Dohyun's Wish (2)
"...Dohyun-ssi."
A figure approached me as I sat there, dazed.
It was Yoo Seol, holding a walkie-talkie.
Behind her, two large men in suits were trailing along.
"Dohyun-ssi, are you alright?"
"...I was told that my safety was guaranteed by the Baekseong side."
"That is...."
Looking again, it seemed there had been bodyguards after all.
The two men were covered in blood.
"Actually, they tried to stop him, but he suddenly attacked...."
While I was alone with the man, they had been held back by his 'forces.'
One of them was even bleeding profusely, as if he'd been stabbed.
I told them to go to the hospital quickly.
Oh, right. We're already at the hospital.
"...I didn't expect something like this to happen so soon. I had them stationed discreetly because I thought enjoying your trip should be the priority."
They hadn't been invisible; they had been following me the whole time.
"...."
"We will strengthen your security."
Yoo Seol-ssi bowed her head in apology.
It was a point of complacency for everyone.
Who would have thought an incident related to a Mythic-grade trait would happen right away?
"His personal information was top secret, so I don't know how he found out...."
It was too fast for my identity and information to have leaked overseas.
The information that Mythic-grade trait holders could recognize each other seemed hard for the Baekseong Group to imagine.
When I told her that, Yoo Seol-ssi swallowed a groan.
"...That was information we didn't have."
This is why Phantastia is scary.
I added,
"That man, as I said, is a Mythic-grade trait holder. His daughter's name is Amy. She attempted suicide yesterday and died today."
"...We will make sure to grasp his personal information just in case."
Not only did he pose a direct threat to me, but he had even seen A-yeon's face.
He must be affiliated with some faction, so I had to be careful about what he might do in reality.
Still, he wouldn't be able to spread my information everywhere.
Because I knew his information, too.
"I'm counting on you."
I barely managed to pull myself together and returned to the hospital room.
"...Ah, Oppa."
A-yeon was waiting in front of the door.
I didn't hear any fighting inside, so was she waiting for me?
"Did something happen? ...Your expression doesn't look good."
I silently stroked A-yeon's hair and went inside.
"Dohyun-ah, we apologized."
"Yeah, we're on good terms now. See?"
Noona and Yun-seo, who were shaking hands, turned their heads toward me at the same time.
It was obvious they were forcing a smile.
As soon as they saw my face, they asked in worried voices.
"What's wrong, why are you like that?"
"Dohyun-ah?"
Is my expression that serious?
I looked at a nearby mirror.
My expression was as stiff as the man I'd seen earlier.
"...A-are you like that because we were fighting?"
"I didn't think you'd be this shocked...."
The man's words were still ringing in my ears.
"The fact that you don't have a wish you want to achieve yet means that one will come soon."
I opened my mouth quietly.
"Lee Yun-seo, do you really have nothing you're hiding from me?"
"Huh?"
"Like, maybe your illness hasn't fully healed. Or a new illness was discovered."
Yun-seo's eyes went wide.
"...Is that why you're acting like this?"
"Answer me."
"No, I'm really healthy? They said there would be almost no aftereffects."
Next, I looked at Ha-rin Noona.
"Noona, you don't have anything, right? Like being sick somewhere."
"Dohyun-ah, your expression is too dark right now."
"...You don't, right?"
"...Yeah."
Finally, A-yeon.
My concern for A-yeon was especially intense.
Because A-yeon had also lived a life where it wouldn't be strange if she committed suicide.
"I, I don't have anything, Oppa."
"...."
"Ah, you didn't get into any trouble with that man you saw earlier, did you?"
Yun-seo and Ha-rin Noona looked at A-yeon with eyes demanding an explanation.
"...That's."
While A-yeon was explaining, I stepped out of the hospital room for a moment.
I hid my body against the wall next to the door.
As soon as I was out of their sight, the strength left my legs and I collapsed.
"Bullshit."
I'm going crazy.
The unique trait that made me feel like I had the world in my hands the moment I got it.
To think it was actually a poisoned chalice.
I just thought I was lucky.
I didn't even think about why it was me.
Let's think back.
The god who chose me, Kailus, and I have never even met.
I just thought he gave it to me because he felt sorry for me, or because I was the only one who met the requirements for the trait.
Yun-seo gets cured, I meet A-yeon safely, and it's a happy ending.
I thought that was my future.
You're telling me the real fucking nightmare hasn't even happened yet?
"...What is this?"
What on earth is this?
My head is a mess.
Suddenly, everything around me felt threatening.
Is Yun-seo going to die from a medical accident?
Is Ha-rin Noona going to lose her life caught up in a corporate succession battle?
Or is A-yeon...
I don't know.
All possibilities are wide open.
Since we're in the US, a mass shooting could happen right now and all three of them could die.
'The probability of the plane crashing on the way back, the probability of a house fire killing them, the probability of being caught in a terrorist attack....'
None of these probabilities are 0%.
I can't remember how I've lived in this dangerous world.
Why can Probability Manipulation only manipulate the game system?
I'm so afraid that the worst-case scenario might happen to me with a high probability.
Yes, I was taking the game Phantastia too lightly.
Gods are also sentient beings.
There's no way they would choose someone like me, who decided to just wing it, as their representative.
*
"Oppa, if something happens, tell me too. If I can be of any help...."
"It's nothing, don't worry and go inside to sleep."
Yun-seo's hospital visit ended, and night fell again.
I saw A-yeon off and went into the same room as Ha-rin Noona.
The bed was neatly made.
"...Dohyun-ah, I'm going to wash up first, okay?"
"Yeah."
Noona went into the bathroom with an unusual air about her.
But right now, I couldn't feel excited at all.
Just yesterday, my mood was at an all-time high.
I met the healthy Yun-seo again, and I kissed Ha-rin Noona.
And today, I was even planning to take things as far as I could with Noona.
But the moment I saw that man, that damnably pitiful man, my happiness was shattered.
With great power comes great responsibility.
A quote famous enough that even people who don't watch movies know it hits home hard today.
Ha-rin Noona didn't even put on a robe after her shower.
Covered only by a single towel, she approached me with her damp skin.
"...Dohyun-ah."
The intense night we had yesterday and the conversation I had with Yun-seo today.
Because of that, Ha-rin Noona looked ready to go.
I could see she was nervous, and I knew that loving gaze she was giving me.
Her skin was flushed a reddish hue.
If I had faced that sight without a care in the world, I would have pounced on her immediately.
"...I'm sorry, I really want to, too."
But.
"I really want to."
I couldn't.
"...Can you tell me what happened?"
Unlike Yun-seo and A-yeon, she is a Noona who knows the truth about Phantastia.
"That's...."
I told Noona the truth about the man I met earlier.
"...That's what happened."
Just the imagination of my loved ones being broken.
My mind was on the verge of a panic attack.
"Thinking that other people, that Noona could suddenly get into an accident, just thinking about that...."
Noona quietly patted my back and listened to my words.
"I'm so scared of that."
"...."
Noona's hand gently wrapped around my trembling hand.
Warmth.
Noona whispered softly.
"I'm so happy that I'm someone that precious to Dohyun."
Her unwavering eyes stared straight at me.
"Our Dohyun, how was such a kind man born?"
Something will happen to me.
That was definitely a fixed future.
Since it was a story involving Phantastia and supernatural phenomena, it seemed she could feel it clearly too.
"Even if I say it'll be okay... it won't be a comfort to you."
Because of that, all Noona could do was hold my hand tightly and stay by my side.
"...Everything will be okay. Everything."
She became a great source of strength for me.
"Come here."
I was held in Noona's warm embrace, and I fell asleep amidst her patting.
*
Maybe this is my worst-case scenario?
Days spent trembling in fear that something might happen to the three of them every single day.
This terrible feeling lasts for years.
That, too, was a worst-case scenario that could happen.
However, fortunately, my 'thing' actually happened.
And in a form unrelated to the three of them.
Maybe it's because I ran through every worst-case scenario.
When I realized what my wish would be, I even felt a small sense of relief.
Time passes quickly.
Our expressions weren't very good upon returning to Korea.
It's only natural. I, the main pillar, had been in a depressed state for over a week.
And with the men in suits openly following us around, the burden was even greater.
A situation I couldn't tell anyone about except for Ha-rin Noona.
Yun-seo and A-yeon were all worried about me.
I wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong, but I couldn't, and in the end, the trip finished leaving everyone worried.
Right now, I'm driving and wandering the roads for a bit.
They say driving can be effective for clearing your mind.
There was no one in the passenger seat.
I felt like being alone for a while.
Though, of course, there were a few cars the Baekseong Group had attached to me following me around.
I had been holed up at home for safety, but I came out for a bit at Noona's suggestion.
I have to go back soon.
My dazed mind snapped to attention at the sound of a car horn.
It wasn't honking because of me.
Someone next to me was cutting into the lane in a dangerous way.
"Drive properly, damn it."
What if that crazy bastard gets into an accident?
That kind of complacent attitude is what invites trouble.
Recently, I had been extremely sensitive.
'But where is this?'
I turned off the navigation and drove, so I got lost.
Everything around me was full of buildings I didn't recognize.
I should head back to somewhere I know soon.
Just when I turned on the GPS app.
The name of a building caught my eye on the surrounding map.
"Charnel house?"
It's a Charnel house with a familiar name.
Recalling my memory, it was the place where my damn father was interred.
"Hmm."
I hadn't visited even once since I was released from prison.
Regardless, the world remembers that I killed him, so I didn't have the nerve to visit, and naturally, it wasn't worth visiting either.
To think that Charnel house is this close.
Maybe this is fate, too?
I drove the car there as if possessed.
"...Is this it?"
The late Seo Do-jin.
I finally found my father's urn.
An urn with the name of my lifelong enemy written on it.
They say the ashes inside that small box are my father.
"...."
It's a complicated feeling that words cannot describe.
Naturally, profanity flowed out.
"...You piece of shit."
Of course, there was no answer.
In the past, if I said something like this, a fist would have come back.
Now, there's not even a voice, let alone a fist.
I said it again in a resentful voice.
"You're a piece of shit."
If you were going to date multiple women, fuck, you should have at least made them happy.
How many people's lives were ruined because of his irresponsibility?
Me, A-yeon, Mom, Stepmom....
There are too many to count on my fingers.
How scared must A-yeon have been for that little kid to smash your head in?
He truly is a disgusting and repulsive man.
I recognize that I'm not much different myself.
But at least I'm trying harder than you.
'....'
He's a man with nothing to emulate.
Trash, human scum, child abuser.
But why today, of all days.
I don't know why I want to see your face so much.
It's a story from when I was very young.
Even before I met A-yeon, long before they divorced because of my father's cheating.
I went to an amusement park holding his hand.
My mother was there too.
One hand holding Father, one hand holding Mother.
Back then, I really felt like I had the world in my hands.
Without knowing the tragedy that would happen later, young me followed him around, calling him 'Dad.'
Young me grew up watching his back.
A back as sturdy as if it would protect me from all the hardships in the world.
If I asked him something I didn't know while leaning on his back, I would learn a new piece of knowledge one by one.
As time passed, he turned into a villain with no value or way to be redeemed.
But that sturdy back from that day was etched into a corner of my brain, becoming a brand I couldn't erase even if I wanted to.
The him from when I was young was, at least, a dad.
So I want to ask.
What should I do?
Even though there's no way a proper answer will come back.
I kept asking back in my heart toward my father's urn.
At that moment.
"...Dohyun-ah?"
A voice that was now unfamiliar yet nostalgic came from behind me.
"...Mom."