Chapter 39
After bringing back the resurrected Seo Da-hee, the place I arrived at was the same spot where I had first opened my eyes upon being possessed in this world.
The one-room apartment that this body had lived in before I possessed it.
Since it was a small studio I owned and had lived in quietly without even telling Pandemonium, there was no need to worry about any external interference.
After laying her gently on the bed, I waited for her to wake up.
Countless thoughts filled my head.
What should I say?
How should I apologize?
Surely, she would pour out tremendous anger toward me.
She might even try to kill me.
Even if I managed to make her understand, would she be willing to cooperate with me?
No, could she even bear the fact that she had died—and that even her identity no longer existed in this world?
But I had to persuade her.
And in the end, wouldn’t she understand me?
Seo Da-hee was that kind of character—no, that kind of person.
Ten minutes passed, feeling like an hour.
Her eyes slowly opened, and her gaze turned to me.
My face was reflected in her dark, transparent eyes.
“Ah.”
Ironically, the first thing to emerge at her resurrection was tears.
Tears of relief—and joy.
As those endless tears fell, I couldn’t control my emotions.
I had to apologize to her.
But no words came out—only a sound close to a groan.
I lowered my head deeply.
This wasn’t the kind of pathetic sight I wanted to show her.
Before her, I was nothing but a sinner without end.
What I owed her was an apology, not this pitiful display.
I needed to properly apologize to her.
At that moment, a warm sensation touched me.
Her rough hand grasped my chin, forcing my gaze to meet hers.
As our eyes met, the pounding in my chest grew stronger.
The tears I had barely held back threatened to fall again.
Seo Da-hee, meeting my gaze, carefully opened her mouth.
“Who are you? Why are you crying while looking at me?”
For a moment, my heart dropped and my head went cold.
I slapped away the hand holding my chin and glared at her.
“Lia… I won’t tolerate this kind of joke.”
“Eh? What are you talking about…?”
“Lia!”
When I shouted, Seo Da-hee flinched and shrank back.
What a nasty joke this was.
Seo Da-hee’s body currently contained two souls.
A side effect born from the fusion between her body and the Homunculus Core.
But even so—Seo Da-hee not recognizing me? That didn’t make any sense.
Just then, her body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
I rushed to her side.
Why was this happening now?
Was it a side effect of being brought back from death?
When I gently shook her, she soon opened her eyes again.
But something about her aura had changed.
Her eyes had turned ashen gray as she looked straight at me.
“Husband.”
“What the—Lia? What kind of joke are you playing now?”
“Calm down for a second. The situation seems more serious than I thought.”
Her unexpectedly serious tone made me suppress my emotions.
“What do you mean, serious?”
“As you can see, this is the first time I’ve gained control over the body.”
“What? Then the one who didn’t recognize me just now—?”
“That wasn’t one of my tricks. That was Seo Da-hee herself.”
My heart sank, and all strength left my body.
So it wasn’t one of Lia’s cruel pranks—it was truly Seo Da-hee herself.
It felt as if all the blood drained from me.
The plan had been perfect.
The Homunculus Core had settled properly in her heart.
Even now, proof of that lay in Lia being dormant within her, unable to move.
So where had it gone wrong?
Had I been too arrogant?
Was it because I had treated this entire situation like a mere game?
If this continued, the plan would collapse.
She was supposed to be my hidden card—my Joker—to bring Berid down.
And yet, she had ended up in this state.
Lia cautiously spoke.
“To be honest, I think you’d know this better than me, Husband… but it looks like she’s suffering from amnesia. Since quite some time has passed between her death and resurrection, if her brain was damaged…”
I brushed back my throbbing head.
It was my arrogance.
I had rashly judged the resurrection of life with a mere gamer’s mindset.
Perhaps this outcome had been inevitable.
I assumed the worst.
“Is there a chance her memories have been completely erased?”
“I don’t think so. During the fusion process, some of her memories flowed into me.”
“So there’s still hope.”
Lia nodded.
For now, all we could do was wait for her memories to return.
I told Lia to hand control of the body back to Seo Da-hee.
After closing her eyes briefly, she opened them again—
Her pupils turned black once more.
“What… what did you do to me? Why can’t I move my body at will, and why is there a strange voice in my head…!”
Her eyes trembled violently.
It seemed that even when Lia took control, Seo Da-hee could still share the body’s sensations.
For Seo Da-hee, who had no recollection of anything, the situation must have been utterly confusing.
I held her shoulders gently to calm her down.
“I’ll explain everything. What happened, and how. So, take a deep breath.”
“Who are you? Who am I, and why can’t I remember anything?”
I took a slow breath and, keeping her seated, began to explain the series of events.
Who she had been.
What kind of situation she was in.
And why she had lost her memories—I told her everything without hiding anything.
Perhaps hearing it might trigger her memories to return.
After hearing everything about her circumstances, she closed her eyes for a moment.
“Do you remember anything?”
“…No. Honestly, it’s all so sudden and unbelievable that it doesn’t even feel real. So, you’re saying—you faked my death to protect me from a group called Pandemonium, and in the process, I lost my memories?”
“That’s right.”
“I think I need some time to think. It’s too much to take in all at once.”
At her words, I nodded.
“I’ll provide everything you need for daily life. But your existence must never be revealed, so please don’t leave this house.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Seo Da-hee spoke with a tone of dissatisfaction.
“Isn’t that basically imprisonment?”
“I’m not telling you to stay locked up forever. It’s just… the timing is too dangerous right now. As I said, you were a target of Pandemonium.”
Although she seemed displeased, she soon nodded.
Since she had lost her memories, there wasn’t much she could do even if she went outside.
In a way, perhaps her amnesia wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
I then called out to Lia.
“Lia, take good care of her. She must be confused in many ways. I’ll send you a phone later—make sure to stay in contact.”
“Got it, Husband. Leave it to me.”
Saying that, Lia patted her small chest confidently as if to reassure me.
Truthfully, I wanted to stay longer to help Seo Da-hee adjust, but I couldn’t.
After all, I had snuck out of the hospital.
I had to return before the doctors came to check on my condition.
Several days passed since Seo Da-hee’s resurrection.
After receiving sufficient treatment, I was discharged from the hospital.
Seo Da-hee’s death and the related incidents were wrapped up as nothing more than accidents and criminal acts committed by villains—never even making it to the news. Buried entirely by overwhelming power.
It was all under the justification that the student council’s role in demon eradication was a top secret.
For the same reason, Seo Da-hee’s funeral was held quietly and modestly.
Only student council executives came to pay their respects.
Before her portrait, Yoo Iseo sat motionless, looking utterly lost.
Lighting incense in front of the photo, I stood before her.
“President.”
“……”
“I’m sorry. I was the only one who survived.”
“……”
I bowed deeply and apologized.
She still didn’t look at me, her gaze fixed solely on Seo Da-hee’s photo.
Her expression, vacant and hollow, pained me even more.
What could she be thinking right now?
When she didn’t respond, Ha Yoon, who was beside her, spoke instead.
“Thank you for coming, even though you haven’t fully recovered yet. Iseo hasn’t been able to come to terms with it, so please understand.”
“Of course.”
“You came all the way here—let’s at least have a word outside.”
He gave me a look that said he had something to say.
Sensing that, I followed him out without protest.
The farther he got from Yoo Iseo, the more his somber expression brightened.
Once we reached a quiet spot, he cast a magical barrier and grinned broadly, clapping me on the shoulder.
“You’re truly amazing! I can’t believe you even handled the aftermath so perfectly. Honestly, dealing with Kedelak and Seo Da-hee’s bodies was a huge headache for me. I never imagined you’d take care of it so flawlessly.”
“I always make sure to clean up properly. Any trace left behind would be troublesome for me as well.”
He showered me with praise, impressed by how I handled things.
“Thanks to you, a huge crack has formed in Yoo Iseo’s heart. She’s already harboring immense hatred toward you, swearing she’ll kill you.”
“Is that so? Sounds troublesome.”
I replied indifferently but recalled the image of Yoo Iseo before leaving.
She looked completely broken.
But I knew.
That she would never fall that easily.
Because I knew her ultimate fate.
In the game, even after becoming a Demon, she resisted until the very end.
Even as a Demon, she defied the Devil and entrusted the ending to the Player.
Of course, I had no intention of letting her meet that same fate.
That was precisely why I had brought Seo Da-hee back to life.
Then he continued speaking.
“Now that all obstacles are gone, taking over the Academy is only a matter of time. And much of my success will be thanks to you. I’ll be your strongest ally.”
It seemed he now trusted me completely.
He looked delighted, convinced that success in Pandemonium’s mission was within reach.
Good. Let him trust me that much. Someday, I’ll return that trust properly.
I planned to help him to the fullest.
To push Yoo Iseo to the edge— and to help Berid seize control of the Academy.
And just before he reached the very top—
I would sever his head and drag him back into the abyss.
Until that day came, I could only pray sincerely that Yoo Iseo would endure.