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Chapter 161: Han Siah (2)
The connection between the Griff family and herself.
This was information that only a select few within the academy knew.
Yet, Kim Minwoo, an outsider, had suddenly brought up the topic.
Han Siahâs mind became a tangled mess.
Kim Minwoo, who was watching her, was also feeling overwhelmed.
âWas she always this thin?â
In any case.
Kim Minwoo continued speaking.
âAre you going to continue living with your life mortgaged to the family head? You have no future if you return this time. Youâll be sucked dry without even a bone left.â
ââŠâ
âI, and Korea, will help you. So that you can regain your freedom.â
Han Siah, who had been listening in silence, sighed. Laura had told her to keep her mouth shut and listen quietly, but that was no longer possible.
ââŠCough! It doesnât matter. Talent? Let them have it. Itâs just a curse to me.â
Talent.
A shackle that had bound her entire life.
She was sick of it.
She also loathed magic.
What was it anyway?
Why had it ruined her life like this? Was it worth that much?
Han Siah didnât know.
She didnât want to know either.
Enrolling in the academy and awakening her magic were all due to the familyâs urging.
If it werenât for that, she wouldnât have even attempted this damn counseling session.
The words her mother had always told her since she was young came to mind.
âAll Mom wants is for us to live happily together.
âDonât go against the family. Compliance is the best course of action.
âTalent? Whatâs so important about that? Just give it up and live a normal life with Mom. Okay?
To Han Siah, her mother was her everything.
The only person who had loved her since she was young.
The person who had protected her from that horrible father.
The person who had brought her freedom, even if it was for a limited time of 10 years. What her mother wanted wasnât for her to fight against the Griffs.
It was to live a normal and peaceful life.
Thatâs what she wanted.
Han Siah agreed with that too.
Confront the Griff family?
Their power was unfathomably deep. Moreover, the existence of her father was nothing short of trauma for her.
It was akin to a great fear that made her unable to even think of defying them.
Thatâs why she wasnât very impressed by the talk of regaining her freedom.
Thatâs when it happened.
Kim Minwoo said with a sneer.
âDid I say something misleading?â
âMisleading?â
âAbout being sucked dry without even a bone left. That means youâre going to die.â
âDieâŠ?â
âDid you think you would just get your talent sucked out and that would be the end of it? Was that even a possible scenario in the first place?â
âCough! Cough! Iâm still alive. Even now.â
âBecause they left half. To be precise, they had no choice but to leave half. Thatâs why youâre alive. Still. But⊠do you usually cough that often?â
ââŠItâs gotten a bit worse lately.â
Kim Minwoo frowned.
It was true that Han Siahâs physical condition wasnât great to begin with. It was because she had been through all sorts of hardships since childhood, having her talent ripped away.
But even considering thatâŠ
âItâs a bit severe.â
She was thinner than he expected.
Her physical condition didnât look good either.
âAny checkups or anything?â
ââŠThey said there wasnât anything particularly wrong.â
âAnyway, itâs true that youâre dying. Your physical condition isnât good right now either.â
âThe family said itâs a side effect of that.â
âA side effect of having your talent extracted?â
Han Siah nodded.
âThey said the balance was disrupted because they only took half. So, they said Iâll be normal if they take it all.â
At that moment.
Kim Minwoo snapped his fingers.
Merhen, who had come out into the counseling room, asked.
âMinwoo. Whatâs going on?
âThis is Han Siah, a student at the academy. Could you take a look at her?â
âOkay.
Soon after, Merhen narrowed her eyes.
After staring intently at Han Siah for a moment, she tilted her head.
âHer talent was devoured? Thatâs why her soul is incomplete.
âAre you talking about her soul?â
âRight. Itâs shaken. The foundation. Hold on.
Saying so, Merhen approached Han Siah.
âCan you manifest magic properly?
âJust, so-soâŠâ
âIt wouldnât work well with such a crude soul. Would it? Youâve lost your identity?
ââŠIdentity?â
âYes. In other words⊠youâre not a mage anymore.
ââŠWhat?â
âYou no longer have the foundation of a mage.
âBut I can still manifest magicâŠ?â
âOf course you can. Youâre forcibly squeezing out whatâs left.
âWait a minute. Youâre saying Iâm not a mage?â
âThatâs what I see. Itâs true. Youâve been devoured too much. The foundation.
âHow much has been devoured?â
âMore than 80%?
âThat much?â
Kim Minwooâs eyes widened.
He knew that Han Siahâs talent had been sucked out. But, usually, it was around 50%.
Only then did he understand why Han Siah was showing signs of frailty.
Having 50% left and having less than 20% left were completely different stories.
Nodding her head, Merhen added.
âYes. They cleanly took only the core. I think they used a tool.
âA tool?â
âOtherwise, it means a mage on Earth did this. Even I would have a hard time cleaning it up this neatly. Maybe if I had more of my divine power back.
Lucas, that bastardâs talent couldnât be that great, so did he get help from a tool?
It seemed plausible.
Thatâs when it happened.
Han Siah asked desperately.
âI have a question.â
âGo ahead.
ââŠIf the rest of my talent is absorbed, will I die? Instead of living?â
âYou know a tree, right? If you only leave the trunk, it will live. But if you pull out the roots too, do you think it will live?
âIs that what itâs like, pulling out the roots? They said I would be normal if they took it allâŠâ
âAre you completely foolish? Even now, your soul is shaking.
âLiesâŠâ
âCanât you tell by looking at your bodyâs condition?
Han Siah fell silent.
She couldnât believe it.
No, she didnât want to believe it.
From her early childhood, which she barely remembers, until now. She had endured, waiting for the day she could live freely with her mother.
But the result of that is death?
Lies.
LiesâŠ
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âCough! Lies!â
It didnât make sense.
If that were true, wouldnât it mean she had suffered for over 20 years just to die?
At that moment.
Kim Minwoo said.
âDid your mother say that? To give up your talent and live a normal life.â
Han Siahâs eyes narrowed.
âHow far have you investigated me?â
âYou rely on your mother a lot. I understand. She must have been the only person who loved you all this time.â
Han Siah abruptly stood up from her seat. Her mind was already close to overload. She couldnât endure this topic any longer.
âI, Iâll go. The counseling is over.â
âBut, you know. Is that love real?â
âCough! Donât insult my mom!â
Han Siahâs eyes were bloodshot.
She could endure anything else, but she couldnât bear to have her mother insulted. But Kim Minwoo was crossing that line in an instant.
It was beyond rudeness; it was an outrage.
Shrugging his shoulders, Kim Minwoo continued speaking.
âFamily Head Lucas. He has quite a few illegitimate children. Havenât you ever thought about it? That itself could be a kind of transaction.â
ââŠâ
âGiving birth to a child. And depending on the childâs talent, a reward goes to the mother or her family, that kind of transaction.â
ââŠEven if that were true, it doesnât change the fact that my mother loves me.â
Han Siahâs eyes were glistening.
Since she was a child, even when she left the family, her mother was with her. She loved her.
No, she had to love her.
Denying that was no different from denying her own life.
âDo you know about syllogism? Itâs a way of deducing something by using two already known premises.â
Then, Kim Minwoo uttered poisonous words.
âHan Siah will die if her talent is taken away any further. Her mother tells her to give up her talent. So, what conclusion can we draw from this?â
Han Siahâs hands trembled violently.
Her sharp mind had already reached that conclusion.
ââŠNo way. My mother wouldnât have known. She must have been deceived. By those devils.â
They must have said that if she gave up her talent, they would let her live happily. That they wouldnât bind mother and daughter anymore.
The Griff family must have spewed those sweet words.
Her innocent mother must have fallen for it.
Thatâs where it stopped.
Thatâs all Han Siah could accept.
At that moment.
Kim Minwoo handed her a document.
âTake a look at this.â
Han Siah, who had been looking at him warily, snatched the document. It was filled with information about her mother, âKim Haeunâ.
ââŠGambling?â
It was written that she had studied abroad in Germany in her 20s, struggled in the theater scene, and incurred a large debt.
Then, she got connected to the Griff family and gave birth to her.
The âgiftsâ that kept piling up in her bank account and the endless extravagance that resulted from it.
There were records of her frequenting all sorts of gambling dens until recently. đ»đđđźđâŻđ«đđđđđ.đđžđ¶
âThe financial support is quite substantial, isnât it?
ââŠItâs just the amount that should be received. Itâs no different from child support. Do you think it costs pennies to attend this academy?â
âBut it doesnât cost hundreds of billions either. Arenât you curious? Whether she truly loves you, or if she loved the money.â
Han Siahâs hands trembled.
He kept prodding at her wounds.
It was so painful.
She didnât want to hear it anymore.
But, like the devilâs whisper, the words kept piercing her ears.
Her eyes welled up with tears.
âWh-why are you doing this to me⊠whyâŠâ
âAre you going to die believing only in your mother? Itâs not that difficult to confirm. Hasnât your life been hard enough?â
âWh-what do you knowâŠâ
âAt least I know one thing for sure. You donât want to die meaninglessly like this.â
Han Siah fell silent.
She had lived a life of suffering.
She cursed her life.
Even so.
Kim Minwoo was right.
She didnât want to die.
Even though her life was truly insignificant.
âCough! How are you going to confirm it?â
âYour mother was very active in the theater world. Sheâs probably a very good actress. You wonât be able to know the truth just by asking.â
Having been gaslighted for a whopping 20 years, her skills were understandable.
Kim Minwoo, as a player, could simply ignore it and move on.
But Han Siah wasnât, so it wasnât strange for her to react like that.
To her, her mother was practically her whole life.
Han Siah remained silent.
He smiled at her.
âBut you know, no matter how good an actor you are, you canât deceive your senses. When that happens, your pulse quickens, your salivary glands dry up, your pupils dilate, things like that.â
ââŠS-so?â
âFrom now on, Iâm going to cast a spell on you, Han Siah. A truth spell.â
Soon after, Merhen snapped her fingers.
âWhenever you want, you can amplify your senses. To the point where you can even see your pores opening. But donât use it for too long. Itâll put a strain on you.
âYou heard her, right? Go and confirm it. The real truth. Todayâs counseling is over.â
Then, Kim Minwoo handed her a business card.
âKeep it in your inventory. Youâll need it someday.â
Han Siahâs heaviest shackle.
It was her mother.
âThe carrot and the stick.â
When everyone else treated her coldly with contempt.
Only her mother was different.
That was the carrot.
The learning that had continued since childhood eventually developed into dependence.
The person who pretended to give her love, the only love. Thatâs why she was the person Han Siah devoted her most blind love to.
âBreak that first.â
Otherwise, he wouldnât be able to save Han Siah.
* * *
After the counseling session.
She headed to Laura.
âHow was it?â
ââŠNothing much. Merhen? That summoned creature was a bit interesting.â
âHmm. Is that so?â
âYeah.â
Well, it made sense.
If Han Siah were a promising mage, things might be different, but she wasnât really an attractive asset. Of course, nothing special would have happened.
âI, I miss Mom.â
âThatâs true. Has it been a while?â
âItâs been three months.â
âAlright. Letâs go out.â
Laura readily nodded. Her mother was under the care of the Griffs.
She was one of the key tools to control Han Siah. It wasnât difficult to show her off.
They just had to make an appointment.
Even though she was addicted to gambling, she was under the money line, so she would be back on time.
Thus, Laura and Han Siah bought a leave pass.
When they got into the car.
Laura casually asked.
âWhatâs up? You havenât been going to see her lately.â
ââŠI was just a bit sick.â
Her illness had been getting worse lately. She didnât want to show her mother her frail appearance.
Thatâs why she hadnât visited.
But her longing remained the same.
When they arrived at the house.
Laura smiled and said.
âIâll give you plenty of time today. Three hours. Is that enough?â
ââŠâ
Han Siah nodded and headed towards the penthouse elevator.
As she got inside, she took a deep breath.
Her mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. The conversation with Kim Minwoo and Merhen.
And the doubts about her mother.
Everything was tangled up, making her confused.
âNo way. My mother loves me. Definitely.â
Even though she thought so, doubts kept creeping into her mind. The words about giving up her talent. What was the true intention behind those words?
Han Siahâs heart pounded as the elevator stopped.
Soon, the door would open, and her mother would be there.
âWhat if those words were true? If my mother deceived meâŠâ
She hesitated but then shook her head. No, that couldnât be.
Her mother was the only one who had been on her side.
That love must be real.
With trembling hands, she pressed the doorbell. Soon, the door would open, and she would meet her mother.
Then.
âMy daughter, youâre here?â
Her mother, Kim Haeun, appeared.
Gulp.
Han Siah swallowed.
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