Chapter 149.2

Chapter 149.2

‘No, that’s not my name!’

The pinky finger Sonya had left behind felt like it was being torn apart with pain. Sonya slapped away the strong grip that held her body. Rigay’s prosthetic eye case rolled into the coffin, and with all her strength, she twisted her body.

“Han Seoryeong!”

‘No, I’m not Han Seoryeong…!’

They were the mice of the winter fortress, the final gate, and nothing at all. The name she was called was Sonya. Kia and Sonya. The mice that ultimately survived in the winter fortress. The names of the strongest children.

“Ugh, ugh!”

As her body became paralyzed and she couldn’t move, only groans escaped her. It felt like bricks were pounding down on her forehead, causing pain to throb inside her skull. Memories burst forth in an instant, accelerating as if they were about to rupture through narrow blood vessels. The pain made it impossible for her to open her eyes properly.

‘My… my name is Sonya.’

“Hold still! This is an antidote.”

A man pulled the syringe cap off with his teeth and inserted the needle into her forearm. She felt a sharp, cool sensation spreading through her veins. Then, fragmented scenes flashed before her eyes.

Each memory rushed in like a fierce current, agonizing, as if squeezing out infected wounds. She had lived like that… They had survived like that… It was a time she wasn’t proud of at all.

“Ju… Juusa…”

“That’s right. It’s an injection. Your paralysis will wear off soon. Were you suffocating in the coffin? I came as fast as I could. Were you very scared?”

The man let out a bitter sigh and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. When his dry lips brushed near her brow, Sonya flinched violently and turned her head away.

“No, ugh…!”

She remembered being injected like this before.

“This is a spell I’m casting on you,” said a trembling voice, threading into her brain like warp and weft.

“I’ll make sure it never breaks. I’ll use magic on you.” Her blood vessels stood out vividly from the overload, her head on the verge of exploding.

“From this moment on, you’ll forget all the unhappy memories.”

Whose voice was that?

“Forget all the unhappy memories.”

A voice that cast a net across her mind and secured it tightly. Before leaving Winter Fortress, we were all injected. Who was it that injected the children of Sakhalin?

A man with curly hair and dark circles under his eyes. Black hair, black eyes. An Asian man who spoke the same language as us. His name… his name was… Ri…

“Your frightening memories will never come back. I’ll chase them far, far away. Now, look straight into my eyes. I’ll count backward for you. When I finish, the lock will click shut.”

“….”

“The pattern in my eyes is the key to your memory. But don’t be scared. Soon, you won’t even be able to meet this me again or look at me in the eye. I’ll make sure of it.”

Everything around her felt urgent. But unlike the man whose jaw trembled faintly, a string melody floated through the air with the wind.

That day, Winter Fortress was noisy and chaotic. Bright blossoms were falling from the sky.

“If someone asks you about your childhood, just remember the happiest moment. From now on, you’re not a child from Sakhalin. You’ll live as a normal child. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you, my daughter… From now on, I hope your life is full of love.”

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six… Five. You are leaving the monster’s fortress. Four. You feel good and refreshed. Three. A new energy is filling you. Two. Your mind is becoming clearer. One. Slowly open and close your eyes.”

With a dazed mind, she looked up at the sky. Crimson flames were rising high.

Her mind, pulled from a deep and dark pit, was blank.

Winter Fortress had definitely exploded. But what had happened to the others? Had they all burned and died?

But everyone got the injection. Kia had definitely heard the spell to drive away unhappy memories.

“We don’t have time to linger here. We have to get out now. Agent Han Seoryeong, can you hear me? Look at me. Seoryeong, do you hear my voice?”

Sonya looked at the man in front of her gently tapping her cheek.

“――”

And the moment she recognized his face, tears burst out suddenly.

Lee Wooshin’s face paled as he tried to embrace her, but she shoved him away with all her strength. The rejection struck him hard; his expression stiffened as if he had been punched.

When she awoke from her long winter sleep, she had already crossed over to Korea.

Sonya began her second life under the name Han Seoryeong.

But from early on, she displayed behavioral issues and had to receive regular counseling.

Once she was placed in a class appropriate for her age, she did monotonous gymnastics every day.

Compared to the inhumane circus in Sakhalin, these rhythmic gymnastics were relatively refined, but unbelievably dull.

She fell in love with a man who worked an ordinary office job. She had the dream marriage she always longed for, and for a while, truly warm newlywed days.

Then her husband disappeared.

She learned he had been a black agent for the NIS.

And so I…

I went looking for him…

“Don’t touch me! You filthy agent bastard!”

Lee Wooshin’s eyes trembled.