The night was silent.
Han Jiwoon sat on a rooftop, staring at the flashing neon signs far below. His fingers trembled as he opened the mission log.
Three names had been added—targets assigned by the Sin System.
Target 004: A black-market organ dealer.
Target 005: A corrupt prosecutor who erased evidence.
Target 006: A teenage hacker who leaked identities… and cost lives.
Jiwoon's eyes lingered on the last name.
A 15-year-old kid.
"What am I becoming?" he whispered.
SYSTEM PROMPT: Choose the Path of Punishment
"All targets must be purged within 48 hours."
"Failing to act will result in Sin Reversal — the user absorbs the sins of the target."
The message chilled him.
"If I don't kill them… I become them?"
He clenched his fist. He could no longer pretend this was some game. Each life he spared risked his own humanity.
And yet…
The Hacker's Tears
He found the hacker boy in a basement full of wires and servers.
"I didn't mean to kill anyone," the boy said, sobbing. "I thought I was exposing corruption. I didn't know people would die."
Jiwoon's eyes glowed for a moment — reading the memories.
He saw the boy crying alone, surrounded by screens showing faces he never meant to hurt.
The system chimed.
"Sin Certainty: 67%
Partial intention detected.
You may PURGE or ABSORB."
He stood there, heart pounding.
Kill him… or take the sin himself.
The First Real Choice
"I can't… I won't kill a child," Jiwoon said.
He knelt and placed a hand on the boy's head.
[Sin Absorption Activated]
"Transferring minor sin: +180 Sin Points"
"Sin Level Up → New Trait Unlocked: 'Burdened Soul'"
"Warning: Moral Integrity -15%"
A wave of pain hit Jiwoon like a truck.
Every regret, every scream from the hacker's victims echoed in his mind.
System Whisper: The Debt is Yours Now
"You chose mercy… But mercy has a cost."
He vomited on the floor, gasping.
The boy was safe, trembling… but alive.
And Jiwoon?
He had one more scar… and a step closer to the abyss.