Hero, Rice Shop Daughter Hyeon Ha-yeon (4)

Life is a series of choices. It was a famous quote that used to float around SNS all the time. I liked it, but I always thought it was a bittersweet truth.

Humans make choices every moment. Whether that momentary decision becomes a turning point in life or just another ordinary day is entirely up to one's own choice. Do I want to eat? Do I want to sleep? Or...

Why did I accept her so easily?

If I thought about it coldly, her demand had come out of nowhere, and I should have brushed it off somehow. I had been Lee Ji-yeon's lover, but a few years ago, after she successfully debuted as a singer and we went through all sorts of ordeals, I notified her of our breakup. In the end, we remained in this ambiguous relationship as childhood friends and business associates. She often sought physical intimacy. But that didn't mean I could accept every demand she made.

...I'm at fault too for giving in to desire.

I stared at her phone with a dazed expression. The man and woman on her screen were still devouring each other like beasts. She stroked my face and said,

"If you flirt with that rice shop girl or whatever she is..."

The hand caressing my face tightened.

"I won't let it slide."

Her eyes, as if reading my mind from beyond, were deep and dark. I swallowed hard at the tension filling the car. How could I get past this without provoking her? Kneeling and begging to appeal to her sympathy hadn't worked well before. Acting violently had already failed too—she'd actually liked it. Ignoring her had only sparked her rage, and the aftermath had been terrifying. Of course, years had passed, but I didn't think she'd changed. If anything, she'd gotten worse. In the end, all I could do was steel myself and pray inwardly.

I undid her hold and gently pushed her away as I said,

"Flirt? What nonsense is that? It's not like that."

I put on the most natural expression I could muster. To survive, I had to avoid provoking her, get through this, and then regain control.

"...I'll be watching."

"There's nothing to watch."

I replied with confident conviction and got out of the car.

"...Let's go. The shoot's starting soon."

"..."

She said nothing more and followed me out.

*

Even as I watched the Shining Boys filming, I snuck a glance at my phone, but there was no message from Ha-yeon. Wondering if I hadn't written my number on the business card, I called the office, but they said no contact either.

"..."

Thanks to CEO Dae-pyo's betrayal, Lee Ji-yeon knew everything. No one knew if she'd sabotage things or just sit back—her true intentions ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were a mystery. She'd turned down the offer, but she clearly admired celebrities. There must be some reason she hadn't mentioned it. Tonight, I'd revisit her past and find material to win her over.

The TV in the waiting room was playing Shining Boys' hit song Love Mystery. Leader In-seok had slightly botched the choreography. It wasn't a big mistake, but having seen their dances so often, I could tell.

They were my artists too. For today, I'd focus on work.

*

I finished up and returned to the dorm. Since I had to see Ha-yeon first thing tomorrow morning, I'd contacted ahead and handed off the others to different roadies. After realizing I could meet the goddess in dreams and view the past, experiments showed I could spend far more time in dreams than actually sleeping.

I showered and turned on the mini humidifier that had been collecting dust. My mind might be exhausted, but my body would stay healthy. Fully prepared, I laid my head on the pillow, and sleep came swiftly. Being able to fall asleep easily was a real talent.

*

I opened my eyes to the now-familiar space. The goddess still hovered in the middle of the room.

"Goddess, show me the hero's past again today."

"I'm heading out today with a plan to win her over."

The goddess silently extended her hand, revealing the past.

*

I woke to the murmur of voices around me. It was the war where the hero and I had fought. The dream felt as real as ever. If a virtual reality game from some novel came out, it'd probably feel like this. But since it was replaying exactly what my past self had seen, I couldn't move freely.

Looking around, preparations for battle were in full swing. The hero was nearby, getting intel on the enemy from an allied general. This was the past I'd requested from the goddess. For some reason, my past self had once asked her why she'd become the hero.

My past self called out without hesitation.

"Guide? All set?"

She told the general to wait and approached me. Telling a general of a nation to hold on... Just how much authority did the hero have?

My past self asked her,

"Hero, why did you decide to become the hero?"

"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?"

"..."

As I stared at her pointedly, she looked at me oddly and said,

"I became the hero to protect people."

"...What about the people dying in this war? Their families?"

"To prevent even more conflicts, I think it's unavoidable."

The hero had an extreme side. My consciousness snapped away. Like plummeting from a high ride at first—dizzying—but I'd grown a bit used to it. My mind cleared. Another past.

I opened my eyes to the scene where my past self had bought her a ring. Nothing different from before. I slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and asked her to protect me. Thinking back, the left ring finger—that's the wedding ring finger. I didn't know the culture there, but from her reaction, it seemed no different from modern times.

My past self had been greater than I realized, always telling her to protect me. The hero, tears of joy in her eyes, always promised she would. I'd asked the hero to protect me, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and she'd sworn to do so. Consciousness snapped again.

Soon after, before even opening my eyes, a foul stench assaulted me. I saw the blood-soaked hero. It was the past where her hands had shredded thousands. She shook me, calling out, then drew her sword and charged at the gathered crowd.

Far off, I recognized a face—it was the general from the first scene today. Was this the same battle? If so, why had she seen even allies as enemies?

As thoughts swirled, her first words to me resurfaced.

'A-are you okay? D-does it hurt a lot? S-sorry, I-I messed up...'

'I-I'll... protect you... just wait a little...'

Had someone on our side harmed me? Either way, I understood—the hero had failed to protect me for that one moment. Consciousness snapped.

This was a new past. I opened my eyes in a house of marble and wood, sleek even by modern standards. Expensive-looking furniture, an air of abundance. Clearly tied to the hero, but she wasn't there. First time waking without seeing her.

My past self stepped outside. It was a single-story house—door opened straight to the outdoors. Standing in front, I surveyed the surroundings. Fresh, clear air everywhere. The house sat in a vast plain, ringed by tall, rugged mountains in the distance like a fence. Nearby, a decent-sized lake; by its shore, cows, pigs, chickens, various trees heavy with fruit. It seemed idyllic, but on second thought, eerie.

...Where is everyone else?

This endless plain showed no human traces beyond my house. The distant mountains had no passes—clouds even clung to their peaks. A natural prison. And no hero in sight.

My past self headed to the lake. Near the shore, I found her felling trees with a massive sword and hauling them. Her deep, dark hair, longer than in the last dream, reached her waist. She saw me, set down the wood and sword, and approached.

"Out for a walk?"

She smiled warmly and asked kindly. But my mouth said something else.

"Let me go."

"What're you talking about? I can't protect you if you leave."

She stayed gentle. Watching the exchange, I realized the hero had brought me to this natural prison and was raising me here.

"Haa... Fine. If you wanna leave that bad, beat me."

The hero was certifiably insane. Beat the woman who'd slaughtered hundreds in seconds? At those words, I drew a sharp-looking sword from somewhere. She sighed, snapped off a suitable tree branch, and faced me.

"Haaaah!"

The moment our eyes met, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I charged. She grinned, swung the branch, and my vision went dark. Not a snap of consciousness—my past self came to soon after. I was back in the house bed. Across from me, she was whittling a long wooden stick.

"Awake?"

"Ugh..."

"Haa... really... you okay?"

"Ugh..."

She set down the wood, came over, stroked my head, and said,

"I think bad kids deserve punishment."

"Punishment...? For trying to escape kidnapping?"

Even at my defiant reply, she didn't lose her smile.

"You asked me to protect you... then try to escape? That makes you a bad kid, right?"

"What..."

She lightly pinned my rising body with one hand and grabbed my left ankle. Realizing her intent, I thrashed to escape, but her slender grip held firm, filling me with despair. She looked at me and squeezed.

Crunch

"Gaaah! Stop! Uwaaaaaah!"

My ankle couldn't withstand the absurd pressure and shattered. She was still smiling. With a final pop from my ankle, I blacked out again. Her strength was pure terror.

Consciousness snapped. I opened my eyes to the goddess before me.

"Haa... haa..."

Panting, I stared at her.

I clutched my perfectly fine ankle. The pain had felt so vivid.

"Haa... Anyway, I got something out of it."

She was obsessed with protecting me. Probably, the current her thought the same about her family.