Chapter 845: For Those Who Will Wait (2)
“Hyung!”
“Mister!”
“Yujin!”
Voices calling for me rang out all at once. Not only Hyunah and Soyeong, but even Liette looked like she was asking whether I was serious. Peace must have sensed something strange in the air too, because he whined softly in my direction. Chief Song was the only one who remained silent.
– Yujin hyung! I told you it’s impossible!
“That’s right, Mister. He said we can’t even go in the first place. If we could, we’d all go together.”
Yerim said it as though that, at least, was a relief. Yuhyun quietly caught my wrist.
“…You have a way.”
My brother looked at me as he said it. His eyes held trust, the certainty that I wouldn’t say something careless without reason.
“Yeah. I do. But it’s not a way we can use together.”
I let out a long breath, then began explaining slowly.
“Chief Song, Hyunah, Noah, you all saw it back then, right? The moment when I became stronger than an S–rank.”
“Yes. Your stats were twice as high as my sister’s.”
“What? Twice mine? What? What happened?”
Liette tilted her head, curious. Yerim and Soyeong looked puzzled as well. Yuhyun said nothing. He only kept looking at me.
“I couldn’t explain it properly at the time, but when someone precious to me dies, I can receive twice their stats for seven days.”
I did not mention the keyword. I still couldn’t tell them that much. Liette’s eyes went round.
“I didn’t realize you liked me that much. Then why did you turn me down back—”
“No! I mean like a friend! A friend!”
What the hell was she trying to say when Yerim and Noah were both right here? Besides, we hadn’t even been as close then as we were now.
“But there’s no way you could use that method, hyung–nim. Even if it’s twice the stats, that would only put you around SS–rank at best, so it still wouldn’t help.”
“Right. Normally, it would be completely unusable. But Rookie gave me one special ability.”
Originally, it was an ability the Unfilial Children had placed in me so they could use me.
“You all know I can turn my resistance skills off, right? At first, I thought it was a special effect that came with an L–rank skill. But it wasn’t.”
“No way, hyung.”
Yuhyun seemed to realize where I was going, and the hand around my wrist tightened. Chief Song, Hyunah, and Noah also appeared to have guessed. I continued with a faint smile.
“Everyone precious to me is registered under my Nurturer title skill. Skill OFF is a function I was given to remove the people registered in it. To create the same effect as if my precious people had died, without actually killing them.”
It was a method that had been prepared for me from the moment I regressed. It was also the reason I had been told to gather 50 S–rank Hunters.
“…Even so, wouldn’t that still be insufficient?”
Chief Song, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke. Hyunah nodded in agreement.
“It stacks. If I combine twice the stats of dozens of S–rank Hunters, Rookie said I could reach a level comparable to a transcendent.”
I relayed what Rookie had explained to me. Power would continue to add up, and once it reached a certain threshold, it would multiply explosively.
“And on top of that, we have Park Hayul, who’s close to being a pseudo–transcendent.”
– Me?
Park Hayul leapt up from Yerim’s head. The flower’s face looked moved.
– Hyung, you considered me precious? I’m touched!
“…Not quite that far. Anyway, you’ve helped me a lot too. Wait, didn’t you already think I liked you?”
– Come on, even I know I’ve been a pain in the neck to you, Yujin hyung. It was all for your sake, though!
He had been much worse than a pain in the neck, but at least he knew. I’d thought he’d forgotten all about that. The Park Hayul flower swayed gently, almost as if dancing.
– Of course, I knew there was no way you’d hate me, Yujin hyung! I figured you thought I was cute, but I didn’t expect you to go as far as calling me precious!
“Uh…”
– Yujin hyung, I love you! I’ll be loyal to you forever!
“…Sure.”
This guy, seriously. I had a lot of strange people around me, but even among them, he was one of the oddest. Well, he seemed to be enjoying his life, so I supposed that was fine.
“If it’s twice Hayul oppa’s stats, wouldn’t that put you past a transcendent?”
“Then you really might be able to bring the Guild Leader back!”
Yerim and Soyeong said it happily. If Park Hayul’s strength was added in, I probably would surpass a transcendent. But the opponent was Crescent Moon. And there was the Cradle, too.
“There’s a side effect, isn’t there?”
Amid their excited voices, Yuhyun spoke quietly. Chief Song also looked at me with a heavy gaze.
“Why haven’t you used it until now?”
“Don’t try to hide it. Tell us straight, hyung–nim.”
The reason I had not used such a convenient ability, even in the situation where my brother had been taken from me. Yerim and Soyeong soon realized as well, and their expressions darkened. If I had not used it even in the middle of such an urgent crisis, that meant the price had to be too high to bear.
“If I remove the registration, they won’t simply be treated as dead. It will truly feel as if they’ve died. But I won’t be the one who feels that.”
“If not you, hyung…”
“Then the ones who belonged to me will.”
The people here, and the people left behind in our world.
“Originally, I was probably supposed to believe that I had lost the people precious to me. But if that happened, I wouldn’t be able to withstand it. So they reversed the target, to prevent a mad transcendent from being born.”
More precisely, it was because I would become difficult for them to use.
“If I use OFF, all of you will believe that I’ve died. Even if I’m standing right in front of you, you won’t be able to perceive me. Maybe I’ll even look like a corpse to you.”
And beyond that.
“Once the people around me believe I’m dead, that perception will spread outward and affect the world itself. Everyone in the world will think I’m dead, and no one will be able to see or sense the living me anymore.”
The existence known as Han Yujin would probably remain. Many people would miss me, mourn me, and remember me through all sorts of media. But the living Han Yujin would be completely erased.
“Th, then you can’t do it!”
Yerim’s shout tore through the heavy silence.
“More than anything, Han Yuhyun! Han Yuhyun can’t be okay without you, Mister. You know that better than anyone!”
“Yeah. That’s why I never used it. I didn’t want to make all of you sad, and Yuhyun would try to follow after me.”
I looked at Yuhyun. Even if I used OFF, there might still be some way to undo it. Maybe I could come back somehow. But by then, my brother would already be gone. That was why I couldn’t use it even when we had been cornered with no clear way to stop the Gardener.
“Yuhyun.”
“…Hyung.”
“The skill that lets me receive the stats of those I’ve lost, Final Recompense, is L–rank.”
My brother’s eyes, which had been faintly trembling, settled into calm.
“You, Yuhyun, are the only one who can know that I’m alive.”
Because he held the title A World of One.
“What does that mean?”
Yerim cried out in frustration. I turned to her and smiled.
“Yuhyun got a new title. Its rank is Mythic. Higher than L–rank.”
“A title… that one from back then? It was A World of One, right?”
“That’s right. Yuhyun’s world is me, and if I disappear…”
“I disappear with hyung.”
Yuhyun said it with a faint smile. Honestly, it was a title I had not wanted to tell Yerim about. Yerim blinked. She looked back and forth between me and Yuhyun, then wiped at the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.
“So Han Yuhyun… will be okay, right?”
“Yeah. The titles are connected, and his is higher rank, so he won’t be affected. You could say it’s a title that resists the perception of my death.”
“Then I’ll be okay too.”
Yerim smiled through damp eyes.
“If Han Yuhyun is standing there just fine, then I’ll know you’re definitely going to come back alive, Mister. Even if it feels like you died. It’s not like I won’t be able to think you might come back to life.”
“…Yeah. Right. That’s true.”
I reached out and pulled Yerim into a hug. Between her swaying earrings, Sanho made a deeply displeased face at me. She seemed angry that I had made Yerim suffer. I mouthed an apology. I was truly glad Yerim had a friend who would always be by her side.
“Peace.”
– Kkiang.
I bent down and stroked Peace for a long while. Peace flopped onto his back, hugged my hand with his front paws, and wagged his tail.
“I can’t even explain it to you. Daddy will come home. I promise.”
– Kkeuung.
I wished Peace really could understand every word people said. I straightened back up. One by one, I looked at everyone there. Last of all, I turned back to Yuhyun. I thought he might object, but my brother remained quiet.
“The transcendents whose ranks are higher than my skill will be able to perceive me. That includes Rookie and Senior Tree. So I’ll find a way back somehow. No matter what.”
“Okay, hyung.”
Yuhyun touched the watch around his wrist. His eyes lowered briefly, then rose to meet mine again.
“No matter the reason, I left you behind. You kept waiting for me, kept trying to get me back, and in the end, you were the one who reached out first and came to me.”
“…I’d do it as many times as it took.”
“So this time, I’ll wait for you. As long as you’re alive, I’ll wait only for you forever.”
My brother spoke with a gentle smile.
“I’ll think of you. I’ll miss you. And I’ll wait in the place you can come home to.”
“…Yuhyun.”
“Your promise that you’ll come back is enough.”
“…Yeah. I promise. As if I could go anywhere and leave you, Yerim, and the kids behind. I have to come back.”
That was my home. The place I had to return to. I took the egg and bracelet out of my inventory. The bracelet turned into two snakes and hissed.
“I can’t take you with me, so I’m counting on you.”
The King of Predation’s egg, and those two kids. Yuhyun accepted the egg and the snakes. As if telling me not to worry, Iryn climbed onto the egg and patted it with his front paws.
“Gyeol, Seol, and Byeol too. If they feel that I died, they’ll be shocked and devastated. Tell them properly that Dad is coming back safe. I’m sorry I’m leaving so much to you.”
“Don’t worry, hyung. I’ll take good care of them. Maybe I should take parental leave.”
“Parental leave… You’re a guild leader. And it’s hard to find a substitute for an S–rank.”
That kind of benefit was essential, and it should be easy to use, but still. An S–rank. Then again, there were three children… But he was also their uncle, not their father.
“I’ll help too, so don’t worry, Mister!”
“Director Han, me too! Haeyeon Guild Leader, please contact me anytime when you need to step away!”
“This is something hyung entrusted to me. I’ll be fine.”
Yuhyun cut Kang Soyeong off firmly as she failed to tear her gaze away from the new egg. That is not a dragon. It is similar, though. And with Soyeong serving as Sesung’s acting Guild Leader, having her constantly going in and out of the Haeyeon Guild Leader’s residence would be bad in several ways. It would also make strange rumors all too easy to spread.
“I can do it well. I’ve watched you, hyung.”
Yuhyun put the egg and the snakes, who had returned to bracelet form, into his inventory as if to reassure me. It was not as though I had no worries, but.
“Yeah. When all’s said and done, childcare is stamina. Having an S–rank is reassuring.”
If there had only been one child, I might actually have been more worried. But the three of them got along well, so that was a relief. Still, when it came to emotional support, maybe I should ask Yerim after all. The best thing, of course, would be for me to return as quickly as possible.
I turned and looked at Noah. He seemed much more mature than when I had first met him, and he met my gaze with a smile.
“Noah, can I ask you to look after the people in Dodam Building? At least until I come back.”
“Of course, Yujin. They’re my friends too.”
Noah answered that he would naturally help.
“I’m also thinking of starting something I’ve wanted to do there. I’ll coordinate with Hayan’s team as well. So please don’t worry.”
“Thank you, Noah.”
“Noah’s there, so I’ll protect them too~.”
“Liette, you just don’t cause trouble.”
She was a reliable S–rank, if you wanted to call her that. But I was worried I might come back to find only the building lot left.
“Hyunah. Chief Song.”
I looked at the two reliable people who could ease the worries of those I was leaving behind.
“I’ll become the F–rank who saved the world and sacrificed himself.”
“…Yeah, hyung–nim.”
“So please take good care of my kids.”
I entrusted them with the concern that had been weighing on me. Both Chief Song and Hyunah understood exactly what I meant and nodded.
“Don’t worry, Director Han. There are already a lot of people gathered, aren’t there? Everyone will want to grant what Han Yujin wished for.”
“Yes.”
“I will remain at my post and continue to cooperate. As for your proposal, Han Yujin, we can revisit it after you return.”
“Thank you. Both of you.”
I felt a sense of stability, as if it would be all right even if I stepped away for a while. No matter when I returned, I would be able to go back and live peacefully among the people who had waited for me.
“Then, Hayul. Help send Yuhyun and Chief Song back.”
– Right now?
“Yeah. If they come to perceive me as dead, I might still be able to deal with Yuhyun, but I won’t be able to send Chief Song back.”
– Okay!
“The rest of you should wake up now too. Yerim, Peace, that means you too.”
Yerim pressed her mouth tightly shut. Her smooth lower jaw crumpled. She took a deep breath, then hugged me fiercely one more time before letting go.
“If you’re late, Mister. If I get stronger than L–rank, then I’ll be able to go find you too, right?”
“Of course. But I’ll come back before that. Really.”
“You don’t know that. I’ve already been as strong as a transcendent once!”
Her confident shout made me smile despite myself.
“Then want to make a bet? If you find me first, I’ll grant you one wish.”
“Deal! And if you come back first, Mister, I’ll grant one of yours.”
“And Yerim, I’m sorry I sent you back without explaining.”
“It’s okay. I understand. But don’t ever do that again!”
“Of course.”
Yerim took two or three steps back.
“…Make sure you win.”
“Yeah, Yerim.”
“Peace, we have to go.”
Yerim beckoned to Peace. Peace looked up at me once, then walked over to Yerim. The two of them disappeared.
“We’ll all be waiting for you, Yujin.”
“Take care of yourself, honey~.”
Noah and Liette also woke from the dream.
“Director Han, please take good care of our Guild Leader!”
Soyeong vanished as well. Hyunah came up to me and lightly patted my shoulder.
“You can do it, hyung–nim. Leave everything behind you to me.”
“Yes, Hyunah. I trust you to handle it.”
Even Hyunah left, and Park Hayul became a giant flower again, opening the path. Chief Song, who had been quietly looking at me, bowed his head. Caught off guard, I bowed back.
“I will wait.”
He did not say anything more. His broad back turned away. I stood face to face with Yuhyun, the last one remaining. His reddish black eyes curved faintly.
“You still have something left with the me from before the regression, don’t you?”
“…Huh? Did the 26 year old you tell you that?”
“No. But I could feel it faintly.”
“…That’s right. Yuhyun, I—”
“It’s okay.”
Yuhyun carefully touched the watch on his wrist again.
“You promised you would come back to me. Living with you is my share. That’s what I felt.”
“…Yeah. Wait for me.”
“I love you, hyung.”
“Me too.”
We did not say goodbye. Yuhyun turned away. I watched my brother’s back until the very last moment, until it vanished. Everyone was gone, and I alone remained. No. There was one other. I turned my head toward the giant flower.
“Hayul. Can you connect me to Rookie?”
I had to go see the ones who would be waiting for me, one last time.
–TL Notes–
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