Chapter 238

EP.238 The Second Collapse #3

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“Dr. Jennifer Cash.”

“…..”

“Dr. Jennifer Cash?”

The doctor, who had been leaning back on the bed lost in thought, only snapped out of it after Marcella called her several times.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

“No… I just have a headache today.”

“Really…? Should I get you some painkillers?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll feel better after sleeping. Today’s research was fun.”

“Me too. Well, I’ll head out now, so get some rest.”

Marcella bowed her head and left the room.

The doctor hesitated for a moment, delaying time, and then locked the door.

After glancing around the ceiling and double-checking that there were no cameras, she lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.

Then, she slipped her hand into her pants.

Life here was very satisfying.

But… she missed one person she wanted to see the most.

That person was Jihyuk.

‘Jihyuk…’

Even while doing research with Marcella or having private conversations with Sehwa, she kept thinking about him.

Especially when she was alone like this, he would appear so vividly in her mind.

Eventually, the doctor’s longing for Jihyuk was expressed through self-pleasure.

But even as she inserted two fingers into her vulva and roughly thrusted, or tried to writhe her body as if Jihyuk’s member was inside her, it wasn’t satisfying.

Of course not. There was a stark difference between making love while looking into each other’s eyes and masturbating alone, lost in imagination.

If only she had a tool, it might have been different, but she didn’t even have that, and the sense of self-loathing was overwhelming.

She wanted to throw away all her pride and beg Sehwa for blood.

At least drinking blood would make her feel ecstatic.

“Haah…”

The doctor, who had been squirming under the blanket trying to feel some sexual desire, scolded herself for what she was doing and sat up.

In the room, the only sound was the noise she made while moving.

Perhaps because of the unsatisfying self-pleasure and the quiet room, she felt lonelier than usual.

After washing her hands in the bathroom and cooling down her flushed face, the doctor turned on the coffee pot.

She made a simple black coffee, sat at the desk, and sipped it, as various thoughts flooded her mind.

Most of them were about Jihyuk and Sehwa’s true form.

Come to think of it, when Sehwa showed her true form, the energy she emitted felt familiar.

At the time, she was too focused on listening to Sehwa’s story to pay attention, but why did she feel that way?

No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t figure it out.

‘It felt like something fundamentally attracted me…’

It was somewhat like maternal love, or the freshness of first love.

As she thought at the time, she couldn’t define it.

She was curious. Would she understand if she felt it again?

Yes, let’s ask to see it once more. Not from Sehwa, but from Marcella.

Since both are of the same demon race, their energy should be similar.

She decided to carefully feel the demon’s energy and accurately grasp it this time.

With that determination, the doctor opened the door.

Currently, she could freely enter and exit Marcella’s lab and kitchen.

Meaning she didn’t need to worry about anyone’s notice.

Still, since it was late at night, she was cautious, and though not as stealthy as a thief, she tiptoed through the corridor.

As she passed the room where Yuria was held, the doctor suddenly became worried about her.

Given her rebellious attitude, it was obvious she was still tied up.

If she didn’t move, her muscles would suffer… Let’s check her condition.

And try to persuade her. To make Sehwa happy.

‘If she still insists…’

In that case, she would no longer help Yuria.

After finishing her thoughts, the doctor realized she didn’t know the password to this room.

What a fool… Why hadn’t she thought of this before?

Feeling ridiculous, the doctor chuckled and decided to look around the large lab to find Marcella.

Since they had discussed the improvement theory of the disruptor today, she thought Marcella might be tinkering with it, but Marcella wasn’t there.

Except for the regular beeping sound, the lab was very quiet.

The doctor was about to pass through the dimly lit lab when she saw the communication device in front of the control panel and swallowed hard.

“…..”

Just once… Should she try contacting Jihyuk?

Let’s do it. There’s no one here. If she adjusts the frequency so the location can’t be traced, it should be safe.

The doctor’s desire to hear Jihyuk’s voice took over her entire body, numbing her rationality.

Just as she naturally sat at the control panel and was about to put on the headphones,

‘Huh…?’

She caught a faint sound in her ear.

Curious, she listened closely and heard barefoot steps from the outer corridor leading to the kitchen.

Judging by the regular footsteps, it was one person. And they were coming this way.

Was it Sehwa? Or Marcella?

But was her hearing so good that she could hear such sounds?

Whatever it was, now wasn’t the time for this.

The doctor quickly put the headphones back in place and lowered her posture.

Although she had freedom, being alone in the lab at this hour and trying to contact Jihyuk made her feel unnecessarily guilty.

Thud-!

Soon, the door opened, and footsteps crossed the lab.

Then they stopped somewhere.

Beep, beep beep beep!

The sound of a password being entered.

The location was Yuria’s room.

The doctor peeked out to see who was trying to enter.

And her eyes widened.

‘….!’

It was hard to tell in the dark, but the long, smooth back and hair reaching the waist made it clear.

That person was definitely… Yuria.

Yuria Elenard, who should have been tied up in the room.

Clank!

The door closed, and the lab fell silent again.

The doctor’s body froze at the sight of this scene that defied common sense.

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Swoosh-!

The doctor turned the water on full blast, placed her hands on either side of the sink, and stared blankly.

Why was Yuria freely moving in and out of the room?

Did she surrender quickly? Like herself?

That couldn’t be. Given Yuria’s nature, the possibility of her surrendering in just a day… no, a few hours, was close to zero.

‘Did I see wrong…?’

No, that wasn’t it either.

She was in a sane state, not having drunk any blood, and that beautiful back was definitely Yuria’s.

Her mind was in chaos. What on earth was happening?

It felt like she was being played by someone.

‘Wait… being played…?’

Come to think of it, Yuria was a bit… strange.

First of all, the circumstances of her capture were suspicious.

At the time, the doctor had sent a signal to Yuria after being caught by Sehwa.

If it were the usual Yuria, she would have rushed over immediately, but nothing happened until she was caught… which implied she had been captured beforehand.

With her incredible physical abilities, she wasn’t someone who could be easily subdued.

Moreover, equipped with a device, her heightened senses would have allowed her to transform at the first sign of danger.

Crucially, to capture Yuria without a scratch, at least two S-class demons would have been needed, but the Evil Energy Explorers spread across Korea didn’t even react.

Meaning no demons appeared.

Even if she conceded that, she could let it slide.

Meaning they could have captured Yuria easily using some method she couldn’t even dream of.

However, she couldn’t overlook Yuria’s behavior after being captured.

She had once asked Yuria a question.

If given the chance to take revenge on Tairat or save humans, which would she choose?

Yuria confidently chose the latter.

If she valued life so much, why would she drive humans to their deaths?

Also, before that… when she called Yuria to Lyon for help, she had explained Tairat’s schemes.

At that time, Yuria’s attitude was very calm.

So why is she acting like this now… Even considering that she’s in Tairat’s base and might not be in her right mind, and that she vowed not to yield to the enemy, it’s hard to understand.

This makes it seem like she’s acting to be punished by me!

Thump-!

Her heart beats uncomfortably.

She has a bad feeling. It feels like she’s become a plaything.

It’s scarier than watching a horror movie.

It feels like she’s floundering in a swamp someone else created.

The words Sehwa said after showing her true form flash through her mind.

Don’t worry even if hardships come,

I am your only sanctuary,

I am the only one who will embrace you.

Why did Sehwa say these things? Just for the doctor’s sake?

At the time, she was so amazed by Sehwa’s demon form that she let it slide…

But now, thinking about it, it seems like she was implying that shocking events would happen and she should rely on her.

‘Something is happening… something I don’t know about…’

Whether this imagination stems from schizophrenia or not, it doesn’t matter.

If she stays like this, she’ll go completely insane.

She needed to confirm. She had to find out what was going on!

Without even turning off the faucet, the doctor left the bathroom and put on her socks.

Then, she kicked off her soft slippers and opened the door.

And she was startled.

“Gasp!”

Sehwa was standing in front of the door with her arms crossed, looking serious.

The doctor fell back, landing on her butt.

She moved her limbs to back away from Sehwa.

Seeing the doctor like this, Sehwa sighed deeply and slowly approached, asking,

“It’s late, why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Se, Sehwa… how did you get here…”

“There are no cameras in your room, but the corridors and lab have them. I saw everything.”

“…..”

Sehwa looked down at the stunned doctor for a moment, then went into the bathroom and turned off the faucet.

Then, she brought a towel and wiped the cold sweat from the doctor’s face and limbs.

As she did, she said,

“It wasn’t our intention. We wanted you to experience it more naturally, without shock.”

Sehwa suddenly said something strange.

Sehwa, sounding regretful, continued in a sorrowful voice,

“Why do you keep acting out… in Lyon, and here too… That’s why we… Haah… no.”

The doctor’s eyes widened.

The phrase ‘in Lyon, and here too’ implied everything.

The doctor accurately grasped the hidden meaning behind Sehwa’s words, as if she knew everything about her.

Convinced that her ominous premonition was correct, the doctor sprang up from the floor.

And with burning eyes, she asked Sehwa, who had also stood up,

“Have you… been playing with me all this time…?”

“It hurts to hear you say that. We never intended to…”

Slap-!

Sehwa’s head snapped to the side.

The doctor had slapped her cheek with all her might.

Seeing Sehwa’s fair skin instantly redden and swell, the doctor felt a pang of guilt.

It felt like she had committed a heinous act.

But she didn’t change her attitude.

“Stop making excuses and be honest!”

At the doctor’s shout that seemed to shake the room, Sehwa touched her cheek for a moment, then looked directly at the doctor and asked,

“Alright. What do you want to know?”

Despite being slapped, Sehwa’s gentle response reassured the doctor, who asked in return,

“Yuria… what is Yuria’s true identity?”

“You seem to have an idea… I’ll show you directly.”

Hearing this, the doctor, trying to calm her trembling heart, was about to nod but stopped.

She understood that Sehwa had no intention of humiliating her.

But why did she use the plural pronoun ‘we’?

It couldn’t be Yuria… so was she referring to Marcella?

As the doctor pondered this, Sehwa’s next words made her expression harden.

“I know everything you’re curious about. I plan to tell you all the truth today. First, let’s meet Yuria unnie, and then we’ll talk.”

Sehwa’s sincerity was evident.

The betrayal was immense, but… even after being slapped, she didn’t retaliate and was concerned about her.

Trust her. It’s too late to distrust Sehwa now.

“…. Alright.”

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