Chapter 57

<Episode 58> I Wish You Were Dead

Tap tap.

The campfire blazed up.

The tent was completely empty.

Young-hee sat there blankly, staring at the fire.

“……”

In the silent forest, she felt nothing.

Lucky for her, everyone on the team had left their posts.

No one was talking to her.

Because of this, she could be utterly alone.

“Hmph.”

99

She wasn’t unaware of her friends’ consideration.

Normally, she wouldn’t have caused such a nuisance.

But right now, she accepted their kindness.

That’s how mentally drained she’d been lately.

Since when?

Since when did she start feeling most at ease when she was alone?

‘I feel like something’s wrong with me lately.’

Young-hee thought this as she buried her face in her knees.

When her vision was blocked, her heart calmed down a little.

Just a little, but it felt like she could face herself.

Something was off with her emotions.

Young-hee suddenly realized this fact.

Or maybe she’d known all along.

But the more she thought about it, the cloudier her mind became.

Like fog covering her brain.

‘…Why am I like this?’

She didn’t know what was wrong.

Her feelings seemed perfectly natural.

But something definitely wasn’t right.

She strongly felt that this shouldn’t be happening.

Ugh… My head’s starting to hurt again.

Recently, this has been happening often.

As soon as doubts arise, a sharp pain echoes in my head.

It feels like it’s blocking me from thinking altogether.

‘Something’s wrong. I don’t know exactly what, but something is definitely wrong.’

While Young-hee furrowed her brow and focused on her thoughts, a familiar voice called out.

“Young-hee.”

The childhood friend’s voice that always brought comfort called her name.

Maybe because she had been deep in thought about her strange feelings,

Young-hee couldn’t hide her slight joy as she turned her head.

At that moment—

‘…Huh?’

Seeing Chul-soo’s face, her chest began to stir with unease.

An inexplicable sense of hatred rose within her.

Disgust, dislike, a desire to hurt him.

Feelings she would never normally entertain.

They arose involuntarily.

‘Ah, that’s right. I hate Chul-soo.’

This fabricated emotion quickly dominated her mind and heart.

She hated Chul-soo.

It was so ‘obvious.’

Young-hee curled her lips into a sneer.

In an instant, innocent Young-hee disappeared.

All that remained was a wicked woman intent on hurting the other person.

‘Yeah, I’ve gotta hurt Chul-soo somehow. No matter what it takes.’

She knew Chul-soo better than anyone else.

Which meant she also knew better than anyone else how to hurt him.

“Wow, what is this? I thought you went running to the class president. Are you coming back to me now? What a pathetic guy. Or did I seem that easy?”

Just saying this much could hurt him.

That’ll do.

Now Chul-soo’s expression will surely twist in pain.

By doing this, I can protect Chul-soo.

Wait… Protect? I hate Chul-soo, so why am I thinking about protecting him? But Chul-soo is special. That’s why I have to hurt him… Right? What am I even saying? I hate Chul-soo, so I’m hurting him… But why do I feel like I need to protect him while hating him…?

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, Chul-soo bowed his head.

His action froze Young-hee’s thoughts.

…Huh?

“What are you saying?”

“My actions were thoughtless. Back then, I was too rushed and acted without considering your feelings. From now on, I’ll make sure not to hurt you.”

What is he even saying?

I just want to hurt you.

There’s no need for apologies.

Stop it.

Don’t be so kind to me.

Rather, hate me and stay away.

The closer you get, the more I have to hurt you.

Do you even realize how painful that is for me?

“Sorry…”

Stop it!

Why are you apologizing?!

You haven’t done anything wrong, so why do you look so guilty?!

I didn’t want to see that face of yours!

“I don’t get it. I don’t understand why I’m acting like this. It hurts, it’s cold. This is my heart, but it doesn’t feel like mine anymore. Someone… please help me…”

My head feels like it’s going to break.

A lump rises in my throat.

It’s all because of Chul-soo.

These unpleasant emotions.

Emotions I would never have harbored otherwise.

That emotion is truly monstrous and uncontrollable.

“Haha! You’re funny. Do you really think saying these words will change anything?”

Stop it.

“It’s already over. I’ve seen the worst of you. Honestly, I never meant more to you than that. Those unconscious thoughts in emergencies prove it.”

Don’t say things like that.

“Pathetic. If Yu Jin were here, they wouldn’t spout such meaningless excuses.”

I don’t want to do this.

I don’t want to say such things.

I don’t want to hurt Chul-soo.

“Or what? Did you lust after the class president’s body?”

Yet, why does my mouth keep moving on its own?

Why does Chul-soo keep becoming someone I can barely tolerate?

Why can’t I suppress this emotion?

“Yeah, probably. We were together so much. Her body makes it pretty understandable.”

Once again, Young-hee fell victim to that emotion.

The hypnosis starts anew.

“Why are we talking about the class president?”

Chul-soo finally showed a reaction.

Young-hee smiled smugly, as if she had found her mark.

“Why? Don’t be shy. The class president has a great figure, big breasts. Any guy in their prime would go crazy over her.”

“…I’ve never looked at the class president that way.”

“Really? Are you sure? Can you honestly say you never thought about her while sleeping in the same tent?”

Young-hee took a step forward.

As mentioned before, Young-hee knows Chul-soo well.

That’s why she knows his weaknesses better than anyone.

Chul-soo accepts insults against himself easily.

Even violence, he can laugh off.

But he cannot tolerate anyone messing with those precious to him.

Occasionally, someone like the class president.

“Thinking about it, we trained together every day, didn’t we? Did you ever try anything? Maybe you gave in once or twice?”

The original Young-hee would never utter such nonsense.

She herself didn’t know why she was saying these things.

Rather, she no longer had the energy to question it.

The only thing driving her was the power of the hypnosis.

Not once did she consider the shock and pain Young-hee would feel upon regaining her senses.

It simply controlled her mouth indiscriminately.

“Buried in those big breasts, it must’ve been quite enjoyable, huh? Guys go crazy for that stuff.”

“Young-hee…”

“Or did it already happen? Is that why you’re acting this way? Because you couldn’t forget that taste, so you prioritized the class president?”

The air around Chul-soo changed.

Realizing this, Young-hee smirked with satisfaction.

“Ahhh, got it. Then I understand. Of course the class president is better than me. She’s smarter, helps with training, and prettier. She’s a much better girl than me. I get why you’d lean toward her.”

“That’s ridiculous! How could I possibly think that about you?! Why are you trying so hard to become stronger if that’s what you believe?!”

Finally, Chul-soo shouted.

Young-hee snickered mockingly.

A provocatively arrogant expression.

“You don’t need to lie to yourself like that. Since you were a kid, Chul-soo, you wanted to be the respected hero, right? And the class president’s parents would help with that, wouldn’t they? Much better than trash like me who was abandoned at the orphanage…”

“YOUNG-HEE!!”

“What? Am I wrong?! We’re both orphans anyway! At least you know who your parents are! I’m just garbage left in front of the orphanage…”

SMACK!

Chul-soo’s hand struck Young-hee’s cheek.

Her head snapped to the side.

Young-hee’s cheek flushed red.

For a moment, both stood stunned.

The one who hit and the one who was hit.

Neither could comprehend the situation due to shock.

Coming to his senses late, Chul-soo hurriedly approached Young-hee.

“S-sorry, Young-hee. I didn’t mean to…”

“Get your hands off me.”

Young-hee brushed Chul-soo’s hand away.

That simple motion.

More painful to Chul-soo than any of her words thus far.

“Y-young-hee…”

Young-hee turned her head.

Tears welled in her eyes.

They looked ready to spill at any moment.

Chul-soo’s heart felt like it was being pierced by hot iron.

None of the pain he had felt until now compared.

The moment he saw Young-hee’s tears, Chul-soo understood.

He physically grasped how excruciating someone else’s tears could be.

Through her tears, she glared at him with resentment.

Young-hee spoke.

“…I hate you, Chul-soo.”

“…”

“I hate you so much. I wish you were dead.”

Leaving those words behind, Young-hee turned and ran away.

Chul-soo couldn’t bring himself to chase after her.

He just stood there, dazed, staring at his hand for a while.

A cool breeze swept through the forest.

Hours later.

The Academy Survival Quest had ended.

The Scorpio Team claimed an overwhelming first place.

But no one was celebrating.

In fact, Chul-soo and Young-hee hadn’t spoken since.

It was several days later when Chul-soo was hospitalized in critical condition.

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