The only times Jin had ever left Moribelle’s building were when she first arrived here and underwent various examinations, or when she went back and forth to the training center nothing beyond that.

 

She knew that sometimes Moribelle’s colleagues would go out accompanied by bodyguards.

 

Many people had told her to come along, so opportunities were always there.

 

Of course she was curious and wanted to do things like strolling freely down the streets, going into shops she liked to shop, or spending an entire day in a massive, enormous bookstore.

 

But each time, Jin would calm her drifting heart and shake her head.

 

She was the only SS-class guide who did not belong to SAA. Unlike the other guides, she was someone who could not comfortably enjoy freedom.

 

The fact that only a handful of people had ever actually seen the two SS-class guides affiliated with SAA was proof enough that even they were living a kind of voluntary confinement.

 

Just thinking about how a single outing of hers would put the people protecting her on extremely high alert, and how Ivan, Simon, and Charlotte would worry until she returned, was enough to make her naturally give up.

 

But the bigger reason, in truth… was fear.

 

She simply could not muster the courage to step into the vast world outside and enjoy that freedom.

 

Moribelle’s headquarters was a sufficiently large building. The corridors on every floor were wide and pleasant, the paintings hanging on the walls were changed regularly so there was always something new to look at.

 

Soft music always played gently, and sometimes it felt nice to sit on the large chairs placed at the end of the corridors and gaze out the windows.

 

It was an incomparably better life than what she had in District 4.

 

Jin had no complaints at all about living like this. She had thought she was more than satisfied almost excessively so but now, after riding in the car for a full thirty minutes, an unfamiliar sense of anticipation and excitement made her heart pound fiercely.

 

The car came to a stop once in front of the boundary entering District 2.

 

Simon, who had rolled down all the windows, told Jin to look at the red light in front of the gate.

 

The moment the light scanned her iris, a cheerful beep-beep sounded.

 

At that sound, Jin’s small shoulders flinched. Ivan gently loosened the grip of her fingers, which had been clutching his pinky, and enveloped her hand completely in his large one.

 

“It means your identity has been confirmed.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“There’s a gate like this at the boundary of every district.”

 

“Yes. I knew that, but… it’s my first time actually passing through one, so I was a little startled.”

 

Having come straight from District 4 to live in District 1 and never once having left District 1, there was no way Jin could have been used to it.

 

“You’ll get used to it. Starting today, you’ll be passing through them often.”

 

Only after they arrived at their destination did Jin finally understand what Ivan had meant.

 

☄️

 

“This place is…”

 

After getting out of the car, Jin stood frozen in front of a massive iron gate adorned with an elegant sign that read 〈Serenity Pines Memorial Park〉.

 

A pine forest, perfectly matching the name, surrounded the area like an enormous folding screen on all sides.

 

Even though the distance seemed considerable, the pines were so tall and densely packed that the overwhelming presence of the thick forest was almost palpable.

 

Of course, she knew this was a meticulously maintained public cemetery and memorial park dedicated to those who had lost their lives in gate accidents but why this place was their destination today still remained a mystery to her.

 

Ivan took the hand of the slightly dazed-looking Jin and began walking slowly.

 

Simon and Charlotte walked ahead.

 

As they proceeded along the neatly laid-out path, Jin let her gaze drift to the gravestones embedded in the ground.

 

Simple ones with only names engraved, others with short phrases that felt like last words, and even letters filled with the family’s aching longing countless emotions soaked into the words on the gravestones drifted through the air.

 

After walking for about ten minutes, Simon and Charlotte came to a stop, then stepped aside as if yielding the space to Jin and Ivan.

 

Jin looked down at the two neatly placed gravestones right in front of her feet. 

 

Her pupils trembled violently at the sight of names that were so familiar and so painfully missed.

 

“How… how is this…”

 

〈David Yu〉,〈Audrey K. Yu〉

 

They were her mom and dad’s names.

 

“I left the rest blank in case you wanted to add something. Take your time and think about it.”

 

Tears quickly filled Jin’s large eyes. Her small body sank to the ground as if collapsing, trembling uncontrollably.

 

Ivan took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, then gave a glance toward Simon and Charlotte. 

 

The three of them moved far enough away to give her space and privacy.

 

“Mom… Dad… hic… sob…”

 

After leaving District 4 empty-handed following Ivan, Jin had endlessly blamed herself for not bringing a single item to remember her parents by.

 

Even if everything had burned and collapsed, if she had stubbornly dug through the wreckage, maybe she could have salvaged something… 

 

The regret never stopped.

 

She had wanted to ask Ivan and Simon for help, but the words never came out.

 

They could have just given her compensation money and told her to figure out the rest on her own they could have turned away completely. 

 

The fact that they had taken her in was already something she should be endlessly grateful for. Because of that, she didn’t want to be a bother or cause them any trouble.

 

The longing and regret were hers alone to carry; she couldn’t bring herself to ask Ivan and Simon to share the burden.

 

Then one day, hesitating, she finally searched her parents’ names.

 

The monitor filled with their past, a past that, according to what she read, had never quite fit with living in District 4.

 

Because it had been such a widely known incident, related articles poured out endlessly.

 

The tone of the articles, which had at first been uniformly condemning, gradually shifted over time. 

 

By the time the full truth of the incident came to light, all Jin could feel was overwhelming pity and sorrow for her parents, and tears simply poured out.

 

No matter how much that esper might have deserved to die, killing a person was still a grave crime. She had no intention of denying that fact.

 

It was just that when she thought about the humiliation and disgrace her parents had endured up until the moment they committed the act, the lifelong shock and guilt over having taken a life, and the worn-out, exhausted days they spent raising a daughter in what was practically a slum, all of it tore at her heart.

 

How hard must it have been for them, living as fugitives, and then to have her come along on top of everything?

 

Even when they wanted to end that fugitive life, even when they wanted to pay for their crime, it was she who had held them back each time.

 

At an age when a child needs parental protection, in such a barren environment.

 

Her parents had gritted their teeth and endured it all, only to lose their lives unexpectedly in an accident.

 

Because they had left her behind alone, they probably couldn’t even ascend to heaven with peace of mind.

 

And now the traces of those parents were waiting for her here, in this peaceful and quiet sanctuary.

 

“I miss you so much…”

 

Jin’s heartbroken sobs continued for a long while before they slowly began to quiet.

 

Worried that she had been sitting on the cold ground for too long, Ivan strode over with long steps and scooped her up into his arms in one swift motion.

 

“Let’s call it a day for today, okay? We can come back often.”

 

Jin, her eyes swollen and puffy, quietly looked up at Ivan before resting her forehead against his broad shoulder.

 

“Thank you. Really… thank you so much…”

 

After they returned to the car and she heard the full story, Jin repeated her words of gratitude over and over to Ivan, Simon, and Charlotte.

 

Following Ivan’s instructions to recover whatever remains they could and enshrine them in the memorial park, Simon had moved quickly and diligently.

 

To prevent anyone from finding out that Jin was the daughter of a murderer, her parents’ deaths had been registered under pseudonyms.

 

Ivan had personally pulled strings to forge the necessary documents.

 

No one paid any attention to the fact that the names on the forged documents and the ones engraved on the gravestones were different.

 

They had hired a dedicated caretaker to regularly keep the area clean and tidy. 

 

Occasionally, Ivan and Simon would stop by in person, quietly sharing updates about how Jin was growing up.

 

“To be honest, we debated among ourselves last year whether we should tell you when you actually became an adult. But then we thought, wouldn’t it feel more fitting to tell you on the day your new identity was officially registered and you became an adult on paper? So we ended up putting it off for a whole year. Don’t be upset that we told you too late, okay!”

 

Charlotte, her eyes red from crying along with Jin, forced a bright, cheerful tone.

 

She couldn’t help it the two men looked so helplessly flustered.

 

Last year, when Jin had truly turned adult, the four of them had held a small, private birthday party just for themselves. She had received first editions and limited copies of books she had always wanted as gifts. 

 

Even then, she had felt like she owned the whole world with joy. 

 

But this gift, this one, was so moving that the word “happy” couldn’t even begin to describe it.

 

“Thank you. How can I ever repay you for all of this…”

 

Her voice was still thick with tears. Ivan simply took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

 

Charlotte kept jabbing Simon in the side, urging him to liven up the mood somehow. 

 

In response, Simon forced a smile, lifting only the corners of his mouth.

 

“Don’t say things like that, Jin. The money you’ve already brought in for Moribelle, hngh! …I mean, your very existence has already repaid us more than enough…”

 

Every time Simon tried to continue, Charlotte pinched him harder, turning the whole thing ridiculous, but thanks to that, Jin let out a small, faint smile, and the heavy atmosphere finally eased.

 

On the ride back, only soft music flowed quietly through the car.

 

It was because Jin, completely drained from so much crying, had fallen asleep with her head resting on Ivan’s thigh.

 

As Ivan gently stroked her jet-black, glossy hair, an inexplicable lump rose in his throat.

 

He had prepared today hoping Jin would be happy, but instead, he felt an overwhelming fullness, as though he himself had received the greatest gift of all.