Chapter 53. Someone Else’s Memories (4)

[You have been connected to Channel E13-HRN-KJE#17995.]

The array of shifting screens vanished, replaced by a single, vivid memory.

A gray sky and a crumbling city unfolded before him. Amid the shattered landscape, where concrete walls had collapsed like brittle crackers, two people lay among the wreckage.

Eun-Ho could be seen desperately holding the unconscious Ji-Eun.

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs asks if this is seriously a sad ending.]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit tells them to hush, as this is the part where the male lead brings her back to life.]

It was the moment when Ji-Eun had awakened her Psychokinesis skill. Right as the ground began to quake, Eun-Ho was swallowed up by the earth. She had fought to save him and in doing so, was struck down by falling debris.

[Yongsan District survivors: 1,000.]

From nine hundred ninety nine to a thousand, the number ticked up once more.

Did she really choose this memory?

Eun-Ho thought.

It was unexpected, yet not entirely strange, as it was a memory of returning from death. What could possibly be more powerful than that?

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation claps, saying Sector 13 really is the go-to spot for romance.]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit cheers, saying it’s been a while since they’ve seen love that sacrifices everything.]

Eun-Ho thought that the observers’ reactions were odd, as if they were watching a romantic movie. Frankly, it was a bit uncomfortable because Ji-Eun was literally fighting for her life.

「

Please...!

」

Even the other Eun-Ho's expression was filled with desperate resolve.

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs wonders if he’s about to wake her up with a kiss.]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit clasps their hands together, urging him to just do it already!]

A kiss? Now? Even if their own lives were on the line, would they still be joking like this? But more importantly... Why isn’t she waking up? By now, she should’ve opened her eyes.

When Eun-Ho used the Royal Honey, her crushed skull had healed instantly, meaning she should’ve come to life right after.

[An anonymous observer wonders why the Giant Hornet’s Royal Honey didn’t work.]

Eun-Ho was startled. Though he hadn’t said anything out loud, a message still popped up.

Is the system synced to my thoughts now?

Eun-Ho in the scene looked just as unsettled.

「

Is it not working...?

」

He clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing, then started to stand. Just then, very slowly, Ji-Eun’s fingers gently grasped the edge of his coat. Only her thumb and forefinger moved, trembling slightly as they curled around the fabric.

Did time just slow down? It felt like everything had frozen for a second, just like when I use the Acceleration skill...

Shaking off the thought, he focused on the screen again.

「

E-Eun-Ho!

」

Ji-Eun’s eyes fluttered open and her cheeks visibly flushed.

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation giggles, saying the female lead blushing is too cute.]

「

Ji-Eun! Are you okay?!

」

「

Yeah...!

」

Finally, she was alive. Relief and pure joy radiated from the screen, filling the room. The observers also shared that joy in their own way.

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs asks if that means they saved each other.]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit swoons, saying they’re both hopelessly in love.]

Well, they are kind of missing the point by turning this into a love story.

「

Ji-Eun, you just came back from the brink of death! What were you thinking?! You should’ve worried about yourself first.

」

Then again, those people didn’t know her, so Eun-Ho thought that if they listened to what she said next, they’d understand. He remembered her saying something like Eun-Ho would’ve done the same.

She had always believed in others, hence why she acted without hesitation.

「

Because it was you, Eun-Ho.

」

Huh? That’s not quite the same as before.

「

I

did this because it was you, Eun-Ho.

」

What do you mean?!

Eun-Ho seemed startled as that carried a strange weight, as did the small smile on her lips.

However, the strangest part was that a familiar pop song suddenly played in the background.

「

She maybe the beauty or the beast...

」

Huh?

「

Ji-Eun, what are you—

」

「

Can’t you tell, Eun-Ho?

」

The camera zoomed in dramatically, catching the confusion flickering in the other Eun-Ho’s eyes.

「

Maybe the famine or the feast...

」

The over-the-top background music, unnecessary close-ups, as well as slow-motion dragging every second out made the scene even more dramatic than it was.

Isn’t this just a full-on romance drama?!

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation covers their mouth at the female lead’s bold move!]

[An anonymous observer screams in horror at the sugary-sweet editing!]

Oh no... Something’s definitely off.

Eun-Ho could only stand there, jaw slack, watching in disbelief.

「

Thanks for saving me, Eun-Ho.

」

Ji-Eun leaned into his chest, her small head nestled against him.

Suddenly, a dramatic band beat surged in the background. Then, upbeat music filled the air, the kind one would hear right at the emotional climax of a romantic movie.

「

I! Love! You! Baby and if it’s quite alright...

」

Wait... Ji-Eun, don’t tell me you...

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation shrieks at the sudden cuddling! They shout Eun-Ho and Ji-Eun are so cute together!]

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation has donated a thousand Welfare Points!]

Wow. Ji-Eun's boldness was honestly shocking...

She’d read the crowd, clocked the observer’s tastes, and made a strategic pivot toward running a romance channel just to rake in donations.

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs blesses the new couple’s bright future!]

[The Freesia from the Bureau of Public Affairs has donated five hundred Welfare Points!]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit claps excitedly, saying it’s been too long since they’ve seen such a heart-fluttering romance!]

[The Lemon Candy from the Bureau of Audit has donated a thousand Welfare Points!]

From her days as a secretary, he already knew Ji-Eun was sharp and quick on the uptake, but this was something else entirely.

She’s running this show like a pro.

He thought maybe he didn’t need to worry about her after all, and maybe it’d be better if he just quietly left without getting in the way.

While he was thinking, a few system messages popped up.

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation declares they will immediately donate five thousand points if they kiss!]

[The Catty Cat from the Bureau of Investigation has donated a thousand Welfare Points!]

What? What do they want us to do?!

[An anonymous observer freezes in a mix of shock.]

Eun-Ho knew it was definitely time to go. If he stuck around any longer, he’d actually lose his mind. Besides, if Ji-Eun found out he’d been watching all of this, that would make things even worse.

Absolutely not! I have to get out fast.

Whoosh!

He flailed his hand wildly, trying to escape the screen’s increasingly aggressive close-ups.

***

Fwoosh!

The bleak gray cityscape blinked out of view. In his rush to exit, he hadn’t fully closed the screen, but just flipped it over to the video right next to Ji-Eun’s.

[You have been connected to Channel E13-HRN-CJH#8251.]

The new scene was oddly familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Wait a second...

There were rows of school desks, a chalkboard still dusty with the remnants of the last class, as well as teenagers in uniforms in a classroom.

「

Q-quit it already, you bastards!

」

「

But why? We haven’t even started.

」

One boy knelt on the floor, surrounded by five others who sneered and jeered. Now, looking at it again, it still made his stomach turn.

This is the memory he picked? Seriously?

Thud!

The biggest of the group—the ringleader, by the looks of it—struck the kneeling boy hard across the face. His head whipped to the side as he swayed from the force of the blow.

Eun-Ho sighed. That kid was exactly the kind of person he never wanted anything to do with. The type who used violence in school to prove their worth and patch up a hollow ego disgusted him to no end.

People liked to excuse it, claiming they didn’t know any better. However, that was exactly why it revealed their true nature.

What a waste of a memory.

Just as he was about to leave the channel, his eyes caught something.

[Go bac—

huh?

]

There was a face he recognized—tanned, with eyes full of fear. Right amid a school bullying scene, a setting that felt completely out of place for him, stood Choi Jae-Hyuk.

[Choi Jae-Hyuk?]

What the hell are you doing there?

***

Choi Jae-Hyuk, age twenty-five, was the kind of guy who followed Eun-Ho and Ji-Eun around like a loyal little brother, calling them Hyungnim and Noonim at every chance.

Despite his broad build, the guy was a total softie. He flinched at the smallest scratch and couldn’t even bring himself to stab a monster’s corpse. Honestly, it was hard to believe he was ever in the military.

Yet, he was getting hit—more precisely kicked—by kids in the same school uniform.

Thump! Thud!

「

You dumbass, do you even know what day it is? It’s payment day!

」

「

Did you mess up the collection again?

」

「

Then you should’ve at least robbed that pig money and brought it to us!

」

Pig?

Eun-Ho thought.

Jae-Hyuk once said his parents ran a butcher shop when he was younger. Unlike now, he’d been a bit chubby back then. Maybe that was why they targeted him.

「

Ha,

look at this pork-chop loser.

」

The ringleader crouched beside Jae-Hyuk and pulled a box cutter from his pocket.

Click—

Jae-Hyuk trembled the moment he caught sight of it, but the others didn’t care.

「

Eeek!

」

「

Don’t move.

」

Snickering, they unbuttoned his uniform shirt with terrifying familiarity.

「

Where did we leave off last time?

」

「

Didn’t we go over pork loin and sirloin?

」

「

Then let’s flip him over today.

」

One of them even squinted an eye and waved the box cutter in the air, like a painter sizing up a blank canvas with a pencil.

「

Let’s see...

」

Swoosh—!

「

Aaaaagh!

」

A clean cut sliced across his exposed abdomen, just enough to draw blood.

「

It’s too easy today. This must be pork belly.

」

「

Isn’t that five-layer pork? Damn. Look at that.

」

Ugh, these bastards!

Eun-Ho was outraged.

Even the observers watching erupted with reactions.

[The Macho Man from the Bureau of Management gets pumped up at the raw action!]

[The Top Performer from the Sales Department cheers, saying this one’s got real potential!]

It was primal violence where helpless victims were trampled into the dirt. Those victims were considered young, inexperienced, and didn’t know any better. That ignorance made the evil all the more raw, yet the spectators loved it.

[The Sign Board from the Bureau of Investigation frowns at the frustrating development!]

Some viewers weren’t thrilled, but it wasn’t because of the violence. It was the narrative pacing that annoyed them.

「

Aaagh!

It hurts so bad...

」

Jae-Hyuk let out a scream.

「

Damn it, I told you not to move! You messed up the line!

」

「

I’m gonna die! Please, stop...

」

「

You’re not going to die from this.

」

That was when it hit Eun-Ho. The reason Jae-Hyuk had always been so sensitive and overreacted to every little injury was because of his trauma.

This wasn’t just any memory. It was the trauma he’d never been able to shake off. Nearly ten years had passed, and he still couldn’t forget. In fact, he probably never would. That was exactly why he longed so desperately to overcome it.

[An anonymous observer is outraged at the unspeakable cruelty!]

Thud.

Eun-Ho felt something snap inside him. After seeing this, there was no going back. He couldn’t hold back anymore.

[Open shop.]

Fwoosh!

[You have opened the intermediate-tier shop, Everywhere and Nowhere Golden Caravan!]

[Please select your items for purchase.]

Strength boost... Stamina boost... What else? Maybe I should just send a weapon over?

Grinding his teeth, Eun-Ho threw items into his cart like he was looting a closing supermarket.

「

Bastards...

」

Jae-Hyuk clenched his fists so tightly, it seemed like he’d tear his palms.

「

I’m still like this all because of you sons of bitches!

」

「

What the hell’s he talking about?

」

「

What’s wrong with this freak today?

」

They held down Jae-Hyuk’s arms and legs, but he kept muttering, teeth bared.

Swoosh—!

Snap!

Suddenly, Jae-Hyuk grabbed the blade with his bare hand and broke it.

「

What?!

」

「

W-what the hell?!

」

Clatter.

The broken cutter dropped to the floor, and in the brief moment of confusion, Jae-Hyuk sprang to his feet. Then, with two fingers, he jabbed one of the kids’ eyes.

Thud!

「

Aaaaaargh!

You motherfucker!

」

「

Has this psycho lost his damn mind?!

」

The others lunged at him, but Jae-Hyuk leapt up and grabbed a chair, raising his voice.

「

You’re the psychos, assholes!

」

Screeech!

Then, he hurled the chair, sending those kids flying like bowling pins.

Thwack!

Well then... Looks like I don’t have to step in after all.