Epilogue (10)
‘Someday, they’ll be able to be born safely.’
Every Primal Origin, all of them, safe and sound. And if that didn’t work, there was always me. The thought that they might resemble Yerim made me want to bring them along. But not now. No, for a while, this really was enough.
After we heard what the other Transcendents had been up to, Seong Hyunjae gave a light wave of his hand. The barrier surrounding us vanished, and Park Hayul’s loud voice came crashing in.
“Hyung! Then are you entering show business? As my junior?”
What the hell was he talking about all of a sudden? Just as I was about to shove away Park Hayul, who was trying to cling to me, the old man’s switch cracked against Hayul’s head first.
“You’ll scare the baby.”
“Aaaagh, that hurt! Anyway, hyung! I’ll–!”
“I said I might do a personal stream. A personal stream. And that’s not even settled.”
The second I heard the word junior, I lost every last shred of desire to so much as dip a toe into a broadcasting station. Show business, my ass. I’d rather end up on the nine o’clock news.
“…A personal stream.”
While Hayul was still making a scene, Seong Hyunjae murmured gloomily this time. His eyes lowered, a shadow falling across his face, he glanced at me with the kind of expression that could have been put on display as a model embodiment of elegant sorrow.
What now.
“Are you planning to abandon me again and enjoy yourself with other people?”
“What enjoying myself? I’m trying to go home.”
“And yet I could not even celebrate your birthday, Han Yujin, let alone Mr. Song Taewon’s…”
“Oh, that. Soyeong took care of it for you. I was sorry I couldn’t celebrate Chief Song’s birthday myself, too.”
When I told him about the things Soyeong had done, Seong Hyunjae sank into even deeper melancholy.
“My life and my death have both left me behind.”
“You’re the one who left, aren’t you?”
“Would you truly be fine with the one left alone in solitude straying down a crooked path?”
“The old man is right next to you, though. And it’s scary, so don’t go crooked.”
“My nurturer is terribly coldhearted.”
“Be quiet, grown man.”
“Your affection has cooled.”
“I’ve got four children to take care of now. You’re knocking on forty, so please manage your own life.”
Seong Hyunjae dabbed at nonexistent tears with a sniffle. Beside him, Park Hayul whined too. Why did it feel like the number of newborns had gone up to three? Haneul was probably more mature than this.
“Park Hayul, I don’t care what you say. I have absolutely no intention of becoming a celebrity. Not even a fingernail’s worth.”
“I could really take care of everything for you, hyung! I’ll plaster your face all over the dream world so people recognize you properly!”
“…Are you trying to brainwash them? Don’t do anything! If you mess that up, you could just strengthen the memory of the dead Han Yujin instead!”
Park Hayul was fully capable of making that kind of mistake. I told him again and again not to touch a single thing except what I asked him to do, and to stay quiet.
“Mr. Seong Hyunjae, you listen to the old man and don’t cause any trouble either. Still, at least you have him. I’m more worried about Chief Song.”
“Has something happened to our Mr. Song Taewon?”
“Hwang Rim suddenly latched onto him. That feels suspicious.”
There was no way a man like Hwang Rim had stuck to Chief Song for no reason. Considering his relationship with the Gardener and those two, there was a high chance he was up to something. At my words, Seong Hyunjae’s gaze filled with boundless regret. Then he turned to the old man.
“I will submit a vacation request.”
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go back.”
“Bin, say bye–bye to Grandpa. And say thank you to Mister Sesung too.”
At least that took one worry off my plate. Following after the old man, Seong Hyunjae disappeared as well, his face still full of lingering attachment. Still, it was nice to see him so reluctant to leave the world behind. Didn’t that mean life was worth living for him?
‘When will I get to see him again?’
What I’d just seen hadn’t been the real him, either. Until now, I honestly hadn’t thought much about it, but seeing his face like this left me feeling a little lonely. It would be nice if Seong Hyunjae could go back with us too.
“Hayul, open the passage already.”
“Yujin hyung, personal streams need managers too!”
“No, they don’t. I told you, I don’t even know if I’m doing it.”
“I can do basic editing too. I just need to learn more. In the dream world, I can get all the super expensive equipment and edit with it!”
“What editing does a personal stream need?”
You just filmed something by yourself and posted it, didn’t you? At my words, Park Hayul looked like he was about to die of frustration.
“Professional streamers these days have whole staffs! Even if you do it alone, editing is essential. And if you want it to work overseas too, you need subtitles. Do you know how to make subtitles, hyung?”
“…No.”
“Oh my god, hyung!” Park Hayul cried, and then spent a while babbling about things I couldn’t understand. Hmm. I didn’t get a single word of that. Maybe I really should drop the streaming idea. I’d rather use my dungeon information from before the regression and play prophet instead.
Come to think of it, what had happened to that group of Prophets who used to be under Chatterbox?
“That’s what I’m saying, hyung!”
“Uh, sure.”
“Great, then I’ll be your manager through the system!”
“…What? No! I said no!”
As I recoiled and refused, Myungwoo stopped me.
“Even if you don’t make him your manager, accept the system connection. If the master of the dream world helps, communication through the system will become easier.”
“Leave it to me!”
“And Yujin. Are you really not taking Grace?”
– Chirp.
From the jewel on my bracelet, the bluebird flew up and landed on Myungwoo’s shoulder. I gave Grace an apologetic look and nodded.
“If I take Grace, I have to leave the God–Slaying Spear behind.”
Items we had obtained in our world could be taken back with us. But there were restrictions on items obtained outside the world.
“And the only item that can be exchanged for the God–Slaying Spear is Grace.”
– Chirp, chirp.
Grace gave an unhappy chirp, but still puffed up both wings with a hint of pride. To bring in an item that did not belong to our world, a price had to be paid. My achievements could no longer be applied now that I was no longer Han Yujin, and the easiest method besides that was to exchange it for an item from our world of equal value.
The God–Slaying Spear’s rank was so high it didn’t even appear on the system. Grace had originally been L–rank, but after obtaining the Fountain of Young Mana, growing, and even going through the fight with Crescent Moon, she had become myth–rank. Even then, a one–to–one exchange was impossible, so I would have to hand over a considerable number of my other items as well.
“Honestly, I think Grace would be best for keeping you safe.”
Myungwoo couldn’t bring himself to tell me outright to leave the God–Slaying Spear behind, so he spoke around it instead. In truth, if I thought about it coldly, bringing Grace with me was probably the right choice. But.
“How could I let this go? Never again.”
Even if the God–Slaying Spear were nothing more than a powerless stick, I would never be able to release it from my hand. I lifted the arm wearing Grace. The bracelet, which held Grace’s power and would become an ordinary accessory once she remained beside Myungwoo and entered our world, swayed lightly.
“If I build up enough achievements to pay the price, I can bring Grace back too.”
“…If you’re accepted as Han Yujin again, we can recalculate the settlement and send Grace to you, but the problem is before that happens. Once you get home safely, who would dare touch you?”
“Don’t worry so much. I survived five years as an ordinary F–rank. Without any special skills or items, too.”
Of course I could survive it again. On top of that, the time would be much shorter, and my brother was waiting for me.
– Hyung! Myungwoo hyung! It’s ready!
Park Hayul shouted as he turned back into a giant flower. Apparently, his ability worked better in that form. Maybe that bastard’s true body really was a flower.
I checked the swaddle wrapped around Yubin one more time, then called Chirp over and tucked him into the pocket attached to the front of the cloth. Nothing forgotten. Good.
“Honey, be careful! Bye, Bin!”
“Yujin, I’ll be in the dream world for a while, so come into a dream if anything happens. Don’t do anything reckless, no matter what!”
– Bye. See you again next time.
– Chirp! Bye!
Beneath the swaying giant flower, the passage leading to our world slowly appeared. I swallowed dryly once and stepped forward. They had said Yubin would be all right because he was still at the level of an unawakened person and belonged to me, but I was still nervous that we might be blocked. Holding Bin and Chirp in both arms, I stepped beyond the passage. White blurred across my vision. As I felt solid ground beneath my feet, I opened the eyes I had shut on reflex.
I saw a bench.
The sky was dark, and streetlights were on.
“…You’re.”
A child was sitting on the long bench. All alone, small and still.
“The young…”
Young Han Yujin looked at me.
It was me from back then, when I had tried to leave Yuhyun behind. The young Han Yujin left in exchange when I brought my brother with me. My childhood, the one I’d had no choice but to give up.
The young me left behind alone looked at the even younger child in my arms. His small lips moved.
“Not yet?”
He was asking me. Still, in this place.
I pressed my mouth shut, then nodded.
“…Yeah. Not yet.”
I let out a short breath, then spoke again.
“Maybe not ever. I’m an adult, after all.”
Another breath escaped me. The back of my throat felt slightly tight.
“I can definitely take care of myself better than before now. I have the room for it, and the heart for it.”
Compared to the past, I had come to think about myself a little more. I had become able to do things for myself more often, without feeling guilty.
“But… turning back time that’s already passed is still impossible. I’m already grown up. And more than anything…”
I quietly looked down at the child in my arms. Then, with a faint smile, I met the eyes of the child sitting on the bench.
“Now it’s my turn to give my children the time to be children. As much of it as I never got. That’s what I want, and that’s enough for me.”
The young me had never gotten to live like a child his age. Maybe that had changed a great deal about who I was now. But I was satisfied with the current “Han Yujin.” I’d lived well enough, and I would keep living well from here on.
So I could leave the past as the past.
“I’m not going back again. I’m going to move forward.”
Once was enough for turning back time. Even then, I hadn’t truly gone back completely. It had been the present, continuing on without end.
“So… I’m sorry.”
Without realizing it, I clenched my teeth. I didn’t know what this space was. But instinct told me this would be the first and last time.
Young Han Yujin blinked. He gave a small nod, then got down from the bench. He no longer needed to wait.
“Okay. I understand.”
After answering, the child became smaller.
Five years old.
Han Yujin before he had held his younger brother in his arms. A little kid who didn’t need to be responsible for anything. Wearing a small bag, he crouched down and pressed the Velcro on his little sneakers firmly to check it, then popped back up.
And then he started running without looking back.
“Yu–Yujin!”
I called out on reflex. The young me looked back at me.
“Why?”
“Where… are you going?”
“He’s calling.”
“…Calling you?”
“Yeah. He says he’s alone.”
The young me said he had to go, then turned around. He started running again. A powerful wind blew in from somewhere. During the brief moment I faltered, the young Han Yujin disappeared. I thought I glimpsed a pair of great wings wavering like an illusion.
Hooonk–!
A car horn slammed into my ears. I snapped back to my senses with a start. A familiar road came into view. I saw pedestrians weaving between lines of moving cars. Signs with Korean and English mixed together hung here and there. The traffic light blinked, then changed.
It was our world.
‘…What was that just now?’
What had it been? Maybe it was nothing more than a simple hallucination. The place I had just passed through was the world of dreams, after all. But… it hadn’t felt false either.
I checked Bin and Chirp and drew in a breath. Murky air stabbed into my nose. Those damn cars. The air would get better once we hurried up and switched them all over to magic stone fuel. Should I be putting a mask on Bin?
‘…Still, he won’t be waiting alone anymore.’
Whether it had been real or an illusion, my heart felt a little lighter. I hoped whoever had called him would take good care of him.
“Now, then.”
Where was this… It looked like Seoul, at least. Let’s see. A subway entrance. Sindang Station.
‘Hayul, you bastard. Why did you send me here?’
Had he lived around this neighborhood or something? I was lucky it wasn’t overseas, but in any case, the current me was…
‘Flat broke.’
I had no wallet and no phone. I had brought magic stones to feed Bin, but there was no way to turn them into cash right away. After letting out one deep sigh, I went into a nearby store.
“Excuse me, where’s the nearest police station?”
First, I needed to get home. Not my old home, but the new home where we’d be staying for a while. Fortunately, there was a police substation not too far away. After telling Chirp to hide carefully, I held the baby and ran toward the station in a panic. Panting, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Um, huff. I–”
When I couldn’t continue and just stammered, one of the officers came over and asked what had happened.
“I put my bag down for a second while trying to calm the baby, and… it disappeared…”
Bin’s appearance was distinctive, but Myungwoo had used the system to cover it so he would seem ordinary. Making my face crumple like I was about to cry, I continued.
“My phone and wallet were both in there… and the baby’s bottle too. I don’t have anything, so I need to get home quickly. Could you lend me subway fare?”
Just fifteen hundred won would be enough. I’ll pay it back right away. If I were by myself, I’d just walk, but I have the baby with me. And it’s too hot today.
Fortunately, maybe because they saw the baby, they said they would take me home after filing a lost property report.
Whew. First thing I needed to do was cash out one of these magic stones.
–TL Notes–
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