Chapter 457: Testing (2)

Chapter 457: Testing (2)

“Eh? You wanna know more about Kang Jin-Ho?”

Elena smiled and nodded. “Yes, him.”

The university student tilted his head in confusion. “Hmm? I guess he's... not back in class yet?”

“Yes, I know that. I just want to know more about what he was like on campus.”

“Noona, are you of Korean descent by any chance? Your Korean is super crazy good, you know that?”

“...I'd like to hear more about Kang Jin-Ho if you don't mind?”

The university student beamed brightly. “If I tell you, will you give me your phone number? Then I promise I'll provide you with top level information~!”

'...Should I just kill this punk?'

Elena expertly hid the bulging vein in her forehead with her blond locks and smiled enticingly. “Well, I might think about it if your answer is satisfactory enough.”

“I see! That's good enough for me! But, uh... You were asking about Kang Jin-Ho, yes?”

“Yes, him.”

“When I think about it, I don't have much to say about that guy, actually...”

“...”

“Oh, wait. Kang Jin-Ho drives a super expensive car. And he's really good looking, too.”

“Right, right! And he was popular too, wasn't he?” The friend of the university student quickly chimed in.

“Yeah, he was. Other girls couldn't approach him because of Han Se-Yeon, but man... Kang Jin-Ho sure was popular. Good looking, is obviously loaded, great academic records... Holy sh*t, every time I saw that guy, this sense of defeat was just... Getting a girl's phone number has always been tough for me, you know? And even if I did get one, they'd block me soon afterward, too. But Kang Jin-Ho? He wasn't even trying to do something fancy, but the girls were tripping over themselves to...”

A cramped smile formed on Elena's face. “Thank you for regaling me with your dark personal history, but can you just tell me about Kang Jin-Ho?”

“Oh, sure... Well, there's not much to talk about him besides that, you know? Kang Jin-Ho was always hurrying home after lectures, going to PC Rooms in between lectures with his pals, or staying in the campus library, so... Lots of people wanted to get close to him, but... Hmm, how should I describe this...?”

The friend chimed in again. “Kang Jin-Ho had that aloof, hard-to-approach air about him, right?”

“Yeah, that! He had that air about him. For sure. But, just look at his face. He's just got that charisma, am I right? So, it was hard to approach him.”

Elene nodded slightly. “I see. What about his personality, though?”

The two university students seemed to ponder her question before staring at each other as if they wanted reaffirmation.

“He... was a nice guy, right?”

“Yeah, he was, I think? I mean, a dude with specs like that is usually so full of himself, know what I mean? But he never caused a problem on campus. A regular dude wouldn't be able to do that.”

The students turned their heads to look at Elena.

“I think he was a nice guy, noona.”

Elena furrowed her brow. “He was... nice? Really?”

“Yes. What's the matter?”

“N-no, it's nothing. Well, then. Thanks for your help.”

Just as Elena turned around to leave, the student called out to her. “What about your phone number, though?”

Elena replied without even looking back. “I don't own a cellphone.”

“...You could've just said no, you know? Now I'm guilty of making a perfectly-good phone disappear from this world, too.”

Elena heard a depressed voice of a university student coming from behind her but couldn't care enough to retort to him.

***

“You... want to know more about Jin-Ho?”

Elena nodded intently. “Yes, him.”

The man before her eyes slowly rubbed his chin. “Jin-Ho is a bodhisattva, basically.”

“Bodhisattva?” Elena tilted her head in confusion.

Besides, he had never experienced a situation where he couldn't fight back against a hostile enemy right before his nose. In that case, how was he supposed to describe this terror?

Yi Myeong-Hwan would've rather preferred that Kang Jin-Ho did something to him already. Even if that was Kang Jin-Ho choking the life out of Yi Myeong-Hwan...! However, that was still a hundred times better than shivering pitifully without knowing what might happen to him next.

“You see, this thing called death is...”

Kang Jin-Ho's voice finally entered Yi Myeong-Hwan's eardrums. However, it sounded completely different from Kang Jin-Ho's usual voice. The low voice echoing in the room began gnawing at Yi Myeong-Hwan's heart. It felt like each and every word Kang Jin-Ho spoke caused his heart to shrink and wither.

It was unimaginable to think that Kang Jin-Ho, who usually had this laidback attitude, could ever speak in such a creepy voice. Only a demon squeezing its own vocal cords dry could've produced such a sound!

“...Is not something you can casually experience,” said Kang Jin-Ho as a weird smirk floated up on his face.

A human couldn't experience death. A person would lose their qualifications to be called a living human at the moment of experiencing death, after all. Unless they were an exception like Kang Jin-Ho, that was.

“That is why people weirdly do not fear death all that much. I mean, death is the end of everything, isn't it? So, why don't you fear it?”

Kang Jin-Ho's voice was definitely registering in Yi Myeong-Hwan's brain, but understanding the contents was proving to be too difficult for him right now. Was it because Yi Myeong-Hwan was in a state of panic? Or were Kang Jin-Ho's words too cryptic for him to figure out? Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't tell.

“Did you say you're not scared of death?” Kang Jin-Ho asked.

“...!”

Why was Kang Jin-Ho asking a question while blocking Yi Myeong-Hwan's mouth? That question, asked without expecting a reply, was as meaningless as a scream aimed at the empty skies above.

“That means you don't mind losing a small part of your body, right? You'd lose everything in death, but a part of your body isn't... Well, it's not your everything, wouldn't you agree?”

“Wuuph...!” Yi Myeong-Hwan thrashed about to free himself. The truth was, though... The thrashing was done entirely in his mind, and in reality, his body was barely moving. However, he really was using every ounce of energy he could summon to force his body to move.

Yi Myeong-Hwan finally understood it. He understood what Kang Jin-Ho was thinking of doing to him. And that understanding was as perfect as it could get.

“Well, it's fine even if you don't agree,” Kang Jin-Ho cackled. His grip on Yi Myeong-Hwan's fingers gradually strengthened. Slowly, never in a hurry, but unmistakably...

Cruuuunch!

...The sound of bones breaking entered Yi Myeong-Hwan's hearing. But that sound seemed so unrealistic for something produced by his own hand. However, he soon had no choice but to admit that that sound had indeed come from his own body part.

...Since intolerable pain suddenly rushed up from his hand just then!

Crunch...

Cruuuunch...!

Unfortunately for Yi Myeong-Hwan, it seemed Kang Jin-Ho couldn't care less about what his victim was feeling at this very moment, judging from how he only focused on breaking each of Yi Myeong-Hwan's fingers. As if he was an unfeeling machine, no less!

“So, does it hurt?”

“...?!”

“Kekekeke...” Kang Jin-Ho cackled quietly. He seemed to be enjoying this situation so much. “So, can you comprehend this pain?”

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely raised his hand. When Yi Myeong-Hwan sensed his arm being grabbed by Kang Jin-Ho, his entire body began shivering pitifully again. It was as if he was suffering from a seizure now.

“Someone once told me that... Pain is your body's warning to you. A warning that only death awaits you if this continues, so you must escape from this situation as soon as possible.”

There was a hint of genuine mirth in Kang Jin-Ho's voice. That was when Yi Myeong-Hwan was hit with a brutal fact. Kang Jin-Ho, this bastard...! He was actually laughing right now. He was laughing like an innocent little kid while breaking someone's bones and torturing them!

As it turned out, becoming like Kang Jin-Ho was impossible. Yi Myeong-Hwan knew he could never do something like this, even if he had successfully attained godly strength. Only truly insane bastards would even think about acting this way.

What could be more terrifying in this world than a lunatic possessing all-conquering power?

“Which means... A man who is prepared to risk death will also ignore his pain. Am I right so far?”

“Wuuuph...!”

Kang Jin-Ho's grip on Yi Myeong-Hwan's face gradually tightened. At this rate, Yi Myeong-Hwan's facial bones might get crushed into powder. All the drool, snot and tears coming from Yi Myeong-Hwan's mouth, nose and eyes soaked Kang Jin-Ho's hand.

“So, I wanted to find out, you see?”

Yi Myeong-Hwan heard it again. 'It' being the cackling voice of the devil!

“I wanted to know how prepared you are to risk death. However, you don't have to worry. I promise I won't kill you. I swear it.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan suddenly realized that death as a means of escape from this situation was no longer available. Unfortunately, his realization was accompanied by a loud crunching noise, followed by his arm breaking loose off his shoulder.

“Kkkkuuuuuhk...!”

A twisted whimper leaked out of Yi Myeong-Hwan's lips, but that only brought another cruel smile on Kang Jin-Ho's face.

As if he was a devil... A devil that had found another delicious prey!