Chapter 49 : Portrait of a Mad Woman – 1

I thought about it on my way to Namsan.

How could I avoid the reporters?

For now, the fact that I was wearing a skirt should help me dodge suspicion about being an Awakened.

Not that I was forced to wear one.

It’s just… a good thing is a good thing.

The real problem was my appearance.

Objectively speaking, I stood out way too much.

Brilliant pink hair that reflected sunlight.

Delicate, well-proportioned features.

And an unnecessarily large chest.

Regardless of gender, anyone would turn to look at me at least once.

It’s not narcissism—it’s just a fact.

Even seeing me once would leave a strong impression.

So what would happen if someone saw me twice or three times?

If any of those reporters had ever watched my stream, that would be the absolute worst-case scenario.

How should I explain it?

Should I say it’s cosplay?

Or claim that I was the actual model for my VTuber avatar?

Honestly, though…These aren’t the kinds of problems that can be solved just by thinking ahead and planning.

It’s fate.

At some point, my identity would be exposed to the world.

No point in trying to avoid it.

Just charge forward.

Then figure it out.

If my identity gets revealed.

Well, I’ll just have to turn on my stream and issue a public apology.

What else can I do?

With that, I got off the bus, feeling a slight tension in my chest.

Swallowing hard, I slowly made my way up to the entrance of Namsan.

And then—I sensed something was off.

At this time, shouldn’t I be hearing a noisy crowd?

When I arrived at the entrance, the reporters were nowhere to be found.

Only a few people, who seemed to be from the Awakened Association, were moving around busily.

This was different from the last time an Anomalous Phenomenon was resolved.

Wearing a puzzled expression, I stepped into the Awakened Association building.

And soon, I realized why there wasn’t a single reporter in sight.

“Oh, you’re here.”

It was Yui Seul.

She had arrived at the anomaly site before me.

And the moment reporters confirmed her presence, they had clicked their tongues in annoyance and left long ago.

Hmm… That’s strange, too.

According to Jung-hwan, Yui Seul was always perfectly on time—a stickler for punctuality.

But why had she arrived before me?

When I asked her that, she simply gave a bored reply, as if wondering why I was asking something so obvious.

“I have to check first whether it’s using mental attacks or not.”

“…Huh?”

I was momentarily dumbfounded by her unexpectedly rational answer.

Seeing my reaction, she frowned slightly, as if annoyed.

“I don’t like repeating myself.”

“Ah… Th-Thank you.”

“As long as you know to be grateful.”

Whoa.

This was my third time meeting Yui Seul.

And since she was a rather easy person to figure out, I could tell just how surprising this situation was.

She wasn’t an altruistic person.

She was selfish.

Even a quick glance at her Wiki page confirmed that.

To Yui Seul, the most important person in the world was herself.

And yet, here she was, doing something selfless for me.

Why?

Why was she treating me so well?

Was it because acting selflessly toward me would ultimately benefit her in the long run?

Yeah, that seemed likely.

After all, from her perspective, solving an anomaly with me was probably better than doing it alone.

Since my body was tough, she didn’t have to worry about whether I got attacked or not.

And since I could recite detailed information about the anomaly, the difficulty of solving it was drastically reduced.

And who knows?

By sticking with me, she might even uncover the secrets behind her own sword.

Whatever the reason, from my perspective, this was a win-win situation.

Just being able to work alongside Yui Seul—the strongest Awakened—was an honor.

And on top of that, she even took care of the reporters for me.

If I kept solving anomalies with her.

Unexpectedly,I might actually be able to keep my identity a secret.

…

…

…

Last time, when an anomaly was resolved, I attended a briefing with about a dozen high-ranking officials.

But this time was different.

Only three people were gathered in the conference room.

Me.

Yui Seul.

Kim Jung-hwan.

That was it.

Man, that guy really had it rough.

He somehow got stuck as my handler and ended up getting reassigned to field duty, completely against his will.

Yui Seul casually propped her feet up on the table and threw a remark at Kim Jung-hwan.

“Go on. Do the briefing.”

Wow.

What a total brat.

Her tone was so rude that even I felt like cursing.

No, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions too quickly.

They might actually be close.

I’m twenty-four years old.

Yui Seul is three years older than me.

Kim Jung-hwan is also three years older than me.

In other words, they’re the same age.

It wouldn’t be strange for them to speak informally with each other.

“Yes, Miss Seul. I’ll begin the briefing now.”

Nope.

I was a fool for expecting anything different.

***

“It’s a painting?”

“Yes, it’s a painting.”

It was a painting.

This anomaly was a painting—one so remarkable that even I, who knew nothing about art, instinctively recognized it as a masterpiece.

However.

It was far too grotesque to be considered a world-renowned masterpiece.

It was a portrait of a woman.

At first glance, I mistook her for being incredibly beautiful.

Yes, mistook.

Because when I looked closer, I realized her eyes held a madness that had strayed far from reason.

One of her eyes was unnaturally wide open, while the other was half-closed, creating an eerie, unsettling effect.

Her pupils resembled an infinite abyss.

The kind that, if you stared too long, made you feel as if you were sinking into a bottomless trench, never to escape.

Her smile was even more disturbing.

It reminded me of the internet urban legend, Red Mask.

Her lips stretched to an anatomically impossible length.

She wore a black dress, but it was tattered and torn in multiple places, revealing bruised, bluish skin beneath.

The background was even worse.

Despite being a still image, the bizarre shapes in the backdrop seemed to writhe and squirm as if they were alive.

Ironically, the woman’s twisted appearance and the eerie background complemented each other perfectly.

This was an anomaly.

If this painting wasn’t an anomaly, that would be the bigger mystery.

But I couldn’t be certain yet.

So I asked Kim Jung-hwan.

“Could it be an item?”

“No, this painting is definitely an anomaly.”

“Why?”

“Miss Jiah, didn’t you think the painting was beautiful when you first saw it?”

“Oh… Now that you mention it, yeah. I did. But why…?”

“The reason is simple.”

Tuk.

Tuk.

Kim Jung-hwan tapped his fingers against the screen and spoke again.

“Because of this painting’s widespread psychic attack.”

“…What?”

At Kim Jung-hwan’s words, I turned to Yui Seul and said,”B-But Miss Seul said there weren’t any psychic attacks…”

“I said I’d check for psychic attacks before you got here. I never said there weren’t any. Yeah, tough luck. There are.”

“…”

“And I told you to call me ‘Seul unnie.’ Do you want me to hit you? Though honestly, I think it’d hurt my hand more.”

I ignored Yui Seul’s words and turned back to Kim Jung-hwan.

“Miss Seul aside… why are you, me, and everyone else unaffected?”

Anomalies that launched psychic attacks were extremely dangerous—sometimes, just looking at a photo of one could corrupt a person’s mind.

Yet, despite staring directly at this picture, neither Kim Jung-hwan nor I showed any signs of mental contamination.

Kim Jung-hwan answered casually.

“First of all, we’re quite far from the anomaly itself, so the intensity of the psychic attack is minimal.”

“But… journalists were here too, weren’t they? Even if it’s minimal, wouldn’t it still be dangerous for normal people?”

“It’s thanks to the items. Naturally, every anomaly site is equipped with countermeasures against psychic attacks at its entrance.

Plus, the reason you and I aren’t affected, aside from the entrance items, is that I borrowed additional psychic defense items from the Association.”

“…Ah.”

I felt stupid for even asking.

Of course, the Awakener Association wouldn’t be so incompetent as to leave such things unchecked.

“Speaking of which, let me give you one now.”

Kim Jung-hwan handed me a psychic defense item.

It was shaped like a cube.

It was already active, emitting an energy field that functioned like a protective barrier against psychic attacks within a five-meter radius.

I should check the Wiki for more details later.

“But just because you have the item doesn’t mean you’re completely immune to psychic attacks. You must be especially careful with this anomaly, Miss Jiah.”

“…Can ‘being careful’ even make a difference?”

Of course not.

That’s the nature of anomalies.

The very idea of resolving an anomaly without suffering any damage was flawed from the start.

If just anyone could resolve anomalies without consequences, Awakeners wouldn’t be getting injured or dying all the time.

Risk—Was something I had to accept.

Yet, for some reason, Yui Seul looked completely at ease.

She yawned before speaking.

“You don’t have to be so scared. I thought about it, and you’re probably somewhat resistant to psychic attacks. Not as much as me, of course, but still.”

“…And why is that?”

“Because you’re already half-insane. People who are crazy to begin with tend to have some resistance to psychic attacks.”

Damn.

I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.

I frowned in disbelief.

Seeing my reaction, Kim Jung-hwan spoke in a surprisingly serious tone.

“…Miss Jiah, there is actually some truth to what Miss Seul said.”

“No, truth or not—I’m not insane in the first place!”

“You got that right. You’re not an insane guy, you’re an insane girl.”

“Urgh…!”

Just what do they take me for?

Ah, right. I’m not just a person—I’m Beachy Mutbyeol’s devoted follower.

But still, I’m not crazy.

No matter how passionately I tried to argue, Kim Jung-hwan continued.

“We haven’t been able to obtain a photo of the item, so I’ll need the two of you to secure it on-site. With that, I’ll conclude the briefing.”

Both Kim Jung-hwan and Yui Seul spoke with calm expressions and relaxed voices.

Am I the only one feeling anxious?