Min-joon spent the next day practicing. He woke up early, left the apartment before Tae-hyun was awake, and went to the abandoned parking lot.
He practiced lying and speaking truths, over and over. Building his confidence, learning to feel the flow of power. It was like exercising a muscle he never knew he had.
By noon, he could make small objects disappear with barely any effort. By evening, he could change the properties of materials without draining himself completely.
He was getting stronger.
NEXT TASK IN 6 HOURS.
Min-joon checked the notification and took a deep breath. Time to prepare.
He went home and found Tae-hyun cooking dinner. The apartment smelled like soy sauce and garlic.
"Perfect timing," Tae-hyun said cheerfully. "I made japchae. Your favorite."
They ate together, talking about Tae-hyun's day at school. He had aced another test. The scholarship essay was going well. Everything seemed normal and peaceful.
Min-joon wished he could freeze this moment forever.
After dinner, there was a knock at the door.
Min-joon and Tae-hyun both froze. No one ever knocked on their door. They did not have friends who visited. And the landlord always called first.
"Stay here," Min-joon said quietly to Tae-hyun.
He walked to the door and looked through the peephole.
Two men in black suits. The debt collectors.
But Min-joon had lied about them. He had said they were done with Tae-hyun and him. The lie should have made them forget.
Unless the lie was already unraveling.
Min-joon opened the door just a crack. "What do you want?"
The shorter collector with glasses smiled. It was not a nice smile. "We need to talk, Kang Min-joon. May we come in?"
"No."
"This is not a request."
The taller collector pushed the door open, forcing his way inside. Min-joon stumbled back.
Tae-hyun stood up from the table. "Hey! You cannot just barge in here!"
"Sit down, boy," the tall collector said coldly.
"Do not talk to him," Min-joon said, stepping between them and Tae-hyun.
The shorter collector closed the door behind them. "We have been having some unusual memory problems lately. Forgetting why we were supposed to collect from you. Very strange. But then today, suddenly, we remembered everything."
Min-joon's heart sank. The lie was failing. But why? He should have hours before the next task. The lies should not unravel until he died.
Unless Han Woo-jin was wrong about how it worked.
Or unless the System was interfering.
"You have twenty-seven days left," the shorter collector continued. "But our boss is getting impatient. He wants a payment now. Proof that you are serious about clearing this debt."
"I already made a payment," Min-joon said. "Check your records."
The collector pulled out a tablet and checked. His eyebrows rose. "Twelve million won in the last three days. How did you get that kind of money?"
"I told you. I found a new job."
"What job pays twelve million won in three days?"
Min-joon did not answer.
The tall collector stepped closer to Tae-hyun. "Maybe we should ask the brother some questions instead."
"Leave him alone," Min-joon said sharply.
"Then answer our questions. Where did you get the money?"
Min-joon needed to be careful here. If he lied, it would drain him. He needed his strength for the task in a few hours. But if he told the truth, these men would never believe him.
"I cannot tell you," Min-joon said. "But I will have the full amount in three weeks. I promise."
"Not good enough," the shorter collector said. "We need collateral. Insurance."
"What kind of collateral?"
The tall collector grabbed Tae-hyun's arm. "The boy comes with us. When you pay the debt, you get him back."
"No!" Min-joon shouted.
Tae-hyun tried to pull away, but the collector's grip was too strong. "Hyung!"
Min-joon's mind raced. He could lie. Say these men were not here. Make them disappear. But that would drain him significantly right before a task. He might not have enough strength left to survive.
Or he could let them take Tae-hyun and rescue him later.
No. That was not an option. He could not let them take his brother.
Min-joon spoke quickly, choosing his words carefully. "You are not going to take him."
The lie took effect. The tall collector's hand fell away from Tae-hyun's arm. Both collectors stood still, confused.
"You are going to leave this apartment," Min-joon continued, feeling the drain but pushing through it. "You are going to forget about Tae-hyun. He does not exist to you. Only I matter. Only I owe the debt."
The collectors blinked slowly, like they were waking up from a dream.
"Only you," the shorter one repeated.
"Only you owe the debt," the taller one confirmed.
"Now leave," Min-joon said.
They turned and walked out of the apartment like puppets. The door closed behind them.
Min-joon collapsed against the wall, breathing hard. That had taken almost everything he had. He felt hollow inside, scraped clean.
Tae-hyun ran to him. "Hyung! What just happened? Why did they leave like that?"
"I do not know," Min-joon lied weakly. "Maybe they realized they had the wrong apartment."
"That does not make sense. They said your name. They knew about the debt."
Min-joon did not have the energy to keep lying. "Just drop it, please. We are safe. That is all that matters."
Tae-hyun looked at him with worried eyes. "Hyung, something is wrong with you. You have been acting strange for days. The bleeding, the exhaustion, those men. What is really going on?"
"I cannot tell you," Min-joon said. That was true. Pain flared in his chest, but it was distant. He was too drained to feel it properly.
"Cannot or will not?"
"Both."
Tae-hyun opened his mouth to say more, but Min-joon's phone buzzed loudly.
NEXT TASK IN 30 MINUTES.
PREPARE YOURSELF.
Min-joon stood up shakily. He needed to recover some strength. Fast.
"I need to go out," he said.
"What? No. You can barely stand."
"I will be back soon," Min-joon said. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
"Hyung, wait!"
But Min-joon was already gone.
He made it to the abandoned parking lot and collapsed on the ground. His whole body felt weak. He had used too much power on the collectors.
He needed to speak truths. Deep ones. Painful ones. To refill himself as much as possible before the task began.
Min-joon closed his eyes and started speaking.
"I am weak." Pain. Good. "I am scared." More pain. "I do not know if I can do this." The pain was building. "I am going to fail." That one hurt badly. "Tae-hyun will die because of me."
The pain was unbearable now. Min-joon screamed, clutching his chest. But he felt the emptiness inside him filling back up. Slowly. Not enough, but something.
He checked his phone.
NEXT TASK IN 5 MINUTES.
Not enough time to fully recover. He would have to go in weakened.
Min-joon stood up and looked at the night sky. The stars were faint, barely visible through the city lights.
"I will survive," he said. He made it a lie, paradoxically. Forcing reality to make it true.
The drain was instant. He fell to his knees.
But he had done it. He had lied about his own survival. If lies became truth, then he would survive no matter what.
Unless that was not how it worked. Unless he had just wasted his remaining strength on false hope.
His phone screen turned red.
TASK BEGINNING IN 10 SECONDS.
Min-joon closed his eyes and waited for the white light.