Chapter 1487. Backstage (8)

At this point, the only explanation was that my body still remembered it. Whether it was carved into my flesh or etched into my soul, one thing was certain—First Ki-Young had done something to avoid forgetting Park Deok-Gu. The very fact that I could seriously consider whether some lingering remnant of consciousness remained said enough.

‘It was plausible.’

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed that way. In the beginning, I only intended to use Park Deok-Gu as a meat shield because he was the biggest person I had ever seen, and his stats didn’t look too bad.

The fact that he caught my eye first had been nothing more than a coincidence. If I had seen through Mind's Eye that Kim Hyun-Sung was a regressor before I had met Park Deok-Gu, I wouldn't have bothered pulling the pig to my side at all.

I could have also recognized the pig’s shortcomings and discarded him midway through. Of course, it was also true that I cherished the idiotic pig now and couldn’t even imagine him not being around me, but if things had proceeded in a different way at the beginning, I wouldn't have needed Park Deok-Gu at all.

Setting everything else aside, it was possible that some lingering remnant of

him

was hidden within the affection I felt for that pig. I even thought about examining myself once more. I had already experienced it before.

For now, it was only a residual trace, but what if it grew strong enough until First Ki-Young could attempt to take over my body one day?

What if he and I were slowly merging into one?

Perhaps the reason all of this was being shown to me was to awaken something inside me. I judged the possibility to be low, but it was the kind of thought that could pass through one’s mind at least once.

However, I eventually shook my head.

‘That’s not it. That’s a bit too much.’

The idea that he had planted some kind of seed inside me and that he was the one showing all of this to me was most likely just me overestimating him as well as elevating him to something like a god.

I felt like I was just shadowboxing myself. Making Kim Hyun-Sung regress and leaving behind a lingering trace about the idiotic pig was probably the limit of what he could do.

More decisively, if that was truly the case, there would be no reason to show Kim Hyun-Sung’s circumstances in such detail. I wasn't angry at Kim Hyun-Sung. If anything, I understood his situation.

Back then, Kim Hyun-Sung was young, incompetent, inexperienced, and weak. Of course, he had done something deserving of criticism, but people tended to side with their own people.

If this really were something First Ki-Young intended to show to me, then simply presenting the facts as they were would be amateurish.

Of course, two people could have two different opinions even if they were looking at the same thing, so First Ki-Young was probably furious at Kim Hyun-Sung’s incompetence, immaturity, and indecisiveness, but as someone who was practically Kim Hyun-Sung’s biggest supporter in this district, I couldn’t help but think that he had done the best he could within his limits.

First Ki-Young most likely wouldn’t have brandished such raw and blind rage at Kim Hyun-Sung if Park Deok-Gu hadn't died. If the one showing me this wasn't First Ki-Young, then I had to think about who or what was the culprit.

Actually, the answer was obvious.

“...”

“...”

‘The continent, probably.’

When I thought about how I got dragged into this world in the first place and everything I had seen so far, I realized that there was no other answer. This unidentified sea of the first life had shown me fragments of the overall situation at random, but in the end, the core of it was always the story of Kim Hyun-Sung and me.

There was no need to overcomplicate things.

Considering that the system regarded Kim Hyun-Sung and me as something like joint proprietors of this continent, it made even more sense. No, rather than joint proprietors, it would be more accurate to call us co-guardians. Guardians who had adopted a continent left drifting in midair after its independence.

If one simply thought of this continent as a child, then it'd be easier to understand.

‘The hexagram...’

It was sick.

‘...caught a viral flu.’

It was meant to grant narrative plausibility to the continent of Kim Hyun-Sung and Lee Ki-Young, but it made more sense to think of it as a virus. It was extremely deadly and dangerous, yet also a rite of passage that had to be endured at least once.

As for the vaccine against that virus, there was no need to spell it out. It was obviously Kim Hyun-Sung and Lee Ki-Young.

As both the vaccines and the guardians, we had the responsibility to cure it. The problem was that the relationship between the two guardians wasn't very good right now.

It had to be an incredibly bewildering situation for the continent that was already feverish from the virus. The two guardians who were supposed to heal it were grinding their teeth, refusing to yield, on the verge of parting ways, and even standing at the brink of ruin.

It had to have felt the need to do something in its own way, and this was probably the result of its actions. It wasn't the perfect analogy, but it felt like it was a child crying, “Mom, Dad, please stop fighting.”

The problem was that it had chosen the wrong way to go about it. The will of the system that governed the continent was just that—a will. The continent itself could not think, nor could it judge what was right.

Like the laws of nature, it simply maintained this world and resolved its problems.

There was neither malice nor purpose in it. Just as it repelled the abrupt descent of the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep, it likely only released what it judged to be the most rational solution.

It seemed like it was thinking along the lines of—“My parents don’t get along and are hiding too much information from each other, so I should reveal the truth." Then, it came running with the tightly guarded bundle of secrets the two guardians had been desperately concealing from each other.

‘Seriously, this bastard is a legendary troll.’

Kim Hyun-Sung’s reaction alone was enough of an answer.

‘In fact, Kim Hyun-Sung is the biggest problem. This is a complete disaster.’

He knew that Lee Ki-Young had been human trash behind the mask, but he could never have anticipated that the one exchanging letters with him was that very same masked piece of trash. I could feel his arm trembling violently.

Even without seeing his face, I could easily imagine what he looked like right now.

His grip on me was loosening.

“...”

“...”

An indescribable silence hung in the air. He had to have known that he needed to say something, but he looked so mentally shaken that he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

I turned my gaze and saw Kim Hyun-Sung’s blank face. He saw my tear-stricken face and immediately averted his gaze, but it was certain that he had etched that image of me into his memory.

“

Ah...

”

“...”

After confirming Park Deok-Gu’s death, he couldn’t even properly look at me. An overwhelming sense of guilt lingered on his face. Well, damn, he stabbed me in the gut with enthusiasm without even knowing that I wrote

those

letters, so how could he dare to look at me?

Now that he knew that he was the reason behind everything, how could he possibly remain sane?

How could he justify directing his hate and anger at the masked scum? Of course, he had no face to show me. He probably didn’t even know what he could possibly say. Of course, First Ki-Young and Second Ki-Young were two separate individuals, but even if I felt that way, it was impossible for Kim Hyun-Sung to see it the same way.

After all, he was directly involved, so it wasn’t that simple.

His face was stained with self-loathing, and his breathing grew ragged. It looked as if his mind had gone completely blank. He likely wouldn’t say a single word; he wouldn't utter even an excuse until I spoke first.

‘Right. There were many misunderstandings... but it's an immutable fact that he had agreed to the purge. And on top of that...’

‘He even accepted the title of Count without hesitation.’

“...”

“...”

‘First Ki-Young wasn’t an idiot. Even I find it hard to defend him.’

By the middle of it all, First Ki-Young had to have realized that Kim Hyun-Sung had done his best to stop the purge, but the fact that he had accepted a noble title was likely to be the real issue.

From Kim Hyun-Sung’s perspective, he thought of it as a means to avoid repeating his past mistakes, but in the end, he was a hypocrite who had accepted a bloody title.

‘You...’

'You shouldn’t have accepted that title. Even if you felt the need for power or authority, you should’ve achieved it on your own without taking the title. You should’ve stood up alone, without leaning on Charlotte.'

Personally, accepting that title was the worst mistake Kim Hyun-Sung had ever made. When First Ki-Young suddenly saw Kim Hyun-Sung appear at the debutante party, I wonder how he felt.

There were political reasons behind it, but from First Ki-Young’s perspective, his actions seemed like a deception, an excuse. It looked like he was living in comfort atop a tower built with blood, and indeed, he was living that way. He didn’t fall; he remained a count.

With that title, he tried his best to improve the treatment of outsiders and help the continent’s people. He also fought to prevent the continent from collapsing into ruin, but in First Ki-Young's eyes, it was nothing but an absurd display of hypocrisy.

After all, First Ki-Young had nothing.

“...”

“...”

‘But that’s First Ki-Young...’

“...”

‘For me, this situation is beneficial.’

“...”

‘I’ve been wiped clean.’

Regardless of what happened to Kim Hyun-Sung, the fact that I had been cleared felt gratifying. I had a reason to take revenge, and it was justified. Of course, if every single one of my past misdeeds were laid bare, there would be room for re-evaluation, but at a glance, even those acts

could

be justified.

The one feeling uneasy was Kim Hyun-Sung. It was true that the will of the continent had decided to troll us, but strictly speaking, the current flow of the situation favored me.

‘He’s weakened.’

'This is an opportunity. This is where I should gently tell him it’s alright.'

‘He will come back, won’t he?’

Saying that I’d forgive him in First Ki-Young's stead would be a lie, but the living had to survive. We could settle things privately later.

‘At this rate, I can practically feel his loyalty rising.’

I almost feel like offering my gratitude to the will of the continent and the system. This was also a pretty good deal for him.

‘Mom and Dad will make up. You can relax now. For the first time in a while, this damn family might actually function.’

I had no choice but to pull him into a tight embrace and say something.

“It’s okay.”

“M-Mr. Ki-Young...” Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.

“It’s okay, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I repeated.

“

Heuk... heuk...

” he sobbed, but...

“...”

“...”

The moment I looked into Kim Hyun-Sung’s eyes, I realized that he had no intention of coming back. I had no idea what grand resolve he had made, but despite all this chaos, he still had no intention of returning to me.

“...”

While staring into his eyes, I said, “Did you really think I meant that, you cursed hypocritical bastard?”