Chapter 407: The Timeline of Min Juri |
There was no warning.
However, Ryu Min instinctively sensed it.
‘The timeline... it’s collapsing.’
He couldn’t explain it, but he could feel it.
Perhaps it was because he possessed the power of time.
‘If I’m not careful, I’ll be dragged in too.’
It wasn’t just Earth that would disappear.
The Heavens and the Underworld would vanish as well.
Everything belonging to a dimension would fade away.
‘I have to escape now.’
Sensing the sign, Ryu Min quickly tore open a rift in space-time.
After hiding, he could perceive through the power of time.
An Sang-cheol’s timeline had completely disappeared.
‘In the end... I couldn’t protect him.’
Despite his efforts to save him, he couldn’t eliminate all the seeds.
‘It must have been an order from the Leader’s Seed. Ordering the immediate collapse.’
It turned out to be more cunning than expected.
They decided to take this drastic measure when they realized they couldn’t stop him with their own power.
‘I have no choice but to move to another timeline.’
Suddenly, with no place to go, Ryu Min began searching for the next timeline.
—————-
After her last relationship with a superior during her residency, Min Juri no longer felt love.
Now, as an internal medicine doctor, her life was so busy that she considered feelings of excitement a luxury.
But that wasn’t the case anymore.
‘Is Ryu Min... interested in me?’
Ryu Min’s unexpected confession revived the love cells in Min Juri, which she thought had died.
At work, Min Juri was so distracted that she could barely concentrate.
“Min?”
“Ah, yes!”
“There are too many patients waiting. I think we should close early.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
The clinic, which had opened less than a year ago, was a huge success.
Patients never stopped coming, and Min Juri barely had time to go to the bathroom while attending to everyone.
‘I can’t handle this alone. I need to hire another doctor.’
Although she was busy, there was another reason.
She wanted to have time for herself.
[Ryu Min: It’s time to get off work. Shall we grab a drink?]
[Min Juri: Oh... okay.]
She hesitated to add an emoticon to her reply but ultimately decided against it.
‘You can’t show that you like him so much, Min Juri. You can’t lose control...’
At 34 years old, it was an age where she couldn’t help but think about marriage.
That’s why she didn’t want to rush things with Ryu Min.
She preferred dating with the intention of marriage.
So, she had to be cautious.
‘That’s why I haven’t accepted his confession yet...’
Just a few days ago.
Ryu Min was the first to confess that he liked her.
Although she didn’t show it, it felt like she had won the lottery.
She wanted to jump and scream with joy.
‘Deep down, I also want to tell him I like him, that I’ve been in love with him for a long time. But...’
Why couldn’t she say it easily?
Why couldn’t she say ‘I like you too’ at that moment?
If she had, they could have progressed from just acquaintances to an official relationship...
And they might even have considered marriage...
‘Is it because of the guilt in my heart...?’
Min Juri had wished for her father to be happy.
And that wish had come true.
Her father’s shoulders had risen with pride for having a doctor as a daughter, and the survival game had ended, so he no longer had to worry about his daughter’s life.
Every time she asked if the wish had been fulfilled, her father would say yes, that he was happy.
And he added that the only thing missing was for his daughter to get married...
‘Maybe Ryu Min likes me because of my wish. If my happiness is my father’s happiness...’
It could be that he didn’t have feelings before but developed them because of the wish.
Although Min Juri had wanted this, now that it had come to pass, she felt guilty.
‘I feel uncomfortable. It’s like I’m manipulating his feelings...’
Was she disgusted with herself for having bought someone’s feelings with her wish?
Min Juri felt uneasy accepting Ryu Min’s confession.
‘For now, I’ll keep the relationship as friends. I’m already happy with this.’
She decided to be content with being friends and met Ryu Min at a brewery.
But Ryu Min didn’t seem to have the same intention.
“Min Juri, why are you pretending you don’t know?”
“Huh? What, what do you mean?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Why didn’t you respond?”
“No, I don’t know what you mean. Haha.”
Feeling her throat go dry, Min Juri lifted her beer mug.
“I confessed that I liked you, remember?”
She almost spat out her drink at the direct question.
“Stop drinking and talk to me. Don’t you like me?”
“Well, of course, I like you...”
“As a friend or as something more?”
“That...”
It was a really tough situation.
She clearly had feelings for Ryu Min, but the guilt made it hard for her to respond easily.
“Eh? Oh, the chicken’s here. Let’s eat. It looks delicious.”
“...”
Min Juri tried to change the subject.
Or at least she tried.
“Juri, I’m being serious.”
“Huh...?”
Ryu Min wasn’t going to give up easily.
“We’re both in our 30s. It’s an age where we have to think about marriage. If you’re being cautious, I understand. But we don’t have time anymore. When will we date, and when will we get married?”
“...”
“At our age, the sooner, the better. I know people who got married three months after they started dating. They were in their late 20s, but they got along so well that they immediately booked the ceremony.”
Min Juri could only listen as she took another sip of beer, feeling her throat dry out.
“We should follow that example. Honestly, I always knew you liked me for a long time.”
“Really? You knew?”
“How could I not know? I had the Rune of True Feelings.”
“The Rune... of True Feelings?”
“Since we’re talking about this, I’ll tell you everything. Anyway, I don’t have my skills anymore. The Rune of True Feelings...”
Min Juri’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
The story was incredible.
‘Did he read my thoughts... with a rune for reading thoughts? All this time...?’
That meant he always knew.
That her first love was Ryu Min, and that’s why she had been nervous all this time.
“Min Juri, are you okay?”
“...”
Min Juri couldn’t lift her head.
She suddenly felt exposed.
“I’m sorry for telling you now. Even though I knew your feelings, I pretended not to know. The important thing was to get through the final round and leave the survival game.”
“I didn’t know... that you knew...”
“Now that I don’t have my skills, I don’t know what you’re feeling. But I can say for sure that I’ve developed feelings for you.”
“Then, do you know anything about... the wish?”
“The wish?”
“The Chamber of Wishes. Don’t you remember?”
“The Chamber of Wishes? Was that something we had to get through?”
Although he asked, it was clear he didn’t remember.
Ryu Min didn’t know anything about the wish.
‘So, he doesn’t know that his love for me is because of the wish...’
She wanted to tell him, but Min Juri held back.
She didn’t want to ruin the relationship by telling the truth.
The fact that her first love liked her was too sweet to let go.
‘Then, what do I say? What should I do now...?’
With Ryu Min staring at her intently, waiting for her answer, Min Juri struggled to find the words.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“...”
“Are you unsure about being with me? Or do you not feel the same way anymore?”
“It’s not that...”
“Then what’s stopping you from answering?”
“...”
Seeing that she wasn’t answering, Ryu Min decided to take more drastic action.
“I’m leaving. See you later.”
“Huh...?”
“I want to be with you, but it seems you don’t feel the same way.”
“No, I... I do have feelings for you.”
“Then why can’t you say it?”
“Is it really necessary?”
“Yes.”
Ryu Min was firm.
“I want an answer before midnight. I need to know if we’re continuing or not.”
“...”
“I’m leaving. If you don’t give me an answer before midnight, I’ll assume you don’t have feelings for me.”
Ryu Min paid the bill and left the brewery.
“Leaving...”
Min Juri let out a sigh.
———————–
After leaving the brewery, Min Juri wandered aimlessly through the night streets.
‘What should I say? Ryu Min wants an answer...’
Though he was a bit harsh, she couldn’t blame Ryu Min.
After all, she was the one who hadn’t given a clear response to his confession.
‘I understand that he wants to know. But it’s hard to say...’
She had until midnight to give Ryu Min an answer.
If she didn’t, the relationship would break.
‘I have no choice. I have to tell him the truth...’
That there was a Chamber of Wishes after the final round.
That by making the wish, his memory was erased.
That his love for her was likely the result of the wish.
She decided to reveal everything.
Ryu Min had already confessed about the Rune of True Feelings.
‘Calling him would be inappropriate. I need to meet him in person. Right now.’
As she was typing a message, Min Juri stopped.
Footsteps were approaching from behind.
When she turned her head, she saw three men walking toward her.
Were they heading in the same direction?
It was a deserted alley.
She felt scared.
‘They can’t be following me...’
She decided to run, just in case.
“Damn, let’s catch her!”
Unfortunately, the men started chasing her.
She ran as fast as she could but ended up in a dead-end alley.
“Ha, we’ve got you cornered in a dead end.”
“Look at her run.”
“She’s pretty smart.”
The men had clearly been following her.
“Wh-who are you? What do you want from me...?”
“We just saw you and wanted to chat.”
“Yeah, can you give us your number?”
The men approached with malicious smiles.
Min Juri pulled out a pepper spray from her pocket.
“Don’t come any closer!”
“What’s that? Pepper spray?”
“Scary, I’m so scared. Haha.”
“We better knock her out and throw her in the car. No time to waste.”
“Good idea.”
The men’s attitude turned more sinister.
Even with the spray, they kept getting closer.
Just as Min Juri was about to pull the trigger...
Slash!
“Arrrgh!”
Something fell to the ground, and one of the men grabbed his shoulder.
“What...?”
“Damn it, what’s happening?!”
The man’s arm had been severed.
The other two met the same fate.
Slash! Slash!
“Arrgh!”
“Ugh!”
Their arms were cleanly cut off.
A man appeared with a scythe.
“If you don’t want to die, leave.”
“Argh!”
The men fled without thinking of retrieving their arms.
Min Juri also wanted to run but was paralyzed with fear.
“Min Juri.”
“...”
Hearing a familiar voice, Min Juri stopped trembling.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s me.”
The man in the shadows stepped into the light.
It was Ryu Min.