NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 157
The representative An fainted, and after letting his aides take care of him, my Brotherhood Planning family and I immediately jumped into the car.
We were well aware of where our parents were right now.
Well, of course…
“Come on, let’s hurry back to the office.”
It’s because that’s where Dad and Mom were – at the Brotherhood Planning office.
Yesterday afternoon, after briefly meeting the Brotherhood Planning crew and then returning to the Rookie dormitory… I received news from Older Brother Sang-gu.
“Ye-rin, your parents came looking for us at our office.”
That was the fact that Dad and Mom had come directly to the Brotherhood Planning office.
It was absurd enough that they crawled into a tiger’s den, but even more ridiculous was that they refused to leave the office until they saw me.
Thanks to that, Mom and Dad spent the night at the empty Brotherhood Planning office.
Since it was early dawn and I hadn’t heard any news of them leaving, they must still be at the office.
Nineteen years.
A long, long time.
It was finally time to… cut ties.
“Ugh… huh?”
Ye-rin’s Dad realized it was morning as the warm sunlight shone on him, and he groggily sat up.
“Dear, it’s already morning; wake up.”
“Ugh…”
As Ye-rin’s Dad woke Ye-rin’s Mom next to him, she forced her stiff body up and said,
“Ow… the floor was too hard to sleep well…”
“I’m achy all over too… But what can we do…?”
The place they slept last night was an empty office in the Brotherhood Planning office.
The two stubbornly held on, refusing to leave until they saw their daughter, and managed to get some sleep in the vacant office.
Of course, without basic bedding like mattresses or blankets, their fatigue didn’t exactly melt away.
“Ugh… I can’t sleep in a place like this anymore.”
“I hope we can meet Ye-rin today… Sigh…”
Because of the press conference yesterday, the two were in a difficult situation.
People on the internet kept bashing them, and they couldn’t get in touch with the representative An…
They instinctively felt that only Ye-rin could resolve the situation.
“Our poor daughter… How much did she suffer that she forced herself to hold that press conference?”
“Right? If someone didn’t force her, there’s no way she would do something like that to us.”
The two naturally assumed that Ye-rin had held that press conference due to the adults’ pressure.
And…
Just like always…
If they apologized while hugging Ye-rin, they believed she would forgive them again.
That’s why they were calm.
“Oh, dear, there’s an espresso machine here.”
“Wow, amazing! Our bodies are sore, so why not have a cup of coffee each?”
Over the past nineteen years.
They knew better than anyone what kind of person their daughter was…
Though this incident was serious, they believed it would pass without a hitch, just like before.
No matter how wrong they were, as long as they sincerely apologized, she would forgive them and they’d return to their original relationship…
That’s how they viewed ‘family.’
Then it happened.
Rustle.
“……!”
As the building became busy, the two instinctively felt that Ye-rin was arriving and hastily moved their coffee cups off the desk to begin their plan.
“Dear… First, we apologize sincerely… Just like last time…!”
“Okay, got it.”
Then, just like runners at the starting line, they got into position…
Squeak.
“Ye-rin!!”
“Waaaah!!”
As soon as they spotted their daughter’s familiar legs, they sprang up and charged at her.
“We were wrong!!”
“It was all for you!! We thought you’d do better if we went to a bigger company!!”
“We won’t let this happen again!!”
After going through this many times, they had the routine down to a T.
As they clung to both of Ye-rin’s legs, she’d make an annoyed face and try to push them away.
At this moment, it was crucial to hold on even tighter to Ye-rin.
Then she would sigh and pretend to give in to their words.
When that happened, if they expressed their wishes, Ye-rin would listen and forgive them.
It had always been this way for the last nineteen years.
Ye-rin’s parents believed things would go just the same this time.
But…
Wail!
“Ye-rin, we really messed up…”
“Ye-rin…! Please…, …?”
“……?”
Unlike usual, this time, no matter how much they pleaded and shed tears, there was no response from Ye-rin.
Feeling a sense of alienation, they looked up… and what they saw was…
“……”
Ye-rin’s cold eyes, glaring at them.
Shin PD and representative An…
They were the ones who gave me nightmarish memories… but compared to my parents, they were nothing.
If Shin PD and representative An tormented me for only a few months… I had suffered from my parents for over nineteen years.
During that long period, my parents kept crossing the line over and over again.
Still, I had always forgiven them, but this time… they had crossed a line so deep that it was absolutely unforgivable.
Then what punishment should I deliver to these two?
I used the ‘Black Killing Demon Palm’ against Shin PD to directly inflict pain while stripping away his luck, ruining his future.
Against representative An, I used the ‘Sky Demon’s Word Spirit’ to leave an indelible curse upon his life.
If those two got that much, what sort of punishment was in store for those who had tormented me for the past nineteen years?
At that moment.
Ding.
Just like with Shin PD and representative An, an effect sound rang out, and a new status window appeared before me.
[New undisclosed skill of Sky Demon Martial Arts is temporarily added.]
[Undisclosed skill of Sky Demon Martial Arts: Heavenly Punishment – a punishment inflicted directly by the heavens. Upon use, the target will receive the most brutal and horrific punishment.]
Heavenly Punishment.
The skill description was simple.
To inflict the most brutal and horrific punishment on the target.
I prepared to use the skill at any moment as I looked down at my parents clinging to my legs.
On the table behind them, two half-finished cups of coffee caught my eye.
Sigh…
They must have thought they could easily be forgiven again, sitting comfortably sipping coffee.
Had I been my usual self, not in the Extreme Demon state, I probably would have let it slide again.
But I was different now.
After delivering punishment to representative An, my body was filled with an inexplicable sensation of pleasure and excitement.
The act of punishing those who tormented me brought a thrill to my body, and I was without hesitation.
Having already sorted out my feelings for my parents during the last press conference…, I had nothing to hold back.
With a voice colder than ever, I told my parents,
“Let go of my leg.”
“…Ye-rin.”
“What? Did you think hugging me like this and begging would make me forgive you? Not a chance.”
“……”
Tap.
Suddenly, my parents’ baffled expressions faded as they loosened their grip on my legs.
I took that opportunity to pull away and continued speaking.
“Didn’t you see the press conference? I abandoned you in front of the whole nation. You are no longer my parents.”
As my heart turned cold…, words I had never said before began to stab into their hearts like daggers.
Their faces began to harden in a way I had never seen in nineteen years.
“You will never see me again. I won’t care if you go to prison or whatever.”
“Ye-Ye-rin…”
“Why do you sound so scared?”
“We’re your parents…”
“Dad? Ha, come on…”
Thump.
As the word ‘daughter’ came from their lips, I felt something burst forth from my chest like a fountain.
It was anger.
Clear, defined anger.
“Did you really think of me as your daughter? …No, if you did, you wouldn’t have done this.”
“Ye-Ye-rin…! No!”
“You are our precious daughter…”
“Enough. I’m going to ask you one last thing that I’ve been curious about.”
As I said this, my eyes were drawn to the status window.
[Undisclosed skill of Sky Demon Martial Arts: Heavenly Punishment – a punishment inflicted directly by the heavens. Upon use, the target will receive the most brutal and horrific punishment.]
Indeed, these people before me were the most malicious and cruel in the world.
The most brutal and horrific punishment?
Whatever it was, it would be a fitting punishment for them.
“I really wanted to ask you: why…!”
I reached out to use this ‘Heavenly Punishment’ skill.
And…!
“Why…”
“……”
“Why… why…”
’I love you, Ye-rin.’
“Why…”
I couldn’t bring myself to use the skill on my parents.
“Why did you do this to me…, why…”
Drip.
Tears, which I thought were dry, burst forth once more.
Resentment toward my parents and the swirling anger was overwhelmed by an overwhelming sadness.
“I tried so hard to be loved by you…, huhu…”
“……”
“What on earth did you do to me…? Huhh….”
Thus, I collapsed to the ground, pouring out tears.
In front of Shin PD and representative An, I had displayed a fierce and brutal side fitting of a Sky Demon…
But in front of my parents, I reverted back to being a child.
“Ye-rin…”
“Um, I was wrong…”
Swish.
My parents, watching me with blank expressions, reached out to hug me with trembling hands.
But…
Smack!
I swung my arms and roughly shoved them away.
I couldn’t use that cruel skill, the Sky Demon Martial Arts, on these people… my parents.
But…
“…What I said before wasn’t a lie.”
“……”
“I will sever all ties with you; I won’t ever see you again.”
“…What did you say?”
I had no intention to maintain any connection with them.
To put it more accurately…, I didn’t have the confidence.
Before, I had endured based on the love they had given me, but now, just seeing their faces was unbearably painful.
“I will provide you with no support, and I am considering filing a restraining order.”
“……”
My Dad and Mom looked at me as if they were witnessing an illusion, stunned into silence.
“I plan to cut off all interest in whatever you do or how you live.”
“……”
I wiped my tears one last time and, with my swollen eyes, spoke to them.
“Thank you for giving birth to me. In the remaining years of your life…, never… never meet me again.”
And before my heart could soften any further…
Swish.
I turned and walked out.