Previously…

Moving forwards with Nako’s suggestion, the girls are moving towards Luves, a new territory formed for beast-men. Upon arriving there, they were suddenly greeted by a figure who resembles Chaewon…

***

“Ugh, my head…”

Chaewon grunts as she can feel never-ending pounding that toasted her brain. She had a weird dream just now where she sees a few faces that she always missed. Most ridiculous of all, she sees an awfully familiar face which all 11 of them are dying to see. Kwon Eunbi. Somehow, the oldest among them is there in her dream, wearing a surprise face underneath those spectacles and peculiar looking ears which looks like a cat.

“You’re here earlier than I expected.”

A cold voice pierces her ears, penetrating all the way to the spine, causing that girl to shudder as Chaewon blinked her eyes. She can see nothing amid the intense darkness, but it didn’t make her flinch even for a bit. If it’s her from three months ago, Chaewon might be running around while crying out loud, desperately searching for help. Eventually, she grew accustomed with this darkness along with those voices that often accompanied her.

Faint footsteps gradually became clearer as someone made her appearance from the dark. It feels like staring at the mirror as another Chaewon who is smirking approaches her, wearing a smug face. The only difference between them both is some black inscriptions carved on the other Chaewon who is circling around her while snorting, trying to provoke the girl. However, Chaewon didn’t even respond as her mind is busy thinking about a few faces that she missed dearly.

Apart from Eunbi, there’s one face which she yearned to see all along. The one that often comforts her, the one that always keeps up with her, the one that Chaewon cares the most in this whole world. A person whose name is Kim Minjoo.

“Bah, it’s no fun if you aren’t reacting at all. Such a killjoy.”

“What do you want, C1?”

Irritated by the other girl who is distracting her from remembering a certain face, Chaewon snapped at her look-alike, which caused C1 to burst out into laughter. The other party didn’t even cease her mocking laugh while pressing her laugh as she kneeled on the ground.

“Let me guess, you’re still thinking about that girl? The one that caused you to be here? In this wretched place?”

She can feel her blood boils upon listening to C1’s words. She clenched her fist tight to the point that it felt cold as ice. Her whole body is trembling, clearly suppressing her anger from exploding in front of this wicked persona. C1 loves to taunt her just to jeer off with laughter and snarky remarks, but she mustn’t let that girl lead on her to intensify her rage.

“I came here on my own volition, Minjoo didn’t even have a word in this matter.”

Opposite of Chaewon's serious reply, C1 is laughing like a madman while rolling on the floor as if Chaewon just broke a joke. Responding to C1’s reaction is like falling into the sarcastic girl’s attempt to taunt and let Chaewon be consumed by her messy mind again. No, she couldn’t afford that to happen because she will lose another part of herself again once she let her emotion take the rein to her body.

“You know that isn’t true at all, Chaewon.”

“I myself make this decision, C1. Who are you to depict what I do is right and wrong?”

She snapped at the girl who had weird inscription all over her face, which surprised at Chaewon’s reply. It would be a big fat lie if she didn’t feel any ounce of fear mixed with disgust upon seeing her own face is making such twisted expressions. Chaewon never realized that she is capable of expressing herself as C1 did, and that makes her grow even more terrified towards herself. She hates it when C1 is approaching her with those furious inducing sniggers.

“Oh dear, oh dear. It seems like you are forgetting who am I, right Chaewon?”

She detested it when C1 used her sharp finger to lift Chaewon’s head and face the girl’s eyes which turned as black as coal while creepily smiling while staring at her. She can feel those annoying hot breaths slapping her skins as C1 closes their distance and whispers to Chaewon.

“I am you, Chaewon. C1 is your manifestation of your darkest dream, your other persona that defines the REAL you.”

“It’s not true!”

The girl can feel her palm is profusely sweating as she tried pushing away C1 whose words act like a venom piercing her whole conscience.

“You know it is nothing but fact, Chaewon. It is me who came out when you’re desperate, right? It is me who helps you when you are left all alone.”

Despite Chaewon’s cries, C1 didn’t stop her talk as she kneeled beside Chaewon, who was trembling while trying to crawl away from the darkness.

“LEAVE! GO AWAY!”

Feeling threatened, Chaewon uses her sword to slash C1, but her attack is vulnerable as C1’s image disappears within the looming shadow.

“You’re not even in love with her, Chaewon. You only think of her as your responsibility because she is cursed in your stead!”

Those crazy whispers turned into countless echoed voices which surrounded her, making Chaewon close her ears tightly as she screamed at the formless darkness.

“SHUT UP, SHUT UP!”

“A CURSED ONE WILL NEVER BE LOVED! THAT IS YOUR DESTINY!”

“NOOO!!!”

***

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