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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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This chapter contains potentially disturbing content, including violence and verbal abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
“…”
Seated on a park bench, I glanced at my phone. 11 a.m. An hour late. I exhaled, my gaze fixed on nothing in particular, the wait stretching endlessly.
She did mention having a meeting this morning…
Yu-bin had a meeting this morning, followed by her afternoon shift at the convenience store. Or rather, she’d told me she had an office assistant job in the morning and a convenience store shift in the afternoon.
Either way, I knew she had a morning meeting, so considering our usual meeting times, I figured she’d be here around lunchtime.
We hadn’t exchanged numbers, so we had no way of contacting each other, and since I’d been the one to suggest this outing, I decided to wait a little longer.
The previous night.
The first thing I did when I got home was open my closet. My fingers brushed over the few clothes I owned as I mulled over what to wear tomorrow. The plan had been made on a whim, yet I found myself anticipating it.
“Oh…”
As I was picking out clothes, imagining our outing, I suddenly remembered I had a meeting tomorrow morning. It was Friday, so Pink wouldn’t be there, but Blue and Yellow’s schedules were always unpredictable, so would it be okay to suddenly skip the meeting?
I had no way to contact A. The plan had been made so suddenly, and I’d rushed home without asking for his number.
I decided to contact Red and typed out a message.
[Red, I don’t think I can make it to the meeting tomorrow. Is that okay?]
I sent the message and waited anxiously. My phone vibrated almost immediately.
[That’s unusual. Green said she couldn’t make it either.]
[It’s okay. Just one day. What’s up?]
I hesitated, unsure how to respond, when another message from Red arrived.
[A guy?]
Even though it was just a text message, I could sense her tone and expression, and I wondered how to reply. It was a guy, but…
I suddenly wondered if this was a date, and my mind raced.
“No, no, it’s not. It can’t be.”
It was just a casual outing to the amusement park with a friend.
Nothing more, nothing less. But I couldn’t stop my mind from racing, imagining all sorts of scenarios.
[No, just meeting a friend.]
I sent the reply, trying to be vague, then wondered if A and I were really friends.
He seemed too good for me to be his friend. He was articulate and must have a wide social circle, unlike me, a burden who had nothing to offer.
“Clothes…”
I couldn’t go shopping now, so I decided to choose the best outfit I had. I wasn’t sure what to wear to an amusement park, so I searched online and chose a white floral dress and a light blue cardigan.
It was a bit plain, but it suited my style.
While it probably wasn’t a date, I still looked up what people did on dates. I was surprised by the variety of activities and the sheer number of happy couples. Of course, I wasn’t one of them.
But I finally had a chance to create my own happy memory. While it might be just a normal outing, nothing special, for A, it was special for me.
I shouldn’t get carried away, though. It wasn’t a date. Just a casual outing. But if it was a date, wouldn’t that be a significant moment for me?
I found myself thinking about A. What kind of person was he? He was a good listener and seemed to be good at conversations. He was clearly out of my league, but he was the first person I’d genuinely enjoyed spending time with, and I wanted to be with him more.
I couldn’t sleep, even though it was past my usual bedtime. I lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling, tracing the patterns on the wallpaper with my eyes, thinking about tomorrow. My heart wouldn’t stop racing. Imagining the amusement park, a place I’d never been before, picturing myself walking there with him, brought a smile to my face.
And my anticipation, which had lasted until morning, crumbled in an instant.
The door opened, and I saw my father looking at me, assessing my outfit. Before I could even speak, my vision blurred, and I was on the floor.
My cheek throbbed. My father had just slapped me.
I registered the pain a moment later.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t felt it. The shock and confusion had delayed the pain, which now hit me with full force. But the physical pain didn’t matter.
“What? Dressed up to go somewhere first thing in the morning? Are you planning to run away and find yourself a man, too?”
He grabbed me by the collar as I looked up from the floor and slapped me again. Once, twice, three times… He cursed as he hit me, but the words didn’t register.
All I could think about was getting to the amusement park on time.
He was holding my dress. What about my dress? I didn’t have anything else to wear.
“You ungrateful bitch. I raised you, and this is how you repay me! Get out! Go find yourself another man, just like your mother!”
He shoved me, and I hit my head against the wall and fell to the floor again. If I just endured this, today would be a happy day. I clung to that belief, biting my lip.
“Going out every day and not even bringing home any money. You useless bitch!”
“Kyaa!!”
He grabbed my hair, and I screamed involuntarily. It was the loudest sound I’d made in a while, and my vision blurred again.
I was a superhuman, with enhanced healing abilities, far beyond that of ordinary humans, and my father knew that.
He threw me to the floor and kicked me in the face. My wallet and the few cosmetics I owned spilled out of my small bag, and I couldn’t hold back the tears.
If I just endured it, he’d lose interest, and I could leave.
“What’s this?”
As he picked up my wallet from the floor, a desperate thought filled my mind.
“Don’t take that!”
“Shut up!”
He slapped me again as I reached for my wallet. This time, it was a punch, and the pain was more intense than usual. I’d experienced far worse during duels, but this hurt more.
“Look at this! You were hiding money?!”
He pocketed the 50,000 won, the small amount I’d been saving for myself.
“You have more hidden somewhere, don’t you?”
He dragged me to my room by my hair. I screamed and begged for mercy, but he continued ransacking my room, searching for more money. Of course, there was nothing. All the money I had was in my wallet.
“Don’t move. You try to leave, and you’ll regret it.”
He pointed at me, his drunken rage seemingly spent, and left the room. The door slammed shut, and I heard the TV from the living room.
My dress was ruined, and my carefully styled hair was a mess. I couldn’t leave as long as he was here. Time was ticking by, and there was nothing I could do.
…What was I planning to do again?
“…Did she stand me up?”
I checked my phone. 1 PM. I’d been sitting here for three hours. The sun was scorching, and I felt exhausted just from sitting.
I texted Yu-bin, asking if her morning meeting was over, and she replied that it was. She said she’d go to the cafe after a short break.
“She finished hours ago.”
She should have been here by now. Not just for our appointment, but even after accounting for the meeting and travel time. The fact that she wasn’t here meant…
“It’s over.”
Suggesting an amusement park outing after just a week of park conversations had been a long shot. It was my fault, so I couldn’t blame anyone. All I could do was sigh.
“Nothing ever goes right.”
I’d hoped to get some information about Hunter Killer through Green, but that had become secondary. I’d become more interested in observing her personal growth.
Seeing her embrace her true self, finding happiness… what could be better for a superhuman? Of course, it was just my assumption, and other superhumans might be living fulfilling lives, but the ones I knew were all struggling, and I wanted to help them find their own happiness.
It wasn’t something an invader should do or even think about, but I couldn’t help it. It was just my nature.
Anyway, back to reality, it seemed unlikely I’d see Green again. Suggesting an amusement park date, a clear romantic gesture, to someone as reserved as her had been a mistake.
“It can’t be helped.”
I sighed, stood up, looked around the park one last time, and left.
Time continued to tick by. An hour passed, then two…
I sat in my dark room, waiting for the sounds from the living room to stop.
It might not be too late. Maybe A would still be there if I went to the park now. If I apologized profusely, maybe we could still salvage the remaining hours.
He must be furious. Would he forgive me if I just let him hit me a few times?
…It was a foolish thought.
It was past 7 PM, nine hours past our meeting time. He wouldn’t still be waiting. My dream of a single, normal day was over.
“I wanted to go…”
What did I want to do?
Where did I want to go?
What did I want?
I didn’t know. I was lost in thought, searching for answers within myself, but nothing came. The questions just repeated endlessly in my mind, a torturous cycle of unanswered questions.
“!!”
I suddenly realized the TV in the living room had been turned off.
Had my father left? I cautiously opened my bedroom door and saw my wallet on the floor.
I picked it up carefully and looked around the living room; he wasn’t there.
I knew it was pointless to go, but I still held onto a sliver of hope. I went to the entryway and put on my shoes, when the bathroom door opened.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
My father’s booming voice made me jump, and as I reached for the door, he grabbed my bag.
“!!!”
I gasped and pushed him away, and the strap on my old bag snapped.
“Get back here!”
I heard his voice behind me, but I didn’t look back. I ran, clutching my empty wallet, towards the park.
My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming in ragged gasps, and I arrived at the park, deserted in the late hours, past 10 PM.
I slowly walked towards our usual bench.
It was empty.
Seeing the empty bench, I knew it was over.
I felt pathetic for having hoped for a single, normal day.
It was a luxury for someone like me, who didn’t even know what she wanted, to want the same things as others.
Of course, he wouldn’t be here, 12 hours past our meeting time.
My hand went limp, and my wallet slipped from my grasp and fell to the ground.
I couldn’t lift my head. I didn’t even have the strength. I was so overwhelmed by my own helplessness and despair that I couldn’t even cry.
“Haha… ha… hahaha…”
A hollow laugh escaped my lips, and tears streamed down my face, falling to the ground.
My vision blurred, and I wanted to disappear, to vanish from this world.
Someone as useless as me, a burden to everyone, was better off dead.
“You dropped your wallet.”
A familiar voice spoke, and a figure appeared in my tear-blurred vision.
It was a dream. I must be hallucinating, mistaking my imagination for reality.
I lifted my head slightly, and there he was, kneeling on one knee, holding my wallet.
Ordinary black hair, black eyes, a gentle smile on his lips, and his clear, honest gaze fixed on mine.
My mouth opened, a sound escaping my lips, but no words came out.
“Ah, I…”
“You’re right on time.”
“Huh?”
He stood up after handing me my wallet, a slightly awkward smile on his face. He must have seen my disheveled appearance, but he didn’t mention it, his voice warm and kind.
“But I’m not sure what to do now. I haven’t researched any amusement parks that are open at this hour.”
Twelve hours had passed. It was 10 PM, not 10 AM, our agreed meeting time, and we hadn’t even exchanged numbers, yet he’d waited for me.
“Sob…”
A choked sob escaped my lips, and he looked at me with concern.
“It’s late, but is there anywhere you’d like to go? Or anything you’d like to do?”
He spoke to me, disheveled and hours late, in his usual calm and gentle tone, and I reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Help… me…”
“…”
He didn’t respond to my choked plea. Thinking he hadn’t heard me, I gathered my remaining strength and repeated,
“…Help me.”
“Okay, I’ll help you.”
His words unleashed a torrent of tears. The pain I hadn’t realized I was suppressing washed over me, and for the first time in years, I cried out loud.
I wanted to ask for help.
I wanted to go somewhere where no one would blame me.
I wanted a safe place, where I could finally be at peace.
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corrupt them and make them work for earth invasion