'Yoon Yeo-ju decided to believe it.
The demons who reached out to me.'
by_Flying Squirrel Hyunssup
ep.02
***
"What kind of world do you want?"
A world where money doesn't matter? A world without power? A world where waking up every morning is so beautiful?
It might be a luxury to wish for such a world for me.
The world has become a place of survival, a place that has lost its light, and it's clearly because of someone. But is it a certain majority, or is it simply my own shortcomings? Perhaps I was too incompetent to blame others, and others had trampled on me, so perhaps I was simply too foolish to blame anyone.
“I don’t think it’s that different from the world you wanted.”
Isn't this the world I wanted? All I wanted was a reward for my efforts. The world I want is one where I achieve what I set out to achieve.
But do you think that's possible? Money and power betray effort. Are you confident you won't end up on a hamster wheel?
“Can you really achieve it?”
"Yeah. We're going to change this world."
It certainly seems foolish. If the world I want were possible, I wouldn't be in this mess right now.
Yet, it was from this point on that the phrase "I don't trust people" began to crack. This belief was shattered.
***
Four people my age. All, like me, betrayed by their own efforts, succumbed to money, and bowed before power. They were the bottom, the ones who would never achieve what they wanted. In other words, they had nothing to lose.
"Smile a little"
Was it wrong to expect someone to laugh without hearing this one word?
"It's not wrong. It's a right we should enjoy. If we can't enjoy it, then we can make it happen."
This is why these five have gathered together.
A paradise where no one is discriminated against, where everyone is at peace.
I'm going to try making one of these.
“There is something you just have to believe in.”
"What is it?"
"Our efforts will never be in vain. Just believe this."
But is this really the right path for me to take?
***
Have you still been betrayed by effort? Do you still believe that the very belief you've held all your life has been cracked? Effort? If effort could have been the key to success, I'd be a god by now, playing tricks day and night. And above all, weren't you also betrayed by effort? Those who still believe in effort are pathetic.
"I don't believe in hard work."
"I know. I am too, but isn't that why we're all stuck together?"
Are you saying that if we stick together, we'll survive? Don't be ridiculous. Effort is just a traitor who tortures hope.
“But why don’t we try it just once? We have no other choice anyway.”
"Maybe this is your last chance."
"Let's create a utopia."
No. I have no intention of opening the door to effort. I have no more expectations from effort. I want to stop now.
***
“But won’t you take our side at least once?”
"On our side? You're ridiculous. God doesn't look upon us, so you're the devil. I just fell for you."
Still, perhaps it was a little hope that made me hold their hands, a yearning to hold onto something. A yearning for something, anything, to bring me stability.
"So let's succeed."
I just had no intention of letting go of the hand I was already holding.