63 – Choice (2)
“…Illya, Illy – Huh?!”
It felt like my head was splitting.
How many days have I been sleeping? Is today – how many days?
No, did I ever remember the date I fell asleep?
“Yes, Taehyuk… nim?”
Illya stood in front of me, holding a smoking gun in her hand.
Not smiling as usual, completely fixing her expression.
“Did you remove the chip?”
“…What did you do to Taehyuk, huh? Why is there an unauthorized chip in the connection?!”
My head turned back at the deafening voice.
The light pouring out from the front door was so dazzling that I couldn’t properly face it.
“This is a chip created to assist Mr. Taehyuk’s sleep. I couldn’t just stand by and watch him push his body to the limit, not entering the sleep state, only focusing on ‘work.’
After the wrist injury, it was Mr. Taehyuk who insisted on taking on commissions forcefully.”
“Then what about the marks on the wrist? You filled the cuffs, right? You put cuffs on Mr. Taehyuk’s hands and legs!”
I forced my eyes open in the warm gaze.
The distinct imprint on the left hand and the itchiness around the ankles were undoubtedly…
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“…Yes? If you admit it now…”
“I couldn’t keep watching Mr. Taehyuk hurt himself over and over again. Do you think Lady Goda-yeon would have stopped Mr. Taehyuk, even if he was burning himself for money?”
The girl with her hair tied up, who was worriedly looking at me on the side, was a concern, but Illya, holding a drawn gun and staring at me, was the bigger issue.
The splattered blood was gradually solidifying into black.
“At least I didn’t use this method—”
“Both of you, be quiet and answer the questions. I’m sorry, but my condition is really not good. I’ve been feeling nauseous since earlier…”
“You’ve been in a continuous sleep state for three days.”
The reaction is to be expected. I will assist with your recovery-”
“Stay right there.”
He pushed Illya away, discreetly hiding the gun in his pocket as she approached.
Someone had been shot, and that person couldn’t even scream.
Unless it was a robot, it meant they were dead.
“Who’s there? Outside.”
“…”
“Who are you?”
“I-I, Tanaka Haru… that’s what they said.”
“What?”
Instead of answering her lover, the girl clung to me, trembling in fear.
She held onto my collar with shaking hands, as if trying to distance herself from Illya, who was staring blankly at us.
“Next to me, Lady Gotaeyun visited first and brought me cosmetics along with the ingredients…
But Tanaka Haru immediately showed hostility towards me, so I shot him in the abdomen.
However, he refused to retreat and aimed at my head, so I fired.”
“Oh my goodness, you.”
“Yes, I subdued him completely.
There was a possibility that Tae-hyuk and my survival were threatened.”
Things happened while I was asleep without giving any orders.
Illya’s transformation was clear evidence that she had become Illya, but…
The level of it was too much.
The one who whispered love to me went ahead and killed my acquaintance.
And not just anyone, but Tanaka Haru, a colleague from my workplace.
Even if that damn Chihuahua had bared its fangs at me first.
“Is he dead?”
“Life functions have ceased.”
I lightly tapped Da-yeon’s shoulder, who was staring at me anxiously.
Then, the one hiding behind me came forward.
He looked sufficiently terrified, and rightfully so.
He must have been dealing with the guy I forcibly put to sleep on his own.
Considering we were already at odds, seeing Illya, who even had a gun, must have been the reason for his trembling hands.
“Taehyuk, sir. I can only use force to protect -“
“I know. I get it.
…If you’ve come all the way to my house, it’s probably undeniable evidence.”
“What?”
However, that didn’t give me a reason to be afraid of Illya.
There was nothing to blame.
One day, he stood in front of me, saying he would break my wrist and do even worse things.
I didn’t forget that moment.
I didn’t expect it to come to this extent.
“…In a situation like this, where should I contact? I should definitely go to Mantico and report it to the Incheon Commercial District, right?”
“Mr. Taehyuk, Tanaka Haru faced disciplinary action at Mantico.”
“…What?”
“He claimed it was a vacation during our call, but in reality, he couldn’t come to work due to an honest disposal.
He lied, Mr. Taehyuk.”
As I tried to get up, it was Dayeon who pulled me back down.
Now that I look, it wasn’t just my hands trembling.
“W-well, even if that’s the case, killing someone is a bad thing, isn’t it?
Couldn’t you have not killed?
Out of jealousy, yeah, you killed because of jealousy!”
Such a reaction was expected. It wasn’t that surprising.
How could a girl who deals with computers understand such a situation?
Slowly reaching out my undamaged left hand to stroke my head, I got up after tidying up.
“Ilia won’t harm you.
Haru… had a prosthetic arm. A high-powered one at that.
I broke it. It was dangerous.”
“Isn’t this weird? That you killed someone… Oh, uh…”
“I understand your unease.
But unless you point a gun at me or try to kill Ilia – as long as that doesn’t happen, it’s okay.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
As I extended my hand, Illya rushed over and tightly embraced me, lifting me up in one swift motion.
It was a bit dizzying, but… still, I could move.
Looking at me like that, Dayeon immediately stood up as if about to grab and pull me away, rising from the bed as if popping out.
“ㅅ -“
“We won’t just overlook the handcuffs and chip matter.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“…Yes.”
I fell silent at my own words.
…No matter how complicated my relationship with Illya was,
Without Dayeon, I surely wouldn’t have woken up.
And even if I did wake up, I would have seen my body bound in handcuffs.
It didn’t seem like something to just brush off. Especially once admitted verbally.
However,
“Have you kept in touch?”
“I am respected and treated as a ‘personality’ by Mr. Taehyuk.
I appreciate the love you give me, but…”
“It seems challenging for them to acknowledge from their side. Got it. I’ll handle it.
In the meantime…”
As I stepped out towards the door, Dayeon’s face showed the wreckage of a day, as if her forehead had been completely crushed.
I thought I was getting used to it.
My stomach churned, my mouth went dry, and a hot flush surged.
“The restroom is this way. Please.”
“C-cough, ugh – bleh…”
A familiar face was covered in blood.
Not long ago, we had a conversation,
especially since they were a significant part of my everyday life, both as an acquaintance and an indispensable partner in mercenary work.
…Even though I hadn’t eaten anything, I had to hold onto the toilet for quite some time.
“Cough, ugh, ugh…”
“I’ll handle the corpse disposal.
Have you prepared a body bag?”
It was a word I hadn’t heard in a long time.
…Something that was almost like an everyday item on the battlefield was unlikely to be in my home.
“…No. Give me the phone, the phone.
If I contact Manticore, they’ll take care of it on their end.
They might be honest, but they won’t fire me.”
“Before that, you need to clean your oral cavity.
Gastric acid is acidic, and it…”
“I’ve heard enough. Remember? When I felt nauseous?”
“Yes.”
Turning on the tap, she filled her mouth with clear water, letting it reach her throat –
And then she spat it out without leaving a drop.
Water as clear as if there were no impurities at all.
Only the throat, entering the unpleasantness, felt even more vivid.
“I will bring drinking water.”
“I’ll take care of that myself.
Meanwhile, make sure the blood doesn’t seep into the floor.
You know what I mean.”
“Yes.”
Even though I gave the order, should I smile and watch that kindness that gently embraces me, guiding me slowly to the bathroom outside?
Or should I crumple my face against the one who has made the decision to kill without hesitation?
The corners of the mouth were honest. They didn’t rise.
“It’s o-“
“Close your eyes and stay in the room, Dayeon.
It’s too much for you to see.”
When the girl trying to come out of the room was about to close the door with a handclap, a noticeable bullet on the floor caught her eye.
…It was undoubtedly a .22 caliber, so small.
“Did you bring a gun?”
“Yes, well… it did disassemble right away when aimed.”
As soon as I heard those words, a chill ran through my body.
She aimed a gun at Iria, the one who shot at Haru? And with a .22 caliber?
“Don’t do it.”
“Well, but…”
“If I tell you not to do it, then don’t do it! Do you even know how much the material I equipped her with costs?!”
Never mind if this small gun could leave a scratch,
Even though she had already seen me shoot someone, what on earth was she thinking when she pulled out a weapon?
The sobbing girl seemed to resent me, but instead of shooting back, I held her tightly and grabbed both her cheeks to bring her back to her senses.
“This isn’t about jealousy.
I know you’re young, but there are things you should know. Iria was a war machine before she became my lover.
She still follows rules of engagement. If you had pulled that trigger, you would have been lying there right next to her!”
“Ah, ah – “
Only now did Daeyeon, who seemed to finally understand, burst into tears as I hugged her tightly again.
…She must have been very surprised. It was even more astonishing that she had never reacted like this before.
“So, don’t do something like that to Iria without thinking.
This is also a story for your sake. Understand?”
“Y-yes, I understand.”
…A .22 caliber.
Even people these days can’t catch someone with something like this.
Gathering the broken pieces together, I casually threw them onto the desk and closed the bedroom door as it was. Then, I opened my phone and slowly moved my heavy fingers.
Ilia was staring at me from across the corridor.
“Shooting someone for a day is not your fault at least.
…But spiking cocoa with sleeping pills.
And those chips and handcuffs, I’ll have to ask about those, Ilia.
Do you think recovery will be an excuse?”
As my body gradually woke up, it was getting warmer. Even though dealing with business was one thing, now I was getting angry and, at the same time, a little scared.
“I also have something to tell Taehyuk-nim about that.”
“I went out on my own? I apologize for that -“
“I’m sorry. However, I couldn’t possibly agree with Taehyuk-nim’s words.”
Ilia, not a machine. No, Ilia, who was just inside a machine’s body. Approaching slowly, unexpectedly pressing lips against mine, the one hugging me had no strength to push away. This lover, still wearing a sparkling necklace, naturally moved her head over, saying,
“After completely dealing with Tanaka Haru’s affair first, I will explain.”
Things were gradually changing.
In a direction I didn’t even know.