304 – Approaching Stage -6-

The archbishop in front of the door was sneering at Mikhail.

“Hahahaha…!!”

His brows furrowed.

A mocking laugh that seemed like it would burst his eardrums.

—

—

What was so amusing that the laughter wouldn’t stop, pouring endlessly.

-Thud.

“Haa… Kiddo. I think you’re really something.”

-Click.

The sound of the locked doorknob clicking reached Mikhail’s ears. At the same time, beyond the door, he could hear Jung’s breathing as he inhaled, “Ssssss…”

“I was expecting a grand reunion…”

-Click.

“That’s a shame.”

Jung muttered to himself and continued his earlier words. As if it didn’t matter if there was no response, Jung continued to praise Mikhail beyond the door.

“It’s amazing that you entered the academy without parents and live without envy.”

‘Clench…’ Mikhail gripped the doorknob and answered Jung’s words with silence. He had no intention of playing along with his prank.

Although hot anger was boiling in his chest, he wasn’t confident that he could defeat him with his current strength.

Because he had experienced a bitter defeat last time. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake, Mikhail bit his lip and endured.

Rather than losing his reason and giving up the opportunity, it would be better for his future to wait for a chance to escape.

Moreover.

-Next week, I’ll buy you a meal.

-…Can I come again?

-Of course.

Because he had a promise to keep. Mikhail wanted to avoid reckless challenges.

No matter what that man said.

“You’re really something.”

He intended to push forward with the best choice he could make right now.

Jung continued the one-sided conversation.

“Honestly, I thought you’d become a vengeful ghost. I thought you’d foam at the mouth trying to get revenge on me somehow.”

Jung continued in an indifferent voice, as if he was genuinely praising the path Mikhail had walked.

“Everyone else did, so I thought you’d be the same.”

He calmly explained his experience.

“Learning to wield a sword you never held before out of vengeance…”

“…”

“Hiring mercenaries with money to capture me…”

—

“`

“…”

“Learning black magic clumsily and self-destructing….”

“I’m not interested in your story. Get lost before I kill you.”

“You should be curious, right? Otherwise, how will you know what kind of magic I cast on you?”

“…”

‘Magic…?’

Mikhail held his breath and swallowed his retort at Jung’s words. It was the first time he heard the word ‘magic’ from his mouth.

He had no memory of it.

No, he couldn’t remember.

The memory of that man casting magic that day….

-Let go…!

‘…’

Jung imagined Mikhail’s appearance as he let out a small laugh at Mikhail’s quiet breathing.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“…”

“You’re dying to know, right?”

“…What did you do to me?”

“Yes… that’s how you should react. Only then will I feel like telling you.”

“Tell me now.”

“Ha ha ha! You’re dying to know what kind of prank I played on you, right? So, listen. I heard your story through someone else’s memory…. Don’t you think you should listen to my story too?”

Jung took a deep breath and forcefully spat out his story to Mikhail. Muttering that every event has its own narrative.

“I wasn’t originally this kind of person either.”

There was a thick regret in Jung’s voice. As if he was reminiscing about the past while walking through a mirage, he spoke to Mikhail.

“Good parents, a girl I had a crush on, and a youth that was second to none.”

“…Then why.”

“The wind blew.”

“…”

“An unavoidable wind.”

Emotion began to seep into Jung’s voice.

“My parents died in an accident.”

“`

“…”

“The girl I liked left because she liked another guy.”

“…”

“I had nothing left.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I’m telling you why this old man went crazy.”

Jung scolded Mikhail, who was retorting, and shouted angrily.

“Life was tough. I got scammed, lost all the money I had saved to gambling… and then I got angry. Why is my life such a mess… I thought.”

“…”

It was disgusting to hear.

The man’s emotional appeal, who had given him such ugly memories, was revolting to the point of making him shiver.

“When I was young, yeah, just your age…”

“…”

“I thought, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’ and hit the guy the girl liked with a stone. He happened to pass by in front of me, annoying me…”

“…”

“So I hit his head. To kill him.”

Mikhail shuddered at Jung’s exhilaration as he spoke proudly of what he had done.

“Do you know what happened?”

Jung let out a small laugh.

“He couldn’t remember.”

“…”

“He couldn’t remember who the girl he liked was, or who hit him on the head… I made him a fool, but he thanked me for taking him to the hospital…”

Jung smiled broadly, almost tearing his face, and spoke to Mikhail.

“He──knew nothing! Hahaha!”

Mikhail grabbed the doorknob and breathed heavily as he listened to Jung. He still couldn’t adapt to this situation.

That crazy man’s lament.

The man’s twisted ideal of turning small misfortunes into bigger ones made his hands tremble with fear.

Jung felt the small tremor from the doorknob and spoke.

“That’s why I went crazy.”

“…”

—

“Because it’s so much fun… This thrill! The fun of taking someone else’s life…! It’s so good that I have to endure it…”

Mikhail asked Jung with a trembling voice.

“Just… because of that?”

“Just? Do you know how miserable I was?”

“Just because of that!!! Did you do this because of that?!”

Mikhail couldn’t understand Jung’s words, who spoke as if he were the victim. It was true that it was an unfortunate event, but he couldn’t believe that it was the reason that led him to corruption.

If you think about it, he had lived a more unfortunate and miserable life, his misfortunes were more…

-Click.

“Kid.”

“…”

“Speak properly. If you don’t want to die right now.”

“Gulp.”

Jung, who spat out cold words, laughed heartily and said.

“You too…”

Jung, who held back his anger, spoke of his ideals to Mikhail. Without using force or trying to open the door forcibly. He continued his monologue leisurely.

“You too. If you had seen my memories, you wouldn’t have said that, the word ‘just’ would have disappeared, and you would have just cried.”

“…No. I don’t pity trash like you.”

Mikhail bit his lip at Jung’s words. There were people who deserved pity and those who didn’t.

“Hmm… Too cold.”

“Stop spouting nonsense and tell me the spell you cast on me.”

“I don’t feel like it anymore.”

“Stop it…!”

“Why?”

Jung slammed the door with his fist and sneered.

“Why am I trash?”

“Because you killed so many people…”

“In other people’s memories, they all forgave you. Why don’t you forgive me?”

“…”

“I can be good too.”

“…”

—

“If you give me a chance, I can be good. If you open the door and hug me tightly…! I can ‘atone’.”

“…Don’t be ridiculous.”

Yung spat out a sneer as he spoke to Mikhail.

“Not buying it….”

“…”

“Yeah…”

Yung, with eyes as sharp as a blade, looked at the door and spoke to Mikhail.

“People don’t change.”

“…”

“Unless you completely erase their memories, people don’t change even if they die.”

Yung spoke to the frozen Mikhail.

“I guess it’s time to tell you what you’re curious about.”

-Gulp.

“It must have been hard waiting. Listening to an old man’s story must be getting tiresome.”

-…

“Such a pity.”

-…

“If I had pushed a little harder, I could have seen something interesting.”

“Something interesting…?”

“If I had targeted that kid instead of you, it would have been more interesting… but it didn’t work. Makes me want to kill…”

“What are you talking about…?”

Yung could clearly see Mikhail’s expression. The expression of someone dying of curiosity.

“Didn’t you find it strange?”

“What’s strange…?”

“Think about it. Didn’t you find yourself hating or resenting someone unusually? I’m sure you did. Right?”

At Yung’s chilling question, Mikhail fell silent for a moment. What he said gave him a cold premonition.

“It’s not something to hate this much… but I hate more.”

‘No…’

“It’s something that could be resolved through conversation, but I ignored it thinking it wouldn’t work.”

-No…?

—

—

Yung felt a thrill as he spat out a small sneer at the silence coming from beyond the door.

“Wasn’t it strange?”

It wouldn’t be.

No.

It couldn’t be.

Mikhail, gripping the doorknob tightly with both hands, stared at the door with trembling eyes.

Thinking that ‘he’ was the culprit behind everything, he breathed heavily, his eyes bloodshot.

“Seems like something comes to mind.”

“You…”

“Isn’t the story getting more interesting now?”

“Was it you?”

Yung lightly ignored Mikhail’s question and continued to boast about his magic.

“My black magic can turn people’s minds blank like those you’ve passed by…”

“…”

“It can make you call your arch-enemy ‘mother’.”

“…”

“Conversely…”

Mikhail gripped the doorknob tightly and clenched his teeth at Yung’s deep malice.

“It can make someone hate.”

“…”

“When you look at photos related to him, his face appears blurry, and you can’t remember even if you try.”

“…”

At Yung’s chilling testimony, Mikhail’s fingers began to tremble.

“But, you can’t forget and you miss him.”

“..”

“You miss him so much that you cry…”

“…”

“But.”

-Clank.

The doorknob Mikhail was holding began to shake. The clanking sound continued from the firmly locked door.

—

—

-Click. Click. Click!

“When I see a certain person, I feel impulsive emotions…”

“…”

“Why is he making that face?”

“…”

“Why is he smiling like that?”

“…”

“I hope that person isn’t happy.”

Mikhail shouted at Jung with a boiling voice.

“I’m asking if it was you!”

“Why are you angry, kid? I’m here to apologize for the prank I played on you.”

“I told you to shut up.”

“Why…?”

Jung spoke to Mikhail in a calm voice.

“Are you scared?”

“…”

“No. I just planted a small doubt. Later, when that kid appears in front of you, that emotion might turn into ‘anger’.”

“…”

“You ruined that relationship.”

“…”

“The black magic was weak… You could have overcome it, but you didn’t. That’s your fault.”

-Rattle.

Jung looked at the trembling doorknob with a satisfied smile.

“You shouldn’t be trembling already. What will you do when I open the door?”

“…”

“You know. I’m not the kind of person who stops at this level.”

“…”

“I prepared a gift for you with great effort. It wouldn’t be fun if it ended blandly.”

Jung spoke with genuine excitement.

“Shall I change your memory entirely this time?”

—

—

“…”

“This time, I’m really going to make you hate that kid, make you call me dad, and turn the person you thought was a hero into your enemy…!”

“…Shut up.”

“Yeah! We’re going to turn our first meeting into a memorable one…! If I change my face to that kid’s face and that kid’s face to mine…”

“…I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you right now!”

“You?”

Yung asked Mikhail seriously.

“How?”

“…”

“Can you kill me?”

“…”

“You know, kid.”

Yung sneered at Mikhail.

“If it weren’t for me, you would have cried the moment you saw that kid, wouldn’t you?”

“…”

“You should be grateful.”

“I’ll… I’ll kill you.”

“There’s an art to waiting, you know.”

Yung turned the doorknob with a ‘click’ and spoke to Mikhail again.

“When I open this door and go in, a new world will unfold for you… Aren’t you excited?”

Yung spoke sincerely to Mikhail.

“You’ll be happy. Happier than any happiness you’ve ever felt.”

-Click!

“So…”

-Click… Click…!

“Let’s have a pleasant dream…”

The doorknob began to shake violently. Mikhail’s body began to tremble along with the shaking doorknob.

The once quiet people began to pound on the door like mad.

Outside the window, darkness began to gather.

The falling rain brought a cruel storm, swallowing up the sound.

—

—

-Swooosh.

As if to announce to Mikhail that the worst was not the end but the beginning.

-Swooosh.

The heavy rain began to fall.