won’t tell you to meet them today. Neither you nor the Twins are fully ready to accept each other’s existence yet. But still, you should at least know about it.”
If I were to suddenly take them to meet without them even being aware of each other's existence, problems would inevitably erupt.
The silver lining, however, was that the Twins hadn't ever overtly expressed any ill will toward Ji-an.
If they slowly recognize each other's presence and narrow the distance, like dipping their toes into cold water, they might be able to properly face each other someday.
However, a completely unexpected answer came from Ji-an.
“No. I want to meet them today.”
“Are you sure? I’m not forcing you.”
She wasn't yet sure what it meant to face them and take responsibility.
But one thing she could understand right now was this:
If she ran away today, she would spend the rest of her life only running away.
I couldn’t stop her even after seeing that determined attitude.
Ho-cheol straightened up and opened the car door.
Ji-an got out of the car with that same boldness at first, but somehow, the closer they got to the facility, the more timid she became, and by the time they reached the entrance, she was completely shriveled up.
Half-hidden behind Ho-cheol’s back, she tightly grabbed the tail of his coat with both hands.
Ho-cheol didn't point out her appearance.
Of course, she had every right to be scared.
He pressed the doorbell.
After waiting for a moment, the door opened.
“Who is— Oh my.”
Hye-jin, the director of the facility, opened her eyes in surprise upon seeing Ho-cheol.
Then, she quickly smiled brightly and welcomed him.
“It’s been a long time!”
“I saw the news. Are you okay?”
“It’s nothing. It was resolved properly.”
“That’s a relief.”
She was momentarily surprised when Ho-cheol’s face became known as a Villain, but she quickly returned to normal.
“Are the Twins doing well?”
“Yes, of course. Now they get along well with the other kids, too. They’re inside, so let's go see them right away. But who is this person?”
Hye-jin belatedly noticed Ji-an, who was hiding behind Ho-cheol, and tilted her head.
“Hello...”
Ji-an greeted her in a voice that barely carried.
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”
Ho-cheol leaned forward and quietly explained Ji-an’s identity and her relationship with the Twins to Hye-jin.
“Oh, ah. I see.”
Since she already knew that the Twins were not ordinary people but a case born through a certain experiment, her surprise was minimal.
“So I brought her here today for them to at least see each other's faces.”
“I see...”
Unable to hide her complex emotions, Hye-jin stepped aside with a look of reluctance.
“Please come inside.”
“Yes. Excuse us.”
Ho-cheol left Ji-an in the Director's Office and headed separately to the room where the children were staying.
“They should be in the playroom right now.”
“I said I’d visit often, but it’s been so long that I hope they haven’t forgotten my face.”
“They couldn't forget, you’ve been on the news so often. The kids just love seeing someone they know on TV. One even has a newspaper clipping of you.”
“...I should live a good life.”
I couldn’t believe they’d seen all of that.
I hadn't even been on the air for anything good.
Truly repentant, Ho-cheol stood in front of the playroom.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
The interior was spacious, as if several rooms had been demolished and joined together.
I spotted the Twins among the familiar faces.
Dowon and Hwayeon.
Dowon, who was reading a book to other kids in the corner of the playroom, and Hwayeon, who was practicing wrestling moves by pinning down a few children, simultaneously snapped their heads up.
““Uncle!””
The two of them instantly jumped up and greeted Ho-cheol.
No, they tried to greet him.
But before they could, the other children in the facility spotted Ho-cheol and rushed towards him in a mob.
While not as much as the Twins, Ho-cheol was a popular person to all the children at this facility.
“Wow! It really has been a long time!”
“Didn’t Ye-jin sister come?”
“Hand! Give me your hand!”
They swarmed around him, clinging to various parts of his body.
Ho-cheol didn’t show any sign of annoyance, answering each of their questions while lifting the attached children up high, one by one.
Amidst the children bursting into delighted laughter, Ho-cheol subtly winked at the Twins.
They understood and nodded with a small smile.
A few children among the group nervously stomped their feet in excitement.
“I’ll go get the Dinosaur Suit!”
Ho-cheol was instantly flustered.
I hadn’t come here to play all day in the first place.
If I put that suit on, I would be a toy for at least a few hours.
“Kids, it’s snack time. Let’s go to the dining hall.”
Fortunately, Hye-jin's intervention was able to divert the children's attention elsewhere.
“You saved my life.”
“You have to keep your promise, though? I can’t believe those children hesitated even at the mention of snacks.”
I managed to avoid wearing that Dinosaur Suit today.
Instead, I made a somewhat burdensome promise to visit again within a month, but thanks to that promise, everyone gave up on Ho-cheol and went off to eat their snacks.
The playroom, now quiet with all the children gone, only had the Twins slowly creeping closer to Ho-cheol.
“Didn’t you take too long to come?”
Hwayeon grumbled, her lips pouting.
However, it was merely an expression of regret rather than true resentment.
Dowon, with a book tucked under his arm, clicked his tongue.
“It's obvious he was busy, so what kind of talk is that?”
“No. Still. Well, disappointment is disappointment.”
“You’re the one who was whimpering under the covers every day, asking when he would come.”
“Hey!”
He reached out both hands and affectionately stroked the Twins' heads.
“I’m sorry. I was a bit busy with work. I’ll show my face more often next time, alright?”
“Hmph. I’ll let it slide for today.”
“It’s okay. Just the thought makes me happy. So, what brings you here today?”
If he had simply come to visit, there would have been no need to chase all the other kids away.
There was clearly some other reason.
At Dowon's question, Ho-cheol gave a wry smile.
They had the appearance of ten-year-olds, but their actual age was only one year old.
Yet, they immediately understood the situation and saw through to the core issue.
“Let’s go together first.”
I opened the door to the Director's Office and entered with the Twins.
Ji-an, who was sitting on a chair inside, flinched and trembled upon seeing the Twins.
The Twins, on the other hand, had never seen Ji-an's face before, so they tilted their heads as if they had no idea who she was.
When they opened their eyes and developed self-awareness, they were not in the organization's hideout but within the Society’s facility.
Since this was after Ji-an had been betrayed and their base was raided, it was natural that they would be meeting for the first time.
“Who are you?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Ho-cheol held the Twins by the shoulders, ready for any unexpected contingency, and spoke.
“The facility where you were first born. Do you remember it?”
“Of course. That Trait Liberation New World Martial Arts Society? Something like that?”
“New World Trait Liberation Society.”
Dowon covered his face with both hands, embarrassed whenever his Twin sister said something foolish.
“In fact, they weren’t the direct cause. They were, accurately, in the position of managing and using you.”
Why are you suddenly talking about this— The Twins just wore expressions of doubt.
But they were completely frozen by Ho-cheol’s next words.
“The person who first led to your birth is her.”
“Oh.”
“Ah.”
The Twins' gaze turned toward Ji-an.
With all their eyes on her, Ji-an parted her lips.
“Ah, well. So...”
Before she could say anything, Hwayeon turned her head and spoke to Ho-cheol first.
“Could we talk by ourselves?”
“That would be a bit difficult, I think.”
Ho-cheol openly furrowed one eyebrow in an expression of difficulty.
If Ji-an had any sense, or at least if she was mindful of me, she wouldn't do anything reckless to them.
And the opposite situation was also true.
However, that only applied to a normal situation.
The current situation was quite far from normal.
I intended to stay as close as possible in case of any unexpected contingencies.
I also had the role of intervening and mediating if the conversation took a serious turn.
As Ho-cheol stood there looking troubled, Hye-jin poked his back with her finger from behind.
Then, she spoke in a very small voice.
“It’s okay. With those two.”
Ho-cheol seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he finally released his hands from the Twins' shoulders.
I had no choice but to trust Hye-jin’s words, as she had been with them for a period incomparable to Ho-cheol or Ji-an.
Ho-cheol and Hye-jin stepped out of the Director’s Office.
“...why.”
“Responsibility... That is.”
Faint voices were heard from inside.
If I concentrated even a little, I could eavesdrop on the content, but Ho-cheol deliberately ignored the sound.
Instead, he moved back a few steps to a place where the sound couldn't be heard.
Crash!—
There was a sound of something being thrown and shattering.
Ho-cheol flinched for a moment but barely managed to restrain himself with superhuman patience.
Had there ever been a time since his release from prison when he was so powerless and could only wait for the outcome without being able to take action?
No matter how strong I was, in a situation like this, I was still infinitely helpless.
How much time passed like that?
Screeeak—
The door opened, and Dowon poked his head out.
“It’s over.”
Wondering what was over, Ho-cheol entered the Director's Office with a slight tension.
I hoped they weren't raging and screaming for revenge.