The Weight of Thousands of Lives
Living life, when would I ever get another chance to stay in the penthouse of a top-tier hotel like this? I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the Han River, soaking in the stunning view. The sun was setting. Thanks to shoving the Architect into the job, the hotel had been restored in no time. It was worth the trip all the way to Gangseo just to cherry-pick A-rank monster cores.
"Totally worth blocking them off."
The Seoul reclamation operation. Even in the original story, it had been attempted multiple times, only to fail every single time. And I'd witnessed the ugly truth behind it.
The massacre carried out by the Pine Tree Unit. Ga-eul had gone berserk, and Ji-hwa had covered it up, limiting the casualties to just over 200. But if we'd let it slide, all those tens of thousands in the Dongjak underground would've died buried alive.
In the original, they probably all ended up as ghosts or turned into monsters out of sheer resentment.
"They never even considered saving Seoul's residents."
It wasn't that they couldn't predict it—they just never planned for it at all. The goal was to round up all the villains into one place, and as for Seoul's residents? Let 'em fend for themselves. If they fled to Shin Seoul, all the better.
Ordinary folk without abilities. What use were refugees hiding underground? At best, pick out the few with talent and put them to work.
"But now it's too late for that..."
Cheon Ga-eul. Because of her changed state, I'd played the nice guy, and now this was the result. Suddenly saddled with the lives of tens of thousands, the weight pressed down on my shoulders.
It had already been a hassle turning Guro's refugees into Cheonghwa-dan members. The thought of managing tens of thousands more made my head throb.
Should I just trigger an earthquake and bury them all without a trace?
...I'm not Mo Taek-pyeong.
I walked over to the bed and flopped onto it face-first. My sprawled body sank straight into the covers.
"Ugh."
This wasn't what I wanted. I just aimed to carve out a shadowy empire like a behind-the-scenes black curtain, hunt for cores, and eventually become the protagonist's helpful ally by the original timeline.
But that grand plan had gone straight to hell.
"I got way too carried away with the vibe..."
It just happened. I got hyped and started rampaging, and here we are.
If I could turn back time, I'd rewind in a heartbeat. Wait, didn't I think that once before?
"......Every single thing I did was idiotic."
The results looked good at a glance. Cheon Ga-eul had become an S-rank ability user. Seoul's villains—willing or not—had submitted to Cheonghwa-dan or fallen under our protection. The Seoul reclamation op had failed, dealing a blow to the Korean Hero Association and Seon Ui-cheol.
And the fallout? The countermeasures? Too tangled to even describe.
Preparations for the Nth Seoul reclamation attempts to come. Dealing with cowards like the Gangseo land crabs who fled from heroes. Seoul refugees hiding not just in Dongjak underground, but elsewhere too. Food and supplies to keep them alive. Monsters trickling in from the outskirts. Hunters sniffing around Seoul. The massive monsters north of the Han River and the snake in City Hall. The heroes we'd kidnapped as hostages. Seolhwa Gongju after tasting defeat. Gwanggeom's next move post-failure. Spirits in Korea. Suspicions about the abnormal numbers of fire-attribute monsters revealed by the Hellhound Unit. Seon Ui-cheol's strike team coming for the Cube. The Cube that revived Ga-eul and then crumbled to ash.
"Aaaah!"
I flailed on the bed. Why did I have to pick apart every single one of these issues and deal with them?
"I wanna just say screw it all..."
In the original, I could've just done my best on the given battlefield. Now? Too many variables to juggle. To the point where even I was starting to feel overwhelmed handling it solo.
Thud thud thud!
"Huh?"
Someone pounded furiously on the door. I flicked my mana to unlock it.
Click, click.
Familiar footsteps echoed in my ears. Right on cue—Cheon Ga-eul entered the room.
"You're wearing it?"
Ga-eul was dressed in an elegant gown. A soft sky-blue dress that evoked a wedding gown from a ceremony. The production team had pulled out her skin theme: the protagonist of the masked ball. The wedding celebrating Christine and Raoul from Phantom of the Opera. Ga-eul had been the star of that scene.
Ga-eul huffed over to the head of the bed.
"The size."
"Pardon?"
"How the hell does it fit perfectly?"
Ga-eul's face had grown even paler, her gray pallor intensifying. The mana pulsing from her heart-core throbbed faster. If mana was like blood, she was seriously worked up right now.
I pulled the perfect answer from my mental database—one she'd get instantly.
"'Cause it's custom-made just for you?"
The original owner of this dress was Cheon Ga-eul, after all. Like how my priestess robes fit Phoenix perfectly. Though Ga-eul's body was far younger than her Masquerade form, so minor adjustments were needed.
Ga-eul's face drained of what little color remained.
"S-so you touched me and took measurements?!"
"......I scanned you with mana before, remember? Checked everything then."
Affinity test. Shooting mana waves over her whole body naturally mapped out her measurements.
"You'd gained a little weight since. From the top: 84-"
Whoosh.
A massive gray pillar loomed before my eyes. I shut my mouth as it burst from under her dress.
"Shut it."
"Yes ma'am."
I obeyed the threat without a fight. Otherwise, those wriggling things looked ready to violate me.
"Hoo. Fine."
Ga-eul settled gracefully at the head of the bed. I sat up too.
"So, what's next? You went all out with the fireworks."
"Yeah. What should we do?"
I had another stunt planned but kept it under wraps.
Ga-eul covered her face with both hands.
"You really have zero plan..."
She sighed. I had nothing to argue with.
I opened the message. It contained an official government announcement.
"What's that? Hmm..."
Ga-eul scooted over to peer at the screen.
"We're screwed."
It was Korea's own classification, but with the Association's stamp, it might as well be broadcast worldwide. Luckily, it was my kaijin form, and the footage was blurry—no clear shots beyond the blue flames. But that alone exposed all my tells.
Ga-eul bit her lip.
"This is seriously bad, right?"
"The legendary top B-rank yokai legend hits a wall like this..."
"Don't joke."
"......Guess we can think of it as getting exposed sooner rather than later."
I'd braced for this when I heard Seolhwa Gongju was coming. I'd hidden as best I could, but apparently my kaijin's mana pattern got analyzed. Bad luck.
"Fine. Life never goes to plan anyway, right? Since we're blowing it up, let's make it extra spectacular."
"So you're just gonna cause chaos and improvise the cleanup later?"
Ouch. Too on the nose—hurt to admit.
Ga-eul glared at me with pitiful eyes.
"You think you can handle this mess as is?"
"......Somehow?"
Flash.
Tentacles erupted from behind her dress. I tried to jerk back, but they snagged my wrist faster.
"I'm not kidding. Two S-ranks, plus Gwanggeom. Worst case, the government calls in foreign aid. You gonna wing it then too?"
Gray flickered in Ga-eul's eyes.
"You need a long-term framework. Even high schoolers plan their year leading to the college entrance exam. When I start a drama shoot, I map out my acting arc against the full synopsis. Want me to guess what's in your head right now?"
Her hands gripped my cheeks. Our eyes locked.
"We'll blow it up and figure it out after. Deal with the next crisis when it hits. Wrong?"
"......Kinda true. And we've had no major screw-ups so far, right?"
She pinched my cheeks and shook my head side to side.
"Still? Okay, what if the Round Table publicly brands you and comes for your head? All 12 charging at once."
"......Fight to the death for mutual destruction?"
Now that I'd awakened as a spirit, unleashing my true form could drag them all to the afterlife like drowned ghosts. The aftermath might shatter the planet, though.
Ga-eul sighed hugely, incredulous at my answer.
"...Haa. Listen up. What you need right now is..."
She pointed at herself.
"People to help you. Not yes-men marching to your half-baked plans, but smart folks to brainstorm at the same table."
"You've got me, Deok-bae, Ji-hwa. Haneulseong too."
She shook her head.
"Not enough. We're falling short already, aren't we?"
Ga-eul gave a wry smile.
"Even now, as I'm talking, you're not spilling what's really bugging you. You tell Deok-bae bits, but skim the core."
"Ga-eul, that's—"
She pulled me into a hug. Cool chill seeped through her dress.
"You probably won't ever tell me everything. You'll suffer in silence forever, huh? So..."
She patted my back.
"Someone will show up someday to stand by your side. Until then, I'll stay with you."
"Ga-eul."
"...No going back to Shin Seoul now, right? This is fate."
Tentacles rippled over her dress.
"Killing people, turning a blind eye sometimes, maybe even doing it myself. I'll handle it. First time'll suck, but I'll get used to it. Like Deok-bae or Ji-hwa—"
"Learned it from you."
Ga-eul used a tentacle to remove her mask and slip it onto her face.
"The human actress Cheon Ga-eul died when we left your barrier. What's here now is your eternal guardian kaijin—the Phantom."
"......Not tentacles?"
Bonk.
Her tentacle thwacked my head.
"If you've got energy for jokes, start brainstorming now—"
"Ga-eul."
I hugged Cheon Ga-eul tight. Her body jolted.
"What if we just ran away like this?"
Ditch all responsibility, abandon everything. Hide in some deserted spot, killing time.
"Do nothing, see nothing. Hole up quietly in some mountain until the end."
When I first came to, I'd even considered sealing myself in magma forever. How long had passed since dropping into Incheon until today? Countless events, but less than a month.
And now, five more years ahead. Until doomsday. Could I endure? Would I still be me by then?
"If I bail, maybe someone else saves the world?"
My reflection in the window looked on the verge of tears, face twisted.
Thwack!
Ga-eul's tentacle smacked my head.
"Snap out of it. You think that's sane?"
Another tentacle whack. Like getting scolded.
"......Honestly tempted me too, but we can't. Right?"
She pulled back slightly, grabbing my cheeks again.
"That's not your real heart talking. Right?"
She saw through me. Ga-eul had read the deepest truth I'd buried.
"Hang in there, even if it's tough. If you burn out, tell me. Anytime, like now..."
Ga-eul pulled my head to her chest. Pat pat.
"I'll be right here."
Like soothing a whining kid, she patted me as the sun dipped behind the mountains, darkness settling in.
...What, you two like that now? Sorry to interrupt the good time.
They say birth rates spike in wartime. Tsk.
Ga-eul and I shuddered and eased apart gently.
"......Kill him?"
"Let's."
We straightened our clothes and bolted downstairs.