Chapter 369: Ma Gyeong-rok’s Wish |
Ma Gyeong-rok opened his eyes right after entering the Room of Wishes.
“Where am I?”
He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. He was simply curious about where he was.
The answer came from the system.
[Welcome. You have entered the Room of Wishes.]
[If you have any questions, feel free to ask.]
[You can ask mentally or out loud. We will answer sincerely.]
It was natural for Ma Gyeong-rok to open his eyes.
“A wish? Now that I think about it...”
“How far did I get...?”
The tenth round? He couldn’t remember clearly. At that moment, he recalled the system’s words.
“They said I could ask anything, right? Then will they answer this?”
Ma Gyeong-rok asked what intrigued him the most at that moment.
“Did I clear the rounds?”
[That’s correct. The player ‘Cheonma’ cleared all 20 rounds and reached the final round, where you touched the Stone of Wishes. That’s why you could enter the Room of Wishes.]
“I cleared the final round and got here?”
It seemed like Black Scythe and his team had finally succeeded, allowing him to reach the Room of Wishes.
“But why don’t I have any memories? I don’t even remember touching that Stone of Wishes.”
[It appears the player has experienced memory loss due to a system phenomenon.]
“A system phenomenon? Explain it in a way I can understand.”
[Upon reviewing the logs, evidence was found of you being affected by a Rune of Charm. This happened after the tenth round.]
“Rune of Charm?”
[It’s a rune that can permanently seduce the mind of the opposite gender. The effect has currently been removed because you’ve entered the Room of Wishes.]
Upon learning the truth, Ma Gyeong-rok couldn’t help but feel shocked.
“Was I mentally controlled?”
It seemed a player with the Rune of Charm had manipulated him without his awareness.
“Who was it? Who did this to me?”
[The records indicate it was the player named ‘Yamti’.]
Now that he thought about it, he recalled that there was a player named Yamti among Black Scythe’s team.
“She did this? To me?”
It seemed he had been used as a puppet the entire time.
“Wow, this is absurd. Is that why my memories stopped at the tenth round?”
Ma Gyeong-rok tried to recall his last memories.
“That moment... Yes, I was in the office.”
He remembered meeting Ryu Min, the main shareholder. Then, a woman had entered.
“Now I understand. That woman was Yamti, the one with the Rune of Charm.”
It was Ryu Min, Black Scythe, who had brought her.
He vaguely remembered the woman calling Black Scythe “master.”
“Did Black Scythe betray me...?”
He wasn’t sure if it had been an independent action by Yamti, but it was certain that Black Scythe was involved.
“Damn it. I have to get revenge on him...”
[That is impossible.]
The system, reading his thoughts, responded arbitrarily.
[Since you entered the Room of Wishes, the current timeline has completely separated. Once your wish is granted, the timeline you return to will be a new one, so you won’t be able to return to the original for revenge.]
“What are you saying? Explain it so I can understand.”
The system explained about the timelines. It was simple to grasp. Once his wish was granted, he would be trapped in his own timeline, like opening a new document.
“Writing my own story in that new timeline?”
It wasn’t hard to understand. It was just hard to accept.
“Damn it. Even knowing all this, I won’t be able to get revenge on Black Scythe...”
He knew Black Scythe was cunning, but he never imagined he’d be stabbed in the back like this.
[State your wish. Then I will create a new timeline with your wish.]
The system urged him to express his wish, and Ma Gyeong-rok fell into deep thought.
“A wish? What was my wish?”
It was a difficult matter to resolve. He had achieved wealth and fame, so he virtually had no desires left.
“I won the fight to be the successor. My position as president is already secured.”
He didn’t need money or fame.
“I have no interest in reconciling with my estranged siblings.”
He also had no desire to restore family relations.
“And I don’t want to change Christine’s heart, which already loves Black Scythe.”
Love was an insignificant emotion in his life.
So, what wish could he ask for?
“Should I ask to remove my internal malice?”
The murderous impulses. If he removed them, he could live a normal life without killing, without insomnia.
But.
“I don’t want to do that.”
He had no intention of suppressing his impulses.
“Why give up something so good?”
Having tasted the pleasure of killing, he found no reason to let it go.
[State your wish.]
The system’s voice rang out again, and Ma Gyeong-rok made a decision.
“My wish is...”
Ma Gyeong-rok opened his eyes and looked around. It was a hotel room, just like always.
Shortly after, An Sang-cheol, his right-hand man, opened the door and rushed in.
“Sir!”
“An Sang-cheol.”
“It’s finally... finally over! We did it!”
“Really?”
Ma Gyeong-rok’s expression remained indifferent. But An Sang-cheol didn’t question it; he knew his boss rarely showed emotions.
“You must be happy.”
But, contrary to what An Sang-cheol thought, Ma Gyeong-rok wasn’t that pleased. This world was a newly created timeline. In other words, it was fake.
Though it was a new world, it was exactly the same as the previous one. The only difference was that the players had no memories of the Room of Wishes. In fact, they didn’t know anything about the existence of wishes.
“I’m the only one who seems strange.”
When he talked about wishes with the surviving players, they all acted as if it was the first time they heard about it, making him feel odd.
“It’s not like I can blame them. I don’t remember anything either.”
He had no memories after the tenth round. Though he must have gone through many difficulties to get here.
“And it was all because of Black Scythe?”
Though he directed his growing anger toward Black Scythe, the latter only looked at him with puzzled eyes.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Ma Gyeong-rok?”
“Nothing.”
“But why did you want to see me...?”
“I wanted to ask you a few things.”
“What could you ask? I’m no longer a prophet or anything.”
Black Scythe, who had led the rounds until the tenth, was now just an ordinary civilian. Perhaps that’s why Ma Gyeong-rok no longer felt the same fear towards him. He only felt anger.
“Will this guy remember the Rune of Charm?”
That was the part Ma Gyeong-rok was most curious about. Maybe they had only erased the memory of the wish, but what about the rest?
He called him to this place with that thought in mind.
“After the 10th round. That’s when you came to see me, right?”
“10th round? Well, I’m not sure. Didn’t you come to see me every time? After all, I was the major shareholder.”
“Yes, but think carefully. I remember you came with a woman at that time.”
Ma Gyeong-rok observed Ryu Min closely as he spoke, trying to discern if he was lying.
Fortunately, Ryu Min seemed to remember the event, as he slightly flinched.
“Ah, you mean that time? Yes, I remember. I came with a woman named Kim Ye-dam.”
“Kim Ye-dam?”
“She was a player who was with me, don’t you remember?”
“Are you talking about Yamti?”
“Ah, I see you remember.”
Ma Gyeong-rok smiled as he heard Ryu Min’s words. This confirmed his suspicions.
‘So they were together.’
Ryu Min was also responsible for mentally controlling him.
“Why did you come at that time?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. I just wanted to introduce you to a companion.”
Ryu Min was blatantly lying, unaware that he had been found out. Ma Gyeong-rok was incredulous.
‘Don’t make me laugh. She was there to mentally control me, wasn’t she?’
He wanted to confront him, but he knew it wouldn’t change anything. There was no evidence, and this was a new world replicating the previous one. He couldn’t be sure if this Ryu Min and the one from back then were the same person.
‘All the players here are fake. They’re nothing more than NPCs reciting pre-set lines. The real ones touched the Stone of Wishes and are living in a new world, having their wishes fulfilled.’
There was no point in asking further.
With that conclusion, Ma Gyeong-rok gave up on revenge and let Ryu Min go. He didn’t want to keep talking to him.
Ryu Min seemed to feel the same, as he never sought him out again.
——————
Ma Gyeong-rok was the sole heir of the Ohsung Group. He was the only one who survived until the final round after round 20 within the group.
‘I guess my brothers are dead.’
He thought they were alive, but that wasn’t the case. He didn’t remember what happened after round 10, but he was sure they were dead. They even had funerals.
‘Good. They were useless anyway. It seems my wish has been fulfilled as well.’
After much thought, Ma Gyeong-rok had wished to be recognized by his father, Ma Dae-cheol, the president of the group.
He wasn’t sure if he could be recognized even if he became the heir, so he asked for it as a wish. Besides, he didn’t have any other specific desires.
‘I’ve lived proudly trying not to disappoint my father’s expectations. And now...’
It seemed he had met those expectations, as Ma Dae-cheol was smiling widely, looking at him with pride.
Given his father’s cold personality, it was a surprising change.
The most surprising of all was:
“Ma Gyeong-rok.”
“......!”
That he called him by name in an official context like the company.
“Now that Gyeong-sang and Gyeong-su are no longer here, you are the sole heir of the family.”
“Heir?”
“Yes. I know how much you’ve worked. I was just pretending not to notice so you’d grow stronger. As the saying goes, a plant that has weathered storms has deeper roots than one that grew in a greenhouse. I wanted you to grow stronger and prove yourself as the heir.”
The president, or rather, his father, stood up from his chair, approached Ma Gyeong-rok, and embraced him tightly.
“You’ve proven yourself magnificently. Now I can leave the group to you with peace of mind.”
“Are you really giving it to me?”
“Of course. You’re my only son, who else would I give it to?”
Ma Gyeong-rok’s heart was filled with emotion. Being recognized by his father felt incredible.
A smile formed on his face, having fulfilled his wish.
—————–
Recognized as the group’s heir, Ma Gyeong-rok left Cheonma Consulting and began taking control of the group, acquiring shares and managing it.
“I said to do it this way. Doesn’t it seem like my words make sense?”
“I’m sorry, Director Ma Gyeong-rok.”
As a director, Ma Gyeong-rok managed the company by playing the role of a strict boss. He knew from experience that he had to be that way so as not to be underestimated.
‘Although fixing things with subordinates can resolve the company’s problems...’
The desire to kill wouldn’t disappear.
‘Did I wish wrongly? I can’t stand it.’
He hadn’t killed in three months. The sleepless nights were constant torture. Ma Gyeong-rok couldn’t stand it any longer.
‘No, I must do it today.’
Unable to suppress his desire, he called his subordinate.
————
“Director An.”
“Yes.”
“Is everything ready?”
“Ah... yes.”
An Sang-cheol’s response wasn’t very encouraging. Something was off.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, none.”
“Who is today’s prey? A dangerous criminal or a petty offender?”
“...You’ll know when you see.”
An Sang-cheol led Ma Gyeong-rok to a warehouse.
It was early morning. They opened the warehouse door, letting in the moonlight.
Ma Gyeong-rok unsheathed his knife upon seeing the silhouette of the criminal.
‘Huh?’
The criminal, who would normally be bound, was sitting in a chair. Suddenly, he stood up and approached Ma Gyeong-rok.
“Director An. Why isn’t he tied up...?”
“Ma Gyeong-rok.”
Ma Gyeong-rok shuddered upon hearing the deep, grave voice.
“Father?”
The person in front of him wasn’t a criminal but his father, Ma Dae-cheol.
Ma Gyeong-rok was confused. ‘Did An Sang-cheol betray me?’
He glared hatefully at An Sang-cheol, but his father spoke first.
“Don’t blame An Sang-cheol. He prepared this place for your sake.”
“Father, there’s a misunderstanding...”
“There’s no need for excuses. I’ve already heard everything.”
Ma Dae-cheol placed his hand on Ma Gyeong-rok’s shoulder.
“You must have suffered a lot.”
“......”
His father’s words pierced Ma Gyeong-rok’s heart. He felt the malice he had hidden begin to fade away.
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner. As a father, I didn’t know you had this illness...”
Sighing, Ma Dae-cheol sincerely apologized.
“If you feel those urges, we’ll resolve this together now. Don’t hide it anymore. I’ll help you.”
“Father...”
That day, Ma Gyeong-rok felt like his wish had truly come true.