I Became a Leader in a Wretched Prison - Chapter 127

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 127

 

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Meanwhile, Helios was in a very perplexing situation.

 

‘Where on earth did Master go?’

 

Master had already told them that they might get separated. So he understood that opening his eyes and not seeing Master made sense.

 

But what made him flustered wasn’t this fact.

 

“So what do you want to say?”

 

In front of him sat a familiar girl. He could also see another familiar face.

 

It was the girl he had seen before in the Mental Kia Space he had entered with Master.

 

And the girl he presumed, no. Was certain was Master’s childhood.

 

The problem was that just like last time when she appeared and barely remained in his memory, this time her face looked blurry.

 

He could make out her expression, but when he tried to picture her face in his mind, it wouldn’t stick in his memory.

 

Even though he was clearly looking at her hair color and eye color, he couldn’t recognize or remember them.

 

It felt like cognitive dissonance.

 

The girl appeared more grown up than when he had seen her in the previous space.

 

The middle-aged woman sitting next to the girl came to mind the moment he saw her. She was likewise someone he had seen in the previous space.

 

The one Master called ‘Mama’. The Boss of the prisoners.

 

“Mama.”

 

If there was a difference from before, it was that the girl casually called the middle-aged woman ‘Marla’ as ‘Mama’.

 

She seemed to have detested it before.

 

As he watched, something strange happened once more.

 

The hair color he couldn’t recognize gradually changed and became jet black.

 

Her face was the same.

 

‘That’s…’

 

It was the face he had seen when he went out for the first special examination.

 

Helios wondered what on earth this was. Master had said she was the ‘protagonist’ or that there would be a separate ‘protagonist’.

 

One of those two people must be the protagonist.

 

“My goodness, my goodness. My goodness. Little one. There’s something on your cheek!”

 

“…What damn thing now.”

 

“Ta-da! Cuteness was stuck on it.”

 

The girl swatted away Mama’s hand that was roughly stroking her head. Actually, from Helios’s perspective, he couldn’t tell if that was stroking or if she was determined to pull out her hair.

 

He finally understood why Master’s hand was so rough when stroking heads.

 

That’s how she had learned it.

 

“I don’t know how many times I have to say it for you to understand. I’m not as young as I look, you know?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Everyone lives thinking that way. I thought that way before I turned twenty, and even after I turned twenty, you know?”

 

Watching them felt a little fascinating.

 

When he had come to the Mental Kia Space before, the girl who had been much smaller was more prickly and filled with anger.

 

Of course, that was only momentary, as that feeling disappeared when he spoke and acted like the current Master.

 

“…It’s different from that kind of thing. I never intended to believe it in the first place.”

 

“Mama believes everything you say though?”

 

“Ah, forget it.”

 

The appearance of the girl who had grown a little compared to when he briefly saw her before was surprisingly somewhat softened and gave off a somewhat fluffy, cushion-like gentle feeling.

 

Yes, she looked comfortable.

 

“So what about this friend?”

 

Helios focused on this seemingly peaceful situation. Considering this was the 90th Floor, a sudden incident might occur at any moment.

 

Or those figures might attack him.

 

Helios’s face became serious.

 

If the young Master attacked him… would he be able to hit back?

 

When she’s so pretty? So cute?

 

Helios, who had thought this far, buried his face in his hands. His ears had turned red.

 

Thus, he failed to notice that ‘Mama’, who had been having a conversation, glanced at him briefly.

 

Since it was only for an instant.

 

Helios decided to wait around them anyway.

 

“I had a precious friend in the past. Did I mention that already?”

 

“Well, something like that. I don’t know why you’re curious about this kind of thing.”

 

The girl muttered while resting her chin on her hand. She also absently played with her hair that appeared black to Helios’s eyes.

 

“The name is ‘Jiho’. I’m telling you this so you’ll stop asking now.”

 

“Ji-o?”

 

“Jiho.”

 

Though the girl repeated it several times to teach her. Mama couldn’t pronounce it properly.

 

Helios, who was watching, moved his mouth to try. ‘Jiho’. After repeating it several times, a similar name flowed from him.

 

The girl’s, no. ‘Mint’ and ‘Pakha’s’ eyes quietly deepened.

 

Pakha had shown abnormal tendencies from childhood in Korea and had long ago been told by a specialist that she ‘shows antisocial personality disorder tendencies.’

 

“So, does that mean our child can’t grow up to be a normal person?”

 

“That’s not the case. For children with these tendencies. The innate tendencies they’re born with… And your daughter’s tendencies are somewhat prominent but not at a serious level.”

 

Lack of empathy ability. Pakha received this diagnosis while also being recognized for her high intelligence.

 

Thus, young Pakha realized after returning from the hospital.

 

That from this point on, her parents had either given up on her or abandoned her.

 

Abandonment doesn’t only mean dumping someone at a government agency. She had become an invisible person within the family.

 

“Honey, I get chills just looking at that kid!”

 

But Pakha was fine. Because she didn’t know what being not fine meant.

 

Rather, it was good that she no longer had to meet strange people under the name of counseling or treatment that had been somewhat tedious.

 

Her parents had jobs where social reputation was important. Pakha could at least live economically well-off.

 

From going to kindergarten to attending school, Pakha’s tendency to refuse treatment became even more pronounced while showing no signs of improvement.

 

At least it was fortunate that her impulsiveness was less severe. On the surface, she didn’t look different from ordinary people.

 

However, this was only on the surface – children who approached Pakha would invariably shake their heads and turn away.

 

Pakha realized through observing others that she could live like them, or even more cunningly. But she didn’t do so.

 

Her parents had told her never to bring shame, and Pakha still considered herself immature. She was even more inadequate at perfect mimicry.

 

It was during this time that she met ‘Jiho’.

 

He was a friend with a peculiar personality.

 

He was a friend who kept approaching Pakha again and again, even though others wouldn’t come near because they found her ominous, even though her parents constantly yelled and condemned her.

 

“Pakha, why is everything always so okay with you?”

 

“…? Because it’s okay. That’s why it’s okay.”

 

In Pakha’s judgment, lacking imagination as she was, Jiho was like cotton candy.

 

Something that fluttered easily, fragile enough to melt and scatter at the slightest stimulus, but gave sweetness, joy, and delight.

 

Jiho’s family was different from Pakha’s family – they were picturesquely peaceful and affectionate like those in dramas.

 

His meddlesome nature and inability to ignore the isolated probably stemmed from this.

 

However, since Mint didn’t know love and couldn’t understand the concept of affection,

 

She learned through Jiho. How to become the child that peers would like most.

 

In the same vein, she began copying what Jiho liked.

 

If I like everything he likes, that should work.

 

Jiho liked her without knowing anything.

 

“Pakha, you’re absolutely not weird. Your parents are the weird ones. They won’t let you smile, and I’ve never seen you cry tears… But that’s okay!”

 

“…”

 

Because he said everything was okay, Pakha also lived no differently from ordinary children around this time.

 

Thus, when she came to her senses at some point, Pakha had grown to care for Jiho enough that she would unhesitatingly bring a chair down on the heads of bullies if they picked on him.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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