A First Kiss and Lingering Shadows
"Noona?"
"Yes. Her name was Jiyeon. I knew her for about a year, and she was always so sweet to me."
"I see..."
She didn't know the full story, but she wondered if it had something to do with that debt he had mentioned.
"She was a truly kind and wonderful person. On the outside, she could seem a bit prickly and shy, but she was actually incredibly warm-hearted and affectionate. She comforted me so much."
"Ah..." Now Mari understood why he had said she reminded him of her.
"...And then?" Sensing a sudden, heavy shift in his gaze, Mari swallowed hard, her throat tightening with tension.
"She committed suicide."
"What?" The completely unexpected word made her catch her breath.
"Her idol group was incredibly popular. They got a lot of attention right from their debut, but for some reason, she was the only one who constantly got misunderstood. She was so kind and good, but because her public image didn't reflect that, people talked. A lot."
"Ah, I see... Oh..." Did Yunjae work in the entertainment industry when he was young too? And that close noona committed suicide... Piecing the clues together, Mari swallowed the lump rising in her throat and nodded slowly.
"To be honest, we hadn't been in touch for a while before that. My own situation was terrible back then, and I didn't have the luxury to worry about anyone else. But..." He let out a deep sigh, a hollow, self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.
"One day, I saw that she had left me a ton of missed calls and messages. I didn't reply. I was too consumed by my own debt to pay attention..."
"Right."
"But then, I saw the news."
"...Why?" Mari asked softly. Yunjae stared out the window, his eyes vacant.
"They said she was tormented. By people who didn't know a single thing about her but gossiped anyway."
"Ah..."
"When I went to her social media, her last post was..."
Mari was left utterly speechless.
"Is that why...?"
"Yes. I don't think she could bear it anymore..." No matter how high his level became or how strong he grew, his heart remained as fragile as ever. Yunjae wiped at his tear-rimmed eyes.
"I felt so incredibly guilty. She had helped me so much... I probably wouldn't have been much help, but I kept thinking that if I had just answered her calls, maybe things wouldn't have ended that way..." He was only fifteen years old at the time.
"Whew... That is the single biggest regret of my life."
"I see." So that's why he had told her to hold on desperately, to survive no matter what. Finally understanding the weight behind his words, Mari felt a surge of emotion. Her own eyes grew misty as she let out a soft sigh.
"After she passed away, I saw it all. People who pretended to mourn just to show off and beg for attention. People who blamed her, saying she was just mentally weak. People who mocked her, saying it was a good thing an ugly girl died. People giggling, wondering who they should drive to the edge next."
It seemed that, at that tender age, he had already realized the dark, ugly nature of the world. It also explained why he had uncharacteristically lost his temper when Gyojin insulted her before.
"So I made a promise to myself. I swore I would never become like them. I would never casually judge others or make assumptions. I wanted to be a kind, warm person, just like her..." Yet, the path he chose seemed entirely different from that of ordinary people.
Squeeze!
In that moment, Mari stepped forward and pulled Yunjae into a tight embrace.
"I'm so proud of you." He had gone through such trauma, yet he had grown up so upright and pure that he was chosen by a goddess.
"I'm sure that noona would feel the exact same way. Absolutely." At her words, Yunjae took a deep breath and looked up at her with tearful eyes.
"Thank you, Mari." Perhaps that was why Yunjae had been exceptionally kind to her from the very moment they met. How could someone who might be the strongest being in the world trigger her maternal instincts like this...?
"Ah!" In that instant, Yunjae's eyes widened. Warm lips pressed against his, followed by a softness he had never imagined. Instead of the bitter taste of beer that lingered from recalling painful memories, a strange sweetness spread through his mouth. The sensation was as gentle and comforting as her warm embrace.
"..." Mari, who had initiated the kiss, pulled back with a bright red face. Yunjae stared at her blankly, looking utterly dazed.
"...W-what are you staring at?"
"Huh?"
"Are you only going to give me beer?" At her shy question, Yunjae's face flushed crimson as he shook his head.
"A-ah, I can make you any side dish you want..."
"This is enough." At her words, a bright, joyful smile broke across his face, unable to hide his happiness as he nodded.
"I feel like I could die happy right now! My first kiss!" He had finally had his first kiss after seventy-seven years! Seeing him so overjoyed only made Mari feel even more embarrassed.
"U-uhm..." No matter how roughly and unladylike she had lived, she was still twenty-seven years old. Feeling a bit guilty that this wasn't her own first kiss, she blushed and mumbled, "Well, the kiss might not be... but everything else is a first for me too..."
"Ah!" The seventy-seven-year-old lifelong single froze instantly at her words!
"I-I'm not mentally prepared yet...!"
"I'm not ready either!" Mari snapped defensively, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
"S-so, you know..." Having started with an unconventional cohabitation and now transitioning into a romantic relationship, Mari blushed furiously, unable to find the right words. They were still holding each other so closely that now that she was conscious of it, she could barely breathe for fear of her breath sounding too loud.
"We don't have to rush. I'm fine with taking it slow." His gloomy thoughts had completely vanished, replaced by a shy smile. Mari let out a playful, pouting laugh.
"Well, I'm a bit impatient..."
"Ah! In that case, with an open mind..." Seeing his face light up with anticipation, Mari burst into laughter once again.
Ding-dong.
"W-whoa!" At the sound of the doorbell, Mari and Yunjae practically leaped away from each other!
"Mari! Oppa! Let's have dinner together!"
"My little cutie! I wonder what kind of naughty things you're doing with Mari in there!" It seemed Akemi and Lupinus, who had finished moving in, had come over.
"...A-at least Akemi didn't just teleport inside this time!" Feeling guilty at the mention of "naughty things," Mari laughed awkwardly. Yunjae nodded dazed.
"Y-yes, indeed!"
"I-I'll get the door!" Mari rushed to the entrance. Click.
"Hey, Mari! Where's Oppa?" "Hello, Mari." Akemi and Suyeon greeted her first.
"Oh my! I sense a very disheveled energy! Your breathing is ragged, and you opened the door in such a rush! Something definitely happened!" Detective Lupinus, living up to her title as the Goddess of Greed, instantly sniffed out the truth.
"W-what do you mean!" Mari stammered, utterly flustered.
"...Your lips." Rozamy pointed at Mari's lips with a slightly pouty expression, cutting in before Lupinus could say more.
"N-no! This is!" Caught off guard by Rozamy's sharp observation, Mari waved her hands frantically in the air as if her brain had short-circuited. Meanwhile, Lupinus chuckled softly and slipped past her into the apartment.
"Ah! Nothing happened! Everyone, Seoul is perfectly safe!" Yunjae was just as flustered, flailing his arms in panic. Lupinus clasped her hands behind her back and smiled warmly.
"You did a wonderful job on Yunjae's makeup, Mari!"
"Idiots. That bastard definitely has an ulterior motive!" Trumpkin, whose dismissal as Secretary of Defense had already been finalized, could not contain his fury. Portals that had existed for nearly forty years were suddenly vanishing, and right on cue, this "Girl's Forearm" character appears out of nowhere to play the hero!
"No matter how I look at it, he has to be the mastermind! Fools, all of them!" He was absolutely convinced that the savior's miraculous timing—sweeping away the monsters right after the US military, the strongest force in the world, had been defeated—was a calculated move. Of course, his hatred was fueled by the fact that this savior was the direct cause of his political downfall.
"Sigh." Believing that everyone but himself was a fool, Trumpkin found the situation unbearable. He repeatedly filled his glass and downed the liquor. He was now in a position where he was just waiting for the axe to fall, so his despair was only natural.
Rustle. It happened in that very instant.
"Hmm?" Sitting alone in his study and drinking, he sensed a sudden movement and looked around.
"W-who are you!" He gasped in shock, spotting someone sitting on the sofa in his study. How had they appeared so suddenly? Without leaving a single trace!
"Y-you...!" Terrified, he reached for the drawer to pull out his gun, but—
"Ugh!" His body refused to budge, as if bound by magic.
"W-what is the meaning of this!" As Trumpkin panicked, the intruder stepped into the light, a smirk playing on her lips.
"It seems Lupinus chose someone truly extraordinary this time." She swirled the liquid in Trumpkin's glass.
"But it was always humans who ruined the heroes. It was always human greed and jealousy that corrupted them. Never us." With those words, she splashed the remaining alcohol onto Trumpkin's face.
"Ugh!" The sticky brandy hit his face, and Trumpkin grimaced. "You bastard!" as he roared in anger, the figure smiled chillingly.
"I wonder how it will turn out this time?" Snap. The moment she snapped her fingers—Whoosh!
"Aaaargh!" Trumpkin's body burst into flames.
"Help me! Save me!" The fire, starting from his face, quickly engulfed his entire body. Trumpkin thrashed and rolled on the floor in agony. As the flames began to spread to the rest of the study, the mysterious figure smirked.
"No. Because your death is only the beginning."
Late at night, when the rest of the world was asleep.
"Rozamy." In the pitch-black darkness where the city lay sleeping, Yunjae spotted Rozamy standing alone under the moonlight and called out to her.
"You're... not sleeping."
"Yes. I am a game character, after all." At his soft chuckle, Rozamy wore an awkward expression, as if the concept was still entirely foreign to her.
"Anyway, what brings you here?" she asked. They were currently at the Hwagok Portal.
"Just out of habit." Rather than actively looking for Rozamy, Yunjae, who had spent his nights quietly active here while others slept, had simply wandered out and happened to run into her.
"Is Lady Lupinus asleep?"
"Yes. It seems her power has begun to return after your recent exploits. She probably needs time to stabilize and absorb it."
Yunjae's grand appearance had sent shockwaves across the globe. And with those shockwaves, people began to revere him as a divine messenger. Even if they didn't know the exact identity of the Goddess Lupinus, their growing faith in Yunjae—who was chosen by her—began to manifest as divine power for her.
"Besides, dreams are the best