43) Chapter 8. This Year for Sure! (6)
It wasn’t something I only heard about on the news.
Auntie Yujin was far too kind to just gloss over something like this.
As usual, when I came home, Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun were already waiting for us.
Lately, Chae‑yi had also been joining us for after‑school training. Even after everything that happened, Cheong Hwirin still didn’t make a big deal about me, Soi, and Chae‑yi hanging out together.
Or maybe she actually thought it was safer for three superhumans to stick together.
Either way, Auntie Yujin was someone the Witch feared. If Soi had the same kind of power as Auntie Yujin, maybe that would help.
“Yeah, it’s better if Chae‑yi hears this too.”
Since Chae‑yi had been one of the people caught up in that incident, Auntie Yujin said that.
Then she sat the three of us down on the sofa, took a moment to gather her thoughts, and finally exhaled the words as if she were forcing them out.
“...Seo Arin has escaped.”
I didn’t feel shock right away.
At first, all I thought was, ‘Oh… okay.’
It was too unrealistic.
She was a superhuman.
Superhumans walking around in society wasn’t some new thing. From what I could tell, it had been at least decades—long enough to be considered “common sense.”
Naturally, prisons built to contain superhumans were far more secure than those for ordinary people. They couldn’t be melted with heat or broken with brute strength. They were, quite literally, impossible for a normal person to break through.
Unless someone could turn their body into fluid or phase through matter. But the Witch wasn’t that kind of superhuman.
“Uh…”
And then, after that, came a faint tremor.
As if my body reacted before my mind did. My fingertips began to shake.
The reason I knew so much about “prisons” was because I had looked them up after the Witch was captured.
Because I was scared.
Everyone else in the world probably thought the same thing—that superhumans would have an easier time escaping. There was even a term like “superhuman phobia.” Maybe because of that, the Superhuman Association had been heavily promoting related information.
“H‑How…?”
I stammered out the question, and Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun exchanged glances.
“That’s… still under investigation.”
“But…”
When I still couldn’t accept that answer, Auntie Yujin hesitated, then nodded.
“The method itself was… she broke the door.”
“Th‑Then, the p‑people…”
A prison isn’t just a building. There are guards inside, guards outside…
“……”
Auntie Yujin didn’t want to answer, but that silence was enough. Someone must have been seriously hurt, or maybe even…
“The door might not have been properly constructed, or one of the locks might not have engaged correctly. They’re investigating. And… there are a lot of people chasing Seo Arin. They’ll catch her soon.”
Even with the explanation, it didn’t all make sense. Too many things were strange.
If escape was that easy, what superhuman wouldn’t try it? And there was no way this was the only case.
Was the reason this never appeared in the novel simply because it was too obvious? Because stories about villains escaping and being recaptured were too common?
“B‑But…”
It could happen. I knew that.
Even without superpowers, real‑world prison breaks weren’t nonexistent. Maybe this was one of those rare cases. Maybe the Witch wasn’t important enough for the main story to mention.
But my mind kept trying to find a reason.
“...Rua.”
Auntie Yujin crouched in front of me.
She reached out and gently held my hand.
Warm, soft hands.
“...I’m sorry.”
I blinked.
When I lifted my head, I saw her face.
She didn’t look like she was saying sorry just to comfort me.
She looked genuinely sorry—full of guilt.
“W‑Why… why are you apologizing?”
I only meant to ask.
But my voice came out sharp, even though I was stuttering.
“Because… we didn’t do what we were supposed to.”
“……”
I bit my lip.
Then lowered my head again and shook it.
“...It’s not your fault.”
Honestly, I didn’t know.
Maybe someone was at fault. Maybe this happened because someone failed to do their job.
But if those people fought the Witch during her escape—if they risked their lives and were injured or killed—
Would blaming them be right?
Maybe they did their best. Maybe it was a mistake they didn’t even realize. Maybe it was just an unfortunate malfunction.
……
And what if she escaped…
Because she wanted to see me?
Then wouldn’t I be part of the reason?
Auntie Yujin squeezed my hand tighter, as if to stop me from sinking deeper into those thoughts.
“There might be someone at fault.”
Her voice reached me.
“But Rua, it is absolutely not your fault.”
I looked up again.
It was a stern expression—one I almost never saw on her.
“So don’t you ever shrink back.”
She said it firmly.
Holding my hand so tightly it almost hurt.
…I’ve lived in this house for nearly ten years now.
And even though I still can’t bring myself to call Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun “Mom” and “Dad,” they’ve always treated me exactly like they treat Soi.
A child who needs far more attention than others, who has to be taken to the hospital regularly, who even attracts the attention of a dangerous villain.
“...Okay.”
So at the very least, I wanted to follow that one thing she said.
That it wasn’t my fault.
Whether I could truly believe it or not… I wasn’t sure.
- *
“Ghh—ghhh!?”
A man writhed on the floor, his mouth sealed by something invisible.
He wasn’t tied up. His limbs were simply sprawled out—though each arm and leg seemed to have about three times the normal number of joints.
“Not as stubborn as I expected. You chased her around for so long, didn’t you?”
Seo Arin looked down at the man squirming on the ground.
“With that kind of resolve, you tried to kill my daughter?”
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
The man cried out, tears streaming down his face. Whatever was covering his mouth prevented any real sound from coming out.
“Oh—oops, sorry, sorry.”
She didn’t look sorry at all, but Seo Arin waved her hand and removed the invisible obstruction.
“N‑No, no! If I had known! If I had known, I never would have done it!”
“Hm? Known what? You went after Cheong Hwirin’s daughter, and yet you expect me to believe you somehow recognized my daughter—who wasn’t even that famous back then—and decided to spare her?”
He had no answer.
Seo Arin only earned the nickname “Witch” after she stormed the school.
Before that, her reputation was more like “suspect in several murder cases.”
A few of those cases were particularly notable, so her name was known as a suspect—but that was all.
“I only found out later myself. I mean, I saw the news, sure. But back then, I just thought my daughter bravely beat up a villain.”
Seo Arin let out a small sigh.
“P‑Please… please spare me…”
“If I spare you, then what?”
“If you spare me, I’ll do anything—”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t break out alone—I dragged you out so I could vent my anger. Why would I care about someone like you? Your ability is pathetic. I only got mad because of what I heard in prison. A few others I broke out because someone asked me to, but you…”
“……”
“Ugh, I finally get out, and my only blood relative hates me. I mean, I figured she might, but I thought if I took her and raised her myself, things would work out. She’s my daughter, right? But she’s completely brainwashed. This is why you don’t leave your kid with rich people.”
Seo Arin crouched down in front of the man again.
“I know exactly where she is. I can see her. But even after escaping, I can’t go meet her. So I need someone to take this frustration out on. But I can’t just go around smashing things—that’d draw too much attention. I’m a fugitive, after all. Right?”
She stood up.
“W‑Wait! Wait, please!”
Knowing exactly what that meant, the man writhed desperately.
“There’s a way! There’s a way!”
His bruised face shifted colors uncontrollably from pain.
“A way? A way for me to meet my daughter? You’re saying that? Even if you’re desperate to live, that’s a bit much. I could maybe handle one or two superhumans, but a dozen? Even I’d struggle.”
“I’m telling you—there is a way.”
He gasped for breath.
“...Hmm. Suspicious.”
Seo Arin hesitated, then crouched again.
“Well, fine. I’ll listen. Not that I’m expecting much.”
The man told her the method.
In the end, he lived.
He lived.
Seo Arin never said she’d let him go unharmed.
And she never said she’d spare him in the first place.