I watched Kim Dal-bi’s reaction closely.

She had never been good at hiding her feelings since childhood. No matter how hard she tried, her emotions always showed.

As I continued to observe her, I asked, "Why did you tell me Baek-seo’s location?"

Dal-bi lifted her head and asked in return, "Why do you think?"

"It was probably just a whim. I can't really explain it myself," she replied with an awkward smile.

She didn’t seem to want to explain further.

“……”

I didn’t know what her true intentions were.

However, without Dal-bi’s help, I wasn’t sure if I could have even found Baek-seo’s body. It was clear that her assistance had been significant. So I decided not to press the issue any further.

“...Thank you. Thanks to you, I found Baek-seo.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be enemies? You shouldn’t be thanking me, my friend,” Dal-bi said with a troubled smile, scratching her cheek.

“Gratitude is still gratitude.”

I looked at her wrist, which I was holding.

“And…”

I almost mentioned the strange thing I had heard from Moon Chae-yeon.

‘You can steal a unique ability...’

I wasn’t sure if it was true, but thinking back to when I rescued Baek-seo, it didn’t seem like a lie.

It wasn’t information known to the world or even mentioned in the original game. If news about such a thing spread in Neo Seoul, the city would be turned upside down.

Regardless, Dal-bi was on the principal’s side.

Moreover, Dal-bi didn’t know that I was aware of the principal being her backer.

So asking her questions like ‘How can you steal a unique ability?’ was too risky.

‘I better not mention it.’

I decided.

“And?”

“!”

Dal-bi leaned in and looked into my eyes with a serious expression. She seemed suspicious of my reaction.

“Nothing... Wait a moment.”

“Hm?”

As I got a closer look at her face, my hand moved on its own, landing on her cheek.

Dal-bi flinched but didn’t resist. She seemed slightly tense.

Gently brushing her hair aside revealed a scar on her cheek.

‘This is...’

It was a burn mark.

It had been left untreated for at least a day.

The color indicated that she hadn’t received proper healing.

‘She has flame attributes. She shouldn’t get burned easily by most flames...’

This meant she had ‘allowed herself to be burned.’

“Who did this?”

I asked, looking straight into her eyes.

“Hm? Ah... Hm?”

“Tell me.”

My voice carried weight.

No matter how much I tried to dilute my memories of the past, sometimes those efforts were negated. This moment proved that, as my chest burned like a cauldron.

Perhaps it was because I had learned the truth and the darker side of the academy city. Beyond the duty to capture Dal-bi, seeing her intentionally hurt pushed my mind to the brink.

But despite these conflicting emotions, I didn’t feel confused.

When I met Dal-bi again in Shin Yongsan Street, I realized I still longed for her.

Yet I knew I had to remain firm since our relationship was already broken.

And it was easy to deduce that this burn mark was caused by the principal.

Seeing Dal-bi now reminded me of the other Six Sins I had fought. It made me want to uncover the principal’s methods.

Dal-bi, initially flustered, eventually smiled faintly. She closed her eyes and leaned her head towards my hand as if savoring the touch.

“...I’m human too. I can get hurt.”

Her voice attempted to carry a playful tone.

But it was a soft voice, like a small ripple in a serene lake bathed in moonlight.

“You...”

Kim Dal-bi. Han Seo-jin. Moon Chae-yeon. And soon enough, Hong Gyu, Hong Bin.

The Six Sins aside from Goliath.

What kind of treatment had you been enduring?

It was a meaningless question, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask. My words were stuck in my throat.

“And it’s foolish for a member of the disciplinary committee to worry about an enemy. Isn’t that right, Woo-jin?”

Dal-bi gently pushed my hand away.

“...It’s not worry. I just thought I should know.”

“Really? So you want to find out how I got burned to help catch me later?”

There was no answer.

Dal-bi smiled as if she understood.

“Today, as you said, I just came by because I was feeling nostalgic. You could call it a sort of reconnaissance between us.”

“Make some sense.”

“Hehe, sorry for waking you.”

Dal-bi apologized playfully.

“I won’t come like this again.”

“……”

“Rest well, Woo-jin.”

Dal-bi vanished like a gentle flame.

Only silence remained in the hospital room.

Neo Seoul was still ablaze with lights even in the middle of the night.

Kim Dal-bi sat on the edge of a rooftop, staring at the hospital where Ahn Woo-jin was admitted. Her cherry blossom-colored hair fluttered softly in the night breeze.

As a child, Dal-bi had placed a goblin’s contract mark on Woo-jin. It was invisible and had no significant effect. All it did was alert Dal-bi through sensations if the marked person was hurt.

A few months ago, Dal-bi had visited Woo-jin when he caught the flu, thanks to the mark.

Recently, Dal-bi had been subjected to ‘discipline’ in the Punishment Room. It was a consequence of defying the principal and was essentially torture.

During that time, she had received reports from the mark indicating that Woo-jin had been severely injured.

She felt like she was going insane.

Dal-bi clung to her sanity through the torture, her mind focused on Woo-jin’s condition. She had heard from Spartoi Son Ye-seo that Woo-jin had fought a full-scale battle with Moon Chae-yeon.

Her heart sank, and before she knew it, she had arrived at the hospital.

The principal’s surveillance had slackened just enough for her to visit, thanks to his rapidly deteriorating health.

She didn’t want to visit Woo-jin like this anymore. But Dal-bi couldn’t control her anxiety. Perhaps the torture had affected her sanity.

She had intended only to check on Woo-jin briefly while he slept. But he woke up.

His senses seemed to have sharpened with his elevation to the 6th-tier.

“Thank goodness... thank goodness...”

Dal-bi sighed deeply in relief, hugging her knees. She had felt like her heart was breaking all the way to the hospital.

If Woo-jin had been critically injured beyond recovery, Dal-bi wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

“……”

The night breeze caressed her skin.

She could still feel the lingering sensation of Woo-jin’s touch on her cheek.

When she felt his hand, her heart swelled. She never thought she would feel such a thing again.

For someone with no place to return to or rely on, that touch felt like salvation.

─ ‘Because it’s disgusting.’

Woo-jin’s cold voice echoed in Dal-bi’s mind. She understood why he said that.

It was because she had deeply hurt Woo-jin in the past, and their relationship had become more than just a personal matter. It had become an issue between the disciplinary leader and a member of the Six Sins.

Dal-bi resolved not to visit Woo-jin impulsively anymore. Knowing he was safe, she didn’t want to linger.

Moreover,

‘Oh Baek-seo... I’m glad you’re alive too. You have to protect Woo-jin.’

Woo-jin had Baek-seo. And he needed to continue to have her.

Even without personal reasons, Baek-seo’s survival was better for Dal-bi’s plans.

That’s why Dal-bi had ordered the goblin to tell Woo-jin Baek-seo’s location.

‘And…’

Dal-bi thought of the principal, who had broken his promise not to touch Woo-jin, while gazing at the brilliant city lights.

“Principal...”

Her dark eyes, in stark contrast to the beautiful cityscape, shone with determination. A resolute resolve was evident in her gaze.

Dal-bi’s plan was approaching.

Recently, walking through the hospital park, my steps crunched on fallen leaves.

It was the end of the vacation. It was autumn.

I had recovered enough to move around. Many people had visited Baek-seo and me during our hospital stay, so our room was filled with get-well-soon gifts.

However, Baek-seo was still not awake.

The AI doctor provided a report. Baek-seo’s body was fully recovered and should have woken up by now.

It was probably a psychological issue or as if she was wandering in a deep dream, the AI doctor explained.

“Bujaangniim!! The wild Ha Ye-song you’ve missed so much is hereaaang!”

“Leader! This is Park Min-hyuk!”

The disciplinary committee members visited the hospital room after a long time.

Ha Ye-song and Park Min-hyuk greeted enthusiastically. Yoo Do-ha, on the other hand, greeted in a more subdued manner.

“Welcome.”

“Baek-seo is still asleep.”

Ye-song said as she approached me.

“Yeah. Her body is completely healed, but she still hasn’t woken up.”

“Leader, do you know the tale of Sleeping Beauty?”

“I know it, why?”

“Maybe a kiss will wake her up...?”

“……”

I held back from telling her to lie down.

Instead, I flicked Ye-song’s forehead.

“Ow! Ugh…”

Ye-song rubbed her forehead in pain.

“What about Moon Chae-yeon?”

“She still hasn’t regained consciousness. It seems like it’ll take a while for her to recover.”

“No external pressure? Nothing today either?”

“Nothing.”

It was the same question I asked Do-ha every day. By now, she answered automatically.

Moon Chae-yeon, one of the Six Sins, hadn’t woken up since our battle.

She should have died, but thanks to my impromptu defibrillation, she managed to stay alive.

The hospital performed urgent heart surgery to keep her alive.

But her heart and blood vessels were irreversibly damaged.

Heart transplant surgery was impossible, and she was expected to die within a month or two.

The only way was for Chae-yeon to reinforce her heart using her unique ability.

“Well, let’s put the heavy stuff aside for now. First, the get-well-soon gifts.”

“Ah.”

Ye-song flinched at Do-ha’s words.

Do-ha handed me a gift.

‘This looks pretty big.’

The large, meticulously decorated box was filled with all sorts of fresh fruits. It looked like it was prepared by ten people at once.

“What’s this?”

“A standard fruit set.”

“It’s too much fruit to be standard...”

“It’s just your feeling.”

“It’s just my feeling, huh.”

Do-ha turned out to be surprisingly considerate of her colleagues.

“Anyway, thanks. I’ll enjoy it. I’ll have enough to eat until I’m discharged.”

“But isn’t it too much for you alone? I could help you with it now…”

“Calm down and put the fruit down.”

“Oh.”

Ye-song, startled, hastily put down the apple she had picked up.

Then Min-hyuk squeezed between Ye-song and Do-ha.

“Leader, I brought a get-well-soon gift too.”

Min-hyuk, who was grinning confidently, handed me a beautifully wrapped gift bag. It was a rectangular box.

“What kind of gift looks like a Christmas present… huh?”

Opening the bag revealed a transparent box with a figure inside.

A figure of a man in a black uniform.

The moment I saw it, my heart sank.

An incredibly muscular body. A serious and stern expression. Pointing somewhere confidently with cold, green eyes. It was a high-quality figure.

Min-hyuk proudly explained.

“It’s the ‘Ah Seong High Disciplinary Leader Figure.’ They make figures of famous people. Since you’ve become famous, it was newly released! I got it as soon as I heard. How is it? Feel free to be impressed, haha!”

“Oh my...”

“Oh my...”

Ye-song and Do-ha seemed astonished.

Min-hyuk’s smile froze. He alternated between looking at Ye-song and Do-ha.

“Why are you two sighing...?”

“Min-hyuk, man. This thing...!”

Ye-song pointed at the figure, about to say something.

Words came out of my mouth spontaneously.

“Park Min-hyuk.”

“Yes?”

“This...”

I am...

“I really like it.”

Was I dignified?

“Oh! Right, right!?”

Min-hyuk’s eyes sparkled.

For some reason, Ye-song let out a shocked sound.

“It’s excellent quality. Though it’s slightly different from reality, it accurately portrays my appearance as the disciplinary leader.”

“Slightly different? It looks completely different! The muscles are over-exaggerated!”

Ye-song pointed at the figure, spouting nonsense.

“The leader doesn’t look like this! This isn’t even cool! The leader isn’t this macho!”

“Silence! Ha Ye-song, how have you seen the leader all this time!? The leader originally looks like this! Go to an eye doctor immediately!”

“Your eyes are clouded! You go to the eye doctor!”

Ye-song and Min-hyuk started bickering, but I ignored them. My attention was solely on the impressive figure.

‘All the effort to maintain my image was worth it.’

The more I looked at it, the more satisfying it was.

“Huh?”

Do-ha suddenly looked at something else and froze. It was towards Baek-seo.

“?”

Following Do-ha’s gaze, I turned my head, followed by Ye-song and Min-hyuk.

We all gasped simultaneously.

On the bed. A female student in a patient’s gown had risen. Her elegant face glowed in the sunlight.

She looked at us with a puzzled expression. After a moment of thought, as if trying to understand the situation, she gave us a familiar kind smile.

“Uh... good morning?”

It was an awkward greeting.

Oh Baek-seo had woken up.

“B-Baek-seo? Ah!”

Ye-song, taken aback, suddenly started running.

Without a word, I rushed to Baek-seo and held her tightly.

My throat was choked up. No words came out.

“Baek-seo!”

Ye-song cried, hugging us both.

Do-ha pressed the button by my bed to alert the nurse that Baek-seo had woken up.

“I’m so glad you’re back...!!”

“Ha Ye-song, wipe your nose.”

“Is that important now, you otaku!?”

Ye-song wailed at Min-hyuk.

“It’s a bit... overwhelming.”

Baek-seo laughed in disbelief and hugged me back.

Min-hyuk patted my shoulder.

“Leader, aren’t you going to say it?”

“What...?”

Min-hyuk, moved, responded.

“Okaeri..., tadai..., ugh!”

Thud! Ye-song hit Min-hyuk’s head.

“Don’t ruin the moment, Park Min-hyuk!”

“I have no money, and I still brought a gift, and you hit me...!”

“Wahhh! Baek-seo!”

Ye-song cried and hugged Baek-seo tighter.

“I must have... slept for a long time.”

“Vice Leader.”

“Yes, Leader?”

“Don’t ever leave me again.”

Baek-seo paused, then smiled softly.

“...As you command.”

She answered.

“Sniff, I! You know! I was so worried because you wouldn’t wake up...!”

“Get-well-soon gift...”

“Wahhh!!”

Ye-song wailed louder.