Chapter 109 - Chapter 106: Episode 104 - Miel's Worry
Ever since that day Seon-ah lost his memory and began acting like a young child, Sophia had actually intended to kill Miel.
However, seeing Miel's regret and her repentant attitude, she realized that she was in the exact same position as Miel when it came to Seon-ah. In the end, she was no different from the women who had raped him.
Knowing she had no right to kill her, she abandoned the thought. And the moment she realized they shared the same desire to atone to Seon-ah, she wondered if Miel shouldn't be given the same opportunity for redemption that she wanted for herself.
Therefore, she decided to leave the question of Miel's life or death in Seon-ah's hands once he regained his sanity. Because the one who could hold her accountable for her sins was not herself, but Seon-ah—and she didn't consider herself an exception to that.
At first, she held such thoughts while still viewing Miel with displeasure, but since she needed someone to look after Seon-ah while she was away for work, she entrusted him to Miel.
Leaving Seon-ah alone in the room after he had regressed into a child was quite dangerous. Unable to go outside, he would jump around the room, nearly hitting his head on the desk; once, claiming he wanted a bath, he stayed submerged in cold water for a long time, displaying his child-like state.
She knew it was dangerous to let Seon-ah see a demon, but it was an unavoidable choice to prevent the reckless behaviors typical of a young child. Still, unlike the green-skinned Orcs or Goblins, or the Minotaurs and Werewolves covered in beast fur, Miel was at least the demon most similar to a human, and she continued to show genuine remorse toward Seon-ah.
Sophia had to finish the work that had piled up while she was caring for Seon-ah, as well as the tasks that needed to be handled urgently before heading to Earth. Only then could she rest easy after visiting.
Still, worried that Miel might do something suspicious, she would stop her work and check on the room where Seon-ah was dozens of times a day. She had thought about working in the room with him, but in practice, she ended up just playing with him and putting her work on the back burner, so she had to refrain from that.
A week passed like this. Sophia finished her work today and thought that by tomorrow, she would be able to go to Earth.
In the meantime, Seon-ah had become close with Miel. Whether it was because Miel, who had committed those acts against him, had vanished from his memory, or because Miel had devoted herself to him, Seon-ah liked her.
He loved that she played fun games with him. Even now, they were playing ball, and she was throwing it to him. He thought it had been a long time since he could play this happily, even in a small room. While his mother was away, the only one who soothed his boredom was this kind noona with horns.
"Seon-ah, try throwing the ball up."
"Okay, I got it, noona."
As Seon-ah threw the ball toward Miel, she caught it with her head. However, it got caught on her horn, causing the ball to burst and shrivel up while stuck there.
"Ah... my ball... sob...."
As the ball Seon-ah had trusted Miel with burst and lost its shape, he began to cry. Miel panicked. Seon-ah, acting like a young child, was usually prone to tears. In the memories she had read before, Seon-ah had always endured, but perhaps because he had returned to being a child and his mental defenses had weakened, he cried often.
To soothe him, Miel comforted him. "It's... it's okay, Seon-ah. Noona will bring you a new one. Stay still in the meantime."
"Really? Okay, noona."
Seon-ah stopped crying and smiled at Miel. She felt her heart tearing apart. Seeing his pure appearance, her guilt over what she had done in the past grew even larger.
'What have I done... Seon-ah was someone I should have treated gently as my mate...'
The Yin Mark on Seon-ah's lower abdomen, identical to her own, caught her eye. Seeing someone who should have been treated preciously having gone insane like this made her feel pathetic. Before, because he was just her mate, she had thought of him like an object. She had treated him roughly. After carving the Yin Mark, she had thought he was as good as her own property.
It was only a few days ago that she had been shocked to read in Seon-ah's locked memories that he had already set up a life with another woman, shared a connection with her, and appeared happier than he ever was with her. Miel vowed not to toy with Seon-ah anymore.
Therefore, if she truly loved Seon-ah, she thought that rather than manipulating his mind to return him to his original state, she should help him recover his heart naturally. Even if manipulating his mind could momentarily restore his sanity, a mind that had been finely cracked would not heal naturally; it would only end up shattering again. She couldn't make Seon-ah suffer by repeating that vicious cycle.
Of course, recovering naturally would take a long time, but she thought it was an unavoidable choice to atone for what she had done.
It was a vow she had made from the moment Sophia—who had taken over the body of Seon-ah's mother, Min-ah—could not trust her. After learning the full story, including the fact that Seon-ah had a daughter, she realized how long she had been imprisoned by Bianca. Those shocks made her feel like she was going to lose her mind, but the favor Seon-ah showed her, and the way he would continuously call for his noona, helped heal those emotional wounds.
To her, Seon-ah was an existence no different from an angel. If he were to regain his sanity, what should she do if he hated her? It would be sad if he didn't accept her even if she begged for forgiveness, but she wanted to follow his wishes. Even thinking about it, what she had done to Seon-ah could never be forgiven, and staying by his side was something she wouldn't even be permitted to do.
Therefore, she thought the best role for her was to look after the young Seon-ah and then quietly disappear when he regained his sanity. That was the last thing she could do for him.
Sophia finished her work and returned to the room. Today, too, she had gone back and forth from her office over twenty times to monitor Miel and check on Seon-ah. Thinking about leaving for Earth tomorrow made her heart heavy.
She started to worry about what she should do, looking at Seon-ah and Miel. She wondered if Seon-ah would have a hard time if she separated Miel from him when they had become that close. Therefore, when morning came, she made up her mind to explain the situation to Miel and take her with them to Earth.
Because Miel was important to Seon-ah, that conviction grew stronger. Seeing them sleeping while holding each other tightly, she felt it even more. Seon-ah, having changed like this, seemed to have nightmares, letting out painful groans whenever he fell asleep, perhaps because memories of Yu-rin would occasionally surface.
However, when he fell asleep in Miel's arms and felt her warmth, the nightmares seemed to lessen, and he often fell asleep with a comfortable expression. Though she felt jealous, she had no choice but to hold it in and watch them. Because she wanted Seon-ah to be at least a little bit more comfortable. If this pain stained with jealousy was part of her atonement, she had to accept it. Otherwise, Seon-ah would have a hard time.
Yu-ra visited that house again today, without fail. However, since meeting her on the first day, the woman had locked the door, pulled the blinds, and wouldn't even show herself. Even when she pressed the doorbell, there was no response. No matter how she looked at it, that woman seemed to be firmly angry.
"Haa... how could such a coincidence... exist..."
The possibility that this woman was a bereaved family member of a victim of the large-scale project she had planned was becoming increasingly higher. She truly didn't know what to do. Her heart grew heavy with the thought that her coming here every day might be a great pain to that woman. Even so, she couldn't give up. For Seon-ah... even if this might be another mistake she was committing...
She pressed the intercom doorbell once again and waited. To apologize to her, and to return the family memories to Seon-ah, who would return. Thinking to herself that it was an unavoidable choice, she continued to wait. In order to see that woman's face...
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