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The pressure hit me without warning, freezing my body in place.
The trembling that followed was violent, impossible to control.
My breathing became ragged, erratic.
Even as I tried to fill my lungs with oxygen, my brain kept sending the same desperate signal—
It’s not enough.
I was in a complete state of panic.
Why?
If there was anything fortunate about this…
I wanted to curse the reality where this could even be considered fortunate.
But what could I do?
I could only blame my wretched life.
I had fallen into panic countless times before.
The worst was during my 132nd life, the moment I first encountered Happy.
That was the peak of my fear.
So, I decided to use the same method as before.
I discarded all thoughts, seeing them not as tools to help me,
but as pure chaos that only worsened my state.
Rather than trying to clear my mind,
I focused on overlaying this situation with a solution.
Had I been too absorbed in my own thoughts?
That was where my mistake began.
Even after a long time,
I still couldn’t escape the panic.
My body continued to tremble,
my breath came in sharp gasps,
and I repeated the cycle over and over.
It was a wrong decision from the start.
I wasn’t facing a magical girl blocking my wish to destroy the world.
I was feeling guilt over what I had done to the one thing that had always helped me—
the Quest Jewel.
But to correct your mistake,
this is the only way.
If there was anything truly fortunate this time…
For once, it was genuinely a good thing.
The Quest Jewel was different from Happy.
Even though its pressure was overwhelming,
it didn’t try to force its love and madness down my throat like that cursed magical girl.
You assume I’ll help you unconditionally.
But this isn’t something a mere apology can fix.
It felt like I was standing in the eye of a storm.
I knew the winds would soon return,
knew they would be too strong to withstand.
Yet, I couldn’t move.
Maybe it would have been easier
if it were Happy suffocating me with her love and madness instead.
Stop thinking useless thoughts.
“Ugh…!”
A sudden headache struck,
forcing me to clutch my head with both hands.
This was punishment for resisting the Quest Jewel.
Why are you talking to me,
while thinking about Happy?
The pain remained,
but the surge of self-loathing and embarrassment made me forget it.
Even worse,
the sharp edge in the Quest Jewel’s voice felt like it was piercing through me.
You still don’t understand?
This won’t do.
No—maybe I was already pierced.
As it let out a heavy sigh,
a creeping dread settled over me.
For the first time,
it felt like it might actually punish me like Happy did.
I shook my head instinctively, without even thinking.
I’m going to punish you.
It ignored me completely.
I wanted to scream, to beg—
but even my voice was too terrified to come out.
Sweat soaked my entire body,
leaving me weak, struggling to keep myself upright.
Only then did I realize the truth.
The Quest Jewel’s words were absolute.
No matter what,
I could never resist it.
In the end,
like a dog chained to its master,
I silently nodded.
Then, I shut my eyes,
doing my best to block out thoughts of the pain to come.
Don’t be so scared.
I want your wish to come true.
I didn’t hide the sigh of relief that slipped from my lips.
My body still shook,
my breathing still labored,
but one thing had become clear.
The Quest Jewel was not Happy.
It was simply being petty about being destroyed in this life.
But it was still my ally.
This punishment is only for this life.
Never destroy me again.
Even so,
the air between us never returned to how it once was.
A mocking laugh echoed in my mind.
It didn’t even tell me what the punishment was.
And if you want to survive,
remember everything I just said.
You have to.
Then, die afterward.
But I didn’t resist.
Instead, I lowered my head,
offering silent gratitude.
The Quest Jewel had granted me another life—
my 133rd chance.
It had also shown me what I needed to do in this life.
Even if it hadn’t told me the exact answer,
that didn’t matter.
What I needed right now wasn’t the answer itself.
I needed the method to find it.
And the Quest Jewel’s judgment was flawless.
“I’ll never betray you again.
Thank you.”
You’re welcome.
That was the last thing the Quest Jewel said.
The tension in my body began to fade.
As I looked at the red gemstone, now lying on the floor after I dropped it,
I let out a long breath.
I knew I shouldn’t let my guard down.
I even bit my lip, trying to hold onto my focus.
But in the end,
I let go.
And the moment I did,
exhaustion crushed me.
My eyelids grew heavy,
slowly closing, shutting out my vision.
A body with no more strength to hold itself up
began longing for the floor beneath it.
It didn’t take long.
I collapsed into sleep—
like I had fainted.
“Un… nie…”
“Yeres unnie…”
“Yeres unnie.”
As I opened my eyes, Happy’s face flickered into view.
I knew it was Happy, not Hyun-seo, for a simple reason—
her hair was pink, the unmistakable shade of a magical girl.
“You must have been really tired.”
She frowned as she observed me, lying motionless.
When I finally opened my eyes, she tapped my pocket,
as if urging me to acknowledge her love.
“I’ve been calling you since 8 AM, do you know how worried I was?”
“Huh…?”
I reached into my pocket, pulling out my smartphone—
and immediately felt a chill run down my spine.
Missed Calls: 285
Unread Messages: 897
The last message was sent at 10 AM.
In just two hours, she had contacted me over a thousand times.
I shuddered.
“Were you afraid I ran away?”
“If you had… unnie, I swear…”
Happy trailed off, exhaling a deep sigh.
Her shoulders rose and fell, as if the weight of the thought alone was suffocating her.
“As soon as first period ended, I ran here—
and you were lying there in such a weird position!
Do you know how scared I was?”
“…A weird position?”
“See for yourself.”
She handed me my phone, revealing a photo of me unconscious.
My knees were bent, but my upper body had fallen backward,
like I had collapsed mid-kneel.
Seeing it, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
“At least it was just a weird position.
You didn’t try anything… reckless, right?”
By reckless, she meant escaping.
The weight in my left hand reminded me—
The hexagonal shape.
The solid texture.
It was the Quest Jewel.
“I didn’t.”
Not yet.
That’s for tomorrow.
I’m done for today.
“Really?
So you’re finally starting to like it here?”
Absolutely not.
You have no idea.
Tomorrow, I’m getting out of here.
“At first, I thought you just threw the phone aside and ignored me.
But then I remembered—you didn’t sleep at all yesterday, did you?”
As I tried to sit up,
Happy pushed me back down with her hand.
She was using more force than usual.
When my back hit the mattress,
I finally noticed it—
A soft sensation beneath me.
“A pillow…?”
“And a blanket, too.
I bought the most expensive ones for you.”
Looking around, I saw the pillows and blankets neatly arranged.
The floor felt soft as well—
a mattress had been placed underneath me.
If my guess was right,
Happy had come here during break time,
saw me asleep, and tucked me in.
“Thanks for thinking of me.”
That much, I meant sincerely.
The Happy I knew would have tied me to a chair with duct tape.
“Don’t think you can just **end it with a simple ‘thanks’.”
Happy’s expression relaxed for the first time.
She tapped her lips with her fingers.
I already knew what she wanted.
So, instead of responding, I simply closed my eyes.
And she began to kiss me.
It was different from before.
She didn’t clutch my waist like she was afraid of losing me.
She didn’t devour me so deeply that I could barely breathe.
If anything…
She had gotten better at it.
Should I call it skill?
The rich, honeyed sweetness that filled my mouth…
I didn’t hate it.
“So this is what a real kiss is like.
Looks like studying helped.”
When she finally pulled away,
I felt something unexpected.
…Disappointment.
Wait.
Disappointment?!
What the hell are you thinking, Yeres?!
“All day, I kept regretting the way I kissed you before.”
She continued, smiling.
“Ah, not because I didn’t like it!
I just think I was too impatient.
So, I… studied it on YuXube.”
…A horrifying confession.
I couldn’t understand how she could lick her lips,
hungry for more,
as if this sweetness were something she couldn’t get enough of.
“How was it?
Don’t you want to do it again?”
Not at all.
And yet—
My body wanted it.
I tried to ignore it.
But before I even realized it,
my arms were already reaching out—
My hands had grabbed her shoulders.
“Unnie…?”
And then,
without hesitation—
I stole her lips.
If she wanted to learn what a real kiss was—
Then I would teach her myself.
My tongue grazed her lips,
silently asking for entry.
I gently, almost cautiously, slid inside.
But unlike before,
this kiss was not sweet.
It was bitter.
Why was I doing this?
The answer came instantly.
This is your punishment, Yeres.
And by the time I realized it—
I had already been poisoned by the sickly sweetness of it all.
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