Chapter 14:
Chapter 14 — Psyc & Psyche
My New Home
◽The Next Day – Breakfast◽
◽Saturday, 09 April 2050◽
JJ looked across the table at Jiyeon, his gaze sharp, but calm. 「Yesterday was wild. And I hope we don’t repeat anything like that with a child in the house. Who knows what could happen if we were drugged again?」
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to Jiyeon, who visibly shrunk under the collective attention.
Jiyeon bowed her head, genuinely contrite. 「I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know those chocolates had alcohol in them.」JJ exhaled deeply, the sound gentle. 「It’s fine. But… let’s make sure there’s no next time.」Riyuka, nursing an undoubtedly fierce headache, muttered into her tea cup. 「Why are you… okay?」JJ sipped his coffee casually, unfazed. 「You’d need poison to give me a hangover.」Riyuka sighed, defeated. 「Eh… forget I asked.」Shizuko shuffled over to him, rubbing her eyes as she settled beside his chair. 「Hey… Papa? Is something wrong?」She yawned, still half-asleep. 「I… noticed a lot of your smell last night, and your medicine wasn’t in your bag.」JJ’s expression turned immediately serious, the easygoing demeanor replaced by focused concern. He pulled out his phone and quickly called Haruka.「Yah, Haruka… do you still have stock of my meds? Oh—sorry, didn’t mean to… yeah, make them. They weren’t in my bag. Thanks.」 He hung up. 「I’ll be fine as long as nothing happens before 19:00 tonight.」Shizuko frowned, worried by the urgency in his tone. 「Papa… are you really okay?」JJ patted her head with a gentle, reassuring smile. 「Yes, I’m fine. Go watch TV; I’ll get your breakfast ready.」She nodded, convinced for the moment, and scampered to the living room.JJ turned serious again, addressing the adults around the table. 「Alright… everyone y'all need to know. With my D.I.D., hair and pupil color indicate personality switches:Royal Blue – SJ, safeBrown – JJ, also safeBlack – NJ/Jerry, safeGold – MJ, safe「But…」 his voice grew grave, dropping low and resonating with undeniable warning, 「…if my hair and pupils turn crimson, that’s Psychopath… Psyc for short. He’s the living embodiment of chaos and destruction. He craves it completely.」Everyone’s expressions darkened, the reality of his condition sinking in.Renji chuckled nervously, trying to dispel the tension. 「He can’t be that dangerous, right?」JJ shook his head slowly. 「1. He doesn’t listen to reason. 2. Everyone who faced him is dead. 3. Don’t disrespect him—man, woman, or child. He’ll torture you. And 4. I have no control if he decides to emerge.」Mikado’s voice trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on the table. 「So… that medicine you take?」「Yes,」 JJ confirmed. 「It’s a homemade brew. The only thing that works. But if you follow point three, he won’t come out—he’s not interested in anything else.」Jiyeon’s mind raced. 【Maybe this is a scare tactic… or maybe it’s real. If I can expose him, big sister and I won’t have to marry him…】
◽Two Hours Later◽
Riyuka sipped her tea, eyeing Hana across the expansive living room. 「Hmm… are you sure about this arrangement with Jerry?」Hana shrugged, comfortable in her decision. 「Yeah… I don’t see a problem.」Riyuka’s voice turned stern, laced with protective frustration. 「Listen, someone like you doesn’t need to lower herself to date a womanizer.」Hana exhaled sharply, frustration in her own tone now. 「You don’t understand JJ like I do. And don’t talk badly about him behind his back.」
Riyuka opened her mouth to argue, a retort already forming on her tongue…Suddenly, a horrified, piercing scream cut through the air from the backyard.
Sakura jumped, startled. 「What was that?!」Everyone dashed outside.
◽Backyard◽
Psyc stood over Jiyeon, his form towering and menacing. His hair and pupils were a terrifying, chaotic Crimson.「Repeat what you said to me earlier,」 he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.Jiyeon stammered, paralyzed by terror. 「I-I-I…」Psyc slammed her to the ground with brutal force. 「Bitch, did I ask you to stutter?」 He mounted her, pinning her down.Hana screamed, recognizing the terrible sight. 「PSYC!」 【Wait… his hair… it’s red. Did she really trigger him? No, Hana… don’t think like that.】Psyc smirked, his Crimson eyes cold and inhumanly vacant. 「Oh, you must be JJ’s whore,」 he sneered, scanning the horrified group. 「JJ always had a talent for gathering good-looking, moral-bound… whores.」Hana’s voice shook, trying to pierce the madness. 「Where’s JJ? Bring him back!」Psyc threw his head back and laughed, a hollow, terrifying sound. 「JJ’s fighting his inner demons. And no! This little brat disrespected my mother’s name… she has to suffer for it.」 He began tearing at Jiyeon’s clothes.Renji shouted, trying to intervene. 「Hey—Psyc, sto—」
Psyc’s murderous glare froze them instantly.
「Try if you’re that brave… that’s what I thought.」 He loomed over the crying Jiyeon, his face a mask of pure malice.Just then, Shizuko bolted out from the house, her small voice cutting through the tension. 「Papa! Stop! Please!」Psyc froze, his focus broken, confusion clouding his crimson gaze. 「Papa?」JJ’s voice broke through, raw and struggling to regain control. 「Stay back, y—」JJ fully took over, his hair and pupils momentarily flickering back to Brown.「Jiyeon! Run!」She scrambled, shocked, and fled to safety.Hana exhaled in relief, clutching her chest. 「He’s back.」Shizuko clenched her fists, her own face set in a worried frown. 「It’s just temporary…」JJ pointed desperately at his chest, his eyes intense. 「Hit… right here—」Suddenly, Psyc overloaded JJ’s hearing with a high-pitched, agonizing frequency.JJ screamed, clutching his ears in blinding pain. 「Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!」
Psyc turned the frequency up further, forcing his way back to control. Foam formed at JJ’s mouth before he collapsed, unconscious.
Hana’s tears streamed down her face. 「Shizuko… he’s okay, right?」Shizuko took a surprising battle stance, her small frame radiating immense anger. 「Papa… go back!」Psyc smirked, looking down at the child. 「Papa? I’m not your dad, brat.」Shizuko glared, her voice defiant. 「Yes, you are. Your blood runs through my veins. Nothing changes that.」Psyc laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. 「No child of mine would be as weak as you.」
Shizuko’s hair and pupils started to change, flickering from black to a determined, cold Crimson—but different, controlled.Psyche materialized, a darker, colder version of Shizuko, instantly punching Psyc in the chest and quickly jabbing him with an unseen shot.
Psyc coughed blood, staggering back. 「H-How?」Psyche’s voice was deadly serious, devoid of a child’s warmth. 「1. You grew arrogant. 2. The chest is vulnerable. 3. Papa JJ made this virus as a last resort. 4. You didn’t claim me as your own.」Psyc laughed weakly, spitting blood onto the ground. 「So… infect me… if I’ve never seen it… I can't deal w with it... crafty little bastard…」 He collapsed, defeated.Psyche switched back to Shizuko, her hair and pupils returning to black. She sighed in relief, the tension draining from her body. 「Finally… he’ll return to normal after he wakes up.」Hana rushed forward and hugged her tightly. 「Are you okay?」 Hana whispered urgently. 「You're not hurt?」Shizuko buried her face in Hana’s shoulder. 「I’m okay… but please don’t hate Papa.」Hana brushed her hair back gently. 「I won’t hate JJ… don’t worry.」Shizuko’s tears fell freely, the terror finally overwhelming her.
◽Three Hours Later◽
JJ stirred awake, groaning slightly, his hair and pupils back to their comforting Brown. 「Hmm… Mellow, how long have I been out?」Shizuko’s eyes were still sad, but she answered calmly. 「Three hours.」JJ groaned, rubbing his face. 「Dammit… Iris, make a new formula. My body’s adaptability is working faster than I thought.」Iris confirmed instantly. ⟦Okay, Dad.⟧
◽Saturday, 09 April 2050◽
JJ looked across the table at Jiyeon, his gaze sharp, but calm. 「Yesterday was wild. And I hope we don’t repeat anything like that with a child in the house. Who knows what could happen if we were drugged again?」
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to Jiyeon, who visibly shrunk under the collective attention.
Jiyeon bowed her head, genuinely contrite. 「I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know those chocolates had alcohol in them.」JJ exhaled deeply, the sound gentle. 「It’s fine. But… let’s make sure there’s no next time.」Riyuka, nursing an undoubtedly fierce headache, muttered into her tea cup. 「Why are you… okay?」JJ sipped his coffee casually, unfazed. 「You’d need poison to give me a hangover.」Riyuka sighed, defeated. 「Eh… forget I asked.」Shizuko shuffled over to him, rubbing her eyes as she settled beside his chair. 「Hey… Papa? Is something wrong?」She yawned, still half-asleep. 「I… noticed a lot of your smell last night, and your medicine wasn’t in your bag.」JJ’s expression turned immediately serious, the easygoing demeanor replaced by focused concern. He pulled out his phone and quickly called Haruka.「Yah, Haruka… do you still have stock of my meds? Oh—sorry, didn’t mean to… yeah, make them. They weren’t in my bag. Thanks.」 He hung up. 「I’ll be fine as long as nothing happens before 19:00 tonight.」Shizuko frowned, worried by the urgency in his tone. 「Papa… are you really okay?」JJ patted her head with a gentle, reassuring smile. 「Yes, I’m fine. Go watch TV; I’ll get your breakfast ready.」She nodded, convinced for the moment, and scampered to the living room.JJ turned serious again, addressing the adults around the table. 「Alright… everyone y'all need to know. With my D.I.D., hair and pupil color indicate personality switches:Royal Blue – SJ, safeBrown – JJ, also safeBlack – NJ/Jerry, safeGold – MJ, safe「But…」 his voice grew grave, dropping low and resonating with undeniable warning, 「…if my hair and pupils turn crimson, that’s Psychopath… Psyc for short. He’s the living embodiment of chaos and destruction. He craves it completely.」Everyone’s expressions darkened, the reality of his condition sinking in.Renji chuckled nervously, trying to dispel the tension. 「He can’t be that dangerous, right?」JJ shook his head slowly. 「1. He doesn’t listen to reason. 2. Everyone who faced him is dead. 3. Don’t disrespect him—man, woman, or child. He’ll torture you. And 4. I have no control if he decides to emerge.」Mikado’s voice trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on the table. 「So… that medicine you take?」「Yes,」 JJ confirmed. 「It’s a homemade brew. The only thing that works. But if you follow point three, he won’t come out—he’s not interested in anything else.」Jiyeon’s mind raced. 【Maybe this is a scare tactic… or maybe it’s real. If I can expose him, big sister and I won’t have to marry him…】
◽Two Hours Later◽
Riyuka sipped her tea, eyeing Hana across the expansive living room. 「Hmm… are you sure about this arrangement with Jerry?」Hana shrugged, comfortable in her decision. 「Yeah… I don’t see a problem.」Riyuka’s voice turned stern, laced with protective frustration. 「Listen, someone like you doesn’t need to lower herself to date a womanizer.」Hana exhaled sharply, frustration in her own tone now. 「You don’t understand JJ like I do. And don’t talk badly about him behind his back.」
Riyuka opened her mouth to argue, a retort already forming on her tongue…Suddenly, a horrified, piercing scream cut through the air from the backyard.
Sakura jumped, startled. 「What was that?!」Everyone dashed outside.
◽Backyard◽
Psyc stood over Jiyeon, his form towering and menacing. His hair and pupils were a terrifying, chaotic Crimson.「Repeat what you said to me earlier,」 he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.Jiyeon stammered, paralyzed by terror. 「I-I-I…」Psyc slammed her to the ground with brutal force. 「Bitch, did I ask you to stutter?」 He mounted her, pinning her down.Hana screamed, recognizing the terrible sight. 「PSYC!」 【Wait… his hair… it’s red. Did she really trigger him? No, Hana… don’t think like that.】Psyc smirked, his Crimson eyes cold and inhumanly vacant. 「Oh, you must be JJ’s whore,」 he sneered, scanning the horrified group. 「JJ always had a talent for gathering good-looking, moral-bound… whores.」Hana’s voice shook, trying to pierce the madness. 「Where’s JJ? Bring him back!」Psyc threw his head back and laughed, a hollow, terrifying sound. 「JJ’s fighting his inner demons. And no! This little brat disrespected my mother’s name… she has to suffer for it.」 He began tearing at Jiyeon’s clothes.Renji shouted, trying to intervene. 「Hey—Psyc, sto—」
Psyc’s murderous glare froze them instantly.
「Try if you’re that brave… that’s what I thought.」 He loomed over the crying Jiyeon, his face a mask of pure malice.Just then, Shizuko bolted out from the house, her small voice cutting through the tension. 「Papa! Stop! Please!」Psyc froze, his focus broken, confusion clouding his crimson gaze. 「Papa?」JJ’s voice broke through, raw and struggling to regain control. 「Stay back, y—」JJ fully took over, his hair and pupils momentarily flickering back to Brown.「Jiyeon! Run!」She scrambled, shocked, and fled to safety.Hana exhaled in relief, clutching her chest. 「He’s back.」Shizuko clenched her fists, her own face set in a worried frown. 「It’s just temporary…」JJ pointed desperately at his chest, his eyes intense. 「Hit… right here—」Suddenly, Psyc overloaded JJ’s hearing with a high-pitched, agonizing frequency.JJ screamed, clutching his ears in blinding pain. 「Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!」
Psyc turned the frequency up further, forcing his way back to control. Foam formed at JJ’s mouth before he collapsed, unconscious.
Hana’s tears streamed down her face. 「Shizuko… he’s okay, right?」Shizuko took a surprising battle stance, her small frame radiating immense anger. 「Papa… go back!」Psyc smirked, looking down at the child. 「Papa? I’m not your dad, brat.」Shizuko glared, her voice defiant. 「Yes, you are. Your blood runs through my veins. Nothing changes that.」Psyc laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. 「No child of mine would be as weak as you.」
Shizuko’s hair and pupils started to change, flickering from black to a determined, cold Crimson—but different, controlled.Psyche materialized, a darker, colder version of Shizuko, instantly punching Psyc in the chest and quickly jabbing him with an unseen shot.
Psyc coughed blood, staggering back. 「H-How?」Psyche’s voice was deadly serious, devoid of a child’s warmth. 「1. You grew arrogant. 2. The chest is vulnerable. 3. Papa JJ made this virus as a last resort. 4. You didn’t claim me as your own.」Psyc laughed weakly, spitting blood onto the ground. 「So… infect me… if I’ve never seen it… I can't deal w with it... crafty little bastard…」 He collapsed, defeated.Psyche switched back to Shizuko, her hair and pupils returning to black. She sighed in relief, the tension draining from her body. 「Finally… he’ll return to normal after he wakes up.」Hana rushed forward and hugged her tightly. 「Are you okay?」 Hana whispered urgently. 「You're not hurt?」Shizuko buried her face in Hana’s shoulder. 「I’m okay… but please don’t hate Papa.」Hana brushed her hair back gently. 「I won’t hate JJ… don’t worry.」Shizuko’s tears fell freely, the terror finally overwhelming her.
◽Three Hours Later◽
JJ stirred awake, groaning slightly, his hair and pupils back to their comforting Brown. 「Hmm… Mellow, how long have I been out?」Shizuko’s eyes were still sad, but she answered calmly. 「Three hours.」JJ groaned, rubbing his face. 「Dammit… Iris, make a new formula. My body’s adaptability is working faster than I thought.」Iris confirmed instantly. ⟦Okay, Dad.⟧
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