Chapter 183 - Chapter 179: Episode 177 - The End of Obsession
Seon-ah walked arm-in-arm with Sophia, smiling as if he were having the time of his life.
Whether he was excited to be back in a place filled with memories, or simply happy to be walking with his lover—or perhaps both—it was hard to say.
"These are the schools I used to attend. It's so strange... so much time has passed, yet they're still here, exactly as they were..."
This street, where the daycare center, kindergarten, and the elementary, middle, and high schools were all clustered together, was a place of deep memories.
From memories of stopping by a snack shop with friends after school to visiting karaoke rooms and PC bangs, Seon-ah reflected on the old days he had missed so dearly.
In this world where gender roles were reversed, his school days were the only time he could truly enjoy himself, making those memories as precious to him as those of his family.
"Seon-ah, what is this 'school' thing?... I know vaguely that it's a place where one learns things, but..."
"A school is a place where friends learn the same things, play together, and build bonds."
"I see..."
When we were in the Demon World, Sophia had acted as my teacher, telling me stories about the Demon Realm. Now that we were on Earth, it was my turn to teach her, which felt like a refreshing change of pace.
"Let's go that way this time!"
Sophia nodded, glanced at the schools Seon-ah had attended, and followed him, guided by his arm.
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Seeing Seon-ah so excited as he pulled her along, Sophia looked at his profile and smiled softly.
The two, looking every bit like a couple, walked down the street, sharing countless stories.
There was one person stalking Seon-ah and Sophia.
Grind...
The woman watching them ground her teeth, staring at the pair with wide, unblinking eyes.
'That bitch is trampling over the memories I made with Seon-ah...'
She knew well that she had no face left to show him.
However, Yu-rin, wanting to at least hold onto the image of Seon-ah in her memories, was taking photos, preserving his figure as a keepsake.
The days during school when they were inseparable and kissed, the day she took his first time, the warmth of the seat beside him where she always held his arm.
All of that was the only memory of Seon-ah that remained.
But now, with her own eyes, she saw that the seat beside Seon-ah was occupied by another woman, not her.
Even his child should have clearly inherited her blood, but that child was not of her lineage.
Even that smiling face of Seon-ah, which should have been looking only at her, was looking at another woman.
'It's clear that my place has been stolen...'
Yu-rin didn't want to admit it until she could see Seon-ah's face.
Though her mind understood the fact that her place beside him had been taken and his child didn't carry her blood, her heart refused to accept it.
Only after witnessing it with her own two eyes did she realize.
The fact that the memories she shared with Seon-ah had already been covered over by the traces of another woman in his mind...
She had thought that even if he hated her, he would still cherish the memories of them together.
That was why, like Miel, she had no choice but to endure and endure, hoping to be forgiven.
She had been counting the days until Seon-ah would forgive her and she could return to his side.
Unlike the women who had been intimate with Seon-ah, she was his first love and his childhood friend.
The belief that she would be able to return to his side in the not-so-distant future was now shattering into pieces.
"I have to... take it back..."
The opponent was the Demon King, someone she could do nothing against with her own power.
But if she didn't even try, this state would continue, and that woman would surely occupy Seon-ah's side forever.
"Seon-ah... my good Seon-ah... If you won't be mine..."
'I'll break you... and I'll leave with you, shattered into pieces...'
As if prepared for death, madness—a mixture of countless emotions—was raging in Yu-rin's eyes.
"This is the park area. They've expanded the flower beds a bit... back in high school, they were only half this size... Huh? Sophia, are you listening to me?"
However, Sophia didn't seem to be listening to Seon-ah.
Sophia, who had been smiling slightly while looking at Seon-ah's profile, gazed at him and gently stroked his hair.
"It's because you're cute. Looking so excited like a little child... To see a face I rarely see even in the Demon World, and to see it here... I think bringing you to Earth was a truly good decision."
Sophia, smiling, stroked Seon-ah's hair, indirectly admitting that she had been watching him rather than listening to his words all this time.
At that, Seon-ah turned his head to the side, looking embarrassed.
"Still... listen to what people say... I was explaining it so hard for you."
However, his tone didn't sound annoyed.
He seemed embarrassed that he had been talking on and on like a child, excited, without even noticing her gaze.
Then, as if she couldn't help herself, Sophia lowered the hand that had been stroking Seon-ah's hair and hugged him with both arms.
"That's right... my good husband... You're not angry, are you?"
Sophia, wanting to watch Seon-ah's embarrassed expression a little longer, began to treat him like a child.
Then Seon-ah also hugged Sophia, feeling her warm embrace, and said.
"No... I'm not angry... It's just... I'm embarrassed, and... I can't believe this happy moment right now."
Hearing Seon-ah's honest words, Sophia couldn't help herself and rubbed her cheek against his face.
"You cute thing."
In her heart, she was dying to explore his mouth, but since Seon-ah was terrified of sexual acts while she was in Yena's body, this was an action that respected his wishes while still satisfying her own desires.
"Stop it..."
As their soft cheeks rubbed against each other, Seon-ah said in a small voice for Sophia to stop.
He seemed even more embarrassed than before, perhaps conscious of the gazes of people around them.
Seon-ah sat on a park bench, looked at Sophia, who was clinging to him, and remembered what happened earlier.
'To act like the men of this world... Have I already become too immersed in this world...'
Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that he had blended into this world, he didn't know.
But sometimes, he wanted to revive memories from his previous life and do something 'manly'.
"Sophia, could you wait here for a moment?"
"Why? Seon-ah? Is something wrong?"
"I'm going to buy some drinks at that stall over there..."
The stall at the entrance from earlier was one that had existed back in his high school days.
That stall, which sold only iced tea, was a place that only operated from spring to autumn.
'Thinking about it now, it's unique, but it's amazing that they've been in business for such a long time...'
"I think I could go instead."
Seeing him always getting caught up in trouble, Sophia, perhaps worried, said she wanted to do it herself.
"I was the one who asked for the date, so I'm just grateful. I'll make dinner myself tonight, too."
"Is that so? Then alright, Seon-ah."
The food Seon-ah made was just average, but because he poured his affection into making it, she felt happy every time she ate his cooking.
Besides, it had been a long time since she had seen him wearing an apron, so Sophia agreed.
"Then I'll be right back."
Sophia watched Seon-ah walk away into the distance, looking forward to dinner time.
It was rare to see him wearing an apron, after all.
Seon-ah was waiting in line at the stall selling iced tea.
Since this park had more people than he thought, it seemed business was doing alright.
'Well, it's a safe zone where no gates open, so it's no wonder business is good.'
As the person in front of him took their iced tea and left, it was soon his turn.
Just as Seon-ah bought two iced teas and was about to happily return to Sophia, he heard strange footsteps behind him.
'Is it the stalker... has she finally revealed herself?...'
"Lee Seon-ah?"
However, the voice was one he knew well.
"Park Yu-rin..."
Seon-ah's mood sank, and hearing her voice made him feel bad again.
It had been a happy time with Sophia, but hearing her voice and seeing her face made him feel a cold sensation in his heart, just as cold as the iced tea he was holding in his hand.
"Why are you here?"
Seon-ah asked Yu-rin in a cold tone, filled with that emotion.
"Seon-ah, there's something I've been thinking about for a long time..."
However, Yu-rin, whose eyes seemed to have lost focus, didn't seem to be listening to Seon-ah's words.
"I'm busy right now, so I don't really want to hear it. Can you tell me later?"
Seon-ah had no desire to listen to Yu-rin's story.
So, to leave the spot quickly, he spat out those words and turned his body.
Then Yu-rin held something in her hand and stuck it to Seon-ah's back.
When she made a sudden move while he was off guard, Seon-ah was startled, turned to glare at Yu-rin, and there she was.
Yu-rin, with half-lidded eyes, was smiling, unable to hide her excitement.
"From now on, I'll make you come back to my side... because you're mine..."
'Is she crazy...'
Seeing Yu-rin ignore his words and speak incoherently, he could tell that a conversation was not possible right now.
Furthermore, that crazed expression looked so similar to how she looked when she was violating him that he felt afraid.
In a situation where it felt like she might pounce on him at any moment, Seon-ah tried to strengthen his body with magic power to stand up to her.
However, his magic power didn't move even a tiny bit.
"It's useless, Seon-ah... What I stuck to your back is a magic interference device for monsters developed by the Hwaryong Guild... I've been improving it for several years, and now I've miniaturized it enough to use in actual combat."
Hearing that, Seon-ah's complexion turned pale.
'How did she know I use magic power?...'
Thinking about it, it wasn't a difficult fact to know.
When Yu-rin acted with Bianca or Miel in the past, she might have heard from them that there was magic power in his body, so he thought it was entirely possible.
"N... No!"
If he were to be caught by Yu-rin like this, those hellish days would surely repeat themselves.
Thinking that the happiness he had barely found by the side of his mother, Sophia, and Yena could be shattered again, Seon-ah tried to get far away from her.
As Seon-ah dropped the iced tea and tried to run toward the bench where Sophia was, Yu-rin, having used her ability, acceleration, was already wrapping her arms around his body.
"Ugh!..."
Seon-ah groaned from the pain of how hard she hugged him, but Yu-rin was hugging his body as if it didn't matter at all.
When Yu-rin grabbed Seon-ah's body, people around the park were watching the two, but Yu-rin didn't care and was holding Seon-ah's body tightly, feeling his warmth.
"Sniff... This is the smell... How can it be so lewd... Let's live together, sloppily, just like before, Seon-ah... I'll change you into a body that can't live without me, too... I'll keep violating you so your cock doesn't dry up... You're being reborn as my personal sex dildo..."
'I hate this... Someone... save me...'
If it went on like this, returning to those hellish days was certain.
It was certain that he would return to the days of being fed drugs and being forced to be violated while pinned under her.
If that happened, he would never be able to return to the side of his beloved lover and family, so he was denying reality, thinking that being caught by Yu-rin right now couldn't be true.
"Are you shivering like this even before we go home? I'd like to see for the first time in a while how much more you can shiver when we get to the main event?..."
With those words, Yu-rin licked Seon-ah's cheek with her tongue.
As her saliva touched the cheek where he had rubbed his face with Sophia earlier, it felt like his body was already being dirtied.
He wanted to raise his hand to the cheek stained with her saliva and wipe the liquid away, but Yu-rin, seeing Seon-ah trying to raise his arm, hugged him even more forcefully, restraining his movement.
"Seon-ah... Now let's go to 'our home', that house of memories where we were together... We'll start over there... We'll carve our own memories, just the two of us, once again."
"I hate you, you crazy bitch... Let me go!"
As he started to resist, as if he hated it, Yu-rin's fist struck Seon-ah's stomach.
"Kuh-uck..."
"Ha... I'll have to teach you from the beginning again, too. I'll make you more docile and obedient... If I make you choose to do only the things that please me, I'll cherish you just as much, so you won't have to be in pain. Then it's a win-win for both of us, isn't it? Don't you think?"
Looking at Yu-rin, who was even spewing words as if her selfish personality had returned to her old self, Yu-rin raised one hand and grabbed Seon-ah's hair.
It was a rough touch, the exact opposite of when Sophia stroked it gently.
"Now let's go, Seon-ah, to the house where we'll live together... We're going to our own little nest, just the two of us."
As she tried to forcibly grab Seon-ah's hair and take him to her car to return to that house, someone blocked the path of the two.
Her appearance, stopping Yu-rin's actions for the sake of Seon-ah, who was in danger, looked more reliable than anyone else.
Seon-ah called her name in a small voice.
"Sophia..."
Sophia, who had borrowed Yena's face, was looking at Yu-rin with a vein bulging on her forehead, showing just how angry she was.
However, Yu-rin was calm.
"Don't come any closer. If you come any closer, I'll break your neck."
As Yu-rin said that and wrapped her hand around Seon-ah's neck, Sophia realized it.
Yu-rin's crazed expression.
The palm wrapped around her lover's neck.
Realizing that Seon-ah could die if she came closer, Sophia couldn't even think of going near Yu-rin.
In a situation where she had to just watch with her own two eyes the lover she had to save right now, anxiety and urgency, not anger, began to be felt in Sophia's actions.
Then, thinking she had gained the psychological upper hand, Yu-rin began to move slowly while holding Seon-ah's neck.
People gathered in the park tried to report this hostage situation to the police, but realizing they were ability users, they began to leave the spot in a hurry.
It wasn't that public power was useless against ability users, but because it was hard to have a good outcome if an ordinary person got involved with an ability user or a hunter, they had no choice but to run away.
As Sophia began to follow Yu-rin, who was moving slowly, bit by bit, there wasn't a single person to be seen nearby in the park before long.
"Don't follow me! Do you want to watch Seon-ah die like this?"
"..."
Even so, when Sophia's footsteps didn't stop, Yu-rin began to grip Seon-ah's neck tightly.
"Ku... Kuh-uck... Kuh-uck.."
A painful, small scream leaked from Seon-ah's mouth as his neck was choked.
"Stop... Stop it! Seon-ah..."
"Ha... You're still following me to the end even like this?... No, I'll finish you off right here... Sophia, spread your hands and crouch down. Or else watch Seon-ah get his neck broken and die."
"No... Don't.... Don't do it.... Sophia...."
"Alright... Instead, don't lay a finger on Seon-ah..."
As Seon-ah's face turned pale blue, Sophia had no choice but to grant Yu-rin's request.
As Sophia lay prone and stretched her arms forward, showing no will to resist, sadism welled up inside Yu-rin.
The bitch who touched what was hers and occupied the seat beside him.
And she didn't want to leave this woman alone, who had even taken Yena, who should have been her own child.
It was Yena's body, which she had once cherished like her own child, but Yu-rin, already captured by madness, had erased those memories from her mind.
Rather, she wanted to have a child with Seon-ah and cover up all those things as if they never happened.
That was why Yu-rin attached the magic interference device to her back and, putting strength into her feet, ruthlessly trampled on Sophia, who couldn't resist.
Thud! Thud!
She kicked her head with her foot and kept stepping on the arms she had spread out on the ground.
Sophia, who couldn't operate even a tiny bit of magic power, had no choice but to be beaten by Yu-rin in a defenseless state.
Even so, fearing that Seon-ah would be in pain, she didn't let out a single groan and silently endured Yu-rin's violence.
It was a possible situation because she wasn't putting proper strength into it to toy with Sophia, whose body had become close to that of an ordinary person.
Yu-rin, whose sadism had welled up, wanted to show Seon-ah Sophia's weak appearance, but she didn't cry out even once, even though she had beaten her until she was exhausted.
Since her whole body was already covered in bruises and blood, she grabbed Seon-ah's chin and forcibly showed him that unsightly appearance.
"Stop it... Please... Yu-rin... I was wrong..."
However, ignoring those words, Yu-rin looked at Sophia, panting.
Seeing that she had maintained her posture even after being beaten so severely, it was no ordinary mental strength.
"Hoo... Hoo... Ha... You're tough... Not even letting out a single scream that it hurts... Now I'll finish you off... Don't worry about Seon-ah... I'll take good care of him... Even for your share!"
Knowing that she couldn't break Sophia's will to the end, Yu-rin tried to kick Sophia's head with her foot, putting proper strength into it along with her ability.
However, that didn't come to fruition.
Seon-ah, caught in Yu-rin's hand, resisted fiercely the moment Yu-rin lifted her foot and pushed Yu-rin backward.
"Lee Seon-ah!"
Yu-rin, looking angry, fell over with Seon-ah and called out the name of the one who had interfered with her loudly.
At the loud sound, like an angry beast roaring, Sophia, who had been prone, lifted her head and looked over there.
There.
Yu-rin was expressing her anger with an angry face, choking Seon-ah's neck with both hands from above.
Her Sophia, realizing that Seon-ah had created an opportunity, detached the magic interference device attached to her back and moved quickly toward Yu-rin.
After kicking Yu-rin, who was choking Seon-ah from above, away from Seon-ah, she trampled and crushed her limbs with her feet.
'I can't let the bitch who made Seon-ah suffer... and tried to kill him... go easily...'
And then she checked Seon-ah's condition.
Not only were there clear palm marks on Seon-ah's neck, but his pale blue face showed no signs of returning to its original complexion.
Looking closely at his neck, something was strange.
The neck bent to the side gave the feeling that he was no longer a person of this world.
"It's a lie... isn't it?... It's a lie, right? Seon-ah?..."
The face of her lover, who looked like he would call her name and hug her at any moment.
However, his heart didn't seem to be beating.
It looked like he couldn't breathe anymore because his neck was bent, blocking the hole for oxygen to enter his lungs.
"Seon-ah... Lee Seon-ah!"
Sophia was sobbing, holding his body, not even knowing that tears were flowing down both her cheeks.