Chapter 240

EP.240 Becoming a Retainer

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-Ahhhhh!!

That dream again.

Edward is falling, and at the edge of the cliff, I’m sharing a deep kiss with Jihyuk.

But this time, it was different.

Before, I was watching from a third-person perspective, as if my soul was floating in the air, witnessing the kiss scene. But now, it was first-person.

I was the one kissing Jihyuk, our lips locked and tongues intertwined.

Dr. Cash, who had been focused on the sweet kiss with Jihyuk, was utterly shocked when he suddenly opened his eyes.

It felt like her body was being sucked into a deep swamp.

From head to toe, she felt a stretching sensation.

“Hah!”

She woke up, sitting upright.

Her body, drenched in sweat, was completely naked.

As she took deep breaths to calm herself, she flinched at the low voice coming from beside her.

“Our baby is fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Jihyuk, who had pulled a chair next to the bed, was sitting there, looking down at her with a gentle gaze.

Recalling the situation where she had fainted, Dr. Cash’s breathing quickened again.

She had met Jihyuk and then passed out.

And it was because of Jihyuk, who exuded such a calm aura that it stabilized her mind.

But she couldn’t be fooled. That guy was a fake.

Tairat must have taken Jihyuk’s form!

Pressing herself against the wall, Dr. Cash pulled the blanket up to her neck and shouted.

“Fake… you’re a fake!”

“I understand why you’d think that. It’s hard to believe.”

“…..”

“I’ll prove anything. From what happened in Sokcho to your pregnancy… ask me anything. I’ve kept all our memories.”

No matter how sweetly he tried to revive those memories, it was useless.

That figure wasn’t the real Jihyuk.

She wanted to think that, but… there was a reason she believed him.

It was his gaze.

Jihyuk’s eyes, looking at her, were filled with love.

That soft gaze she always saw at home… Jihyuk’s unique gentle eyes.

Tairat couldn’t possibly have those eyes.

No, Jihyuk was Tairat all along.

Dr. Cash clenched her fists tightly around the blanket.

She was trembling with an overwhelming sense of betrayal.

Jihyuk had played with her like a toy.

On purpose! He approached her intentionally!

“You trash…!”

At Dr. Cash’s strained curse, Jihyuk let out a small sigh.

“I never planned to get close to you. I only intended to make the Beast Slayers, like Sehwa, my retainers. But… you were so tempting. I wanted you.”

“Shut up…! Shut up!”

“Living with you was enjoyable. I truly felt like we loved each other.”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“I’m serious.”

“You deceived me… you tricked me into drinking Sehwa’s blood, making me abandon Edward and change my values…!”

Dr. Cash believed Jihyuk had been steadily injecting malice into her.

To be precise, she believed it in her heart.

But in her mind, she knew.

Until she was captured here, Jihyuk had done nothing but approach her sincerely.

“You’re human. You don’t have Aiter. Your mental strength is strong, but you’re still within the range of a normal person. The magical power in Sehwa’s blood is also called malice. Do you know what happens when you inject malice into someone like you? They become a slave. You know Chae Boyeong, right?”

How could she not know?

She was the one who had tempted Jihyuk with drugs.

“Don’t tell me Chae Boyeong too…?”

“Yes. She’s working for me now. She’s nothing like you. She’s proactive, but she only acts on my orders, prioritizing them above all else. Doubt? Of course, there’s none. By the way, I injected her with much less blood than you.”

“I drank Sehwa’s…”

“Yes. You drank Sehwa’s blood. But why do you think Sehwa kept telling you to trust me?”

“Why… did she do that?”

“To help you adapt quickly when this situation came. Even though you’re going through something unbelievable, you’re quite calm. Why? Because you’re feeling a similar vibe from me as you did with Sehwa.”

That was it.

Currently, Dr. Cash found the subtle aura Jihyuk was emitting to be comforting.

Even her rapidly beating heart was calming down on its own.

That’s why, despite being in a situation where she should be going crazy, she remained relatively calm.

If it were before, she would have lost her mind several times by now.

“Do you know why you’re so familiar with Sehwa, Yuria, and my aura? Because you drank blood? Of course, that’s part of it. But there’s a more important reason. The child in your womb carries malice.”

“What…?”

“I didn’t know either. I didn’t inject malice into the child. But seeing how you accepted Sehwa’s blood without issue, I became sure. It was natural, after all. The child is a mix of demon and human genes, so of course, it carries malice.”

“…..”

“The magical power, the malice in Sehwa’s blood, is mine. Sehwa, who became a demon, uses my power. You’ve come to think of Sehwa’s words as law, right? It’s the same with me. You’re believing everything I say now.”

“Ah… ahh…!”

“Everything Sehwa said was preparation for this moment with me. To make you feel trust in my words and to keep your rationality intact.”

It was exactly as he said.

Currently, she only had a slight sense of disbelief at the beginning of their conversation, but now she believed everything he said.

Even though she felt like she’d die from anger, she deeply accepted all his explanations as truth.

She even thought of Jihyuk as a greater sanctuary for her soul than Sehwa… no, the only sanctuary.

And though she hated Jihyuk, she didn’t dislike him.

She had wanted to be in his embrace all along, and her love for him remained.

Was this also an effect of Sehwa’s blood?

No. This was entirely her own emotion.

She was sure of that. She could swear it.

Now, Sehwa’s actions made sense.

Sehwa was a proxy. A proxy to convey Jihyuk’s feelings.

Everything she said was what Jihyuk wanted to say.

She had spoken in a roundabout way to prevent her from longing for the wrong person, thinking Jihyuk and Tairat were different beings.

“There’s a bit of coercion, but… I hope you understand. You didn’t fall like Chae Boyeong, and you naturally accepted my malice. Our child was changing your constitution.”

Was the child in her womb slowly turning her into a demon?

Is that why she didn’t lose her mind after drinking Sehwa’s blood… no, Jihyuk’s magical power?

As she listened to the explanation, one thing came to mind.

It was the dream where she was turning into a demon.

The reason she had that dream must have been because of the child.

“Originally, I planned to let you learn the truth about me very slowly, one by one. But… I ran out of time, so I had no choice.”

“What do you mean, no choice…?”

“Because of Adeline. Adeline’s divine power is affecting me. It’s gradually erasing my malice. Because of this, demons who rebelled against me have appeared. Recently, three S-class demons appeared at the same time, right?”

“So those guys… were trying to rebel…?”

“Yes. So I dealt with them. I’m not as strong as the Beast Slayers. Without malice, I’m just an empty shell.”

Now she understood why Jihyuk wanted to add a control device to the new Device he was making.

He was afraid of Adeline using both Aiter’s power and divine power at the same time.

As Dr. Cash stared blankly at Jihyuk, having learned the whole story, he continued.

“So I realized this couldn’t go on. I noticed you were trying to investigate me, even deceiving me… and that’s when I decided. I would turn you into a demon.”

“You… you could have just told me to come back… if you had just said you missed me, I would have dropped everything and come back… why did you have to go this far and make me suffer so much…?”

“If I had said that, do you think you would have really come back? No, right? Besides… as the child grows, it would naturally emit malice. Who do you think would notice that first?”

Adeline.

Adeline’s divine power is the complete opposite of malice. It not only purifies but also erases.

If Adeline noticed the child’s malice and used her divine power?

The child’s existence could completely disappear.

If it’s just purified and not erased? That’s fortunate, but it’s still a problem.

Jihyuk’s essence is that of a demon. If the child of a demon loses its malice… it would be nothing but an empty shell.

That would be truly despairing.

The child’s parents must be Jihyuk and Dr. Cash.

“…. Jihyuk… I…”

“I said I’d turn you into a demon, but we can stop here.”

“What…? Then the child’s malice…”

“I’ll figure something out. Sehwa and Yuria are taking medicine to hide their malice. If we improve that, we can hide the child’s malice too. Probably…”

Probably…? That’s not certain.

Besides, could she live normally after going through all this? Absolutely not.

Also, she had come too far to give up on Jihyuk, and she felt sincerity in his almost pleading tone.

She still loved Jihyuk more than anything in the world.

Even if she had the chance to turn back time, she wouldn’t want to erase her relationship with Jihyuk.

Memories with Edward? She had long since thrown them away and forgotten them.

Because of Jihyuk’s fairness and Sehwa’s blood, she no longer thought of herself as human.

Then why was she suffering so much?

Because Jihyuk had completely deceived her? Because she felt she couldn’t truly be with Jihyuk as a human?

Probably both.

“I’m really sorry for deceiving you.”

Jihyuk’s apology, as if he had read her mind.

Startled, she asked.

“Is… is this also… the blood… no, the effect of your magical power…? Can you read my mind?”

“No way… absolutely not. I’m just reading your facial expressions.”

This kind of mind-reading was cheating.

Her anger melted away.

“Jihyuk…”

“I’ll respect your choice. Whether you become a demon or not, we’re family. That won’t change.”

We’re family.

It made her heart race and flutter even more than when she heard it from Sehwa.

Since things had come to this, she wanted to become a demon and escape all her anguish.

Seeing Dr. Cash’s wavering state, Jihyuk smiled gently and continued.

“One thing is clear… my love for you will never change. Never.”

Her face turned red, and her heart raced, even though she should be running away from this situation.

The desire to become a demon surged within her.

‘A demon… me, a demon…?’

Originally, when she felt Sehwa’s mercy, she had considered choosing the path of becoming a demon.

Now that she knew Jihyuk was Tairat, and with his child in her womb and her love for him unwavering, there was no need to hesitate.

But there was something holding her back.

She didn’t want to call Jihyuk “master” like Yuria or Sehwa.

She wanted to walk as equals, sharing love like before.

“I’m… scared… what if I change and become someone else…?”

At Dr. Cash’s worry, Jihyuk smiled brightly, trying to reassure her.

“You’re still you. Your essence won’t change.”

“How can you be sure? I’ve already changed after drinking Sehwa’s blood…”

“I promise. Even if you become a demon, our relationship will remain the same.”

Hearing that, she felt a little… no, a lot more at ease.

Dr. Cash deeply pondered what answer she should give.

Finally, having almost made up her mind, she asked.

“What do I need to become a demon…?”

“You only need one thing. Willpower.”

“Just… willpower…?”

“You’ve reached a state where you can accept malice well after going through so much with Sehwa. As I said before, Sehwa’s magical power is my magical power. You just need to let go of the last bit of hesitation.”

The last bit of hesitation…? What was that?

The desire to doubt Jihyuk?

Or the anxiety of no longer being human?

“I don’t understand…”

“Just sincerely swear in front of me that you’ll give up being human and become family. Sehwa did that, right? She said if you want to be family, just say it.”

“…. Did Sehwa mean for me to say that to you…?”

“Exactly.”

That must be the keyword to becoming a demon.

Covering her face with both hands, Dr. Cash decided to get one last promise before making her final decision.

“Promise me one thing… you won’t treat me as a subordinate…”

“You’ll only be eternally bound to me, but our relationship won’t change. I promise you with everything I have.”

Bound? It was a slightly unsettling word, but… it also meant she couldn’t leave Jihyuk.

She had no intention of leaving his side anyway, so it wasn’t a problem.

Moreover, he promised with everything he had…

‘Let’s do it…’

Jihyuk was everything to her.

As long as she could be by his side, she didn’t care about giving up being human.

Thinking this way, all her anguish disappeared.

Perspective… yes, it’s a matter of perspective.

Think positively. It’s actually better.

She’s rising from a lower species to a higher existence.

Having made her decision, Dr. Cash knelt before Jihyuk.

It was an instinctive action, feeling like this was necessary for the ritual.

Staring straight at Jihyuk’s face, she spoke.

“I… want to become a demon… I want to be family with you…”

As she uttered that vow from the depths of her heart, Jihyuk smiled a truly beautiful smile and said.

“Thank you, noona.”

At that moment,

Whoosh-!

An immense malice erupted from Jihyuk’s body and began to absorb into Dr. Cash’s entire being.

“Huh…!”

It didn’t hurt. It just felt like being hit by a strong gust of wind.

With a bewildered expression, she accepted the energy,

Crack-! Crack!

Suddenly, she was startled by the sound of bones reconstructing in her back and waist.

It wasn’t painful. Just unfamiliar.

A ticklish, strange sensation arose in her lower abdomen.

It was a truly unfamiliar feeling, but thinking of it as part of the transformation process calmed her mind.

She was becoming a demon. Becoming bound to Jihyuk.

Escaping all her anguish, becoming a retainer solely for him.

Now… she just wanted to be happy.

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