SWNOVELXO Chapter 166
“Aah, I’m suddenly so thirsty… Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom for a moment…”
Se-min was filled with the thought that he needed to leave this place quickly due to the tightening atmosphere.
No one was bothering to point out the nonsensical statements.
Se-min briefly left the stage, and Na-me filled in his spot.
She skillfully climbed onto the high chair with her short legs.
Na-me pulled the chair forward and fidgeted with the mail on the dining table, deep in thought.
How much should she say? It was vague.
For now, she decided to carefully narrow down the topic.
“Did you see the content?”
“I did, but I don’t really understand what’s what.”
That would be the case. This was just a notice, after all.
How on earth do Na-me and Se-min know each other, and why did they request a re-investigation from the Seoul Serious Crime Investigation Division?
Professor Chun’s gaze urged for a response.
Finally, Na-me opened her mouth.
“It’s simple. It’s a request for a re-investigation into the arson bridge bombing incident.”
Professor Chun’s wrinkled eyes widened. The thought of “Why you?” was exposed without being said.
“Even though many bereaved families requested a re-investigation, it was concluded as a display terrorism without any purpose. Actually, there hasn’t even been a conclusion. If there had been, this kind of returned mail wouldn’t have arrived.”
There were still many blanks in Na-me’s words.
However, Professor Chun decided to keep listening to her.
“Why was it that on that day the UN troops were conducting joint training in Korea, and how could they arrive at the terrorist disaster site so quickly?”
Tick-tick—
Na-me kept tapping her fingers on the table.
She bit her lip and alternately looked at Professor Chun and Se-min, who was peeking half-opened from the bathroom.
“Our military and the UN forces immediately arrested the terrorists who led the attack and were said to have wiped out their hidden base, but I actually think the opposite.”
The incident, which should have faded into obscurity seven years ago, resurfaced in Professor Chun’s mind.
And as if piecing the puzzle wasn’t difficult, Na-me’s fingers finally came to a stop.
“The suppression operation had been underway long before then. The UN troops failed in their operation against Valpurgis, and as a result, the arson bridge collapsed…”
The order of events was reversed.
It was a conspiracy theory that had floated around online even back then.
However, as the news spread that the terrorist group had been completely eradicated from the Republic of Korea thanks to the perfect response with the UN forces, that claim lost traction and disappeared.
“I can still see the look in your eyes that says you don’t understand why I’m suddenly saying all this. Actually, I could explain it all in one word… I was planning to tell you, Professor Chun, someday… but now that I’m about to speak, it’s a bit difficult.”
“…It’s okay. I’m waiting.”
Na-me’s hands gripping her skirt tightened.
There was no turning back now.
“I was kidnapped by Valpurgis from the moment I was born, and I am a survivor of that eradication operation.”
*
It’s always difficult at first.
After that, Na-me’s revelations flowed freely.
“I know it’s hard to believe… but I was trapped in some remote capsule for seven years. Se-min oppa rescued me from there.”
“Se-min did?”
“You probably know if you follow the news. During that long hostage rescue operation, it was reported that every single person was found dead inside the capsule…”
Each word from the young child pierced his heart like a dagger.
Seven years.
That’s right, seven years.
In this day and age, with the help of AI, it’s enough time for a person to achieve greatness in a specific field.
“After finally coming out to the world after seven years… it seems I wasn’t really a hostage. I wasn’t even Korean.”
Professor Chun had found it odd when he was filling out the adoption papers for Na-me.
At that time, Na-me was stateless, and because of Professor Chun’s status, he was able to automatically grant her Korean nationality due to the automated administrative procedures.
What Professor Chun didn’t think much of had its own reasons.
The Korean government had been implementing a policy to reject war refugees pouring into the country since 2020, resulting in a surge of illegal immigrants.
So even now, there were many people living without acquiring nationality in various parts of Korea. This was something that sometimes even affected their children.
“Why…”
Professor Chun was at a loss for words. He couldn’t help it.
His head was so confused it felt like it would burst.
And through all the questions and answers, the conclusion that was reached was simply one.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier…”
Even Professor Chun, who unconsciously blurted that out, realized how cruel and irresponsible that statement was toward Na-me.
But before he could retract his statement and apologize, Na-me spoke faster.
“You never asked once.”
“…”
Rather, what he thought was consideration had turned out this way, and Professor Chun couldn’t have anticipated it.
And the thorn that was laced in her calm words hurt so much that his hands began to tremble slightly.
“If I say that, Professor Chun won’t be able to sleep tonight, right? Hehe.”
But the seven-year-old girl smoothed it over with laughter.
When Professor Chun raised his head again, Na-me had placed one arm on the table and rested her chin on it. For a moment, her head slowly drooped until it touched the table.
Her gaze was fixed on the fruit basket.
She picked up a Shine Muscat grape, fiddled with it for a bit, then popped it in her mouth.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to talk about this much. It’s a memory I want to forget quickly, and the terrorists have received their just punishment, returned to their homeland, and given the death penalty, and above all, I like this house.”
Without struggling, without trying, just being given a life was now something Na-me treasured deeply.
Just like this fruit that has been repeatedly improved to have a thin skin, no seeds, and high sweetness, she didn’t mind being in a situation where a comfortable life was handed to her simply by putting it in her mouth.
But that wasn’t Na-me’s true feelings.
Thump—!
Na-me slammed the table and stood up, glaring.
“But honestly, I’m so angry! Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is that I was locked in a capsule for seven years?”
Recalling the past, it was so absurd that she was starting to smile wryly.
“I couldn’t eat anything, couldn’t drink anything… My stomach was growling all the time… I had to find a way to survive, so I bought potions…! Mana can be delivered anytime as long as it’s connected to the Internet…”
That part was something Na-me had deliberately hesitated to mention.
She thought about keeping it from Professor Chun too, but what good would that do now?
“In order to make the money to buy that measly Mana… I played games with my mom, who I barely remember… Mom, sniff passed away… but I had to live for her too, so I kept playing games to earn money…”
Before long, Na-me’s eyes were brimming with tears.
She thought she looked clumsy, trying to wipe them away with her sleeve, but it was hard for a child’s body to hold back tears once they had started.
“I’ve lived so hard like this… and if I can’t do anything… this is wrong…”
What if she didn’t have memories of her past life?
That way, the two of them would have been destined to die together happily.
It would be more strange if a toddler who barely passed a year old had any basic knowledge of playing games.
And no one would remember them.
So Na-me’s anger was busy searching for a target.
Before it festered and rotted away inside her heart, she had to find an outlet to express it.
Would anything change even if she exposed everything?
The ones who covered up the operation might receive their due punishment, but the victims wouldn’t return.
But still, Na-me had to do it.
“If I don’t return the favor… sniff what happens to my poor mom…”
The perfect memory ability given to her when she was reborn as a princess was as good as a curse.
That curse had followed her through generations.
Every time a memory from when her very self was barely formed resurfaced, she would feel a deep sadness that often caused sleepless nights.
Even though it was a short time, Seol-ah’s unconditional love for Na-me was an emotion she had never felt in all her lifetimes.
“Right now, someone is continuously lying! sniff lying… so…”
Na-me’s vision was blurry with tears.
Just then, when she tried to wipe her eyes as a shadow passed over the light, someone embraced her to console her. It was Professor Chun.
“I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry for not knowing…”
“Sniff…”
“You’ve endured such horrific things, yet you’ve grown up so well… I promise that from now on, there will be nothing difficult for you, Na-me…”
“To be honest, I am a bit hurt that you never asked… just a little…”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
The words of someone comforting a girl who had gone through unimaginable hardships were rough.
But sometimes, such direct emotions resonate more deeply.
Na-me closed her eyes and decided to fully experience the feelings of a seven-year-old child right now.
If she had no memories of her past life, she might have cried more comfortably.
*
“Wow, what wind blew in? Byeong-ho hyung called me first. It’s been years since I heard his voice.”
“Prosecutor, that…!”
Prosecutor Cheon Jeong-ho gestured for his secretary to step back, who was trying to interrupt his phone call.
The woman who could only remain silent with her tail between her legs was apparently forgotten as he showed strong curiosity about the fact that his brother called him first.
“Oh… that happened. Hahaha, why, did becoming a professor lead you to take an interest in politics? Going to the memorial service soon, wearing a ribbon or something?”
The secretary was bewildered by the sight of someone who was usually expressionless suddenly laughing.
However, Prosecutor Cheon Jeong-ho’s eyebrows raised conspicuously, and his expression grew serious.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
His emotional outburst was a sign that something big was about to happen.
The most recent example was when the warrant for former Seoul Mayor Won Il-young was dismissed.
They say that a quiet person is scarier when they get angry.
That day, Prosecutor Cheon’s secretary had to endure a tirade all night and was only able to leave work at seven in the morning.
The woman contemplated the grueling days ahead and quietly took out the resignation letter she had hidden in her heart.
However, instead of erupting in flames, Prosecutor Cheon Jeong-ho calmly put down his phone.
What followed was even more astonishing.
“Kim, get the security company up to the 13th floor right now.”
“Yes…?”
“Security, you know, Security? The kind with S1 or ADT Caps on their back… Anyway, gather all the little kids who are goofing off on the first floor.”
“Aah, yes…”
“Now!”
“Four!”