Tracking the Truth

More than half of the people designated as capture targets either already harbored affection for me, or ended up encountering events that could easily lead to affection.

Events that spark affection were only natural in a dating simulation, but whether they genuinely developed feelings for me was a different matter altogether.

In Ju Noeul’s case, it was this incident right now. Holding hands and opening a path for my ability.

Yeah, when I thought about it, someone with Ju Noeul’s personality wouldn’t willingly step up to do something this troublesome unless he felt some kind of affection.

This guy, too, seemed to hold feelings toward me in one way or another.

My expression twisted slightly.

It was exhausting beyond words.

After tearing my gaze away from Ju Noeul’s reddened ear, I listened to the sound of his heart beating a little faster than usual and thought, ‘Am I some kind of bewitching femme fatale or something?’

Sure, my looks were the kind that tended to win people over, but wasn’t it strange for Jeong Iheon, Won-gyeong, and even Ju Noeul to act like this when we hadn’t known each other for long?

No, wait.

Jeong Iheon seemed like someone I’d known from before, so maybe I should exclude him.

Even after excluding Jeong Iheon and Hyeon Jaeyul, the goodwill the remaining two men showed me still felt unsettling.

The ability I’d been told I possessed here was “memory manipulation.”

It was a rare mental-type ability, and I’d heard it was almost impossible to counter—unless you did something like Jeong Iheon and carved blocking measures into your own body.

‘But they also said the ability’s rank is low, so it’s not that dangerous….’

I fidgeted with the hand I was holding with Ju Noeul, deep in thought.

‘Is it possible that, without realizing it, I manipulated these men into developing feelings for me?’

Once that thought took hold, even Hyeon Jaeyul’s feelings toward me became suspect.

‘How can I be sure that what Hyeon Jaeyul feels for me isn’t an emotion created by memory manipulation?’

I felt like I was sinking downward, deep and slow.

Everything around me suddenly felt fake.

Just as I was sinking into that heaviness, a tugging sensation brushed against my hair from the left.

It was a very slight pull, but I could tell it was meant to draw my attention.

I forced myself to calm my turbulent thoughts and turned my head.

Jeong Iheon had tilted his head slightly, watching me. He mouthed words without sound.

‘You don’t look good, Doya.’

I met his clear blue eyes, filled with concern.

My gaze drifted down from his lips.

The moment I noticed the dense, unfamiliar symbols carved along his exposed wrist, it felt like all the tension drained from my body.

…Jeong Iheon had inscribed a formation on himself to block memory manipulation.

At the very least, I could be certain that this man’s feelings weren’t something my ability had created.

The anxiety that bordered on discomfort gradually settled.

I shook my head at Jeong Iheon to signal that it was nothing.

Mental-type abilities didn’t just unsettle the people around you—they made the wielder anxious as well.

Having to constantly doubt whether emotions directed at you were fabricated was utterly exhausting.

That aside, when we entered the village this time, I’d noticed the system displaying a different message.

If the system was still operating, then the apocalypse simulation was clearly still ongoing.

After all, there was no way something like a “system” could exist in a proper reality.

As long as that system was running, my world was still a “19+ dating simulation.”

Ju Noeul’s grip tightened, sending a faint sting through my hand, and I fidgeted my fingers as I thought.

Even though it took the form of a dating simulation, the system clearly wanted me to follow the content of the “main scenario.”

That was probably similar to the overarching structure of the disaster simulation I’d seen at the very beginning.

Which was why I couldn’t stop worrying.

‘What exactly does this “tracking” the system mentioned mean?’

Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 were “Encounter” and “Companionship.”

Even without actively taking the lead, I could be swept along by the scenario naturally.

But now, in Chapter 3, it was calling for “Tracking.”

I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes.

When I didn’t know why the system existed, I had no intention of being dragged along by it.

But now things were different.

There was a strong chance that the system was something I had created myself in order to properly carry out the apocalypse simulation.

If stopping the end of the world I lived in required it, then I had to move of my own will.

‘But… what am I supposed to track?’

This system operated on the foundation of a dating simulation.

In that case, the most important element after the main scenario would be the “capture targets.”

The sub-scenarios I’d received so far had all focused on individual characters.

What was currently unfolding was not a sub-scenario centered on a single person.

Which meant…

‘This main scenario might involve everyone!’

Some sub-scenarios even bore my name.

So that meant all characters involved in the scenario, myself included.

Then what needed to be tracked?

Something connected to all of us, and the entity that assigned and managed our apocalypse simulation mission.

‘There’s no way it’s anything but the Hunter Association!’

I’d have to examine what could be observedinside the Association’s headquarters.

The moment I reached that conclusion, I opened my eyes.

But I couldn’t voice the thought right away.

We were currently riding in a vehicle provided by the Association.

Anything we said should be assumed to be monitored by the Association.

If this was a pursuit, the other side shouldn’t know about it.

The real problem was whether the men with me right now would cooperate without question if I told them the truth and asked for help.

Ju Noeul would, since he could see the same system window as I could.

But the others?

‘Either way, the scenario won’t progress unless we act together.’

Depending on the situation, at least one capture target had to accompany me for the main scenario to move forward.

If it came down to it, I might have to call Ju Noeul out alone and act with just him.

‘If that happens, I can’t let Hyeon Jaeyul find out.’

A man’s jealousy was a terrifying thing.

It was just a feeling, but I had a hunch that Hyeon Jaeyul’s jealousy would lead to something genuinely dangerous.

People who were usually compliant were the scariest once they snapped.

After seeing that look in his eyes earlier, I had no doubt he was capable of committing something serious.

Still, setting aside that heavy, damp jealousy, Hyeon Jaeyul was an incredibly easy companion to be around.

He never asked questions, and he followed everything I suggested without complaint.

As I quietly watched the back of his head while he drove calmly, he seemed to sense my gaze and glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

In his pitch-black eyes, my reflection stood out with striking clarity.

Was it because I was surrounded by pale colors by comparison?

I found myself wondering if I really appeared that bright in his eyes.

“No other anomalies were discovered?”

“Only the village.”

“I see…”

“However, this mission could have been handled by A-rank hunters without assigning it to me specifically.

Did you verify the mission grade properly?”

“If there was a mistake, I apologize. We will correct it.”

“I’m asking why this mission was assigned to us in the first place.”

“I’m sorry. That information is not available to me.”

I trailed along behind Won-gyeong as he went to deliver the report.

The staff member, hearing Won-gyeong’s report—which didn’t include the anomaly I’d experienced—responded in a mechanical tone.

‘That sounded like someone who was completely certain an anomaly would be discovered.’

As I observed the staff member from behind Won-gyeong, our eyes met briefly once the conversation ended.

A hollow gaze captured me. It was a flat, lifeless look, like someone without self-awareness.

‘Like a mechanical doll….’

After receiving that stare, I gave a vague nod and left the room with Won-gyeong.

After walking down the corridor for a while, Won-gyeong spoke to me.

“Doesn’t something feel off?”

It seemed he’d noticed the staff member’s odd behavior too.

I replied in a low voice.

“You mean how the staff member was strange?”

“That, and everything else. The Association itself feels alien.”

“I don’t remember much about the Association, so I can’t say. But I can tell that staff member was definitely strange.”

Won-gyeong nodded.

Rubbing his brow with one hand as if troubled, he said,

“It was fragmented and mechanical. Like someone who can only repeat predetermined lines—they couldn’t respond to anything that led the conversation elsewhere.”

After saying that, Won-gyeong lowered his hand and asked me,

“Doya. Was there really nothing that happened to you in that village?”

Without thinking, I checked his hands.

I remembered how, whenever he asked questions like this, he would roll a coin in his fingers to divine whether I was lying.

But unexpectedly, there was no coin in either of his hands.

Seeing where my gaze had landed, Won-gyeong formed a faint smile and raised both hands, showing me his palms.

“If you don’t want to say something, I won’t force it out of you. Whatever answer you give, I’ll believe it.”

“Why?”

“Because… I want to.”

He said something deeply emotional with an extremely rational expression.

I twisted my mouth awkwardly and asked,

“Are you still under the influence of the spell?”

“Hmm. Probably not.”

Won-gyeong lowered his hands, then slowly reached toward me.

His fingers brushed against my hair and slid upward beneath the long strands.

I stared blankly as his long, well-shaped fingers slowly lifted my hair.

‘He really does seem like he’s still affected by the spell.’

If even Won-gyeong—who wasn’t under any spell—was expressing affection toward me, then I’d have to reconsider my ability once more.

It was deeply suspicious that so many people with such distinctive personalities were all showing romantic interest in me.

As I entertained the possibility that I’d manipulated their minds without realizing it, I kept my eyes fixed on Won-gyeong’s actions.