# Chapter 120
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## The Brainwasher II
**Shin No-a**
**3**
Thus, two black holes collided, bringing the solar system to its end... or so the conclusion went, but regrettably, that did not come to pass.
The world remained intact. The encounter between Goyori and Yu Ji-won stirred up no storm in the macroscopic world.
As one could discern from the fact that this universe had withstood decades of colonial rule under countless grotesque beings, it was unexpectedly sturdy.
"……. ……. "
"……? ……. ……. "
From afar, the two were conversing.
It was a distance beyond my hearing, so I couldn't eavesdrop on their dialogue. Originally, Goyori's [Perception Manipulation] would have distorted the content anyway.
Goyori bowed slightly. Then she handed over something I couldn't quite see—perhaps a business card, perhaps a letter. Yu Ji-won accepted it and bowed his head in return.
Shortly after, Yu Ji-won returned as if nothing had happened.
I hurriedly approached him.
"What conversation did you have? What was Goyori's impression? Did you feel any attraction, some inexplicable urge to listen to that person's words?"
"Huh? No?"
Yu Ji-won uttered a sentence that perfectly demonstrated the subtleties of the Korean language.
"We simply conversed. Our words communicated quite well."
"Ah...!"
I sighed. Was it truly impossible for a psychopath to contend with Goyori's authority?
"...I see. Good work. Still, I imagine this must have been quite a special experience for you. After all, isn't this the first time you've ever felt even a small degree of goodwill toward a human? When else would you have such an experience?"
"Hm?"
Yu Ji-won tilted his head.
"I apologize, Your Excellency. I don't understand what you mean. I felt no goodwill toward the target."
Now it was my turn to tilt my head.
"What are you saying? You just said your words communicated well."
"Yes? Well, I did say that."
Then Yu Ji-won recited with an expressionless face, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why should the fact that our words communicated well constitute a reason to feel goodwill toward the other party?"
?
"Your Excellency. The emotion felt when words communicate well is comfort. More precisely, it is satisfaction from not having to expend unnecessary conversation to promote mutual understanding. In other words, satisfaction from saving time. When one must go to school, taking the subway is much faster and more convenient than walking. But that doesn't mean Your Excellency feels human affection toward the subway train, does one?"
"……."
"Ah. My apologies, Your Excellency. Human tastes vary from person to person. By any chance, do you feel affection toward trains?"
Of course I didn't. One person with a bizarre attachment to railways was already enough—Dang Seo-rin.
But listening to Yu Ji-won's long-winded explanation, I realized something.
'Perhaps it might work! Against Goyori! If it's this once-in-a-century psychopath, perhaps a miracle of escaping [Perception Manipulation] could occur!'
I grasped Yu Ji-won's shoulder, unable to hide my excitement.
"Ji-won."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"From now on, employ any means necessary to become close with 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.' Friend or whatever, establish some kind of special relationship. Observe his every move and report to me. Can you do this?"
"Of course, Your Excellency. Leave it to me. However......"
"Ah, don't worry. I will certainly convey your last words to the you of the next loop."
"I pledge my loyalty. Your Excellency."
A look of perfect understanding passed between us.
At that moment, the Saintess, who had been silently observing the situation, murmured.
[Mr. Undertaker. I've been debating whether to point this out or not, but now... no matter how anyone looks at it, aren't you stalking this person named Goyori?]
It was a point not even worth considering.
Did she really think I would be crazy enough to stalk someone who ran a soup kitchen for ordinary people without pay, wearing a green Three Kingdoms apron, smiling politely at everyone? Did I, the Undertaker, look like such a person? Absurd.
From that day on, I immediately launched Operation Name 'Contradiction.'
The Korean Peninsula's foremost shield. A cancer cell that would trigger a warning message saying [※This character is a sub-sub-sub heroine and can absolutely not be conquered] in whatever work she appeared—I had settled Yu Ji-won right in the middle of Daejeon.
That's right. Yu Ji-won took up residence in Daejeon and made contact with Goyori daily. Goyori had to commute to the soup kitchen morning and evening, and when Yu Ji-won approached at those times, there was no way to block it.
Day 2 passed without incident. The two exchanged only warm small talk, as far as appearances went.
Day 3 as well.
Day 4 as well.
Finally, Day 5.
[Mr. Undertaker. Something strange seems to be happening to Yu Ji-won.]
I was starting to feel the nibbles.
"What kind of strange phenomenon?"
[...Something bizarre. It's hard to explain, but when Yu Ji-won leaves the lodgings and starts walking, strangers approach and strike up conversations.]
"Hmm. That kid's facial skin alone is Hermes-grade. Aren't people just mesmerized by seeing a luxury item?"
[That's the first time I've heard someone describe exceptional appearance that way...... Hmm, no. It's truly strange. It would be faster for you to come see for yourself.]
So I watched.
I tailed Yu Ji-won without being detected by anyone.
"Oh my, Ji-won! I got some lucky honey apples this time, here, try one. Hm? Oh my, what money? Just take them and eat! Every time I see you, Ji-won, I feel like I could just die from how adorable you are!"
"Thank you. I'll enjoy them."
"Wah! It's Ji-won big sister! Sister, sister, let's play together today! Let's swing on the swings at our playground!"
"Yes. If I have time in the evening."
...It was indeed a bizarre scene, as the Saintess had said.
Whenever Yu Ji-won walked down the street, all kinds of people approached and spoke to her.
As I've mentioned numerous times, Yu Ji-won was beautiful like a crystal carving sculpted from eternal ice. With her constant lack of expression, the statue always held the chill of permafrost.
Was it really easy to approach such a person and pretend to be friendly?
Even if one did, the only return would be a voice with no inflection, eyes behind glasses that held no emotion.
In short, there was no satisfaction in treating her kindly.
Yet the residents kept approaching Yu Ji-won as if the act of talking to her was immensely enjoyable.
"Saintess. Please connect me with Ji-won via telepathy. I need to check her mental state."
[Understood. ...Connected. I'll recite Ji-won's words, so please speak freely.]
"Thank you. Hey, Ji-won. Are you okay?"
[I am okay.]
Yu Ji-won's dialogue, reproduced in the Saintess's voice, was utterly nonchalant.
"In my view, Daejeon has already fallen into Voldemort's hands. At the very least, everyone trying to talk to you has definitely been bewitched by this Voldemort entity. They're trying to extract some goodwill from you by any means, flattering you to keep you in this city."
[Hm. I had also judged it strange. But if this is a scheme to extract my goodwill, it's seriously shallow.]
"What?"
[It's annoying.]
"……."
[When I go to a restaurant and the owner recognizes me and starts chatting, while I don't show it, I'm the type who finds it annoying. This street just feels like one giant neighborhood restaurant to me now.]
The next day.
The city of Daejeon itself fell silent.
"……."
Yu Ji-won emerged from the lodgings, but no one spoke to her.
The woman who had pressed apples on her yesterday, the neighborhood children who had begged to play, all passed by with expressionless faces as if they didn't know her.
I couldn't help but feel fear.
[Now it's a bit more comfortable.]
Yu Ji-won was not shaken in the slightest.
Her sentiment was, so to speak, nothing more than the satisfaction of entering a café and finding a window seat empty.
Despite the city residents who had been obsessed with her until yesterday suddenly turning cold and ignoring her, she showed no sign of anxiety or bewilderment whatsoever.
But naturally... this resulted in Yu Ji-won's victory.
From the beginning, without any conversation or interaction, one couldn't bewitch anyone!
From then on.
That city began to truly go wild.
"Huaaaah!"
Some resident came running and bumped into Yu Ji-won with a thud. The resident lost balance and fell.
At that moment, screeeech—CRASH! A truck passed right in front and crashed into a building. The resident sprang up and grabbed Yu Ji-won's hand.
"Ah, thank you! Truly thank you! If I hadn't bumped into you, I would have been hit by the truck and died! You are my lifesaver!"
"Yes. Please take good care of your life."
"……."
The moment Yu Ji-won entered a bakery, employees lined up on both sides and popped party poppers.
"Congratulations! Dear customer! You are exactly the 100,000th customer since this establishment opened! As a special event, starting today we will provide all products free of charge, limited to 5 items daily......"
"Ah, I apologize but I don't prefer such events. Please give the opportunity to the next customer. If you have baguettes left, I'll buy one."
"……."
Everywhere Yu Ji-won went, she was saved from 'accidental incidents' and fortune visited through 'amazing odds.'
Yu Ji-won ignored all of them.
[Why did I ignore them, you ask? Because following Your Excellency's orders is overwhelmingly more beneficial than establishing friendly relations with those people.]
[They're not going to take responsibility for my next loop, are they?]
Yu Ji-won ate what she wanted and bought what she wanted with the funds I provided, and simply went to the plaza twice a day to briefly converse with Goyori.
In other words, in this end-of-the-world era, she lived abundantly doing whatever she wanted.
Conversely, whether it was my imagination or not, the city residents' faces grew increasingly gaunt with each passing day.
Bang! Bang-bang, Baaang!
Around the 30th day, a gunfight broke out near Yu Ji-won's lodgings.
The scene that follows is a reconstruction based on Yu Ji-won's later testimony.
Right after the gunshots rang out, a man with a bullet wound in his forearm reportedly pounded on Yu Ji-won's door.
"Pl, please help me! Please open the door! I will definitely repay you!"
Before the room owner could say anything, the door opened on its own.
Yu Ji-won, who had been reading a book in Latin by the window, merely twitched her eyebrows in annoyance.
"What is it this time?"
"Ah. I, I am the leader of the top guild in this city. Just now my subordinate stabbed me in the back. But... even with a surprise attack, he couldn't kill me. My brothers will come and take revenge on him."
"Haa."
"If you hadn't opened the door, I would have died in the hallway. Thank you. If you wish, I'll give you everything in this city...!"
Yu Ji-won set down her book and walked over.
For reference, Yu Ji-won had been the operations director of the National Territory Management Bureau, and in the loop where she conquered the meteor shower, she proudly took on the role of Team 1 leader among the death squad composed of 12 teams in total.
What this means is that in terms of aura manipulation, Yu Ji-won was second only to me.
Naturally, a warlord with a bullet hole in his forearm was no match at all. Yu Ji-won lifted the guild leader with one hand as lightly as picking up a chicken.
"Huh?"
Then she opened the door and threw him into the hallway. The guild members acting as traitors flinched as they searched for their target.
Yu Ji-won spoke toward the assassins.
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to kill him?"
"……."
"Then I'll go back inside and continue reading, so please don't disturb me."
Thud. The door closed.
This was the scene reconstructed according to Yu Ji-won's memory.
No gunshots came from the hallway.
**4**
That night.
Strange sounds echoed through the dark skies of Daejeon.
-Ohhhhh...... Ohhh......
-Heeheehee, heeheeheehee! Heeheehee!
It was like the cry of beasts, like the growling of tigers, and like the countless laughter of children. All sounds mingled together, creating echoes simultaneously.
A bizarre phenomenon even I had never encountered before.
"Saintess, can you observe what's happening in the city?"
[I'm sorry. I can't see anything. All the Awakened currently in Daejeon are either in a sleep state, or for some other reason, I can only see blackness.]
"......"
[If you permit me, I could contact Mr. Goyori......]
"No."
I answered immediately.
I felt a certain intuition.
This current state was not an ending achieved through 'correct approach.'
If compared to a game, it was closer to the feeling of unlocking an ending using a kind of cheat key.
The problem was that this was certainly not a happy ending. The 'something' forcibly awakened would be greatly enraged.
"Goyori, or the grotesque being looming over Goyori, can bewitch and control the entire city's residents whole. Confirming this information alone is already an excellent achievement. Further contact is dangerous."
[Yes. Understood.]
"What about Ji-won?"
[Completely black. Same as the other Awakened.]
The eerie wailing continued throughout the night.
Yu Ji-won's whereabouts were revealed after dawn broke. At 7 AM, she woke as if nothing had happened and walked out of the lodgings.
I immediately entered Daejeon and made contact with Yu Ji-won. I asked if she had heard any strange sounds last night.
"Sounds, you say?"
Yu Ji-won tilted her head.
"I don't know. Your Excellency. I've worn sleep masks and earplugs when sleeping since 4th grade in elementary school."
It wasn't only the wailing that disappeared with the dawn.
The city residents had all vanished as well.
Still, nothing could be observed through the Saintess's [Clairvoyance]. The only Awakened being observed was Yu Ji-won.
I immediately spread out a map and activated Yu Ji-won's [Mini-map], but the result was the same. Neither Goyori nor a single Awakened who had been in Daejeon responded.
As if they had all evaporated in an instant.
From that day on, until the loop ended, Goyori and the citizens of Daejeon never appeared again.
"Come to think of it."
Yu Ji-won pulled something from her pocket. It was a letter.
It was an item that would serve as the afterword for this episode.
"Your Excellency. Please accept this."
"What is this?"
"A letter from Ms. Goyori to deliver to Your Excellency."
"......"
"More precisely, she asked me to deliver it to [the first person I meet when I wake up that day], in case she could no longer operate the soup kitchen."
I hesitantly accepted the letter.
I opened the envelope. A sweet apple scent wafted from the paper.
-謀事在人, 成事在天.
-To plan is human, to accomplish is heaven.
"......"
Mo-sa-jae-in. Seong-sa-jae-cheon. It was a phrase from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Similar in meaning to 'do your best and leave the rest to heaven,' it looked like a proverb anyone could casually give.
But the fact that it borrowed a phrase from Three Kingdoms particularly shook my heart uneasily.
'Doesn't it seem like she knew in advance that I was the one who sent Yu Ji-won?'
...Above all, I knew Goyori's handwriting. She had once been a member of my guild, so naturally I would.
The handwriting on this letter before my eyes was clearly different from Goyori's script from that time.
Perhaps the sentences written in this letter might be the first true aspect of Goyori I had ever witnessed.
The first trace not caught in the [Perception Manipulation] filter.
I turned the letter over to see the back.
-The butterfly in the typhoon and the butterfly in the dream are different beings.
My whole body prickled as if caught in static electricity.
The blue morpho butterfly of the grotesque 'Butterfly Effect.' And the butterfly that appeared at the end of 'Logout Game.'
It was a phrase暗示ing the existence of those two.
It was a message only I could recognize in this world... and simultaneously, one of the pieces of information I was most curious about at this time.
How much did Goyori know? Or was this too, like a mirror, simply reflecting information I wanted to see?
From where was I being bewitched?
"...Ji-won. When did you receive this letter?"
"Ah. I received it when we met and parted on the first day."
"......"
"She promised me that if I delivered the letter, she would never cause me direct harm no matter what happened. It was an acceptable proposal."
Yu Ji-won tilted her head.
"Is something strange written inside? Your Excellency?"
"......"
I fell silent.
I simply folded the letter that smelled of apples, thinking anew.
――Indeed, when the strongest spear and the strongest shield clash, the result can only be a draw.
- The Brainwasher. End.