Chapter 1325. First Life Ha-Yan (8)

‘Damn it, I’m so frustrated I don't even know what to say.’

This wasn't how I pictured it at all. I just wanted to exchange a few words of comfort with him through some texts. I thought I’d exchange a couple of messages with friends, recharge, and then set out on this noble, solitary expedition to save the continent.

However, everything came to a screeching halt.

“Maybe... he didn’t go there to fix his mental issue but to lose... his mind,” I questioned.

"Hahahahahahaha."

"Haha..."

"Hahahahahahahaha."

They were cheerful and laughing together. The more they laughed, the more it got under my skin, so I texted him again.

[Mr. Hyun-Sung, what are you doing?]

I sent him a message on BeTalk[1], but this time he didn’t even check it.

I was sure he felt it vibrate on his right thigh. His hand instinctively reached toward his right pocket, but in the end, Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t look at his Goddess’ Hand Mirror and kept his focus on the person in front of him instead.

Of course, checking his hand mirror right now wouldn’t exactly be considered polite.

However, wouldn't it be the pinnacle of etiquette to show concern toward someone in pain, like Lee Ki-Young? It was far more important than some table manners.

‘Damn, watching him act like that makes me want to forget about everything. It’s not like I’m after glory and riches. I went there and suffered so much...’

I would be lying if I said that I couldn't understand what he was trying to do. To be fair, there was room for me to understand his behavior. If one looked at it another way, it would almost make sense.

“...”

“...”

‘He just wants to get out of there as fast as he can.’

"Hahahaha! Mr. Hyun-Sung, I didn’t know you could crack jokes like that."

"Haha..."

‘Yeah, he’s just playing along.’

What mattered most to him right now was getting out of that place. He needed to show progress; he had to convince the doctor that he had improved significantly, especially regarding his dependency issues.

It looked like they were just eating a meal together, but for Kim Hyun-Sung, this was basically an interview to prove that he was ready to return to normal life.

After all, the quack doctor even suggested distancing exercise as one of the solutions.

In that light, frantically replying to my messages on the spot wouldn’t be rational at all. It would be like openly announcing that his dependency issues had returned, and hadn't it already seemed like Hyun-Sung’s mind was somewhere else?

"Ha... hahahaha."

"You really do seem better now. Hahaha..."

"Uh... excuse me, I need to head to the bathroom real quick."

"Oh... sure."

‘So his mind really is somewhere else, huh?’

It was understandable.

‘But damn it, that doesn't mean I can forgive him.’

Adult Ki-Young could forgive him, but the unstable Little Ki-Young couldn’t forgive him at all. No excuses, no second chances. I blocked him on BeTalk right away, and then I blocked all of his social media accounts.

I wanted to sever our connection through the Regressor Instruction Manual as well, but sadly, Little Ki-Young wasn’t

that

ruthless. The only certain thing was that Kim Hyun-Sung would pay the price later.

Even the doctor, who seemed kind, now looked like a quack bastard. Perhaps there was a bigger plot behind all of this. What if that bastard was tied to some demon, or what if he was connected to those tentacled monsters? Seeing him laugh his head off at Kim Hyun-Sung’s joke proved that he definitely wasn’t in his right mind.

“...”

“...”

‘No, let’s not go down that road.’

I

did

want to pass judgement upon Kim Hyun-Sung right then and there...

‘But still, he went there because he wanted to change, so what can I do?’

Of course, I never expected him to become completely cured, but if it was going to boost his self-esteem, then I had no choice but to allow it within reason.

After seeing First Life Kim Hyun-Sung, I couldn’t help but think that way even more. I felt like this was actually his

first

real break. Across both the first and second lives, this was probably the only moment when he had the luxury of time to look back on himself and reflect. In his twenties, he never had that kind of luxury. There was nothing but war and fighting, after all.

‘Even so, damn it, I still can’t forgive him.’

[I’ll be cheering for you. ^^]

Sending a message like that would make him really happy.

“...”

“...”

After turning the Telescope away, I made my way to the Magic Tower. Not that I felt good about it.

‘Something feels off.’

It was kind of... uncomfortable just to leave like this.

Just then, my hand mirror vibrated.

I hurried to answer, and I heard a familiar voice.

— Oppa?

"..."

— Oppa? What’s going on?

"

Oh

, noona. I was actually about to call you."

— Did something happen?

"Well, you see... Kim Hyun-Sung, that bastard..."

‘The only one who actually looks out for me is... Ji-Hye noona.’

—No, I don’t want to hear about Kim Hyun-Sung. I don’t want to hear whatever dumb thing that idiot did this time. Don’t you have something else to say?

"Why all of a sudden?"

— Why do you think? Hye-Jin called me, and she's freaking out. She said that you suddenly asked her to hug you. What’s that all about? That was so sudden. Did your mind get younger because your body’s gotten younger? That was unlike you at all. You’re acting like some kid...

"..."

— Seriously?

"I’m not completely sure, but it’s probably affecting me. Something unpleasant happened during the first life."

— Wow, listen to you. You’re not even denying it...

"I figured accepting it a little might actually help. I don’t know how it happened, but completely denying it won’t do me any good. It’s still within a range I can control, but... it feels like I’m going through a second puberty. My head keeps spinning."

—

Aww

, poor thing. Is our oppa having a hard time?

"Stop teasing me, noona."

— I’m not teasing. Well, maybe a little, but it’s not like I’m happy that you’re struggling. Anyway, hearing you out, I’m relieved. At least you’re not completely down.

"What, did you think I was about to go kill myself?"

— Depends on what happened over there. I did have the sense that you were starting to act a bit like a child. You always get childish when teasing Commander Jin, but you were especially childish this time. I somewhat expected it when you seemed almost on the same level as Benigoa.

"No way."

— Anyway, hang in there.

"..."

— I’m not going to say things like “just quit if it’s too hard” or “you can give up on everything.”

"..."

— You wouldn’t take it seriously anyway. Whether you’ve grown younger or things are pretty rough, you still have responsibilities you can’t ignore.

‘I knew she’d say that.’

— But I’ll at least cheer you on.

"..."

— And if you need help, I’ll come running anytime.

"..."

— And as I always say, I trust you, oppa. If something goes wrong, I’ll make sure to avenge you, so relax.

"When you say things like that, it’s actually scary."

— I’m kidding, kidding.

"Don’t

kid

me like that."

— Anyway, let’s meet up. Should I come to you? Or will you come here?

"No, no need. I’ll be heading over there soon anyway."

—

Oh

, come on. For me, it hasn’t been that long, but for you, it must've been ages since we saw each other... Don’t you think we should meet? And I don’t mean just the two of us. Let’s all get together. It’s not like the magic circle is going anywhere. I’m not worried about you... Let’s just call it a visitation for that idiot, okay? We can watch that pig you like eat his fill, and then we can share some laughter and some wine...

"..."

— You know Dr. Quack’s social distancing exercise will end with just one word from you. You’re aware you’ve got a bit of a dependency streak, right?

"Me?"

— You pretend otherwise, but you lean on people a lot. You’ll deny it, but you rely on others, especially on Kim Hyun-Sung.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

— Look at you. Do you really think I’m dumb? Even newborn twins will feel an emptiness when the other isn’t around. Haven’t you seen Seraphim and Cherubim? I can’t imagine how it is for you two.

— You said your minds are connected. If that connection had never been there, then fine, but you two are already connected, so you can never really go back.

— Kim Hyun-Sung is just too weak and foolish to endure it, so it shows. You, on the other hand, have been hiding it.

"..."

— Want me to be honest?

"..."

— You getting younger and losing control of your emotions does have some effect, but the fact that you crossed over into the first life also plays a part. The connection isn’t broken, but after passing through that twisted timeline, it has weakened temporarily. You can't deny that.

"..."

— For Kim Hyun-Sung, that time might feel like an instant... but not for you. How long were you there this time? A week? A month? And... how long do you plan to stay again before you come back? A year? Two? And after that, how long will it be until you return again?

"Noona, your delusions really know no bounds."

— You think it’s a delusion? I don’t. I don’t think I’m that far off. I know nothing I say is going to change your mind once you’ve decided something... but from my side, I don’t think it'll hurt for us to spend some time together, even if it’s brief.

— Honestly, you should just toss out that whole “psychiatric treatment” idea. Telling two people whose minds are linked to “keep their distance” from each other? That has to be a joke. Of course, that quack doctor doesn’t know the full story, but still...

"You’re the one who said it had to be done. You were making a fuss about how Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t in his right mind."

—

Ah!

That was because I didn’t know how much you were being affected by him! I didn’t know you’d get dragged into the first life! I didn’t know you’d stay as a younger version of yourself!

"Noona, I think you’ve been reading too many novels."

—

Geez...

you’re impossible to talk to. Forget it. Damn it, I shouldn’t have even tried. A-Anyway, I wanted to say I miss you too, oppa.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"..."

— ...

"Thanks, my soulmate."

— You really are an idiot. Whatever.

"..."

— Just make it back safely this time, too, my soulmate.

‘Looks like she really does worry about me a lot.’

Honestly, it wasn’t such a bad feeling. Naturally, I thought that perhaps this was why I would end up acting spoiled sometimes. Whether her guesses were right or wrong didn't matter at all. Just her words alone were enough comfort.

There were a few more people I wanted to meet, but I had to head straight for the Magic Tower and step onto the magic circle.

As expected, the hexagram magic circle was still there when it was supposed to be destroyed. I felt uneasy at the fact that I had no way of knowing exactly which point in time I would appear in the first life, but it was no different from the moment I first crossed over there.

If there had been an error in the first life, and it needed correcting, then this magic circle would send me to the

correct

point in time on its own. The timeline was twisted, but at least I could be sure that the Six Stars’ interests and mine were aligned.

It was to fill in the gaps of the continent’s story and correct the errors.

If the current situation itself was acknowledged as an error, then my task was obvious.

[I’m sorry for the late reply. Something came up... Anyway, Mr. Ki-Young, thank you for cheering me on. I... I’ll be cheering for you too.]

I received a text.

“...”

‘Still... maybe it would be better to see everyone before I go.’

“...”

‘There’s really no need to rush like this.’

“...”

‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have at least a meal together with noona, Ha-Yan, Hyun-Sung, that pig, Hee-Young, Hye-Jin, and the other guild members, too?’

Of course, I knew it wasn’t a good time and that I wasn’t in a position to rest, but still, it wouldn't be so bad to bring everyone together for once.

[And about the visitation schedule—]

Just as I was about to send a text, my vision suddenly shifted.

1. Similar to KakaoTalk (Popular messaging app in Korea) Veela: I guess this means, BenigoaTalk LOL ☜