Chick SS1
by CristaeSide Story 1: Mother
Milal Orphanage.
Chloe read the building’s plaque once more.
Holding the child tightly, as if to shield her from the cold snowflakes brushing her cheek.
Now, it really was time to say goodbye.
That thought made her heart pound uncontrollably.
Had she forgotten anything?
There were so many things she wanted to give, but there was only one thing she could offer now.
She carefully slipped a note, inscribed with “Han Groo,” into the bundle swaddling the child.
Now all that was left was to leave the child and walk away.
But her feet refused to move.
She had agonized over other possibilities time and again.
She’d once thought On Suhyeong or On Joorim might be able to protect her child.
But, as always, her world was fraught with trouble.
Chloe recalled the time she’d secretly watched On Suhyeong.
Standing in front of On Ijo’s memorial, sobbing in grief, On Suhyeong was surrounded by reporters, all brandishing cameras and cell phones—seeing in his tears nothing but a newsworthy scoop.
It was a horrifying sight.
After On Ijo’s death, word of Doan Group’s collusion with the government leaked, and On Suhyeong and On Joorim’s every move became food for the media.
They were both trapped in their own mires, unable to escape.
In the end, Chloe had to find another way to protect her child—a way she could manage herself.
Carefully, she set the child down and pressed the doorbell.
Bzzz—
Awakened by the unfamiliar sound, the small child reached for her mother.
Chloe smiled faintly and reached to take her hand, but just then footsteps sounded from inside.
Chloe hurriedly turned away, haunted by the memory of that tiny, gentle hand stretching for her. The tears quivering at her chin, she could not bring herself to wipe away.
Those people came for Chloe less than a day later.
Crash!
PMC (Private Military Company) mercenaries, hired by the Company, burst in with a tremendous crash.
They tore through the house, searching every inch for Chloe.
Seated on the bed in a hidden room, Chloe gently stroked the empty cradle.
It hadn’t been long since she’d sent Groo to the orphanage.
She’d sensed something was wrong and moved quickly—her instincts had served her well.
“She’s not here!”
“Nothing here, either!”
“The target’s inside the house! Keep searching!”
They were seasoned mercenaries.
A hidden room wouldn’t keep her safe for long.
Chloe stared at the door they would soon break through, then opened a drawer and drew a knife.
A knife she had prepared for this day.
Death was inevitable—but how she faced it, she could choose for herself.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid.
Chloe closed her eyes, recalling the warmth of her little daughter.
There are things that must be protected, even if it means overcoming every terror.
Yes, something she would protect, no matter what.
Her research had proven it: the system responded to the intense will of sentient beings—regardless of the goodness, evil, or intent behind it.
‘Then it will react to my will.’
Because nothing could be stronger now.
‘Especially now.’
Chloe turned the knife, pointing the blade toward herself.
‘On the verge of death, human longing grows even greater.’
Crash!
“We’ve found the target!”
She smiled at the gun trained on her—and, in one motion, slit her own throat.
Failed to die instantly due to immediate medical aid, but her goal had been achieved.
She had succeeded in planting her consciousness within Groo’s mind.
[Title: Mom Loves Groo Too Much (Locked)]
Waves crashed.
Buried in the sand, Chloe exhaled. Her mouth was filled with salty grains of sand.
‘Sand…?’
For someone whose spirit had hidden so long inside Groo’s consciousness, the sensation of reality was astoundingly fresh.
She staggered to her feet. The white dress fluttered in the sea breeze, kicking up sand.
‘This is…’
A deserted beach.
Far away, she thought she heard the voice of the man she’d once promised to meet.
She gazed out at the setting horizon. The deep red light wrinkled her brow.
Even so, she lingered there, looking out at the sinking sun.
Inhaling, the scent of the sea filled her lungs.
Her feet, wet from the sea, felt cool, the breaking waves gentle.
Life.
A vivid sense of life, more intense than she’d ever known.
She touched the tears streaming down her cheeks—unaware of their flow—when—
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Small footsteps sounded.
She knew whose they were by instinct alone. Instantly, she turned around.
A tiny figure was running toward her.
Chloe let her tears burn her vision.
The child opened her arms wide.
Chloe joyfully swept her child up into her embrace.
The softness of skin, the warmth of a little body—sensations she’d yearned for, cradling that empty cradle.
Nothing had ever felt so real, so overwhelming.
She forgot to breathe, covering the child’s face with kisses.
She had always wanted to hold her like this.
My baby.
Chloe stood with sparkling eyes and a hint of awkwardness amid the people gathered around her.
On Suhyeong, On Ijo, On Joorim, even On Groo…
The whole On family, waiting for her to speak.
Only the crash of waves filled the silence between them.
With the air so tense, Chloe decided to ask the polite first question.
“Where am I?”
At once, Groo—clinging to Chloe’s leg—answered, as if she’d been waiting for the moment.
“It’s Uncle’s prison!”
“My prison,”
Ijo added happily, following Groo’s lead.
“Ah, prison.”
Chloe nodded matter-of-factly, and Groo continued her explanation.
“Uncle has to stay here for twenty years.”
“Oh, twenty years.”
“It’s not so bad. There are coconuts.”
Ijo replied flippantly, and slap! Chloe smacked his back.
“Ow…”
Realizing his mistake, Ijo looked apologetically at Chloe, then, wilted by her chilly gaze, clamped his mouth shut.
Joorim smirked at how pitiful his older brother suddenly looked.
“Ah.”
At that moment, Chloe lifted a hand, now dissolving into grains of sand.
“M-mom’s hand!”
While Groo went white and trembled, Chloe gazed down at her disintegrating body with scientific calm.
“This body isn’t complete. I’ll have to avoid any major shocks.”
“Mama!”
“Cici!”
Groo and Ijo whimpered as they clung to Chloe from either side.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“It’s alright. I’m not hurt at all.”
Reassuring the child, Chloe turned—with both Groo and Ijo hanging from her arms—to face Joorim and Suhyeong.
“It’s nice to meet you at last, Chairman On. I apologize for our meeting under these circumstances.”
“Not at all. I’m just so grateful we could meet, Dr. Han, even like this.”
Suheyeong spoke calmly, but his voice was quivering with emotions he could not suppress. He turned away for a moment, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief.
While he composed himself, Chloe exchanged a glance of greeting with Joorim before asking,
“Was it Groo who revived this body for me?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“No. Only waking up in the sand… nothing else.”
Joorim nodded.
“It’s chilly—let’s go to the house and talk.”
“There’s a house?”
From beside Chloe, Ijo chimed in.
“There’s a bed, too.”
At Chloe’s look, which seemed to say, ‘You must be pleased,’ Ijo bashfully smiled and lowered his gaze.
“Let’s go talk inside.”
Chloe, feeling Groo’s little hand cold in her own, took the lead and began to walk.