Chapter 21: The new protagonist is ...
By now, more than five minutes had passed, yet the fight between the two entities under the open sky continued in full swing. If one wasn’t familiar with the context, it would look like a bizarre scene of a woman dancing with no music, craziness just leaking blood all over. But to the students huddling around, they could only hope for the best. Currently, the timers on their phones had stopped, but who knew for how long that would be the case?
Meanwhile, Cha Hwa Rim was in a deep altered state, in a dimension that felt beyond the physical world and the visions. It was just a huge void filled with different Cha Hwa Rims. It could even be called the Land of Cha Hwa Rims. There was the golden ethereal Cha Hwa Rim, then there was the gangster Cha Hwa Rim, then there was the Cha Hwa Rim made of darkness, and finally there was the cold Cha Hwa Rim, each of them trying to take control of something that was shrouded in fog.
Dan Woo, who was in a state of fragmentation, was now losing his own sense of self. He wasn’t even sure if he was Dan Woo or Cha Hwa Rim. He saw all the versions of Cha Hwa Rim fight and hurt each other, yet the more they fought each other, the more they hurt themselves, as the physical body was incurring a severe amount of damage, bleeding through all her orifices.
Why were they fighting?
He couldn’t help but ask the question.
Then, suddenly, he could see that there was some kind of merging and melding between the fragmented pieces as various memories flooded into his own mind. A massive amount of pain, agony, and rage flooded his system, the darkness threatening to drive him mad.
No... that isn’t me. No... that isn’t me.
Dan Woo started to chant to himself, as all the Cha Hwa Rims followed suit.
The psychological torment was beyond what they all could handle, making them cease their fighting and simply curl up into balls as they slowly merged into a more and more uniform Cha Hwa Rim. Yet through this, there was a torrent of despair and rage, making the outward physical shell of Cha Hwa Rim start raging with malevolent energy.
Dan Woo could no longer have a grasp of his own identity, becoming completely assimilated by the fragmentation of Cha Hwa Rim as his thoughts and actions grew deeper and darker.
Outside, the brilliant tattoos of Cha Hwa Rim turned back into a swirl of ink as everything around the area began dissolving into mist, a whirlwind of energy. All the buildings, students—everything became mist, with only Im Nari standing in the middle of it, slowly being choked by the heaviness of what she couldn’t understand as a valley of ghost-like beings floated around her. She couldn’t understand what was happening.
"I am the Skeleton."
The words reverberated through the mist as a familiar mirror reflected the amalgamations of Cha Hwa Rim.
Im Nari could see hints of the different Cha Hwa Rims, but with a haziness, as if she were glimpsing an illusion, when suddenly another different version of the same Cha Hwa Rim appeared. As this happened, the mist seemed to recede as the mirror became more clear, and the familiar bathroom—the one where everything began—came into view. Yet the mirror reflected back the mist and haze of the battle between the four different Cha Hwa Rims.
"Im Nari!" the Cha Hwa Rim outside the mist, on the other side of the mirror, called out.
Im Nari was still confused as to what was going on.
"Im Nari," the Cha Hwa Rim next to Im Nari called out to her again.
Im Nari turned to the Cha Hwa Rim beside her.
"What is happening?"
"No time to explain. Do you still have the app closet?"
"Closet?" the stunned Im Nari asked as her mind seemed to register something. "Right," she said as she turned to look at the app, yet when she opened it to take a look, it seemed to be broken or malfunctioning.
She turned to the Cha Hwa Rim outside the mist and mirror.
"It’s still here, but it seems broken as it isn’t opening into the interface."
"That’s okay. We can still use it to stabilize Cha Hwa Rim. Quick, give me your phone. I need to save my sister."
Im Nari unconsciously gave her phone to the Cha Hwa Rim next to her, the mix of bizarre events still not fully registering within her consciousness.
The Cha Hwa Rim outside the mirror took up her shamanic tools as she started to prepare for a ritual. Soon enough, she started to chant, using her daggers, fans, and all sorts of ritual implements, her energy directed toward both Im Nari’s phone and the anomalous mirror.
A slow stream of energy started to penetrate the mirror, reaching into the mist where the four fragmented Cha Hwa Rims were still fighting and merging. As the energy permeated the mist, it came with a message.
Dan Woo was merely less than a wisp now, yet he felt this string of energy immediately, recognizing it. It was the patron deity Cha Hwa Rim had been praying to. When he came into contact with this message, something seemed to click inside him as the churning chaos of all the Cha Hwa Rims settled.
The memory of his visit to Dr. Kyung Ju Yeon came back to him as clarity washed over him.
Is this what was referred to as the shadow?
He thought to himself as he looked within, where he saw the malevolent spirit of Cha Hwa Rim lash out, her pain and memories playing all over his mind. The faces were vivid, the laughs glaring. He could understand Cha Hwa Rim’s wishes clearly.
"I have heard your plea," Dan Woo began. "I will make sure they all face the retribution they deserve."
Once Dan Woo said this, the violent churning and fragmentation of Cha Hwa Rim seemed to stop, coming to a standstill as Cha Hwa Rim’s fluctuating tattoos took on their original form of lotuses and butterflies.
Dan Woo’s eyes turned back to the App Closet and the information within it.
"What an irony," he muttered.
Now he understood the situation. The ghost, the Closet, and the anomaly were all him. Well, not him, but the anomalous expression of the dead Cha Hwa Rim given form.
He immediately deleted the app, and as he did, the mist that was dancing across the mirror spilled forth, spitting out the tattoo-filled Cha Hwa Rim as she phased out of the mirror. Seeing this happen, Im Nari was so terrified that she fell to the floor, yet the younger Cha Hwa Rim immediately ran toward the older one.
"Unnie... is that you?" she asked as she hugged her elder sister.
"You have worked hard, Cha Ha Rin," the figure said.
As the words landed, a soft chime rang.
[Ding]
[Achievement: Phoenix rises from the Ashes acquired]
[Character Name: Cha Hwa Rim]
[Portrayal: Very Good]
{Performance Tension: B+
Character Essence: A+
Presence Consistency: B-
Line Delivery and Authenticity: A-
Physical Embodiment: B+
Evaluation: B+
Reward: Pending}
[Domain Expansion Available. Would you like to claim this domain?]
[Y/N]
Dan Woo was still reeling from all that he had experienced as his eyes turned to look at the timer.
7:23:57:03...02...01
He had finally made it.
Yet...
He looked at the words before him.
Did he really want this to be under his domain?
He thought back to all his experiences throughout the instance and the flood of memories as those evil faces cropped back up. He had made a promise to the real Cha Hwa Rim. Now, looking down at the younger sister hugging him as though she were scared he would disappear, his mind fell into deep contemplation.
Suddenly, the sound of heavy machinery could be heard outside.
Immediately after, the sound of a huge number of people stomping through the area, glass shattering, and doors being broken down startled him.
Who could it be?
His mind raced as familiar memories came flooding back.
Could it be Blood Mark Society?
Cha Hwa Rim’s eyes landed on Cha Ha Rin, whom he had promised to protect, and Im Nari—both young teenage girls who didn’t know the violence that gangs could bring about.
Without another thought, he accepted.
[New Domain Acquired: Hanseong Academy for Ghosts]
[Title: Ghost of Retribution acquired]
[Reward: Personification (derivative of Portrayal and Incarnation) – Taboo Tattoo]
Immediately after the domain was acquired, Dan Woo could feel his senses expand throughout the school as he saw a number of armed people making their way through the compound.
A wild, crazy smile couldn’t help but creep onto her face as her heart pounded.
As this happened, Dan Woo couldn’t help but think back to where it all started.
He had wished to have a female main character who would survive through horrors and do some cool action-hero-type stuff.
Wasn’t this that exact scenario?
He couldn’t help but chuckle as the tattoos all over her began to glow with a brilliant golden light.
If his protagonist didn’t want to be the protagonist, he might as well take that mantle.
And just like that, he burst through the doors.