Chapter 195: The World Seol-hyang Lived In
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: The World Seol-hyang Lived In
“If you mean synchronization.”
“Worldlines aren't fixed. They branch off endlessly, splitting again and again. To find the one I want, I have to peer into every single one.”
Peering into all those worldlines.
And not just any worldlines, but the ones branching out from her own life.
Could a human brain even handle that?
Seol-hyang knew the answer.
“The moment you know the outcome of every single action you take, you become paralyzed, unable to do anything. To be precise, you even know the outcome of that paralysis.”
The color suddenly drained from Seol-hyang’s face.
She covered her mouth as if nauseated, and I quickly rose to my feet.
“Are you okay?”
As I supported her back, Seol-hyang took a few small, repetitive breaths before leaning her head against my shoulder, her face weary.
“...Simply put, your brain breaks. It would be nice if I could just proceed along the worldline I want, but I knew all too well how difficult that was.”
I realized what she meant.
“...Seol-hyang, you went through that, didn't you.”
With her head lowered, Seol-hyang's eyes met mine.
I caught a glimpse of what her life must have been like—trapped in a state of panic where even standing still was terrifying after seeing too many worldlines.
I also understood why she pushed herself so hard at work every day.
It was an aftereffect of that time.
“...Yes. I was trapped in that state for five years on the top floor of Pantagruel. Just like the Crown's previous owner.”
A bead of sweat trickled down Seol-hyang's forehead.
I wiped it away with my hand, and the tension in her face finally began to ease.
Her expression alone revealed just how agonizing it must have been.
“After that, I somehow managed to escape Pantagruel and return to Earth. Only then was I able to break free from that state. Pantagruel and Earth exist on different worldlines.”
I understood then why Seol-hyang hadn't even thought of looking for me, given her condition at the time.
In that state, she wouldn't have been able to think of anything else.
“I hate that I couldn't be there for you.”
A sense of sorrow washed over me. I hadn't been there for my childhood friend, the woman I love, when she needed me most.
I pulled her into a tight embrace. Seol-hyang let out a pleased laugh and raised a hand to cup my cheek.
“You're here with me now. I prefer being happy in the present. And honestly, I'm a little embarrassed to show you such an unsightly side of myself.”
“What's there to be embarrassed about?”
“A woman only wants to show her prettiest side to the man she loves.”
I guess I was similar in that regard. But I had no room to talk, having shown her all sorts of pathetic sides of myself.
“Of course, I still used the Crown from time to time after coming to Earth. It was the best way to solve immediate problems. But I didn't overuse it like I did in Pantagruel.”
“So that's why Ahyu tried to stop you whenever it seemed like you were about to use the Crown.”
“Yes, the Heavenly Demon had heard a thing or two.”
As she spoke, Seol-hyang twisted a strand of her hair with a displeased expression.
“She said something like, 'Why use that stupid Crown when I'm here to solve everything?'”
That sounded just like Ahyu.
And I could see why Seol-hyang didn't particularly dislike Ahyu, despite their personalities being polar opposites. Just as she said, Ahyu's mere existence was enough to solve most problems.
“But it still pisses me off that she got hooked on a game and just up and quit her work at the Returnee Association.”
But that last part also explained why Seol-hyang had disliked Ahyu so much on the day they first met. From Seol-hyang's perspective, someone she had trusted had vanished to play a game, only to suddenly reappear.
Of course she would have seemed detestable.
That's so Ahyu. The world revolving around her—that was the Heavenly Demon all over.
“And to think the reason she got hooked was you, Ha-chan. It's ironic.”
Seol-hyang said, smiling softly as she looked at me.
“And here I am, loving you so much too.”
With those words, she looked up at me slightly, then suddenly lifted her head.
Her lips met mine, and when they parted, she looked up at me with a bashful grin.
A faint blush colored her cheeks.
Realizing she was looking at me, waiting for more, my head snapped to the side.
“You two, seriously.”
I came face-to-face with Baeksan, who was staring at us with a horrified expression. I cleared my throat.
At that, Seol-hyang flinched, as if just now remembering Baeksan was there, and quickly turned her head away.
Since Seol-hyang couldn't see Baeksan, her reaction was only natural.
“Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that my future self is still using the Crown, even though she knows all this.”
“Then that means she's in danger.”
Hearing that the Seol-hyang who had returned to the past for my sake was in danger, my brow furrowed.
No matter which Seol-hyang it was, she was still Seol-hyang.
Since the one before me now might make the same choice if something happened to me, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
“There's the danger, but to be honest, there's something else I'm a little worried about, too.”
Seol-hyang glanced at me.
“...If I were her, I might want to take my place.”
Seol-hyang's current place.
That could only mean her relationship with me.
After all, the entire reason she returned to the past was to prevent my death. From her future self's perspective, this position must be the one she desires most.
A complicated expression crossed my face.
“Of course, she wouldn't be able to. Because I would never do anything you'd hate, Ha-chan.”
Seol-hyang was certain that this much would be true even for her future self.
But another worry lingered on her face.
“Do you understand why I'm bothering to tell you this, Ha-chan?”
I blinked. Seol-hyang's eyes met mine, and they held a hint of reproach.
“Because I have a feeling you'll go on a rampage when you find out later. So I'm telling you in advance.”
“Ah.”
A sigh escaped my lips.
Just as she'd predicted, the moment I heard the story, I was already thinking that I couldn't let the future Seol-hyang continue on like this.
I hesitated for a moment, pursing my lips, and Seol-hyang let out a long sigh.
“To think I've reached a point where I even have to be wary of myself... My life is just too bizarre, isn't it?”
The problem was, it didn't sound like a joke. Because it was a fact that the future Seol-hyang cared for me enough to return to the past.
“That's all I have to say. Thanks to this, I also understand why my future self said I shouldn't kill Erebos.”
Seol-hyang had briefly mentioned it after the last incident, so I nodded.
She must have seen that Erebos's survival was necessary for a certain worldline.
“You should get going too, Ha-chan. You said you have plans today.”
“Ah, right.”
With that, I stood up.
Today was Si-ho and Ji-eun's first day of university, and I had promised to pick them up after their classes.
I heard they were going to an after-party for new students and would wait there until I finished work and came to get them.
Apparently, Si-ho had been reluctant, but Ji-eun dragged her along, saying they should at least experience it once.
Still, they're college students now. They have to do things like that to make friends.
I'd always skipped those kinds of events because earning a living was more important. But I wanted Si-ho and Ji-eun to experience more as university students.
“Are you sure you'll be okay?”
As I stood, I looked at Seol-hyang with concern. It seemed that recalling the past had brought back some bad memories for her.
Seeing my gaze, Seol-hyang chuckled, leaned back against the sofa, and closed her eyes slightly.
“Yes. Because I'm about to lose my patience in a different way.”
Knowing what she meant by that, I stroked her head once.
“Let's see each other properly after I'm done with work.”
When I made my intentions clear, Seol-hyang finally broke into a bright smile.
Seeing that, I felt a little more at ease.
“Call me when you get there.”
“Okay.”
After saying my goodbyes, I left the World Returnee Association with Seol-hyang seeing me off.
As the elevator chimed and I reached the first floor, my phone rang.
I answered the call, recognizing the number.
“Hello, Eunnamu.”
[Ha-chan.]
Eunnamu's voice echoed from the other end of the line. Hearing it put me a little at ease.
“How's it going? Is everything okay?”
[Yes. There are only a few dimensional entities from the Divine Realm left.]
After losing all her memories of the other worldline, Eunnamu had joined the World Returnee Association.
Since she was originally a member of Girasung, she had to undergo some questioning before joining, but she was able to become a member without any issues.
Thanks to that, the mission she was assigned was to hunt down the dimensional entities from the Divine Realm.
After the incident in the US, some of the dimensional entities from the Divine Realm had crossed the ocean and hidden in other countries, and Eunnamu was tasked with hunting them down.
Given her connection to the Evil Gods, this was her area of expertise, and she was hunting them down with ease.
[I'll be back soon.]
It had already been two months since Eunnamu went abroad.
She had stabilized and returned to her usual self just a few days after it happened, so I smiled in relief.
[I'll come see you as soon as I get back.]
“Okay, I got it.”
[I love you.]
I flinched at her next words. She had made a habit of saying that now.
[Hehe.]
Then, with a soft laugh, she hung up.
Is it just my imagination, or is she getting more and more mischievous?
With a wry smile, I decided it was about time to go pick up Si-ho and Ji-eun.