Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Heaven Sent 7
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“What’s going on?”
Kang Ibi, who had been staring blankly ahead for a long time, finally managed to utter a single word. A wisp of cloud seemed to veil the sunset, and soon a dark blue shroud draped over the sky.
Ibi rose from the pavilion where she had been sitting. Then she dashed into the depths of the cemetery.
Haewon, who had clearly been standing there just moments ago, was gone. When the surroundings had briefly darkened, she thought she had glimpsed the shadow of someone unfamiliar.
But when that shadow vanished, Haewon’s figure was erased in an instant. As if he had never been there at all.
“Where did he go?”
Ibi desperately scanned her surroundings. She had no idea what had happened, and she couldn’t accept it.
She had poured every ounce of her strength into helping Haewon. She had even harbored a vague hope that things would work out. Yet the very person she had fought so hard to save had vanished like smoke right before her eyes.
Suddenly, the name on the tombstone Haewon had been gazing at caught her eye. She had seen that name inscribed there before.
‘Park Saetbyeol’
Ibi’s breathing grew ragged. She hadn’t grasped the full story, but she was slowly piecing together what had just occurred.
By then, Nati had quietly approached and stood beside her. Gazing at the tombstone side by side, he said,
“It’s a bit shabby with only two guests.”
Then he looked up at the sky.
“Well, they’ll live happily.”
“What’s going on? Explain it to me! I don’t understand a thing!”
“Haewon got married.”
Nati stated it plainly, then quickly added,
“In other words, he died.”
Ibi’s pupils trembled. Nati glanced down at the tombstone for a moment, closed his eyes, and muttered something under his breath. Then he turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
“Wait, wait a minute!”
Ibi ran after him and clung to his sleeve.
“So you knew and brought my brother here? You knew all this would happen?”
“What kind of answer are you hoping for from me?”
A faint trace of emotion colored Nati’s voice, though it faded quickly.
“As I said from the start, there was nothing I could do. Do you think I had any choices? At best, I could’ve shoved him into an underground bunker and kept him locked away for life. Is that what you’re saying I should’ve done?”
Nati stared straight at Ibi. She took a small step back but didn’t look away.
“Save him.”
“......”
“Save my brother. You can do it.”
It felt strange. She had the sense that she’d desperately pleaded with Nati like this before. But why couldn’t she remember? It hadn’t even been that long since they met.
“I’m curious.”
Nati’s eyes deepened. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped forward.
“Why do you trust me so much? Sure, there’s the ‘fellow traveler’ bit, but it’s a little over the top. I’ve told you time and again that I’m not that impressive. I couldn’t even stop my friend from dying this time. Yet you act like I can pull off anything if I really want to.”
“Because... you saved me. Me, who was doomed to die without moving a muscle.”
“I saved you... Why do you think that?”
“Huh?”
“I haven’t done a thing for you. One or two phone calls at most. Didn’t you figure out the labyrinth’s layout on your own, shake off the Guest, and escape? I never gave you any of that info. I just held your hand at the very end.”
Ibi plunged into confusion at his words. Was that how it was? Thinking back, it did seem right.
But... Ibi was certain she’d received Nati’s help. It felt like some submerged memory lingered beneath the surface. No, it wasn’t an illusion. I definitely...
“You saved me.”
“Belief is your prerogative.”
Then Nati turned away again, muttering,
“It can’t be helped. In this world, one person’s fate doesn’t matter.”
But Ibi didn’t follow. She stood her ground and shouted challengingly,
“Then what in this world does matter?”
He stopped dead. The man ahead halted abruptly. Then he turned back.
In a deeply sunken voice, Nati said,
“That... makes me sad.”
Ibi was mildly startled. A genuine shadow of sorrow had crept across Nati’s plaster-like face.
Caught off guard by the sudden shift, Ibi fell silent. Only after a long pause did Nati speak again.
“Why... was there no one like you that day? No one to defend me, insisting one person’s fate is so vital?”
He took another step closer. Nati’s eyes grew even mistier. He no longer seemed to be seeing the present. His gaze was fumbling through a distant page of a past Ibi couldn’t know.
“Where were you when I needed you?”
Now he seemed confused about who he was even talking to. Resentment seeped into his voice.
It didn’t last. Nati raised a hand to shield his eyes, as if wiping away tears. But no tears came. His eyes were merely a bit bloodshot.
“...Haa.”
With a sigh, Nati reverted to his usual self. But he changed course, walking past Ibi for a few more steps.
“At my age, putting on such an unseemly display over a few words. What a wasted life.”
Nati drew a folding fan from his pocket and gripped it firmly. He looked ready to do something.
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t a lie—there’s nothing I can do about this case. What I’m about to try is overextending myself, and it’s probably not what you want either. But it really is my best shot, so quit your whining.”
With that, Nati raised the fan and drew his arm back long, like he was about to crack a whip. His eyes locked on Venus, on the verge of melting into the night sky.
The next instant, Nati swung the fan like a fishing rod aimed at Venus. Nothing was visible, but there was a sharp zip like a line being cast.
“Kang Ibi. How far do you think it is from Earth to Venus?”
“Uh... really far?”
“Yeah. So how long would it take to reel Venus down to Earth with regular fishing?”
“...Forever.”
She had no clue why he was asking. Nati pressed on.
“Exactly. So it’s a sleight of hand... but also a kind of time travel.”
Real weight laced Nati’s final words. He tensed his body for it. With nearly full force, he yanked the fan in his hand.
Ibi clamped both hands over her mouth and froze. A sensation of hurtling tens of millions of kilometers in a second crashed over her. A gale tore at her hair.
And there before her eyes was Venus.
Not figuratively. The entire sky had vanished, supplanted by a sphere of unimaginable scale. Darkness shrouded everything, making details hard to discern.
The ochre planet’s surface teemed with ceaseless storms, whirlwinds, and floods. Lightning bolts crackling through mustard clouds seared her retinas.
Nati pocketed the fan, clasped his hands behind his back, and advanced a few steps.
“Ah, right. Has it been that long for you? The timeline’s off, huh. Felt like just moments ago from my end.”
.....
“Forgotten about me all this time? Figures. We weren’t exactly childhood pals, but still disappointing.”
.....
“Well, newlywed life looks blissful. But there’s this noisy kid kicking up a fuss here. Fancy popping back for a quick hello?”
.....
“Figured as much, but cold-blooded. Ha, playing the elder now? Dream on. You’re still under me, kid.”
.....
“...Fine. That’s... reasonable enough. We’ll leave it at that.”
.....
“Yeah. Good seeing you. Solid reunion. Well... guess that’s it. Take care.”
With those last words, Nati swung the fan again. The eerie rush of spanning vast distances in a blink reversed direction.
Dazed, Ibi’s legs buckled, and she crumpled. When she regained her senses, the sky was normal again.
“W-what was that...?”
No answer came. It wasn’t even Nati’s voice.
“Wow! This is Earth? Incredible! First time seeing it, even if I remember!”
“...Huh?”
Ahead, an unfamiliar boy was bouncing around, chattering excitedly.
No, not unfamiliar. The middle-school-aged boy’s face was the spitting image of someone Ibi knew.
“H-Haecwon oppa?”
Calling such a little kid “oppa” felt absurd even to her.
But... the resemblance was uncanny.
“Ah! Ibi! Long time no see? Wait, noona now? Nice to meet you!”
What in the world...
“Ban Haewon here! My parents’ son! Well, I’ve got all Dad’s memories, so just treat me like him. Got it, noona?”
The boy rattled off nonsense, forcibly shook Ibi’s hand, then dashed everywhere, gasping in awe nonstop.
“H-hey, Nati. What the heck is...”
Sweating buckets in bewilderment, Ibi turned to find Nati rising from where he’d collapsed. No visible injuries, but his self-imposed strain hadn’t been bluffing.
Soon enough, he stood steadily and approached Ibi. Eyeing the still-frisking Haewon lookalike, he said,
“What’s that?”
“Hmm...”
Nati pondered briefly, then brightened as an apt explanation hit him.
“Seen Dragon Ball?”
“No.”
“Think of it like... Majin Buu...”
“I said no.”
In the end, Nati had to spell it out.
The boy was Haewon and Saetbyeol’s son. Plain fact. But born of a spiritual union, he wasn’t your typical offspring.
Unlike humans who grow and learn, picture him as a parental clone. He looks just like Haewon, so he carries Haewon’s mind intact—treat him as Haewon, no issue.
Ibi wasn’t sold even after the rundown. That wild rascal her steadfast oppa? No dice.
But Nati beckoned the boy anyway.
“Come on, Haewon. Night’s falling. Let’s head to the Flower Mugwort Tea House.”
“Flower Mugwort! First time, even after so long? Can’t wait!”
No world bends to one person’s tempo. Ibi trailed Nati down the hill. Haewon kept veering out of sight and back, delighting at every sight.
“The broom flowers carry a spicy scent.”
Nati muttered. He approached a roadside tree, snapped off a flower-laden branch, and offered it to Ibi.
Ibi took it on reflex and inspected it.
Slender twig lined with petite purple blooms. Not brand-new—some fading—but vibrantly fresh.
“Uh, why this?”
Ibi asked, cheeks faintly pink. Flowers from a guy weren’t unwelcome, but...
“Edible flower. You like anything that goes in your mouth, right?”
Ibi blinked in place. Then she leaped.
“You’re messing with me!”
Nati laughed heartily and led the way down the hill. The kid Haewon’s boisterous voice still buzzed in her ears.
Venus had faded from the sky. In its place, the waxing moon rose. Amid city lights, other stars were scarce.
Ibi pouted, then sniffed the blooms in her hand.
A truly spicy, lush fragrance bloomed.