Chapter 1335. First Life Ha-Yan [Illustration] (18)

“

Heuuuk

... Master... M-Master...”

“Let go...! Let go of me!”

“

Huuuk

...

Kgh

...”

‘Damn, this is way too devastating.’

“Master...

Heuuung

... Master!”

The disciples surrounded her. I had no idea whether it was fortunate that they managed to recover her body or not, but Grandma Giena was right there, lying with her eyes closed.

The sobbing of her disciples and the mages inspired by her reverberated nonstop. The great star of the Magic Tower had fallen. Even mages from the opposite faction paid tribute to her death and greatness, so what more needed to be said?

In my case, I never really considered Grandma Giena particularly special, but having taken the position of her closed-door disciple, it seemed only right for me to shed tears for her.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Master...

Ah!

Master!”

I had long gotten used to seeing a human corpse, but my passionate acting moved even Park Joo-Hwa. She walked up to me and comforted me.

‘Damn.’

Jung Ha-Yan quietly watched. She had attended several funerals at the Magic Tower before, but...

“Miss Jung Ha-Yan... this is a letter left by Master. Please...”

Unable to bear it any longer, she grabbed the letter with one hand and ran off in the opposite direction. Jung Ha-Yan had decided to avoid facing Grandma Giena's death.

‘But do you really think you can avoid it?’

Sure enough, Jung Ha-Yan quietly read the letter in her room. The exact contents of the letter were unknown, but even without reading it, I could guess what was written.

It probably began with “I love you” and went on to tell her to stay strong.

For Jung Ha-Yan, it would be advice that could benefit her, showing how much Grandma Giena cared for her, but it wouldn’t change her or make her stronger.

Perhaps Jung Ha-Yan even felt like she caused Grandma Giena’s death.

She was sobbing so loudly that I could hear it through the Telescope. She hugged the letter and wept uncontrollably. She seemed to have realized that she was loved, but now, she thought it no longer mattered.

After some time, she rummaged through the drawer again. What she pulled out was not a rope but a letter presumed to have been sent by First Ki-Young.

Jung Ha-Yan's reliance on First Ki-Young was increasing. She had to have understood better than anyone that she couldn’t die right now, which was likely why she could not make that extreme choice.

“...”

“Master...

Heuk

... Master!”

After putting on a fainting act to slip out of the funeral, I quietly knocked on Jung Ha-Yan’s door...

“Miss Jung Ha-Yan...” I called out.

“...”

“Jung Ha-Yan."

Jung Ha-Yan opened the door and hugged me tightly.

“

Heuk

...

Kgh

...

Heuuung

...”

‘She’s really crying her heart out.’

“

Heuuuk

...”

‘I need to cry with her, too.’

I had to share the pain with her. I thought that was the least I could do. Without even realizing it, I was beginning to accept Jung Ha-Yan’s death.

Just like that, time continued to flow. Without even a moment's respite to process her grief, Jung Ha-Yan entered the battlefield again. She was celebrated as a hero, and it seemed as if everyone had placed their hopes on her.

Many victories were reported under her leadership, and countless people praised her feats... yet Jung Ha-Yan was spending more and more time holed up in her room.

After returning from the battlefield, she would always shut herself away. Her room gradually piled up with trash, and she was slowly returning to her old self. The only thing I could tell was that she was engrossed in some kind of research.

Whether it was to relieve stress or for some specific purpose, I couldn’t say for sure, but I believed that she was preparing for the end.

‘It’s over.’

“...”

‘It’s finally over.’

“...”

‘Now I can go back.’

It was natural for me to think that way, as even I was exhausted.

I wanted to deny Ji-Hye's words, but I was also feeling exhausted, which was unlike me.

‘I’ve been here for too long.’

By this point, I wasn’t even seeking Jung Ha-Yan. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but I thought it was better for her to have some time for herself. I knew that if I were in her situation, I wouldn't want anyone to come looking for me.

Finally, when even First Ki-Young abandoned her, as she had outlived her use, I saw Jung Ha-Yan staring at the rope hanging from the ceiling through my Telescope.

It was a scene similar to what I had seen before. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her room was in an indescribable disarray. She was reading the letters in her hands. Judging by the way she was laughing foolishly while reading them, those letters had to have contained some happy memories. Now, I could see both the letter from Grandma Giena and the letters I wrote for her.

As time passed, her face distorted.

"I like you. I love you..."

Having lost every pillar of support, the only place where she could let her guard down was First Ki-Young.

"

Heuk

...

Hic

... So please come back. What I did was wrong. Please come back."

I had no way of knowing what memories they shared, but the switch that First Ki-Young had pushed was a fatal blow to her.

"I was wrong. I’ll do better from now on. Please don’t say that. Don’t say you hate me..."

Jung Ha-Yan no longer had the strength to hold on. No one else could withstand the realization that she had been abandoned by the only person who understood her.

"

Hic

...

Heuuuk

... Please. I’m begging you. If you’re watching, talk to me again. Oppa. Like you always do. I hate it like this. I hate breaking up like this."

"..."

"Do you remember when we first met? I remember everything... I remember mustering up the courage to confess. I remember your surprised face, and the fact that we became a couple, I remember it all.

"The day we first got together, the days when we fought, the days when you got angry, I remember everything—all of it. I miss you, I really miss you... I really do... I won't say I hate you anymore. I'll do everything you tell me to do."

I don't care what happens to anyone else anymore. It doesn't hurt anymore, as long as I have you, so please come back, don't say you hate me. I'll do everything you tell me,

heuk

...

heuuuk

...!

"You said it was fate, you said our meeting was surely fate, you said that even if we were reborn we'd meet again, and you said we'd be together all the time.

Hic

... I hate being without you... It's unbearably painful. I can't do anything, nothing at all. I-it'd be better to die... I-I'd rather..."

Jung Ha-Yan was hesitating. I thought it would be easy for her to make this choice, so I couldn't understand why she was hesitating.

"

Hiccup

...

hiccup

..."

I could hear her hiccups and sobs. She looked at the ceiling and outside through the window. Then, she climbed onto the chair and got down. She did that several times.

"It's so painful... I can't think of anything... I'm scared... Please help me, oppa. Please help me smile... like before,

hiccup

...

heuuuk

..."

She grabbed her head and curled up; she pulled the blanket over herself, but her gaze wouldn't leave the rope hanging from the ceiling. For some reason, my mouth tasted bitter.

"Yeah... oppa once said."

‘...’

"W-we'll be able to meet in the next life, too. That's what you said. Right. It will only hurt for a moment. If I suffer a little, it'll get easier. It won't go dark. Because you said we'd meet in the next life, so I’m sure we’ll meet.

Hiccup

...."

‘...’

"

Hoo

...

hoo

... oppa will understand too. He'll know how much I loved him. If he knows I d-died, he'll remember me forever, right? Maybe he'll r-regret it... maybe he'll be sad... I'll disappear, but I'll remain in his memories forever. That's better than being forgotten. Yeah. That's better... We'll meet in the next life. Because oppa said so. Yeah... right."

‘...’

"No, maybe he'll come to save me. O-oppa always came when I was hurting."

I realized something was strange.

"Maybe he'll just appear all of a sudden."

‘Who was it?’

"Maybe that could happen.

Hiccup

... maybe that could..."

‘Who saved Jung Ha-Yan until now?’

Did she really think I was just an ordinary apprentice mage? That thought pierced my head. Had she ever considered that I could be First Ki-Young? And that I hid my identity to watch over and comfort her?

Jung Ha-Yan was perceptive. Perhaps she hadn't noticed it at first, but I believed she had to have noticed my subtle habits and actions. Perhaps Little Ki-Young's presence was the reason she chose to side with First Ki-Young. It was probably because she felt beloved, as I would always comfort her whenever she was struggling.

‘Is it really impossible?’

Was it really impossible that Jung Ha-Yan hadn't mistaken me for First Ki-Young? Could it be that Little Ki-Young's presence was the reason Jung Ha-Yan had been relying more and more on First Ki-Young?

Jung Ha-Yan’s voice grew shakier, and her breathing became rougher.

Eventually, she could no longer talk amidst the sobbing.

"

Hiccup

...

heuuung

...

hiccup

...."

“...”

"

Heuuuk

...

hiccup

... please... please...."

‘Did she really just think I was an ordinary apprentice mage?’

There was a small hint.

"

Kgh

...

kgh

...."

‘Who else besides me could have broken through her barrier? I told her I could see mana itself; wasn't that a big hint?'

Jung Ha-yan writhed right in front of my eyes.

"He’ll... he’ll come to save me...

kgh

... Oppa will... come..."

Of course, First Ki-Young wasn't going to come here.

There was no time to think about it, and I immediately ran toward her room.

Perhaps the time I gave her to sort out her life had only driven her even further into that dark corker.

“Miss Jung Ha-Yan! Miss Jung Ha-Yan!” I called out.

"He came. He came... to save me."

“Miss Jung Ha-Yan!” I called out again.

Jung Ha-Yan was starting to go limp. I wanted to rush in and cut that rope, but the door was firmly shut.

I cast a spell, but it wouldn't work, so I had no choice but to pull out a potion from my bag. In the original future, no kid had barged into Jung Ha-Yan's room.

‘I can change it. I can change it.’

"Thank god... thank god... now... really... together..."

She reached out toward the door as large tears fell down her cheeks.

"Love...."

Kaboooooooom!

An explosion echoed. Right afterward, I rushed to her and cast a spell.

The rope was cut, and Jung Ha-Yan fell to the floor with a loud

thud

.

‘Shit. Shit. Shit.’

I immediately checked if she was breathing. Then, I forced air and potion into her mouth.

‘She’s alive. She’s alive.’

'The future can be changed. Just now, I changed the future.'

“Miss Jung Ha-Yan! Are you alright?! Miss Jung Ha-Yan....” I asked.

“...”

“

Uh?

Uh...

O-o-oppa...”Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.

“Ha-Yan?”

Just then...

“Hello....”

“...”

“...”

“So... there really was one. A variable. He was right.”

Seraphim was staring at me while curled up in midair.

“I’m sorry... but... you all have to die,” Seraphim said.

I wasn’t the only one who could change the future.

‘That bastard... he knew it.’

First Ki-Young had to have noticed that I was turning back time.