The following days were strangely quiet. The system's quests became rarer, more observational, as if it were recalibrated its instruments after Kim-Do's "atypical" response. The synchronicity penalty was felt; the flashes of the real Kim-Do became blurrier, more distant, like a poorly tuned radio station. Part of him, paradoxically, felt lighter. He was a little less of a ghost in a machine, and a little more... himself, whoever that person was.
But this lightness was precarious. The faction was under tension. The violence against Dae-Ho had imposed a fearful respect, but it had also created a rift. Choi Yu-Ra was still following him, but his eyes were more questioning. She felt that the floor was slipping away from her boss's feet.
Lee Min-Ji avoided it. When their paths crossed, she averted her eyes, her face closed. His "luring" was indeed dead, pulverized in the school toilet. She no longer sought to understand her "redemption." She had seen the beast, and now she knew she was still there, lurking beneath the surface.
It was in this precarious calm that Kang Seong made his movement.
He approached Kim-Do while he was alone in the library, not with his usual irony, but with direct clinical curiosity.
"The incident with Dae-Ho was instructive," he began, without preamble, sitting in front of him. "This was not the style of former Kim-Do. He would have hit harder, faster, and wouldn't have protected the target. Nor was it the style of the new Kim-Do, the one seeking the Council's approval. So what was it?"
Kim-Do looked up from his book, keeping his mask of coldness. That's all."
"No," Kang Seong contradicted, shaking his head. "It was personal. You acted out of anger. Not by strategy. The anger of someone who is... trapped."
The word echoed in the silence of the library. Trapped. Kang Seong was closer to the truth than he thought.
"What do you want, Kang Seong?"
Same thing as always. "I think you're hiding something much more interesting than a simple crisis of consciousness." And I'm willing to pay to find out."
"With what?" asked Kim-Do, suspiciously.
"With information that no one else has," Kang Seong whispered as he leaned over. "I know who really caused Tae-min to provoke you. It wasn't Jin-Ho."
The revelation struck Kim-Do as a shock. He had always assumed that Jin-Ho was behind this.
"Who?"
Kang Seong smiled. "Not so fast. Information against information. Tell me what really changed in you, and I'll give you the name."
It was a deal with the devil. Kang Seong was a collector of truths. To give him a piece of his own was to give him immense power. But knowing your real enemy...
VZZT.
A new quest appeared, simple and straightforward.
"'
[QUEST: THE SHOMB MARKET]
Objective: To accept or reject the exchange offered by Kang Seong.
• Consequence Acceptance: Obtaining crucial information. Loss of a fragment of your truth.
Consequence Refusal: Keeping the secret. The identity of the instigator remains unknown.
Reward/Penalty: Depends on choice.
"'
The system didn't push it in one direction. He watched, waiting to see how he would navigate this new dilemma.
Kim-Do looked at Kang Seong. The observer smiled confidently. He was sure that Kim-Do's thirst for knowledge would prevail.
But Kim-Do was fed up with lies, half-truths and bargains. He was tired of playing. The failure of conflicting quests had taught him one thing: trying to satisfy everyone led to madness. Maybe it was time to start satisfying himself.
"No," he said calmly.
Kang Seong's smile faded. "No?"
"No. I don't make that deal. Keep your information. I'll find it by myself."
The surprise on Kang Seong's face was a rare and satisfying sight. He had lost. His most valuable weapon - juicy information - had been rejected.
"It's... an interesting choice," admitted Kang Seong, standing up. His gaze was now imbued with a new respect, mixed with caution. "You become unpredictable. It's a dangerous quality."
He left, leaving Kim-Do alone with his choice.
VZZT.
"'
[QUEST ACCOMPLITY: THE SHOMB MARKET (Refusal) ]
Reputation with Kang Seong modified: "Unforeseeable" -> "Potential Danger."
+ No information obtained.
+ No information given.
EVALUATION: The host focuses on preserving its informational integrity over gaining a tactical advantage. New recorded data.]
"'
There was no tangible reward. Only the bitter satisfaction of having held on. And the knowledge that Kang Seong now saw him as a "potential danger." It was perhaps a better position than being seen as a pawn or a mystery to be solved.
Leaving the library, Kim-Do felt a change. The world around him had not changed, but his perception had. He had refused a power play. He had acted on his own terms, however thin they might be.
He looked up and saw Joon, standing on the other side of the courtyard, looking at him. The regulator was not smiling. He did not look his usual enigmatic. He looked... serious. Concerned, even.
For the first time, Kim-Do felt that he was not just an experimental subject, but a real actor on the board. An unpredictable actor whose movements were beginning to disrupt the game itself.
He still didn't know who he was or why he was here. But he was beginning to understand one thing: he refused to be the character that others - the system, Joon, Kang Seong, or even the real Kim-Do - wanted him to be.
Failure may not have been an end. Perhaps it was the only true beginning that was offered to him. The beginning of something new, chaotic, and perhaps, liberating.