Everything is pitch-dark all around me. I just keep on running without knowing where I'm going, heavily panting. I can feel that I'm making a panicked look on my face. Maybe I deserve this sudden abandonment environment placed upon me because I can see my feet have stepped on to a huge pool of human blood. I stop in my tracks. My widened eyes scan slowly from my bloodied bare feet to the sight of a massacre in front of me.

I see the lifeless bodies of Mr Seo and his henchmen, but their corpses aren't the ones who made me feel immense guilt. It's the bodies of the low-ranked Slayers who are murdered because of my stupid mistake. I hear a little girl weeping next to the wizard’s corpse; the reason for her doing so is due to seeing his large wound on his chest. Then, the little girl stops weeping to turn her head around, facing my frightened self. My body trembles more when I see the wrathful look on her face.

“Why did you kill my dad?”

She questions me over and over again that echoes across this dimension I'm helplessly trapped in. The final image changes the wizard’s grieving daughter to another little girl who looks familiar to me. Then, I figure out once I can see this little girl has the same amber eyes and light brown hair like mine. That's me, a 10-year-old, who also makes the same wrathful glare his daughter did a moment ago. The question mentioned by my childhood self pierces so much guilty conscience within my soul.

“Why did you kill Mom, Kang Joo-yeon?”

Brief and quick flashbacks of my mom pushing me aside, letting her whole body get swallowed up by a Labyrinth’s gate twelve years ago. She said something to me, but I'm unable to remember what her last words were to me. The next moment, I can feel myself making a bucket of sweat once I quickly open my eyes, staring at the beige-painted ceiling.

I pant heavily until I manage to calm down after I look around to see that I'm in my own room. It turns out I was having a tragic-filled nightmare. I even start to believe that my existence in this world will cause more tragedies to innocent beings, especially my uncle and cousins.

A nightmare? Then again… I deserve it… Five times already, huh?

Flashbacks of my fateful encounter with Seo Tae-ho a week ago haunt my mind. I can feel my heart getting heavier when I still remember the wizard dying in front of me.

Even if I was desperate for the money, maybe…no. I would've been arrested on the spot. The others would still follow Mr Seo…since they need the money as much as I did…Still…it doesn't change the fact…

“That I've killed…ten people…Haha…I'm actually…”

Suddenly, someone knocks on my door which startles me and I immediately sit up straight. I hear a young girl’s voice that gives out the sound of an elegant bell despite the slightly impudent words coming out of her mouth. It's Ga-young behind my locked bedroom door.

“Hey, wake up. Dad made breakfast for you. Hurry up if you don't like a cold meal.”

“Oh…I'll be down soon, Ga-young.”

I realised the latest nightmare has made me oversleep once I see the clock beside my bed showing a quarter past eight. But more importantly, I'm so glad that I always make sure I lock my bedroom door every night, and that it's not Uncle Seung-min to wake me up. Because I'm currently not wearing anything on my body due to the heatwave getting more intense in late summer. I proceed to freshen myself up before putting on some clothes.

Good thing I locked the door.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I, dressed in an office worker's skirt and suit, get up and wash my dishes after I finish eating the breakfast made by Uncle Seung-min. He may not look tired, but I feel bad that today he had to wake up very early and make breakfast for all of us. Gi-young just got back from his summer school trip, arriving back home a few days ago. Starting today, both of my cousins, dressed in their respective school uniforms, are going back to school.

“Ga-young, put down your smartphone. Finish your breakfast quickly so that I can drop the both of you to school before I head to work.”

“Okay, Dad. It's just that one of my friends sent this sort of breaking news to me.”

“Noona, am I seeing the words ‘Slayers Alliance’?”

“Hey! No peeking! But yeah... Apparently, Maorga wants to file a lawsuit against the Slayers Alliance for letting one of their main investors be killed inside a Labyrinth.”

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I flinch when I hear the word ‘Maorga’ that I temporarily stop washing my plate. I had a hunch that, based on how easy those henchmen wield that company’s equipment and how that teleportation device is rarely found in the Slayers Market, Seo Tae-ho must have been a close accomplice to the founder of Maorga Inc, Kim Gwang-jae.

I still remember that news segment where he posed his public image of being an upstanding citizen when I was still at the hospital. What surprises me is that filing a lawsuit publicly puts a high risk of exposure towards the unethical stuff he might be doing behind closed doors, particularly his investment is actually money laundering.

Unless…that professor is taking advantage of Seo’s death as an opportunity to make the Alliance look like the bad guys. The public will trust his company more than the Alliance’s S-rank leaders. That means they've no choice, but to…

“Pass that bill, huh?”

“What did you say, Joo-yeon?”

I make a startled look once I realise I've blurred out those words in front of my family. I can see Uncle Seung-min looking confused as he keeps staring at me, waiting for my reply which I did while trying my best to sound nonchalant. I continue to finish washing up while we talk.

“Oh! I just remembered…today I might be home late tonight, uncle.”

“I see. So that's why you're dressed like that…”

“Huh? Since when did you become a popular demand? Just don't go for a job interview involving pyramid schemes. Dad had enough worries about you for the past whole month.”

“Ga-young, you... Ah…Never mind, but do know Joo-yeon is capable of figuring it out. If anything goes wrong, she'll avoid getting involved. Okay?”

“Okay… Dad. I'm done eating. Are we good to go? Gi-young?”

“Yeah, Noona. I'm done too.”

“Joo-yeon, you've got the spare key for this house, right?”

“Yes, Uncle Seung-min. Don't worry about me.”

I immediately walked away after I washed the plate. I actually wanted to wear my sportswear, but I assume my uncle can become more perceptive that something's going on in my life like what happened during my high school years. The Painting Labyrinth is no exception. Ironically, I've to act like everything is normal; that I'm seeking another job.

Also, I wore the office outfit to hide my newest secret. The past whole week, I was illegally entering low-ranked Labyrinths, killing any Beast residing there except the final strongest one to which I always leave for the raid team wanting the most valuable loot. I did so to gather more ingredients to make more potions and if possible, I wanna get another weapon made from the Beasts’ carcasses there.

Anyway, it's not actually a lie that I'm looking for a new job. But ever since I secretly sold those mana crystals worth fifty million at the Slayers Market online, it’s not my priority to get a new job now. Nevertheless, it'll be a good cover for keeping the Guideline a secret as long as I can. That is if I can get hired at a guild.

“I'll be leaving first. Make sure to lock the door, uncle.”

As I walk away from the dining kitchen and arrive at the hallway where the front door is at, I hear Uncle Seung-min suddenly calling out to me that starts a private conversation between us two. He seems to be holding something behind his back.

“Wait, Joo-yeon!”

“What is it, uncle?”

“Here. Wear this so that you don't trip over when you walk around outside. Actually… I wanted to give you this…as a proper birthday present.”

He reveals the item he was holding. I see a well-made light pink-colored headband with rhinestones making flower patterns that look like an orchid from an angle; from another angle, they look like white violets. My eyes widen though I try my best to compose my wondrous stare at the pretty hair accessory. I guess the late summer is getting hotter to handle.

I'm glad Ga-young was the one who woke me up today.

“But…you didn't have to buy an expensive one. I'm not that fashionable like Ga-young…”

“Joo-yeon, any woman deserves to wear something pretty. Unless…this isn't to your liking…”

“No, no! It's pretty, uncle! It's just…it looks expensive…Did you use most of your food expenses?”

“Oh? This? No, no. Joo-yeon, believe me that I've had enough money to nourish myself. Headbands aren't that expensive. You were so busy recovering from that incident…I thought today… was the right time for me to give it to you…”

An awkward silence fills the air around us. Alas, I break it, giving a gentle smile at him.

“Thank you, uncle. I'll make sure not to lose this beautiful birthday gift.”

I gently put it on my head. It slides my slightly long fringe way to the back. I can feel my hair is lighter and I subconsciously smile longer. My uncle smiles at the sight of me appreciating his gift to me.

“Oh… if you happen to be applying for a job at one of the Alliance’s departments, can you tell…that tanker…”

Hearing the word ‘tanker’ has Jung-han’s teddy bear persona come immediately in my mind. I look confused as to how my uncle knows Jung-han unless he met him at the Alliance’s HQ building.

“Are you talking about Jung-han? How do you know him, uncle?”

“So that's his name…When I got the call from the Alliance that you died in the explosion, I hurried there and met two of your teammates delivering that dreadful news. The big guy, Jung-han, told me his avoidable injury led to abandoning you in that Labyrinth. I couldn't help, but slap him across his face in front of the crowd there.”

“Uncle…”

“I'm sorry for keeping this secret from you, Joo-yeon. I thought this is the right moment that I should tell you about him. I've been told by Ms Han that it was you who made them hold that stone to get out of there. And that she was the only one who's not badly injured…”

“...”

“I guess I would've panicked like Jung-han. Not thinking clearly to avoid any avoidable injuries… When you meet him, could you tell him I'm sorry? That I should've been angry at the Alliance only…”

“Uncle, I understand. Don't feel bad about it too much, okay? I'm sure Jung-han will say he deserved that slap from you. He's too nice for his own good.”

“The way you talk about him…do you like him?”

I must've looked startled hearing this sudden question from him. Uncle Seung-min, the only adult man from this household who warns me about getting close to a man my age, sounds like he accepts Jung-han as a trustworthy man.

“He's my friend so yes, uncle. I like him for being the only higher-ranked Slayer who doesn't care about my rank.”

“Oh…”

Why does he sound a bit disappointed?

“If that’s the case, it's good to know you've got people there whom you can really trust. After all, you deserve good people in your life, Joo-yeon.”

Good people, huh?

Hearing those specific words has my mind experiencing another set of brief flashbacks of my necessary killing to Seo Tae-ho and his henchmen.

I'm not a good person but…

I proceed to give a hug to Uncle Seung-min. I’m aware that I've been physically stronger than him for the last two years, but just this once, I'm able to be as gentle as possible. After all, I really need this hug today to keep me from being immersed in the depression I'm feeling now.

…until the day you find out my real self, I want to keep your dream of me being a kind-hearted niece to you.

“Woah~ Joo-yeon. What’s with the hug?”

That's why…I can't give up finding out about what happened to me in that wretched Labyrinth.

“Joo-yeon?”

I let go of Uncle Seung-min from my embrace. I then turn around to open the entrance door; I wear my black heels, never try to look back at him because doing so will make him find out the truth about myself.

“In case I come back late tonight, uncle…”

“You are?”

“Yeah…have dinner without me, okay? I'll be off, uncle.”

“Oh. See you later, Joo-yeon.”

I get a feeling that once I shut the entrance door, Uncle Seung-min has a confused look after watching my odd behaviour just now. In fact, I can picture the worried look on his face, speculating something has happened to me.

“Yes, something did happen to me..."