Chapter 82

“What is this?”

Seriously, what is this?

Cho-i mumbled, looking at the empty air rather than Zhu Rui’s body, which was split in half. A sword was in her hand, and that sword had cut Zhu Rui in two. It meant that her stats had indeed increased at the same time she killed Zhu Rui.

‘Eat him.’

And then, the voice of ‘the Entity’ once again echoed in her mind.

‘Eat that male.’

Thump, thump, thump. Her heart began to race. Something she had never tasted on Beondo Island began to look so delicious that her mouth watered. She stared at the bloody, split corpse with confused eyes.

“Hah, hah…”

She was truly thirsty as if she were hungry, and her mouth filled with saliva. She swallowed her saliva with difficulty, staring at the corpse. Unconsciously, she reached out her hand towards the body. And just then.

“Sister!”

Hyori Hyeon’s voice was heard. Cho-i Hyeon snapped back to reality the moment she heard his voice.

“Just now, I…”

What was I just about to do? The answer was obvious even when she asked herself. She was about to eat a human. A fellow ‘human.’ She suddenly felt a surge of nausea.

“Ugh!”

Cho-i immediately began to vomit next to the corpse. She hadn’t eaten anything all day, so only stomach acid came up, but she coughed as she threw up even that stomach acid. Hyori Hyeon, looking flustered, began to pat her back.

“What’s wrong? You won, so why are you like this? Did something go wrong?”

“Ugh.”

Cho-i Hyeon was shocked by her own thoughts. And yet, on the other hand, it wasn’t shocking at all. She felt as if she had thought of something obvious. That made it even more disgusting.

‘Why didn’t I eat it?’
‘Shut up.’

She wiped her lips, arguing with the voice echoing in her head.

“Damn it….”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Be quiet….”

Her head throbbed as people talked to her from all sides. Cho-i slowly got up, gathered Zhu Rui’s body, which was split in half, and carried it over her shoulder. His intestines plopped onto the floor.

“Let’s go dispose of this.”
‘Poor Zhu Rui, did he know he’d become fish food?’
‘I said be quiet.’
‘You should eat him instead. He’s too good to be given to mere fish.’
“I told you to shut up!”

“I, I didn’t say anything?”

Hyori Hyeon, who was lingering nearby, said in surprise. Cho-i Hyeon, with a headache, pressed her forehead and waved her hand at him.

“No, I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Then, what? Did the dead Zhu Rui talk to you?”

“Something like that.”

“Big sister, you’re not crazy, are you?”

“The entity is also somewhat similar.”

At her words, Hyori Hyeon stepped back a few paces. Cho-i Hyeon trudged towards the seaside, regardless of what her younger brother did. Hyori Hyeon stayed still for a moment, then quietly began to follow her. It was a small island with no residents, and since they were illegal immigrants anyway, it would be difficult to find anyone. Cho-i Hyeon began to think, her eyes somehow turned black.

‘What exactly is it? Why do my stats go up when I kill a person? I didn’t even kill a monster.’

That damned voice in her head wouldn’t answer her at times like this. Cho-i Hyeon smacked her head. Hyori Hyeon, who was following behind, cried out in fear.

“Ah! That’s scary! Stop it!”

“Be quiet.”

The two soon arrived at the sea. Cho-i Hyeon threw Zhu Rui’s body far out into the ocean.
Splash!
It was a place no one would find, and with many fish, the body would probably quickly become fish food and disappear. She heard a smacking sound in her head, as if regretting it. It sounded like someone was savoring a taste. Cho-i Hyeon frowned and said to Hyori Hyeon,

“Hey.”

“What?”

“What will you do if that one dies?”

“What do you mean ‘what will I do’? I’ll have to find a route into the mafia or a gang.”

“You could pretend not to know.”

“Even if I pretend not to know, there’s no way the entities won’t come after me. I’ll have to fly to the USA for a while.”

“Alright. Just don’t die.”

Hyori Hyeon suddenly called out to Cho-i.

“…Big sister.”

“Why?”

“What do you think would have happened if I had just left without waking you up?”

“What do you mean ‘what would have happened’? You’d probably be thrown out there by now.”

“In half?”

“Yes, sliced in half.”

“…It’s a good thing I woke you up.”

“That’s what saved you.”

Cho-i Hyeon looked at the seawater, which was stained with blood and then turned blue again, then turned her head to look at Hyori Hyeon. Hyori Hyeon was looking at her with a direct gaze.

“So, when does the boat arrive?”

“One will come in the morning.”

“Alright. Let’s take that and leave together.”

“Okay.”

“Once we leave, don’t ever pretend to know me again.”

“…Okay.”

“Live well.”

“Got it.”

So, Hyori Hyeon and Cho-i Hyeon took the boat to the mainland. And then they immediately parted ways. Cho-i immediately deleted Hyori Hyeon’s number. Tap, tap, seeing her younger brother’s number disappear with a few touches, Cho-i couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness.

“It’s fine. We lived as if we didn’t know each other anyway.”

Cho-i immediately got into a taxi heading to Seoul. It felt as if nothing had happened. Truly, she thought nothing would happen. Inside the taxi going up to Seoul, Cho-i felt a shiver run through her body.

‘Is it because I went into the seawater?’

However, she had never once heard of an S-Rank catching a cold just from going into the sea. Cho-i immediately noticed that something was wrong with her body. She frantically rubbed her body, which was now not just cold but stinging with pain. The more she touched it, the more a faint pain arose.

“What, why, is this happening?”

As Cho-i moved restlessly, the taxi driver seemed to sense something was amiss and began glancing at Cho-i through the rearview mirror. Cho-i lifted her head and looked forward. And then.

“Ah.”

She let out a short sigh upon seeing her face reflected in the rearview mirror. Cracks were appearing on her face. Crack, the thin hairline cracks peeled off like dry shed skin. Cho-i Hyeon realized something was seriously wrong. She quickly covered her face.

“Miss, are you alright?” “Ah, no, no.”

Cho-i stroked her shoulder but quickly pulled her hand away because her skin, which was not just cold but felt burning hot as if she had been scalded. Her mind was a tangled mess.

‘What exactly is the problem? Why is this suddenly happening?’

She had been fine until she parted ways with Hyori Hyeon and hailed a taxi. But suddenly this pain, cracks on her face. Cho-i looked down at her hands.

“Ah, ahh!”

She screamed without realizing it. Fine hairline cracks were appearing on her hands too. The taxi driver, startled by her scream, also exclaimed.

“Wh-what’s going on?!” “Wait, wait, wait.”

Cho-i clutched her hair in her hands, her head aching. Her mind was in chaos. And then, ‘the Entity’ whispered to her.

‘I need a male to protect me.’ “A male?” ‘A male to protect me while I shed my skin.’ “Shed skin? What do you mean, shed skin?” “Miss, what’s wrong?”

The taxi driver kept looking back at Cho-i, as if terrified by her muttering to herself. Cho-i shouted at the taxi driver.

“Look ahead!”

Cho-i picked up her smartphone with trembling hands. I need a male to protect me, a male to guard my surroundings when I am vulnerable. She didn’t know if this was her own thought or the thought of the Entity occupying her mind, but Cho-i felt incredibly weak right now.

“Taehyeok Sa.”

And the first thing that came to mind was Taehyeok Sa. ‘Extremely weak,’ yet the strongest male in the existing world, him. Cho-i began to call Taehyeok Sa with trembling hands. Ring-ring-ring- Unlike him, who always answered immediately when the phone rang, today the ringing was long. Cho-i unknowingly slammed the seat of the taxi she was sitting in. Crunch-

“Ah!”

As the seat burst, numerous cracks appeared on Cho-i’s hand. Cho-i clutched her hand, trembling all over from the pain. Even the touch of her fingers felt like pain. Cho-i couldn’t understand what this phenomenon was. Shedding skin, shedding skin. What was she that she had to shed her skin? Ring-ring-click.

-Hello. “Taehyeok Sa.”

His voice was slightly languid. Cho-i, irritated by his voice, shouted.

“Where is your house?” -Why suddenly that? “I need it.” -What? “I need you.”

Cho-i’s eyes turned crimson. The whites of her eyes, where all the capillaries had burst, were completely red.

“Right now, for me, immediately.”

* * *

Cho-i carelessly threw her credit card and got out of the taxi. Each step was heavy and painful.

“Damn it, do I have to feel the Little Mermaid’s feelings this much?”

Cho-i gritted her chattering teeth and finally arrived at the address Taehyeok Sa had given her, after turning the taxi around. Flap, flap. Dry shed skin peeled from her cheeks and hands, falling to the floor. And each time, a pain like a thin cut on every inch of her skin came. She struggled to keep her mind clear as she walked, and someone appeared in the distance.

“Cho-i Hyeon!”

It was Taehyeok Sa. As soon as Cho-i Hyeon saw him, she felt a slight relief. The male who would protect me has come. The one who will stop those who would attack me when I am vulnerable. Cho-i Hyeon endured the pain and quickened her steps. When Taehyeok Sa tried to support her as she staggered, she recoiled in alarm.

“Don’t touch me! It hurts!”

“What on earth is happening?”

“I don’t know either!”

She staggered alone towards the officetel where Taehyeok Sa lived. Taehyeok Sa, almost running, opened the lobby door and stood beside her, examining her condition. All the exposed skin was cracked. Flap, flap. The dry shed skin, falling like shards of glass, made a clinking sound each time it hit the floor.

“Right now, your condition is…”

“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. It hurts!”

As Cho-i, who had gone to the elevator, couldn’t even press the button, Taehyeok Sa pressed the elevator button with a frown. And they headed to the top floor. Even during that brief wait for the elevator, she swayed constantly, unable to lean on anything.