BXBX NOVEL Chapter 43 - Monsters are people, too!
"Hah, ugh... What are you doing all of a sudden?"
"Do you need a reason to subdue a monster?" I retorted, tapping on my smartphone to inform the protagonists that I had the monster subdued on a nearby mountain.
The three of them would be arriving soon.
"I\'m here to capture you, and I want to get this over with and go home, so just surrender. I won\'t kill you if you don\'t resist."
"I didn\'t do anything wrong! There\'s no reason for me to be caught!"
"You\'ve already harmed one student at the Academy."
"It\'s only one. I didn\'t even kill anyone."
Indeed, the monster hadn\'t caused much trouble yet.
There has only been one victim so far. If I had to charge it with anything, it would be assault and illegal entry.
But those were human standards.
"Don\'t push it. You\'re a monster, aren\'t you?"
"Ugh...!"
"You\'re not just a monster; you attacked a human. You should be thankful I\'m not killing you on the spot."
"......"
"Also, did you think I didn\'t know your plan?"
I know what you\'re trying to do.
"After regaining your strength inside the Academy, you planned to attack weaker students and slowly absorb their energy, right?"
"...! H-how did you know?"
Even though the students at the academy were Awakened, they were inexperienced in combat. Subduing such students would be easy for a monster.
In the original story, the reason the monster was discovered was because it was caught by Shin Chul-Min while attacking the students.
"It\'s obvious what you\'re trying to do. You\'re the reason the gate has been opening so often lately, right? You\'re forcing it open to enter the human world."
"Ugh...!"
"Because of you, countless monsters have crossed over here. If the heroes hadn\'t shown up in time to stop them, there would have been many civilian casualties."
Approaching the monster slowly, I saw it step back, maybe realizing that fighting back would only make things worse.
"Really, you\'re the reason I came all the way out here to work. Why should I have to handle this when I\'m not even a hero?"
"You\'re not a hero?"
"I\'m not. I\'m a government employee, one who is on a business trip."
I chuckled as I introduced myself.
"I\'m a government employee who hates working, so please don\'t make this harder for me. Let\'s take it easy, yeah?"
"......"
"You have a disgruntled look on your face? Don\'t want to get caught? Then give it a try."
Crack. I stretched my fingers, making a bone-cracking sound.
"If you want a harsher punishment, I\'ll give it to you."
"Tsk!"
The monster clicked its tongue and glared at me.
Its eyes were filled with such murderous intent that I wondered if it could kill me with just a glance. If I let my guard down even a little, it might pounce and kill me.
"How dare you glare at me like that?"
Perhaps I should give it a proper mental education so it doesn\'t entertain such thoughts again?
How did I end up here? Where did my life go wrong?
Was it the moment I was pulled through a gate and thrust into a world of monsters, gaining strange powers, and becoming one myself?
Or was it when I yearned to be human again?
Maybe that was my mistake. Perhaps I shouldn\'t have desired to be a human in the first place. I am a monster, not a human.
If only I hadn\'t harbored those hopes, if only I hadn\'t gotten my hopes up in vain. I wouldn\'t feel this despair now, would I?
"Dammit..."
I cursed quietly as I kneeled before the magical girl, seething with frustration at everything.
If I had known Lee Hye-Yung was a member of the Awakened Crime Division hunting me, I would have been more cautious. I wouldn\'t have gotten entangled with her.
If only I hadn\'t let myself be fooled by her act. If only I hadn\'t believed I was interacting with a normal human being.
Despite her irritating seduction, those days with Lee Hye-Yung were peaceful and happy. I realized those moments were what I had wanted as a human.
Knowing I\'ll never have that again... It\'s heart-wrenching.
"You knew all along?"
"Huh?"
"Did you know I was a monster from the moment we met?"
"...So-Young, hold on; I\'ll call you back later."
I interrupted the magical girl who was on the phone, seeking answers. She glanced at me briefly, then put her phone away and replied.
"That\'s not true. I just heard that the delinquent had some alcohol. I figured it was lucky for me and asked for a drink. I didn\'t suspect you were a monster back then."
"So, you realized I was a monster this morning?"
"Yes. Even though you were playing truant and hanging out on the roof like a delinquent, I found it suspicious when you didn\'t give me your name."
"...I see."
Lee Hye-Yung\'s insistence on being close to me was actually an interrogation to determine if I was a monster. She didn\'t come to me because she liked me in the first place.
"Ha, haha."
I let out an involuntary chuckle.
That\'s right. I shouldn\'t have deluded myself into thinking I could blend in with normal humans.
I was just a pawn in her game all along.
"I see. You didn\'t really want to be with me."
"You hated it anyway, but now that you think about it, you\'re kind of disappointed?"
"Yeah. I should\'ve definitely run away then."
It was strange that I felt such a frightening sensation from an ordinary girl in the first place. I should have realized from then on that Lee Hye-Yung was not an ordinary student, and I unknowingly indulged myself with her because of my petty feelings.
Now, it\'s completely out of my hands.
"Will my dreams ever come true?"
"....."
The magical girl looked down at me wordlessly.
"...Hey."
As if she wanted to say something, the magical girl was about to speak.
"Ms. Hye-Rim, are you okay?!"
"Where\'s the monster?!"
"Are you safe?!"
Three figures rushed towards us from afar. They were likely the companions of the magical girl who had come to the academy to capture me.
"I\'m safe, and the monster is here, cooperating."
"I see. I\'m relieved you\'re unharmed."
"The... monster?"
"It doesn\'t look like what I imagined."
One of them checked on the magical girl\'s condition, while the other two looked at me warily and curiously.
"It\'s a monster that appears human... I never imagined there could be one like this among monsters."
"Mr. Chul-Min, don\'t get too close. It\'s dangerous."
They scrutinized every aspect of my appearance—my horns, my eyes, every part that marked me as a monster.
It felt like being scrutinized in a zoo, like an exotic animal on display.
"So, what do you think we should do with this monster? Should we kill it right away?"
"Well, we don\'t know what kind of powers it might have, so maybe that\'s the safest option for now. It\'s our duty as heroes to deal with monsters, isn\'t it?"
"Ms. Hye-Rim, what do you think we should do?"
The three people who had followed me were heroes, unlike the magical girl. Their immediate reaction was to kill me on the spot.
They\'re heroes, and it\'s their duty to slay monsters. It\'s only natural that they see me as something that needs to be destroyed.
I understand that. I understand my position; I understand theirs, but...
"No, guys. For now, let\'s not kil-"
"I\'m... I\'m not a monster."
Yet, despite knowing all this, I couldn\'t help but be annoyed.
"I\'m not the monster you think I am."
Why can\'t they see me as one of their own? Why?
Look at me. We\'re having a conversation here, and aside from the horns and eyes, I look just like a human, right?
"Please... don\'t look at me like that!"
I want to be human too.
"Please, don\'t call me a monster!"
No, I am human. I\'ve been human since the day I was born.
"I\'m just as human as all of you!"
I screamed at the top of my lungs at the people in front of me. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.
"My name is Yoo Seo-Eun. I was born in South Korea, and I used to have a normal life."
I made sure they knew who I really was.
"My hobbies are cooking and watching dramas. I used to spend every weekend enjoying homemade meals and watching dramas."
Yes, that\'s right. That was me.
A person who lived an ordinary life, seeing each day as just another day, finding small happiness in it. A girl who dreamed of a soap opera romance—that\'s me.
I want that life back. I can\'t let it end like this. I can\'t give up. I\'ve come this far for a reason, right?
"I\'m not just pretending to be human!"
I have to take it back. My life. With my own hands.