Chapter 426: The One who was a Reincarnator |
The One who was a Reincarnator
There was someone called Go Yuir.
"Wow, how can someone's name be Go Yuir!"
"?"
"Really. Don't you think Mother was too much? Naming the first child one and the second child two just because they're part of the Yu generation. Her naming sense is practically from the Joseon era. At least it's fortunate the hanja characters are different."[1]
"??"
"But I like it. My brother's name. Go Yuir (高曜日). It can be read as a quiet day, or it can be seen as a high and shining day."
The neighborhood hospital. A funeral.
Yuir, who had been silently handling his mother's funeral alone as a middle school student, was quite flustered.
"Yes."
"Uh, sorry, but noona. Anyone can see you're older than me. Aren't you a high school student?"
"Ah! Every time I hear brother call me noona, it makes me so happy. Please call me noona just ten more times from now on."
"..."
If you had to pick just one thing you shouldn't do at a funeral without hesitation, the answer should be resurrection.
However, young Yuir had just realized that 'a mourner you've never seen before claiming to be your younger sister' should also be included on that list.
"Don't be too flustered."
The person before him smiled brightly. It was a smile terribly bad for the heart.
"I'm not talking about this life. It's a connection from our past lives."
"Ah, that kind of setting?"
His mind and body quickly regained stability.
After all, anyone born in South Korea would automatically develop immunity the moment they received information that the other person was a cult member, even if they had none before.
"Ahaha. Brother's expression is amusing."
...But the other party seemed to be quite skilled.
Despite sending out a look that openly treated her like a lunatic, she didn't panic at all and sat down calmly at the funeral altar.
Even if there were no mourners right now, this was extremely rude.
"Excuse me. Sorry to say this when we've just met, but please leave now. If you don't, I'll call someone."
"Don't feel lonely because there are no mourners. One person will come in 3 minutes."
"Excuse me?"
"They're a colleague from the hospital where Mother used to work long ago. The next one will be in 16 minutes. And then in 60 minutes."
"..."
It was true.
"Oh my, Yuir. I saw you when you were just a baby, do you remember this lady?"
"Yes. Of course I remember."
"How did you grow up so properly!"
"Thank you so much for coming to visit."
"..."
What's more, the self-proclaimed younger sister who suddenly appeared naturally greeted the mourners together with him as if it were natural.
But there was something even stranger than that.
It was the fact that both Yuir himself and the mourners felt the sight of this woman bowing beside him infinitely 'natural'.
"Excuse me."
Eventually, after the promised 60 minutes had passed, Yuir had no choice but to ask carefully.
"Noona... Who exactly are you?"
"Oh dear. That's a question with so many possible answers, and yet no answer is possible."
"..."
"It's okay. We have time. No one will come to mourn until tomorrow morning."
The other party smiled gently.
"Shall we talk slowly?"
Yuir suddenly thought that smile was very beautiful.
Time was passing.
Her name was Go Yuri.
"Wow, how can someone's name be Go Yuri!"
"Mr. Undertaker, to remember the line you heard when we first met and come back later to use it as revenge, you're being too petty."
"..."
The honorifics mainly used were 'guild leader' or 'Mr. Undertaker'.
Unfortunately, the Yuir of this timeline hadn't formed a sibling alliance with his younger sister from childhood and committed all kinds of bizarre acts, so he had no immunity to otaku culture at all.
For an ordinary person, just hearing the pronunciation of 'brother' would naturally twist all the energy channels in their body as if they had encountered a spell from the Necronomicon.
For him to re-enter subculture would require time, a great deal of time ahead.
"Moreover, whether we were siblings in a past life or whatever, here you're older, aren't you? Even if you use honorifics, I should be the one using them to you..."
"Urgh."
"?"
"Ah, I'm sorry! Mr. Undertaker. I inadvertently faced the sight of Mr. Undertaker using honorifics to me with brother's face and brother's voice, and my stomach secreted spinal fluid causing a reflex reaction."
"..."
"For my mental health, could you speak casually to me? Oh. And I won't call Mr. Undertaker by your real name whenever possible."
"Why is that?"
"Haah. Mr. Undertaker occupies a really, extremely important position in my master plan. I need to keep your real name hidden as much as possible."
"...Weird girl."
Time was passing.
"Mr. Undertaker, you can do it! Fighting!"
"Kuaaaaa."
"Even when I wasn't born as family, Mr. Undertaker was accepted into medical school. Rather, after losing me as a younger sister, a period of wandering appeared in Mr. Undertaker's timeline and you fell behind. Haah. This younger sister's heart aches... Mr. Undertaker. Please remember the academic passion of your past life, past past life."
"So you're saying it's because of you in the end! I stopped studying from sixth grade of elementary school!"
"Ahaha. That's why I'm making an after-service visit to help like this, isn't it? Come on, if you memorize just a little more, even a perfect score on the college entrance exam isn't a dream. Fighting! Fighting!"
"Give me back my life! Give it back, you culprit!"
Time was passing.
"As I mentioned before, to infiltrate Cheon Yo-hwa's cult, your college entrance exam score is very important. It's a fact no one knows, but the cult leader here has a bit of an education complex."
"...I see. So creating Baekwha Girls' High as an educational foundation wasn't simply for the cult's future. There was also personal desire?"
"That's just how the world works."
"Huh? What? Why did you pronounce that strangely just now?"
"Geez. This is why muggles are..."
"?"
Tap tap.
– Younger sister (?) / Go Yuri: How are things these days?
– Younger sister (?) / Go Yuri: I think it's going well, but I'm a bit anxious because there's no contact. Is everything alright?
– Me: It's fine. Everything's going well.
– Younger sister (?) / Go Yuri: That's a relief then! You're so reliable as expected. I'll visit you soon.
Ding dong.
"Huhaa. Oh no, this is terrible."
"What is?"
"I just pressed the doorbell, but the button must be stuck because the bell keeps ringing!"
"No. You're a teleporter. Wouldn't it be much more convenient to just move directly into my room here instead of the neighborhood alley?"
"Hmm. I tried that before."
"You did?"
"You cried and begged me to please respect your privacy. I also saw something I really didn't want to see."
"..."
"And I don't dislike it. Walking even a little and knocking on that person's door. It feels like I'm visiting, it's romantic."
"Romantic."
"First, let me praise you. You did very well! The work of instilling humanity in Yu Ji-won here is really difficult. Thanks to what happened this summer, later on..."
Ding dong.
"Eh?"
"Mm."
"Oh, it's Ji-won. Was today's visit scheduled?"
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you. She said she made too much food and would bring some over."
"This is terrible! If Ji-won discovers that Mr. Undertaker and I are alone together right now, she'll kill me and then the world will end!"
"No, there's no way..."
"Yap! Teleport."
"...She uses it well at times like this."
"Hmm. You were a bit slow opening the door today. Mr. Matiz. I thought I heard some conversation from inside just now, was someone here?"
Time was passing.
And.
"Oppa. Wake up. It's morning."
"...I don't know why I have to see your face right in front of me the moment I open my eyes. And I also don't know why I have to hear such a weird alarm sound."
"Oh my. Can you really afford to be so relaxed?"
"Mm?"
"Tomorrow is finally D-Day."
"...Ah."
That day was approaching.
"Yes."
Summer.
D-Day.
June 17th.
"It's regrettable, but tomorrow is the day Mr. Undertaker and I must part!"
"..."
Their time together was preparing for a funeral.
That day was full of strange things from the morning.
"You want to take the train down?"
"Yes. From now on, we might be indebted to this space hundreds, maybe thousands or tens of thousands of times. While you still haven't lost your memories, I think it would be good to take a tour in advance."
"..."
"Come on, Mr. Undertaker."
Yuri extended her hand.
"Mmm. Mr. Go Yuir."
"..."
"Let's go together."
They walked.
Throughout the walk, Yuri held his hand making him feel embarrassed, but in fact there was no reason for Yuir to be embarrassed.
No one was watching them.
No, not even the sound of a 'third party's' footsteps could be heard on the path where Yuri and Yuir were walking.
"Is this also a trick you orchestrated?"
"Yes. Only on June 16th, if I manipulate this and that, I can make the number of pedestrians on this path exactly zero."
"An amazing coincidence."
"Yes! That's why I specifically set the execution date for tomorrow. I really wanted to travel to the destination like this at least once without using teleportation."
"..."
Just like an ordinary human.
From leaving home to arriving at the station, passing through the ticket gate, boarding the train until arriving in Busan.
The two really didn't encounter anyone at all.
Although the world still needed a bit more time before its destruction, it was as if only the two of them were previewing the destruction and walking through it.
"Now that I think about it."
Busan Station waiting room.
Yuir asked her why she had orchestrated their 'first meeting' at his mother's funeral of all times.
Then Yuri gave an awkward smile.
"You were too young then, weren't you? Ah, from my perspective you're still very, very young though."
"So?"
"No matter how mature Mr. Undertaker was from childhood. The task of greeting mourners alone. That's absolutely not an easy thing for a middle school student."
"..."
"People have moments when they wish someone would be by their side. Once, long before now, Mr. Undertaker confessed that you were very lonely and had a hard time back then."
Yuir wanted to ask.
Then do you also sometimes wish someone would be by your side?
"But now you'll remember that day completely differently. Even though it's a sad day when you held Mother's funeral..."
"It's also the day I met you."
"Yes. Isn't it mysterious?"
Grin.
"The way people comfort people isn't ultimately about making sadness disappear. It's simply about adding another memory to it."
"...I see."
"Yes. I'll disappear someday, and Mr. Undertaker is also destined to lose all memories. Nevertheless, before that day arrives, I wanted to give you as many happy memories as possible. Ah."
Souvenir shop.
While looking around a shop where the owner was also 'coincidentally' away, Yuri pointed at something.
"This. The price is incredibly cheap but it's surprisingly pretty."
It was a silver bell.
Since it wasn't a recent product but was released quite a while ago, the price was cheap and there was some dust on it.
Yuri had discovered a product with exactly 2 remaining in the corner of the display.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes!"
Yuir silently picked up the product.
And after placing a ten thousand won bill on the unmanned cash register, he returned to Yuri.
She tilted her head.
"This is?"
"A gift."
"Oh my."
"Since it's the last day, it would be better to give you something more wonderful... But anyway, you've experienced all the luxuries I can't even imagine through countless reincarnations. So."
Squeeze.
While placing the silver bell in Yuri's hand, Yuir covered her hand with his palm.
"I'll give this as a relic of this place that will become our graveyard."
"..."
"According to your 'plan', someday I'll forget you."
"Yes."
"I swear here on this spot."
Casting a glance at the one remaining silver bell in the corner of the display, Yuir looked at her.
"Tomorrow. The day when everything ends and everything begins. Even if I forget you, I will definitely, no matter what happens, take that remaining half of the silver bell."
"..."
Yuri's eyebrows slid together.
"I'm sorry but that's impossible. I've become an irreplaceably precious existence to Mr. Undertaker, will be, and so the moment I disappear, Mr. Undertaker will be reborn as an unprecedented multi-awakener. It's all destined fate."
"Right. It would be impossible."
The strength in their clasped hands didn't weaken.
"So this is a kind of test."
"A test?"
"If tomorrow comes and I don't have the silver bell, then what you judged 'impossible' is truly 'impossible'. Everything will flow according to your plan. Both you and I will simply disappear leaving only traces behind."
However, Yuir said.
"If I don't forget."
"..."
"If I've forgotten you but still hold this toy that has no sparkle or nobility in my hand. Couldn't that be seen as a very small miracle?"
If such a thing happens.
"It brings hope."
"..."
"Even if it's very small hope, it doesn't matter. I hope you'll think, even just a little bit, that something you considered impossible might perhaps be possible."
Silence continued.
Yuir let go of her hand. Left alone, Yuri's hand still held the silver bell he had given her.
"...Yes."
Squeeze.
Yuri took that shabby inventory item. That one bell remaining at this edge-of-the-earth station, unable to endure the person who would believe in it in this world.
She clasped it with both hands and held it against her heart.
"I'll believe."
It was a promise.
"I'll wait."
An oath where the hour and minute hands overlapped to become one.
"Forever."
And then emptiness arrived...
.
.
.
.
.
.
"I am Mister's savior."
Toward the hour and minute hands that had crossed.
"Come on, Mister!"
The second hand, always the youngest and fastest, extended its hand.
While smiling broadly.
"Now let's go save Mister's love together!"
And time arrived.
Footnotes:
[1] Sino-Korean uses 일 (il) for 1, 이 (i) for 2. In Korean culture, each same generation name has a letter assigned to it in each family, in this case “Yu”.
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