—At the restaurant where The Fool had directed the rescued won—
....
"Help! Please help us!"
Cries erupted from the group of won as they rushed into the restaurant. Their desperate voices and distressed appearances imdiately drew the attention of the diners.
Everyone could see it—they had just escaped sothing terrible.
A few people didn't hesitate to rush forward, concern etched on their faces.
"What happened? We need to help them!" one person shouted as others followed suit, trying to comfort and assist the shaken won.
But not everyone moved with the sa urgency or compassion.
So just stood there—phones raised—more focused on recording the scene than offering any real help.
Eyes glued to their screens, they captured the tears and terror instead of asking if anyone was hurt.
The contrast was jarring: strangers trying to offer blankets, water, and safety... while others chased likes and shares.
"At last, Patricia... we made it out," said a woman nad Claire, her voice trembling as she looked at the girl beside her—soone who, like her, had beco a friend through shared tragedy.
"Yes, Claire... finally, I'll be able to see my father again," Patricia replied with teary eyes, her voice soft but filled with emotion.
Monts later, the owner of the restaurant arrived, visibly disturbed by the crowd of onlookers filming the scene instead of helping.
"Enough!" he barked, scolding those who stood around just recording. "This is not a circus."
He called his staff and imdiately took action, instructing them to gently assist the won into a spacious private area at the back of the restaurant. There, bowls of warm soup and glasses of clean water were prepared for each of them—simple but comforting after the horrors they had endured.
The won, still shaken and starving, didn't hesitate. They quietly settled into the seats offered to them, their eyes weary but grateful.
With firm authority, the restaurant owner then dispersed the crowd of gossiping bystanders and social dia voyeurs, finally giving the survivors a mont of peace.
At last, after what felt like an eternity of darkness, the rescued won could breathe... and begin to feel safe again.
While the won were quietly eating, a sudden flash report appeared on the restaurant's television screen. As expected, it was breaking news about the won who had just arrived—survivors of a horrifying ordeal.
A leaked video, now circulating on social dia, was briefly shown in the report. In it, the voices of VIPs and Pastor Jun's host could be clearly heard discussing their support for his campaign. The audio captured how won were being treated like re objects—auctioned off, passed around like toys, without the slightest trace of humanity.
Then ca the second clip.
The reporter revealed another video showing the aftermath—the once-lively, boastful VIPs, now lying dead on the floor, their lifeless bodies scattered throughout the venue. All had been executed by the mysterious figure now being talked about across the country: The Fool. The Fool's ssage played at the end of the video, clearly stating his reason for the massacre—that these people were the kind who deserved to disappear from this world.
As the footage played, everyone in the restaurant—the rescued won, the staff, even the owner—sat in stunned silence. No one dared to speak.
Out of respect for the victims, the restaurant owner quietly walked over and turned off the television. He then instructed his staff to leave the won in peace, allowing them to finish their al in privacy—free, at least for now, from any more reminders of the nightmare they had just survived.
"I want to see The Fool again," Claire said softly, her eyes fixed on her food as she sat across from Patricia.
Patricia looked up at her, puzzled. "Aren't you scared of him? I an... that mask he wears is terrifying. And he killed so many people."
But Claire shook her head and spoke firmly. "If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be alive right now. We would've been..." She paused, holding back the tremble in her voice. "He didn't kill innocent people, Patricia. He ended monsters."
Patricia fell silent, watching the unwavering conviction in Claire's eyes. There was no fear there—only admiration.
Claire smiled faintly, her voice steady and sincere. "Whoever he really is under that mask... from this day on, I'll support him no matter what. As long as I'm alive."
Monts later, a commotion erupted in the restaurant. Loud shouting echoed from the entrance as soone forcefully tried to push their way inside, repeating over and over that a relative of his was among the rescued girls. Despite the staff's attempts to stop him, the man burst through—determined and unstoppable.
It was Kevin.
His eyes scanned the crowd of frightened girls until they landed on the person he ca for—his cousin, Claire.
"Kevin!!" Claire cried out the mont she saw him, her voice trembling with both shock and overwhelming relief. She ran toward him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly like a long-lost older brother.
"Kevin... thank you... thank you for coming."
Kevin, breathless and tense just seconds ago, finally exhaled deeply as the weight on his shoulders lifted. The mont he saw Claire safe, sothing inside him softened.
The restaurant staff, realizing the two were related, stepped back and let them be. Claire turned to her friend Patricia and gave her a warm hug.
"I'll be going now. Kevin's here to take ho," she said gently.
Patricia nodded, her smile tinged with sadness but sincere. "I'm happy for you, Claire. At least you're going back to soone who's been searching for you."
Their eyes lingered on each other for a few seconds longer before Claire followed Kevin out, hand in hand with the one person she knew she could trust.
......
While inside a taxi on the way ho, Kevin turned to his cousin, Claire, checking on her with concern.
"Are you alright? Is anything hurting? Is there sothing I can do?" he asked softly.
But to his surprise, Claire wasn't crying or trembling like he expected. Instead, her face was lit up with an expression full of hope—she was smiling.
Kevin raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "You're smiling? After everything that just happened? What's going on?"
Claire turned to him, her eyes gleaming.
"Kevin," she said with a giggle, "I think I just t the person I want to marry!"
Kevin burst out laughing and lightly smacked her on the head. "What the hell are you talking about? You're way too young to be thinking about marriage!"
But his laughter faded the mont he asked, "Wait... who exactly is this guy you're talking about?"
Claire smiled sweetly, her cheeks flushed with excitent. "The Fool," she whispered dreamily. "Whoever that man is behind the mask... I'll marry him no matter what."
Kevin's expression turned stone cold. His eyes narrowed, and his chest tightened. A strange mix of emotions hit him all at once—shock, dread, frustration, and a rising fury he couldn't quite suppress.
The Fool.
The very man Kevin, as the Moon Arcana, had sworn to hunt down and kill.
The sa man his cousin now admired... even adored.
But as Claire leaned on his shoulder with the most genuine smile he'd ever seen her wear, Kevin clenched his fists silently and kept his rage buried deep.
He didn't want to ruin that smile—at least not tonight.
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