JKA 69

In the end, Jiwoon had made a friend and started going outside to face people. From then on, it was something he had to accomplish on his own, a part that no one should do for him. What Jiwoon needed now was not someone who would do everything for him, but the will to do it all himself.

He had to endure and bear it. He had to somehow live through it. Everyone was living like that, and for Jiwoon to be special and have an angel step in to do things for him was wrong in itself.

“1129, I do not wish to argue with you. I am not here to help you understand. Nor was I trying to ask for your consent. This is a notification.”

“Ha, fuck…”

“You must not be by the petitioner’s side. The reason it was left alone until now, and the reason He arranged for your dispatch, was as a sort of compensation for damages.”

“Compensation for damages?”

At the astounding words, Zeo repeated what 17 had uttered. Compensation for damages. What on earth did compensation for damages mean?

“Someone violated the rules, and as a result, they had to bear an unwanted misfortune and ended up in this state. It was merely paying a proper price.”

Zeo looked at Jiwoon, who had not yet opened his eyes. Looking at Jiwoon sleeping without knowing anything, he felt like he would go crazy.

“So you’re taking me back because that price has been fully paid?”

“It hasn’t been fully paid.”

“…”

“I will be here. Though it won’t be in the same way as you.”

That Myeong Jiwoon should not be left alone like this was something everyone knew. An angel had been sent down to save that life in some way, and now that he even had a point of contact with a demon, it was clear that if left as is, the situation would reach a point where it was not paying the price but rather adding to his burden.

“You must have known too, that you were gradually becoming strange. You have no power now. You won’t be able to do anything like this. You’ll have to helplessly watch everything unfold. He might even come to resent you for being by his side.”

“…”

“So it won’t be a bad proposition for you either. If you obediently return to the Crystal Depository, I will erase his memories.”

“…What?”

“I am saying I will make Myeong Jiwoon forget you.”

—Jiwoon is in a different city, and his parents are far away, what should we do?

At his mother’s sigh coming from over the receiver, Hanbyeol also let out a deep breath.

“So I think I have to stay here until he wakes up. If he doesn’t wake up, I think I’ll have to contact Jiwoon’s parents…”

—Shouldn’t you contact them quickly? It’s not like it takes just an hour or two for them to come to Seoul.

Hanbyeol’s mother asked in a worried voice. She was right, but as someone who knew that Jiwoon was avoiding contact with his parents as much as possible, Hanbyeol was extremely hesitant to contact them without Jiwoon’s consent.

More importantly, it was because he could not give a proper answer if they asked how it happened. After all, everything that was happening to him right now was not in the realm of common sense. Making them understand it was practically impossible.

“It’s late, so… I’ll contact them in the morning. Please don’t worry too much.”

—Alright, if it seems like it won’t work out, contact me.

“Okay, you can go to sleep. I’ll call you.”

After hanging up, Hanbyeol let out another big sigh. His chest felt so tight. There were still so many unresolved problems, and he could not figure out where to even begin. On top of that, Zeo did not seem okay either, so it was all just overwhelming.

While he was hesitating, unable to readily go back to where Jiwoon was, a neatly dressed man abruptly stood in front of Hanbyeol. The man, who had surprisingly long hair and wore glasses, once again blocked Hanbyeol’s path as he tried to pass by him.

Pushing up his glasses with his fingertips, the man met his gaze and suddenly asked Hanbyeol.

“You’re Mr. Im Hanbyeol, correct?”

“…Who are you?”

“My name is 17.”

“…”

“1129’s… that is, should I say the guardian of the angel who is with Mr. Myeong Jiwoon over there?”

17 muttered as if pondering, and Hanbyeol, listening to him, let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

“Guardian? Are you saying you’re God or something?”

“No, no. It’s not necessary to go that far.”

Why bring Him into this, he clicked his tongue as if dissatisfied. Hanbyeol was just as dumbfounded. No matter that he had seen an angel and a demon, it was not as if he could easily believe someone who suddenly appeared and spouted nonsense about being a guardian.

Regardless, 17 had a reason for revealing himself to Hanbyeol. So it did not matter to him whether Hanbyeol acted cynical or not.

“I have no intention of explaining the details, nor do I have any intention of asking for your consent. It just seems our interests align, so I’d like to make a proposition…”

“I’m not interested.”

Hanbyeol looked 17 up and down once as if he had seen a cult member, and cut his words off flatly. However, a single phrase from 17 caught the ankles of Hanbyeol, who was about to stride past him.

“Then do you intend to keep a demon in your house like that? It’s not some houseplant, is it?”

“…What did you say?”

“It keeps growing because you water it, don’t you think? Do you think everything will be fine if only Mr. Im Hanbyeol ignores it?”

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

Hanbyeol turned his body and fiercely approached 17. But 17 added with an expressionless face, showing no signs of surprise.

“Do you live alone in your house, Mr. Im Hanbyeol?”

“…”

“There are three people there. I’m asking if anything will change if you alone are taken out of the equation. With that many heads, the number of possible cases is endless.”

17 looked at Hanbyeol as if frustrated.

“Judging by your actions so far, let’s make an exception for Mr. Im Hanbyeol, and your mother is an adult, so let’s exclude her too. Then doesn’t that leave one person?”

“This son of a bitch…!”

The one person left could only be his young sister. Realizing this, Hanbyeol reached out without a second thought, but his hand caught nothing. Hanbyeol’s center of gravity shifted forward, making him stumble slightly, before he whipped his head around. There, 17 stood with his arms crossed as if nothing had happened.

“It seems you have more trouble controlling your emotions than I thought. Shall I put you back on the list I just excluded you from?”

“Who the hell are you to bring up someone else’s sister? Are you crazy?”

“I didn’t bring her up; I stated a fact. Do you think a demon will discriminate between an adult and a minor? Now that sounds truly crazy.”

At 17’s sarcasm, Hanbyeol’s face turned bright red. Because he had brought up his young sister of all people, anger, devoid of any reason, took over his mind.

“Think about what the demon attached to you did today. Didn’t he appear before you and Mr. Myeong Jiwoon wearing the skin of a dead person? What could that mean? What guarantee is there that a guy like that won’t touch your sister? I didn’t come here to fight with you, Mr. Im Hanbyeol. I told you that earlier.”

“…”

“I came to make a proposition. I won’t stop you from refusing. However…”

As 17 said that, he shifted his eyes slightly toward the emergency room. Following him, Hanbyeol unknowingly turned his head and blinked with a momentarily blank expression. 17 watched Hanbyeol’s face.

“I just wanted to tell you that 1129 is in no position to help you.”

“…Why that angel?”

“Because he has to go back now.”

“What?”

With Jiwoon collapsed in such a state, the fact that Zeo, who was right by his side, was also leaving made Hanbyeol narrow his brow. Hadn’t he said he was a being who came to help Jiwoon? For him to leave in a situation where help was so desperately needed was absurd.

“No, that can’t happen. He knows everything that happened to Jiwoon…”

“What can be done when 1129 has lost all his power as an angel?”

17 deliberately let his eyebrows droop, putting on a sad expression. It was nothing but a pathetic act, but there was no way Hanbyeol, a mere human, could notice.

“1129 can do nothing now. Then all that will be left are Mr. Myeong Jiwoon, who collapsed from a great shock, and Mr. Im Hanbyeol, who has a demon attached to him. Ah, is it three people?”

“…”

“In any case, it’s not a good situation.”

With his head slightly bowed, 17 pushed up his glasses and observed the complexion of Hanbyeol, who could not take his eyes off the emergency room. He did not know how he had ended up with this task, but since the order had been given, he had no choice but to follow.