Chapter 168
Chapter 168
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Future Me (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I put Suryeon's diary back in its place.
I returned to the bed and fastened the iron chains on myself.
Because I couldn't let her find out that I'd undone the chains.
'If security gets even tighter here, I'll really be stuck here for life.'
I couldn't stay in this dimension forever.
I'd promised to attend the kids' sports day.
That didn't mean I was going to abandon future Suryeon and leave.
'If I just run off without a word, even Suryeon will turn into a real black dragon.'
Still, shouldn't there be an ending my daughter could accept?
With that, I reconnected the chains' magic circuits to my body and lay down.
Almost exactly a minute later, I heard Suryeon coming home.
Chained up, I shouted toward Suryeon in the living room.
"You're back, Suryeon?!"
"Yeah, I'm home. Wait just a sec, Dad."
With that, I heard something being turned off in the living room.
What on earth was Suryeon preparing?
Unable to figure it out, I just waited quietly.
Then the door creaked open, and Suryeon appeared.
Creak—
"I'm back, Dad."
"Welcome home, Suryeon."
Suryeon looked a bit tired.
Maybe exhausted, she lay down next to me and stared right at my face.
Cautiously, I opened my mouth to ask.
"…Did something tough happen outside today?"
"Not really. Nothing hard. My head's just a bit muddled."
"Yeah? What about?"
"It's a secret, Dad."
With that, Suryeon pressed even closer to me.
She seemed to be in the mood to act spoiled.
"Dad."
"Yeah, Suryeon."
"You'll stay with me forever, right?"
"…If the chance comes up?"
"Even if I do something bad, you'll stay with me forever, right?"
Why was she suddenly asking such an anxious question?
Had she done something else after the human experiments?
My mouth went dry with tension.
I answered as calmly as I could.
"Suryeon."
"Yeah, Dad."
"If you do bad things, I'll scold you. But I'll stay with you forever. Because you're my daughter."
Could you even call yourself a parent if you abandoned your child?
"…That's what you think, huh."
Suryeon said that to my answer and buried her face in my body.
For a long time.
After burying her face and pondering like that, she quietly spoke.
"…Dad."
"Yeah."
"…Let's get married at that sea."
She was still talking about marriage.
More importantly…
"That sea? Which one?"
"The sea where you first took me. The one near Incheon."
"Oh, the one with the Killer Whale-kini?"
The sea from before, where Suryeon's sea friend lived.
Did Suryeon want to have the wedding there?
Stuck to my body, she looked up at me and said.
"Yeah. If we do it, I want it there. It must be a really beautiful place."
Suryeon said it with a more serious tone than usual.
I didn't say anything to that, just stroked Suryeon's head.
I didn't have a choice anyway.
***
When I first opened my eyes.
I realized this wasn't the room I knew.
"This is my room. But it's not my room."
It felt like the strongest, yet not the strongest.
Suryeon checked her surroundings with a hazy mind.
"…Still sleeping, huh. Everyone, wake up."
Slap slap—!
Suryeon woke up Hwaryeon and Choryeon, who still hadn't stirred.
"Ughhh? What's this, where are we?!"
"I think we were dreaming for a bit!"
"Mangmang—!"
Having woken all her companions who were lying on the bed.
Suryeon crossed her arms and immediately shared her thoughts.
"I figured out something important."
"What is it! How come only you know?!"
"The dimension we're in right now is our future dimension."
It wasn't an ordinary dimension.
It was a dimension where a lot of time had passed on Earth.
Suryeon pulled back the dark curtains, showing the evidence.
"Take a look. This is our future world."
"W-What!! Who smashed everything?!"
"I-It doesn't look fresh and green…! No trees…!"
Hodaldal—
Hwaryeon and Choryeon gasped at the sight of the ruined world.
"How could this happen…!? All the nature's been destroyed…!! What's that black tree far away…!! Th-This isn't the Earth I know…!! Who would do such a horrible thing…!!?"
Tremble tremble—
Was it because her beloved nature had been so brutally destroyed?
Choryeon shook with rage.
Toward such a Choryeon, Suryeon delivered a cold jab.
"…But that magic power coming from the black tree. It feels just like you, Choryeon."
"D-Does that mean the future me turned Earth into a wasteland…!?"
"That's how it looks."
"Don't slander my love for nature!"
Feeling slandered, Choryeon yelled loudly at Suryeon.
And.
As the two were talking by the window like that.
"U-Uwaaaah—!!"
Suddenly, Hwaryeon's scream rang out.
The kids rushed over at the sound.
And there, the kids witnessed.
"U-Uwaaaaah—!!"
"Th-This is…"
"D-Dad…?"
Thud—
Dad, frozen and leaning against the wall, standing still.
No heartbeat, no life in his face.
At that sight, the kids felt like their hearts had stopped.
And a deep despair that Dad had left the world.
"D-Dad… isn't breathing…! H-He's… dead…"
"…No way. Dad's dead?"
"D-Dad's gone…? Th-This is a dream… If it's not a dream… then nature in this world isn't needed…"
Creep—
Seeing Dad's corpse, the bright colors turned black.
Just as the black aura began slowly dyeing the kids' colors.
Creak—
"…What are you idiots doing."
It resembled Suryeon but wasn't Suryeon.
Future Suryeon looked pitifully at her past sisters.
Grinding her teeth, Suryeon yelled.
"You killed him, didn't you! Give me back my dad!"
"…?"
"Seal release…!"
Rustle—
Suryeon unwound the bandage on her right arm.
Covering one eye with her sealed right arm, Suryeon infused blue magic power into it.
"You dare… kill Dad…? If my right arm's Blue Dragon turns into the Black Flame Dragon, you're done for… no matter if you're future me… this won't be easy…? Heh heh heh—"
Heh heh heh—
Suryeon let out a chuunibyou-style laugh.
Future Suryeon took in the sight up close, her face flushing so red she could barely open her eyes.
"…I'm going crazy. Why was past me such an idiot? You still believe the Earth is flat?"
"Heh heh—Of course. The Earth isn't round, it's flat."
"Haa…"
Shake shake—
Future Suryeon judged there was no hope.
So she raised a finger and formed a magic spell.
"Don't go all dark and edgy like an idiot. Just sit still."
Whoosh—!
With those words, every living being there sat on the floor.
"Ah, Mangmung, you can stand."
"M-Mangmang—!"
Bow—
Mangmung bowed in thanks.
And Mangmung immediately fled to future Suryeon's side.
"You traitor! Opportunist sticking to the strong one!"
"Mangmung! Are you betraying me?! How could you!"
"Everyone, shut up."
Haa—
Future Suryeon sighed in frustration and murmured quietly.
"…Should I at least protect their innocence."
Then, glancing at the stuffed Dad's corpse, she spoke.
"You really think your dad's truly dead?"
"Of course! Dad's body is right there!"
"You idiots. That's not Dad. It's just a wax figure modeled after him."
"What?!"
"Dad's alive and well inside."
The kids jumped in shock at those words.
But the kids' eyes quickly turned to distrust.
Suryeon stepped forward as representative, pressing future her.
"How can we believe that? No proof."
"Then why believe the flat Earth theory with no evidence?"
"…That's fun. And it might actually be possible."
"Haa, why is past me such an idiot?"
Future Suryeon kept sighing, finding past her pathetic.
Suryeon had nothing to say to that.
"…Can't argue, but it pisses me off."
Wrinkle—
Suryeon frowned for no reason.
Future Suryeon headed out of the room and said.
"If you can't believe it, I'll show you myself. Follow me."
"Oh!"
"Let's hurry! I have to see Dad alive!"
Dash dash—!
At those words, the kids bolted out of the room toward the master bedroom.
Seeing the kids reunite with him, Lee Ha-jun, chained up, shouted at them.
"As expected of my daughters! You came to save me!"
"No, I got caught too!"
"…"
Lee Ha-jun's expression changed instantly.
Suryeon and the kids excitedly continued.
"Yeah, I got caught 'cause I'm too strong."
"Hehe, couldn't be helped! But glad you're alive!"
"Mangmang—!"
The kids got overly excited for no reason.
Lee Ha-jun couldn't help but frown naturally.
"More importantly, how'd you kids get here?"
"Uh, well…"
"What about school? Didn't Dad tell you to wait for the sports day?"
"Um…"
"You followed Dad here dangerously? When will you ever listen?"
"Uwaaak…"
Having come to find Dad.
The kids, who ended up just getting scolded, covered their ears.
"…Jealous."
Future Suryeon just watched the kids from afar.
After letting the kids have their reunion time with Dad for a bit.
Future Suryeon approached the kids enjoying the joy of reunion and said.
"Now you get it, right? That Dad's alive."
So.
"Don't interfere anymore. From now on, it's just me and Dad's time."
Hehe—
Future Suryeon said it with plenty of leisure.
Suryeon made a dissatisfied face and asked.
"Why can't we interfere? It's my dad. I'm taking Dad and leaving this world."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because…"
Smirk—
Future Suryeon twisted the corner of her mouth slightly and said.
"I'm going to marry Dad."
Shock statement.
The kids' expressions turned fierce.
"W-What did you just say! You got 10 seconds to take it back! 10! 9!"
"Hmm, guess I need to bring out the Blue Dragon again."
"I'm first for marriage! No cutting in!!"
The kids opposed with venomous faces.
Suryeon responded in a cold tone.
"What I decide goes. No."
Somehow, sadness tinged future Suryeon's face as she said it.
As if she knew her own situation all too well.
"I'm marrying Dad. That's decided."
And.
Future Suryeon looked at the kids with envious eyes.
Because she saw her old self overlapping with them.
That happy time with no worries.
The unforgettable memories spent with family.
'…This is the right way. I'm Dad's daughter, after all.'
Future Suryeon barely held back her tears.