The Shadow That Wore My Face

While that was happening, I saw Ju Noeul shoot forward like a bullet and knock out the security guard posted outside the room.

The guard didn’t even have a chance to resist and went limp instantly.

It would be a problem if the guard woke up and realized he’d been unconscious, so that too was handled with Won-gyeong’s ability.

–When he wakes up, he’ll just think he dozed off for a moment.

Hearing Won-gyeong say that, I tilted my head and asked.

‘Isn’t that memory manipulation?’

–It’s different from memory manipulation.

–All I do is make him think what just happened was a dream.

–Memory manipulation is the ability to completely erase what just happened.

–That’s not a common ability.

–At least so far, you’re the only one who has it.

Ju Noeul added to Won-gyeong’s explanation.

Listening to the two of them, I responded with a short “I see,” then asked again.

‘Aren’t your abilities rare too, Won-gyeong and Ju Noeul? You’re S-ranks.’

–No.

–What makes us S-rank is how we use our abilities.

–It’s a different category from a unique ability like yours.

–Yeah.

–Our abilities are uncommon, but if you look for them, there are plenty of people with the same abilities at B-rank or lower.

–Your ability, Doya, was the first of its kind ever registered.

Only then did it truly sink in why someone like me, a mere B-rank ability user, had been selected as a core member of the apocalypse simulation.

–Especially physical enhancement types like Hyeon Jaeyul’s. There are tons of those.

–That guy’s insane. How does someone with that ability even become S-rank?

At Won-gyeong’s words, Ju Noeul said with a shudder.

‘S-rank with physical enhancement…Then that means Hyeon Jaeyul is also pushing his ability to the extreme, just like Won-gyeong.’

He really was incredible.

I still couldn’t understand how someone like me had ended up among people like them, but since I wasn’t the one who picked the team, I decided not to dwell on it.

They must have chosen me because they needed me that much.

As the conversation continued without much tension, they arrived at their destination.

I saw the child.

[Main Scenario ‘3 – Pursuit’ progress has been updated.]

At the exact moment I saw the child through Won-gyeong’s eyes, the system appeared over our shared vision.

–Main scenario, pursuit?

–What the hell, how do you know that?

I quickly pulled my hand away from my eye.

In the darkness-adjusted vision, I could see the system window hovering there.

–It disappeared. Doya, is something wrong?

–Go Doya, you told me not to tell me, and now you—

Won-gyeong spoke to me.

Ju Noeul muttered as if he’d been betrayed again.

I ignored Ju Noeul’s muttering, since no matter how many times I told him not to use my surname, he never listened, and focused on thinking instead.

Since we were sharing the same field of vision, it seemed the system’s influence had reached Won-gyeong as well.

Fortunately, once I removed my hand, I could no longer see the system messages.

I hesitated over whether to answer Won-gyeong or make an excuse, then just sighed and covered my eye again.

Ju Noeul had already noticed.

From what he’d just said, it was obvious he’d seen it too, so making excuses would only cause unnecessary trouble.

‘It feels like something created by my ability, but I don’t really know what it is yet.

My memories haven’t fully come back. And Ju Noeul, I never said anything to you. Drop the surname. Please.’

–…Fine, whatever.

–Let’s talk about this again later.

‘Okay.’

Ju Noeul replied in a subdued tone, and Won-gyeong wrapped up the unexpected situation.

I considered sharing Won-gyeong’s vision again, then lowered my hand instead.

I didn’t know when the system might generate another message.

Ju Noeul still hadn’t figured out that this system was a dating simulation, and I didn’t want Won-gyeong to find out either.

‘…I should’ve just obeyed the system back when it was a disaster simulation….’

A wave of belated regret hit me, and all I could do was sigh.

A dating simulation.
And not just that, but a game clearly marked 19+.

There was no way I could let anyone see that.

If this really was my ability, wasn’t it even more humiliating?

I should’ve listened back then!

I raked my fingers through my hair, suffering in sheer embarrassment.

I tried to calm myself with deep breaths, telling myself it hadn’t been exposed yet, but it didn’t work.

Honestly, wasn’t it just a matter of time?

No, if I just avoided Ju Noeul—

‘But it’s still just a matter of time!’

My mental state fell apart in seconds.

I slumped over the table, covered my eye in a whatever-happens-happens attitude, and left my right eye open this time.

In my left eye’s vision, there was a door that required a security card for entry.

Since the guard had already been dealt with, I thought we could just go in, but Won-gyeong stopped Ju Noeul as he tried to tag the card.

–There’ll be an access record. I’ll open it.

Hearing that, Ju Noeul stepped back.

Won-gyeong opened the door almost immediately and went inside.

Inside the room was the child we were looking for.

The child lay on a bed, various machines attached to his body.

He didn’t look conscious.

Ju Noeul strode over to the bed, checked the child’s condition, then frowned and turned to Won-gyeong.

–This feels like Jeong Iheon’s ability.

Jeong Iheon’s ability…?

If I remembered correctly, Jeong Iheon’s power allowed him to access other dimensions through dreams.

–Did Jeong Iheon use his ability on this kid?

Won-gyeong asked in a puzzled tone.

Ju Noeul tilted his head toward the child, urging him to check.

Won-gyeong stepped closer and examined the child, then spoke in a low voice.

–I’m not completely sure, but… it seems like it.

The child’s condition really did resemble what I’d seen when I myself had woken up.

For a moment, none of us spoke, each lost in thought.

Why had Jeong Iheon used his ability on the child? Why hadn’t he told us anything?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.

I spoke quietly to the now-silent Won-gyeong and Ju Noeul.

‘If Won-gyeong uses his ability in this state, communication still won’t be possible, right?’

–If his consciousness is in another dimension, it’s impossible.

–Then everything we did today was pointless.

–Not pointless.
Now we know Jeong Iheon is using his ability on the child.

‘Right. It’s not pointless—.’

–…Doya?

–Why did you stop mid-sentence? Go Doya, answer me.

I was about to say it wasn’t pointless when I noticed a shadow entering my own field of vision, not Won-gyeong’s, and sucked in a breath.

I had no idea how long it had been there.

‘…Is that the same shadow I saw back then?’

Because of the darkness, I couldn’t tell whether it was a person’s shadow or a hallucination like the one I’d seen in the house I used to live in.

I turned my gaze away from it as naturally as I could and spoke to the others through our shared consciousness.

‘There’s something that looks like a human-shaped shadow.’

–A person?

–What is it? Is it dangerous?

Won-gyeong and Ju Noeul asked sharply.

Listening to my own heart pounding, I replied.

‘I don’t know if it’s an intruder or just a hallucination only I can see. It doesn’t seem like it knows I’ve noticed it yet.

If we turn on the lights, we might know for sure, but….’

–Don’t turn on the lights, Doya. Pretend you didn’t see it and wait a bit.

–Do what she says. Whether it’s a hallucination or a person, don’t provoke it.

Being able to communicate purely through consciousness really was a blessing.

I tried to steady my breathing and agreed.

They quickly secured the area and headed my way, telling me to stay calm.

As I listened to them and tried to settle myself, I realized something belatedly.

I couldn’t hear any sound from that shadow.

Which meant it was just my hallucination.

Relief washed over me, and I let out a breath.

In a drained voice, I spoke to Won-gyeong and Ju Noeul, who were hurrying toward me.

‘Sorry. It was just my hallucination. You don’t need to rush.’

–Really?

–Hey. If you’re not sure, just stay still.

‘If it were a person, I’d hear something. There’s no sound coming from that shadow at all.’

–Thank god…

Hearing my explanation, Won-gyeong muttered in relief.

Listening to Ju Noeul make a big fuss about how scared he’d been, I pushed myself up.

It would be better to turn on the lights.

That shadow might be pointing at something, like last time.

Bracing myself against the table, I felt along the wall for the light switch.

I pressed it, and as the room flooded with light, I squinted reflexively.

After keeping my eyes closed for a moment to adjust, I slowly opened them.

With one eye covered, I checked roughly how close Won-gyeong was, then turned my gaze toward where the shadow had been.

The moment I looked there, I froze.

Standing in the light was a woman drenched in blood.

Her clothes were torn and soaked crimson.

The outfit was so ruined it was hard to tell what it had originally been.

The woman stared at me blankly.

An indifferent face, devoid of expression.

It was my face.

–

“Someone having a good dream wouldn’t want to wake up.”

“Then Go Doya must be having a good dream.”

“Yeah. If it were a nightmare, she’d have woken up already. She would’ve come to us.”

“Then should we pray that Go Doya stays trapped in a nightmare?”

“…Isn’t that a bit much?”

“…Let’s wait a little longer for now.”

“…Alright.”

–

I was covering one eye, checking Won-gyeong’s vision, when it happened.

Just like how system-related messages had appeared in Won-gyeong’s sight as well, this seemed to be a hallucination connected to the system.

Won-gyeong appeared to have seen it too.

His movements stopped dead.

Seeing him blink repeatedly, as if unable to believe what he’d seen, I hurriedly pulled my hand away and cut off the shared vision.

–Why did you stop?

Ju Noeul asked, clearly confused by Won-gyeong’s sudden halt.

Won-gyeong didn’t answer him. Instead, he spoke to me in a trembling voice.

–Doya… was what I just saw your hallucination?

His voice was shaken.

That was understandable. I’d been just as shocked.

I carefully examined the blood-soaked version of myself and frowned.

The last hallucination had just been a black silhouette.

This one was… far more extreme.

–What did you see?

Ju Noeul asked, baffled.