After several teleportations, they arrived at their destination. Even during this time, Yeoju remained in Taehyung's arms, and he didn't push her away. A bright light pierced their vision. A moment of silence. Soon, all the anti-government members' eyes were fixed on Yeoju, still in Taehyung's embrace. For the first time, Yeoju felt a surge of tension. It felt as if her lifelong enemies, the anti-government forces, were glaring at her, ready to kill her. But as if to prove her wrong, their movements became more rapid.
"...Call recovery. Hurry!"
"Just in case, please call a guide. The wound seems serious, so you might need guidance."
"Lady, does anything hurt? Does your head feel dizzy? Does it ache somewhere?"
I was moved. Even though I knew I was obviously a center person, I didn't see myself as a center-versus-anti-government person.
"It's, it's recovery! Can I treat you before it's too late? When you start, relax and close your eyes, because it might be because of fatigue... Just relax and fall asleep..."
Seeing yourself as a person to person.
"...Okay. When you wake up."
To the point where I thought it was much better than the center I had relied on my entire life.
"Everything will be okay."
It was warm here.
The center launched a desperate search for the missing Haejoo. Dozens of psychometric sentinels joined in, clearing the rubble and desperately trying to decipher the past. If news broke that Ignore Haejoo had disappeared due to the center's own mistake, the center's workload would inflate hundreds of times. Furthermore, they would have to attend a meeting of center directors around the world and brief them individually. Just the thought made his eyes dizzy, and he found himself fumbling with his fingernails.
"... stop."
Just before scars formed on the delicate skin beneath his fingernails, the center director stopped everyone's actions. Hae-joo betrayed the center. So he escaped through the anti-government forces. A perfect fantasy novel was forming in his head. If he didn't want to take responsibility, he could just pass it on. If he shifted the center director's responsibility onto the traitor Hae-joo,
"...Ignore the Sentinel escaped through the anti-government movement."
Everything becomes easier.
The center director's words sent a thick shiver through the air at the scene. Some were watching, wondering if Hae-joo had really done it, or if he had. "Wow, that's exactly what happened." As countless opinions swirled around, a large hand suddenly burst through the crowd and grabbed the center director by the collar.
"Don't lie."
"namjun kim."
"They say Haejoo escaped."
"Cough..."
"You escaped through anti-government activities."
"namjun kim!!"
"...don't be a jerk."
Do you know what I saw as I carefully examined that pile of rubble? It was the marks of torture, deeply etched. And yet, Haejoo remained silent.
"...the Lord who endured while calling our names so cruelly."
Do you think you can escape? It was a question of certainty. It was merely a question mark added for the sake of courtesy. The answer was already there. Torture. Everyone was lost in thought at that single word, their gaze fixed on the center director. But they quickly averted their gaze.
"...Torture."
Even he was lost in thought, and eventually, he couldn't even control his hands, trembling. What he feared most was Haejoo's condition. If he escaped through kidnapping, or at least suffered a scar from the Center, he would be left with. He closed his eyes tightly, thinking about his name appearing in countless media reports.
There must have been many Sentinels who had read the past, and it was too strange a situation to come forward now. He had no choice but to erase the evidence.
"...."
...if the evidence is people.
If it's a memory.
"Let's start working again tomorrow."
You can just erase it.
Evidence.
A quiet dawn. A young girl strode toward the center. Her face was tense and her body was emaciated. Even from a distance, she didn't seem to belong to the center. As she was about to take another step, a security guard grabbed her wrist.
"You can't just come in here. If you were invited by the center director, please tell me your name."
"... kyung."
"... yes?"
"If I tell you, Sir, that you are a Memory Sentinel, you will understand..."
The guard couldn't hide his bewilderment. Over the past twelve years, he'd seen countless Sentinels and Guides, and had memorized the names of their abilities to some degree. But Memorizer was a name he'd never heard before. There was a certain unease, perhaps. However, it wasn't long before the center director himself came to greet him at the center entrance, and he finally felt something.
This is Kyung.
Memorizer.
Center Director.
They said they would do something silent.
Thud. A syringe filled with a cloudy, red liquid fell in front of Kyung Lee. "It'll last about five minutes." As soon as the center director finished speaking, the empty syringe hit the floor. Kyung Lee, who had been fine until then, leaned forward and groaned in pain.
"Ugh... Huh."
"Hang in there."
"Ugh...ugh..."
"There's no time to be upset."
I need to get paid.
A single word seemed to be the gunshot that signaled her departure. The struggling figure from earlier vanished, and Lee Kyung stood with bloodshot eyes, her back straight, using her powers. A black aurora enveloped the entire center. The security guard collapsed, and the center director waited for her, picking at his fingernails.
Exactly five minutes after the drug was injected into her arm, Aurora was withdrawn, and Lee Kyung collapsed to the ground. With her eyes empty and hollow from the lack of guidance, Lee Kyung, struggling in agony, was met with another syringe, which fell before her eyes.
"It's an ampoule."
"...."
"Flower. If you want to live."
"Memory,"
"...."
"...the memories were definitely erased. Except for one person."
"One person?"
"...the memory of the person who asked me to do it is half of my life."
yunki min
The center director's brow furrowed pleasantly. Min Yoongi, by virtue of Haejoo, had spent half his life at the center, eleven years, and perhaps even been saved by her. He was a guide. He wasn't as good as Haejoo, but having stayed here for so long, he knew the center quite well.
"...If you just take care of that person, the chances of him remembering are slim."
"Write it down?"
"...I might remember."
If your memories with that person were particularly intense or left a deep impression on them, whether that emotion was happiness or resentment, or something else that marked a major turning point in your life, you might remember it.
At these words, the center director lost his wits. Then again, there were only four people he could remember. And since they were a top-tier team, perhaps their words could sway public sentiment. This is hilarious. This is hilarious. The center director, seemingly lost in his mind, bent down and laughed maniacally. The security guard who had been staring at him sensed the gravity and quietly left.
"...."
"You're awake."
"... ah."
"Rest a little longer."
"...you guys."
"...."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because we're the same."
"...."
Because it was abandoned.
ah.
Abandoned.
"...."
When I reached out to you, this is how you felt.
"...I want to meet the anti-government leader."
Even if it's bad, even if it's antisocial.
"...Please."
I bet you wanted to hold that hand.
"...."
It feels awkward.
As if I had forgotten something.
however.
I don't remember.