Chapter 458: 458
Yu Jung-Hyeok was prepared to swing his [Dark Heavenly Demon Sword] if the 'Secretive Plotter' tried to do something foolish, but rather unexpectedly, the latter easily answered back . He didn't even use his true voice, either .
"You're right . I am trapped in here . "
His real, pure voice was heard for the first time .
That prompted Yu Mi-Ah to reply with a bright smile . "Ask my oppa to free you . He's super strong, you see?"
She spoke in an innocent voice, but he replied with a slow shake of his head . " . . . . I can't leave this thing . "
"What? Why not?"
The 'Secretive Plotter' didn't reply .
"Wait, did my oppa do something to you? He threatened you with scary words, didn't he??"
" . . . . No, that's not it . "
"It's not? What then?"
The Plotter didn't reply again . Without saying anything, he stared at Yu Mi-Ah . He stared for a long time at the one person that no longer existed for him .
And for the first time ever, a faint smile formed on his lips .
"It's because I chose to be in here . "
Yu Jung-Hyeok saw that smile and couldn't say anything . Yu Mi-Ah was busy asking what he meant, and meanwhile, the Plotter quietly stared back at her .
The latter slowly raised his hand, and his palm overlapped with hers through the thin transparent layer . Their hand sizes were fairly similar . These two palms may have overlapped after transcending time and space, but they could never truly meet .
"Uh? Uhm . . . "
It was then, Yu Mi-Ah blinked slowly and began faltering a little .
"Why am I so sleepy . . . . ?"
Her body slowly fell to the ground . Yu Jung-Hyeok quickly dashed to her side and embraced her .
"You bastard, what have you done . . . . ?!"
[[… . I only helped her dream of nice things . ]]
Yu Jung-Hyeok studied his little sister . For sure, her Incarnation Body showed no signs of any strange symptoms . No, she simply was in a deep slumber, softly murmuring indecipherable sleep-talk like "beach volleyball" and "squid party", etc .
He glared at the 'Secretive Plotter' with a complicated expression . No matter how weakened he was, by using Yu Mi-Ah he would have been able to escape from this situation pretty easily . However, he didn't do that .
He simply stared longingly at the sleeping face of the girl, instead .
" . . . . What happened to Mi-Ah in your world?"
[[She survived . ]]
He answered immediately .
[[And also died . ]]
That too was immediate .
"What does that even . . . . . "
Just as Yu Jung-Hyeok opened his lips, he understood what those answers meant . So, he shut his mouth right away .
Seemingly-crying sparks ever so faintly danced around . Under the pretext of the [Disconnected Film Theory], the memories of these two beings trembled and their Fables shifted .
⸢In one world-line, Yu Mi-Ah survived for a long time . Even after he died . ⸥
The world of a man who lived 1864 lifetimes – just what kind of a world would that be?
⸢However, in another world-line, she died . ⸥
A Regressor might have lived far more 'presents' than anyone out there, but in reality, he was nothing more than a ghost of the past . He was an existence that had to move onto the next turn because he failed to alter the past .
0th turn, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th . . . . . and 1863rd .
This being was not a 'Yu Jung-Hyeok' from any of those regression turns . But, he was the 'Yu Jung-Hyeok' that belonged to all the worlds, the man who carried all the worlds as his burden .
And that was why he was more Yu Jung-Hyeok than any other Yu Jung-Hyeoks .
[[You're pitying me . ]]
"Who would do that to a . . . . . "
[[Do you believe that my life was a misery?]]
Yu Jung-Hyeok couldn't tell if that was a form of sympathy directed at himself . The blade of the [Dark Heavenly Demon Sword] he held tightly was faintly trembling .
Why was he hesitating now? He had come this far already, so what was left to hesitate? Just because he heard a bit of this bastard's past history . . . .
The 'Secretive Plotter' opened his lips . [[Did you know? There was this young boy in the front-most subway car that always died during every regression turn . ]]
That question came out of nowhere . Yu Jung-Hyeok naturally recalled the events of the subway train . The very first scenario, the very first encounter with Hell that he had to experience every single time .
However, Yu Jung-Hyeok didn't know anything about such a boy . Because, there were simply too many people who died in that manner back then .
[[While regressing several times, I tried to prevent his death, but it was impossible . ]]
" . . . . . "
[[He was really a young boy . Younger even than Yi Gil-Yeong . However, even such a child had to 'prove his credentials' . For all of the 1863 lives, that child couldn't even put up a proper fight and had to die . He died, and died, and died over and over again . ]]
Yu Jung-Hyeok couldn't say a single word .
The Plotter asked him again . [[Between a man who regressed 1863 times, and a child who has to repeatedly die for 1863 times with no recollections of it, which one do you think is actually more miserable?]]
"That is . . . . "
The Plotter was implying this – that your pity had no meaning, no value whatsoever .
Even then, Yu Jung-Hyeok couldn't readily accept that . Indeed, there was no meaning in comparing the importance of different miseries . However, that also didn't mean that 'misery' didn't exist .
[[The tries to make the lives of everyone into 'Gi-Seung-Jeon-Gyeol' . However, a life was never supposed to be that . No, it's an unreasonable thing that can end at any time, whether it's 'Gi(beginning)', 'Seung(development)', or even during 'Jeon(climax)' . And that's why, even if my life comes to an end here, it shouldn't come as a surprise . ]]
Did the boy from the subway make the same expression as this man? Yu Jung-Hyeok couldn't tell .
The 'Secretive Plotter' stared back at him with a pair of quiet, still eyes .
Yu Jung-Hyeok stared back into those eyes for the longest time, before averting his gaze away while lowering the [Dark Heavenly Demon Sword] .
" . . . . . You'll end up seeing that boy's death for the 1864th time if you regress again . "
In the end, he returned his sword back to its scabbard . This could be the wrong decision . Even then, Yu Jung-Hyeok had made up his mind .
Maybe he too didn't expect such a choice, because the 'Secretive Plotter' remained speechless for a long while .
[[You've been greatly influenced by Kim Dok-Ja, it seems . ]]
"Shut your mouth . I can kill someone like you at any . . . . "
Multiple presences were drawing near . Voices were calling out to him . They were Kim Dok-Ja and Han Su-Yeong, plus those of the 's people .
[[Although it irks me to admit this, let me say that one thing is for certain . This world-line is different from any that I have lived through so far . It's possible that you and your group can truly witness what's beyond that 'Wall' . ]]
" . . . "
[[However, do not keep your hopes up, thinking that you'll see the Conclusion you desire . And also – even if that Conclusion wasn't what you initially wanted . . . . ]]
The Plotter's true voice suddenly grew fainter . His eyelids were slowly closing up . He was falling into another bout of deep slumber .
Just as Kim Dok-Ja emerged out from the thicket, the Plotter finished what he wanted to say .
[[… . Do not think of this world as a failed turn . ]]
*
"We played beach volleyball . "
That was Yu Mi-Ah's answer after I asked her about what happened here .
"I'm telling you, we grilled squids, and I played beach volleyball with my oppa . Could it be that one's power of comprehension is lower if you're ugly?"
I wanted to tell her that there were three things wrong in her statement . One, we were not near an ocean . Two, I wasn't ugly, and my power of comprehension was . . . .
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