Chapter 820 |
Yuhyun sat beside the hospital bed.
His face looked like a statue carved in shades of gray. He was so still, so silent, that I almost wondered whether he was breathing at all. He only stared at me.
Yerim was there too. She stood off to one side of the spacious hospital room, apart from us. There was sorrow in her eyes, but I could feel a faint line drawn across her expression.
The line of someone close enough to come visit. Someone who knew me well.
Not family, the way she was now.
The Yerim I knew would not have been standing so far away. She would have been right beside the bed, worrying over me while yelling at Yuhyun, saying, What are you going to do if you collapse too? I’ll stay by Mister’s side, so at least close your eyes for a minute.
But the Yerim in front of me kept a definite distance.
Maybe she had stayed in the dormitory after all. Maybe she had never come to live with us.
Because the me who had to save his twenty five year old living brother would not have had the room to embrace either the twenty year old Yuhyun or Yerim. I would have been consumed by the fear that the brother held captive in a Transcendent’s hands might go wrong at any moment. I would not have had even the slightest space left to look around me.
Click.
The door opened, and Moon Hyunah came in. She looked at me and Yuhyun for a moment, then walked over to Yerim.
“Yerim, let’s go.”
“…Okay, unni.”
Yerim gave a small nod.
Hyunah turned her eyes back toward Yuhyun.
“Like we discussed, once Yerim turns eighteen, she’ll formally take over as Haeyeon’s Guild Leader. Until then, Breaker Guild will cooperate with her. Sesung Guild agreed to help with my situation.”
…
If I died, Haeyeon’s Guild Leader would disappear too.
Had Hunter Kim Seonghan failed to become S Rank? It seemed Yerim had been chosen as the next Haeyeon Guild Leader.
‘Hyunah turned down Seong Hyunjae’s help before.’
It must have been because of Yerim.
She must have decided to give up on her goal of building an independent guild entirely on her own. Even if it meant accepting Sesung’s help, she would quickly remove outside interference and support Yerim’s growth.
Hyunah looked as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end she closed her mouth and let out only a short sigh.
Yerim bowed politely toward me and Yuhyun. Then the two of them left the hospital room.
Silence settled over the empty space in layer after layer.
I never woke up.
I had fallen into a coma, and every so often, I called Yuhyun’s name.
That name… probably did not belong to the twenty year old Yuhyun.
Yuhyun quietly watched me like that.
He looked as if he had given up on me ever truly seeing him. He no longer grieved, no longer raged. He simply stayed by my side.
Fwoosh—
At last, a small black flame rose.
A pitch black fire, one with no trace of blue, slowly spread outward. It wrapped around me after my breath had stopped, then swallowed even its master. Leaving behind only a faint smudge of soot, like the trace of a sigh, the two of us disappeared.
“Is there no way not to tell him?”
Yuhyun spoke.
His eyes remained fixed on the place where I had been, but his voice was calm.
“My brother doesn’t need to know about me.”
If I had never known that I had left Yuhyun behind.
Instead of answering, White Bird erased the scene before us.
Then the Breeding Facility appeared.
I was there, taking care of baby monsters with the Breeding Facility employees. My face was relaxed, without even a hint of shadow.
‘Because it really had become something that never happened.’
I believed the brother from before the regression was safe.
I believed there was only one Han Yuhyun, the living brother here in the present.
So there was no need to worry.
Maybe I had even tried to stop involving myself with Transcendents after that. Even if I had a high rank special skill, Han Yujin was still F Rank. I had already lost my brother once, and I would not have wanted to repeat the same mistake.
“Hyung, I’m home.”
“Yuhyun! You finished early today?”
I greeted Yuhyun happily.
Watching that tender sight, I thought back over everything that had happened after the regression.
It was after Rookie explained the regression to me that I ended up entering a dungeon with Seong Hyunjae and Noah. I learned that it had not truly become something that never happened, and that gave me the sense of crisis that I could not simply sit still like this. To find out about the Filial Duty Addict who had approached Yuhyun, I contacted Seong Hyunjae.
If Rookie had never told me the truth.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I told you, I’m not stepping one foot outside, right? Your hyung knows very, very well how dangerous the outside world is.”
I would not have contacted Seong Hyunjae.
I would not have gone into a dungeon.
And I would never have run into Diarma.
If Diarma had not died back then, Ru Ga Pheya would not have appeared either. If I did not enter dungeons, I would have lost contact with Rookie.
I stayed inside as much as possible and devoted myself solely to the Breeding Facility.
Since I never went to the Lake Castle Dungeon, Choi Seokwon and Yun Kyungsu would still be alive too. Yuhyun would not have caused that incident, and there would have been no reason for me to go to Hong Kong or be kidnapped to China.
‘If I didn’t step forward, and if my interactions with Seong Hyunjae, Hyunah, and Chief Song became rare too. Marisa wouldn’t have targeted me either.’
To begin with, Ru Ga Pheya had also played a role in what happened to Yun Yun. If the King of Harmless had not existed, Hwang Rim would not have kept the Chinese military in check by making a request to Marisa.
So many things would vanish. So many things would change.
“The Sesung Guild Leader? What does he want?”
I accepted Seong Hyunjae’s invitation without any particular concern.
My brother, whom I had never lost, was by my side.
The Breeding Facility work was going smoothly too. As Director of the Breeding Facility, I had earned enough recognition, and I was helping Haeyeon Guild, helping my brother.
For an F Rank, that was enough.
The painful wounds faded away naturally.
After all, they had never happened in the first place.
“Hello, Guild Leader Seong.”
And so I no longer obsessed over Seong Hyunjae either.
I did not wish for power beyond that of an F Rank, and I was satisfied with the present. Even if I still thought he was incredible, that was all.
Seong Hyunjae was a mountain impossible to climb.
Forget standing beside him, I probably would not have even expected him to look at me.
“It is rather difficult to get a glimpse of you, Director Han Yujin.”
“I’m a delicate F Rank, aren’t I? Until recently, things were hectic for all kinds of reasons. Though it seems everything’s settled down now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to come to Sesung Guild at all.”
I walked along with Seong Hyunjae.
The way Seong Hyunjae looked at me was clearly different from now. At a glance, his eyes seemed gentle, but they were emotionless, as though he were looking not at an equal human being, but at an object.
“Thanks to that, Haeyeon’s Guild Leader has been entirely occupied protecting his territory, his brother. Hunter Park Yerim and Hunter Kim Seonghan have been handling the cooperation requests from the Awakener Management Office and the Hunter Association.”
“That’s because hyung is weak. Still, I heard things have been quiet lately. I heard Sesung Guild was very active.”
Had Seong Hyunjae dealt with the Diarma matter in my place?
The Transcendents might also have approached Seong Hyunjae instead of me, since I no longer entered dungeons.
“That’s also why I came in person, as thanks. I’ll prioritize raising Sesung’s Monster Mount.”
I wondered what kind of kid it was that he had to bring me here himself to keep it secret. It had to be S Rank.
Thinking that, I approached the familiar mini portal.
It was the portal leading to Seong Hyunjae’s residence.
“Excluding Chief Song Taewon, you are the only outsider I have ever invited to my home, Director Han Yujin.”
“That feels a little burdensome.”
It was Seong Hyunjae’s residence, now collapsed and gone.
I looked around. Seong Hyunjae naturally led me to the drawing room.
“You have that much value, Director Han Yujin.”
“That’s too much pra—”
“And at the same time, you have none at all.”
Seong Hyunjae cut me off.
I faltered slightly.
Seong Hyunjae turned back to me smoothly. His cold eyes held a smile so perfect it seemed painted on.
“The Perfect Nurturer.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I need you, Director Han Yujin.”
“What are you…”
The sound of dress shoes clicked against the floor.
Seong Hyunjae quietly approached me. I stepped back on reflex. But I could neither run away nor stand against him. I only panicked.
That Han Yujin, dyed in peace, had neither the experience nor the ability to deal with Seong Hyunjae.
A helpless prey’s throat was caught in a gloved hand.
“G–Guild Leader Seong!”
I struggled to pry his hand away from my neck, but of course, it did no good.
Seong Hyunjae lowered his head slightly toward me. But he did not bring himself to my eye level. He still only looked down.
“I am not the sort to harm people easily. Even things that seem weak and useless, I do not handle carelessly. Every human being has their own right to live.”
His voice was soft, almost kind.
Hope flickered in my eyes at those words.
“However, I, like all living creatures…”
His voice remained gentle.
“…eat when I must.”
“What could I possibly…”
Ding—
From somewhere, a faint alarm sounded.
Still holding my throat, Seong Hyunjae lifted his head.
“Ah, the bread is done. Would you like one last bite?”
My body swayed along with his movement.
Golden eyes turned back toward my pale face. The color of one of them faded, then turned white, as though it had disappeared.
“It would have been nice to have a little more time. What a shame. And it is also a shame that the present Director Han Yujin is less appealing.”
A black shadow began seeping out through Seong Hyunjae’s hand.
No way.
Had he regained his memories from before the regression?
‘…Gyeol would never have been born either.’
The pre regression version of him that had existed inside Seong Hyunjae would not have escaped to me and become a fairy dragon. He would have been absorbed just as he was.
“I was quite fond of Mr. Han Yujin.”
“What are you…”
“But this time, the reason to hesitate vanished. You were still fairly cute, but not enough to make me endure.”
Seong Hyunjae’s whisper continued.
“Not when you were prey giving off such an unbearably sweet scent.”
The shadow seeped into me.
My mouth opened, and a soundless scream melted into ragged gasps.
“My apologies.”
As if soothing me, Seong Hyunjae stroked my hair. My weak thrashing gradually faded.
If I ended up having no particular relationship with Seong Hyunjae.
Then Seong Hyunjae would have no reason to leave my nurturing title alone.
Just as Gyeol had feared, he would regain his memories and try to absorb my power.
–If Han Yujin does not act, the small moon will covet Han Yujin’s title. The moment he learns of Han Yujin’s death, Han Yuhyun will disappear as well.
For a moment, I wondered if Yuhyun would try to take revenge, but then I remembered Yuhyun in the Japanese dungeon.
Yuhyun did not have that kind of emotion.
If I was alive, he would move for my safety, the way he had killed Yun Kyungsu. But if I was not, then he would simply follow me.
–Even if Han Yujin continues hiding.
Rumble.
–Part of the Breeding Facility collapsed. Between the fragments, a golden dragon’s wing flashed into view.
–There are few who can stand against the small moon. While you are inside a dungeon, he will easily take Han Yujin.
It would be easy for Seong Hyunjae.
Yuhyun had to clear dungeons periodically. As for Chief Song, all he needed to do was create some other matter and separate him from me. Noah, who guarded the Breeding Facility, as well as Yerim and Kim Seonghan, would be no match for him.
And if I had never caught Diarma, Yerim would not even have obtained the Mermaid Queen’s power.
–There is also a chance the small moon will not target Han Yujin. If he fails to regain his memories and power from before the regression.
Snow scattered through the air.
It was a rooftop garden swallowed by night. Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon stood facing each other.
Chief Song opened his trembling mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
His black gaze lowered to the ground by his feet.
“I… cannot do it. I cannot control my own power.”
“I see.”
Seong Hyunjae nodded lightly. With a smile, he tilted his head slightly toward Song Taewon.
“Will you have a drink with me? Surely you can do that much.”
“…Yes.”
The two of them left the garden.
From somewhere, the sound of bells jingled.
–Fearing his own power, Eclipse gave up on swallowing the small moon. Before long, Crescent Moon will come.
Just like the apocalypse that might have happened before the regression.
–Even if Eclipse wields his power, he is inexperienced and cannot bear himself.
Ggggggrrrr.
Sesung Guild was swallowed in pitch black shadow. Darkness spread rapidly outward.
–If it happens inside a dungeon, Crescent Moon will interfere. If it happens outside a dungeon, Eclipse will swallow the country, and Han Yujin with it.
Suddenly, I wanted to scream.
From the moment the source began devouring the world and Crescent Moon began raising the small moon, there had been no path left for us to escape.
As though everything had been decided in some ancient past, a terrible helplessness covered my entire body.
It was heavy.
It was dark.
‘Hyung is here.’
I felt Yuhyun’s whisper.
‘Not on any of those paths. Here.’
I let out a long breath.
All the crossroads vanished, and a massive tree spread its branches overhead.
Snow fell.
Onto White Bird’s feathers.
Onto Yuhyun’s black hair.
“…What should I do?”
Yuhyun forced the words out with difficulty.
What should he do?
–The most peaceful path for Han Yujin is to hide your existence from him.
A cry of no, don’t, rose inside my mouth and spun there.
This was the past.
Even so, my heart dropped.
–He would live happily at his brother’s side, never knowing that he had lost him. For as short as a little over a year, or as long as several years. That would not be so bad either…
Without a doubt, that Han Yujin might be the happiest.
Except for the version of me from another world, the one the dungeon had created.
Thinking of that guy annoyed me, but at the same time, my heart felt a little lighter.
Right.
There had been a path like that too.
“Is that possible?”
–If you wish it.
White Bird wore a faint smile.
–Han Yujin’s flame. By merely being here, my greatest wish has already been fulfilled.
White Bird’s wish had been fulfilled…?
Hadn’t what she wanted been to protect the tree where snow fell?
But Seong Hyunjae still existed. The future where he became the full moon had not changed either.
–Also, this is as far as the path I can involve myself in reaches. The traces I scattered in order to look into the future remain, but from this moment on, there is nothing more I can do.
White Bird had hidden herself after that.
Only traces of the past appeared from time to time. No one had managed to find the Bird that Counts the Stars.
–From this moment forward.
A white hand rose and pointed at Yuhyun.
Then her black eyes shifted toward me, though she should not have been able to see me.
–It is your path alone. A path no one can lead you down, and no one can clear for you.
“I…”
Yuhyun hesitated.
“You really will do as I wish?”
–Even if I say it will be as you wish, there are not many paths you can choose when you care only for Han Yujin. A brief happiness, or an exceedingly slim possibility.
“If it’s an exceedingly slim possibility…”
–The possibility that Han Yujin gives up nothing, and takes everything he desires into his hands.
Everything I desired.
–TL Notes–
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