[Mysterious voice] "You cannot escape from your crimes. Accept your fate and embrace it."A closed his eyes. "I am not running away this time."A finally jumped from the edge of the mountain. He fell while looking upward at the edge, where K was watching him."I accept my crimes. I can't run anymore."A suddenly stopped falling and hung in the middle of the air."What? I am levitating? But…"K's voice echoed, "Open your eyes. Truly this time."A blinked. He found himself standing on the ground."So this is all an illusion created by you?" A asked.K replied calmly, "Illusion or not, I proved a point—how easily humans let others use them for their benefit."A spoke in a low voice, "Stop messing with my memories."K replied, "Your memories? Are they truly yours? Or are they just made to make you believe they happened in the past? Think, A. Think. Are those events truly what took place, or is there a completely different story? A story so bad that you completely forgot what truly happened in the past."K stood in front of him. "Think, A. What if nothing happened in the past the way you remember? You had a completely different life. You were an orphan. You had friends. You never worked in the Lotus Hotel. That hotel never even existed. You never faced bullying in your school days."A was stunned. He started seeing memories as K described them."I… I… was not an orph…an. Then why… am I seeing it?"K walked over, placed a hand on his shoulder, and leaned close to whisper in his ear, "You are too easy to manipulate. Just a few words and you start questioning your own memories—just like others."K now looked directly into his eyes. "Tell me, A. What are your true memories? Or do you just not remember them?"The memories kept playing in A's mind. Each one was a different story."I can't… That hotel incident—I remember it. But why does the orphan story keep replaying in my head? Everything is messing up. What am I…? My memories… they are overlapping… My head…"K laughed. "Fascinating. How easily you believe my stories. In reality, the Lotus Hotel incident really happened. Every event happened as you remember it. I just wanted to see how much pressure you could hold before you break. Look at yourself."A covered his face with his hands. He was barely holding his emotions. "Stop messing with my head."He lowered his hands and looked at K. Both started walking without speaking a single word and entered a door. They were now standing on top of a hill, looking down at a small village.Finally, A spoke. "Are you going to show me another destruction in this village?"K sat on the ground and said, "Not this time. This village is peaceful. Look at how everyone here lives their life in peace."A sat beside him. "I know there is some kind of destruction or event that will take place soon. That's why you brought me here."K removed his mask and held it in his hand. A noticed his face looked weak.K asked, "Do you want to hear a little story?"A nodded. He noticed his watch start working again.K began speaking, "A long time ago, there was a village with no valuable resources and little connection to modern society. The villagers trusted each other. One day, a rich man arrived in the village. He was lost in the forest. The villagers helped him."A noticed a rich-looking person standing in the middle of the village. K continued, "The villagers took care of him and even helped him return to the city. One month later, the rich man returned."A saw days and nights passing in the blink of an eye. K continued, "He didn't return empty-handed. He brought gifts and many things for all the villagers. He announced that from that day on, he would take care of the village as a reward for the kindness they had shown him. Everyone in the village became happy. But there was a boy who felt something was not right."A noticed the hands of the watch moving a little slower. K continued, "Days and nights turned into months."A saw the watch hands moving faster. He noticed the crops in the fields starting to die. K continued, "The boy still believed the rich man was planning something. He tried many times to warn everyone, but no one believed him. Due to frustration, one day he confronted the rich man. He asked, 'Why do you give us aid in return for nothing?' The rich man replied, 'Why not? It's just my way of repaying your kindness. Come on, boy, enjoy it like the others. Tell me, what do you want?' The boy just walked away, saying he would not accept anything from him. From that day, the rich man cut off half the aid he sent monthly to the village. Because of this, the villagers started ignoring the boy. They even stopped talking to him. He became an outsider in his own village. The villagers turned against him completely. One day, the rich man announced that someone had stolen his money."K stopped and pointed toward the village. A saw the villagers burning down a house. K spoke in a heavy voice, "Their hatred blinded them, and you can see the result."A tried to speak but no words came out. The watch slowed down again. K continued, "After that, they all went to the rich man. He announced that anyone who found the real thief could get a big reward, but they had to find him before the sun set."Suddenly, A started hearing screams. He saw the villagers fighting each other. K said calmly, "In the end, the village that was once peaceful had become a complete mess."A heard a loud noise that almost made him unconscious. K placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is not the end, A."A opened his eyes to see the ruins of the village—blood, broken houses, and crops that had died long ago. He saw the boy, still alive, holding a knife and standing in front of the rich man."I have to save him," A said. He tried to walk, but his body refused to move. "K! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM!"K replied calmly, "We don't have to interfere. The story is not complete yet."The boy, filled with anger, asked the rich man, "Why did you destroy everything?"The rich man said, "I didn't kill anyone. I didn't even force anyone to accept the aid. They all did this by their own will. You know, this world has three types of people: those who can easily be trapped in illusion, those who can easily see the illusion, and the person who controls it. People like you and me can understand reality. We are different from the rest. From the first day, you knew something was off, but you didn't know how to figure it out. You even warned them, but what did they give you in return? Tell me, do you still think I killed anyone? They killed each other because of their greed."The rich man moved his hand. "You want to know why I did this? Well, there is not always a purpose behind everything. Sometimes people like me just want some entertainment. Yes, I got bored. But at the end of the day, you have nothing. They all left you alone and burnt your house. Even if you kill me, things are not going to get better."The boy was completely speechless. The knife fell from his hand. The rich man said, "Right choice. Come with me and start a new life."Suddenly, A heard a loud bang again."AHHHHHH… My head… I… I…"His vision became blurry for a moment. Then the village disappeared as if it had never existed. He saw his watch stop working again as K put the mask back on."So, A, how was the story?" K asked.A tried to catch his breath and spoke with a heavy voice, "What… what do you want to hear?"K replied calmly, "Tell me—who is the real culprit in the story?"A still held his head. "Can you even give me a break? My memories are already a mess and you…"K said, "Take your time here."K stood up and started walking toward a door. A saw it and asked, "Where are you going now?"K replied without turning back, "Don't worry. I will return soon, A. And don't try to run away this time."A watched as the door closed. He was alone again.
— END OF CHAPTER 20 —