14. Monster Poison

What is love born out of pain?

***

Working on some designs to earn some pocket money is all I can do today. After having such a strange nightmare, I felt that if I just stayed silent, I would end up in a mental hospital. I didn't want to go there. So I decided to use my meager skills to do a little work. My savings were running low anyway; maybe it was time I got back to work and stopped thinking about something useless.

The stranger who offered me that strange job never showed up again either. Wait, let me correct my previous sentence. I think I met that strange man again, but strangely, I don't remember what I talked to him about. The only thing I can remember is when I met him and saw his face; the rest is nothing. The nightmare that haunted me was so vague that I couldn't remember it anymore this morning. Everything was so gray in my mind.

***

"What a pity. It seems that someone who resembles me can die this easily," said Fallen with a flat face. She was disappointed as she saw Judas' body hanging clearly before her eyes.

Fallen turned around and left the place. Although she felt a little disappointed, she was honestly happy. The freak had done his job very well. Fallen was glad that she had never soiled her hands in this world. Even though she tended to feel bored because she could not touch anything, In this world, there were already other people who moved very quickly.

"You've been working very hard." "You impatient bastard," Fallen muttered to himself.

It looked like a bottle of soju would taste even sweeter to accompany this day. Fallen couldn't wait to buy a bottle of soju and drink it while enjoying the tense atmosphere that had begun to be created.

That was how monsters preyed on their victims. It loves to feed on weak people, especially those who are afraid of it. Weak people who are easily scared will be eaten until there is nothing left.

The monster will never feel full. It will always be hungry. Its stomach will always rumble. The earth is the best place to find prey for him.

***

Today, my mood is really bad. My mind is always filled with difficulties. It seems that when I think about things like this, it often makes me feel restless and alone.

I stared at my computer screen for a long time; the design I made was almost finished. Soon, all this work will be completed. It's just that even though I've worked on many designs, I can't avoid my bad thoughts at the moment.

***

"Why do you look sad, Kasabake-kun?" Irene looked at her husband, who seemed to be dreamily looking out of the room.

"Kamo-chan, do you know what makes this world filled with sadness?" Michael looked very melancholy.

"I don't know; I don't understand that either. You know that I have a hard time understanding such feelings myself," Irene said honestly. "To be honest, I'm a little jealous of you, who has a much easier time understanding emotional things."

Michael turned to look at Irene with a slightly apologetic look on his face. "Sorry. I just always forget to deal with my emotional side." Michael knew that his wife had some difficulty understanding emotional matters. Irene was a stark contrast to him.

"Don't apologize. Every time you say sorry, it feels like you've made a mistake to me." Irene pinched Michael's cheek.

Michael smiled slightly as Irene pinched his cheek.

"The world is always filled with sadness because it goes hand in hand with life. As long as there is such a thing as life, there will always be problems. Unless that life is over, then the problems will never arise again and the sadness will have disappeared, along with life itself," Irene said in a calm voice.

Hearing Irene say that made Michael a little surprised. Irene's words had just made him realize something important.

"Irene, I want to create something that cannot disappear forever from this world," Michael said excitedly.

Irene's eyes rounded in disbelief that Michael would say such a thing.

***

"Rain, do you think it would be better to see the world end or the world continue?" asked Michael. The man's face looked very serious now.

"I don't know. I think if the world ends and I die with you and Irene, then everything will be fine for me. But if the world continues without you two, then things will be bad for me," Rain replied.

"Is that what you think?" Michael began to doubt his question.

"Yes," Rain replied. "By the way, why did you ask that question earlier?"

"I was just curious," Michael replied.

***

That day Irene died, she was trapped in a huge fire. Her body was burned to a crisp. Meanwhile, Michael died with a hole in his head. He was shot by someone right in the head.

That day I saw hell, and I also saw my family die horribly. Because of that, I, who am still alive today, continue to hope to be able to continue living as well as possible. I want everything to go back to normal, just as it was before as if nothing had ever happened.

That day, love and obsession were born at the same time. Love was born from dry and barren soil. I had a great desire to water it with the water of life, called affection.

***

In the future, things can happen in both exciting and terrifying ways. Some things that are impossible become possible. Humans who don't want their lives to end just like that create immortality for themselves.

One of those amazing creations is the invention of the immortal serum, or Oksi-Zoe, in 2001. The serum is so great that someone who is almost on the verge of death will return to health if they have been injected with it. Although the serum was extraordinary, it wasn't perfect. The serum was still in the experimental stage. Plus, the serum would never be successfully developed because the person who created it had died.

Oksi-Zoe's 2001 serum was created to extend human life. But when the serum was developed, many problems came with it. Some people were against the development of the serum, but others were in favor.

Oksi-Zoe 2001 was expected, especially by large companies. People with high positions and important reputations were eying it. The serum was highly desired. However, its creator regretted his decision to create the serum. Even the moment before his death arrived, the creator of the serum tried to destroy the serum along with his existence.