Chapter 54
I never thought I’d find joy in being stepped on.
But this isn’t exactly behavior a normal person would exhibit.
Hmm. I see it now.
Si-Hoo, you’re not in your right mind either.
It hurts.
You need treatment.
“…Did you do this to your little sister too?”
Stepping on her, barging into the house without warning.
“What?”
“Kidnapping and confinement, all to threaten her. It’s to find Seo-A, right? What on earth is going on here?”
Now I understand.
“……”
“If I said Seo-A was dead, would you give up?”
“…No.”
“Got it. Now I see why you’re angry.”
The very existence of Seo-A is the problem.
Like a thorn lodged in your heart, the moment someone like Seo-A exists, issues arise.
“How pitiful.”
A healer-type Awakener.
You can treat a wound from a sword, but not a common cold.
Even if you sew a severed arm back on, there’s no way to fix a mental illness.
But I’m different.
I’m called a saint for a reason.
I can heal both body and mind, no matter the extent.
“I’ll heal you.”
This isn’t a power I can just use anywhere.
And it’s not a power I can use on just anyone.
“Huh?”
Si-Hoo pulls back.
But it doesn’t matter.
Even if I’m lying down or Si-Hoo stands a few steps away.
“[Healing Commence-!]”
Boom!
A sound bursts forth as if something is exploding.
The space fills with white.
Pure white.
It’s begun.
Si-Hoo isn’t moving.
Nothing is moving except for me.
As if time has stopped.
The skill has already activated.
Light sparkles.
Si-Hoo’s light shines when he attacks, but my light shines when I heal.
I’m healing the pain.
I’ll show you why they call me a saint.
Where hurts the most?
The heart.
In truth, that’s the biggest problem.
Heartache isn’t visible to the eye.
“Don’t worry.”
I stand up.
It’s a space where I can move freely.
I’ve realized why Si-Hoo is in pain.
I planned to slowly uncover it through adventures together, but since it’s come to this, there’s no other choice.
I have to heal him directly.
As long as I know the rough cause, healing is possible.
“You’ll be okay.”
Healing skills can also be the most malicious.
You can defend against attacks.
But recovery?
There’s hardly a way to stop it.
“I’m here for you.”
I whispered into his ear.
This is healing.
Piecing together twisted memories, it’s therapy for trauma.
Using this power even once leaves me drained.
Since Si-Hoo is someone I care for.
Especially.
“[Mental Unraveling]”
With a loud burst, the background shifts.
*
Inside Si-Hoo’s memory.
Peering into someone else’s memories can be quite challenging.
It looks like an alley in the slums.
“Is that you, Si-Hoo?”
It’s a young Si-Hoo.
“Yes.”
He’s cute.
He’s holding something in his hand.
I never thought I’d meet the young Si-Hoo.
“What are you holding?”
“A bird.”
“It’s a paper crane, isn’t it?”
Did he try to fold a paper crane?
It looks like he got halfway through.
I was once interested in origami too.
“It’s a gift from a friend.”
A friend.
I wonder who that friend could be.
“Is it Seo-A?”
“Yes, do you know her?”
“Yeah. But this looks half-finished.”
It looks strange for a bird.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure it was a gift? It seems like it was thrown away instead?”
“…It’s… probably a gift.”
Let’s say it wasn’t a gift.
As Seo-A’s closeness decreases, Si-Hoo’s healing speeds up.
The closer they are, the bigger the problem becomes.
So let’s treat his memories from the beginning.
Every process is acceptable for healing.
That’s why anything can be healed.
Even illnesses of the heart.
Any trauma whatsoever.
So, they call me a saint.
Let’s move on to the next scene.
Boom.
The space shatters and then reassembles.
It’s another memory.
This time, the playground.
Si-Hoo is swinging alone.
“Hey, Si-Hoo?”
“Yes?”
“Are you playing alone?”
“Yes.”
It seems Seo-A isn’t here.
“Where’s your friend?”
“We argued. We need to reconcile.”
So they do fight.
Well, they’re kids after all.
“What did you fight about?”
“We were playing, and our rules were different…”
“I see.”
It looks like they fought over something trivial.
“Are you going to apologize?”
“Yes, but we both have been at fault.”
“Do you usually apologize first?”
“Yes.”
That seems likely.
“How about waiting for Seo-A to apologize? You always yielding isn’t necessarily good.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yep.”
“So, should we just wait until she apologizes?”
“Do whatever you want; stay silent or ignore her. Seo-A should know how to apologize too.”
Right?
That’s perfect advice.
What if their relationship gets a bit strained?
“Right…”
“Seo-A is the problem here.”
So let’s move on to the next scene.
Boom.
The space-time twists.
I delve into Si-Hoo’s memories.
This time, it’s a shabby house.
The inside, though, appears organized.
Si-Hoo is sitting in a chair.
Dishes are set on the table.
He looks more grown-up than in the last memory.
“Are you eating with Seo-A?”
But there’s no sign of Seo-A.
“Yes. It’s already time to meet.”
“It seems she’s not coming.”
“Well… the clock might be broken. She might just be late for some reason.”
“Does she often run late?”
“Yes. I set the table with that in mind.”
He says this as if it’s no big deal.
“Still, it’s best to keep your schedule.”
“That’s… true.”
“I wonder if Seo-A thinks of you as much as you think of her.”
“……”
I truly have no idea.
Right?
Next scene, please.
Next scene.
Next scene.
Let’s treat so that Seo-A doesn’t become an obsession.
So her existence is no longer a problem.
So Si-Hoo doesn’t cling to Seo-A.
Next scene.
Next scene.
Next scene.
As time goes on, the Si-Hoo in memory also changes.
He doesn’t cling to Seo-A too much.
Next scene.
Next, next, next.
Continuing through the next scenes, fixing the memories.
The healing is going well.
I point out parts Si-Hoo didn’t think about in the past, exploring the memories.
To the next memory.
Boom.
A new memory appears.
It’s dark, as it’s nighttime.
Yet I think I know where this is.
In front of Seo-A’s house.
I’ve read enough memories that I won’t forget.
“……”
Si-Hoo just stares at the closed door.
As if waiting for something.
He waits.
He waits and waits again.
Then he turns away.
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter.”
I’m not sure what he was waiting for.
Maybe Seo-A.
It seems he’s not willing to wait long.
I catch up to Si-Hoo and ask,
“What’s wrong?”
“After entering the academy, it feels like she dislikes me.”
He responds while walking.
He’s likely on his way back to the academy.
“Really?”
“She was cursing all sorts of things.”
Seo-A cursed?
Is this a phenomenon stemming from a distorted memory?
I have no idea how far the truth goes.
“I entered thinking it was for Seo-A, but since she dislikes me so much, I see no need to try hard.”
Without me needing to interfere, memories are already being distorted.
The healing is successful.
Si-Hoo won’t suffer any longer.
So at this point, did Si-Hoo and Seo-A part ways?
This memory has already changed, deviating from reality.
Healing is nearing its final stages.
To the next scene.
Boom.
The background shifts.
It’s a cafe.
A cafe within the academy.
Si-Hoo is drinking alone.
“What are you doing all by yourself?”
“I lent… some money.”
“To whom?”
“To Seo-A.”
She borrowed money?
“Why does she need money?”
“She said she needs medicine or something. It’s probably just an excuse. There’s no way she needs that much money for medicine.”
Ah, is this drugs then?
So she started using around this time.
Si-Hoo must have felt lonely when she left.
“Will you be able to get the money back?”
“No. I think it’ll just be lost forever.”
“Got it.”
Then let’s move on to the next scene.
Boom.
This time, it’s in the forest.
A dark forest.
I see Si-Hoo standing alone, looking at the ground.
“What’s wrong?”
“……”
There’s no answer.
He seems frozen.
“Si-Hoo?”
“……”
“Is this an untouchable memory?”
Sometimes, this happens.
Memories that can’t be changed no matter what.
Time seems frozen.
It feels like something shocking happened around this time.
But I don’t know what.
Then let’s just move on to the next memory.
“Who are you?”
“Huh?”
A girl’s voice.
It’s the first time someone else moves in Si-Hoo’s memory.
So far, only Si-Hoo and I have been present in this memory.
Although it’s dark, I can tell it’s Seo-A.
Seo-A was here too?
“A-ha-ha.”
“Seo-A?”
“Why are you doing this?”
She approaches.
Smiling.
She’s merely a character in the memories, so she poses no danger.
This is just another part of Si-Hoo.
That’s how memories work.
“Your very existence is a torment for Si-Hoo.”
“A torment?”
“Yeah, so I’m healing him. Please understand.”
As we move on to the next scene, she’ll disappear.
This phenomenon sometimes occurs when fixing memories.
I’ve done memory healing on others several times before, so I know.
“You know, it was a precious memory.”
A memory, huh?
That seems odd for a memory.
“You look like you’re in pain, you were stabbed, right?”
“Yeah.”
There’s so much blood.
She’s crying.
What happened to Seo-A in this place?
“Is suffering from being stabbed a good memory?”
I don’t think so.
Is that considered a memory too?
“I don’t want to be forgotten.”
“Memories naturally fade and distort over time.”
That’s why healing is possible.
Healing that no one else can do.
“Why are you doing this?”
She repeats the same line.
Smiling, but her expression seems filled with despair.
“Don’t worry. I’m here for you.”
You’ll disappear, and I’ll remain.
I’ll stand by Si-Hoo’s side.
I’ll be here for Si-Hoo.
I’m here.
Not you, but me.
Time and again, I’ll heal Si-Hoo.
Seo-A is trash, and I’ll be his one true friend.
This is long-term hospitalization therapy.
Just need to remove the root of the problem.
Then Si-Hoo won’t have to be angry with me.
The memories I’ve altered won’t reflect entirely the same.
But they’ll influence as intended.
“I’m going to stop for today. It’s getting harder to touch the recent memories.”
I’ve learned a lot about Si-Hoo.
Si-Hoo has gotten better.
Much, much better.
“Don’t do it.”
Seo-A speaks.
“Someday, Si-Hoo will be completely freed from you. That would be a good thing for him. You really don’t want Si-Hoo to be happy, do you?”
The Seo-A in memory doesn’t answer.
“Goodbye.”
Then that’s it for now.
“[Stopping Treatment]”
Boom.
With a pop, I return to reality.
I’m back home.
The colors return.
Time flows.
I see Si-Hoo wobbling.
It’s not an end, just a pause.
I’ll do this again soon.
Healing needs to be consistent to be effective.
Thud.
Si-Hoo collapses onto the floor.
I wanted to catch him, but I was weak too.
After a single healing session, it’s like I’ve run a marathon; I feel drained.
Yet, it feels refreshing.
I did something really good today.
I helped Si-Hoo.
I’m glad I could live up to the name of a saint.