Chapter 62 : I have both the blue pill and the red pill

“I have both the blue pill and the red pill.”

“A devil-like woman?”

“Yeah.”

I understood what Sayo was saying.

Since I was good at Japanese, I understood her words.

But… a devil-like woman?

“Sayo, what are you talking about…?”

I quietly looked at her and tried to continue speaking.

But Sayo’s face had already turned pale.

Her hands were trembling slightly.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but words didn’t come out easily.

It was the reaction of someone who had seen something.

“…Sayo?”

I took a step closer.

But Sayo flinched and took a step back.

As if she was afraid of me too.

At that moment, a cold voice came from behind me.

“Oh my, sister, have you forgotten me?”

Ah. Shit.

I had a bad feeling about this.

Goosebumps rose on my skin.

Slowly, very slowly, I turned my head.

She was there.

Long, silky hair cascading down, with a soft pink gradient.

Clear, calm red eyes.

A gracefully curved smile.

Sakura.

The person Sayo had called a “devil-like woman.”

She was still smiling neatly.

No, that smile felt even more eerie.

“It’s been a long time, sister.”

Her voice was low and quiet, yet strangely echoed in my mind.

Sister.

That title felt so familiar, yet at the same time, utterly horrifying.

Something was off.

This woman… I shouldn’t know her.

“…Who are you?”

I asked coldly.

But when Sakura heard my question, she just chuckled as if hearing an old joke.

“Heh, you’re joking. That’s just like you, sister.”

She took a step forward.

Instinctively, I tried to step back.

But her red eyes held me in place.

They didn’t remind me of a snake’s eyes.

No, they weren’t like any living creature’s eyes.

They were dead eyes.

Eyes that had no trace of life in them.

“To think you remember nothing—how fascinating.”

Her gaze changed in an instant.

Like a sheet of glass shattering into pieces, the warmth vanished from her expression.

Instead, a cold emotion spread across her face.

Obsession.

Excitement.

Thrill.

Like a child who just received a new toy.

I swallowed hard.

Something was very wrong.

“Sister…”

Sakura whispered softly.

In Korean.

She could speak Korean?

Not only that, but her voice sounded strangely familiar.

“It’s fine. We can just start over from the beginning.”

Start over from the beginning?

What kind of relationship did we have for her to say that?

At that moment, Sayo grabbed my arm.

Her hands were cold.

“Run.”

“What?”

“Ma—run!!”

Suddenly, Sakura’s expression changed.

“That won’t do.”

She spoke in a firm voice.

But she smiled as if she was thoroughly enjoying this.

“You can’t run away, sister.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Sakura was smiling elegantly, but her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

Ah.

This woman was different from anyone I had ever met before.

And I understood.

I finally understood why Sayo called her a “devil-like woman.”

This unknown fear I was feeling—it wasn’t a mistake.

Sakura gracefully raised one hand.

Every movement of her fingers was slow and deliberate, as if refined over a long period of time.

She smiled once more and spoke slowly.

“I can tell you everything. Everything about ‘Nanoka’ that Sayo doesn’t know.”

Everything about Nanoka.

As soon as I heard those words, a shiver ran down my spine.

It didn’t seem like a lie.

A woman like her—she probably knew much more about Nanoka than Sayo did.

“Ma… don’t fall for it…!”

Sayo stiffened completely.

She bit her lip in wariness, but Sakura spoke as if soothing an old friend.

“It’s a little sad that you forgot… but it can’t be helped.”

She took another step forward.

Slowly, but with absolute certainty.

“But don’t worry. I will make you remember everything.”

Her red pupils held a dark glow.

“So, isn’t it unnecessary to run away?”

“Haa… You must be mistaken about something.”

I let out a sigh. A very long, deep sigh.

At that moment, the air froze. Sayo, Arin, and Ahyun all held their breaths.

I slowly raised my head. Then, clearly and firmly, I spoke.

“Get out of my sight.”

Sakura’s smile wavered slightly.

“…………Oh my.”

I stared straight at her and added.

“I don’t know who you are, and I have no intention of remembering you. So, drop your act.”

Sakura was still smiling, but her eyes had turned cold.

As if she had never imagined someone would defy her.

“Sister, do you really mean that?”

I replied firmly.

“Yes. And I’ll say it again. Get lost.”

Sakura remained silent for a moment. Her red pupils seemed to waver slightly, but soon, they settled again.

She slowly lifted the corners of her lips and smiled quietly.

“I see, sister. You’ve changed.”

She accepted my gaze with a serene demeanor, then slightly tilted her body and gracefully bowed her head.

“In that case, I’ll observe for now.”

With those words, she turned around leisurely. Her steps were unhurried, as if this situation was of no concern to her at all.

But I knew.

That woman would never back down.

Sayo gritted her teeth and glared at her, while Arin and Ahyun remained tense, unable to say a word.

And at the last moment, as Sakura stepped over the threshold, she whispered in a very small voice.

“Let’s meet again, sister.”

Even after she completely disappeared, I remained frozen in place. My fingertips trembled slightly.

Now it finally felt real.

This wasn’t just a simple reunion.

Sakura had come to reclaim me.

Heh…

This is…

“Fucking ridiculous.”

Even after Sakura vanished, the air remained frozen.

No one spoke easily, as if she was still lurking in this space, watching us.

I quietly raised my hand.

My fingertips trembled slightly.

I couldn’t tell if it was just tension or something more primal—fear.

Sayo was the first to break the silence.

“…Suhyun.”

Her voice was cracked. I slowly looked at her.

Sayo still looked shaken. Her blue pupils trembled, and her lips were tightly shut.

“Do you understand now?”

She whispered softly.

“What kind of existence that woman is.”

I didn’t answer.

No, I couldn’t answer.

My entire body already knew the answer.

Sakura would return. And next time, she’d be more prepared.

Sayo took a step closer. Her hand grabbed my arm. I could feel the firmness in her grip.

“Please, believe me now.”

She looked at me with desperate eyes.

I quietly lowered my gaze.

How could I not believe it?

I believed her.

There was no way not to.

Sakura’s very existence was proof of that.

Even so, I didn’t open my mouth.

At that moment, Arin let out a quiet sigh. She crossed her arms beside me and murmured with a complicated expression.

“…Hey. What do we do now?”

Her words hung in the air.

What should we do now?

Run away or face it?

I looked out the window again. Tokyo’s night sky was still calm. The city lights glowed peacefully.

But I had no way of knowing how long this peace would last.

I took a quiet breath.

And then, I made up my mind.

“…Sayo.”

I looked at her and spoke quietly.

“Tell me everything you know.”

“…It’s going to be a long story.”

Sayo sniffled as she struggled to hold up her phone translator.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

She took a deep breath as if trying to steady her emotions.

But the breath she took in didn’t come out so easily.

“Hic… Mama wasn’t someone who should go through this…”

I silently watched her.

I didn’t know exactly what was happening to her right now, but one thing was clear—Sayo was genuinely terrified.

“It’s okay. Tell me, Sayo…”

What was this?

It didn’t fit the situation at all, but…

I felt like saying it anyway.

“Sayo… -chan. Yeah. Sayo-chan. For some reason… I want to call you that.”

“…Mama.”

Uh-oh… she’s crying again.

With big, tearful eyes, Sayo finally broke down and sobbed.

“Uwaaaah!!! If only that damn woman wasn’t at HanaLive! Mama would still be streaming with us… Our generation’s bond would have lasted forever…!!!”

“Aha…”

…’Our’????

Arin and Ahyun stared at me intensely.

This… is going to take a long explanation.

“Let’s head back to the dorm first.”

This isn’t something to discuss in the middle of the street.