< A fight between a couple is like cutting one's throat with a knife (5) >
***
Under Yumtus’ guidance, Minjun falls into a nightmare.
He saw the distant past in his dreams. Memories he didn’t want to recall.
***
“Is that the woman? The new recruit just assigned to the position?”
“That’s right. This is the first place of exile.”
“What? You’re a total beginner?”
Minjun turned his gaze to his colleague’s words.
They are sitting at the bar, the only entertainment facility on the spaceship. It is a place where the prisoners can feel somewhat free in a mobile prison where only the prisoners can board, so those who have free time usually spend their time here. It seems that the newbie caught on to that fact quickly.
The inmate who caught their attention was a woman with short hair. She had a petite build. Her shift was over, but she was still wearing her battle suit.
“How much is it?”
“I don’t know.”
When new inmates arrive, one of the things they are most curious about is retirement benefits.
What is the price of freedom that this newcomer must pay?
The amount of talent required to collect can give an idea of how heinous the crime was. According to the committee’s guidelines, a misdemeanor that involves killing a few people starts at one hundred talents, while a felony is worth between five hundred thousand and one million talents.
It is difficult to predict accurately because the weights are applied depending on the case, but it is natural that the larger the amount, the more serious the crime.
“Hey, Cain.”
Minjun didn’t think that the other person had called him. However, regardless of his will, his mouth opened and words came out.
“why?”
A blunt answer. Minjun, the observer, only then remembered. Yes, that was the name I used when I worked in the previous dimension. Cain. It’s been a long time.
“I saw you last time, you were hanging out with that newbie for a long time. Are you serious?”
Minjun shakes his head.
We just slept together once. But I didn’t bring it up here and there.
It was about a week ago that I first met her, who had given herself the nickname ‘Del’. I had never seen her before, so I just wanted to say hello to her, but I had no other intentions. That day, Del showed the characteristics of someone who had just started her life as a prisoner and someone who had been given a new body. She looked quite confused, and her movements were awkward.
That must have been why it took him over 10 seconds to respond when Minjun first spoke to him. Del turned his head toward the sound, but just stared at him with his mouth slightly open. An awkward silence followed.
He understood this gesture as indicating that he did not want to engage in conversation, and tried to get up again. But the moment he turned around, she grabbed his sleeve.
“······?”
And apologized.
“sorry.”
Minjun, who didn’t really make an excuse, guessed that the silence was due to the above reason, sat down again and had a light conversation.
Although her expression was stiff and she seemed psychologically intimidated, once she started talking, things went well. As we drank one glass after another, the drinking party ended in her cabin.
“This isn’t serious, is it?”
The colleague who was asking that question gestures and asks.
“then···?”
Minjun turned his gaze away from Del. His silence seemed to have been interpreted by his colleague as ‘nothing had happened between them.’ Minjun did not feel the need to correct the misunderstanding.
I remember that I stopped getting into overly deep relationships after about 200 years of being a prisoner.
Giving your heart to a single-minded person always ends badly. The same goes for prisoners. In the end, the relationship will be torn apart and severed by the committee’s orders. No one has ever kept their promise to be together forever. Min-jun was also unable to do so.
Del, despite being a new inmate, seemed to have similar thoughts to Minjun. It was the first time they had met here since that day, but they hadn’t exchanged a single glance. They hadn’t even contacted each other since then.
‘You’ve figured out the truth of prison life pretty quickly. You’re a smart girl.’
Minjun had no intention of arresting her, and she seemed to be the same. Like many prisoners, she probably wanted to maintain an open relationship. So Minjun let his colleague approach Del. He didn’t even bother to look at her.
But the very next moment, he had no choice but to change his mind and look in that direction.
“What? What did that crazy bitch just say? Say it again!”
The colleague who had approached was shouting loudly. Del, who had everyone’s attention in the bar, spoke expressionlessly. Word by word, in a very calm tone.
Minjun’s expression turned pale when he heard that.
‘What the heck… Is he crazy already? He can’t even make fried rice.
She was saying the sentence, ‘Don’t talk nonsense about disgusting and insignificant mammals’ in a tone that was devoid of emotion. An blatant insult. The absurd part is that even Del herself, who says that, doesn’t know what her original species is, but she is now a human. Min-jun mutters. ‘You looked fine that day?’
The colleague demanded an apology, but Dell stiffly refused, saying he never said such things and that he didn’t feel the need to at the moment.
“This bitch is for real!”
It would have been better to just refuse with a kind word, but that was too harsh. The fellow inmates who were watching tried to stop him…
Pfft!
Muscles bulge, clothes tear, and the bodies of your comrades transform in an instant, from ordinary human forms to blue-skinned monsters.
He is a Breed-Shifter and a Weapon Master. His first ability allows him to transform into a creature with incredible strength that overwhelms trolls, and when he activates his second ability, his already outstanding physical abilities are enhanced dozens of times.
“Hey, calm down!”
Only then did someone get up from their seat, but it was too late.
Boohoo!
The sound of the air being torn apart. A fist as big as a boulder split the air. It was intended to be enough to shake off the charge of vandalism. The moment it hit, the small woman’s body seemed to be blown away like a leaf caught in a gust of wind.
But everyone’s expectations were wrong.
puck!
“?!”
“Ugh… Ugh!”
Minjun raised his eyebrows.
The room became quiet and the air froze. Everyone looked at her in shock. Their mouths were wide open, their jaws almost falling off.
Del simply raised one hand. The blue monster’s fist stopped a few inches in front of his palm as he faced forward.
The arm fixed in the air was shaking and the blood vessels were bulging out in an ugly way. Even the faint aura on the skin was glowing. It was a sight that only appeared when one was exerting all one’s power.
But the fist doesn’t go an inch further.
“Telekinesis?”
She blocked it with an invisible wall created on her palm.
——————
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But, telekinesis that can withstand the power of the Weapon Master!
Whether his pride was hurt or not, the shape-shifter’s face was distorted into a horrible mess.
At that moment, the aura flowing through the body became more intense. It was then that Minjun stood up from his seat.
‘Your eyes are rolled back!’
Up until now, it was a common fight between prisoners, but now it’s different.
If they fight with that kind of strength, one of them will be arrested for destruction. Minjun aimed at his brain blood vessel while reciting a curse. He won’t be able to resist since his mind is sold to Del.
But he failed to accomplish what he had planned.
Kwajik!
“?!”
Clear and crisp sound.
The monster’s shattered fangs flew through the air. His head was turned at a dramatic angle. And Del’s fist was raised above his head.
Del’s eyes burned as he retrieved the hand that had delivered the uppercut. It was the expression of someone who had just figured out exactly what his comrade was trying to do.
“From now on, it’s self-defense.”
yet again.
puck!
Before Del’s punch could even reach his opponent, his head snapped back. Another blow landed squarely on the jaw.
Minjun realized that this was a way to amplify kinetic energy by surrounding his body with telekinesis.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that level of control.’
It maximizes the destructive power inflicted on the opponent, while minimizing the shock transmitted to the user’s own body. Simply put, it is a boxing glove made with telekinesis, but its function is far superior.
“Kuaaaaaaah!”
Now, the shape-shifter has completely lost his sense of reason. As waves of aura surge through his entire body, his colleagues look at Minjun. They are asking him to step in and stop them, as they have already passed the point where they can interfere. However, Minjun shook his head. With a faint smile.
“······I think it’ll be okay?”
“?!”
The monster launched a fierce attack. Del pretended to dodge to the left, then quickly flew up and reattached. It was a surprisingly quick and light movement. Then, mercilessly, he stomped down on the shapeshifter’s thick thigh with his right foot.
“!”
The monster screamed. Del flew up, kicking the boulder-like thighs that served as a stepping stone.
She bounced her body up to her opponent’s shoulder height, spread her legs and squeezed his neck like scissors. Then, using the recoil of her telekinesis, she lowered her body while changing her center of gravity!
The monster’s head crashed into the ground.
thud!
Even after showing off his feat of throwing a prisoner more than ten times his own weight to the ground, Del’s attacks did not stop. Even after slamming his head into the ground, he chased after the monster that was rolling away instead of fainting, and kicked it.
puck!
A flying kick that lands directly on the stomach.
“Queeeeeek!”
The monster fell down and got back up. This time, the punch landed. Those with sharp eyes noticed that it was the exact spot where the kick had just landed.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Del mercilessly punched the monster’s stomach and sides, which had been cornered by the wall. A sharp sound like drums were being struck echoed. Minjun knew that the reason he didn’t aim for the head was to avoid being damaged. The monster resisted by swinging Rich’s long arms and legs, but Del quickly ran out of the firing range and then dug in again, repeating the same process.
Only after the monster lost consciousness did Del’s attacks stop.
“······.”
After the melee that could have been mistaken for a fight between Weapon Masters if not observed closely, the prisoners looked at Del in silence.
She paid the android for her drinks with digital currency and walked away, as if she had no intention of staying here any longer.
Then, she suddenly turned her gaze towards Minjun. Their eyes met. But Minjun didn’t say anything. Then, she also turned her head and headed towards the door. With calm steps.
“Shouldn’t this be reported as vandalism?”
Someone muttered. But Minjun shook his head.
“No. If you put him in a recovery capsule… he’ll be fine in a day.”
It was such an exquisite and mysterious control. After responding like that, Minjun turned his head again. Del was already gone.
Minjun felt sorry about that.
***
“You had another accident?”
At Minjun’s question, Del, who was lying next to him, got up. He threw off the edge of the blanket, got out of bed, stood up, and stood in front of the mirror. At first, he was terrified of seeing his own face and hated it, but now he seems to be feeling a little better.
Del, who had been staring blankly for a moment, instead of looking back, met his eyes in the mirror and spoke.
“······It was nothing.”
“I sent it to catch space bugs, and it almost shot down the evacuation ship. Isn’t that a big deal?”
Del had recently been mobilized for the Manova Wasp extermination operation. Telesia, who had foreseen that a large swarm of bees would fly in from another galaxy, evacuated the inhabitants of the colonies in orbit. The temporary ruler of this virtually anarchic dimension was the Council, and its hands and feet were the prisoners, so no one disobeyed her orders.
But this operation had a problem due to timing. The wasp swarm approached before the evacuation was even complete. So Telesia ordered fire… and among the fighter pilots, Del was the one who shot down the most bugs.
Although there are few people who believe this story, when Del rides a fighter jet and shoots, he doesn’t look at the radar. He only shoots bullets based on the scenery he sees with his eyes and his ‘feelings’, and since he hits every target with his eyes, it makes you wonder what kind of race he originally was.
However, the problem was that this sense sometimes made fatal mistakes. It was not a mistake of not matching what should be matched. It was a mistake of matching what should not be matched.
“I got a feeling it was coming from the evacuation ship.”
“What does it feel like?”
“···It feels exactly like catching a bug.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
She said that an instinctive sense, no different from the one she had when shooting shells at space bugs and shooting them down, whispered to her that the evacuation ship was also something that had to be ‘captured’.
Even the evacuation ship she almost shot down was so far away that it wasn’t even visible on radar. People were wondering how she managed to hit it. Of course, it would be easiest to explain it as a blind shell hitting it by chance… but Minjun knew that wasn’t the case.
After taking a deep breath, Minjun added.
“And then you came back and beat up another guy?”
Even if they didn’t say anything out loud, rumors about the two’s ‘close relationship’ were spreading throughout the ship. The problem was the prisoners who had been dispatched elsewhere and were returning to the ship. They were interested in the new recruits who had returned to the ship after a long time, and as is the case with all prisoner cultures, they wanted to form a new ‘close relationship’.
Each time, Dell reacted similarly.
“Do you really have to pick a fight like that? You could have just rejected me nicely.”
“but···.”
Dell muttered with a deadpan expression.
“It’s really disgusting.”
“?!”
“All the prisoners here have been given human bodies. That’s why I can’t stand it. It’s disgusting just to look at them, and seeing them approach me and start talking to me….”
Minjun said as if he found it ridiculous.
“Hey, your body is human now too?”
“That’s right. That’s why I didn’t even want to look in the mirror at first.”
“······.”
Dell mutters, staring intently into the mirror.
“I must have committed a terrible sin before I lost my memory. It must have been an unforgivable sin. That’s why I’m trapped in this body. This body of a creature that I loathe and find unbearably disgusting.”
As he listened to that story, Minjun pondered the question he had wondered about many times. What on earth was their original species? If they found mammals disgusting… were they insects or fish?
That thought was interrupted by a sudden confession.
“530 thousand.”
“······.”
Minjun noticed the meaning of the number and gave her a heavy gaze.
“Are you surprised? Five hundred and thirty thousand talents. I have to pay that amount to be free.”
Then he bursts into empty laughter.
“It’s practically like a life sentence? Isn’t that ridiculous? I’m scared, too. It’s not about how I’m going to collect that money and pay it back, but it’s scary to imagine what kind of terrible crime I committed to get that amount. And just thinking about how many people suffered and were sacrificed because of my crime makes me shiver.”
It was the first time he had ever said it to me.
Minjun remains silent for a moment at the sudden confession.
And instead of responding to confession with another confession, he changed the subject of the conversation.
The amount of money that can never be expressed out loud is buried deep in the heart.
“But, me too?”
“huh?”
“I’m human too. But why didn’t you do that to me when we first met?”
Then, Dell opened his eyes wide as if to ask what nonsense he was talking about.
“What are you talking about? You’re completely different.”
“Different? What?”
“···When you actually ask me that, I can’t answer.”
Dell said after thinking for a moment.
“I knew it the moment I saw you. You can’t be compared to other prisoners. You may be wearing a human shell, but inside, you’re fundamentally different.”
As she said that, she burrowed back into bed. Then she brought her face close to Minjun’s head and whispered. Minjun felt heat forming on the bridge of his nose. The breath escaping from her mouth tickled his cheek.
“From you, there was light.”
hmm.
Are you feeling flushed?
Even though it was bedside conversation, I thought it was an overly clichéd and cringe-worthy expression. ‘Shine.’
But, as if his emotions were welling up after a long time, Dell did not stop talking.
“So I’m sure. A person like you could not have committed a crime. You’re different from the other inmates here. You’re different from me. You’re innocent and innocuous. There must have been some kind of misunderstanding.”
Del’s expression, shadowed by the light from his back, was forming a strange curve. His eyes looked both entranced and worshipful.
“That may be why I am drawn to him more. He is the only one among us who is free from the shackles of atonement. He is the one who should be free, but for some reason he is brought down to be with sinners like us.”
Minjun didn’t know what to say in response.
I just decided to let it go, thinking she was more emotional than usual.
however.
“······.”
Although I tried not to put much meaning into it, I couldn’t deny that those words left a heavy mark on my heart.
Whether it was raging hormones, over-immersive emotions, or attachment fueled by anxiety… this was the first time I’d ever met someone who blindly affirmed me like that.
To be more precise, it was the first time that someone had said something like that to me, even though they knew that I was a prisoner.
“······thank you.”
But I couldn’t say it in the end. It was a certain amount that was stuck in my throat.
So instead of continuing this conversation, I decided to focus on something simpler. He points to his watch and says,
“There are still about 20 minutes left before we transition to landing mode······ What do you think?”
Dell didn’t refuse.
***
After that, Minjun never made their relationship public or showed any seriousness. The same goes for Del.
But there were some changes.
First of all, Del’s method of rejecting men (and a few women) who approached her became much more moderate. Perhaps because she had taken Min-jun’s advice, she no longer engaged in bloody fights that almost came close to destruction, and she no longer openly insulted her opponents. Naturally, Del’s reputation among the inmates improved a little. ‘She’s finally a person.’
Another change was reported a little later than previously mentioned. Although they were politely rejected, there were reports of various diseases being suffered by those prisoners who had been admitted. Most of them were not life-threatening, but they were enough to cause mental shock to those who suffered from them. Even if they used recovery capsules, it was only temporary, and the disease would recur as soon as they left the capsule. It took more than a week for the first symptoms to completely heal.
At this point, it was strange not knowing what was going on.
Eventually, Telesia, who knew the situation, went mad.
“Hey, Cain! Del! Please just announce it! Tell the other guys officially! Tell them you’re dating! Why can’t you say anything?”
Then she ended up revealing their relationship to the prisoners. Only then did Minjun realize what he had been afraid of and had been holding back.
I’m afraid that once I say it out loud, it will become irreversible.
I was anxious about starting a relationship that could easily fall apart at the whim of the committee.
but···.
‘Maybe things will work out this time.’
With such unfounded confidence, Minjun took all his belongings and moved into Del’s cabin. With Telesia’s permission, he also expanded the room to twice its size.
This time, I thought something would be different. I had a feeling that if it was Dell, we could be together for a very long time.
And I also had a feeling that this premonition, unlike the previous ones, would come true.
< Marital fight is like cutting a neck with a knife (5) > End
