Yggdrasil (3-24)
“Bom.”
“Yeah…”
Han Bom replied to Min Hayeon’s call with an anxious expression.
They’d had some time alone during the day to talk, but given the dire circumstances, they hadn’t gotten around to personal feelings.
They’d only exchanged stories about what they’d been through.
But now, seeing Min Hayeon’s expression, Han Bom was certain.
She’s about to get real with it now, huh?
After hearing Min Hayeon and Seong Su-ho’s story, Han Bom had found it even harder to approach him.
She’d shared life-and-death moments and love with him too, but the fact remained that Min Hayeon had connected with him first. That truth wouldn’t change.
Rolling stones might often displace the ones already embedded, but once you learned how long that embedded stone had been there, it became impossible to challenge it lightly.
As Han Bom wore her uneasy look, Min Hayeon gazed at her with a warm smile.
“Bom, what do you think of Su-ho?”
“Well…”
“Be honest. It’s your first time liking a guy, right?”
“…Yeah.”
There was no lie in Han Bom’s answer.
She had no memories from childhood of ever feeling drawn to a boy.
Watching her sister Han Yeoreum treat her so coldly as an intruder had only made her dislike men even more.
“Bom. I… I can’t give up on Su-ho.”
“…”
The moment those nailed-down words hit her, Han Bom’s head started spinning.
No matter how much the danger had passed, they still needed closure.
Yeah… of course that’s how it’d be, right?
Min Hayeon’s words were so firm—they were a clear declaration that she wouldn’t let go of Seong Su-ho.
Confirming that intent, Han Bom felt it sink in.
…I don’t even have a choice here.
There was a clear gap between them.
Looks, breasts, femininity, fame.
Han Bom couldn’t even dream of beating Min Hayeon, who embodied every idol-like quality she admired.
When someone like that came out swinging, Han Bom could only shrink back automatically.
“Unnie… I… I’ll cheer you on…”
Even as she said it, the words barely left her lips.
And then, tears she couldn’t hold back…
Min Hayeon nodded and gently wiped the tears from Han Bom’s eyes.
“Thank you…”
“Unnie… sniff… I made things so hard for you all this time. This time… be happy, okay?”
Han Bom had always carried guilt toward her.
She’d felt disgusted with herself for constantly linking Min Hayeon to Han Yeoreum, yet she’d kept doing it anyway.
Yeah… this is my sin.
She rationalized it.
The price for the sins she’d committed all this time…
Han Bom kept crying, and with those tears, everything inside her drained away, leaving only emptiness.
It was in that moment of total hollowness that it happened.
“This time, I really want to be happy. So…”
Min Hayeon wiped away all of Han Bom’s tears and flashed a grin.
“Don’t give up either.”
“…What?”
Han Bom stared blankly, wondering if she’d misheard, her eyes pleading for confirmation.
And the words that came next…
“Bom, don’t ever give up on Su-ho.”
“H-Huh, but… unnie? That means…”
It was dialogue that defied common sense.
But Min Hayeon explained to make the impossible make sense.
“Su-ho’s precious to me, but you’re even more so. I can’t give up on either of you.”
Her words contained everything.
Choosing only Seong Su-ho was impossible, and choosing only Han Bom was too.
Even if she picked Su-ho, Han Bom would stay by his side as a comrade forever. Could they really spend their lives just watching each other?
“I don’t think so. Su-ho… he’ll definitely reach out to you.”
“Haha…”
But choosing only Han Bom was impossible too.
Even if she paired them up, Min Hayeon would travel with them as a comrade.
“…I don’t think I could just stand by and watch.”
“Unnie… but that’s…”
Min Hayeon’s creed had always been that there was no such thing as a good rival in love.
And yet, now…
“I… I don’t think I can give up on either of you.”
“Unnie…”
She was starting to forcibly understand the very existence she’d despised her whole life.
“So, Bom… don’t give up either. Me… Su-ho… got it?”
“…Yeah.”
Han Bom answered on instinct.
Some part of her mind screamed that she should refuse, but her instincts moved her lips automatically.
“Unnie… thank you.”
“Haa… we both have the worst luck with guys.”
“Hehe, y-yeah?”
Only then could the two giggle and ease the tension.
It was all over.
Though they were still stuck in this dangerous world, their bond had been reborn stronger than before.
Han Bom linked arms with Min Hayeon and hummed lightly.
“If that old man tries anything weird, tell me. I’ll beat his ass.”
Min Hayeon burst out laughing at Han Bom’s grin, wiped her tears, and said,
“Hit him harder than you would Han Yeoreum.”
“Hehe…”
As they laughed and breathed in the night air, they spotted Seong Su-ho in the distance.
Min Hayeon suddenly turned to Han Bom and whispered,
“Bom…”
“Yeah?”
“In this regression… you haven’t done it with Su-ho yet, right?”
“Y-Yeah…?”
The sudden turn to intimate topics left Han Bom looking up at her in confusion.
Min Hayeon smirked slyly and muttered,
“Then… wanna get some revenge for me?”
“O-On the old man?”
At Han Bom’s anxious face, Min Hayeon shook her head with a bright laugh.
“On Han Yeoreum.”
***
Han Yeoreum lay in one corner of the cave, dead to the world on the outside but vowing inwardly.
Fuck… fuck… just hold out till tomorrow… if I can shake off this paralysis poison somehow…
She’d racked her brains hard at first to plot her next move, but hearing the three of them laughing and chatting outside made it impossible to think.
She’d never been good at focusing anyway, and this situation was unbearable.
Imagine trying to study for an exam while a party rages next door—who could concentrate?
Especially if you were Han Yeoreum.
Seong Su-ho… he didn’t see that jewel, did he? Fuck! They say it becomes unusable after one look…
As she fidgeted in growing anxiety, a woman’s voice drifted into Han Yeoreum’s ears.
“Whew… this spot’s got such a nice vibe. Perfect for drinking, right?”
“Yeah!”
It was Min Hayeon and Han Bom.
Their fresh, bubbly conversation twisted Han Yeoreum’s nerves into knots.
Fuck… aren’t you worried about me? You think this is the time for booze?!
She wanted to scream her rage and chew them out, but her body wouldn’t move.
Still, there was one ray of hope.
At least… with both of them together, that monkey bastard won’t pounce.
Han Yeoreum considered the mere fact that Seong Su-ho stayed put a blessing in this hell.
Hayeon and Bom both seem to have figured out that fucker’s true colors, so with them together, he won’t try shit till regression. What can the monkey do…
As long as Seong Su-ho didn’t lay a hand on either of them, she was confident she could endure.
To Han Yeoreum, the sounds of him having sex were like the shrieks of demons echoing from hell.
She’d do anything to avoid that.
They’re turning in soon anyway, so I’ll sleep too. The poison won’t wear off till tomorrow afternoon.
Judging the drinking session over, she started drifting off—
“Bom.”
“Yeah?”
But the words hitting Han Yeoreum’s eardrums yanked her brain back from sleep.
“When did you start liking Su-ho?”
It was an incomprehensible question.
W-What the hell?
Though it felt like something she shouldn’t eavesdrop on, Han Yeoreum leaned in without hesitation.
“Well… when was it~?”
“C’mon, tell me~”
“Hehe! U-Unnie! T-That tickles!”
Are they fighting? Nah, doesn’t feel like it…
For two women crushing on the same guy, it was way too cheerful.
Their lively voices didn’t match the topic or the situation at all.
This should’ve been hair-pulling, curse-filled territory, but Min Hayeon and Han Bom kept giggling about Seong Su-ho.
“U-Unnie! S-Stop tickling! Hehe!”
“Tell me!”
“I-I’ll tell! Just stop!”
Even in this baffling scene, Han Yeoreum felt a spark of satisfaction.
Yes! They didn’t talk about this last loop! If it’s now…
Exactly when had Han Bom fallen for Seong Su-ho?
Han Yeoreum desperately wanted that intel.
Is it really from the duel? Fuck… if so, there’s no way I could’ve interfered…
Seong Su-ho had given Han Bom 500,000 points after the duel.
But Han Yeoreum couldn’t buy it that easily.
No matter how many points he threw at her, Bom’s not the type to fall for money.
She acknowledged 500k was huge.
But Han Bom falling for a guy over wealth? After watching her her whole life, it made no sense.
Focus… just find out when she fell for him…
It was right then, as she braced for the crucial info—
“Honestly… f-from the start…”
“Huh?”
Not just Min Hayeon—Han Yeoreum couldn’t process it either.
What? I asked when, and she says from the beginning?
The doubt had barely formed when Han Bom’s words hammered a wedge into her brain, halting everything.
“I think… I liked him from the first time I saw him.”