One thing I know for sure.
I know that my drug tolerance is extremely high.
That’s the one thing I’m sure of.
I’ve decided not to go outside.
Shihu might try to erase my memory again with drugs.
How did we get to this point?
Memory-erasing drugs.
Drugs.
Drugs.
Drugs.
When did Shihu start using drugs like this?
I don’t know.
My drug tolerance has even rejected the memory-erasing drug.
I wonder how many times Shihu has used it on me.
Would one time be enough for my tolerance to build against the memory-erasing drug?
Or maybe, I don’t know, he’s used it on me countless times...
How many times has he erased my memory?
What did I do wrong?
I can’t remember, and that’s the problem.
What I remember right now isn’t everything.
Anyway, Shihu tried to erase my memory.
Did I lose half of it?
How would I know?
Shihu must have some kind of plan.
But if he’s going to erase my memory again, I’d suggest doubling the dose.
My memory’s a mess, but I know this:
I need drugs.
Not the memory-erasing kind, but the kind that keeps me from feeling bad.
And for that drug, I’ll do anything.
Shihu gives me the drugs.
So, I’ll stay as he wants.
What Shihu wants is for me to live quietly, as if I’m dead.
But still, this is strange.
Why is Shihu doing such weird things?
"I’m sure someone was with you..."
Shihu was with someone.
Let me try to remember.
A blurry image comes to mind.
"Ah, white hair..."
I feel like I could remember more, but it’s not coming back.
Even with my drug tolerance, I couldn’t block all the effects.
Yes, white hair.
It feels oddly familiar.
"White..."
Memories from the past flash by.
I know this person.
I definitely know them.
"Hmm... a laboratory...?"
The word "laboratory" pops into my head.
Have I been to a laboratory?
Why?
What kind of lab is it?
No, wait.
I met the person with white hair before that.
It must have been something shocking.
A nasty feeling resurfaces.
"White... hair... Hmm..."
It was a woman.
She looked about my age.
So, is she a friend of Shihu?
No, that can’t be.
"...Ah, ah, ah. A doctor? No..."
It’s related to treatment.
Yeah, I didn’t get the drug, but it’s definitely related to treatment.
"She said she was going to treat me... right, that girl. If I went instead of her..."
Ugh.
I feel sick.
Nasty memories start coming back.
My breath is getting shallow.
My chest feels tight.
My heart starts pounding wildly.
"...Ugh..."
This is hell.
Now I understand why my memory was erased.
Just recalling it makes my head hurt.
Sweat runs down my forehead.
I can’t breathe properly.
"Sh-Shihu?"
Shihu isn’t here.
Where is he?
Is he with the white-haired woman?
"H-Huh, no way. H-Hah, ha..."
Everything goes dark.
When I open my eyes again, I see the light of the laboratory.
That can’t be.
I was definitely at home.
I was sitting at home.
I know this is just a hallucination.
So, it’ll disappear soon.
I’m just recalling bad memories, that’s why this is happening.
I close my eyes and open them again.
I’m strapped to an experiment table.
The metallic smell of blood fills the air.
The scent of chemicals is all around.
No, this can’t be.
I was definitely at home.
Stop joking.
Back here again?
It can’t be a laboratory.
It just can’t be.
Beeep—
A ringing sound fills my ears.
"Ah, no. No way."
This is impossible.
There’s no way this is a laboratory.
Think.
Think.
I must have been in the laboratory, and Shihu came to rescue me, right?
No, I don’t have that memory.
Was it erased?
"Shut up, no. No, no. No. No. No."
Run away.
But my body’s frozen, and I can’t move.
Even though I try to move while being held down.
No, I wasn’t held down.
I was definitely at home just a moment ago.
Everyone knows that.
So calm down.
A sharp object approaches.
"Uwaaaa! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry."
It’s going to be poked into my eye.
A syringe?
It’s a hallucination.
It’s just a hallucination.
But my body is trembling uncontrollably in fear.
"Sorry... I’m sorry... Ugh..."
What did I do wrong?
But I have to apologize.
Maybe if I apologize, this will end faster?
Please, please.
I’m scared. Please help, please.
Trembling uncontrollably, I start to regain my senses.
"...Home..."
It’s home.
But I can’t relax.
This is all because of the white-haired woman.
She’s trying to torment me.
She pretended to be Shihu, gave me drugs, and left.
A fake Shihu.
Shihu wouldn’t do this.
I look around, but something feels off.
It looks like home, but this isn’t home.
This isn’t home.
The more I look, the more differences I see.
"This... wasn’t home..."
So, what is this place?
The view outside the house also feels unfamiliar.
I’m scared.
I don’t like this.
Kidnapped?
Am I being kidnapped?
Maybe.
That white-haired woman is the problem.
She lied about treating me and did something horrible.
I need to run.
But outside the house is dangerous.
I need to hide.
Hide inside the house.
Under the table.
***
Hansihoo returned home, but Seo Ah was nowhere to be seen.
If Seo Ah had gone outside, I would have known.
There are plenty of surveillance devices around the house.
I also set up a device that allows Hansihoo to transfer back to the house instantly in case of emergency.
So, Seo Ah must be inside the house.
"Seo Ah?"
There’s no answer.
But Hansihoo already knows where she is.
Seo Ah is hiding under the table.
She’s holding her breath, as if trying to hide from Hansihoo.
Why is she hiding?
"Seo Ah, what’s wrong?"
No answer.
I can hear her breathing under the table.
Hansihoo hesitates and crouches down.
Under the table, Seo Ah is there.
She’s holding the kitchen knife tightly in both hands, keeping her guard up, staring at where Hansihoo came from.
"Seo, Seo Ah?"
"Don’t come."
Her eyes look like she’s not seeing Hansihoo, but someone else.
She takes a few steps back while crouching.
"It’s okay, don’t worry."
She can’t relax.
"Stop."
"Seo Ah, do you recognize me? It’s me, Hansihoo."
The grip on the knife tightens.
"Stop."
"Huh?"
"Stop pretending to be Shihu."
She speaks with conviction.
It’s like she’s sure that Hansihoo isn’t really Hansihoo.
"What... do you mean?"
"Do you think I’m fooled? This isn’t our house, and the real Shihu is at the academy."
It looks like a side effect of memory loss.
"No, that’s wrong."
"Let me out of here. Why did you kidnap me?"
Kidnapped.
From the point I lost my memory, maybe it could be seen as that.
It’s hard to convince her.
Because Hansihoo used the drugs to cover up Seo Ah’s memory, he can’t reveal the truth.
"...That’s not it."
"What do you want?"
"It’s all for you."
But I don’t understand at all.
- But I don’t get it.
- Just kill her already.
- What’s the point of wasting time here?
There’s a monster living in Hansihoo’s head.
A monster named the "Purification Penalty," because of the purification skill he used to get rid of the drug effects.
"This isn’t our house. You’re not Shihu."
- There’s no point in saving her.
- She’s saying Hansihoo isn’t Hansihoo.
- Why bother saving someone you don’t even know?
Hansihoo doesn’t get swept up by the penalty.
He can endure this.
His task is nearly done.
With just a little more effort, he feels like he’ll find a way to treat Seo Ah.
- Let’s make her listen.
- Just tie her up.
In other words, it’s a rational decision.
The most logical and safest decision.
He needs to use the memory-erasing drug again.
"It’ll be okay."
- Just kill her already.
He can’t do that.
So, he just uses the drug.
He’s been carrying it around, just in case something like this happens.
Before making a wrong decision, he needs to act quickly with the drug.
The method of using the drug is simple.
But he needs to restrain the target first.
He collects the weapons that might get in the way.
Then, he grabs the patient’s arm.
He keeps the person still, making them relax.
Then, he injects the syringe.
The drug flows into the body.
And the patient loses their memory.
"...Seo Ah?"
"Ah..."
Seo Ah’s voice is faint.
What has he done?
He forcibly subdued Seo Ah and injected the drug.
That’s all.
***
There’s one thing I know for sure.
I know that my drug tolerance is extremely high.
So high that it’s a problem.
That’s the one thing I’m sure of.
That’s why I know Shihu erased my memory.
It was a monster pretending to be Shihu that did it.
Or maybe not?
Maybe it really was Shihu.
After all, the memories of the laboratory were memories worth erasing.
Is it possible that Shihu is not a fake, but the real Shihu?
If that’s the case, then I need to think about why Shihu ended up like this.
Why is Shihu doing this to me?
There must be a reason.
It’s obvious—it's because of that white-haired woman.
I’ve seen Shihu with her.
Remember.
Shihu was in a collapsed state.
Shihu...
Shihu?
It’s because of that woman.
That white-haired woman.
If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here, trembling under the blanket.
If it weren’t for her.
It was that woman who caused all of this.
That woman ruined Shihu.
I don’t think just locking me up in the laboratory was enough for her.
It doesn’t make sense any other way.
Shihu wouldn’t do something like this voluntarily.
What was her name?
Saintess.
I think she was called the Saintess.
I keep pondering, over and over again.
And then the conclusion.
She has to die.
That’s the only way Shihu will return to how he was.
We have to kill the Saintess.