Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Even 13 Regressions is Bullshit
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* * *
Ju Gonghyeok had set up at the company’s indoor pool.
People passed by without even suspecting it was him.
Shielding himself under a worn-out parasol rented for 100 purple coins, he lost himself in thought.
‘Even when we went out for fun, it was always the beach on the fifth floor’s end. Not some crowded indoor pool like this.’
From parents with kids to the handsome men and beautiful women strolling by, it wasn’t a bad vibe.
Ha Yeonsi, dressed in a swimsuit beside him, bowed her head slightly.
“Want me to help, bro?”
“I’m good. More importantly…”
Ju Gonghyeok stretched his back fully after setting up the parasol and white beach bed, then asked,
“Don’t you hate pools? You said you didn’t like showing your body to others.”
Ha Yeonsi blushed while covering her already exposed skin.
“Well, I can go sometimes. And I never said that.”
“Right, you didn’t.”
That was true. This world’s Ha Yeonsi had never said such a thing.
‘Lately, there’ve been a lot of surprises.’
Ever since the future folk got involved, the world had been unfolding a bit differently.
Demons slipped up, Christina and Ha Yeonsi changed little by little, along with everyone else.
“Eek, it’s cold!”
“Such a wimp.”
Ha Yeonsi dipped just her toes in the water, then yanked them out.
- Come play with us!
Without a word, Nathaniel—who’d rented a tube boat—grabbed her wrist and pulled from the water.
Yeonsi let out a short scream as she splashed into the pool.
Ju Gonghyeok chuckled.
“Alright, fine. Let’s have some fun starting now.”
* * *
A single unique city’s population topped out at 20,000 to 50,000.
With 50 million people seeking leisure, spots existed aplenty, but what that population could sustain was limited.
Parks, pools—casinos if you stretched it. Amusement parks or zoos were pipe dreams.
That’s why date spots with Ha Yeonsi weren’t all that varied.
“If there’s nowhere to go, why don’t we make one ourselves, bro?”
She’d said it playfully, picking an unused plot outside Company city.
“Let’s build a zoo here! Amusement parks are out since we don’t know the layout.”
“What animals we gonna round up? Orcs? Trolls? Ogres?”
“No, not those. Something cute, like honey bears or unicorns. Hmm, dragons? The kind that fuel kids’ dreams and hopes.”
“Hm. A zoo is basically an immoral cage match—depriving other creatures’ freedom for human entertainment…”
Nathaniel snickered telepathically as Ju Gonghyeok rambled on.
- You don’t bat an eye killing people, but suddenly you’re all ethical about animals? What’s up with that?
“Hm, Nathaniel. One more word, and I’ll punish you with no-panties handstand form.”
Ha Yeonsi grabbed his arm as he spouted nonsense.
“Seriously, bro, no excuses about being busy. You’ve got zero romance in you.”
“……”
Having stared at Babel’s crew for centuries, the idea of herding them into an enclosure for gawking was downright bizarre to Ju Gonghyeok.
“Fine. I’ll wrap it up in three hours. Tie ’em in fences, and construction’ll handle itself.”
“Exactly. Let’s go—I’ll scout south.”
Ha Yeonsi headed off first. Just as Ju Gonghyeok was about to fly north, a telepathy buzzed in his ear.
-Director! Knight Captain! Where are you? What about work and promises…?
“Knight stuff’s on Luke Bernstein. He’ll be official captain soon.”
-No, but tomorrow’s the thirtieth-floor entry ceremony, and you’re swamped, right?
Ju Gonghyeok, listening quietly, spoke up.
“Jeonghyeon.”
-Yes, sir. Director.
“I want one full day with the woman I love. Can’t you give me that much?”
-Then at least send a clone…
“Jeonghyeon, I said a full day. No distractions—just her and me.”
Silence hung over the telepathy.
-My apologies. I’ll handle it.
Once it cut off, Ju Gonghyeok pulled a cigar from his pocket.
“It’s been a while. Moments like this.”
He soared into the sky, the cigar’s ember trailing like a meteor.
* * *
“This is too much for a zoo—we’ll need a safari park.”
The construction hunter was sweating bullets before the pair, who’d gathered 830 species—around 10,000 monsters—in three hours.
“Oh, sorry. Once we started, I just couldn’t stop collecting.”
Ju Gonghyeok descended after erecting a sacred barrier to keep the monsters from fleeing.
“Divided ’em into zones so they don’t eat each other. Gotta sort feed next.”
“You know all that too? Wow, bro, you worked so hard.”
“Skip it. Anyway.”
Gonghyeok looked straight at Ha Yeonsi and asked,
“You having fun, Yeonsi?”
“Yeah, today was really fun.”
“Didn’t know you were such a good cook, bro. And the pool? First time ever. Got handed to the orphanage in elementary school, after all.”
“Thanks for helping with the zoo too. Honestly, I just nagged you ’cause I wanted to do anything together.”
“I see. In that case.”
Exhaling smoke again, Ju Gonghyeok asked.
A knife gleamed in his hand.
“Are you happy, Yeonsi?”
She pondered briefly, then shook her head.
“No. Not yet.”
“Shame. So what’s missing?”
Ju Gonghyeok sheathed the knife at his waist and asked.
Ha Yeonsi dropped her bright smile for a wistful one.
“You’re not happy yet, bro. Even walking with me, you look tired somewhere.”
“That so.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it.”
She took a deep breath with a big “Hoo~.”
“Bro, you said you loved me before.”
“You remember.”
“You changed after, but I remember clear as day. Made me so happy.”
Blushing faintly, Yeonsi stared straight at Ju Gonghyeok.
“I like you too, bro. No—let me say it right. I, Ha Yeonsi, have liked you nonstop for six years!”
- Whoa, you screwed up.
Nathaniel flapped his wings beside her, covering his face.
- Making the girl confess first? You’re a total embarrassment, you know that?
“What’re you on about? I said I loved her first.”
-Still, that was basically her confession.
Ha Yeonsi grabbed the rampaging Nathaniel’s head.
“It’s a confession, angel. I appreciate the help always, but stay out of this!”
-Kyaak!
She stuffed him into her clothes with a hand infused with holy power.
Then continued to Gonghyeok.
“Out of all those women, I’m the first you said you loved, right?”
“……”
“First date too.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
At least in this world, she was spot on.
Dragging up other reset worlds would just disrespect her.
“I like you, bro. Hate seeing you sad all the time, or struggling somewhere.”
Did he look that way?
Ju Gonghyeok newly realized the obvious.
He’d ignored other women calling him lonely. Past Yeonsi hadn’t had this broad a view.
She’d always suffered over the immediate, agonizing over what was right in front.
Her savior had been only Ju Gonghyeok, who’d simply embraced her broken self.
“I’ll make sure you never regret anything, bro.”
She said it bright and bold.
“That’s quite the ambition.”
Ju Gonghyeok meant it.
This radiant Ha Yeonsi was a rarity lately.
Truth was, moments ago, he’d planned to kill her.
‘Ambush, slit the throat, separate head from body, nullify regen with a curse.’
Then the thirteenth Yeonsi would’ve ended life happy.
‘If not happy, no choice.’
Since she wasn’t, he let her live.
Ju Gonghyeok had to make her happy—then kill her.
He bore the duty to make Ha Yeonsi happy.
‘No matter when, where, how many regressions—I vowed to love her.’
A burden her past self had imposed.
Because he hadn’t loved her, she’d doomed humanity.
After she showed destruction’s potential once, Ju Gonghyeok kept killing her.
Always happy, always saying he loved her.
‘She’s more lovable now—if I spare her, the past ones I killed would mock me.’
No exceptions.
“Bro, that face again.”
Yeonsi peered close.
“What’s wrong this time? I said I’d keep you from hurting, make sure you never regret.”
“Yeah.”
Her sweet words soaked into his chest.
He grasped her vow.
‘You want to stop me.’
Circuitously, lovingly put, but her meaning was single.
‘You think I’m wrong. Want to stop a guy like me.’
Only one conclusion.
‘Let’s kill each other, then.’
And the next day.
Ju Gonghyeok’s thirtieth-floor entry ceremony arrived.
He woke, splashed cold water on his face.
“Too many weary thoughts.”
Thoughts sparked by Ha Yeonsi were all exhausting.
Doused in cold water, he fixed his hair and stood before the mirror.
Lit a thick cigarette, exhaled smoke to banish stray thoughts.
“Fresh start.”
Sweet aroma climbed his throat, drenching optic nerves and brain.
He eyed his reflection.
“I am Ju Gonghyeok.”
Ju Gonghyeok doesn’t grieve killing people.
Ju Gonghyeok revels in this bullshit regression.
Ju Gonghyeok doesn’t break under regression and sorrow.
Ju Gonghyeok is Ju Gonghyeok.
Unchanging.
The man in the mirror smiled in satisfaction.
“Let’s go.”