Chapter 66: The Voice That Breaks the Soul

Ji-hye’s mind was no longer clear.

The events from earlier kept replaying endlessly inside her head, twisting her thoughts until she could no longer tell what was real and what wasn’t. As she walked down the university hallway, her steps felt heavy, as if the floor itself was dragging her down.

Then—

Splat.

Something warm and sticky exploded against her shoulder.

Ji-hye froze.

Before she could even react—

Splat!

Another hit her hair.

An egg.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Before she could process what was happening, more objects came flying.

Eggs.

One after another.

They splattered against her clothes, her arms, her head.

People were throwing them at her.

Ji-hye stood there, stunned.

She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t scream.

She couldn’t even raise her hands in time.

The students around her—people who once praised her, admired her, idolized her—now looked at her with hatred and disgust.

More eggs hit her.

Some students laughed.

Others sneered.

Then—

Clang!

A metal can struck the side of her head.

“Ouch!”

Pain exploded through her skull.

Ji-hye cried out as she instinctively clutched her head, her fingers trembling. Her vision blurred for a moment, stars flashing before her eyes.

She staggered but didn’t fall.

She couldn’t stop.

She had no choice but to keep walking.

Her heart felt like it was being crushed.

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to scream.

But she held it in.

She lowered her head and raised both hands to shield herself as she continued walking forward.

Eggs kept hitting her back.

Her legs trembled with every step.

Tears finally spilled from her eyes.

They streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably as she endured the humiliation.

“What… what did I do wrong…?” she whispered weakly.

No one answered.

When she finally made it out of the campus, her entire body was a mess.

From head to toe, her clothes were soaked with raw egg.

Her hair clung to her face.

Her expression was hollow.

Ji-hye wiped her tears with shaking hands—

And then—

“Ji-hye!”

A voice called out.

She looked up.

Elias was running toward her.

“Ji-hye!” he shouted again, breathless as he stopped in front of her. “Are you okay!? My god… your clothes…”

He reached out toward her right shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!”

Ji-hye slapped his hand away violently.

“Eh?”

Despite her rejection, Elias reached out again and grabbed her shoulder.

“Ji-hye… what happened…? Tell me.”

“I… I don’t know…” Her voice trembled. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking.

“Ji-hye,” Elias said softly, his tone unusually gentle. “Listen to me. If you’re having trouble, tell me. I’ll always be there for you.”

The moment he said that—

Ji-hye’s eyes widened.

Something invaded her body.

A force she couldn’t see.

Cold.

Thick.

Oppressive.

Her heart skipped.

Her muscles stiffened.

“T-this… what is this…? You—what are you—”

Her body refused to obey her mind.

She tried to move.

She couldn’t.

Her legs wouldn’t respond.

Her arms felt numb.

When Ji-hye finally looked up into Elias’s face—

Her blood ran cold.

Fear wrapped around her throat.

“Ji-hye…?” Elias tilted his head slightly. “What’s wrong? Are you… afraid~?”

He smiled.

Not the warm smile she’d seen before.

This one was twisted.

Cruel.

His eyes—once green—slowly turned crimson.

“w… what…?”

In that moment, Ji-hye realized.

She had let her guard down.

The man standing before her—

Was a villain.

A truly dangerous one.

Cold sweat poured down her back.

Elias raised his hand and gently touched her forehead.

His fingers were cold.

With a sinister smile, he whispered—

“Then… good night… my woman.”

Ji-hye’s vision spiraled into darkness.

Her pupils dilated.

Her eyes turned black, a single red dot glowing at the center.

“A-agh!!”

She screamed in agony.

Then—

Silence.

Her body went limp.

Her eyes returned to normal—

But the light within them was gone.

“Oh~ my sweet Ji-hye…” Elias murmured lovingly. “I’ll take very good care of you~”

*Somewhere Deep in Darkness*

Ji-hye slowly opened her eyes.

Her head throbbed.

Her body felt heavy.

She gasped as she realized where she was.

A cage.

A massive iron birdcage.

She stood up abruptly, her eyes darting around in panic.

Cold darkness surrounded her.

Fear tightened her chest.

She ran to the iron bars and grabbed them tightly.

“LET ME OUT!! YOU BASTARD!!”

From outside the cage—

A red aura manifested.

The air vibrated.

From that aura, a voice echoed.

A voice she knew all too well.

Elias.

“Oh~ you’re awake. Just as expected from a Rank S Hero…”

“LET ME OUT OF HERE, ELIAS!!”

Ji-hye screamed at the top of her lungs.

“No, no, no,” the voice replied calmly. “You don’t get to choose here.”

“W-what!?”

The voice laughed.

A deep, distorted laugh that echoed unnaturally, as if multiple mouths were speaking at once.

“Want to hear something funny?”

Ji-hye froze.

Her face filled with dread.

“There’s a story… about a female hero.”

Ji-hye swallowed hard.

“She was cursed with a miserable fate from birth. Unknown parents. A dead older brother. A life filled with tragedy.”

Ji-hye’s breath caught.

She knew this story.

It was her story.

“How…?” she whispered.

“She searched desperately for the criminal who killed her only family,” the voice continued. “But what happened? Someone else killed him first.”

“…Indigo…”

Ji-hye whispered the name unconsciously.

“And the funniest part?” the voice mocked. “That someone became her rival! Hahahaha! Isn’t that hilarious!?”

Her knees trembled.

“She hated him,” the voice said. “But because he once saved her… her feelings became complicated.”

Ji-hye’s hands clenched.

“She fell in love with him,” the voice sneered. “Yet she’s still unsure of her own feelings! How stupid! Hahahaha!”

Her legs gave out.

Ji-hye collapsed to her knees.

“Stop…” she whispered.

But the voice didn’t stop.

“Face it. That man… Indigo… he’s a villain. A murderer. A true criminal.”

“Stop…”

“He doesn’t like you. He only sees you as his sworn enemy.”

“H-halt… please…”

Tears streamed down her face.

The aura shifted—

Turning blue.

Another voice emerged.

A voice she knew better than anyone.

Indigo.

“Lightnova…”

Ji-hye lifted her head.

“I-Indigo…?”

Hope flickered in her eyes.

Then—

“You’re disgusting.”

Her eyes widened.

“I-Indigo… why—”

Laughter interrupted her.

“You? Like me? Hahahaha. Don’t be stupid, Miss Lightnova~ I see you only as my mortal enemy.”

Her heart shattered.

The aura turned orange.

Another familiar voice echoed.

Na Yerin.

“Ji-hye… I never thought you’d fall for a criminal.”

“N-no! That’s not—!”

“I hate you, Ji-hye. How could you betray us?”

Her chest felt like it was being torn apart.

She sobbed uncontrollably.

The aura shifted again—

Brown.

A voice she hadn’t heard in years.

Her brother.

“Ji-hye… I’m disappointed in you…”

Her mind shattered.

“No—NO—!”

She screamed hysterically, clutching her head with both hands as her cries echoed through the darkness.

*Yoo Jinhoo’s House*

I sat calmly on the sofa, watching the news on TV.

Then—

Pain.

Sudden.

Crushing.

My chest tightened violently.

I grabbed my chest as agony tore through me.

I stood up unsteadily.

Everyone in the room turned toward me.

“Oppa! Are you okay!?” So-ah shouted as she rushed toward me.

“Oppa!!” Kim Gae-in screamed.

My breathing became shallow.

Each breath felt impossible.

Then—

I vomited.

Blood.

A massive amount spilled from my mouth onto the floor.

Gasps filled the room.

My knees gave out.

I collapsed.

My trembling hand touched the blood pooling beneath me.

Their faces were filled with shock and terror.

They never expected this.

And neither did I.

What… is happening to me?

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