Chương 25: S.04 Memory of the Clock 05(04)

Scene 11. FLASHBACK The Real Number (眞數) — A path that came to be walked. So-hui, holding a piping hot fishcake in her mouth, nodded. Barely settling the heat, she offered a mumbled answer to Si-yeon. Si-yeon: By the way, who's the last name that's still empty? At Si-yeon's childlike question, So-hui made a face like someone who had just eaten something salty, then jerked her chin toward the space behind Si-yeon. Si-yeon: Who? Me?? Ji-young: It's me.

At Ji-young's voice that cut in abruptly, Si-yeon revealed startled eyes and hurriedly turned her head back. Ji-young, wearing an expression similar to So-hui's, was set behind Si-yeon. Next to Ji-young, Yeon-hui stood. Si-yeon: What. That startled me. At Si-yeon — who, with a fishcake mumbled up in her mouth, could not even deliver proper pronunciation — Yeon-hui pointed at Si-yeon's cheek with a gesture. Yeon-hui: Si-yeon, there's soy sauce on you.

Si-yeon, with the fishcake still held in her mouth from start to finish, took the fishcake skewer between her teeth and wiped her cheek with her hand. As though it were a bother, she rubbed the soy sauce on her hand roughly onto the front of her clothes, and then, with difficulty, was swallowing the fishcake — which for Si-yeon could only be painfully hot. Ji-young, together with Yeon-hui, took a seat at a nearby stand-up table, then placed an order with the owner.

Ji-young: Sir, one tteokbokki and one kimmari here, please. So-hui, upon hearing what Ji-young had ordered, looked at Ji-young with a puzzled expression. So-hui: Is that enough?? Ji-young: Yah, it's not like you think I'm some pig. It's plenty?? Yeon-hui: Ah, that's, because I let something slip the other day by mistake, Ji-young got sulky. Ji-young: No~! I said no. I'm not sulky. Si-yeon: Why, what did you say? Yeon-hui: Ah, that's.... Ji-young: She said my legs were heavy. Hmph. Si-yeon: Why were the legs up???

It was Si-yeon's innocent question, but the implication itself was suspicious beyond words. So-hui, Yeon-hui, and Ji-young all let a brief silence follow. Yeon-hui, quickly trying to hide her reddened cheeks, brought one hand up in haste and tried to settle her cheek with the back of her hand. Ji-young: Yah!! It's not like that!! I was lying on the sofa!! So-hui:??? On the sofa??? Lying down?? The story was getting more and more suspicious.

The more she tried to explain, the more the suspicion veered toward the suspicious side, and there was no pushing it back. Ji-young: No~ Yeon-hui said she wanted to watch TV, and I was dozing, and by accident my leg, huh? Just plopped down. And that happened to — you know what. Fine. Let's stop. It was my fault. She could feel herself growing more pitiful the more she talked. Ji-young, with a pouting expression, faced the tteokbokki and fried snacks that had landed on the table.

Yeon-hui, a little more settled, pulled a toothpick from the stand-up table and handed it to Ji-young. Ji-young: I'm not eating. You eat. Yeon-hui: Don't be that way, eat some. I won't tease you. And that — it was something that just popped out. It's not what I really meant, truly. At Yeon-hui's soothing and coaxing, Si-yeon, instead, slowly lowered her gaze and looked at her own legs in shorts.

Silently looking down at her own bare legs, Si-yeon this time lifted her head and stared at So-hui, who had been eating fishcake beside her. Si-yeon: Yah. Then, me too. Maybe. Scene 12. FLASHBACK After checking on the rear of Yeon-hui, who had been pushed back into a defensive line, Ji-young dashed across the tops of the closely-set buildings and drew in the Black Wire she had stretched out.

From every strand of Black Wire she had extended over the widest range, an eerie killing intent — packed densely enough beyond count — came pressing in, persistent to the point of being unsettling. At the killing intent that had begun not from one place but from every entrance and had filled even into the market alley, Ji-young did not waver in the slightest. On Ji-young's body, as if gunshot wounds had already passed through, portions of the clothing clinging to her were smeared red here and there with blood.

Others' Black Water paths and her own red blood were mixed together in a mess, but she could not afford to drag this out. Ji-young, not wavering in the slightest, swung her wire and drove it into the outer wall of the building in front of her, then launched her body with force and hurled herself at the very building right before her nose, which bore the greatest killing intent.

Before Ji-young reached the window, the Black Wire whirled in first, and shattered the glass to pieces first so that Ji-young could crash in unharmed. When Ji-young had landed safely inside the broken glass window, the first thing visible was an assailant, paying no mind to the loud noise that had just sounded beside him. The assailant's finger had already, through the scope, confirmed So-hui, and was pulling on the finger set against the trigger.

Ji-young swept the wire strands scattering around her the same direction she had crashed in. A bundle of sharp wire reaching out from the bracelet shattered the entire gun of the assailant, who had been lying prone and firing at a far distance, to pieces. Ji-young, in the same driving form, did not stop and turned her body further, sending the wire whirling once more. The neck of the person, now caught defenseless with startled eyes, she tore as if ripping off entirely.

When Black Water burst and the trace vanished, Ji-young hooked the wire the way she had driven in and yanked her own body along with force. Ji-young, having spotted another sniper set across the same building, found the fastest path to reach the opposite side of the right-angled corridor, and launched her body on that path. Ji-young, who had burst through the window and gone out, threw the bracelet to draw her body — cast out of the building — back into the building.

Just as the wire shot out first to help Ji-young land safely, a gunshot heard from somewhere around her made Ji-young spill blood and fall to the ground. Even while falling, she did not let go of consciousness. The great wound at her thigh faded easily. With only the red blood remaining, only the trace of a wound stayed. She hooked the falling body with wire once more and hurled herself toward the front of the building.

Ji-young, unable to crash in from the side of the right-angled corner, hooked her wire even as she was falling, and pulled her body up in a grand sweep. Into Ji-young's eyes the sight of a muzzle spewing flame was drawn. There was no thought of dodging. She meant to return what she had taken. She meant to erase them all. The moment she decided that anyone who targeted them would not be left alone, Ji-young did not hesitate. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent.

Report any appearances on Amazon. Ji-young, after confirming flashes of flame flickering beyond the window, threw the wire in her pulled-up form. At the sight of Ji-young drawn in an instant into the scope, startled eyes pulled the trigger in rapid succession. The wire pierced through the window and flew in, striking the wall behind whoever had been lying prone. Ji-young pulled the wire with all her strength.

Paying no mind to the bullets fired, Ji-young hooked by wire the head of the impiety that had fired the gun, and brushed past — barely skimming — the prone assailant to pass by. The head that had been caught on the wire burst and vanished without a trace. Ji-young, having left only blood marks on her forehead, her neck, and her chest, did not draw back the scattered wire. Standing in the corridor where only Black Water remained, she shook out her blood-smeared wrist, and the fluttering Black Wire split finer still.

With her eyes gently closed, she surveyed what remained of the impiety. Scene 13. FLASHBACK Beyond the black sky and black air, beyond the black sand beach, black waves swelled. Su-jeong, set right at Ji-young's nose, had, before she knew it, stained her own eyes black, and was looking at the Ji-young set right before her. The two did not speak. Su-jeong: Yeon-hui, will die soon. If even the third fragment is gone, we win. You alone, can protect nothing. Ji-young: That's right. I can't do it alone.

And so, I'm going to let no one die. Ji-young, Black Water dripping from her long hair, smiled brightly. Watching Ji-young's clear smile, undaunted by Su-jeong's warning and threat, Su-jeong, as though feeling revulsion, roused Black Water at her hand and moved to sever Ji-young's neck. Ji-young did not dodge or block Su-jeong's striking hand. The Black Water that struck Ji-young's slender, long neck could not make a single wound.

Ji-young, just as she was, slowly lifted her hand and composedly took hold of Su-jeong's hand — the hand set against her own neck. As if understanding Su-jeong, Ji-young, giving a small nod, drew back her smile and offered a heartfelt consolation. Ji-young: I'm sorry for being alive. But, I want to live. As a given. As a given that there is nothing to be sorry for. At the very least, as much as I have done. Ji-young, leaving Su-jeong's empty eyes where they were, slowly turned her back.

Moving her step into the quiet black waves, Ji-young left Su-jeong — who could do nothing but stand there blankly — as she was, and threw her body into the waves. Scene 14. FLASHBACK It was not a thing to be startled by. It was only a matter of when. The Ritual Taboo Rope bound around her ankle was hanging from the ceiling. Ji-young, hanging upside down, had just barely regained consciousness, but did not go so far as to open her eyes. Pain was felt.

Already, as if a portion of her fingers had been cut off, she could not even close a proper fist. Prodding Ji-young's head — hanging from the ceiling — with her foot, Ji-yun drew on a figure wearing a sneer. Seated in a chair she had brought up beside, and realizing that Ji-young had regained consciousness, she gave Ji-young's head a slight shove with her foot. Ji-yun: How do you think, I knew, that you were the key? It felt as though hot blood was flowing.

Ji-young, hanging upside down from the ceiling, shook her head silently. The bracelet was no longer on her wrist. Ji-young, suppressed by the Ritual Taboo Rope, could not properly restore a single wound. Her two wrists, set against her back, were bound in Ritual Taboo Rope and coiled around her waist. From her severed left pinky and right middle finger, blood leaked without stopping. The blood that had run down Ji-young's inverted body had, by now, fallen past Ji-young's head and was soaking the floor.

Ji-yun: I died, to a bitch of a corpse that looks just like you. Ji-yun's kicking was irksome. Hanging upside down, Ji-young began to feel dizzy from having been swung like a pendulum for some time. At Ji-yun's sneering, she did not bother answering first. Ji-yun was busy delivering her own giddy voice to Ji-young. The delighted Ji-yun rose from her seat, forcibly seized Ji-young's right pinky, and cut it off with the garden shears she had been holding. Ji-young, in pain she could not endure, let out a scream.

Ji-yun: Didn't know the Ritual Taboo Rope worked this well. You've already taken in the Harbinger, haven't you? And still, the severed finger stays severed? Wah~! I wondered if that jabjil slut from Mun Gyeong-seo was making anything to brag about, but I guess I have to give it up for this one, right? Eh? As if pruning twigs, Ji-yun cut off Ji-young's other fingers too. Ji-young, hanging, thrashed and strained to endure the pain. Ji-yun: But, you know, I'm really curious.

Why would an Old Hag like The Oldest take you in? Handing over even her own Relic? Ah, no, did she actually hand it over? It's been a while since I saw The Oldest, so I don't know — isn't she still wearing it? Otherwise her neck would have been gone ages ago. Ji-young moved her reddened eyes and glared at the Ji-yun set beside her. Ji-yun pulled out the black bracelet she had placed in her pocket and dangled it before Ji-young. Ji-yun: Want it? Want to put it on and chop me up? Ji-young: Just say the word.

I'll chop you up any time. You SSibal bitch. At Ji-yun's sneer, Ji-young did not back down either. Ji-young, who was barely enduring the pain while sneering back, did not yield and met Ji-yun head on. Ji-yun nodded and slid the bracelet back into her own pocket. She drew out Grey Ash and sprinkled it over Ji-young's severed fingers. The Grey Ash, reacting regardless of the Ritual Taboo Rope, shaped Ji-young's fingers back whole.

All the pain that should have been felt during the process of the wound closing and healing rushed in at once. Ji-young shook her body as though in convulsion. From between teeth clenched tight enough to shatter the molars, blood leaked. Ji-young, drawing rough breaths and just barely swallowing the scream, felt amazing — to Ji-yun. She meant it. Wiping the blood flowing at Ji-young's mouth with her finger, Ji-yun tasted it. The blood was as cold as her own.

Ji-yun drew a small gourd bottle from the inside of her coat and caught the blood flowing at Ji-young's mouth. After sealing the bottle holding Ji-young's blood with a stopper, Ji-yun slid it back into her own pocket. After looking at Ji-young a moment, she untied the knot of the Ritual Taboo Rope that had been suspending her, and Ji-young dropped to the floor as if collapsing. The moment she fell to the floor, Ji-yun struck Ji-young's face fiercely with the heel of her shoe.

At the kick — fierce enough to make the sound of bones breaking — Ji-young's face flew up sharply and tumbled to the floor. Ji-yun's kicking did not stop. Ji-yun: A key, no less, with some guts. Where do you, get off, thinking you can live, flailing around, flailing!! Ji-yun, as if catching her breath, briefly halted her kicking and lowered her body into a crouch. She extended her hand, seized the blood-soaked handful of Ji-young's hair, and raised her up.

Looking at Ji-young's swollen face and bruises, Ji-yun drew a sorry expression. Ji-yun: Ah, prettier would be better. No fun hitting you. She shoved a portion of the Grey Ash she held in her hand between Ji-young's parted lips. The misaligned bone joints returned to their places in an instant, and pain again rushed in. Ji-young twisted her body in flinches, but Ji-young could barely support her own body, tied in Ritual Taboo Rope.

When Ji-young, writhing as if in convulsion, became clean again — with only blood remaining as any trace of a wound — Ji-yun nodded and flung Ji-young back to the floor. Ji-yun: If I cut off your neck and take it, do I become The Oldest? Can you even transfer The Oldest's Relic to me?? Ah, no, I guess I can't take it. Hmm. Tricky. Ji-yun clutched the limp handful of Ji-young's hair once more, and hauled her back up to eye level. Ji-yun: Sitting here thinking about it, I'm getting a little pissed? Jealous too.

I mean, if The Oldest had kept you wrapped up like that, you'd have lived the good life, right? Yeah? Living fucking well. Wah. A bitch who was supposed to be dead, breathing just as well as anyone in the world. What will the sluts at the Headquarters feel like?? Ji-young found that Ji-yun ridiculous. For the first time, Ji-young, in a cracked voice at least, scolded Ji-yun. Ji-young: That's right. I was a person who should have died. For whom living is not a given. Ji-yun: Then why are you alive?

Ji-young: Because I have too much to repay. Too much to tend to. Too much to block. I'm not, paltry, like you. Ji-yun: Paltry? Me? Ji-young smiled and nodded. The smile was close to madness. Ji-young: Paltry. A corpse, who strings up someone for whom dying was a given and says she envies her — if that isn't paltry, what is?? Ji-yun nodded. It was not a wrong thing to say. She conceded. And because of that, she had to do the proper thing. Ji-yun: I, I'd like for the world of the living I enjoy not to fall apart.

If you remain, the world of the living will collapse, won't it? Eh? Ji-young: Ha, even explaining it is a bother. Ji-yun did not wait. She drew a military-grade knife from her pocket. Ji-young closed her eyes in silence. Embracing Ji-young from behind, she drove the knife with force into the throat of the Ji-young she held. Ji-young did not resist. The moment the blade-tip went into her neck, at the brief pain, she only flinched reflexively, and did not scream.

And then, moving the hands bound behind her, she gripped the pocket of Ji-yun's coat with all her strength. Black Wire burst up, tearing Ji-yun's pocket. The wire, which had severed all of the Ritual Taboo Rope bound around Ji-young's body, cut Ji-yun's body lengthwise. It was a thing that had occurred in an instant. The knife that had been aimed at Ji-young's neck tumbled to the floor. The bracelet, rolled out through the torn pocket of Ji-yun, she quickly wound around her own wrist, and stained both eyes black.

It was not yet death stirred by the Harbinger. Ji-yun, who had restored her wounds in an instant, drew back to leave her spot. Ji-yun, who could not draw her spot back in time, felt terror at the tide of the battle overturning in an instant. It was a terror she would have felt even had the battle not completely overturned as it had now. Ji-yun, her whole body gone rigid, unable even to understand what had just happened, just stood there staring at Ji-young.

Ji-young, her two eyes stained black, stood there sneering. Ji-yun, not even thinking of fleeing, just stood frozen where she was. Ji-young brought over the knife that had fallen to the floor. Even while Ji-young was a fair distance away, Ji-yun did not get free. No — she could not. Her two legs, gripped by fear, would not move at Ji-yun's will. She stood facing the black eyes of the Ji-young who drew near once more. Ji-young slowly began to lift her hand.

From Ji-yun's body, which had begun to split apart, Black Water poured out. It was a sawing hatred. A sneer mocking a paltry creature. Ji-young meant to raise the knife all the way to the top of Ji-yun's head. Setting the knife briefly where it had stopped just below the throat, Ji-young asked. Ji-young (Harbinger): Even now, do you think, you are the better one?